Health-related quality of life and its association with disease activity/functional status in rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study from South India.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with chronic pain that gradually becomes incapacitating and negatively influences the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study estimates HRQoL in RA using the EuroQol five dimensions (EQ-5D) tool and its association with functional status and disease activity.

Methods: RA patients (n = 320) aged above 18 years, visiting outpatient clinic at a tertiary care multispecialty hospital in south India were the study participants.

Diversity in functional organization of class I and class II biotin protein ligase.

The cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is composed of a variety of lipids including mycolic acids, sulpholipids, lipoarabinomannans, etc., which impart rigidity crucial for its survival and pathogenesis.

Ligand specificity of group I biotin protein ligase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Fatty acids are indispensable constituents of mycolic acids that impart toughness & permeability barrier to the cell envelope of M. tuberculosis. Biotin is an essential co-factor for acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) the enzyme involved in the synthesis of malonyl-CoA, a committed precursor, needed for fatty acid synthesis.