Correlates of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in India: Change as evidenced from NFHS- 4 and 5 during 2015-2021.

Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) have been on the rise in recent decades all over the world more remarkably in developing countries like India. We intend to measure the prevalence of DM and HTN in the Indian population and to compare the trends and various correlates of these diseases in NFHS (National Family Health Survey)-4 and 5. Data of NFHS-4 and 5 were accessed from dhs program website.

Outcomes of COVID-19 amongst patients with ongoing use of inhaled corticosteroids - a systematic review & meta-analysis.

Background: WHO quoted the numbers for the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as of August 2021 were 200 million cases with over 4 million deaths globally. COVID-19 is associated with several respiratory pathologies. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are used to improve lung function by reducing inflammation, edema, mucus secretion, and inhibiting various cytokine activities.

An Overview of Psychological Analysis of Breast Cancer Patients undergoing Modified Radical Mastectomy and Breast Conservation Surgery and its impact on Objectified Body Consciousness at a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre in South India.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females, and surgery plays a central role in its treatment. Surgical treatments may have a negative psychological impact on women's mental health regarding their body image. The purpose of this study was to compare the psychological health insights pertaining to objectified body consciousness scores before and after the surgery and also to observe whether these scores were comparable across the surgery types.

Prevalence of active and passive smoking among asthma and asthma-associated emergency admissions: a nationwide prevalence survey study.

Asthma affects 7% of children and 8% of adults in the United States. There is a paucity of studies examining the association between passive smoking and an increased risk of asthma exacerbations that led the authors to examine the association between various modes of smoking and rates of asthma exacerbations. A retrospective cross-sectional/case-control study was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset (2013-2018).

A comparative study of histopathologic features in alopecia areata and pattern hair loss.

Background: When peribulbar infiltrates are absent, other histopathologic findings are necessary to distinguish alopecia areata (AA) from pattern hair loss (PHL). The purpose of this study is to determine which histopathologic features are most useful for differentiation.

Methods: A retrospective slide review was conducted of AA and PHL scalp biopsy specimens from 2014 to 2019 at a tertiary referral center.

Mucormycosis of the Breast in a Patient With Breast Carcinoma After COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Mucormycosis is a rare, but potentially fatal, fungal infection which is caused by mucormyctes. These forms of fungi are typically known to infect immuno-compromised individuals but are rare in immunocompetent individuals. Herein, we report the case of a 52 year-old female who was diagnosed with right breast carcinoma in Manipal Hospital, a tertiary cancer care center.

An Overview of the Impact of Body Mass Index on Pathological Complete Response Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Breast Cancer in a Tertiary Care Centre in South India.

Objective: The incidence of female breast cancer in the world is 11.7% with a mortality rate of 6.9%.

Association of Smoking and E-Cigarette in Chronic Liver Disease: An NHANES Study.

Background: There is an increased trend of e-cigarette but the toxic effects of e-cigarette metabolites are not widely studied especially in liver disease. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of recent e-cigarette use in a nationally representative sample of US adults and adolescents and its association amongst respondents with liver disease.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2015 to 2018.

Cardiac Sarcoidosis Diagnostic Challenges and Management: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Sarcoidosis can be presented as cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), which is challenging to diagnose due to its clinical silence. Ventricular arrhythmias and atrioventricular blocks can be fatal and cause sudden death in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis. Five percent of sarcoidosis patients have clinically evident cardiac sarcoidosis.

Asymptomatic Left Atrial Myxoma Treated With Minimally Invasive Surgical Approach.

Myxomas, being the most common primary benign tumor among all cardiac tumors, occur rarely with a very low incidence rate. Myxomas can cause various clinical manifestations or can be diagnosed incidentally. Some patients with cardiac myxomas are completely asymptomatic.

Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL)-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is an established literature on the symptoms and complications of COVID-19 but the after-effects of COVID-19 are not well understood with few studies reporting persistent symptoms and quality of life. We aim to evaluate the pooled prevalence of poor quality of life in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) and conducted meta-regression to evaluate the effects of persistent symptoms and intensive care unit (ICU) admission on the poor quality of life. We extracted data from observational studies describing persistent symptoms and quality of life in post-COVID-19 patients from March 10, 2020, to March 10, 2021, following PRISMA guidelines with a consensus of two independent reviewers.

Outcomes of COVID-19 Complications and their Possibilities as Potential Triggers of Stroke.

Introduction: There is limited literature on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19) complications such as thromboembolism, cardiac complications etc. as possible trigger for stroke. Hence, we aim to evaluate the prevalence and outcomes of COVID-19 related cardiovascular complications and secondary infection and their possibility as potential triggers for the stroke.

Liver disease and outcomes among COVID-19 hospitalized patients - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction And Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a challenge globally. In severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic 60% of patients had hepatic injury, due to phylogenetic similarities of the viruses it is assumed that COVID-19 is associated with acute liver injury. In this meta-analysis, we aim to study the occurrence and association of liver injury, comorbid liver disease and elevated liver enzymes in COVID-19 confirmed hospitalizations with outcomes.

EB1 Directly Regulates APC-Mediated Actin Nucleation.

EB1 was discovered 25 years ago as a binding partner of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) [1]; however, the significance of EB1-APC interactions has remained poorly understood. EB1 functions at the center of a network of microtubule end-tracking proteins (+TIPs) [2-5], and APC binding to EB1 promotes EB1 association with microtubule ends and microtubule stabilization [6, 7]. Whether EB1 interactions govern functions of APC beyond microtubule regulation has not been explored.

Mid to long term outcomes of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Indian population: 3-7 year results - A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Few studies have addressed the mid to long term impact of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) on weight loss and obesity associated co-morbidities, particularly in Indian population. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of LSG in morbid obesity over 3-7 years follow up.

Materials And Methods: Data of all patients who underwent LSG between January 2008 and March 2015 and completed their at least 1 year follow up till March 2016 was retrospectively reviewed using a prospectively collected database.

Adenomatous polyposis coli nucleates actin assembly to drive cell migration and microtubule-induced focal adhesion turnover.

Cell motility depends on tight coordination between the microtubule (MT) and actin cytoskeletons, but the mechanisms underlying this MT-actin cross talk have remained poorly understood. Here, we show that the tumor suppressor protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), which is a known MT-associated protein, directly nucleates actin assembly to promote directed cell migration. By changing only two residues in APC, we generated a separation-of-function mutant, APC (m4), that abolishes actin nucleation activity without affecting MT interactions.

Single-molecule visualization of a formin-capping protein 'decision complex' at the actin filament barbed end.

Precise control of actin filament length is essential to many cellular processes. Formins processively elongate filaments, whereas capping protein (CP) binds to barbed ends and arrests polymerization. While genetic and biochemical evidence has indicated that these two proteins function antagonistically, the mechanism underlying the antagonism has remained unresolved.

Drosophila homologues of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and the formin diaphanous collaborate by a conserved mechanism to stimulate actin filament assembly.

Background: Vertebrate APC collaborates with Dia through its Basic domain to assemble actin filaments.

Results: Despite limited sequence homology between the vertebrate and Drosophila APC Basic domains, Drosophila APC1 collaborates with Dia to stimulate actin assembly in vitro.

Conclusion: The mechanism of actin assembly is highly conserved over evolution.

Gall bladder cancer and the role of dietary and lifestyle factors: a case-control study in a North Indian population.

Most patients with gall bladder cancer (GBC) present in the advanced stage with a poor response to therapy. Prevention or early detection is the best way to prevent death, but this requires identification of susceptible subgroups. Keeping this in mind, this study was carried out to evaluate the association between selected demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors and GBC.

Rocket launcher mechanism of collaborative actin assembly defined by single-molecule imaging.

Interacting sets of actin assembly factors work together in cells, but the underlying mechanisms have remained obscure. We used triple-color single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to image the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and the formin mDia1 during filament assembly. Complexes consisting of APC, mDia1, and actin monomers initiated actin filament formation, overcoming inhibition by capping protein and profilin.

E93R substitution of Escherichia coli FtsZ induces bundling of protofilaments, reduces GTPase activity, and impairs bacterial cytokinesis.

Recently, we found that divalent calcium has no detectable effect on the assembly of Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ (MtbFtsZ), whereas it strongly promoted the assembly of Escherichia coli FtsZ (EcFtsZ). While looking for potential calcium binding residues in EcFtsZ, we found a mutation (E93R) that strongly promoted the assembly of EcFtsZ. The mutation increased the stability and bundling of the FtsZ protofilaments and produced a dominating effect on the assembly of the wild type FtsZ (WT-FtsZ).

Differential assembly properties of Escherichia coli FtsZ and Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ: an analysis using divalent calcium.

The assembly of FtsZ is considered to be a fundamental process during the bacterial cytokinesis. We used several complimentary techniques to probe the assembly of recombinant Escherichia coli FtsZ (EcFtsZ) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ (MtbFtsZ) proteins in vitro. As documented earlier, EcFtsZ was found to polymerize at much faster rate than MtbFtsZ.