In vitro antiradical and neuroprotective activity of polyphenolic extract from marine algae Padina australis H.

The neuroprotective properties and antioxidant potential of polyphenolic extracts from a brown seaweed Padina australis, were evaluated by the inhibition assay against acetylcholine esterase using indoxyl acetate as the substrate, and by the radical scavenging activity assay against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferrous ion chelating (FIC) activity assay. Methanolic (80%) crude extracts was fractionated by different solvent partitioning, and the assays of each fraction were performed using the microplate reader. The highest total phenolic content (TPC) was observed in n-butanol soluble fraction with a value of 188.75±0.21 mg GAE/g. In addition, the n-butanol soluble fraction showed the highest ferric reducing power (188.34±0.15 mg GAE/g) and the highest ferrous ion chelating ability (76.52±0.12%). The highest free radical scavenging activity against DPPH was found in water soluble fraction with 77.5±1.82% inhibition. However, the βcarotene bleaching activity was found higher with the non-polar solvent, n-hexane extract (58.12±0.58%). A strong positive correlation was found between the total phenolics and antioxidant activities of the fractions. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory properties of all the fractions were assayed where n-butanol soluble fraction was found to have better AChE inhibitory activity (57.94±0.17%) with an IC50 value of 1.54±0.045 mg/ml. The results suggested that the polar fractions possess higher AChE inhibitory and antioxidant activity. It can be concluded that Padina australis possesses an appreciable amount of polyphenols with notable antioxidant and antiAChE properties that could be promisingly used in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

In vitro antiradical and neuroprotective activity of polyphenolic extract from marine algae Padina australis H.

The neuroprotective properties and antioxidant potential of polyphenolic extracts from a brown seaweed Padina australis, were evaluated by the inhibition assay against acetylcholine esterase using indoxyl acetate as the substrate, and by the radical scavenging activity assay against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferrous ion chelating (FIC) activity assay. Methanolic (80%) crude extracts was fractionated by different solvent partitioning, and the assays of each fraction were performed using the microplate reader. The highest total phenolic content (TPC) was observed in n-butanol soluble fraction with a value of 188.75±0.21 mg GAE/g. In addition, the n-butanol soluble fraction showed the highest ferric reducing power (188.34±0.15 mg GAE/g) and the highest ferrous ion chelating ability (76.52±0.12%). The highest free radical scavenging activity against DPPH was found in water soluble fraction with 77.5±1.82% inhibition. However, the βcarotene bleaching activity was found higher with the non-polar solvent, n-hexane extract (58.12±0.58%). A strong positive correlation was found between the total phenolics and antioxidant activities of the fractions. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory properties of all the fractions were assayed where n-butanol soluble fraction was found to have better AChE inhibitory activity (57.94±0.17%) with an IC50 value of 1.54±0.045 mg/ml. The results suggested that the polar fractions possess higher AChE inhibitory and antioxidant activity. It can be concluded that Padina australis possesses an appreciable amount of polyphenols with notable antioxidant and antiAChE properties that could be promisingly used in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to dietary salt intake among adults in North India.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to salt consumption among adults in rural and urban North India. DESIGN: Data for the study were obtained from a community-based cross-sectional survey using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and 24 h urine samples. SETTING: Data collection was conducted during March-October 2012 in rural Haryana and urban Delhi in North India. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (n 1635) aged ≥20 years (701 in rural Haryana; 934 in urban Delhi). RESULTS: Twenty-four per cent of rural and 40·5 % of urban participants knew that a high-salt diet causes high blood pressure. Nearly one-fifth of both rural and urban participants knew that there should be a maximum daily limit for consumption of salt. In rural and urban areas, 46·6 and 45·1 %, respectively, perceived it important to reduce the salt content of their diet; however, only 3·7 and 10·2 %, respectively, reported taking some actions. Participants reported they were consuming 'too little salt', 'just the right amount of salt' or 'too much salt', but their corresponding mean (95 % CI) actual salt consumption (g/d; as measured by 24 h urinary Na excretion) was higher, especially among rural participants (rural: 9·2 (8·13, 10·22), 8·5 (8·19, 8·77) or 8·4 (7·72, 8·99); urban: 5·6 (4·67, 6·57), 5·7 (5·32, 6·01) or 4·6 (4·10, 5·14), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about the deleterious health impact of excess salt consumption is low in this population. Tailored public education for salt reduction is warranted with a particular focus on rural residents

Who interacts with whom?:Social mixing insights from a rural population in India

Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with most ALRI deaths occurring in children in developing countries. Computational models can be used to test the efficacy of respiratory infection prevention interventions, but require data on social mixing patterns, which are sparse in developing countries. We describe social mixing patterns among a rural community in northern India. During October 2015-February 2016, trained field workers conducted cross-sectional face-to-face standardized surveys in a convenience sample of 330 households in Faridabad District, Haryana State, India. Respondents were asked about the number, duration, and setting of social interactions during the previous 24 hours. Responses were compared by age and gender. Among the 3083 residents who were approached, 2943 (96%) participated, of whom 51% were male and the median age was 22 years (interquartile range (IQR) 9-37). Respondents reported contact (defined as having had a face-to-face conversation within 3 feet, which may or may not have included physical contact) with a median of 17 (IQR 12-25) people during the preceding 24 hours. Median total contact time per person was 36 person-hours (IQR 26-52). Female older children and adults had significantly fewer contacts than males of similar age (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 226.59, p<0.001), but spent a longer duration in contact with young children (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 27.26, p<0.001), suggesting a potentially complex pattern of differential risk of infection between genders. After controlling for household size and day of the week, respondent age was significantly associated with number and duration of contacts. These findings can be used to model the impact of interventions to reduce lower respiratory tract infections in India

Changes in hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control rates over 20 years in National Capital Region of India: results from a repeat cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite being one of the leading risk factors of cardiovascular mortality, there are limited data on changes in hypertension burden and management from India. This study evaluates trend in the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the urban and rural areas of India's National Capital Region (NCR). DESIGN AND SETTING: Two representative cross-sectional surveys were conducted in urban and rural areas (survey 1 (1991-1994); survey 2 (2010-2012)) of NCR using similar methodologies. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3048 (mean age: 46.8±9.0 years; 52.3% women) and 2052 (mean age: 46.5±8.4 years; 54.2% women) subjects of urban areas and 2487 (mean age: 46.6±8.8 years; 57.0% women) and 1917 (mean age: 46.5±8.5 years; 51.3% women) subjects of rural areas were included in survey 1 and survey 2, respectively. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Hypertension was defined as per Joint National Committee VII guidelines. Structured questionnaire was used to measure the awareness and treatment status of hypertension. A mean systolic blood pressure <140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg was defined as control of hypertension among the participants with hypertension. RESULTS: The age and sex standardised prevalence of hypertension increased from 23.0% to 42.2% (p<0.001) and 11.2% to 28.9% (p<0.001) in urban and rural NCR, respectively. In both surveys, those with high education, alcohol use, obesity and high fasting blood glucose were at a higher risk for hypertension. However, the change in hypertension prevalence between the surveys was independent of these risk factors (adjusted OR (95% CI): urban (2.3 (2.0 to 2.7)) rural (3.1 (2.4 to 4.0))). Overall, there was no improvement in awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension in the population. CONCLUSION: There was marked increase in prevalence of hypertension over two decades with no improvement in management

Global burden of respiratory infections associated with seasonal influenza in children under 5 years in 2018: a systematic review and modelling study

Background: Seasonal influenza virus is a common cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children. In 2008, we estimated that 20 million influenza-virus-associated ALRI and 1 million influenza-virus-associated severe ALRI occurred in children under 5 years globally. Despite this substantial burden, only a few low-income and middle-income countries have adopted routine influenza vaccination policies for children and, where present, these have achieved only low or unknown levels of vaccine uptake. Moreover, the influenza burden might have changed due to the emergence and circulation of influenza A/H1N1pdm09. We aimed to incorporate new data to update estimates of the global number of cases, hospital admissions, and mortality from influenza-virus-associated respiratory infections in children under 5 years in 2018. Methods: We estimated the regional and global burden of influenza-associated respiratory infections in children under 5 years from a systematic review of 100 studies published between Jan 1, 1995, and Dec 31, 2018, and a further 57 high-quality unpublished studies. We adapted the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the risk of bias. We estimated incidence and hospitalisation rates of influenza-virus-associated respiratory infections by severity, case ascertainment, region, and age. We estimated in-hospital deaths from influenza virus ALRI by combining hospital admissions and in-hospital case-fatality ratios of influenza virus ALRI. We estimated the upper bound of influenza virus-associated ALRI deaths based on the number of in-hospital deaths, US paediatric influenza-associated death data, and population-based childhood all-cause pneumonia mortality data in six sites in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Findings: In 2018, among children under 5 years globally, there were an estimated 109·5 million influenza virus episodes (uncertainty range [UR] 63·1–190·6), 10·1 million influenza-virus-associated ALRI cases (6·8–15·1); 870 000 influenza-virus-associated ALRI hospital admissions (543 000–1 415 000), 15 300 in-hospital deaths (5800–43 800), and up to 34 800 (13 200–97 200) overall influenza-virus-associated ALRI deaths. Influenza virus accounted for 7% of ALRI cases, 5% of ALRI hospital admissions, and 4% of ALRI deaths in children under 5 years. About 23% of the hospital admissions and 36% of the in-hospital deaths were in infants under 6 months. About 82% of the in-hospital deaths occurred in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Interpretation: A large proportion of the influenza-associated burden occurs among young infants and in low-income and lower middle-income countries. Our findings provide new and important evidence for maternal and paediatric influenza immunisation, and should inform future immunisation policy particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. Funding: WHO; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Fil: Wang, Xin. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Li, You. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: O'Brien, Katherine L.. University Johns Hopkins; Estados UnidosFil: Madhi, Shabir A.. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Widdowson, Marc Alain. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Estados UnidosFil: Byass, Peter. Umea University; SueciaFil: Omer, Saad B.. Yale School Of Public Health; Estados UnidosFil: Abbas, Qalab. Aga Khan University; PakistánFil: Ali, Asad. Aga Khan University; PakistánFil: Amu, Alberta. Dodowa Health Research Centre; GhanaFil: Azziz-Baumgartner, Eduardo. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Estados UnidosFil: Bassat, Quique. University Of Barcelona; EspañaFil: Abdullah Brooks, W.. University Johns Hopkins; Estados UnidosFil: Chaves, Sandra S.. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Estados UnidosFil: Chung, Alexandria. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Cohen, Cheryl. National Institute For Communicable Diseases; SudáfricaFil: Echavarría, Marcela Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Fasce, Rodrigo A.. Public Health Institute; ChileFil: Gentile, Angela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Niños "Ricardo Gutiérrez"; ArgentinaFil: Gordon, Aubree. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Groome, Michelle. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Heikkinen, Terho. University Of Turku; FinlandiaFil: Hirve, Siddhivinayak. Kem Hospital Research Centre; IndiaFil: Jara, Jorge H.. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala; GuatemalaFil: Katz, Mark A.. Clalit Research Institute; IsraelFil: Khuri Bulos, Najwa. University Of Jordan School Of Medicine; JordaniaFil: Krishnan, Anand. All India Institute Of Medical Sciences; IndiaFil: de Leon, Oscar. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala; GuatemalaFil: Lucero, Marilla G.. Research Institute For Tropical Medicine; FilipinasFil: McCracken, John P.. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala; GuatemalaFil: Mira-Iglesias, Ainara. Fundación Para El Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria; EspañaFil: Moïsi, Jennifer C.. Agence de Médecine Préventive; FranciaFil: Munywoki, Patrick K.. No especifíca;Fil: Ourohiré, Millogo. No especifíca;Fil: Polack, Fernando Pedro. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Rahi, Manveer. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Rasmussen, Zeba A.. National Institutes Of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Rath, Barbara A.. Vienna Vaccine Safety Initiative; AlemaniaFil: Saha, Samir K.. Child Health Research Foundation; BangladeshFil: Simões, Eric A.F.. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Sotomayor, Viviana. Ministerio de Salud de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Thamthitiwat, Somsak. Thailand Ministry Of Public Health; TailandiaFil: Treurnicht, Florette K.. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Wamukoya, Marylene. African Population & Health Research Center; KeniaFil: Lay-Myint, Yoshida. Nagasaki University; JapónFil: Zar, Heather J.. University of Cape Town; SudáfricaFil: Campbell, Harry. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Nair, Harish. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unid

NMR study of oligonucleotides containing base pair mismatches and a human growth hormone peptide for the determination of solution structures

Formation of unusual basepairs in DNA for random mutations in DNA was proposed in the sixties. These mismatches arise due to errors in replication, and from deamination of the 5-methylcytosine. Our interest in studying mismatches and other oligonucleotides has been two fold. One is related to \sp{31}P chemical shifts and the backbone structure of oligonucleotides. We wanted to find out the significance of the dispersion of \sp{31}P chemical shifts in oligonucleotides. We wished to address whether this dispersion in \sp{31}P chemical shifts is related to global structural parameters of oligonucleotides like helix twist and whether we can prove the relationship between \sp{31}P chemical shifts and the backbone torsional angles epsilon and zeta. How does a mismatch affect \sp{31}P chemical shifts and the backbone torsional angle? The second interest is related to solving the three dimensional structure of these biopolymers by using NMR data (NOESY distances) and computer simulations. The mismatches were incorporated in the d(CGCGAATTCGCG)\sb2 sequence because the structure of this sequence has been solved by X-ray crystallography and 2D NMR. All of our mismatches are at position three from the 5\sp\prime side of the chain. The mismatches we are studying by NMR are GT, GU, GG, GA, and AC. Our major study of these mismatches has been in the assignments of the protons resonances (Chapter 3) and the phosphorus resonances (Chapter 4) by 2D NMR. We have also tried to answer the question about the relationships between \sp{31}P chemical shifts and global parameters for DNA such as the helix twist (Chapter 4). We have made substantial progress in determination of J(H3\sp\prime-P) coupling constants by 2D NMR and also in determining the relationship between the \sp{31}P chemical shifts and the backbone torsional angles by using the mismatch dodecamer sequences and the tetradecamer sequences (Chapter 5). The 2D NMR data for the GG and GT mismatch have been used to determine three dimensional structures by using distance restrained molecular dynamics (Chapter 6). The second project involved studying a 28 residue synthetic peptide by NMR. The peptide is the N-terminal fragment of the human pituitary growth hormone (hGH) which is a protein of 191 amino acids. Medium length peptides have been subjected to conformational investigations by NMR in recent times. Our goal was to determine the structure of the N-terminus 28 amino acid residue human growth peptide in aqueous solution by using 2-dimensional NMR (Chapter 7)