Comparison of cerebrospinal fluid Cytochrome-c and Caspase-9 as biomarkers for newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy with non-asphyxiated babies and followup of these biomarkers after day 7

Background: There are very less previous study for cytochrome–c and caspase-9, the key players in apoptotic cell death, in human newborns. The objective was to measure the level of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers cytochrome –c and caspase -9 in newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and comparison with clinically suspected sepsis controls and to compare these after 7 days. Methods: We compared 50 hypoxic babies with 20 newborns with clinically suspected sepsis at median age of day-3 and 9 in cases and day-1 in controls. Results: In the present study in sample-1 we observed a significant increase in the levels of cases cytochrome c (1.46 ± 0.71 ng⁄mL) and caspase- 9 (0.29 ± 0.27 ng⁄mL) when compared to controls cytochrome-c (1.02+0.27 ng⁄mL) and caspase -9 (0.13+0.16 ng⁄mL) with significant p-value of 0.001 and 0.009 respectively. In sample -1 Cytochrome-c, P- value was significant when compared stage –III (1.74 ± 0.68) with stage-I (0.82 ± 0.43) and stage –II (0.99 ± 0.18). Similarly in Caspas-9 P-value was significant when compared between stage-III (0.38 ± 0.30) with stage-I (0.11 ± 0.07). In sample -2 P- value was significant when compared stage –III (1.68 ± 0.50) with stage-I (1.01 ± 0.14) and stage –II (0.94 ± 0.38). Similarly in Caspas-9 P-value was significant when compared between stage-III (4.84 ± 2.44) with stage-I (0.13 ± 0.10) and stage –II (0.13 ± 0.11). Conclusions: First time done in human newborns with asphyxia, showing that CSF Cytochrome- c and Caspase 9 increases significantly. In sample-2, the caspase 9 levels showed a further increase, whereas cytochrome c levels decreased from the sample 1 value indicating that neuroprotection time should be increased.

An unedited 1.1 kb mitochondrial orfB gene transcript in the Wild Abortive Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (WA-CMS) system of Oryza sativa L. subsp. indica

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The application of hybrid rice technology has significantly increased global rice production during the last three decades. Approximately 90% of the commercially cultivated rice hybrids have been derived through three-line breeding involving the use of WA-CMS lines. It is believed that during the 21^stcentury, hybrid rice technology will make significant contributions to ensure global food security. This study examined the poorly understood molecular basis of the WA-CMS system in rice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>RFLPs were detected for <it>atp6 </it>and <it>orfB </it>genes in sterile and fertile rice lines, with one copy of each in the mt-genome. The RNA profile was identical in both lines for <it>atp6</it>, but an additional longer <it>orfB </it>transcript was identified in sterile lines. 5' RACE analysis of the long <it>orfB </it>transcript revealed it was 370 bp longer than the normal transcript, with no indication it was chimeric when compared to the genomic DNA sequence. cDNA clones of the longer <it>orfB </it>transcript in sterile lines were sequenced and the transcript was determined unedited. Sterile lines were crossed with the restorer and maintainer lines, and fertile and sterile F₁hybrids were respectively generated. Both hybrids contained two types of <it>orfB </it>transcripts. However, the long transcript underwent editing in the fertile F₁hybrids and remained unedited in the sterile lines. Additionally, the editing of the 1.1 kb <it>orfB </it>transcript co-segregated with fertility restoring alleles in a segregating population of F₂progeny; and the presence of unedited long <it>orfB </it>transcripts was detected in the sterile plants from the F₂segregating population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study helped to assign plausible operative factors responsible for male-sterility in the WA cytoplasm of rice. A new point of departure to dissect the mechanisms governing the CMS-WA system in rice has been identified, which can be applied to further harness the opportunities afforded by hybrid vigor in rice.</p

A study on effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on peri operative complications and outcome in patients under-going radical cystectomy for muscle invasive bladder cancer

Background: To compare the peri-operative complications, related to radical cystectomy and to compare peri operative outcomes between patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and those treated with radical cystectomy alone.Methods: This was prospective observational study. The study was conducted at ‘The Department of Urosurgery, R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata’. Study period was between March 2016 to March 2018. Total 36 patients were included in present study. Patients after clinical diagnosis and risk factor profile analysis were divided into two groups: (1) radical cystectomy alone (n=24) (2) patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine and cisplatin regime) followed by radical cystectomy (n=12). Different parameters were compared.Results: Total 36 patients were underwent radical cystectomy. In group 1, 96% (n=23) were having T2 stage while 4% (n=1) were having T3stage. In group 2 25% (n=3) patients were having T2stage while 75% (n=9) were having T3 stage as per CECT staging. There were no significant difference noted in perioperative complications in both groups except perioperative adhesions (group 2, 47% vs group 1, 8.3%). There was significant time delay in radical cystectomy in group 2 (patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy).Conclusions: We found there were no significant increase in perioperative morbidity and mortality with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. Most of the complications were comparable to previous studies

Value-based Resource Matching with Fairness Criteria: Application to Agricultural Water Trading

Optimal allocation of agricultural water in the event of droughts is an important global problem. In addressing this problem, many aspects, including the welfare of farmers, the economy, and the environment, must be considered. Under this backdrop, our work focuses on several resource-matching problems accounting for agents with multi-crop portfolios, geographic constraints, and fairness. First, we address a matching problem where the goal is to maximize a welfare function in two-sided markets where buyers' requirements and sellers' supplies are represented by value functions that assign prices (or costs) to specified volumes of water. For the setting where the value functions satisfy certain monotonicity properties, we present an efficient algorithm that maximizes a social welfare function. When there are minimum water requirement constraints, we present a randomized algorithm which ensures that the constraints are satisfied in expectation. For a single seller--multiple buyers setting with fairness constraints, we design an efficient algorithm that maximizes the minimum level of satisfaction of any buyer. We also present computational complexity results that highlight the limits on the generalizability of our results. We evaluate the algorithms developed in our work with experiments on both real-world and synthetic data sets with respect to drought severity, value functions, and seniority of agents

Curative Effect of 18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid in Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis Depends on Phosphatase-Dependent Modulation of Cellular MAP Kinases

We earlier showed that 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GRA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid from licorice root, could completely cure visceral leishmaniasis in BALB/c mouse model. This was associated with induction of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokine production through the up regulation of NF-κB. In the present study we tried to decipher the underlying cellular mechanisms of the curative effect of GRA. Analysis of MAP kinase pathways revealed that GRA caused strong activation of p38 and to a lesser extent, ERK in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Almost complete abrogation of GRA-induced cytokine production in presence of specific inhibitors of p38 and ERK1/2 confirmed the involvement of these MAP kinases in GRA-mediated responses. GRA induced mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase (MSK1) activity in a time-dependent manner suggested that GRA-mediated NF-κB transactivation is mediated by p38, ERK and MSK1 pathway. As kinase/phosphatase balance plays an important role in modulating infection, the effect of GRA on MAPK directed phosphatases (MKP) was studied. GRA markedly reduced the expression and activities of three phosphatases, MKP1, MKP3 and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) along with a substantial reduction of p38 and ERK dephosphorylation in infected BMDM. Similarly in the in vivo situation, GRA treatment of L. donovani-infected BALB/c mice caused marked reduction of spleen parasite burden associated with concomitant decrease of individual phosphatase levels. However, activation of kinases also played an important role as the protective effect of GRA was significantly abrogated by pharmacological inhibition of p38 and ERK pathway. Curative effect of GRA may, therefore, be associated with restoration of proper cellular kinase/phosphatase balance, rather than modulation of either kinases or phosphatases

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe

Event-shape engineering for inclusive spectra and elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV

Peer reviewe