TGF-β and iron differently alter HBV replication in human hepatocytes through TGF-β/BMP signaling and cellular microRNA expression.

The nature of host-virus interactions in hepatitis B virus infection is incompletely understood. Since soluble factors, e.g.

Prevalence and severity of vitamin D deficiency in patients with diabetic foot infection.

The aim of the present research was to study the prevalence and severity of vitamin D deficiency in patients with diabetic foot infection. Patients were enrolled in two groups: diabetic patients with foot infection (n 125) as cases and diabetic patients without the infection as controls (n 164). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured by RIA.

Bisphenol A-mediated suppression of LPL gene expression inhibits triglyceride accumulation during adipogenic differentiation of human adult stem cells.

The endocrine disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), has been shown to accelerate the rate of adipogenesis and increase the amount of triglyceride accumulation during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The objective of this study was to investigate if that observation is mirrored in human primary cells. Here we investigated the effect of BPA on adipogenesis in cultured human primary adult stem cells.

Necrodestructive herpes zoster.

Herpes Zoster (HZ) is a self-limiting viral infection of skin and mucosa caused by Varicella zoster virus. Cutaneous lesions of HZ usually heal without any scarring and hyper/hypopigmentation. Though, post-inflammatory depigmentation and deep scarring can occur in immunocompromised or HIV positive individuals.

A systematic review of school-based interventions to prevent risk factors associated with noncommunicable diseases.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are emerging as an important public health problem in developing countries. The risk factors for NCDs are initiated during childhood and adolescence. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of school-based interventions for prevention of NCD risk factors (physical inactivity, diet, and tobacco consumption), and identify processes that affect the main outcome.

Endogenous formation and repair of oxidatively induced G[8-5 m]T intrastrand cross-link lesion.

Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) can give rise to the formation of various DNA damage products. Among them, d(G[8-5 m]T) can be induced in isolated DNA treated with Fenton reagents and in cultured human cells exposed to γ-rays, d(G[8-5m]T) can be recognized and incised by purified Escherichia coli UvrABC nuclease. However, it remains unexplored whether d(G[8-5 m]T) accumulates in mammalian tissues and whether it is a substrate for nucleotide excision repair (NER) in vivo.

PET with 64Cu-histidine for noninvasive diagnosis of biliary copper excretion in Long-Evans cinnamon rat model of Wilson disease.

Unlabelled: Excretion of copper into bile requires the copper transporter Atp7b, which is deficient in Wilson disease. We hypothesized that a radiocopper-histidine complex would be effective for diagnosing Wilson disease by molecular imaging and tested this hypothesis in the Long-Evans cinnamon (LEC) rat model with Atp7b deficiency.

Methods: We complexed (64)Cu to l-histidine and analyzed clearance from blood, uptake in tissues, and excretion in bile of healthy Long-Evans agouti (LEA) rats versus LEC rats modeling Wilson disease.

Quantitative Assessment of Expression of Lactate Dehydrogenase and its Isoforms 3 and 4 may Serve as Useful Indicators of Progression of Gallbladder Cancer: A Pilot Study.

We have studied the expression of lactate dehydrogenase and its isoforms in gall bladder cancer, cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis. Quantitative and qualitative assays of lactate dehydrogenase and its various isoforms were carried out in the blood sera of patients and healthy controls along with parallel estimation of various liver function test enzymes. Statistical analysis was done using the software Graph Pad Prism.

Novel nonsense mutation of ABHD5 in Dorfman-Chanarin syndrome with unusual findings: a challenge for genotype-phenotype correlation.

Dorfman-Chanarin syndrome is a rare neutral lipid disorder characterised by icthyosis, hepatic steatosis and multisystemic involvement of varying magnitude. It is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the ABHD5 gene. We report a consanguineous family of Afgani origin, with four affected siblings who were found to have a novel homozygous nonsense mutation g.

Role of bone marrow transplantation for correcting hemophilia A in mice.

To better understand cellular basis of hemophilia, cell types capable of producing FVIII need to be identified. We determined whether bone marrow (BM)-derived cells would produce cells capable of synthesizing and releasing FVIII by transplanting healthy mouse BM into hemophilia A mice. To track donor-derived cells, we used genetic reporters.

Spontaneous origin from human embryonic stem cells of liver cells displaying conjoint meso-endodermal phenotype with hepatic functions.

Understanding the identity of lineage-specific cells arising during manipulations of stem cells is necessary for developing their potential applications. For instance, replacement of crucial functions in organ failure by transplantation of suitable stem-cell-derived cells will be applicable to numerous disorders, but requires insights into the origin, function and fate of specific cell populations. We studied mechanisms by which the identity of differentiated cells arising from stem cells could be verified in the context of natural liver-specific stem cells and whether such differentiated cells could be effective for supporting the liver following cell therapy in a mouse model of drug-induced acute liver failure.

Eyebrow threading: a boon or a bane.

Eyebrow threading is a practice of shaping the eyebrows. Many dermatological complications have been briefly mentioned in various publications. There are scant data regarding the appearance of molluscum in the line of eyebrows after a session of threading.

Control of HBV replication by antiviral microRNAs transferred by lentiviral vectors for potential cell and gene therapy approaches.

Background: Because molecular mechanisms regulating host cell and virus interactions are not fully understood, we further defined roles of antiviral microRNAs (miRNAs) in HBV replication.

Methods: We studied small interfering RNA sequences inserted into the miR-30 backbone in cell systems. Antiviral sequences were cloned into lentiviral vectors upstream of a green fluorescent protein reporter.

Transplantation of human cells in the peritoneal cavity of immunodeficient mice for rapid assays of hepatitis B virus replication.

Background: Studies of natural hepatitis B virus infection must be restricted to humans or primates due to viral species-specificity. Alternative hepadnavirus animal models, e.g.

Prevalence and risk factors for vitamin C deficiency in north and south India: a two centre population based study in people aged 60 years and over.

Background: Studies from the UK and North America have reported vitamin C deficiency in around 1 in 5 men and 1 in 9 women in low income groups. There are few data on vitamin C deficiency in resource poor countries.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in India.

Comprehensive proteomic analysis of human bile.

Bile serves diverse functions from metabolism to transport. In addition to acids and salts, bile is composed of proteins secreted or shed by the hepatobiliary system. Although there have been previous efforts to catalog biliary proteins, an in-depth analysis of the bile proteome has not yet been reported.

Association of blindness and hearing impairment with mortality in a cohort of elderly persons in a rural area.

Background: Studies in developed nations have reported an association of blindness and hearing impairment with mortality in elderly persons.

Objectives: To study the association of blindness and hearing impairment with mortality in a cohort of elderly persons in rural north India.

Materials And Methods: This community-based prospective study was conducted in eleven randomly selected villages, in Ballabgarh block, Haryana.

Molecular perturbations restrict potential for liver repopulation of hepatocytes isolated from non-heart-beating donor rats.

Unlabelled: Organs from non-heart-beating donors are attractive for use in cell therapy. Understanding the nature of molecular perturbations following reperfusion/reoxygenation will be highly significant for non-heart-beating donor cells. We studied non-heart-beating donor rats for global gene expression with Affymetrix microarrays, hepatic tissue integrity, viability of isolated hepatocytes, and engraftment and proliferation of transplanted cells in dipeptidyl peptidase IV-deficient rats.