MicroRNAs as Next Generation Therapeutics in Osteoporosis

Bone is an active tissue that works as a tissue and an organ as well. It is constituted of cells and blood vessels by nearly 10% of its volume, while the rest 90% is majorly contributed by extracellular portion. Bone is a living structure stably undertaking continual remodeling between bone formation and bone resorption, where bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) and bone-resorbing cells (osteoclasts) exhibit a crucial role. The differentiation process of osteoblasts and osteoclasts takes place in a balanced manner under normal conditions. This intricate balance is chiefly sustained by biochemical signaling cascades, facilitating accurate bone homeostasis in the body. Loss of balance/misregulated signaling in the bone development or disruption may lead to pathological conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, etc. Among several regulators for bone-signaling pathways, microRNAs have appeared as an imperative control of gene expression at the level of post-transcription while addressing the genes that control bone remodeling with appropriate responses in the pathogenesis and perhaps the management of bone diseases. Further, microRNAs control the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which finally influence the bone formation. Hence, there is a great possibility in exploiting microRNAs as putative therapeutic targets for the medical relief of bone associated disorders, including osteoporosis

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Not AvailableThe study was aimed to assess vitamin A bioavailability and allergenicity of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) based weaning food (PMWF) fortified with iron and retinyl acetate in male Wistar albino rats. Animals (n = 64) were divided into Normal (NG) and Anemic (AG) groups; further sub-divided into 4 sub-groups having 8 animals each receiving synthetic diet, commercial diet, iron fortified PMWF diet and iron (150.00 ± 0.73 ppm) plus retinyl acetate (393.00 ± 3.07 μg/100 g) fortified PMWF diet (Final diet). Results revealed that anemic sub-groups showed apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) in the range of 69.5 ± 0.40–93.2 ± 0.79%, which was significantly (P 0.05) difference was observed between the groups and/or subgroups, suggesting no allergic response of final diet. Stimulation index triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ranged from 1.22 ± 0.06 to 1.45 ± 0.09 μg ml1 in normal sub-groups and 1.16 ± 0.02 to 1.33 ± 0.03 μg ml1 in anemic sub-groups with no significant (P > 0.05) difference among them. Overall, it can be concluded that retinyl acetate could be an effective fortificant to improve the status of vitamin A in anemic models.Not Availabl

Strain-mediated ferromagnetism and low-field magnetic reversal in Co doped monolayer WS2

Strain-mediated magnetism in 2D materials and dilute magnetic semiconductors hold multifunctional applications for future nano-electronics. Herein, First principles calculations are employed to study the influence of biaxial strain on the magnetic properties of Co-doped monolayer WS2. The non-magnetic WS2 shows ferromagnetic signature upon Co doping due to spin polarization, which is further improved at low compressive (-2 %) and tensile (+2 %) strains. From the PDOS and spin density analysis, the opposite magnetic ordering is found to be favourable under the application of compressive and tensile strains. The double exchange interaction and p-d hybridization mechanisms make Co-doped WS2 a potential host for magnetism. More importantly, the competition between exchange and crystal field splittings, i.e. (Delta(ex) > Delta(cfs)), of the Co-atom play pivotal roles in deciding the values of the magnetic moments under applied strain. Micromagnetic simulation reveals, the ferromagnetic behavior calculated from DFT exhibits low-field magnetic reversal (190 Oe). Moreover, the spins of Co-doped WS2 are slightly tilted from the easy axis orientations showing slanted ferromagnetic hysteresis loop. The ferromagnetic nature of Co-doped WS2 suppresses beyond +/- 2 strain, which is reflected in terms of decrease in the coercivity in the micromagnetic simulation. The understanding of low-field magnetic reversal and spin orientations in Co-doped WS2 may pave the way for next-generation spintronics and straintronics applications