Ascorbate-mediated enhancement of reactive oxygen species generation from polymorphonuclear leukocytes: modulatory effect of nitric oxide

Recent studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that ascorbate potentiated enzymatic synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). NO is known to modulate various function of PMNs such as chemotaxis, adherence, aggregation, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The role of ascorbate in the PMN phagocytosis, ROS generation, and apoptosis was thus evaluated in the present study. Ascorbate and its oxidized and cell-permeable analog, dehydroascorbate (DHA), did not affect the phagocytosis but enhanced ROS generation and apoptosis following treatment with Escherichia coli or arachidonic acid. A detailed investigation on the DHA-mediated response indicated that inhibitors of DHA uptake, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, NO synthase, or ROS scavengers attenuated ROS generation. In DHA-treated cells, enhanced generation of peroxynitrite was also observed; thus, ascorbate-mediated ROS and reactive nitrogen species generation might mediate cytotoxicity toward the ingested microbes and subsequently, augmented PMN apoptosis. Results of the present study have helped in delineating the role of ascorbate in the modulation of NO-mediated ROS generation from PMNs

Single nucleotide polymorphism in the genes of mce1 and mce4 operons of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: analysis of clinical isolates and standard reference strains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The presence of four mammalian cell entry (<it>mce</it>) operons in <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>suggests the essentiality of the functions of the genes in these operons. The differential expression of the four <it>mce </it>operons in different phases of <it>in vitro </it>growth and in infected animals reported earlier from our laboratory further justifies the apparent redundancy for these genes in the genome.</p> <p>Here we investigate the extent of polymorphism in eight genes in the <it>mce1 </it>and <it>mce4 </it>operons of <it>M. tuberculosis </it>from four standard reference strains (H37Rv, H37Ra, LVS (Low Virulent Strain) and BCG) and 112 clinical isolates varying in their drug susceptibility profile, analysed by direct sequencing and Sequenom MassARRAY platform.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We discovered 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the two operons. The comparative analysis of the genes of <it>mce1 </it>and <it>mce4 </it>operons revealed that <it>yrbE1A </it>[<it>Rv0167</it>] was most polymorphic in <it>mce1 </it>operon while <it>yrbE4A </it>[<it>Rv3501c</it>] and <it>lprN </it>[<it>Rv3495c</it>] had the highest number of SNPs in the <it>mce4 </it>operon. Of 20 SNPs, 12 were found to be nonsynonymous and were further analysed for their pathological relevance to <it>M. tuberculosis </it>using web servers PolyPhen and PMut, which predicted five deleterious nonsynonymous SNPs. A mutation from proline to serine at position 359 of the native Mce1A protein was most deleterious as predicted by both PolyPhen and PMut servers. Energy minimization of the structure of native Mce1A protein and mutated protein was performed using InsightII. The mutated Mce1A protein showed structural changes that could account for the effects of this mutation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that SNPs in the coding sequences of <it>mce1 </it>and <it>mce4 </it>operons in clinical isolates can be significantly high. Moreover, <it>mce4 </it>operon is significantly more polymorphic than <it>mce1 </it>operon (p < 0.001). However, the frequency of nonsynonymous substitutions is higher in <it>mce1 </it>operon and synonymous substitutions are more in <it>mce4 </it>operon. <it>In silico </it>modeling predict that nonsynonymous SNP at <it>mce1A </it>[<it>Rv0169</it>], a virulence gene could play a pivotal role in causing functional changes in <it>M. tuberculosis </it>that may reflect upon the biology of the bacteria.</p

Morpho-molecular assessment of Acetabularia jalakanyakae Sp. Nov. (Dasycladales, Chlorophyta) - a new species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Acetabularia (Dasycladales) is an extant genus of a single-celled green alga. There are four species of this genus reported from India, three reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. For this study, Acetabularia isolate was collected from a rocky intertidal habitat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used for the morphological characterization. The distinct traits of caps of the thalli were prioritized because, traditionally, species delimitations in Acetabularia mainly were based on cap morphology. Our isolate showed morphological similarity with Acetabularia crenulata. However, the number of hairs in the inner ring of lobes of caps and the stalk length were observed to be different from A. crenulata and other closely related species. The phylogenetic tree constructed for partial 18S rDNA using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method revealed the evolutionary affinity of this new species with Acetabularia dentata. Based on morphological and molecular synapomorphy, a new species of Acetabularia, Acetabularia jalakanyakae is formally proposed herein, and the further implications of this species discovery are discussed

Morpho-molecular assessment of Acetabularia jalakanyakae Sp. Nov. (Dasycladales, Chlorophyta) - a new species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

701-708Acetabularia (Dasycladales) is an extant genus of a single-celled green alga. There are four species of this genus reported from India, three reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. For this study, Acetabularia isolate was collected from a rocky intertidal habitat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used for the morphological characterization. The distinct traits of caps of the thalli were prioritized because, traditionally, species delimitations in Acetabularia mainly were based on cap morphology. Our isolate showed morphological similarity with Acetabularia crenulata. However, the number of hairs in the inner ring of lobes of caps and the stalk length were observed to be different from A. crenulata and other closely related species. The phylogenetic tree constructed for partial 18S rDNA using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method revealed the evolutionary affinity of this new species with Acetabularia dentata. Based on morphological and molecular synapomorphy, a new species of Acetabularia, Acetabularia jalakanyakae is formally proposed herein, and the further implications of this species discovery are discussed

Strong impact of TGF-&#946;1 gene polymorphisms on breast cancer risk in Indian women: a case-control and population-based study

Introduction: TGF-&#946;1 is a multi-functional cytokine that plays an important role in breast carcinogenesis. Critical role of TGF-&#946;1 signaling in breast cancer progression is well documented. Some TGF-&#946;1 polymorphisms influence its expression; however, their impact on breast cancer risk is not clear. Methods: We analyzed 1222 samples in a candidate gene-based genetic association study on two distantly located and ethnically divergent case-control groups of Indian women, followed by a population-based genetic epidemiology study analyzing these polymorphisms in other Indian populations. The c.29C&#62;T (Pro10Leu, rs1982073 or rs1800470) and c.74G&#62;C (Arg25Pro, rs1800471) polymorphisms in the TGF-&#946;1 gene were analyzed using direct DNA sequencing, and peripheral level of TGF-&#946;1 were measured by ELISA. Results: c.29C&#62;T substitution increased breast cancer risk, irrespective of ethnicity and menopausal status. On the other hand, c.74G&#62;C substitution reduced breast cancer risk significantly in the north Indian group (p  =  0.0005) and only in the pre-menopausal women. The protective effect of c.74G&#62;C polymorphism may be ethnicity-specific, as no association was seen in south Indian group. The polymorphic status of c.29C&#62;T was comparable among Indo-Europeans, Dravidians and Tibeto-Burmans. Interestingly, we found that Tibeto-Burmans lack polymorphism at c.74G&#62;C locus as true for the Chinese populations. However, the Brahmins of Nepal (Indo-Europeans) showed polymorphism in 2.08% of alleles. Mean TGF-&#946;1 was significantly elevated in patients in comparison to controls (p&#60;0.001). Conclusion: c.29C&#62;T and c.74G&#62;C polymorphisms in the TGF-&#946;1 gene significantly affect breast cancer risk, which correlates with elevated TGF-&#946;1 level in the patients. The c.29C&#62;T locus is polymorphic across ethnically different populations, but c.74G&#62;C locus is monomorphic in Tibeto-Burmans and polymorphic in other Indian populations

Search for new physics in high-mass diphoton events from proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Results are presented from a search for new physics in high-mass diphoton events from proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV. The data set was collected in 2016–2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1 . Events with a diphoton invariant mass greater than 500 GeV are considered. Two diferent techniques are used to predict the standard model backgrounds: parametric fts to the smoothly-falling background and a frst-principles calculation of the standard model diphoton spectrum at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations. The frst technique is sensitive to resonant excesses while the second technique can identify broad diferences in the invariant mass shape. The data are used to constrain the production of heavy Higgs bosons, Randall-Sundrum gravitons, the large extra dimensions model of Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali (ADD), and the continuum clockwork mechanism. No statistically signifcant excess is observed. The present results are the strongest limits to date on ADD extra dimensions and RS gravitons with a coupling parameter greater than 0.1

Contribution and Citation Impact of Panjab University in Mathematics Research during 2005-14

This paper analyzes 230 research publications of the Panjab University in mathematics during ten years (2005-14), as covered in Scopus International database. The study quantifies publication data in various aspects of performance, such as the publication growth, research impact and quality, national and international collaboration, contribution and impact of authors, major areas of research, preferred channels of research communications and characteristics of higher cited papers. The findings reveal that Panjab University total publications in mathematics has increased at an annual average growth rate of 17.15% and registered an average citation impact per paper of 2.92 and impact factor per paper of 0.89 during 2005-14. Of its total publications (230), 43.91% publications of Panjab University did not get any citations as against 56.09% getting 1 or more citations. 35.96% and 13.91% of the Panjab University publications in mathematics were involved in national and international collaboration during 2005-14. Among its performance in top 15 Indian universities, Panjab University registered 6th rank in share of national collaborative papers, 10th rank in publication output and 12th rank in average citation per paper, h-index, share of international collaborative papers and share of high cited papers during 2005-14. The major areas of research by Panjab University were algebra (with 28.7% publication share), followed by numerical analysis (20.9%), statistics & probability (19.1%), application of mathematics in different subjects (14.3%), number theory (7.39%), operations research (1.74%) and others (7.83%) during 2005-14. The top 20 authors of Panjab University in mathematics together contributed 95.65% and 96.72% share to the total publications and citations during 2005-14. Of the 87 journals contributing to Panjab University mathematics research output, the top 25 journals together accounted for 61.74% share of the Panjab University output in mathematics during 2005-14.The top 15 comparatively higher cited papers received (11 and 29 citations) and together got 275 citations, with average citation per paper of 18.33

RAPD analysis in mungbean [<i style="">Vigna radiata</i> (L.) Wilczek]: I. Assessment of genetic diversity

137-146Genetic diversity was estimated among 39 genotypes of mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] using 30 RAPD primers. A total of 411 RAPD amplicons were obtained, of which 382 (92.9%) were polymorphic. The per cent polymorphism ranged from 42.85 to 100 per cent. A wide range (40.8 to 90.3%) of Jaccards similarity coefficient was observed between the pairs of genotypes; the highest being observed between MH-98-1 and Vs ML-839, and the lowest between UPM-98 and Vs ML-131. The genotypes with a common ancestry and/or used repeatedly in mungbean improvement programme exhibited higher genotypic similarity. The extent of diversity among cultivars was also studied in relation to their source, and set of genotypes with narrow genetic base developed from particular place were identified. The genotypes formed 11 clusters, three main groups and eight minor groups, based on unweighted pair group methods for arithmetic mean (UPGMA). The cultivar ML-131 occupied a unique position and was most diverse from rest of the genotypes. Principal coordinate analysis and normalized Mantel statistics (r=0.92) supported cluster analysis. A concordance was observed between the position of genotypes in the cluster and their pedigree information

Environmental Constrained Optimal Hybrid Energy Storage System Planning for an Indian Distribution Network

In recent days, aiming for power generation with less carbon emission, led to the high penetration of renewable energy into the distribution grid. To improve the intermittency caused by renewables and to increase the grid flexibility, grid integrated Energy Storage Units (ESUs) are proposed as the promising solution in the literature. However, considering the investment cost, ESUs are optimally placed by satisfying the network electrical constraints. On the other hand, consideration of environmental impacts and other practical constraints are also equally important. Therefore, in this article, on top of grid performance parameters, realistic parameters that may affect the location and its size such as (1) environmental impact, (2) land requirement &amp; its associated cost for ESU installation and (3) renewable purchase obligation are formulated in the objective function. Decision making on ESU installation is a planning activity, which follows uncertainty. Consequently, it is essential to model the uncertainty parameters into the objective function, for better planning. In this article, optimal planning of hybrid ESUs based on realistic parameters along with uncertainty is addressed. For this study, a practical 156-bus distribution system of Dehradun district, India is considered. From the results obtained, it is evident that, formulating hybrid ESU constrained with the environmental impact has significantly decreased the emission of CO2 with maximum grid stability

RAPD analysis in mungbean [<i style="">Vigna radiata</i> (L.) Wilczek.] II: A comparison of efficiency parameters of RAPD primers

276-282 The study was undertaken to identify the efficient RAPD primers that could differentiate a set of 39 mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] genotypes. Various efficiency parameters, namely, discriminatory power (D), discriminatory power with infinite sample size (DL), diversity index (DI), resolving power (Rp) and marker index (MI) were studied for 30 primers. The relationship between the parameters was studied using Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The parameters D and DL were the most efficient, followed by Rp, MI and DI. DI was not a good parameter in those cases where a set of primers with intermediate range of variation in their efficiency were used. None of the 30 primers alone could differentiate all 39 mungbean genotypes. However, a methodology could be designed to find the primer/primers combination to differentiate all 39 genotypes. The primers S-1 and S-2 were more efficient with iso-frequency distribution of most of their banding patterns and a combination of any one of the primers with S-1 or S-2 could identify all the genotypes. The study showed how to select the minimum number of efficient primers aimed to distinguish all genotypes cost-effectively. </smarttagtype