Nanotechnology- future prospect in recent medicine: a review

Any damage at molecular or cellular level is the major culprit for disease & ill health. Nanotechnology, “the manufacturing technology of the 21st century," helps us economically build a broad range of complex molecular machines by manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Nanotech may be able to create many new materials and devices with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. Lots of new possibilities come into account in relation to use of nanotechnology in medicines. Nanotechnology in medicine involves applications of nanoparticles, also involves nano-robots to make repairs at the cellular levels. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials

Variations in host genes encoding adhesion molecules and susceptibility to falciparum malaria in India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Host adhesion molecules play a significant role in the pathogenesis of <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>malaria and changes in their structure or levels in individuals can influence the outcome of infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of SNPs of three adhesion molecule genes, <it>ICAM1</it>, <it>PECAM1 </it>and <it>CD36</it>, with severity of falciparum malaria in a malaria-endemic and a non-endemic region of India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The frequency distribution of seven selected SNPs of <it>ICAM1</it>, <it>PECAM1 </it>and <it>CD36 </it>was determined in 552 individuals drawn from 24 populations across India. SNP-disease association was analysed in a case-control study format. Genotyping of the population panel was performed by Sequenom mass spectroscopy and patient/control samples were genotyped by SNaPshot method. Haplotypes and linkage disequilibrium (LD) plots were generated using PHASE and Haploview, respectively. Odds-ratio (OR) for risk assessment was estimated using EpiInfo™ version 3.4.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Association of the ICAM1 rs5498 (exon 6) G allele and the CD36 exon 1a A allele with increased risk of severe malaria was observed (severe versus control, OR = 1.91 and 2.66, P = 0.02 and 0.0012, respectively). The CD36 rs1334512 (-53) T allele as well as the TT genotype associated with protection from severe disease (severe versus control, TT versus GG, OR = 0.37, P = 0.004). Interestingly, a SNP of the <it>PECAM1 </it>gene (rs668, exon 3, C/G) with low minor allele frequency in populations of the endemic region compared to the non-endemic region exhibited differential association with disease in these regions; the G allele was a risk factor for malaria in the endemic region, but exhibited significant association with protection from disease in the non-endemic region.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data highlights the significance of variations in the <it>ICAM1</it>, <it>PECAM1 </it>and <it>CD36 </it>genes in the manifestation of falciparum malaria in India. The <it>PECAM1 </it>exon 3 SNP exhibits altered association with disease in the endemic and non-endemic region.</p

Polymorphisms of TNF-enhancer and gene for FcγRIIa correlate with the severity of falciparum malaria in the ethnically diverse Indian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Susceptibility/resistance to <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>malaria has been correlated with polymorphisms in more than 30 human genes with most association analyses having been carried out on patients from Africa and south-east Asia. The aim of this study was to examine the possible contribution of genetic variants in the <it>TNF </it>and <it>FCGR2A </it>genes in determining severity/resistance to <it>P. falciparum </it>malaria in Indian subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Allelic frequency distribution in populations across India was first determined by typing genetic variants of the <it>TNF </it>enhancer and the <it>FCGR2A </it>G/A SNP in 1871 individuals from 55 populations. Genotyping was carried out by DNA sequencing, single base extension (SNaPshot), and DNA mass array (Sequenom). Plasma TNF was determined by ELISA. Comparison of datasets was carried out by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Haplotypes and LD plots were generated by PHASE and Haploview, respectively. Odds ratio (OR) for risk assessment was calculated using EpiInfo™ version 3.4.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position -76 was identified in the <it>TNF </it>enhancer along with other reported variants. Five <it>TNF </it>enhancer SNPs and the <it>FCGR2A </it>R131H (G/A) SNP were analyzed for association with severity of <it>P. falciparum </it>malaria in a malaria-endemic and a non-endemic region of India in a case-control study with ethnically-matched controls enrolled from both regions. <it>TNF </it>-1031C and -863A alleles as well as homozygotes for the TNF enhancer haplotype CACGG (-1031T>C, -863C>A, -857C>T, -308G>A, -238G>A) correlated with enhanced plasma TNF levels in both patients and controls. Significantly higher TNF levels were observed in patients with severe malaria. Minor alleles of -1031 and -863 SNPs were associated with increased susceptibility to severe malaria. The high-affinity IgG2 binding FcγRIIa AA (131H) genotype was significantly associated with protection from disease manifestation, with stronger association observed in the malaria non-endemic region. These results represent the first genetic analysis of the two immune regulatory molecules in the context of <it>P. falciparum </it>severity/resistance in the Indian population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Association of specific <it>TNF </it>and <it>FCGR2A </it>SNPs with cytokine levels and disease severity/resistance was indicated in patients from areas with differential disease endemicity. The data emphasizes the need for addressing the contribution of human genetic factors in malaria in the context of disease epidemiology and population genetic substructure within India.</p

Technology Pipeline for Large Scale Cross-Lingual Dubbing of Lecture Videos into Multiple Indian Languages

Cross-lingual dubbing of lecture videos requires the transcription of the original audio, correction and removal of disfluencies, domain term discovery, text-to-text translation into the target language, chunking of text using target language rhythm, text-to-speech synthesis followed by isochronous lipsyncing to the original video. This task becomes challenging when the source and target languages belong to different language families, resulting in differences in generated audio duration. This is further compounded by the original speaker's rhythm, especially for extempore speech. This paper describes the challenges in regenerating English lecture videos in Indian languages semi-automatically. A prototype is developed for dubbing lectures into 9 Indian languages. A mean-opinion-score (MOS) is obtained for two languages, Hindi and Tamil, on two different courses. The output video is compared with the original video in terms of MOS (1-5) and lip synchronisation with scores of 4.09 and 3.74, respectively. The human effort also reduces by 75%

Tigers of Sundarbans in India: Is the Population a Separate Conservation Unit?

The Sundarbans tiger inhabits a unique mangrove habitat and are morphologically distinct from the recognized tiger subspecies in terms of skull morphometrics and body size. Thus, there is an urgent need to assess their ecological and genetic distinctiveness and determine if Sundarbans tigers should be defined and managed as separate conservation unit. We utilized nine microsatellites and 3 kb from four mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes to estimate genetic variability, population structure, demographic parameters and visualize historic and contemporary connectivity among tiger populations from Sundarbans and mainland India. We also evaluated the traits that determine exchangeability or adaptive differences among tiger populations. Data from both markers suggest that Sundarbans tiger is not a separate tiger subspecies and should be regarded as Bengal tiger (P. t. tigris) subspecies. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA data revealed reciprocal monophyly. Genetic differentiation was found stronger for mtDNA than nuclear DNA. Microsatellite markers indicated low genetic variation in Sundarbans tigers (He= 0.58) as compared to other mainland populations, such as northern and Peninsular (Hebetween 0.67- 0.70). Molecular data supports migration between mainland and Sundarbans populations until very recent times. We attribute this reduction in gene flow to accelerated fragmentation and habitat alteration in the landscape over the past few centuries. Demographic analyses suggest that Sundarbans tigers have diverged recently from peninsular tiger population within last 2000 years. Sundarbans tigers are the most divergent group of Bengal tigers, and ecologically non-exchangeable with other tiger populations, and thus should be managed as a separate "evolutionarily significant unit" (ESU) following the adaptive evolutionary conservation (AEC) concept.Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun (India)

RAPD fingerprinting of the ornamental fish Badis badis (Hamilton 1822) and Dario dario (Kullander and Britz 2002) (Perciformes, Badidae) from West Bengal, India

We used random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to generate species-specific diagnostic fragment patterns for the molecular identification of the ornamental aquarium fish species Badis badis and Dario dario. Seven arbitrary oligodecamer primers produced a total of 116 bands of which 98.23% were polymorphic. The size of the amplified products was in the range 340 bp to 2170 bp. Intraspecies genetic similarity was 0.879 ± 0.023 for B. badis and 0.840 ± 0.014 for D. dario while interspecies genetic similarity was 0.602 ± 0.017, with cluster analysis displaying separate taxonomic and evolutionary status for these fish. The results show that RAPD was useful for the molecular identification of aquarium fish species, with morphological traits also being important

Knowledge, awareness, and practice of forensic odontology among dental surgeons in Bhubaneswar, India

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate knowledge, awareness, and practice related to forensic odontology among dental surgeons in Bhubaneswar, East India.Methods: A blind cross-sectional study, using a questionnaire with close-ended questions, was carried out. Interns were included to assess their knowledge and practice (related to dental record keeping) while in an institutional setting. In addition, dentists with Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) qualifications (irrespective of their specialty) were assessed, which included purely private practitioners, purely academicians (dental surgeons teaching in dental colleges), and academicians-cum-practitioners.Results: The total forensic odontology knowledge, awareness, and practice score (based on summing all the positive responses -- for all the relevant questions -- and calculating the percentage) was 80%, 76%, and 84% for the MDS, BDS, and intern group, respectively.Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to be undertaken in East India. The results show that there is an adequate level of knowledge and awareness regarding forensic odontology in all the groups investigated. Overall, the three groups also had adequate levels of good practice related to dental record keeping. However, regarding individual questions, there were some instances among the groups of inadequate levels of good practice