Green tea polyphenols in cardiometabolic health: A critical appraisal on phytogenomics towards personalized green tea

Cardiovascular disease is a chronic multifactorial health complication that is either directly or indirectly associated with pathophysiological mechanisms, including pro-oxidation, pro-inflammation, vascular and endothelial dysfunction, impaired platelet function, thrombosis, and others. The therapeutic options to circumvent cardiovascular complications include several phytomedicines, including green tea polyphenols. However, while many experimental and clinical studies report distinct mechanisms by which the polyphenols of green tea elicit a beneficial role in cardiometabolic health, the translation and applications of green tea polyphenols in clinics have yet to gain their optimal use on the broader population. This review critically appraises the various reported mechanisms of green tea polyphenols in modulating cardio-metabolic health and associated phyto-genomic challenges. Further, our review highlights the probability of gene polymorphic associated therapeutic variations in individuals using green tea for cardio-metabolic effects and the necessity to personalize green tea for clinical use, thereby improvising the risk-benefit ratio

Establishment of endomycorrhizal fungi on micropropagated teak (Tectona grandis L.f.)

No abstract available

Bioactive compounds of plum mango (Bouea macrophylla Griffith)

The fruit of Bouea macrophylla referred as Plum mango or Gandaria is a popular seasonal fruit, which is widely consumed in the Malay subcontinent. There is ample of traditional knowledge available among the locals on the use of leaves, bark, fruits and seeds of this plant. However, very limited research information and scientific report is available on their composition, phytochemicals or on the bioactive compounds. In the present chapter, we have aimed towards comprehensively providing information on nutritional value, functional qualities, health promoting bioactive compounds and volatile constituents of this underutilized fruit

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Nepal: a systematic review and meta-analysis from 2000 to 2014

Background: Understanding the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Nepal can help in planning for health services and recognising risk factors. This review aims to systematically identify and collate studies describing the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, to summarise the findings, and to explore selected factors that may influence prevalence estimates. Design: This systematic review was conducted in adherence to the MOOSE Guidelines for Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLINE) database from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2014 was searched for the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Nepalese populations with a combination of search terms. We exploded the search terms to include all possible synonyms and spellings obtained in the search strategy. Additionally, we performed a manual search for other articles and references of published articles. Results: We found 65 articles; ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analyses. These ten studies comprised a total of 30,218 subjects. The sample size ranged from 489 to 14,009. All the studies used participants older than age 15, of whom 41.5% were male and 58.5% female. All the studies were cross-sectional and two were hospital-based. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes ranged from a minimum of 1.4% to a maximum of 19.0% and pooled prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 8.4% (95% CI: 6.2 10.5%). Prevalence of type 2 diabetes in urban and rural populations was 8.1% (95% CI: 7.3 8.9%) and 1.0% (95% CI: 0.7 1.3%), respectively. Conclusions: This is, to our knowledge, the first study to systematically evaluate the literature of prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Nepal. Results showed that type 2 diabetes is currently a high-burden disease in Nepal, suggesting a possible area to deliberately expand preventive interventions as well as efforts to control the disease

The systemic lupus erythematosus IRF5 risk haplotype is associated with systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a fibrotic autoimmune disease in which the genetic component plays an important role. One of the strongest SSc association signals outside the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region corresponds to interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a major regulator of the type I IFN pathway. In this study we aimed to evaluate whether three different haplotypic blocks within this locus, which have been shown to alter the protein function influencing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility, are involved in SSc susceptibility and clinical phenotypes. For that purpose, we genotyped one representative single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of each block (rs10488631, rs2004640, and rs4728142) in a total of 3,361 SSc patients and 4,012 unaffected controls of Caucasian origin from Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and United Kingdom. A meta-analysis of the allele frequencies was performed to analyse the overall effect of these IRF5 genetic variants on SSc. Allelic combination and dependency tests were also carried out. The three SNPs showed strong associations with the global disease (rs4728142: P = 1.34×10<sup>−8</sup>, OR = 1.22, CI 95% = 1.14–1.30; rs2004640: P = 4.60×10<sup>−7</sup>, OR = 0.84, CI 95% = 0.78–0.90; rs10488631: P = 7.53×10<sup>−20</sup>, OR = 1.63, CI 95% = 1.47–1.81). However, the association of rs2004640 with SSc was not independent of rs4728142 (conditioned P = 0.598). The haplotype containing the risk alleles (rs4728142*A-rs2004640*T-rs10488631*C: P = 9.04×10<sup>−22</sup>, OR = 1.75, CI 95% = 1.56–1.97) better explained the observed association (likelihood P-value = 1.48×10<sup>−4</sup>), suggesting an additive effect of the three haplotypic blocks. No statistical significance was observed in the comparisons amongst SSc patients with and without the main clinical characteristics. Our data clearly indicate that the SLE risk haplotype also influences SSc predisposition, and that this association is not sub-phenotype-specific

A community-based health education programme for bio-environmental control of malaria through folk theatre (Kalajatha) in rural India

BACKGROUND: Health education is an important component in disease control programme. Kalajatha is a popular, traditional art form of folk theatre depicting various life processes of a local socio-cultural setting. It is an effective medium of mass communication in the Indian sub-continent especially in rural areas. Using this medium, an operational feasibility health education programme was carried out for malaria control. METHODS: In December 2001, the Kalajatha events were performed in the evening hours for two weeks in a malaria-affected district in Karnataka State, south India. Thirty local artists including ten governmental and non-governmental organizations actively participated. Impact of this programme was assessed after two months on exposed vs. non-exposed respondents. RESULTS: The exposed respondents had significant increase in knowledge and change in attitude about malaria and its control strategies, especially on bio-environmental measures (p < 0.001). They could easily associate clean water with anopheline breeding and the role of larvivorous fish in malaria control. In 2002, the local community actively co-operated and participated in releasing larvivorous fish, which subsequently resulted in a noteworthy reduction of malaria cases. Immediate behavioural changes, especially maintenance of general sanitation and hygiene did not improve as much as expected. CONCLUSION: This study was carried out under the primary health care system involving the local community and various potential partners. Kalajatha conveyed the important messages on malaria control and prevention to the rural community. Similar methods of communication in the health education programme should be intensified with suitable modifications to reach all sectors, if malaria needs to be controlled

Factors associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccination acceptance among university students from India during the post-pandemic phase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There was a low adherence to influenza A (H1N1) vaccination program among university students and health care workers during the pandemic influenza in many parts of the world. Vaccination of high risk individuals is one of the recommendations of World Health Organization during the post-pandemic period. It is not documented about the student's knowledge, attitude and willingness to accept H1N1 vaccination during the post-pandemic period. We aimed to analyze the student's knowledge, attitude and willingness to accept H1N1 vaccination during the post-pandemic period in India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Vaccine against H1N1 was made available to the students of Vellore Institute of Technology, India from September 2010. The data are based on a cross-sectional study conducted during October 2010 to January 2011 using a self-administered questionnaire with a representative sample of the student population (N = 802).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 802 respondents, only 102/802 (12.7%) had been vaccinated and 105/802 (13%) planned to do so in the future, while 595/802 (74%) would probably or definitely not get vaccinated in the future. The highest coverage was among the female (65/102, 63.7%) and non-compliance was higher among men in the group (384/595; 64.5%) (p < 0.0001). The representation of students from school of Bio-sciences and Bio-technology among vaccinees is significantly higher than that of other schools. Majority of the study population from the three groups perceived vaccine against H1N1 as the effective preventive measure when compared to other preventive measures. 250/595 (42%) of the responders argued of not being in the risk group. The risk perception was significantly higher among female (p < 0.0001). With in the study group, 453/802 (56.4%) said that they got the information, mostly from media.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study shows that the vaccination coverage among university students remains very low in the post-pandemic period and doubts about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine are key elements in their rejection. Our results indicate a need to provide accessible information about the vaccine safety by scientific authorities and fill gaps and confusions in this regard.</p

Caretaker Brca1: keeping the genome in the straight and narrow

Inheritance of germline BRCA1 mutations is associated with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancers. A multitude of cellular functions has been ascribed to BRCA1, including transcription activation and various aspects of DNA repair. So far, indirect evidence has indicated a role for BRCA1 in the repair of double-strand breaks. Recently, an elegant gene targeting design was used to provide definitive evidence that BRCA1 promotes homologous recombination and limits nonhomologous mutagenic repair processes. This reaffirms the role of BRCA1 as caretaker in preserving genomic integrity