Histone deficiency and hypoacetylation in the aging retinal pigment epithelium.

Histones serve as a major carrier of epigenetic information in the form of post-translational modifications which are vital for controlling gene expression, maintaining cell identity, and ensuring proper cellular function. Loss of histones in the aging genome can drastically impact the epigenetic landscape of the cell leading to altered chromatin structure and changes in gene expression profiles. In this study, we investigated the impact of age-related changes on histone levels and histone acetylation in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and retina of mice.

Unraveling Histone Loss in Aging and Senescence.

As the global population experiences a notable surge in aging demographics, the need to understand the intricate molecular pathways exacerbated by age-related stresses, including epigenetic dysregulation, becomes a priority. Epigenetic mechanisms play a critical role in driving age-related diseases through altered gene expression, genomic instability, and irregular chromatin remodeling. In this review, we focus on histones, a central component of the epigenome, and consolidate the key findings of histone loss and genome-wide redistribution as fundamental processes contributing to aging and senescence.

Evaluation of Mushroom Effects on Histopathological Changes in Organs of Diabetic Rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that can be categorized mainly into type 1 and type 2. Diabetes type 1 is caused due to -cell destruction, whereas type 2 is caused by the resistance of cell receptors. Many therapies are available for the management of diabetes, but they have some side effects, and as a result of this, people are attracted to natural treatments.

Long-Term Evaluation of Retinal Morphology and Function in Rosa26-Cas9 Knock-In Mice.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a robust, efficient, and cost-effective gene editing tool widely adopted in translational studies of ocular diseases. However, in vivo CRISPR-based editing in animal models poses challenges such as the efficient delivery of the CRISPR components in viral vectors with limited packaging capacity and a Cas9-associated immune response. Using a germline Cas9-expressing mouse model would help to overcome these limitations.

Computational exploration of the dual role of the phytochemical fortunellin: Antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2 and immunomodulatory abilities against the host.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections generate approximately one million virions per day, and the majority of available antivirals are ineffective against it due to the virus's inherent genetic mutability. This necessitates the investigation of concurrent inhibition of multiple SARS-CoV-2 targets. We show that fortunellin (acacetin 7-O-neohesperidoside), a phytochemical, is a promising candidate for preventing and treating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by targeting multiple key viral target proteins.

Biomolecules of mushroom: a recipe of human wellness.

The Indian system of medicine - Ayurveda says "When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no use". In this context, mushroom constitutes one of the major resources for nutraceuticals.

Investigation of soft and living matter using a micro-extensional rheometer.

Rheological properties of a material often require to be probed under extensional deformation. Examples include fibrous materials such as spider-silk, high-molecular weight polymer melts, and the contractile response of living cells. Such materials have strong molecular-level anisotropies which are either inherent or are induced by an imposed extension.

Effect of Aqueous Extract on Biochemical Properties of Liver and Kidney in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat.

Background: The antidiabetic effects of the on liver and kidney were unexplored. The present study assessed the vital effects of aqueous extract (PFA-extract) on liver and kidney function in diabetic rats model.

Methods: The albino Wistar rats were divided into five groups with six animals in each.

The axonal actin-spectrin lattice acts as a tension buffering shock absorber.

Axons span extreme distances and are subject to significant stretch deformations during limb movements or sudden head movements, especially during impacts. Yet, axon biomechanics, and its relation to the ultrastructure that allows axons to withstand mechanical stress, is poorly understood. Using a custom developed force apparatus, we demonstrate that chick dorsal root ganglion axons exhibit a tension buffering or strain-softening response, where its steady state elastic modulus decreases with increasing strain.

Role of edible mushroom as a potent therapeutics for the diabetes and obesity.

Diabetes and obesity are the most frequently found disease worldwide. Several factors are responsible for obesity, i.e.

Strain softening and stiffening responses of spider silk fibers probed using a Micro-Extension Rheometer.

Spider silk possesses unique mechanical properties like large extensibility, high tensile strength, super-contractility, etc. Understanding these mechanical responses requires characterization of the rheological properties of silk beyond the simple force-extension relations which are widely reported. Here we study the linear and non-linear viscoelastic properties of dragline silk obtained from social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum using a Micro-Extension Rheometer that we have developed.

Molecular mechanistic insight of hepatitis B virus mediated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a cancer which occurs in liver and severity of this cancer makes it the sixth most prevalent cancer and second leading cause of death among all cancers. The load of hepatitis-B virus (HBV) in serum is one of the important risk factors for the HCC. Several other factors also contribute to the HBV associated malignant hepatoma (HCC) i.

Whole mitochondrial genome analysis in South Indian patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) associated neurodegenerative disorder of retinal ganglion cells. In this study, whole mitochondrial genome sequencing of 75 LHON patients and 40 controls was performed to identify the mutation frequency and haplogroup background of South Indian population. Analysis of mtDNA revealed 559 different variants in LHON patients, including 7 pathogenic mutations, 30 private, and 22 other disease associated variants.

Evaluation of genetic polymorphisms in clusterin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha genes in South Indian individuals with pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the potential association of genetic variants across clusterin (CLU) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) genes in South Indian individuals with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEXS) and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PEXG).

Materials And Methods: A total of 523 individuals including 299 unrelated cases (150 PEXS and 149 PEXG) and 224 age- and ethnically-matched healthy controls were recruited for genetic analysis. Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including, five CLU SNPs (rs11136000, rs2279590, rs9331888, rs9331931, rs3087554) and one promoter SNP (rs1800629) of TNF-α were genotyped in all study subjects.

Mutational analysis and genotype-phenotype correlations in southern Indian patients with sporadic and familial aniridia.

Purpose: Aniridia is a rare panocular disorder characterized by iris hypoplasia and other associated eye anomalies. Heterozygous null mutations in paired box gene 6 (PAX6) are the major cause of the classic aniridia phenotype. This study aims to detect the mutational spectrum of PAX6 and associated phenotypes in southern Indian patients with sporadic and familial aniridia.

Lysyl oxidase-like 1 gene in the reversal of promoter risk allele in pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

Importance: This study was necessary to establish the association between common genetic variants in the lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) gene with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome and emphasize the reversal of promoter risk allele in a South Indian population.

Objective: To investigate the potential association of genetic variants across the LOXL1 gene in South Indian patients with PEX syndrome and glaucoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A case-control study of individuals from Madurai, India, with PEX syndrome and glaucoma as well as healthy people serving as controls.

ABCB6 mutations cause ocular coloboma.

Ocular coloboma is a developmental defect of the eye and is due to abnormal or incomplete closure of the optic fissure. This disorder displays genetic and clinical heterogeneity. Using a positional cloning approach, we identified a mutation in the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCB6 in a Chinese family affected by autosomal-dominant coloboma.

A new commercially viable synthetic route for donepezil hydrochloride: anti-Alzheimer's drug.

An economical new process has been developed for the synthesis of donepezil hydrochloride (1) an anti-Alzheimer's drug. The process involves Darzen reaction of pyridine-4-carboxaldehyde and 2-bromo-5,6-dimethoxy indanone affording epoxide 5,6-dimethoxy-3-(pyridine-4-yl)spiro[indene-2,2'-oxiran]-1(3H)-one (4) as a key intermediate. The one-pot deoxygenation of 4 and hydrogenation of the aryl moiety in high yield improved the overall yield of the process.

Human sperm can fertilize ova inside the Graafian follicles before ovulation.

Objective: To report an incidental finding of fertilization of ova inside the ovarian follicles before ovulation.

Design: Case report.

Setting: IVF Center, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.