STUDY OF THYROID PROFILE IN GERIATRIC TYPE-2 DIABETICS IN JHARKHAND

Objective: To study the  association of the two endocrinal disorders (Diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease) in randomly selected geriatric patients.Method: The study includes 80 patients in geriatric age groups with type 2 diabetes mellitus visiting the Medicine out patients department. Thyroid profile were assayed  in type 2 diabetic patients.Results: It was noted that thyroid dysfunction was prevalent in 41(51.25%)  out of the 80 geriatric age group patients with 31(38.75%) being hypothyroidism, 7 (8.7%) having subclinical hypothyroidism and 3 (3.7%) having a hyperthyroid state.Conclusion: The study shows that screening should be strongly recommended for all type 2 diabetics to rule out thyroid dysfunction in patients with increasing age.Keywords: Thyroid profile, Geriatric patients, Diabetes mellitus.Â

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MICROALBUMINURIA AND GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS

ABSTRACTObjective: Microalbuminuria occurs when the kidney leaks a small amount of albumin into the urine or when there is an abnormally high permeabilityfor albumin in the renal glomerulus. Microalbuminuria is a powerful risk factor of cardiovascular disease and for the presence and severity of diabeticretinopathy and neuropathy. The aim of this study is to compare the levels of microalbumin and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in Type 2 diabeticcomplications.Methods: The study includes 100 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus visiting the diabetic out-patient department patients with complications,such as hypertension, retinopathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular complication, was diagnosed based on history and clinical examination and relatedinvestigations. Microalbuminuria levels and HbA1c levels are compared in patients with complications (subjects) of Type 2 diabetes mellitus andpatients without complications.Results: The study revealed that microalbumin levels are at a significantly higher range with high HbA1c levels in patients with complications(p<0.05). When compared to patients without complications.Conclusion: The study supports that strict glycemic control can prevent microalbuminuria and thereby prevent progress on to diabetic nephropathyin patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.Keywords: Microalbuminuria, Glycated hemoglobin, Diabetic complication

GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS IN METABOLIC SYNDROME PATIENTS

Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of several metabolic disorders including hyperglycemia, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and raised triglyceride level in serum, hypertension, and abdominal obesity. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is used as one of the diagnostic criteria for diabetes and diagnostic tool for MetS. Methods: The present study was conducted at Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences. The study includes 150 patients with MetS as a case and 150 healthy volunteers as a control. MetS was diagnosed according to National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. HbA1c was assayed in various components of MetS. Results: It was found that HbA1c was significantly higher in MetS patients when compared to control group. Conclusion: Our study suggests that HbA1c might be used as a diagnostic criterion for MetS. Therefore, proper glycemic control should be maintained by maintaining HbA1c level <6.5% to prevent from diabetes and MetS

Broad targeting of resistance to apoptosis in cancer

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is natural way of removing aged cells from the body. Most of the anti-cancer therapies trigger apoptosis induction and related cell death networks to eliminate malignant cells. However, in cancer, de-regulated apoptotic signaling, particularly the activation of an anti-apoptotic systems, allows cancer cells to escape this program leading to uncontrolled proliferation resulting in tumor survival, therapeutic resistance and recurrence of cancer. This resistance is a complicated phenomenon that emanates from the interactions of various molecules and signaling pathways. In this comprehensive review we discuss the various factors contributing to apoptosis resistance in cancers. The key resistance targets that are discussed include (1) Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 proteins; (2) autophagy processes; (3) necrosis and necroptosis; (4) heat shock protein signaling; (5) the proteasome pathway; (6) epigenetic mechanisms; and (7) aberrant nuclear export signaling. The shortcomings of current therapeutic modalities are highlighted and a broad spectrum strategy using approaches including (a) gossypol; (b) epigallocatechin-3-gallate; (c) UMI-77 (d) triptolide and (e) selinexor that can be used to overcome cell death resistance is presented. This review provides a roadmap for the design of successful anti-cancer strategies that overcome resistance to apoptosis for better therapeutic outcome in patients with cancer

Colocynth Extracts Prevent Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Stemness of Breast Cancer Cells

Modern treatment strategies provide better overall survival in cancer patients, primarily by controlling tumor growth. However, off-target and systemic toxicity, tumor recurrence, and resistance to therapy are still inadvertent hurdles in current treatment regimens. Similarly, metastasis is another deadly threat to patients suffering from cancer. This has created an urgent demand to come up with new drugs having anti-metastatic potential and minimum side effects. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring the anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic potential of colocynth medicinal plant. Results from MTT assay, morphological visualization of cells and scratch assay indicated a role of ethanol and acetone extracts of fruit pulp of the colocynth plant in inhibiting cell viability, enhancing cell cytotoxicity and preventing cell migration in various cancer cell types, including breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, and cervical cancer cell line SiHa, subsequently having a low cytotoxic effect on mononuclear PBMC and macrophage J774A cells. Our study in metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells showed that both ethanol and acetone pulp extracts decreased transcript levels of the anti-apoptotic genes BCL2 and BCLXL, and a reverse effect was observed for the pro-apoptotic genes BAX and caspase 3. Additionally, enhanced caspase 3 activity and downregulated BCL2 protein were seen, indicating a role of these extracts in inducing apoptotic activity. Moreover, MDA-MB-231 cells treated with both these extracts demonstrated up-regulation of the epithelial gene keratin 19 and down-regulation of the mesenchymal genes, vimentin, N-cadherin, Zeb1 and Zeb2 compared to control, suggesting a suppressive impact of these extracts in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, these extracts inhibited colony and sphere formation with simultaneous reduction in the transcript level of the stemness associated genes, BMI-1 and CD44. It was also found that both the plant extracts exhibited synergistic potential with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin to inhibit cancer viability. Furthermore, GC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of certain novel compounds in both the extracts that are responsible for the anti-cancer role of the extracts. Overall, the results of this report suggest, for the first time, that colocynth fruit pulp extracts may block the proliferative as well as metastatic activity of breast cancer cells

Heterodimer formation by Oct4 and Smad3 differentially regulates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-associated factors in breast cancer progression:

The multifunctional cytokine TGF-β crucially participates in breast cancer (BCa) metastasis and works differently in the disease stages, thus contributing in BCa progression. We address connections between TGF-β and the stem cell-related transcription factor (TF) Oct4 in BCa. In 147 BCa patients with infiltrating duct carcinoma, we identified a significantly higher number of cases with both moderate/high Oct4 expression and high TGF-β in late stages compared to early stages of the disease