Silencing Transglutaminase Genes TGase2 and TGase3 Has Infection-Dependent Effects on the Heart Rate of the Mosquito Anopheles gambiae

Transglutaminases are pleiotropic enzymes that in mosquitoes participate in the formation of the mating plug and the wound-induced antimalarial response. Moreover, one transglutaminase, TGase3, negatively regulates the infection-induced aggregation of hemocytes on the heart. Given that TGase3 is an inhibitor of periostial hemocyte aggregation, we used RNAi-based gene silencing followed by intravital video imaging to scrutinize whether any of the three transglutaminases encoded in the genome of the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, play a role in modulating the heart rate of uninfected and infected mosquitoes. Initially, we confirmed that an infection decreases the heart rate. Then, we uncovered that silencing TGase1 does not impact heart physiology, but silencing TGase2 results in a constant heart rate regardless of infection status, eliminating the infection-induced decrease in the heart rate. Finally, silencing TGase3 decreases the heart rate in uninfected mosquitoes but increases the heart rate in infected mosquitoes. We conclude that TGase2 and TGase3 modulate heart physiology and demonstrate that factors not classically associated with insect circulatory physiology are involved in the functional integration of the immune and circulatory systems of mosquitoes

Session 3F: The Difference between PTEN, EC-Confetti, and STIM1 Mice through Genotyping

With molecular biology starting to focus more on specific mechanisms and mutations, different types of mice are being generated. The question, thus arises, how to differentiate between these mice. Previous studies indicate the mechanisms behind breeding and creating certain specific- gene targeting -mice. However, there are few cost effective methods that are available in order to check whether mice have or lack certain genes. In this investigation I examined 3 different mice. This research was significant because PTEN mice, EC-Confetti, and STIM1 mice, and creating variations of them with Cre, can help people to better understand vascular biology. With the tails of the mice, I isolated the DNA and ran PCR and electrophoresis. The agarose blot provided us with information about the mouse- whether it was homozygous or heterozygous – which is important for us to differentiate between mice and find lineage. Further studies should be continued to learn more about other EC specific genes, and their genotyping over generations

Session 1K: Mitochondrial DNA Oxidative Damage May Predict Cancer Risk: The Normative Aging Study

Oxidative stress (OS) in response to intra- and extracellular environmental stress can induce carcinogenic mechanisms such as DNA damage and defective DNA repair. 8-hydroxy- 2’deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), an oxidized nucleoside of DNA, is a marker of oxidative stress and has previously been measured in tissue samples only after cancer diagnosis. In this study, we examined the prospective and retrospective association between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) 8-OHdG in blood leukocytes and cancer risk. Our study population included a total of 443 participants in the Normative Aging Study who had blood drawn during 1-3 visits (mean follow up 9.0 years), prior to cancer diagnosis. We used retrospective analysis with mixed linear regression to determine whether OS levels differed by cancer status, and survival analysis with Cox model to examine associations between OS levels and cancer risk. Based on retrospective analysis, participants that eventually developed cancer had 2% less mitochondrial oxidative stress than their cancer- free counterparts (p=0.04). Survival analysis showed that for every 0.1 unit of increase in mitochondrial oxidative stress, cancer risk decreased by 23% (p=0.01). Further analysis revealed a positive association between mtDNA OS and activation of tumor suppressor genes (OGG1 and SIRT3) in the base-excision repair pathway which has been associated with reduced cancer risk. Out study suggests that mtDNA OS in leukocytes could be a potential biomarker for early cancer detection and prevention

Comparative Study on the Postoperative Outcomes of Pterygium Excision Using Autologous Serum and Sutures

Objective: To analyse the postoperative outcomes of pterygium excision using autologous serum and sutures to determine the effectiveness and patient compliance of each method. Design: This is a retrospective study of postoperative outcomes. Method: The study population included 50 patients with pterygium who had undergone surgery at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital. The postoperative development data was collected and analysed. Result: The results of conguncival autograft using suture was superior to that of autologous graft in terms of duration of surgery and graft retraction.There was not much difference in terms of recurrence rate and graft displacement. Conclusion: After undergoing surgery the outcome suggests that suture technique is a better approach compared to the autologous serum technique but further confirmation is still needed. Keywords: Pterygium, autologous serum, suture, conjunctival autograft

From Symptom Tracking to Contact Tracing: A Framework to Explore and Assess COVID-19 Apps

Smartphone applications related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue to emerge and evolve, but despite a wide variety of different app functions, there has yet to be a comprehensive study of what the most prevalent publicly available apps provide, and there exists no standardized evaluation system for end users to determine the safety and efficacy of an app before they download it. Furthermore, limited oversight means that the rapidly growing space creates challenges for end users trying to find a relevant app. We adapted the M-Health Index and Navigation Database (MIND) from apps.digitalpsych.org that previously has been used to evaluate mental health applications to guide the assessment of COVID apps. Using this framework, we conducted a thorough analysis of the top-100 returned coronavirus apps on two separate dates a month apart to understand the clinical utility and features of COVID-19 apps and how these change in a short period of time. We ultimately identified a significant turnover rate, as well as privacy concerns around lack of privacy policies and disclosure of personal information. Our research offers insight into the current status of COVID-19 apps and provides a comprehensive and adaptable framework to help individuals assess the growing number of such digital tools in the wake of the pandemic

Role of Visual Acuity & Contrast Sensitivity in Early Diagnosis of Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease

The study aims to evaluate the role of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in early diagnosis of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. This cross sectional study was performed us- ing validated assessments on cognitive function using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Visual acuity was assessed using LogMAR and contrast sensitivity using the Pelli-Robson test. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). One hundred patients presenting to the Neurology department for complaints satisfying the criteria for Parkinson’s disease at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital were randomly selected. The visual acuity and contrast sensitivity was found to be decreased in patients with low MMSE and MoCA scores, suggestive of visual function being a marker for progression of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. This could thereby be used in early diagnosis of dementia and in for- mulating a customised treatment plan for each individual. Parkinson’s disease has a deleteri- ous effect on various aspects of a person’s life, not just the motor functions. This in turn harms the day to day activities of the individuals, mainly the older age group and results in psychological disorders, like anxiety and depression. Therefore, this study aims to establish visual function as a marker for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, with the hopes of improving the quality of life of patients with this disease, thus revamping their purpose and outlook of their lives

Effect of Chalazion on Corneal Astigmatism

A common eyelid disease chalazion causes eye morbidity due to inflammation and cosmetic disfigurement.  Important factors in corneal refractive surgery, intraocular lens power calculations for cataract surgery and visual acuity assessments are corneal topographic changes. For better outcome of ocular surgery  corneal astigmatism should be corrected earlier. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in corneal astigmatism according to chalazion size and location. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in saveetha medical college and hospitals, Thandalam , Department of Ophthalmology Outpatient department. A total of 44 eyes from 33 patients were included in the chalazion group and 70 eyes from 46 patients comprised the control group. Chalazia were classified according to location and size. An autokeratorefractometer and a dual-Scheimpflug analyzer  were utilized to evaluate corneal changes. Result: Oblique astigmatism was greater in the chalazion group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Astigmatism by simulated keratometry (simK), steep K by simK, total root mean square, second order aberration, oblique astigmatism, and vertical astigmatism were significantly greater in the upper eyelid group (p < 0.05). Astigmatism by simK, second order aberration, oblique astigmatism, and vertical astigmatism were significantly greater in the large-sized chalazion group (p < 0.05). Corneal wavefront aberration was the greatest in the upper eyelid chalazion group, whole area group, and large-sized chalazion group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Large-sized chalazion in the  upper eyelid should be treated in the early phase as  great changes in corneal topography were noticed.  Corneal topography should be  performed preoperatively before chalazion is treated

Evaluation of a Lipopolysaccharide and Resiquimod Combination as an Adjuvant with Inactivated Newcastle Disease Virus Vaccine in Chickens

Various toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists have shown potential as adjuvants with different vaccines in both human and livestock species, including chickens. Our previous studies on combination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; TLR4 agonist) and resiquimod (R-848; TLR7 agonist) showed the synergistic up-regulation of pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th2 cytokines in chicken peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs). Hence, the present study aimed to explore the combined adjuvant effect of LPS and R-848 with inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine in chickens. Two weeks-old SPF chickens were immunized with inactivated NDV vaccine along with a combination of LPS and R-848 as an adjuvant with suitable control groups. A booster dose was given two weeks later. Antibody responses were assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, while cell-mediated immune responses were analyzed by a lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) and flow cytometry following vaccination. Two weeks post-booster, the birds were challenged with a velogenic strain of NDV, and protection against clinical signs, mortality and virus shedding was analyzed. The results indicated that inactivated NDV vaccine with R-848 induced significantly higher humoral and cellular immune responses with 100% protection against mortality and viral shedding following a virulent NDV challenge. However, the combination of LPS and R-848 along with inactivated NDV vaccine produced poor humoral and cellular immune responses and could not afford protection against challenge infection and virus shedding when compared to the vaccine-alone group, indicating the deleterious effects of the combination on antigen-specific immune responses. In conclusion, the combination of LPS and R-848 showed the inhibitory effects on antigen-specific humoral, cellular and protective immune responses when used as an adjuvant with inactivated NDV vaccines in chickens. This inhibitory effect might have occurred due to systemic cytokine storm. A nanoparticle-based delivery of the combination of LPS and R-848 for slow and sustained release could be tried as an alternative method to explore the synergistic effect of the combination as an adjuvant in chickens