Situation report on Nepal’s agrifood systems : July 2023

In June 2023, Nepal witnessed a slight increase in the prices of food and beverages by 1.3 percent as compared to the previous month. The inflation rate of non-food items and services conversely decreased marginally. This can be partially attributed to a decline in transportation costs. There was a deceleration in the year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI), reaching 6.8 percent this month compared to a 10.1 percent increase in the Wage Rate Index

Site-Directed Mutations and the Polymorphic Variant Ala160Thr in the Human Thromboxane Receptor Uncover a Structural Role for Transmembrane Helix 4

The human thromboxane A2 receptor (TP), belongs to the prostanoid subfamily of Class A GPCRs and mediates vasoconstriction and promotes thrombosis on binding to thromboxane (TXA2). In Class A GPCRs, transmembrane (TM) helix 4 appears to be a hot spot for non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphic (nsSNP) variants. Interestingly, A160T is a novel nsSNP variant with unknown structure and function. Additionally, within this helix in TP, Ala1604.53 is highly conserved as is Gly1644.57. Here we target Ala1604.53 and Gly1644.57 in the TP for detailed structure-function analysis. Amino acid replacements with smaller residues, A160S and G164A mutants, were tolerated, while bulkier beta-branched replacements, A160T and A160V showed a significant decrease in receptor expression (Bmax). The nsSNP variant A160T displayed significant agonist-independent activity (constitutive activity). Guided by molecular modeling, a series of compensatory mutations were made on TM3, in order to accommodate the bulkier replacements on TM4. The A160V/F115A double mutant showed a moderate increase in expression level compared to either A160V or F115A single mutants. Thermal activity assays showed decrease in receptor stability in the order, wild type>A160S>A160V>A160T>G164A, with G164A being the least stable. Our study reveals that Ala1604.53 and Gly1644.57 in the TP play critical structural roles in packing of TM3 and TM4 helices. Naturally occurring mutations in conjunction with site-directed replacements can serve as powerful tools in assessing the importance of regional helix-helix interactions

Hemodialysis Removes Uremic Toxins That Alter the Biological Actions of Endothelial Cells

Chronic kidney disease is linked to systemic inflammation and to an increased risk of ischemic heart disease and atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction associates with hypertension and vascular disease in the presence of chronic kidney disease but the mechanisms that regulate the activation of the endothelium at the early stages of the disease, before systemic inflammation is established remain obscure. In the present study we investigated the effect of serum derived from patients with chronic kidney disease either before or after hemodialysis on the activation of human endothelial cells in vitro, as an attempt to define the overall effect of uremic toxins at the early stages of endothelial dysfunction. Our results argue that uremic toxins alter the biological actions of endothelial cells and the remodelling of the extracellular matrix before signs of systemic inflammatory responses are observed. This study further elucidates the early events of endothelial dysfunction during toxic uremia conditions allowing more complete understanding of the molecular events as well as their sequence during progressive renal failure

Positive Association between Aspirin-Intolerant Asthma and Genetic Polymorphisms of FSIP1: a Case-Case Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA), which is caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, causes lung inflammation and reversal bronchi reduction, leading to difficulty in breathing. Aspirin is known to affect various parts inside human body, ranging from lung to spermatogenesis. <it>FSIP1</it>, also known as <it>HDS10</it>, is a recently discovered gene that encodes fibrous sheath interacting protein 1, and is regulated by amyloid beta precursor protein (APP). Recently, it has been reported that a peptide derived from APP is cleaved by α disintegrin and metalloproteinase 33 (<it>ADAM33</it>), which is an asthma susceptibility gene. It has also been known that the <it>FSIP1 </it>gene is expressed in airway epithelium.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>Aim of this study is to find out whether <it>FSIP1 </it>polymorphisms affect the onset of AIA in Korean population, since it is known that AIA is genetically affected by various genes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted association study between 66 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the <it>FSIP1 </it>gene and AIA in total of 592 Korean subjects including 163 AIA and 429 aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA) patients. Associations between polymorphisms of <it>FSIP1 </it>and AIA were analyzed with sex, smoking status, atopy, and body mass index (BMI) as covariates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Initially, 18 SNPs and 4 haplotypes showed associations with AIA. However, after correcting the data for multiple testing, only one SNP showed an association with AIA (corrected <it>P</it>-value = 0.03, OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.23-2.16), showing increased susceptibility to AIA compared with that of ATA cases. Our findings suggest that <it>FSIP1 </it>gene might be a susceptibility gene for aspirin intolerance in asthmatics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although our findings did not suggest that SNPs of <it>FSIP1 </it>had an effect on the reversibility of lung function abnormalities in AIA patients, they did show significant evidence of association between the variants in <it>FSIP1 </it>and AIA occurrence among asthmatics in a Korean population.</p

The interplay of matrix metalloproteinase-8, transforming growth factor-beta 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor-C cooperatively contributes to the aggressiveness of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) has oncosuppressive properties in various cancers. We attempted to assess MMP-8 function in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). Methods: MMP-8 overexpressing OTSCC cells were used to study the effect of MMP-8 on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and gene and protein expression. Moreover, MMP-8 functions were assessed in the orthotopic mouse tongue cancer model and by immunohistochemistry in patient samples. Results: MMP-8 reduced the invasion and migration of OTSCC cells and decreased the expression of MMP-1, cathepsin-K and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). VEGF-C was induced by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) in control cells, but not in MMP-8 overexpressing cells. In human OTSCC samples, low MMP-8 in combination with high VEGF-C was an independent predictor of poor cancer-specific survival. TGF-beta 1 treatment also restored the migration of MMP-8 overexpressing cells to the level of control cells. In mouse tongue cancer, MMP-8 did not inhibit metastasis, possibly because it was eliminated in the peripheral carcinoma cells. Conclusions: The suppressive effects of MMP-8 in OTSCC may be mediated through interference of TGF-beta 1 and VEGF-C function and altered proteinase expression. Together, low MMP-8 and high VEGF-C expression have strong independent prognostic value in OTSCC.Peer reviewe

Salivary Biomarkers for Detection of Systemic Diseases

Peer reviewe

A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF PRESCRIBING PRACTICE OF ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS IN HOSPITALS OF POKHARA VALLEY

The main objective of the study was to assess the prescribing practice of antibiotic prophylaxis for different surgeries in hospitals of Pokhara valley. A descriptive, quantitative, retrospective study was used to evaluate the patients who have undergone surgery between 15th April 2002 – 14th April 2003. A total of 950 patients were taken from the medical record for the study. Data about patient (age, sex), surgery (type and indication), antibiotic/s prophylaxis (dose, duration) and length of hospital stay were collected. Caesarean Section (CS) was the common surgery in Western Regional Hospital (WRH) followed by cholecystectomy, 31.1% and 24.4% respectively. In Manipal Teaching Hospital (MTH), dilatation and currettage (D and C, 21.6%) was the most common surgery followed by hysterectomy (21%). The mean length of stay in MTH for CS surgery was 7.97 days whereas 7.01 days for WRH. Significant difference was found in length of stay of two hospitals (p<0.05). Antibiotic prophylaxis was given preoperatively in MTH (87%) and WRH (79.5%) respectively. Antibiotic prophylaxis was given intraoperatively in 1.2% cases of MTH. In MTH, the total antibiotic duration in all surgeries is higher than WRH, significant difference was found only in cholecystectomy (p<0.05). In both hospitals Ampicillin+Cloxacillin was the most commonly used regimen, 12.4% in WRH and 34% in MTH. In WRH, Ciprofloxacin/Cefotaxim was also used by 12.4%. More than 79.1% of the patients were exposed to, at least, two antibiotics as a prophylaxis in WRH where as more than 63.0% in MTH. Penicillin was found to be mostly used in both hospitals. Key Words: Antibiotic prophylaxis, Surgery