Effect of levothyroxine therapy on hypertension in hypothyroid patients

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to observe whether levothyroxine replacement therapy has an effect on hypertension in patients of hypothyroidism. This prospective study included all newly diagnosed cases of hypothyroidism (overt or subclinical) with hypertension, of either sex between 21-70 years of age. Levothyroxine replacement therapy was administered continuously during study period. Patients were clinically assessed for blood pressure before and every 3-4 monthly on levothyroxine therapy. Statistical analysis was carried out using a paired Student’s t-test. During one year study period, out of 180 newly diagnosed hypothyroid cases enrolled, 88 had overt hypothyroidism (OH) and 92 subclinical hypothyroidism (SH). Male: female ratio was 1: 6.5. Of these, hypertension was present in 51 (28.33%) patients (33 OH and 18 SH). Only diastolic blood pressure was raised in 28(54.9%) cases, systolic in 12 (23.53%) and both systolic and diastolic in 11 (21.57%) cases. Incidence of only diastolic hypertension was comparatively more in overt hypothyroidism (57.57%) than subclinical hypothyroidism (50%). Complete reversal of hypertension was observed in 8 out of 17 SH and 18 out of 29 OH cases while partial reversal was noted in one case in each category. A statistically significant decrease in mean values of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed in patients of SH as well as OH. Hypertension is fairly common in patients of hypothyroidism. Replacement therapy with levothyroxine is quite helpful in reversing hypertension, a potential cardiovascular risk factor.KEYWORDS: Hypertension; Hypothyroidism; Levothyroxine therapyInternet Journal of Medical Update 2012 January;7(1):13-1

Design and Development of Halogenated Chalcone Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Purpose: To design and develop halogenated chalcone derivatives and evaluate them as anticancer agents using different cancer cell lines.Methods: Based on in silico design and docking on known target, crystal structure of the complex of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) with a peptide based inhibitor, (3S )-N-Methanesulfonyl-3- ({1-[N-(2-naphtoyl)-l-valyl]-l-prolyl}amino)-4-oxobutanamide (1BMQ), novel halogenated chalcone derivatives were designed (7a-h) employing LigandFit module of Accelrys (Discovery Studio, 2.1 version). Standard protocols for ligand and protein preparation were employed and their binding orientation validated using (3S)-N-Methanesulfonyl-3-({1-[N-(2-naphtoyl)-l-valyl]-l-prolyl}amino)-4-oxobutanamide (MNO 601), a caspase inhibitor as reference standard. Energy minimized conformers with best dock scores were considered for the identification of interacting amino acid residues with ligands. Selected derivatives were synthesized and analyzed by melting point, 1H NMR, IR and mass spectroscopy. Their evaluation for anticancer activity was carried out using adriamycin, paclitaxel and 5-fluorouracil as reference standards on prostrate (PC-3), colon (COLO-205), ovary (OVCAR-5), liver (HEP-2) and neuroblastoma (IMR-32) cancer cell lines, and % growth inhibition and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were calculated.Results: Among synthesized compounds, 7b showed the most promising cytotoxic activity with an IC50 of 49.9 ìM on colon cancer cell lines (Colo-205), followed by 7d with an IC50 of 66.6 ìM against ovarian cancer cell lines (OVCAR-5).Conclusion: We report the successful synthesis, spectral characterization and in vitro anticancer evaluation of a series of novel halogenated chalcone derivatives against a number of human cancer cell lines. The findings indicate the emergence of new anticancer compounds.Keywords: Halogenated chalcones, Dock scores, Anticancer activity,  Interleukin-1beta converting enzyme

Critical magnetic fluctuations induced superconductivity and residual density of states in CeRhIn5CeRhIn_5 superconductor

We propose the multiband extension of the spin-fermion model to address the superconducting d-wave pairing due to magnetic interaction near critical point. We solve the unrestricted gap equation with a general d-wave symmetry gap and find that divergent magnetic correlation length $\xi$ leads to the very unharmonic shape of the gap function with shallow gap regions near nodes. These regions are extremely sensitive to disorder. Small impurity concentration induces substantial residual density of states. We argue that we can understand the large $N_{res}(0) = \lim_{T\to 0} C_p(T)/T$ value and its pressure dependence of the recently discovered $CeRhIn_5$ superconductor under pressure within this approach.Comment: 5 figure

Comparative structural evolution under pressure of powder and single crystals of the layered antiferromagnet FePS3

FePS3 is a layered magnetic van der Waals compound that undergoes a Mott insulator-metal transition under applied pressure. The transition has an associated change in the crystal symmetry and magnetic structure. Understanding the underlying physics of these transitions requires a detailed understanding of the crystal structure as a function of pressure. Two conflicting models have previously been proposed for the evolution of the structure with pressure. To settle the disagreement, we present a study of the pressure-dependent crystal structures using both single-crystal and powder x-ray diffraction measurements. We show unambiguously that the highest-pressure transition involves a collapse of the interplanar spacing, along with an increase in symmetry from a monoclinic to a trigonal space group, to the exclusion of other models. Our collected results are crucial for understanding high-pressure behavior in these materials and demonstrate a clear and complete methodology for exploring complex two-dimensional material structures under pressure

Local versus Nonlocal Order Parameter Field Theories for Quantum Phase Transitions

General conditions are formulated that allow to determine which quantum phase transitions in itinerant electron systems can be described by a local Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson or LGW theory solely in terms of the order parameter. A crucial question is the degree to which the order parameter fluctuations couple to other soft modes. Three general classes of zero-wavenumber order parameters, in the particle-hole spin-singlet and spin-triplet channels, and in the particle-particle channel, respectively, are considered. It is shown that the particle-hole spin-singlet class does allow for a local LGW theory, while the other two classes do not. The implications of this result for the critical behavior at various quantum phase transitions are discussed, as is the connection with nonanalyticities in the wavenumber dependence of order parameter susceptibilities in the disordered phase.Comment: 9 pp., LaTeX, no figs, final version as publishe

Periodontal dysbiosis associates with reduced CSF Aβ42 in cognitively normal elderly

Introduction: Periodontal disease is a chronic, inflammatory bacterial dysbiosis that is associated with both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Down syndrome. / Methods: A total of 48 elderly cognitively normal subjects were evaluated for differences in subgingival periodontal bacteria (assayed by 16S rRNA sequencing) between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker groups of amyloid and neurofibrillary pathology. A dysbiotic index (DI) was defined at the genus level as the abundance ratio of known periodontal bacteria to healthy bacteria. Analysis of variance/analysis of covariance (ANOVA/ANCOVA), linear discriminant effect‐size analyses (LEfSe) were used to determine the bacterial genera and species differences between the CSF biomarker groups. / Results: At genera and species levels, higher subgingival periodontal dysbiosis was associated with reduced CSF amyloid beta (Aβ)42 (P = 0.02 and 0.01) but not with P‐tau. / Discussion: We show a selective relationship between periodontal disease bacterial dysbiosis and CSF biomarkers of amyloidosis, but not for tau. Further modeling is needed to establish the direct link between oral bacteria and Aβ

Theoretical and experimental evidence for a post-perovskite phase of MgSiO3 in Earth's D" layer

The Earth's lower mantle is believed to be composed mainly of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite, with lesser amounts of (Mg,Fe)O and CaSiO3). But it has not been possible to explain many unusual properties of the lowermost 150 km of the mantle (the D" layer) with this mineralogy. Here, using ab initio simulations and high-pressure experiments, we show that at pressures and temperatures of the D" layer, MgSiO3 transforms from perovskite into a layered CaIrO3-type post-perovskite phase. The elastic properties of the post-perovskite phase and its stability field explain several observed puzzling properties of the D" layer: its seismic anisotropy, the strongly undulating shear-wave discontinuity at its top and possibly the anticorrelation between shear and bulk sound velocities.Comment: PUBLISHED IN Nature 430, 445-448 (2004

Evaluation Of Mechanical and Biocompatibility Properties of Hydroxyapatite/Manganese Dioxide Nanocomposite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering Application

The aim of this research was to evaluate the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and degradation behavior of scaffolds made of pure hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA‐modified by MnO2 for bone tissue engineering applications. HA and MnO2 were developed using sol‐gel and precipitation methods, respectively. The scaffolds properties were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The interaction of scaffold with cells was assessed using in vitro cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays. The obtained results indicate that the HA/ MnO2 scaffolds possess higher compressive strength, toughness, hardness, and density when compared to the pure HA scaffolds. After immersing the scaffold in the SBF solution, more deposited apatite appeared on the HA/MnO2, which results in the rougher surface on this scaffold compared to the pure HA scaffold. Finally, the in vitro biological analysis using human osteoblast cells reveals that scaffolds are biocompatible with adequate ALP activit

Botanical Description of Pigeonpea [Cajanus Cajan (L.) Millsp.]

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] is an important legume crop of the papilionaceae family. It is an often cross-pollinated crop, and breeding principles of both self and cross-pollinated crops are highly effective in its genetic enhancement. Pigeonpea is a hard woody shrub, extensively adaptable to a range of soil types, temperature, and rainfall. It has a deep taproot system extending up to two meters and can grow to a height of four meters. Pigeonpea roots form a symbiotic association with Brady rhizobium spp. and perform biological nitrogen fixation. The branching pattern of stem may vary from bush type to compact upright type and is of determinate, semi-determinate, and non-determinate type based on the flowering pattern. The primary leaves are simple, opposite, and caduceus, while the latter ones are pinnately trifoliate with lanceolate to elliptical leaflets. Pigeonpea flowers are zygomorphic, borne on terminal or auxiliary racemes and are normally yellow in color with some variations. It has ten stamens in diadelphous condition with light or dark yellow anthers. The ovary is superior with a long style attached to a thickened, incurved, and swollen stigma. Pigeonpea is an often cross-pollinated crop with an average of 20% cross-pollination. The fruit of pigeonpea is called pod, which is of various colors, with and without deep constrictions. Seeds (with 20–22% proteins and amino acids) can be round or lens shaped, in shades of white and brown color with yellow color cotyledon. Pigeonpea is a widely consumed multi-utility pulse crop, thus the knowledge about the crop botany is vital for modifying it according to future challenges and goals

Pressure induced electronic and structural phase evolution in Van der Waals compound FePS3_3

Two-dimensional materials have proven to be a prolific breeding ground of new and unstudied forms of magnetism and unusual metallic states, particularly when tuned between their insulating and metallic phases. In this paper we present work on a new metal to insulator transition system FePS3 . This compound is a two-dimensional van-der-Waals antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. Here we report the discovery of an insulator-metal transition in FePS3, as evidenced by x-ray diffraction and electrical transport measurements, using high pressure as a tuning parameter. Two structural phase transitions are observed in the x-ray diffraction data as a function of pressure and resistivity measurements show evidence of the onset of a metallic state at high pressures. We propose models for the two new structures that can successfully explain the x-ray diffraction patterns