Molecular characterization and evaluation of the emerging antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes from eastern India.

Background: Group A Streptococcus strains causing wide variety of diseases, recently became noticeable in eastern India, are not amenable to standard treatment protocol thus enhancing the possibility of disease morbidity by becoming antibiotic resistance.

Methods: The association of Lancefield group A Streptococcal variation with degree of vir architectural diversity was evaluated using emm typing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. The antibiotic sensitivity patterns were examined by modified Kirby-Bauer method of disk diffusion.

Role of NF-κB activation and VEGF gene polymorphisms in VEGF up regulation in non-proliferative and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

The present study was aimed to investigate the relation between nuclear factor kappa beta (NFκB) activation and downstream up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Moreover the study was intended to evaluate the role of VEGF gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DR occurrence and to investigate the functional relevance of VEGF gene SNPs in terms of VEGF expression in DR. Serum level of VEGF, VEGF R1 (receptor 1), VEGF R 2 (receptor 2) and NFκB (p50/65) activity was measured by enzyme linked immune sorbent assay.

Association of hyperglycemia mediated increased advanced glycation and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity in different stages of diabetic retinopathy.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate whether hyperglycemia mediated increased formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) was associated with erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity in subjects with different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: Serum level of AGEs was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase activity were estimated by enzymatic reaction based spectrophotometric assay in patients with type 2 diabetes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and no retinopathy (DNR) and also in healthy non-diabetic controls (HC).

Association of vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, and interferon gamma gene polymorphisms with proliferative diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Purpose: Chronic hyperglycemia and hypoxemia are believed to be causal factors in the development of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) among individuals with type 2 diabetes. It is hypothesized that formation of new blood vessels in the retina due to prolonged hypoxia is associated with increased expression of several growth factors and angiogenic cytokines. In the present study, we investigated the association of genetic polymorphisms in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and interferon γ (IFN-γ) genes, which may be responsible for the hypoxia-induced VEGF-mediated neovascularization pathway for the pathogenesis of PDR.

Impact of interleukin-6 promoter polymorphism and serum interleukin-6 level on the acute inflammation and neovascularization stages of patients with Eales' disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the inflammatory and proliferative stages of Eales' disease (ED) and to determine the influence of IL-6-174G/C polymorphism in the IL-6 and IL-6-regulated protein expression, as well as the development of ED.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-one patients diagnosed with ED, 223 matched healthy controls, and 16 control patients with macular holes were recruited from the eastern Indian population. Serum and vitreous levels of IL-6 and vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Increased Toll-like receptor-2 expression on nonclassic CD16+ monocytes from patients with inflammatory stage of Eales' disease.

Purpose: To identify the distribution, differential Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression, and functional contribution of monocyte subpopulations in the inflammatory stage of Eales' disease (ED).

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from nine patients during the inflammatory stage of ED and nine age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The expression of CD14, CD16, TLR-2, and TLR-4 on monocytes was measured by flow cytometry.

CD2-SLFA3/T11TS interaction facilitates immune activation and glioma regression by apoptosis.

Objective: Exogenous application of T11TS/SLFA3 in glioma model had shown the regression of tumor load through immunopotentiation. The mechanistic module of this interaction on immunological synapse formation and resulting effect in glioma regression is searched for delineating immunotherapeutic efficacy of T11TS.

Methods: After purification of T11TS/SLFA3 from sheep erythrocytes the glycoprotein was characterized by SDS-PAGE analysis and glycoprotein staining.