Nazo, the Drosophila homolog of the NBIA-mutated protein-c19orf12, is required for triglyceride homeostasis.

Lipid dyshomeostasis has been implicated in a variety of diseases ranging from obesity to neurodegenerative disorders such as Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA). Here, we uncover the physiological role of Nazo, the Drosophila melanogaster homolog of the NBIA-mutated protein-c19orf12, whose function has been elusive. Ablation of Drosophila c19orf12 homologs leads to dysregulation of multiple lipid metabolism genes.

Lin28 is Required for Single Niche Development in the Male Gonad.

A stem cell niche provides an environment that governs stem cell maintenance and division. Thus, the development of a proper niche is of prime importance to stem cell behaviors. Mechanisms of niche development are beginning to be revealed in the male gonad.

Lanthanide(III) (Er/Ho) coordination polymers for a photocatalytic CO cycloaddition reaction.

Two new isostructural carboxylate-bridged lanthanide ribbons having the chemical formula [Ln(4-ABA)] [4-ABA = 4-aminobenzoate, Ln: holmium (Ho) and erbium (Er)] were synthesized by a solvothermal method and fully characterized using multiple analytical, spectroscopic, and computational techniques. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that both lanthanide coordination polymers (Ln-CPs) exhibit linear ribbon-like structures built up by dinuclear Ln(4-ABA) units and bridged by carboxylate groups. Ln-CPs showed remarkably high thermal and chemical stabilities.

A new mode of luminescence in lanthanide oxalates metal-organic frameworks.

Two lanthanide metal-organic frameworks [Ln-MOFs, Ln = Eu(III), Tb(III)] composed of oxalic acid and Ln building units were hydrothermally synthesized and fully characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Furthermore, their magnetic susceptibility measurements were obtained using SQUID based vibrating sample magnetometer (MPMS 3, Quantum Design). Both Ln-MOFs exhibited highly efficient luminescent property.

Imp interacts with Lin28 to regulate adult stem cell proliferation in the Drosophila intestine.

Stem cells are essential for the development and long-term maintenance of tissues and organisms. Preserving tissue homeostasis requires exquisite control of all aspects of stem cell function: cell potency, proliferation, fate decision and differentiation. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are essential components of the regulatory network that control gene expression in stem cells to maintain self-renewal and long-term homeostasis in adult tissues.

Lin28 and Imp are Required for Stability of Bowl Transcripts in Hub Cells of the Testis.

Hub cells comprise a niche for germline stem cells and cyst stem cells in the testis. Hub cells arise from common somatic gonadal precursors in embryos, but the mechanism of their specification is still poorly understood. Here we find that RNA binding proteins Lin28 and Imp mediate transcript stability of Bowl, a known hub specification factor; Bowl transcripts were reduced in the testis of Lin28 and Imp mutants, and also when RNA-mediated interference against Lin28 or Imp was expressed in hub cells.

Patient with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD): A Case Report from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, India.

Background: 46 XX male syndrome, a rare case of infertility was first reported by de la Chapelle in 1964. In newborn males, the incidence rate of the syndrome varies from 1/9000 to 1/20000. Here, a case of 46 XX male syndrome is reported with clinical, biochemical and genetic changes of the patient and normal masculine features.

Lin28 is a critical factor in the function and aging of testis stem cell niche.

Age-related decline in stem cell function is observed in many tissues from invertebrates to humans. While cell intrinsic alterations impair stem cells, aging of the stem cell niche also significantly contributes to the loss of tissue homeostasis associated with reduced regenerative capacity. Hub cells, which constitute the stem cell niche in the testis, exhibit age-associated decline in number and activities, yet underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.

Glycopentalone, a novel compound from Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) Correa with potent anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) Correa is used in Indian traditional medicine against various liver ailments, including cancer.

Aim Of The Study: Isolation and characterization of the most active anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compound from the alcohol extract of G.

Catalysis by N-acetyl-D-glucosaminylphosphatidylinositol de-N-acetylase (PIG-L) from Entamoeba histolytica: new roles for conserved residues.

We showed previously that Entamoeba histolytica PIG-L exhibits a novel metal-independent albeit metal-stimulated activity. Using mutational and biochemical analysis, here we identify Asp-46 and His-140 of the enzyme as being important for catalysis. We show that these mutations neither affect the global conformational of the enzyme nor alter its metal binding affinity.

The apoptosis inducing effect of Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) Correa and its influence on gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, Hep3 B.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) Correa is used in Indian traditional medicine against jaundice and other liver disorders.

Aim Of The Study: The study aims to determine the in vitro anticancer and apoptosis inducing activity of Glycosmis pentaphylla in hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, Hep3 B.

Constrictive pericarditis in a renal transplant recipient with tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is a common cause of pericarditis in the developing countries and constrictive pericarditis is a serious sequel. There are only three cases of constrictive pericarditis in kidney transplant recipients previously reported in literature. Here, we report a case of constrictive pericarditis developing in a renal transplant recipient while on antituberculous therapy for tuberculous pleural effusion.

Skeletal muscle-melanocyte association during tadpole tail resorption in a tropical frog, Clinotarsus curtipes Jerdon (Anura, Ranoidea).

We tested the hypothesis that melanin has a role as a molecule within the thyroid-mediated cascade. Light microscopic and ultrastructural changes in the skeletal muscle during tail resorption in tadpoles of the tropical frog Clinotarsus curtipes Jerdon (Anura: Ranoidea) were observed. Light microscopic analysis at metamorphic stage XVIII showed a melanized epidermis.

Allograft and prostatic involvement in a renal transplant recipient with disseminated tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is a serious opportunistic infection in renal transplant recipients and is disseminated in nature in one-third of patients. Genito urinary tuberculosis is rare in renal transplant recipients. We report a patient presenting 5 years after renal transplantation with disseminated tuberculosis and allograft and prostatic involvement.

Cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of Cheilanthes farinosa (Forsk.) Kaulf. against human hepatoma, Hep3B cells.

Aim Of The Study: Cheilanthes farinosa (Forsk.) Kaulf., family: Adianthaceae, is a fern of immense medicinal properties used in ethno-medicine.

Congenital subclavian arteriovenous malformation causing cardiac failure in an adult.

Congenital arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the thoracic region are rarely reported in adults. The authors report an unusual case of a 30-year-old man who presented with a large congenital AVM and heart failure. The diagnosis was made using transthoracic Doppler echocardiography and computed tomography.

Tri-iodothyronine alters superoxide dismutase expression in a teleost Anabas testudineus.

The effect of tri-iodothyronine (T3) on superoxide dismutase (SOD) expression was evaluated in a teleost Anabas testudineus (cuthyroid fish) by native gel eletrophoresis and Western blot analysis. SOD is an essential enzyme for the survival of oxygen-utilizing organisms. Its expression is altered by the stress, presumably due to the increase in concentration of superoxide radical in cells.

2, 8 Dihydroxyadenine urolithiasis: A case report and review of literature.

Adenine phosphoribosyl transferase deficiency is a rare metabolic abnormality presenting with 2,8 dihydroxyadenine urolithiasis. The stones are characteristically radiolucent and therefore need to be differentiated from uric acid stones which are also radiolucent and have identical chemical reactivity. No cases of 2, 8- dihydroxyadenine urolithiasis have been reported from India.

Acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin eruption in a case of short bowel syndrome following jejuno-transverse colon anastomosis.

Acrodermatitis enteropathica is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of zinc deficiency. Zinc is an essential trace element in human metabolism and acquired zinc deficiency may manifest with skin eruptions simulating acrodermatitis enteropathica. We report an unusual case of acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin eruption due to deficiency of zinc and other nutritional factors in a patient who has undergone extensive small bowel resection and jejuno-transverse colon anastomosis for mesenteric ischemia.

Thyroid status alters gill ionic metabolism and chloride cell morphology as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy in a teleost Anabas testudineus (Bloch): short and long term in vivo study.

Gill is the main organ of osmotic regulation in teleosts and chloride cells are the sites of ion transport across gill epithelium. Thyroid hormones are implicated in the regulation of osmotic balance in teleosts also. Treatment with 6-propyl thiouracil (6-PTU) inhibited the membrane bound enzyme Na+K+ ATPase in the gill while triiodothyronine (T3) injection stimulated it in a short-term in vivo study in the teleost Anabas testudineus.

Pneumocephalus as a complication of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis.

Pneumocephalus implies air inside the cranial vault, which usually results from cranio-facial trauma. Occasionally, meningitis caused by gas-forming organisms can result in pneumocephalus. Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis can, on rare occasions, cause pneumocephalus as a complication.

Triiodothyronine and melatonin influence antioxidant defense mechanism in a teleost Anabas testudineus (Bloch): in vitro study.

The effect of the hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and melatonin on antioxidant defense system was studied in 6-propyl thiouracil (6-PTU)-treated or photoperiod-exposed teleost Anabas testudineus. 6-PTU (2 microg/g) treatment or photoperiod exposure (24 h) increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes (CD) concentrations, indicating increased lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the experimental conditions. T3 or melatonin (10(-6) M) treatment for 15 min in vitro in PTU-treated fish reversed the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione content.

Assembly of ovarian follicles in the caecilians Ichthyophis tricolor and Gegeneophis ramaswamii: light and transmission electron microscopic study.

Though much is known about various aspects of reproductive biology of amphibia, there is little information on the cellular and mechanistic basis of assembly of ovarian follicles in this group. This is especially true of the caecilians. Therefore, taking advantage of the abundant distribution of caecilians in the Western Ghats of India, two species of caecilians, Ichthyophis tricolor and Gegeneophis ramaswamii, were subjected to light and transmission electron microscopic analysis to trace the sequential changes during the assembly of ovarian follicles.