Epigenetic alterations—The silent indicator for early aging and age‐associated health‐risks

Abstract Aging is the process of gradual physiological deterioration till death and this process perpetually reduce the functionality of an individual. To address the rationale and provide geriatric care, the constant target of geroscience is to identify reliable biomarkers for aging. Over the past decades, diversified advancements in epigenetic studies crescively support the fact that the accumulation of epigenetic changes accompanies the process of aging. A growing number of studies have suggested that alterations occur through three fundamental mechanisms like methylation of DNA, histone protein modification, and production of non‐coding microRNAs. Each of these changes occurs silently and provokes alterations in the circumstantial expression of genetic material without altering the underlying gene sequences. The changes in gene expression due to epigenetic alterations are suggested to be the cause of early aging and the onset of age‐related health risks. This review would attempt to give an integrated overview of epigenetic changes related to aging and age‐associated health risks. This review also discussed epigenomes influencing early aging and factors modulating it. Since epigenetic changes are reversible, early identification of epigenetic markers can be a hope for future geriatric medicine. Finally, this review emphasizes the identification of blood‐based epigenetic biomarkers in order to enlighten the future scope for therapeutic intervention to slow down the aging process

Comparison of Physiological and Biochemical Autonomic Indices in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background and objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neuro-developmental disorder and it has been suggested that symptoms of ASD are associated with neural networks that regulate the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). However, the nature of autonomic atypicalities in ASDs remain largely unknown. Measures like Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and urinary Vanillylmandelic Acid (VMA) estimation are sensitive and non-invasive physiological and biochemical indicators of autonomic nervous activity. This study aimed to compare the physiological and biochemical autonomic indices in children with and without ASD. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 40 children with autism and 40 Typically Developing (TD) children were recruited. Measures of physiological autonomic index were assessed by the analysis of short term HRV, and the urinary levels of VMA estimation was used as a biochemical autonomic index. Results: Cardiac sympathetic activity assessed by Low Frequency (nu) of HRV was significantly higher in the ASD group in comparison with the TD group (p = 0.006). On the contrary, both the High Frequency (abs) and (nu) of HRV were found to be significantly lower in autistic children (p = 0.034 and p = 0.000) than controls. Autistic children also exhibited a significantly higher level (p = 0.049) of VMA concentration compared to TD children. Conclusion: The study concludes that children with ASD exhibit lower cardio-vagal activity as measured by HRV and increased sympathetic activity as assessed by urinary VMA compared to that of TD children. The core autistic symptoms exhibited by children with ASD could be due to the differences in baseline arousal or stress which might be associated with autonomic dysfunction. Further studies are needed to examine the association of this autonomic dysregulation with ASD symptoms and comorbidities

Prophylactic and therapeutic potential of tender coconut water intervention on antioxidant status in electron beam irradiated Swiss albino mice

656-661Ionizing radiation induces oxidative stress due to free radicals production. The in vitro study has shown that tender coconut water (TCW) of West Coast tall variety exhibits potent antioxidant property. Here, we attempted to evaluate the potency of TCW in reducing radiation induced oxidative stress in the mice model. The LD50/30 dose of electron beam radiation (EBR) for Swiss albino mice was assessed and was found to be 9.33Gy. Therefore, a sublethal dose of 6Gy was selected for further intervention studies to assess the levels of antioxidants. To evaluate the effective dose, the mice were irradiated with a lethal dose of 10Gy with the oral intervention of 50, 100 and 200 µL of TCW/20 g body wt. of mice. Findings of the study suggest that 100 µL/20 g body wt. was found to be effective in decreasing the mortality of irradiated mice. Further, intervention with TCW significantly increased the antioxidant levels compared to that of radiation control group. The results suggest that TCW exhibits radioprotective activity by potentiating the antioxidant levels in mice exposed to a sublethal dose of whole body EBR