A model analysis to measure the adherence of Etanercept and Fezakinumab therapy for the treatment of psoriasis

This article deals with a immunological model, which includes multiple classes of T cells, namely, the naive T cell, type I, type II and type 17 T helper cells (Th1, Th2, Th17), regulatory T cell (Treg) along with the activated natural killer cells (NK cells) and epidermal keratinocytes. In order to describe the etiology of psoriasis development, we have studied the basic mathematical properties of the model, existence and stability of the interior equilibrium. We have also derived the drug-induced mathematical model using impulse differential equation to determine the effects of combined biologics Etanercept (TNF-α inhibitor) and Fezakinumab (IL-22 monoclonal antibody) therapy considering perfect dosing during the inductive phase. We have determined the required dosing interval of both drugs to maintain the keratinocytes concentration below a threshold level. This study shows that Etanercept alone could theoretically maintain the keratinocytes level, whereas frequent dosing of Fezakinumab alone may not be enough to control the hyper-proliferation of keratinocytes. Furthermore, combination of the drugs with perfect dosing has the noticeable effect on keratinocytes dynamics, which may be suitable therapeutic approaches for treatment of psoriasis

Does captopril interrupt compensatory ovarian changes in hemispayed rats

ACE inhibitors are often recommended as the drug of choice to ameliorate essential hypertension. Since the presence of renin-angiotemsin system in the gonadotrophs and the preovulatory fo11ic1e might have a 1ink in ovulatory process, our study has been directed to investigate the possible impact of ACE inhibitor, if any, at the pituitary-ovarian system.Experimental research schedule and the findings as presented in the conference and a1so pub1ished are as follows Strictly 4-day cyclic rats were subjected to surgical hemi-spaying on day 1 of the cycle, distributed into four groups and treated with either captopirl (ACE inhibitor),captorpirl with prolactin, captopirl with progesterone or the vehicle alone. On the following day 1 of the cycle examination of the fallopian tubes and the ovaries of the animals revealed that 70% of the captopril-treated animals fai1ed to ovu1ate but maintained compensatory,ovarian hypertrophy (40.9 + 3.00 Vs 32.4 + 2.6 mg). The remaining 30% of the same group of animals although showed the sign of ovulation and compensatory ovarian enlargement (41.8 + 2.2 Vs 32.4 ± 2.6 mg), yet the number of eggs ovulated were found to be extremely low in count (1.6 + 0.1 Vs 12.3+ 0.4).Conversely, the groups of. animals which had either prolactin or progesterone concurrent with captopirl showed conspensatory changes in terms of ovulation and ovarian hypertrophy as documented in the vehicle-treated controls. While angiotensin helps in the synthesis and re1ease of pro1actin and the progesterone-primed preovu1atory environment of the fo11ic1e is pro1actin dependent, our findings of captopril induced fai1ure of compensatory ovulation in hemispayed rats suggest that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor possibly generates a lesion on the prolactin-progesterone system, an essential system to initiate ovulation

Evaluation of some promising indigenous brinjal genotypes under terai region of West Bengal

Present experiment was implemented under the Department of Vegetable and Spice Crops, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Coochbehar which situated at terai region of West Bengal during the autumn-winter season of 2019-20 and 2020-21 on 28 highly diversified brinjal genotypes on ten highly important yield and yield attributing traits to assess the extent of involvement of different genetic phenomena in manifestation of important yield related traits and to understand the inter relationship among them to design better selection criteria. Result revealed that there was close proximity in the magnitude among the component of coefficient of variation and these component exhibited high estimates coupled with high heritability for almost all the characters excepting days to first flowers and days to fruit maturity indicated less interference of the environmental factors in the manifestation of these traits. High magnitude of heritability coupled with genetic advance of mean for those character suggested possibility for selecting these characters based on phenotypic performance for further improvement at desired direction. Residual effect from path analysis was 0.1367 at genotypic level which suggested that contribution of the traits under study was approximately 86.5% on yield, argued for appropriate selection of traits for success of present experimental study. From character associationship and path coefficient it was found that expected yield was highly correlated in positive direction with average fruits per plant (0.68 and 0.801), average fruit weight (0.48 and 0.565), numbers of primary branches per plant (0.51 and 0.113); hence, these yield attributing traits were significantly positively related with each other which suggested that simultaneous selective breeding strategy considering these characters for improvement of yield could be rewarding due to  their probable conditioning by additive gene action

Dysbiosis-Associated Enteric Glial Cell Immune-Activation and Redox Imbalance Modulate Tight Junction Protein Expression in Gulf War Illness Pathology

About 14% of veterans who suffer from Gulf war illness (GWI) complain of some form of gastrointestinal disorder but with no significant markers of clinical pathology. Our previous studies have shown that exposure to GW chemicals resulted in altered microbiome which was associated with damage associated molecular pattern (DAMP) release followed by neuro and gastrointestinal inflammation with loss of gut barrier integrity. Enteric glial cells (EGC) are emerging as important regulators of the gastrointestinal tract and have been observed to change to a reactive phenotype in several functional gastrointestinal disorders such as IBS and IBD. This study is aimed at investigating the role of dysbiosis associated EGC immune-activation and redox instability in contributing to observed gastrointestinal barrier integrity loss in GWI via altered tight junction protein expression. Using a mouse model of GWI and studies with cultured EGC and use of antibiotics to ensure gut decontamination we show that exposure to GW chemicals caused dysbiosis associated change in EGCs. EGCs changed to a reactive phenotype characterized by activation of TLR4-S100β/RAGE-iNOS pathway causing release of nitric oxide and activation of NOX2 since gut sterility with antibiotics prevented this change. The resulting peroxynitrite generation led to increased oxidative stress that triggered inflammation as shown by increased NLRP-3 inflammasome activation and increased cell death. Activated EGCs and were associated with decrease in tight junction protein occludin and selective water channel aquaporin-3 with a concomitant increase in Claudin-2. The tight junction protein levels were restored following a parallel treatment of GWI mice with a TLR4 inhibitor SsnB and butyric acid that are known to decrease the immunoactivation of EGCs. Our study demonstrates that immune-redox mechanisms in EGC are important players in the pathology in GWI and may be possible therapeutic targets for improving outcomes in GWI symptom persistence

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM

The Stock Market Evaluation of IPO-Firm Takeovers

We conduct an event study to assess the stock market evaluation of public takeover announcements. Unlike the majority of previous research, we specifically focus on acquisitions targeted at newly public IPO-firms and show that the stock market positively evaluates these M&As as R&D. However, bidders' abnormal announcement returns are significantly lower for takeovers directed at targets with critical intangible assets and innovative capabilities inalienably bound to their initial owners than for those that have internally accumulated respective resources and capabilities. We explain these findings with the acquirer's post-acquisition dependence on continued access to the IPO-firm founders' target-specific human capital. Our results contribute to literature in that they show that the stock market perceives these potential impediments to successful exploitation of acquired strategic resources and thus identify a potential cause for heretofore mostly inconsistent evidence on bidder abnormal returns in corporate takeovers found in previous research

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM