Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) Polymorphisms, Haplotypes and Activity in Predicting CAD Risk in North-West Indian Punjabis

Human serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) prevents oxidation of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and hydrolyzes the oxidized form, therefore preventing the development of atherosclerosis. The polymorphisms of PON1 gene are known to affect the PON1 activity and thereby coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. As studies are lacking in North-West Indian Punjabi's, a distinct ethnic group with high incidence of CAD, we determined PON1 activity, genotypes and haplotypes in this population and correlated them with the risk of CAD.350 angiographically proven (≥ 70% stenosis) CAD patients and 300 healthy controls were investigated. PON1 activity was determined towards paraoxon (Paraoxonase; PONase) and phenylacetate (Arylesterase; AREase) substrates. In addition, genotyping was carried out by using multiplex PCR, allele specific oligonucleotide -PCR and PCR-RFLP methods and haplotyping was determined by PHASE software. The serum PONase and AREase activities were significantly lower in CAD patients as compared to the controls. All studied polymorphisms except L55M had significant effect on PONase activity. However AREase activity was not affected by them. In a logistic regression model, after adjustment for the conventional risk factors for CAD, QR (OR: 2.73 (1.57-4.72)) and RR (OR, 16.24 (6.41-41.14)) genotypes of Q192R polymorphism and GG (OR: 2.07 (1.02-4.21)) genotype of -162A/G polymorphism had significantly higher CAD risk. Haplotypes L-T-G-Q-C (OR: 3.25 (1.72-6.16)) and L-T-G-R-G (OR: 2.82 (1.01-7.80)) were also significantly associated with CAD.In conclusion this study shows that CAD patients had lower PONase and AREase activities as compared to the controls. The coding Q192R polymorphism, promoter -162A/G polymorphism and L-T-G-Q-C and L-T-G-R-G haplotypes are all independently associated with CAD

Host-bacterial interplay in periodontal disease

A literature search was performed using MEDLINE (PubMed) and other electronic basis from 1991 to 2014. Search included books and journals based on the systematic and critical reviews, in vitro and in vivo clinical studies on molecular basis of host microbial interactions. Clearly, an understanding of the host susceptibility factor in addition to microbial factors by elucidating the molecular basis offers opportunity for therapeutic manipulation of advancing periodontal destruction. One of the hallmarks of pathogenesis is the ability of pathogenic organisms to invade surrounding tissues and to evade the host defence. This paper focuses the general overview of molecular mechanisms involved in the microbiota and host response to bacterial inimical behavior in periodontics

Utilization of dental health-care services and its barriers among the patients visiting community health centers in Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh: A cross-sectional, questionnaire study

Introduction: The primary health centers and community health centers (CHCs) offer an opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment, dental health education, and institution of preventive measures in the remote areas. Aim: To assess the level of utilization of dental health care services and to determine barriers that prevent utilization of dental health-care services among the patients visiting CHCs in Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 600 patients aged 20 years and above visiting the randomly selected 10 CHCs during May 2015 in Nellore District. A multistage sampling method was followed. The source of data was primary in nature and it was obtained through self-administered questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using a software program IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) (P < 0.05). Results: Only 36% of patients had visited the dentist in the last 12 months. Males (54%) visited dentist more frequently than females (46%). The most common reported reasons for the last dental visit were pain or a dental emergency (71%), followed by restorative treatment (17%) and other reasons (12%). The most commonly reported reasons for not seeking dental care were “Not needed unless having pain” by 360 (60%), “I do not think dental diseases are very serious” by 304 (51%), “I have fear of dental procedures” by 290 (48.6%),“Lack of time” by 235 (45.6%), “Dental treatment is expensive” by 200 (33.3%), and “The dentist is at a long distance” by 158 (26.8%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that only a small portion of population visited a dentist in previous year. Most of them believe that visiting dentist is necessary only for pain relief

Marshall–Olkin Weibull–Burr XII distribution with application to physics data

The focus of this study is a new lifetime distribution with five parameters created by combining the Weibull–Burr XII model and the Marshall–Olkin-G family. The newly suggested model is known as the Marshall–Olkin Weibull–Burr XII (MOWBXII) distribution. The new distribution has the benefit of being able to model different types of data, and it is useful in reliability and lifespan statistics. Several current distributions as well as new distributions are included in the MOWBXII distribution. The MOWBXII density function is represented as a linear combination of Burr XII densities. Some statistical properties of the MOWBXII distribution are discussed. Various techniques for estimating the model’s parameters are used. The proposed estimation methods are weighted least squares, maximum likelihood, least squares, and maximum product of spacing methods. The effectiveness of different estimates is evaluated in terms of relative bias and mean squared error of the simulation study. Practical illustrations of the MOWBXII distribution are demonstrated using two real datasets. Furthermore, it is shown that the proposed distribution fits well, and this is claimed by comparing with Burr XII-based distributions and some other distributions by means of some measures of goodness-of-fit

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Not AvailableA total of 160 White Leghorn laying chicken (Lohmann) of 50 weeks of age were divided into four groups having 10 replicates of 4 chicken in each group. Solvent extracted karanj (Pongamia glabra) cake (SKC) was included in the diet at graded levels (0, 6, 9 and 12%) on iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric basis and fed to the treatment groups from 50 to 61 weeks (3 laying periods of 4 weeks each) ad lib. The egg production and egg mass decreased (P<0.01) with SKC at 12% whereas feed intake decreased at 9 and 12% SKC in diet. However, feed intake per 12 eggs, egg weight and serum biochemical profile (except alkaline phosphatase activity which was lower in SKC fed groups) were not affected by the dietary SKC levels. The inclusion of SKC up to 12% in layer diet did not affect the quality and sensory attributes of eggs. It was concluded that SKC could be used up to 9% in the diet of laying chickens without any adverse effect while there was a decline in production at inclusion level of 12% SKC in diet.Not Availabl

Acquisition, storage, retrieval and dissemination of disaster related data

One of the biggest challenges in natural disaster preparedness, mitigation and relief is the lack of readily available information. Scientific data like those procured from weather and seismic sensors can help in prediction and preparedness for disasters. On the other hand, availability of situational and infrastructural information in real time is essential for mitigation and relief work. This information is also crucial for post-analysis of disasters, and for designing better strategies and protocols for potential disasters in the future