Role of Gal and GalNAc containing glycans in various physiological processes

Glycoconjugates are involved in the vital physiological functions including blood group determination, cancer recognition, protein stabilization, sperm-egg adhesion and pathogenic interaction in body. These diverse biological functions of glycoconjugates are regulated by complex oligosaccharide structures linked with proteins and lipids in macromolecular assemblies. The diversity in oligosaccharide chains attached with lipids and proteins is specifically linked with the conformational behavior of sugar residues giving rise to unique carbohydrate structures with wide range of sequence and anomeric linkage. This is a challenging task to explore the relationship between biological processes and stereochemical behavior of sugar residues. Current review article focuses the specific stereochemical involvement (anomery and linkages) of Gal and its derivative GalNAc in wide range of cellular activities. These sugar residues exhibit different physiological functions at the terminal and subterminal position in glycans.Keywords: D-Galactose; N-Acetyl-D-Galactosamine; Oligosaccharides; Sequence and anomeric linkages; Physiological efficac

Maintaining Seed Quality of Maize and Wheat through Dry Chain Technology in Pakistan

Seed is inevitably deteriorated during storage and higher seed moisture content is the primary cause of this decline in seed quality. Dry Chain is a valuable tool, by using moisture proof hermetic containers to preserve seed quality throughout supply chain. This study evaluated and compared the performance of wheat and maize seed in different hermetic storage packaging (Super bag, Anaaji bag and drum) with conventionally used woven polypropylene bags after six months storage in ambient conditions. Seed moisture content was increased up to 11.53 and 13.55% in wheat and maize respectively when packed in polypropylene bags while it remained low (approximately 10 and 11.4% in wheat and maize respectively) when packed in hermetically sealed bags and drum. Germination was maintained in both cereal seeds stored in hermetically sealed Super bag, anaaji bag and drum while it reduced in polypropylene bags as compared to initial seed quality. Seed stored in polypropylene bag deteriorated quickly, which resulted in loss of seed vigour as indicated by higher malondialdehyde contents and electrical conductivity of seed leachates. It can be concluded that maintenance of seed dryness with hermetic storage is useful in preservation of seed quality and related attributes under high relative humidity environment

High-frequency percussive ventilation facilitates weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults

© 2018 American Society of Extra-Corporeal Technology. All Rights Reserved. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is an invaluable rescue therapy for patients suffering from cardiopulmonary arrest, but it is not without its drawbacks. There are cases where patients recover their cardiac function, yet they fail to wean to mechanical conventional ventilation (MCV). The use of high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) has been described in patients with acute respiratory failure (RF) who fail MCV. We describe our experience with five patients who underwent VA-ECMO for cardiopulmonary arrest who were successfully weaned from VA-ECMO with HFPV after failure to wean with MCV. Weaning trials of HFPV a day before decannulation or at the time of separation from VA-ECMO were conducted. Primary endpoint data collected include pre- and post-HFPV partial pressures of oxygen (PaO2) and PaO2/FIO2(P/F) ratios measured at 2 and 24 hours after institution of HFPV. Additional periprocedural data points were collected including length of time on ECMO, hospital stay, and survival to discharge. Four of five patients were placed on VA-ECMO subsequent to percutaneous coronary intervention. One patient had cardiac arrest secondary to RF. Mean PaO2(44 ± 15.9 mmHg vs. 354 ± 149 mmHg, p \u3c .01) and mean P/F ratio (44 ± 15.9 vs. 354 ± 149, p \u3c .01) increased dramatically at 2 hours after the initiation of HFPV. Theimprovementinmean PaO2and P/F ratio was durable at 24 hours whether or not the patient was returned to MCV (n = 3) or remained on HFPV (n = 2) (44 ± 15.9 mmHg vs. 131 ± 68.7 mmHg, p = .036 and 44 ± 15.9 vs. 169 ± 69.9, p \u3c .01, respectively). Survival to discharge was 80%. The data presented suggest that HFPV may be used as a strategy to shorten time on ECMO, thereby reducing the negative effects of the ECMO circuit and improving its cost efficacy

A note on capillarity and subsoil water-table

This article does not hvae an abstract

The prevalence of silent kidney stones: An ultrasonographic screening study

Objective: Silent and not yet discovered stones of the upper urinary tract are potentially dangerous, since in due course they may cause infection, obstruction and renal damage. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of such silent kidney stones in a representative Pakistani population of Karachi. Subjects and Methods: We studied 201 consecutive subjects at our hospital who underwent additional kidney screening whilst undergoing abdominal ultrasound. All these subjects did not have a history or symptoms of urolithiasis. Results: We found silent kidney stones in 3% of subjects. All stone bearers were males. Most stones were in the left kidney. Notably, multiple stones and stones of a considerable size went unnoticed. Conclusion: In addition to the usual figures of incidence and prevalence of stone disease drawn from patient data, there is a prevalence of 3% silent stones that may only be discovered incidentally or by screening. This is true for a “stone country” like Pakistan. Figures for other regions have yet to be determined. Due to socioeconomic reasons, we believe that a general kidney screening for urolithiasis is, however, not indicated, at least in our countr

Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of 2-(1,3- Benzodioxol-5-ylcarbonyl)arylsulfonohydrazide derivatives

Purpose: To study the antibacterial activity of various sulfonamides derived from 1,3-benzodioxol-5- carbohydrazide.Methods: The synthesis involved the conversion of 1,3-benzodioxol-5-carboxylic acid (1) to ethyl 1,3- benzodioxol-5-carboxylate (2) and then to 1,3-benzodioxol-5-carbohydrazide (3). The target molecules, 2-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylcarbonyl)arylsulfonohydrazide derivatives (5a-l) were synthesized through a benignant method from aqueous medium by the reaction of 3 and arylsulfonyl chlorides (4a-l). The structural formulae of the synthesized compounds were characterized by infra red spectroscopy (IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and electron impact mass spectrometry (EI-MS). The compounds were screened for in vitro antibacterial activity by determining their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).Results: The molecule, 5k, bearing 2-hydroxy-3,5-dichlorophenyl group exhibited the highest activity with MIC of 11.92 ± 3.40 (S. typhi), 8.37 ± 2.22 (E. coli), 9.28 ± 2.31 (P. aeroginosa), 11.76 ± 1.30 (B. subtilis) and 10.30 ± 1.63 (S. aureus) μmoles/L relative to that of ciprofloxacin with 9.42 ± 1.09, 8.02 ± 2.17, 8.11 ± 1.32, 8.88 ± 2.00 and 9.23 ± 1.87 μmoles/L respectively.Conclusion: The most potent of the synthesized compounds (5k) posesses moderate activity against all the bacterial strains, while 5g remained completely inactive.Keywords: 1,3-Benzodioxol-5-carboxylic acid, Antibacterial activity, Sulfonohydrazide, Synthesi

Synthesis of N'-Substituted-2-(5-(4-Chlorophenyl)-1,3,4- oxadiazol-2-ylthio)acetohydrazide Derivatives as Suitable Antibacterial Agents

Purpose: To evaluate antibacterial activity of a series of molecules bearing 1,3,4-oxadiazole and azomethine moieties.Methods: The 4-chlorobenzoic acid (1) was precursor to N'-substituted-2-(5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4- oxadiazol-2-ylthio)acetohydrazide, 8a-p, through a multistep synthesis of corresponding ester, 2, hydrazide, 3 and 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 4. The molecule, 4, was subjected to electrophilic substitution by ethyl-2-bromoacetate to yield 5 which was stepped to 2-(5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2- ylthio)acetohydrazide (6). The target molecules, 8a-p, were synthesized by nucleophilic addition of 6 to arylaldehydes, 7a-p. The proposed structures of all the synthesized molecules were elucidated by Infra Red (IR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) and Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry (EIMS) spectral data. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by the principle that microbial growth is in a log phase of growth and so results in increased absorbance of broth medium which is observed.Results: The molecule, 8b, was active against S. aureus and 8c against S. typhi only. The molecule, 8p, was the most active against S. typhi with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 10.04 ± 1.25 μM while 8e was active against E. coli with MIC of 9.45 ± 1.00 μM, both relative to the reference standard, ciprofloxacin, which displayed MIC of 9.13 ± 2.00 and 8.90 ± 1.65 μM, respectively.Conclusion: Most of the synthesized molecules exhibit 50 % antibacterial activity relative to the reference. Molecules 8b and 8c are the least active compounds.Keywords: 1,3,4-Oxadiazole, 4-Chlorobenzoic acid, Antibacterial activity, Azomethin

Proteome-wide analysis of protein abundance and turnover remodelling during oncogenic transformation of human breast epithelial cells

Background: Viral oncogenes and mutated proto-oncogenes are potent drivers of cancer malignancy. Downstream of the oncogenic trigger are alterations in protein properties that give rise to cellular transformation and the acquisition of malignant cellular phenotypes. Developments in mass spectrometry enable large-scale, multidimensional characterisation of proteomes. Such techniques could provide an unprecedented, unbiased view of how oncogene activation remodels a human cell proteome. Methods: Using quantitative MS-based proteomics and cellular assays, we analysed how transformation induced by activating v-Src kinase remodels the proteome and cellular phenotypes of breast epithelial (MCF10A) cells. SILAC MS was used to comprehensively characterise the MCF10A proteome and to measure v-Src-induced changes in protein abundance across seven time-points (1-72 hrs). We used pulse-SILAC MS (Boisvert et al., 2012), to compare protein synthesis and turnover in control and transformed cells. Follow-on experiments employed a combination of cellular and functional assays to characterise the roles of selected Src-responsive proteins. Results: Src-induced transformation changed the expression and/or turnover levels of ~3% of proteins, affecting ~1.5% of the total protein molecules in the cell. Transformation increased the average rate of proteome turnover and disrupted protein homeostasis. We identify distinct classes of protein kinetics in response to Src activation. We demonstrate that members of the polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) are important regulators of invasion and migration in MCF10A cells. Many Src-regulated proteins are present in low abundance and some are regulated post-transcriptionally. The signature of Src-responsive proteins is highly predictive of poor patient survival across multiple cancer types. Open access to search and interactively explore all these proteomic data is provided via the EPD database (www.peptracker.com/epd). Conclusions: We present the first comprehensive analysis measuring how protein expression and protein turnover is affected by cell transformation, providing a detailed picture at the protein level of the consequences of activation of an oncogene