Knowledge attitude and practices of pharmacogenomics and its educational needs among doctors at a tertiary care hospital VIMS, Ballari: a questionnaire based study

Background: Genetic differences account for an outsized amount of patient variation in drug response and disposition. Pharmacogenomics is that the study of genetic factors that underlie variation in drug response. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of pharmacogenomics and its educational needs among doctors of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Ballari.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 110 doctors forming a structured questionnaire.Results: Nearly 82.8% of the survey participants were of the age group 25 to 34 years. When choosing appropriate drug therapy for patients, medical record and age were the factors most commonly cited by respondents as extremely or vital (98%). When asked to rank their familiarity with pharmacogenomics, 40% reported somewhat familiar with the subject. 98% of respondents found pharmacogenomic information in drug labelling extremely/very/somewhat helpful. 48.4% of participants knew that drug metabolizing enzymes were the foremost commonly recognized mechanism for pharmacogenomic differences in drug response. The foremost common reasons for not ordering weren't knowing what test to order (48%). The most common pharmacogenomic resource consulted by survey participants were internet (80%), scientific literature (50%), and medical association literature (30%). The most common preferred formats for a perfect pharmacogenomic resource were indicated as web-based (60%), mobile application (60%), and print materials (34%).Conclusions: There's a requirement for improved resource material preferably in electronic format to extend the appliance of genomics to clinical care

A retrospective study on drug utilization in patients with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma in adults at tertiary teaching hospital in Bidar

Background: Drug utilization plays a role in helping the health care system to understand, interpret and improve the drug use and continuous quality improvement. It plays an essential part of pharmaco Epidemiological studies.Methods: 100 prescriptions from patients with established diagnosis of acute exacerbation of Bronchial asthma were assessed from the Department of Pulmonary Medicine and the data gathered was analysed using MS Excel.Results: Majority of the prescriptions irrespective of severity received inhalation β2 agonist (formoterol) as a bronchodilator. Nebulization route was given for managing the acute exacerbations followed by inhalation route. Hydrocortisone was prescribed to all patients for managing acute Exacerbations. Montelukast was used an adjuvant therapy. Most of them were prescribed combination therapy. Theophylline was prescribed among all the methylxanthines.Conclusions: β2 agonists Combinations and corticosteroids are the most commonly prescribed combination drugs for asthma followed by methylxanthines. The most commonly prescribed asthmatic Medication in combination therapy was inhaled salbutamol with ipratropium followed by intravenous Hydrocortisone and oral Montelukast. The most commonly prescribed methylxanthine was intravenous Theophylline. Nebulization was preferred route to tackle the acute exacerbation of asthmatic symptoms

Identifying Information and Communication Technology Use Capacity Needs of Extension Networks

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to address critical considerations within rural advisory service (RAS) networks, specifically, getting the right information to audiences in a timely and appropriate manner. ICTs are technologies that facilitate knowledge and information sharing. For RAS networks, ICTs can be an important tool to ensure that both explicit and tacit information is shared with network members with the anticipated benefit of increased capacity of the network. Although the importance of ICTs are well documented within the literature, there are limited guidelines for what specific network capacities in ICT use are needed to better provide support for RAS providers to fulfill their responsibilities. Using the Delphi process, a panel of 31 experts from 24 countries arrived at consensus on 51 specific ICT use capacities associated with effective RAS networks. The results of the research provide a practical framework for RAS providers and networks to develop ICT use related capacity building and tactical planning activities

Identifyin gCapacities an Extension Network May Need to Effectively Support the Professionalization of Extension Providers

Professionalization is a critical component of organizational capacity and productivity. Yet, rural advisory service (RAS) providers who are charged with disseminating research-driven techniques and ideas that enhance agricultural production and addressing local stakeholder needs are often overlooked in this area.One of the critical disconnects is the lack of consistent capacities for RAS networks to effectively support the professionalization of RAS providers. Based on a framework analyzing the typical milestones associated with professionalization efforts, capacity building, and social capital the study provides insights into the support mechanism needed for professionalization. Specifically, a Delphi a panel of 31 experts from 24 countries arrived at consensus on 33 specific capacitiesa RAS network may need to effectively support the professionalization of RAS providers. The results of the research provide a practical framework for RAS networks to consider from a professionalization and capacity building perspective

Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) EST and SSR marker development, annotation, and transferability.

Orchardgrass, or cocksfoot [Dactylis glomerata (L.)], has been naturalized on nearly every continent and is a commonly used species for forage and hay production. All major cultivated varieties of orchardgrass are autotetraploid, and few tools or information are available for functional and comparative genetic analyses and improvement of the species. To improve the genetic resources for orchardgrass, we have developed an EST library and SSR markers from salt, drought, and cold stressed tissues. The ESTs were bi-directionally sequenced from clones and combined into 17,373 unigenes. Unigenes were annotated based on putative orthology to genes from rice, Triticeae grasses, other Poaceae, Arabidopsis, and the non-redundant database of the NCBI. Of 1,162 SSR markers developed, approximately 80% showed amplification products across a set of orchardgrass germplasm, and 40% across related Festuca and Lolium species. When orchardgrass subspecies were genotyped using 33 SSR markers their within-accession similarity values ranged from 0.44 to 0.71, with Mediterranean accessions having a higher similarity. The total number of genotyped bands was greater for tetraploid accessions compared to diploid accessions. Clustering analysis indicated grouping of Mediterranean subspecies and central Asian subspecies, while the D. glomerata ssp. aschersoniana was closest related to three cultivated varieties

Transcriptome pathways unique to dehydration tolerant relatives of modern wheat

Among abiotic stressors, drought is a major factor responsible for dramatic yield loss in agriculture. In order to reveal differences in global expression profiles of drought tolerant and sensitive wild emmer wheat genotypes, a previously deployed shock-like dehydration process was utilized to compare transcriptomes at two time points in root and leaf tissues using the Affymetrix GeneChip(R) Wheat Genome Array hybridization. The comparison of transcriptomes reveal several unique genes or expression patterns such as differential usage of IP(3)-dependent signal transduction pathways, ethylene- and abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent signaling, and preferential or faster induction of ABA-dependent transcription factors by the tolerant genotype that distinguish contrasting genotypes indicative of distinctive stress response pathways. The data also show that wild emmer wheat is capable of engaging known drought stress responsive mechanisms. The global comparison of transcriptomes in the absence of and after dehydration underlined the gene networks especially in root tissues that may have been lost in the selection processes generating modern bread wheats

Genetic diversity of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

The sustainability of malaria control in Africa is threatened by the rise of insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit the disease1. To gain a deeper understanding of how mosquito populations are evolving, here we sequenced the genomes of 765 specimens of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii sampled from 15 locations across Africa, and identified over 50 million single nucleotide polymorphisms within the accessible genome. These data revealed complex population structure and patterns of gene flow, with evidence of ancient expansions, recent bottlenecks, and local variation in effective population size. Strong signals of recent selection were observed in insecticide-resistance genes, with several sweeps spreading over large geographical distances and between species. The design of new tools for mosquito control using gene-drive systems will need to take account of high levels of genetic diversity in natural mosquito populations

Lack of Wdr13 Gene in Mice Leads to Enhanced Pancreatic Beta Cell Proliferation, Hyperinsulinemia and Mild Obesity

WD-repeat proteins are very diverse, yet these are structurally related proteins that participate in a wide range of cellular functions. WDR13, a member of this family, is conserved from fishes to humans and localizes into the nucleus. To understand the in vivo function(s) of Wdr13 gene, we have created and characterized a mutant mouse strain lacking this gene. The mutant mice had higher serum insulin levels and increased pancreatic islet mass as a result of enhanced beta cell proliferation. While a known cell cycle inhibitor, p21, was downregulated in the mutant islets, over expression of WDR13 in the pancreatic beta cell line (MIN6) resulted in upregulation of p21, accompanied by retardation of cell proliferation. We suggest that WDR13 is a novel negative regulator of the pancreatic beta cell proliferation. Given the higher insulin levels and better glucose clearance in Wdr13 gene deficient mice, we propose that this protein may be a potential candidate drug target for ameliorating impaired glucose metabolism in diabetes

Complete Genomic Characterization of a Pathogenic A.II Strain of Francisella tularensis Subspecies tularensis

Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia, which is a highly lethal disease from nature and potentially from a biological weapon. This species contains four recognized subspecies including the North American endemic F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (type A), whose genetic diversity is correlated with its geographic distribution including a major population subdivision referred to as A.I and A.II. The biological significance of the A.I – A.II genetic differentiation is unknown, though there are suggestive ecological and epidemiological correlations. In order to understand the differentiation at the genomic level, we have determined the complete sequence of an A.II strain (WY96-3418) and compared it to the genome of Schu S4 from the A.I population. We find that this A.II genome is 1,898,476 bp in size with 1,820 genes, 1,303 of which code for proteins. While extensive genomic variation exists between “WY96” and Schu S4, there is only one whole gene difference. This one gene difference is a hypothetical protein of unknown function. In contrast, there are numerous SNPs (3,367), small indels (1,015), IS element differences (7) and large chromosomal rearrangements (31), including both inversions and translocations. The rearrangement borders are frequently associated with IS elements, which would facilitate intragenomic recombination events. The pathogenicity island duplicated regions (DR1 and DR2) are essentially identical in WY96 but vary relative to Schu S4 at 60 nucleotide positions. Other potential virulence-associated genes (231) varied at 559 nucleotide positions, including 357 non-synonymous changes. Molecular clock estimates for the divergence time between A.I and A.II genomes for different chromosomal regions ranged from 866 to 2131 years before present. This paper is the first complete genomic characterization of a member of the A.II clade of Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis

Visualization of Murine Intranasal Dosing Efficiency Using Luminescent Francisella tularensis: Effect of Instillation Volume and Form of Anesthesia

Intranasal instillation is a widely used procedure for pneumonic delivery of drugs, vaccine candidates, or infectious agents into the respiratory tract of research mice. However, there is a paucity of published literature describing the efficiency of this delivery technique. In this report we have used the murine model of tularemia, with Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (FTLVS) infection, to evaluate the efficiency of pneumonic delivery via intranasal dosing performed either with differing instillation volumes or different types of anesthesia. FTLVS was rendered luminescent via transformation with a reporter plasmid that constitutively expressed the Photorhabdus luminescens lux operon from a Francisella promoter. We then used an IVIS Spectrum whole animal imaging system to visualize FT dissemination at various time points following intranasal instillation. We found that instillation of FT in a dose volume of 10 µl routinely resulted in infection of the upper airways but failed to initiate infection of the pulmonary compartment. Efficient delivery of FT into the lungs via intranasal instillation required a dose volume of 50 µl or more. These studies also demonstrated that intranasal instillation was significantly more efficient for pneumonic delivery of FTLVS in mice that had been anesthetized with inhaled (isoflurane) vs. parenteral (ketamine/xylazine) anesthesia. The collective results underscore the need for researchers to consider both the dose volume and the anesthesia type when either performing pneumonic delivery via intranasal instillation, or when comparing studies that employed this technique