Evaluation of axial length and association with morphology of cataract

Background: Cataractogenesis is associated with alteration in the nature of lens epithelium. How a change in morphology of cataract relates to axial length and IOL power is an interesting area to explore. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between axial length and age-related cataracts, and intra ocular lens (IOL) power in eyes undergoing cataract surgery.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from 2019 to 2020 on 550 eyes with age related cataract for morphology of cataract and axial length of eye. Data was analyzed using statistical software One-way ANOVA and Post HOC test.Results: Out of a total 550 eyes, 122 (22.2%) were Nuclear, 79 (14.4%) were PSC, and 349 (63.5%) were of Mixed morphology. Mean age of patients with PSC was 56.41±14.55 years, 58.52±14.16 years with Nuclear, and 62.88±9.86 years in Mixed morphology. This difference was found to be statistically significant with p value of 0.001. In this study, the mean axial length in eyes with only Nuclear, only PSC, and Mixed morphology, was measured to be 23.19±1.29, 23.26±0.91, 23.24±1.47 respectively. This was found to be statistically insignificant with p=0.92. The mean power intraocular lens 20.96±3.03 D in Nuclear Cataract, 21.25±2.39 D in PSC, and 21.25±2.60 D in Mixed cataract, and was statistically insignificant with p value of 1.Conclusions: This study suggests no impact of morphology of cataract on axial length or IOL power.

Prevalence of obesity and its correlates in school going adolescents of Haldwani, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

Background: With a rising trend of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the present world, overweight and obesity has gained importance as it is not only a disease in itself but also risk factor for majority of other NCDs. A dramatic increase in overweight and obesity among children and adolescent has raised the concern of various public health physicians especially in developing country like India. Aims & Objective: To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity & its correlates among school going adolescents of Haldwani block. Material & Methods: School based cross sectional study was done among the adolescents of 8th to 12th standard. To calculate the maximum sample size prevalence of obesity was assumed to be 50%, taking absolute error of 5%, design effect of 2 and 10% non-response rate the sample was calculated to be 880, rounded off to 900. Samples were collected from 30 clusters/schools using simple random sampling. Data was collected using a pre-designed, semi-structured and pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version 22. Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13% (CI = 10.8 - 15.2%). Overweight and obesity was found to be significantly associated with urban area, private school, Socio-economic class I, non-vegetarian diet, physical inactivity and playing videogames, working on laptops and computer on univariate analysis. On applying binary logistic regression factors like private schools, socioeconomic class I, non-vegetarian diet and physical inactivity were again found to be significantly associated with overweight and obesity. Conclusion: Prevalence of obesity was found to be more in adolescents having modifiable risk factors. &nbsp

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Biologicals and Biosimilars among Clinicians in Radiotherapy Department

Background: The decoding of human genome helped to design pharmacological agents like Biologicals and Biosimilars which can target the affected etiological aberrations. Biological agents are large complex molecules produced by recombinant techniques in a living system for therapeutic or diagnostic uses and have revolutionized treatment of many diseases. Patent expiry of Biologicals has led to the development of Biosimilars which are similar in efficacy & safety and have no clinically meaningful differences, but are not identical to Biologicals and undergo fewer clinical trials than their reference biologicals. Clinicians’ in- depth knowledge of these agents is important to optimize the use of cost-effective & easily accessible options. Methods: This is a cross sectional observational study conducted between Feb-March 2020 in Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Oncology Department of Dr B.R.A.M. Hospital & Pt. J. N. M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, using a self-administered, structured questionnaire consisting of 15-question among 30 clinicians prescribing Biologicals and Biosimilars. Results: 83.3% of clinicians were familiar with the term ‘Biologicals’ & ‘Biosimilars’. 60% believed that Biosimilars are same as Generic Medicines and have the same potency as Biologicals. 53% assumed that Biologicals & Biosimilars can be switched. 50% were able to explain the difference or similarity between Biologicals and Biosimilars. Conclusion: The findings reveal that the clinicians had good knowledge about Biologicals and Biosimilars but lacked application of this knowledge in clinical practice. This highlights a need for regular educational initiative to reduce the knowledge deficit & its application in clinical practice. Further, there must be a National Treatment Guidelines on use of Biologicals  and Biosimilars

Engineered reversal of drug resistance in cancer cells - metastases suppressor factors as change agents

Building molecular correlates of drug resistance in cancer and exploiting them for therapeutic intervention remains a pressing clinical need. To identify factors that impact drug resistance herein we built a model that couples inherent cell-based response toward drugs with transcriptomes of resistant/sensitive cells. To test this model, we focused on a group of genes called Metastasis Suppressor Genes (MSGs) that influence aggressiveness and metastatic potential of cancers. Interestingly, modeling of 84 000 drug response transcriptome combinations predicted multiple MSGs to be associated with resistance of different cell types and drugs. As a case study, on inducing MSG levels in a drug resistant breast cancer line resistance to anticancer drugs caerulomycin, camptothecin and topotecan decreased by more than 50–60 %, in both culture conditions and also in tumors generated in mice, in contrast to control un-induced cells. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of engineered reversal of drug resistance in cancer cells based on a model that exploits inherent cellular response profiles

Whole genome expression and biochemical correlates of extreme constitutional types defined in Ayurveda

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ayurveda is an ancient system of personalized medicine documented and practiced in India since 1500 B.C. According to this system an individual's basic constitution to a large extent determines predisposition and prognosis to diseases as well as therapy and life-style regime. Ayurveda describes seven broad constitution types (<it>Prakriti</it>s) each with a varying degree of predisposition to different diseases. Amongst these, three most contrasting types, <it>Vata</it>, <it>Pitta</it>, <it>Kapha</it>, are the most vulnerable to diseases. In the realm of modern predictive medicine, efforts are being directed towards capturing disease phenotypes with greater precision for successful identification of markers for prospective disease conditions. In this study, we explore whether the different constitution types as described in Ayurveda has molecular correlates.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Normal individuals of the three most contrasting constitutional types were identified following phenotyping criteria described in Ayurveda in Indian population of Indo-European origin. The peripheral blood samples of these individuals were analysed for genome wide expression levels, biochemical and hematological parameters. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway based analysis was carried out on differentially expressed genes to explore if there were significant enrichments of functional categories among <it>Prakriti </it>types.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Individuals from the three most contrasting constitutional types exhibit striking differences with respect to biochemical and hematological parameters and at genome wide expression levels. Biochemical profiles like liver function tests, lipid profiles, and hematological parameters like haemoglobin exhibited differences between <it>Prakriti </it>types. Functional categories of genes showing differential expression among <it>Prakriti </it>types were significantly enriched in core biological processes like transport, regulation of cyclin dependent protein kinase activity, immune response and regulation of blood coagulation. A significant enrichment of housekeeping, disease related and hub genes were observed in these extreme constitution types.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ayurveda based method of phenotypic classification of extreme constitutional types allows us to uncover genes that may contribute to system level differences in normal individuals which could lead to differential disease predisposition. This is a first attempt towards unraveling the clinical phenotyping principle of a traditional system of medicine in terms of modern biology. An integration of Ayurveda with genomics holds potential and promise for future predictive medicine.</p

Genome-wide association study for type 2 diabetes in Indians identifies a new susceptibility locus at 2q21.

Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes-associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.31; P = 3.32 × 10⁻⁹). Imputation analysis refined the signal to rs998451 (odds ratio 1.56; P = 6.3 × 10⁻¹²) within TMEM163 that encodes a probable vesicular transporter in nerve terminals. TMEM163 variants also showed association with decreased fasting plasma insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, indicating a plausible effect through impaired insulin secretion. The 2q21 region also harbors RAB3GAP1 and ACMSD; those are involved in neurologic disorders. Forty-nine of 56 previously reported signals showed consistency in direction with similar effect sizes in Indians and previous studies, and 25 of them were also associated (P < 0.05). Known loci and the newly identified 2q21 locus altogether explained 7.65% variance in the risk of T2D in Indians. Our study suggests that common susceptibility variants for T2D are largely the same across populations, but also reveals a population-specific locus and provides further insights into genetic architecture and etiology of T2D

Common variants in CLDN2 and MORC4 genes confer disease susceptibility in patients with chronic pancreatitis

A recent Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) identified association with variants in X-linked CLDN2 and MORC4 and PRSS1-PRSS2 loci with Chronic Pancreatitis (CP) in North American patients of European ancestry. We selected 9 variants from the reported GWAS and replicated the association with CP in Indian patients by genotyping 1807 unrelated Indians of Indo-European ethnicity, including 519 patients with CP and 1288 controls. The etiology of CP was idiopathic in 83.62% and alcoholic in 16.38% of 519 patients. Our study confirmed a significant association of 2 variants in CLDN2 gene (rs4409525—OR 1.71, P = 1.38 x 10-09; rs12008279—OR 1.56, P = 1.53 x 10-04) and 2 variants in MORC4 gene (rs12688220—OR 1.72, P = 9.20 x 10-09; rs6622126—OR 1.75, P = 4.04x10-05) in Indian patients with CP. We also found significant association at PRSS1-PRSS2 locus (OR 0.60; P = 9.92 x 10-06) and SAMD12-TNFRSF11B (OR 0.49, 95% CI [0.31–0.78], P = 0.0027). A variant in the gene MORC4 (rs12688220) showed significant interaction with alcohol (OR for homozygous and heterozygous risk allele -14.62 and 1.51 respectively, P = 0.0068) suggesting gene-environment interaction. A combined analysis of the genes CLDN2 and MORC4 based on an effective risk allele score revealed a higher percentage of individuals homozygous for the risk allele in CP cases with 5.09 fold enhanced risk in individuals with 7 or more effective risk alleles compared with individuals with 3 or less risk alleles (P = 1.88 x 10-14). Genetic variants in CLDN2 and MORC4 genes were associated with CP in Indian patients

Understanding the adhesion and optical properties of eutectic metal alloys for solution-processed electronics

The role of indium in controlling the adhesion and the optical properties of fusible, low- melting alloys is highlighted in this work. The optical activity of indium-alloy/polymer interface is probed using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, which shows a large increase in polymer Raman modes intensity. Signatures of plasmon and chemically enhanced Raman are visible for more than one polymer. Improvement in adhesion is also reflected in their ability to coat conformally onto the polymer surface resulting in a suitable interface for electrical transport. The electrical characteristics of alloy electrodes, which are printed in ambient conditions, are superior when compared to the thermally evaporated aluminum cathodes. Raman and responsivity measurements indicate that indium (In) forms metal/organic hybrid charge-transfer states at the alloy/polymer interface and assumes a decisive role in controlling the mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of these electrodes. Our studies suggest that the indium present in small quantities (∼5 wt. %) can significantly improve the overall performance of the low-temperature printable eutectic alloy electrodes

Thermally stable plasmonic nanocermets grown on micro-engineered surfaces as versatile SERS sensors for multi-analyte detection

Noble metal nanoparticle-based plasmonic sensors, fabricated by top-down and colloidal routes, are widely used for high sensitivity detection of diverse analyte molecules using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). However, most of these sensors do not show stability under harsh environments, which limits their use as versatile SERS substrates. In this work, we report the first use of plasmonic nanocermets, grown on micro-engineered Si surfaces, as potential candidates for a highly robust SERS sensor. The robustness of the sensor is attributed to the anchoring of the nanoparticles in the nanocermet, which is an important factor for exploiting its reusability. The fairly uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the sensor led to high enhancement factors (10

Thermally Stable Plasmonic Nanocermets Grown on Microengineered Surfaces as Versatile Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Sensors for Multianalyte Detection

Noble metal nanoparticle-based plasmonic sensors, fabricated by top-down and colloidal routes, are widely used for high sensitivity detection of diverse analyte molecules using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). However, most of these sensors do not show stability under harsh environments, which limits their use as versatile SERS substrates. In this work, we report the first use of plasmonic nanocermets, grown on microengineered Si surfaces, as potential candidates for a highly robust SERS sensor. The robustness of the sensor is attributed to the anchoring of the nanoparticles in the nanocermet, which is an important factor for exploiting its reusability. The fairly uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the sensor led to high enhancement factors (10⁶–10⁷) and enabled the detection of low concentrations of a wide range of analytes, including differently charged biomolecules, which is extremely difficult for other SERS sensors. With more precise control over the particle geometry and distribution, plasmonic nanocermets may play an important role in ultrasensitive SERS measurements in adverse conditions such as high temperature