High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, lipid profile, malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity in psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation and lymphocytic infiltration. The ongoing inflammatory process in psoriasis affects the arterial wall promoting the atherosclerotic process, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in a younger group of patients. Atherosclerotic processes involve an inflammatory component and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein considered as a marker of the inflammatory component in atherosclerosis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the levels of hsCRP and the traditional risk markers like lipid profile in psoriasis. A case control study as done with 40 cases of psoriasis and 40 healthy controls. The biochemical parameters: lipid profile, hsCRP, malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity were estimated on the fasting blood samples. There was a significant increase in lipid profile in cases but these levels were well within the reference ranges for the same. There was a significant rise in hsCRP and malondialdehyde with decreased levels of total antioxidant capacity in cases suggesting a state of inflammation and oxidative stress which co-exists with psoriasis and also plays a role in atherosclerosis.Keywords: Inflammation; atherosclerosis; cardiovascular disease; oxidative stres

Systemic Therapy in Endometrial Cancer: Recent Advances.

Endometrial cancer is a chemosensitive disease. Studies have established a clear benefit of chemotherapy in advanced stages and trials are ongoing to define its role in early stages as well. As more molecular pathways are being elucidated there is increasing role for targeted agents and future looks quite promising. We did an extensive search both online and offline for all the relevant articles including chemotherapy and targeted therapy for endometrial cancer

“We know the taste of sugar because of cardamom production”: Links among Commercial Cardamom Farming, Women’s Involvement in Production and the Feminization of Poverty

This paper analyses the impact of commercial cardamom farming on the livelihoods of women, revisiting the concept of the “feminization of poverty”. For the analysis of cash crop farming in Eastern Nepal, both quantitative and qualitative approaches have been used. A quantitative survey was conducted in 513 households in Ilam district between November and December 2015 followed by qualitative data collection. A literature review on the feminization of poverty and cash crop farming has also been included. A descriptive data analysis has been conducted from the perspective of the feminization of poverty against the background of cash crop farming. The paper concludes that women of different ethnic backgrounds engaged in commercial cardamom farming have been able to improve their livelihoods, spend on their children’s education, their family’s health and invest in savings. For marginalized communities the impact is even more pronounced, as women have been able to step out of poverty. The high return from cardamom farming has changed the livelihood trajectories of these women. Engagement in cash crop farming has empowered women financially and socially through their visible participation in savings and community groups. This study also opens up pathways for further studies on issues of sustainable cardamom farming and its impact on women’s livelihoods, particularly focusing on women and poverty. This study addresses that in developing or under-developed countries reliant on agriculture, their economic development can be improved if women’s economic and social conditions are understood and facilitated through policies inline with sustainable cash crop farming

Outcome of surgical decompression in resistant de Quervain tenosynovitis

Introductions: De Quervain tenosynovitis is a common cause of functional impairment. Steroid injection has good result but significant numbers of cases develop resistance requiring surgical decompression. This study assesses the outcome of surgery. Methods: Symptomatic de Quervaint tenosynovitis cases resistant to conservative treatment that underwent surgical decompression and postoperative thumb immobilization using thumb spica splint cast during four and half years were analyzed. They were followed for at least three months for clinical and functional outcome. Patient demography, visual analogue score (VAS) and complications were analyzed descriptively. Results: There were 34 cases of de Quervaint tenosynovitis, mean age 42±16 years, and female 88.2%. Treatment was successful in all cases. The mean VAS score reduced to 0.5 from 6.82, p-value <0.01. Complication occurred in one case. Conclusions: Surgical decompression of de Quervain tenosynovitis was safe and effective in cases resistant to conservative treatment. Keywords: corticosteroid injection CSI, resistant de Quervain tenosynovitis, surgical decompression, thumb spica splint cas

Growth and yield of different oat (Avena sativa) varieties in Lalitpur district of Nepal

Oat (Avena sativa) is considered as one of the best fodders to mitigate the present seasonal feed deficit for ruminants in Nepal. The study was undertaken to evaluate eleven oat varieties for fodder and seed yield at the Khumaltar condition from December 2021 to April 2022. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The fodder oat varieties; Ever leaf, Titan, Baler no. 1, Sweet oat, Monida, Qingyin no. 1, Qinghai no. 444, Kona, Swan Pak, Longford, and Netra (as a check variety) were used as the treatments. An experimental unit was a 4 m × 3 m sized plot with the row to row spacing of 0.30 m and continuous sowing within a row. A total of two cuttings were taken for fodder. The observations on growth and yielding characters comprising of plant height, leaf area, number of tillers plant-1, number of leaves/tiller, fodder dry matter, seed and straw yield were recorded. The results showed the fodder dry matter yields ranged from 2.35 to 3.58 t/ha and were not significantly different (p>0.05) among the varieties. The seed and straw yields were obtained statistically different (p<0.05) among the varieties. Netra (2.90 t/ha) and Kona (2.88 t/ha) produced higher seed yields. Similarly, the highest straw yield was produced for the variety Longford (8.73 t/ha)

Electronic structure and estimation of Curie temperature in Ca\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eBIrO\u3csub\u3e6\u3c/sub\u3e(B = Cr, Fe) double perovskites

We investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of Ca 2 CrIrO 6 and Ca 2 FeIrO 6 by means of density functional theory. These materials belong to a family of recently synthesized Ca 2 CrOsO 6 whose properties show possible applications in a room temperature regime. Upon replacement of Os by Ir in Ca 2 CrOsO 6, we found the system to exhibit a stable ferrimagnetic configuration with a bandgap of ∼0.25 eV and an effective magnetic moment of ∼2.58 μ B per unit cell. Furthermore, when chemical doping is considered by replacing Cr with Fe and Os with Ir, the material retains the insulating state but with a reduced bandgap of 0.13 eV and large increment in the effective magnetic moment of ∼6.68 μ B per unit cell. These observed behaviors are noted to be the consequence of the cooperative effect of spin-orbit coupling; Coulomb correlations from Cr-3d, Fe-3d, and Ir-5d electrons; and the crystal field effect of the materials. These calculations suggest that by chemical tuning, one can manipulate the bandgap and their effective magnetic moment, which may help in material fabrication for device applications. To check further the suitability and applicability of Ca 2 CrIrO 6 and Ca 2 FeIrO 6 at higher temperatures, we estimate the Curie temperature (T C) by calculating the spin-exchange coupling. We found that our findings are in a valid T C trend similar to other perovskites. Our findings are expected to be useful in experimental synthesis and transport measurement for potential applications in modern technological devices

A systematic study on material properties of water retted Sterculia and Bauhinia fiber

Lignocellulose biomass forms an important component of traditional and next generation composite materials. To obtain desired properties, the biomass needs to be chemo‒mechanically processed at different levels. The raw lignocellulose fiber obtained from Sterculia villosa (Roxb.) and Bauhinia vahlii is traditionally believed to have high water stability; and therefore used in rural areas of South Asian regions to secure objects submerged under water. In this research, we systematically studied several material properties of raw Sterculia and Bauhinia fiber samples retted for 0, 20, 30 and 55 days (n=8). Water retting resulted in significant decrease in lignin and extractives content (p0.05). Interestingly, water retting resulted in increased thermal stability in both fiber types. These findings suggested that the fiber studied have excellent water stability. The observed trend in mechanical and thermal properties could have resulted from crystallinity change and/or nominal fiber damage as supported by XRD and SEM imaging data; respectively. These findings suggested that Sterculia and Bauhinia fiber biomass could be an important component of biodegradable composite materials which are intended for high wetting and/or humid conditions

The mammalian LINC complex regulates genome transcriptional responses to substrate rigidity

Mechanical integration of the nucleus with the extracellular matrix (ECM) is established by linkage between the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. This integration is hypothesized to mediate sensing of ECM rigidity, but parsing the function of nucleus-cytoskeleton linkage from other mechanisms has remained a central challenge. Here we took advantage of the fact that the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex is a known molecular linker of the nucleus to the cytoskeleton, and asked how it regulates the sensitivity of genome-wide transcription to substratum rigidity. We show that gene mechanosensitivity is preserved after LINC disruption, but reversed in direction. Combined with myosin inhibition studies, we identify genes that depend on nuclear tension for their regulation. We also show that LINC disruption does not attenuate nuclear shape sensitivity to substrate rigidity. Our results show for the first time that the LINC complex facilitates mechano-regulation of expression across the genome

Association analysis of ADPRT1, AKR1B1, RAGE, GFPT2 and PAI-1 gene polymorphisms with chronic renal insufficiency among Asian Indians with type-2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine association of nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADP ribosyltransferase-1 (ADPRT1), aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B1 (AKR1B1), receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase-2 (GFPT2), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) genes with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) among Asian Indians with type 2 diabetes; and to identify epistatic interactionss between genes from the present study and those from renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), and chemokine-cytokine, dopaminergic and oxidative stress pathways (previously investigated using the same sample set).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Type 2 diabetes subjects with CRI (serum creatinine ≥3.0 mg/dl) constituted the cases (n = 196), and ethnicity and age matched individuals with diabetes for a duration of ≥ 10 years, normal renal functions and normoalbuminuria recruited as controls (n = 225). Allelic and genotypic constitution of 10 polymorphisms (SNPs) from five genes namely- <it>ADPRT1</it>, <it>AKR1B1, RAGE, GFPT2 </it>and <it>PAI-1 </it>with diabetic CRI was investigated. The genetic associations were evaluated by computation of odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to correlate various clinical parameters with genotypes, and to study epistatic interactions between SNPs in different genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Single nucleotide polymorphisms -429 T>C in <it>RAGE </it>and rs7725 C>T SNP in 3' UTR in <it>GFPT2 </it>gene showed a trend towards association with diabetic CRI. Investigation using miRBase statistical tool revealed that rs7725 in <it>GFPT2 </it>was a perfect target for predicted miRNA (hsa miR-378) suggesting the presence of the variant 'T' allele may result in an upregulation of GFPT2 contributing to diabetic renal complication. Epistatic interaction between SNPs in transforming growth factor <it>TGF-β1 </it>(investigated using the same sample set and reported elsewhere) and <it>GFPT2 </it>genotype was observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Association of SNPs in <it>RAGE </it>and <it>GFPT2 </it>suggest that the genes involved in modulation of oxidative pathway could be major contributor to diabetic chronic renal insufficiency. In addition, GFPT2 mediated overproduction of TGF-β1 leading to endothelial expansion and thereby CRI seems likely, suggested by our observation of a significant interaction between GFPT2 with TGF-β1 genes. Further, identification of predicted miRNA targets spanning the associated SNP in <it>GFPT2 </it>implicates the rs7725 SNP in transcriptional regulation of the gene, and suggests <it>GFPT2 </it>could be a relevant target for pharmacological intervention. Larger replication studies are needed to confirm these observations.</p