Disaggregation of Amylin Aggregate by Novel Conformationally Restricted Aminobenzoic Acid containing α/β and α/γ Hybrid Peptidomimetics

Diabetes has emerged as a threat to the current world. More than ninety five per cent of all the diabetic population has type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Aggregates of Amylin hormone, which is co-secreted with insulin from the pancreatic β-cells, inhibit the activities of insulin and glucagon and cause T2DM. Importance of the conformationally restricted peptides for drug design against T2DM has been invigorated by recent FDA approval of Symlin, which is a large conformationally restricted peptide. However, Symlin still has some issues including solubility, oral bioavailability and cost of preparation. Herein, we introduced a novel strategy for conformationally restricted peptide design adopting a minimalistic approach for cost reduction. We have demonstrated efficient inhibition of amyloid formation of Amylin and its disruption by a novel class of conformationally restricted β-sheet breaker hybrid peptidomimetics (BSBHps). We have inserted β, γ and δ -aminobenzoic acid separately into an amyloidogenic peptide sequence, synthesized α/β, α/γ and α/δ hybrid peptidomimetics, respectively. Interestingly, we observed the aggregation inhibitory efficacy of α/β and α/γ BSBHps, but not of α/δ analogues. They also disrupt existing amyloids into non-toxic forms. Results may be useful for newer drug design against T2DM as well as other amyloidoses and understanding amyloidogenesis

Resolving dichotomy in compact objects through continuous gravitational waves observation

More than two dozen soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) and anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) have been detected so far. These are isolated compact objects. Many of them are either found to be associated with supernova remnants or their surface magnetic fields are directly measured, confirming that they are neutron stars (NSs). However, it has been argued that some SGRs and AXPs are highly magnetized white dwarfs (WDs). Meanwhile, the existence of super-Chandrasekhar WDs has remained to be a puzzle. However, not even a single such massive WD has been observed directly. Moreover, some WD pulsars are detected in electromagnetic surveys and some of their masses are still not confirmed. Here we calculate the signal-to-noise ratio for all these objects, considering different magnetic field configurations and thereby estimate the required time for their detection by various gravitational wave (GW) detectors. For SGRs and AXPs, we show that, if these are NSs, they can hardly be detected by any of the GW detectors, while if they are WDs, Big Bang Observer (BBO), DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) and Advanced Laser Interferometer Antenna (ALIA) would be able to detect them within a few days to a year of integration, depending on the magnetic field strength and its configuration. Similarly, if a super-Chandrasekhar WD has a dominant toroidal field, we show that even Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and TianQin would be able to detect it within one year of integration. We also discuss how GWs can confirm the masses of the WD pulsars

Ion-Acoustic Solitons in Bi-Ion Dusty Plasma

The propagation of ion-acoustic solitons in a warm dusty plasma containing two ion species is investigated theoretically. Using an approach based on the Korteveg-de-Vries equation, it is shown that the critical value of the negative ion density that separates the domains of existence of compressi- on and rarefaction solitons depends continuously on the dust density. A modified Korteveg-de Vries equation for the critical density is derived in the higher order of the expansion in the small parameter. It is found that the nonlinear coefficient of this equation is positive for any values of the dust density and the masses of positive and negative ions. For the case where the negative ion density is close to its critical value, a soliton solution is found that takes into account both the quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. The propagation of a solitary wave of arbitrary amplitude is investigated by the quasi-potential method. It is shown that the range of the dust densities around the critical value within which solitary waves with positive and negative potentials can exist simultaneously is relatively wide.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Image of The Communist Party of The Russian Federation as Viewed by Russian Students: Factor Semantic Reconstruction

The article presents the results of the semantic reconstruction of the image of a political party (the Communist Party of the Russian Federation) as viewed by students of classical and technical universities. This reconstruction allows determining the structure of political thinking typical of the Russian youth. To study students' beliefs and ideas, the authors of the article use the method of semantic differential. The article is based on a unipolar 50-scale semantic differential entitled "political party" and developed by V.V. Kalita and E.B. Marin to evaluate the properties of political parties. The evaluation results were subject to factor analysis in conformity with the method described by V.P. Serkin. The factor analysis of the data determines the evaluation structure used by respondents in relation to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The key axes for evaluating parties are the axes of "pride" and "fear". They contain basic criteria for evaluating parties. These axes, or evaluation criteria, reflect the key categories of political thinking common to the Russian youth. The study results can help develop youth policies of parties and government, as well as contribute to the further study of political ideas common to the Russian youth

Study of survival of motor neuron (SMN) and neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) gene deletions in SMA patients

In view of the paucity of deletion studies of survival of motor neuron (SMN) and neuronal apoptosis inhibitor protein (NAIP) genes in Indian SMA patients, this study has been undertaken to determine the status of SMN1, SMN2 and NAIP gene deletions in Indian SMA patients. Clinically and neurophysiologically diagnosed SMA patients were included in the study. A gene deletion study was carried out in 45 proximal SMA patients and 50 controls of the same ethnic group. Both SMN1 and NAIP genes showed homozygous absence in 76 % and 31 % respectively in proximal SMA patients. It is proposed that the lower deletion frequency of SMN1 gene in Indian patients may be due to mutations present in other genes or population variation, which need further study

Carcinosarcoma of the vulva: a rare case report

Carcinosarcomas are rare and clinically aggressive neoplasms with poor outcome. A very few cases has been reported in the literature. We present a case of a 54 yrs woman with bleeding per vagina for 1.5 months. On per vaginal examination, a lump of size 3×2 cm was found over the left anterior region of vulva. CECT abdomen revealed a well-defined heterogeneously enhancing lesion with calcific foci involving both labia minora. MRI pelvis reveals carcinoma left vulva with involvement of lower 3rd of vaginal wall. Histopathological examination showed features suggestive of carcinosarcoma of the vulva. This was further confirmed by immunohistochemistry which showed positivity for CK, SMA, caldesmon and negative for S100, CD34, desmin, CD31, ERG and MyoD1. Because it is a very rare tumor with severe prognosis, we presented this case as this case report can be a useful addition to the literature.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma with clear cell change: a rare case report

Clear-cell variant of oral squamous cell carcinoma is an extremely rare entity. Clear-cell change can be seen in any of the neoplasms, but as pure form variant, it is difficult to find in head-and-neck SCC. We hereby present a case report of 71-year-old male who presented with a growth with erythematous patches on the lateral pharyngeal wall for the past 3 months. Histopathologic examination showed nests, islands and sheets of malignant squamous cells with vesicular nuclei and abundant clear cytoplasm. Neoplastic cells constituting majority of nests exhibited clear cell changes. Special stain was performed to identify the nature of clear cells. periodic acid Schiff-diastase (PAS-D) showed positivity in the clear cells. Immunohistochemical study using antibody for pan-cytokeratin revealed diffuse positivity in the tumor cells

Characterization of a novel antimicrobial peptide gene from the reproductive tract of indigenous cows (Bos indicus) of Asom

Antimicrobial peptides are innate immune defense peptides protecting against infection. Defensins and cathelicidins are the two major antimicrobial peptides in eukaryotes. In the present study, female reproductive tract was collected from apparently healthy local cows (Bos indicus) of Asom after slaughter. cDNA was synthesized from the extracted RNA by reverse transcription and amplified the Lingual Antimicrobial Peptide (LAP) gene (227 bp) using specific primers. The purified product was sequenced and sequence were aligned Nucleotide sequence was BLAST with twelve published sequences and analyzed using DNA Star software. At nucleotide level, Bos indicus LAP of reproductive tract showed the highest similarity of 97.4% with Bos taurus LAP of tongue followed by 92.8% with buffalo EBD. We identified the highest similarity (93.8%) of Bos indicus LAP of reproductive tract with Bos taurus LAP of tongue followed by buffalo EBD (86.2%). The phylogenetic analyses at nucleotide and amino acid level showed that Bos indicus LAP of reproductive tract and Bos taurus LAP of tongue are closely evolutionarily which implied that they might have diverged from ancestral gene. We conclude that female reproductive-tract epithelium of local cows of Asom express a potent AMP similar to that of Bos taurus LAP of tongue

Effect of GNP/Ni-TiO2 Nanocomposite Coated Copper Surfaces Fabricated by Electro Chemical Deposition under Nucleate Pool Boiling Regime: A Comprehensive Experimental Study

Current study presents an experimental analysis of nucleate pool boiling on the GNP/Ni-TiO2 (GNP-graphene nano particle) nano-composite coated copper surfaces. In order to produce the microporous surfaces, a two-step electro-deposition process is used. This deposition results in the formation of a modified surface structure, and various surface morphological characteristics of this modified structure, like wettability, roughness and surface structure are studied. The results reveal an improvement in CHF (critical heat flux) and BHTC (boiling heat transfer coefficient) in case of GNP/Ni-TiO2 coated surfaces. The main elements influencing the improved heat transfer of the GNP/Ni-TiO2nano-composite coating are its increased wettability, roughness, and high thermal conductivity. The SNCCC (superhydrophilic nano-composite coated copper) surfaces have the maximum BHTC of 97.52 (kW/m2K) and CHF of 2043 (kW/m2), which are 93% and 88% higher than the base Cu surfaces respectively. Here, it is analysed how the performance of SNCCC surfaces are enhanced by the impact of different parameters, like the roughness of the surface and wettability. The bubble characteristics at the time of boiling is noticed using a high-speed camera, and several factors such as nucleation site density, bubble departure diameter, and bubble emission frequency are statistically studied for SNCCC surfaces