Role of VimF in Gingipain Maturation in Porphyromonas gingivalis

Gingipain activity in Porphyromonas gingivalis, the major etiological agent in adult periodontitis, is post-translationally regulated by unique Vim proteins including VimF, a putative glycosyltransferase. To ascertain the VimF mediated phenotype we first inactivated the vimF gene in P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 (FLL476), a less virulent fimbriated strain. We observed that the vimF-defective mutant (FLL476) showed a phenotype similar to that of the vimF-defective mutant (FLL95) in the P. gingivalis W83 background. While hemagglutination was not detected and autoaggregationn was reduced, biofilm formation was increased in FLL476. Also, invasive capacity decreased for this mutant. Furthermore, fimbrial structures were missing in FLL476, suggesting the role of VimF in fimbrial processing. We were able to restore the wildtype phenotype by complementing the defect. Secondly, we cloned, expressed and purified the vimF gene and demonstrated its ability to glycosylate gingipains. In vitro glycosyltransferase activity for rVimF was observed using UDP-galactose and N-acetylglucosamine as donor and acceptor substrates, respectively. Further, in the presence of rVimF and UDP-galactose, a 60 kDa protein from the extracellular fraction of FLL95 which was identified my mass spectrometry as Rgp gingipain, immunoreacted with the glycan specific mAb IB5 antibody. Finally, the polyclonal antibody raised against rVimF that did not react well with native VimF from P. gingilvalis, reacted with a 47 kDa protein when the fractions were first deglycosylated before probing with the antibody. Galactose is vital for growing glycan chain leading to maturation/activation of gingipains. Taken together, these results suggest that VimF glycoprotein is a galactosyltransferase that may be specific for gingipain glycosylation

Functional outcome following Total Knee Replacement for Inflammatory arthritis of Knee done in patients from 2008 to 2012

OBJECTIVES: 1. To evaluate the clinical, functional and radiological outcomes after TKR for inflammatory arthropathy performed in CMCH. 2. To identify potential factors that affect the functional outcome after TKR for Rheumatoid Arthritis. METHODS: Patients who had TKR for RA during the period 2008-2013, in Orthopaedics Unit III were recruited for the study after informed consent. American Knee Society scores and functional scores were used for the assessment. Pre operative scores were obtained from previous medical records. Anteroposterior and lateral view radiographs of the involved knee were taken. Paired t test was done to determine the significance in changes between the pre-operative and postoperative scores. Bivariate analysis using Spearman correlation and logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the influence of various factors like age, BMI, use of steroids, methotrexate and duration of disease on the post-operative knee scores. RESULTS: 1. Significant improvement (p 0.000) was observed between the pre operative (57.3) and post operative (97.4) Knee Society scores, as well as improvement in functional scores from 36.3 preoperative to 85.2 points post operatively after TKR. 2. Steroid usage had a significant positive correlation. 3. Duration of disease and involvement of the other joint had a significant negative correlation to post-operative functional scores. 4. Average age of patients at the time of TKR was 54 years, all were in stage IV disease, and the majority were women (n=20)

The Impact of Anesthesia Type on Postoperative Outcome and Complications in Patients Undergoing Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

Background: Revision total knee arthroplasty is an increasingly common procedure and is effective in treating knee osteoarthritis, but has higher complication rates than primary total knee arthroplasty. Anesthetic choice offers a perioperative risk factor that has been extensively studied in primary total knee arthroplasty, showing favorable results for regional anesthesia compared to general anesthesia. Anesthetic choice in revision total knee arthroplasties can be optimized to reduce complications and improve health outcomes. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients who underwent revision total knee arthroplasties between 2007 and 2014 were divided into three anesthesia cohorts. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze perioperative factors. Results: From 9899 patients, 6435 received general anesthesia, 3098 received regional anesthesia, and 366 received Monitored Anesthesia Care/IV Sedation. Patients receiving general anesthesia had increased risk for six adverse outcomes compared to patients receiving regional anesthesia, and one adverse outcome compared to patients receiving Monitored Anesthesia Care/IV sedation. General anesthesia independently increased risk for deep surgical site infection, urinary tract infection, and sepsis compared with regional anesthesia. General anesthesia was shown to be an independent risk factor for having an extended length of hospital stay compared with regional anesthesia or Monitored Anesthesia Care/IV sedation. Conclusion: Patients receiving general anesthesia have increased likelihood for developing adverse postoperative outcomes relative to patients receiving regional anesthesia and Monitored Anesthesia Care/IV sedation. Though complication rates remained low, anesthesiologists must consider the implications of anesthetic choice on postoperative outcomes

Cross-talk between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease: implications for future trial design

The natural history of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still not fully elucidated. Patients with NAFLD have a low risk of liver complications, unless substantial liver fibrosis has developed. On the other hand, NAFLD has been linked with excess metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Therapies targeting common pathways may benefit both NAFLD and underlying cardiometabolic risk. Therefore, there is a rationale for considering cardiovascular endpoints in the context of NAFLD trials and, vice-versa, to consider the concomitant presence of NAFLD in drug development for cardiometabolic disorders. This manuscript provides a framework for consideration for future trials examining the inter-relationship between cardiovascular disease and NAFLD

Paratesticular Osteosarcoma—A Rare Tumor with Distinctive Imaging Findings

Extraosseous osteosarcoma (EOO) is a rare mesenchymal malignancy representing 4% of all osteosarcomas and 1% of soft tissue sarcomas. The testes, its supporting structures, that is, paratestes, and the spermatic cord are among the rarest sites for EOO, with only 11 published English language reports to date. We report our experience with a 73-year-old male presenting with left hemiscrotal swelling, noted to have extensive amorphous intratumoral calcification on imaging. He underwent left high inguinal orchidectomy with en bloc hemiscrotectomy, with a final pathologic diagnosis of primary paratesticular osteosarcoma. Our literature review corroborates this distinctive, hitherto overlooked imaging feature

Association Analysis of SSR Markers with Phenology, Grain, and Stover-Yield Related Traits in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.)

Pearl millet is a staple food crop for millions of people living in the arid and semi-arid tropics. Molecular markers have been used to identify genomic regions linked to traits of interest by conventional QTL mapping and association analysis. Phenotypic recurrent selection is known to increase frequencies of favorable alleles and decrease those unfavorable for the traits under selection. This study was undertaken (i) to quantify the response to recurrent selection for phenotypic traits during breeding of the pearl millet open-pollinated cultivar “CO (Cu) 9” and its four immediate progenitor populations and (ii) to assess the ability of simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker alleles to identify genomic regions linked to grain and stover yield-related traits in these populations by association analysis. A total of 159 SSR alleles were detected across 34 selected single-copy SSR loci. SSR marker data revealed presence of subpopulations. Association analysis identified genomic regions associated with flowering time located on linkage group (LG) 6 and plant height on LG4, LG6, and LG7. Marker alleles on LG6 were associated with stover yield, and those on LG7 were associated with grain yield. Findings of this study would give an opportunity to develop marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) or marker-assisted population improvement (MAPI) strategies to increase the rate of gain for pearl millet populations undergoing recurrent selection