Chromatin restoration following nucleotide excision repair involves the incorporation of ubiquitinated H2A at damaged genomic sites.

Restoration of functionally intact chromatin structure following DNA damage processing is crucial for maintaining genetic and epigenetic information in human cells. Here, we show the UV-induced uH2A foci formation in cells lacking XPC, DDB2, CSA or CSB, but not in cells lacking XPA, XPG or XPF indicating that uH2A incorporation relied on successful damage repair occurring through either GGR or TCR sub-pathway. In contrast, XPA, XPG or XPF were not required for formation of gammaH2AX foci in asynchronous cells.

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and other abnormalities of glucose tolerance in young adults aged 20-40 years in North India (Kashmir Valley).

Aims: To assess the burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other abnormalities of glucose tolerance in young-adult (20-40 years) men and non-pregnant women.

Methods: Prevalence of diagnosed T2DM, undiagnosed T2DM and other abnormalities of glucose tolerance studied in 3032 subjects from Kashmir Valley of India. The study included a questionnaire, anthropological measurements, blood sampling, and a standard OGTT.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase augments nucleotide excision repair by mediating DDB2 degradation and chromatin relaxation.

The p38 MAPK is a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that play important roles in cellular responses to external stress signals, e.g. UV irradiation.

Prevalence of hypertension in patients with new onset type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study was conducted to find out the prevalence of hypertension in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Five hundred patients (229 men and 271 women) with type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in the last 6 months were evaluated for hypertension and presence of various diabetes related complications. Overall 42% (210/500) of the patients had hypertension; more women (46.

Analysis of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defenses in complex I deficient patients revealed a specific increase in superoxide dismutase activity.

The mechanism of free radical production by complex I deficiency is ill-defined, although it is of significant contemporary interest. This study studied the ROS production and antioxidant defenses in children with mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase deficiency. ROS production has remained significantly elevated in patients compared to controls.

Intradiploic epidermoid causing spontaneous extradural hematoma: case report.

Objective: A case of an intradiploic epidermoid tumor leading to spontaneous extradural hematoma is reported. Intradiploic epidermoids are not common intracranial tumors. This is the first reported case of intradiploic epidermoid presenting as a spontaneous extradural hematoma.

Effect of extraction conditions on lycopene extractions from tomato processing waste skin using response surface methodology.

Skin, rich in lycopene, is an important component of waste originating from tomato paste manufacturing plants. A central composite design with five independent variables, namely solvent/meal ratio (20:1, 30:1, 40:1, 50:1, and 60:1v/w); number of extractions (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5); temperature (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60°C); particle size (0.05, 0.

Role of diffusion-weighted MRG in predicting outcome in subarachnoid hemorrhage due to anterior communicating artery aneurysms.

Aim: Efficacy of DWI in detecting ischemic injury following anterior communicating artery aneurysmal SAH is studied

Material And Methods: In this prospective study ,16 patients within 5 days of their ictus were included. Preoperative CT scan excluded an intracerebral infarct; an angiogram determined the extent of vasospasm; MR studies were done to detect cerebral ischemia and the diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated. Patients underwent surgery (n=12) or endovascular coiling (n=4).

Head injury in children due to cricket ball scenario in developing countries.

Objectives: The aim of the study was the assessment of head injury caused by cricket ball injury in children. In underdeveloped countries, this is particularly important due to the absence of safety precautions. The study was undertaken to increase the public awareness of the need to reduce the morbidity related to this sport.

HSP27 regulates p53 transcriptional activity in doxorubicin-treated fibroblasts and cardiac H9c2 cells: p21 upregulation and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest.

Treatment of cancer patients with anthracyclin-based chemotherapeutic drugs induces congestive heart failure by a mechanism involving p53. However, it is not known how p53 aggravates doxorubicin (Dox)-induced toxicity in the heart. On the basis of in vitro acute toxicity assay using heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1) wild-type (HSF-1(+/+)) and HSF-1-knockout (HSF-1(-/-)) mouse embryonic fibroblasts and neonatal rat cardiomyocyte-derived H9c2 cells, we demonstrate a novel mechanism whereby heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) regulates transcriptional activity of p53 in Dox-treated cells.

Naringenin protects HaCaT human keratinocytes against UVB-induced apoptosis and enhances the removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers from the genome.

Many naturally occurring agents are believed to protect against UV-induced skin damage. In this study, we have investigated the effects of naringenin (NG), a naturally occurring citrus flavonone, on the removal of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) from the genome and apoptosis in immortalized p53-mutant human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. The colony-forming assay shows that treatment with NG significantly increases long-term cell survival after UVB irradiation.

Vitamin D status in apparently healthy adults in Kashmir Valley of Indian subcontinent.

Background: The worldwide prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is reported to be high.

Objectives: To assess the vitamin D status in apparently healthy adults in Kashmir valley by measuring serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D).

Methods: 92 healthy natives (64 men and 28 non-pregnant/non-lactating women, aged 18-40 years), residing in Kashmir for at least last 5 years and not having any suggestion of systemic disease, were selected for this study.

Perianal giant condyloma acuminata [buschke lowenstein tumour] - first case report from the Kashmir valley.

Buschke Lowenstein tumour or giant condyloma acuminata is a rare entity with only less then 50 cases reported in English literature so far. No such case has been reported from the Kashmir valley. They are considered as intermediate lesions between simple condyloma acuminata and invasive squamous cell carcinoma.

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences in childhood encephalomyopathies reveals new disease-associated variants.

Background: Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of clinical disorders generally caused due to mutations in either mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear genes encoding oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). We analyzed the mtDNA sequences from a group of 23 pediatric patients with clinical and morphological features of mitochondrial encephalopathies and tried to establish a relationship of identified variants with the disease.

Methodology/principle Findings: Complete mitochondrial genomes were amplified by PCR and sequenced by automated DNA sequencing.

Ubiquitylation-independent degradation of Xeroderma pigmentosum group C protein is required for efficient nucleotide excision repair.

The Xeroderma Pigmentosum group C (XPC) protein is indispensable to global genomic repair (GGR), a subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER), and plays an important role in the initial damage recognition. XPC can be modified by both ubiquitin and SUMO in response to UV irradiation of cells. Here, we show that XPC undergoes degradation upon UV irradiation, and this is independent of protein ubiquitylation.

Moderately halophilic, alkalitolerant Halomonas campisalis MCM B-365 from Lonar Lake, India.

Seven bacterial isolates obtained from sediment and water samples, collected from the alkaline Lonar Lake were identified on the basis of their morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics and were confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing to be Halomonas campisalis. They were capable of using a variety of electron donors and were found to grow in the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl) up to 4 M, at pH from 7 to 11, 9 being the optimum. The isolates could grow over a wide range of temperatures (from 4 to 45 degrees C) and showed temperature-dependent salt tolerance.

Phylogenetic analysis of methanogenic enrichment cultures obtained from Lonar Lake in India: isolation of Methanocalculus sp. and Methanoculleus sp.

The diversity of methanogenic archaea in enrichment cultures established from the sediments of Lonar Lake (India), a soda lake having pH approximately 10, was investigated using 16S rDNA molecular phylogenetic approach. Methanogenic enrichment cultures were developed in a medium that simulated conditions of soda lake with three different substrates viz., H(2):CO(2), sodium acetate, and trimethylamine (TMA), at alkaline pH.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates p53-mediated transcription at p21waf1 promoter.

The ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system (UPS) promotes the proteasomal degradation of target proteins by decorating them with Ub labels. Emerging evidence indicates a role of UPS in regulating gene transcription. In this study, we provided evidence for the involvement of UPS in the transcriptional activation function of tumor suppressor p53.

Role of Claspin in regulation of nucleotide excision repair factor DDB2.

The replication checkpoint protein Claspin is important for maintenance of genomic stability and is required for cells to overcome genotoxic stress. Upon UV-induced DNA damage, Claspin is required for activation of the ATR-mediated DNA damage checkpoint response, leading to arrest of DNA replication and inhibition of cell cycle progression. Located at the DNA replication fork, Claspin is also suggested to monitor replication and sense damage.

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor: case series and review of the literature.

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PSPNET) is extremely rare and only 25 cases have been reported in the world literature so far. Three patients of 8, 9 and 18 years of age, who presented with variable grades of neurological deficit were diagnosed as having a dorsal intramedullary lesion, a holocord lesion and cervical extradural tumor with extraspinal extension, respectively, and were operated at our institute. The histopathology of all 3 children revealed PNET.