Peak Procedural ACT Is Associated With All-Cause Mortality After Femoral Access PCI.

Background: A minimum threshold activated clotting time (ACT) to guide heparin dosing during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with lower ischemic complications. However, data are variable regarding the risk of high ACT levels. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of peak procedural ACT on complications and mortality for transfemoral and transradial access PCI.

High Level of Pre-Treatment HIV-1 Drug Resistance and Its Association with HLA Class I-Mediated Restriction in the Pumwani Sex Worker Cohort.

Background: We analyzed the prevalence of pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) drug resistance mutations (DRMs) in a Kenyan population. We also examined whether host HLA class I genes influence the development of pre-ART DRMs.

Methods: The HIV-1 proviral DNAs were amplified from blood samples of 266 ART-naïve women from the Pumwani Sex Worker cohort of Nairobi, Kenya using a nested PCR method.

Systematic review of cochlear implantation in adults with asymmetrical hearing loss.

Background: Rapid advances in cochlear implantation has witnessed an expanding spectrum for candidacy worldwide. This includes a subgroup of adults with asymmetrical hearing loss who have a wide range in their hearing capacity between the two ears. As per guidelines they are not included in mainstream candidacy for CI across the world.

TAZ Is a Negative Regulator of PPARγ Activity in Adipocytes and TAZ Deletion Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Tolerance.

Insulin resistance is a major factor in obesity-linked type 2 diabetes. PPARγ is a master regulator of adipogenesis, and small molecule agonists, termed thiazolidinediones, are potent therapeutic insulin sensitizers. Here, we studied the role of transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) as a transcriptional co-repressor of PPARγ.

Dielectric relaxation studies of collagen - surfactant complexes in aqueous buffer solution.

Dielectric relaxation studies of rat tail tendon collagen with anionic sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), cationic cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and nonionic Tween 80 in aqueous buffer solutions at four different temperatures have been carried out in the frequency range 1 GHz to 25 GHz using time domain dielectric spectroscopy. The frequency dependent normalized dielectric modulus function P of the collagen and surfactant solutions show up as peaks around 1-2 GHz which is due to the bound water around collagen macromolecule and surfactant micelles. For the collagen - surfactant complexes, the peak in normalized dielectric modulus function P is shifted towards high frequency side near 2-3 GHz upon addition of surfactants to collagen in buffer solution.

Decreasing Phosphatidylcholine on the Surface of the Lipid Droplet Correlates with Altered Protein Binding and Steatosis.

Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) is characterized by an abnormal accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) in the liver. Here, we explore the composition of hepatic LDs in a rat model of AFLD. Five to seven weeks of alcohol consumption led to significant increases in hepatic triglyceride mass, along with increases in LD number and size.

Nutrition Education for the Health-care Provider Improves Patient Outcomes.

Nutrition education is globally lacking in medical training, despite the fact that dietary habits are a crucial component of physician self-care, disease prevention, and treatment. Research has shown that a physician's health status directly affects the quality of their preventative health counseling and patient outcomes, yet on average less than 20 hours over 4 years of medical education is spent teaching nutrition. This leaves providers with a gap in knowledge regarding this critical component of health.

Barriers to research among residents in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery around the world.

Objectives: To document the challenges faced by residents in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OTL-HNS) around the world to successfully complete research projects. The second objective is to assess if the challenges are uniform worldwide.

Methods: A survey was sent to all OTL-HNS under 45 years old from the 2017 IFOS meeting.

Experience of Domestic Violence and Psychological Morbidity in Spouses of Alcohol-Dependent Males.

Background: Prevalence of both domestic violence (DV) and alcohol use is reported to be high in Kerala. The prevalence of DV and psychological morbidity in spouses of alcohol-dependent males has not been studied objectively.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken to study the occurrence of DV and psychological morbidity-major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorders-in spouses of alcohol-dependent males attending the de-addiction center of a tertiary care hospital in South India.

Hydration dynamics of collagen in aqueous buffer solution as studied by time domain dielectric spectroscopy.

Dielectric relaxation studies of collagen in aqueous buffer solution (pH 3.7) have been carried out at four different temperatures 283, 288, 293 and 298 K as a function of collagen concentration between 0.033 μM and 0.

HIV-1 Subtypes and 5'LTR-Leader Sequence Variants Correlate with Seroconversion Status in Pumwani Sex Worker Cohort.

Within the Pumwani sex worker cohort, a subgroup remains seronegative, despite frequent exposure to HIV-1; some of them seroconverted several years later. This study attempts to identify viral variations in 5'LTR-leader sequences (5'LTR-LS) that might contribute to the late seroconversion. The 5'LTR-LS contains sites essential for replication and genome packaging, viz, primer binding site (PBS), major splice donor (SD), and major packaging signal (PS).

Deep sequencing of near full-length HIV-1 genomes from plasma identifies circulating subtype C and infrequent occurrence of AC recombinant form in Southern India.

India has the third largest number of HIV-1-infected individuals accounting for approximately 2.1 million people, with a predominance of circulating subtype C strains and a low prevalence of subtype A and A1C and BC recombinant forms, identified over the past two decades. Recovery of near full-length HIV-1 genomes from a plasma source coupled with advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and development of universal methods for amplifying whole genomes of HIV-1 circulating in a target geography or population provides the opportunity for a detailed analysis of HIV-1 strain identification, evolution and dynamics.

Preliminary studies on the use of pertussis toxin for the modulation of intravaginal SIV transmission in rhesus macaques.

Background: Pertussis toxin (PTX) blocks GPCR signaling resulting in the inhibition of chemotaxis/cell adhesion. It was reasoned that inhibition of cell trafficking may be an approach to prevent HIV/SIV transmission.

Methods: In this study, PTX in HEC gel was applied to the vaginal wall of monkeys that were then challenged intravaginally with SIVmac251.

Design and development of an in-line sputtering system and process development of thin film multilayer neutron supermirrors.

Neutron supermirrors and supermirror polarizers are thin film multilayer based devices which are used for reflecting and polarizing neutrons in various neutron based experiments. In the present communication, the in-house development of a 9 m long in-line dc sputtering system has been described which is suitable for deposition of neutron supermirrors on large size (1500 mm × 150 mm) substrates and in large numbers. The optimisation process of deposition of Co and Ti thin film, Co/Ti periodic multilayers, and a-periodic supermirrors have also been described.

Influence of HLA class I haplotypes on HIV-1 seroconversion and disease progression in Pumwani sex worker cohort.

We examined the effect of HLA class I haplotypes on HIV-1 seroconversion and disease progression in the Pumwani sex worker cohort. This study included 595 HIV-1 positive patients and 176 HIV negative individuals. HLA-A, -B, and -C were typed to 4-digit resolution using sequence-based typing method.

Prevention of nonimmunologic loss of transplanted islets in monkeys.

The nonimmunologic loss of islets in the pre-, peri-, and early post-islet transplant periods is profound. To determine the potential role that transplantation of only a marginal mass of functioning beta cells may play in triggering late nonimmunologic graft loss, we studied the effect of treatment with alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) in the autologous cynomolgus islet transplant model. A marginal mass of autologous islets, that is islets prepared from 70% to 80% of the pancreas, was transplanted at 1600-4100 IEQ/kg into subtotal pancreatectomized, streptozotocin-treated and insulin-deficient diabetic hosts.

Interplay between HIV-1 and Host Genetic Variation: A Snapshot into Its Impact on AIDS and Therapy Response.

As of February 2012, 50 circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) have been reported for HIV-1 while one CRF for HIV-2. Also according to HIV sequence compendium 2011, the HIV sequence database is replete with 414,398 sequences. The fact that there are CRFs, which are an amalgamation of sequences derived from six or more subtypes (CRF27_cpx (cpx refers to complex) is a mosaic with sequences from 6 different subtypes besides an unclassified fragment), serves as a testimony to the continual divergent evolution of the virus with its approximate 1% per year rate of evolution, and this phenomena per se poses tremendous challenge for vaccine development against HIV/AIDS, a devastating disease that has killed 1.

Oxidative stress is independently associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Our work is aimed at exploring the interrelationship of oxidative stress and insulin resistance in NAFLD subjects with and without type 2 diabetes in a population-based study.

Methods: Subjects [n=200] were recruited from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study. 1: Normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects without NAFLD; 2: NGT with NAFLD; 3: type 2 diabetic subjects [T2DM] without NAFLD and 4: T2DM with NAFLD.

Association of leukocyte count and hsCRP with metabolic abnormalities in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (CURES - 64).

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the association of leukocyte count and high sensitivity C-Reactive protein (hsCRP) with metabolic abnormalities in subjects with normal glucose tolerance.

Methods: Subjects with Normal Glucose Tolerance (NGT) (n = 865) were recruited from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study [CURES]. Standard methods were used for assessing hsCRP [Nephelometry, in a subset] and leukocytes [Flowcytometry, Sysmex SF-3000].

Association of leukocyte count with varying degrees of glucose intolerance in Asian Indians: the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES-26).

Objective: This study assessed the association of leukocyte count with different grades of glucose intolerance in Asian Indian subjects.

Methods: Three groups of subjects were recruited from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES), a population-based study, representative of Chennai (formerly Madras), a city in southern India. Group 1 represented normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 840), group 2 included impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (n = 180), and group 3 included type 2 diabetes (n = 1170).

Advanced glycation index and its association with severity of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Background: This study investigates the association of advanced glycation index (AGI), a simple assay to detect advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in serum, with severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Methods: The study included 188 type 2 diabetic subjects without DR, 153 subjects with nonproliferative DR, 41 subjects with proliferative DR, and 188 control participants. Serum levels of AGEs were monitored with a spectrofluorimeter by recording Maillard-specific fluorescence.

Placental 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 is reduced in pregnancies complicated with idiopathic intrauterine growth Restriction: evidence that this is associated with an attenuated ratio of cortisone to cortisol in the umbilical artery.

The placental 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2) serves as a functional barrier to protect the fetus from excessive exposure to high levels of maternal cortisol. There is evidence that placental 11beta-HSD2 is reduced in pregnancies complicated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), but the relationship between the two is uncertain owing to other maternal complications often associated with this pathological condition of pregnancy. To gain insight into the role of placental 11beta-HSD2 in the pathogenesis of IUGR, we studied variations in the activity and expression of this important enzyme as well as its functional indicator, the ratio of cortisone to cortisol in umbilical cord blood, in a cohort of 12 term deliveries complicated with idiopathic IUGR and 12 term controls.

Pharmacological validation of Kantha chendooram for antiulcer activity in modified pylorus ligated (shay) rat model.

The use of metals and minerals is predominant in siddha system of medicine. As per siddha concept, peptic ulcer is known as Valigunmam, the basic abnormality appears to be the derangement of metabolism in the stomach and duodenum resulting in malfunctioning of the secretory process of gastric mucosa. Chendooram is a group of siddha drugs which is used for anemia, obesity, rheumatic diseases; abdominal tumours etc.

Glutamine fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) gene expression and activity in patients with type 2 diabetes: inter-relationships with hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress.

Objective: : Cell culture and animal model studies have strongly suggested a role for the rate-limiting enzyme for hexosamine biosynthesis, glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) in insulin resistance. However, there are very few clinical studies and none on Asian Indians, a high-risk group for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), which examined the role of GFAT in insulin resistance and T2DM.

Design And Method: : The study group comprised of T2DM subjects without any complications (n=25) and control non-diabetic subjects (n=23).