Bone Mass and Strength are Significantly Improved in Mice Overexpressing Human WNT16 in Osteocytes

Recently, we demonstrated that osteoblast-specific overexpression of human WNT16 increased both cortical and trabecular bone mass and structure in mice. To further identify the cell-specific role of Wnt16 in bone homeostasis, we created transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing human WNT16 in osteocytes using Dmp1 promoter (Dmp1-hWNT16 TG) on C57BL/6 (B6) background. We analyzed bone phenotypes and serum bone biomarkers, performed gene expression analysis and measured dynamic bone histomorphometry in Dmp1-hWNT16 TG and wild-type (WT) mice. Compared to WT mice, Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice exhibited significantly higher whole-body, spine and femoral aBMD, BMC and trabecular (BV/TV, Tb.N, and Tb.Th) and cortical (bone area and thickness) parameters in both male and female at 12 weeks of age. Femur stiffness and ultimate force were also significantly improved in the Dmp1-hWNT16 TG female mice, compared to sex-matched WT littermates. In addition, female Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice displayed significantly higher MS/BS, MAR and BFR/BS compared to the WT mice. Gene expression analysis demonstrated significantly higher mRNA level of Alp in both male and female Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice and significantly higher levels of Osteocalcin, Opg and Rankl in the male Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice in bone tissue compared to sex-matched WT mice. These results indicate that WNT16 plays a critical role for acquisition of both cortical and trabecular bone mass and strength. Strategies designed to use WNT16 as a target for therapeutic interventions will be valuable to treat osteoporosis and other low bone mass conditions

Evaluation of correlation of oxygen desaturation with bode index in stable COPD patients

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the world's third leading cause of death, accounting for 3.23 million deaths in 20191. It is the second major cause of death in India and affects an estimated 53 million people 1. BODE INDEX is multivariable grading system that estimates severity of respiratory and systemic components of COPD patients and was designed to predict quality of life in COPD patients. The four variables BMI (B), FEV1% predicted (O), Dyspnoea (D) as measured by MMRC, Exercise capacity (E) as measured by the six-minute–walk test. In stable COPD patients desaturation upon exertion is a major factor which can be used as a predictor of QOL (quality of life) , future exacerbations, severity  of the disease etc. The current study is focussed upon estimation of COPD prevalence by clinical severity stages as measured by BODE index and the correlation between exercise induced desaturation and various quartiles of  BODE INDEX in stable COPD patients

Evaluating the effectiveness of rehydrating solutions in preserving periodontal ligament cells vitality: An in vitro study

Background and Purpose of the Study: Two of the most critical factors affecting the prognosis of an avulsed tooth after replantation are extraoral dry time and the storage medium in which the tooth was placed before treatment could be rendered. The ability of a storage medium to support cell viability of the periodontal ligament (PDL) can be an important factor in the prognosis, and thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of commonly available storage media. Materials and Methods: Cultured PDL cells of sixty freshly extracted human teeth were randomly divided into four groups of 15 each, Group I: Electral solution, Group II: Ringer's lactate, Group III: Oral rehydration salt liquid (ORS-L), and Group IV: Coconut water. Samples in each group were further divided into three subgroups depending on the time duration they were placed in the storage medium, i.e., 1, 4, and 8 h. Further these samples were subjected to Collagenase assay, the cells were stained with trypan blue and viable PDL cells were counted under light microscope. Results: Statistical analysis showed that Group II demonstrated significantly (P < 0.001) more viable PDL cells in than Groups IV and I, least viable PDL cells are seen with Group III samples. Conclusion: Ringer's lactate maintained highest PDL cell viability followed by coconut water, electoral solution, and ORS-L at various time intervals. More studies with large samples are required to prove the efficacy of Ringer's lactate as viable storage media

A serum interleukin-6-based analysis of patients with nasopharyngeal swab reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction negative for SARS-COV-2 infection with CO-RADS 4 and 5 on computed tomography of the chest

Background: Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels have been studied in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19). Methods: We studied the utility of treatment with tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients (n=19) with a negative nasopharyngeal swab real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 who had suggestive computed tomography (CT) findings, namely, COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS) 4,5. Results: Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that serum IL 6 at a cut-off of >56.9 pg/L was a predictor of mortality in nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR negative patients with suggestive CT findings. Tocilizumab had no significant effect on the mortality. Conclusions: In nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR negative patients with suggestive chest CT findings, elevated serum IL-6 levels > 56.9 pg/L predicted mortality. However, treatment with tocilizumab had no effect on mortality