The role of free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin in high-grade serous cancer

The beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG-β) is elevated in a range of cancers, including high-grade serous cancer (HGSC), and has been associated with poor response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Women with HGSC frequently respond to first-line treatment with the platinum-based chemotherapeutic drug carboplatin, but relapse due to chemoresistance. This study aimed to characterise expression of hCG-β in HGSC cell lines and to determine whether hCG-β has a role in the responsiveness of these cells to platinum-drugs. qRT-PCR and ELISA were used to determine endogenous levels of hCG-β in seven HGSC cell lines. hCG-β was down-regulated in HEY and A2780cis (cisplatin resistant) cells and their sensitivity to cisplatin determined. The proteomic technique iTRAQ was used to determine the mechanism(s) by which hCGβ might be involved in cisplatin sensitivity. It was found that all cell lines expressed hCG-β at various levels. Further, downregulation of hCG-β in HEY and A2780cis cells increased their sensitivity to cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin. iTRAQ results showed differences in proteins associated with the cell cycle, cell death and survival, as well as DNA replication, damage and repair pathways. These findings suggest that hCG-β might have a role in modulating the sensitivity of some HGSCs to platinum-based chemotherapeutics

Isolation and Characterization of Dye Decolorizing Bacteria from The Textile Dye Effluents

The most significant challenge confronted by the textile industries is the discharge of dye effluents which contains toxic chemicals posing a considerable threat to environmental pollution. Biological method of treating effluents using bacteria is one of the renewed and accepted method in effluent treatment. The present study aims to isolate and characterise the dye decolorizing bacteria from the effluent samples of a dye industry from Chinnalapatti, Tamilnadu. The dye effluents were collected from the effluent plant of a leading dye industry and the Physiochemical parameters were analysed.  The samples were plated in a Nutrient Agar and bacterial isolation were performed according to the standard microbiological procedures. The bacterial isolates identified by biochemical identification were tested for its efficiency to decolorize Methyl red and crystal violet dyes. Among the three isolates S1showed 98% decolorizing efficiency in reducing Methyl red dye and 92% efficiency in decolorizing crystal violet dye. Sample S2 showed 85% activity in decolorizing methyl red dye and 86% activity in decolorising Crystal violet dye. S3 showed a low decolorizing activity compared to S1 and S2. Both of these phenotypically identified isolates are subjected to molecular identification by 16s gene amplification and gene sequencing. The obtained FASTA sequence were analysed for the phylogenetic relationship and submitted to NCBI. The potential isolate that has the capacity to decolorise the dyes were identified as Bacillus Tropicus and Pseudomonas mosselli. This study proves that these bacterial strains can be used as a potential bioremediation agent in decolorizing the dye effluents

Maternal and Fetal Outcome in Teenage Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: WHO defines teenage pregnancy as any pregnancy from a woman who is 10 to 19 years aged, age being defined as her age at the time of delivery. Teenage pregnancy is a crucial ill health in both developed and developing country, because it may be a ‘high risk’ pregnancy associated with various adverse maternal and fetal outcomes which ends up in increased mortality and morbidity of the mother and therefore the child. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1. To estimate proportion of teenage pregnancies, to analyse the health problems in teenage mothers during pregnancy, labour and puerperium, to study fetal outcome in teenage pregnancy and to look up for complication in teenage pregnancy. 2. To determine the methods to reduce the number of teenage pregnancy and to find out methods to improve adolescent reproductive and sexual health. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study of teenage pregnancy was carried out at Govt Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital, Salem during the period JANUARY 2019 - JANUARY 2020. Pregnant women admitted in labour ward were taken for study. 100 cases of teenage women upto 19 yrs Cases were selected randomly and randomisation was attained by randomly .A structured proforma was used to collect information. The cases were followed till they got discharged. Information regarding age, educational status, occupation, marital status, age at marriage, health awareness, knowledge about pregnancy and delivery, antenatal visits were obtained from history. Basic checkup like Height and Weight of the patient, Haemoglobin and B.P checkup were done. Complications during antenatal period, delivery and postpartum were observed. Details regarding mode of delivery and birth weight of the baby were noted. Baby details noted and babies admitted in neonatal ward followed up till they were discharged. Patients and their babies were followed up at O.P. 1month later and any untoward events in the intervening period noted down. RESULTS: The incidence of teenage pregnancy during the study period was 9.6%. 2/3 of pregnant teenagers were 19 yr olds, and almost the rest belonged to the 18 yrs category. Only 2.33% belonged to the 15 -17 yrs category. Women in the study group had a mean age at marriage of about 17.08 yrs whereas women in the study group had a mean age of marriage of about 21.52 yrs. 1.33% of the study group were unmarried whereas all were married in the control group. The unmarried women were illiterate and lacked basic knowledge about pregnancy. Ignorance about safe sex and casual relationship had led to this situation in them. 17% of the study group were illiterate. About ½ of the study group have stopped attending school after primary level of education. None of the women in the study group have attended college. Most of the women in both the groups were not working and were solely dependent on their husbands for their living. About 9.66% of the study group belonged to the working category which made them financially independent. Only 1/6 of the study group had awareness about pregnancy and its complications 14% of the women in the study group were unbooked i.e. they didn’t have adequate antenatal checkup. Almost all patients have had 2 doses of TD in both the study and control group except one patient in the study group who was an unmarried teenager 12% of women in the study group booked in the I trimester 14% of the women in the study group had their first visit during III trimester after they had developed complications. Height of most of the women ranged between 146 - 150 cm, the average height in Indian women. 8% of women in the study group were short statured i.e. <145 cm. Mean Hb in study group was 9.58% which belongs to moderate anemia category according to ICMR classification of anemia. Pregnancy induced HT was prevalent in both the groups because they were primigravidae. Incidence of severe PIH was 3.66% in the study. There was 1 case of abruptio placenta in the study group.10.66% of the study group had cephalopelvic disproportion. All complications occurring postpartum such as local sepsis, mastitis and UTI were increased in the study group. There was not much difference in the mode of delivery between the 2 groups. Labour naturale was 58.66% in the study group. About 38.66% of babies born to mothers in the study group were low birth weight (<2.5kg). About 1/3 of babies born to mothers in the study group required NICU admission Leading causes of admission in NICU were respiratory distress and LBW preterm babies. 16.33% of babies born to mothers in the study group had respiratory distress CONCLUSION: The main reason behind this is low standards of education and lack of knowledge about pregnancy and its related problems. Present study recommends that in order to improve the teenage health periodic information, education, activities, ANC camps to be held in all areas. Public awareness to be created regarding health of teenage girls and right of education to girls. Law against early marriage i.e. less than 18 years, need to be implemented strictly which will reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, in turn obstetric complications, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality

Covid 19 Pandemic: Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes in Biomedical Waste Management among Health Care Professionals in Tamil Nadu

Coronavirus, which was started provincially at Wuhan of China, has become a worldwide pandemic by affecting individuals of almost all the world. The developing pandemic of COVID-19 disease requires social distancing and individual cleanliness measures to secure general wellbeing. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practice and awareness of biomedical waste management in this pandemic situation among healthcare workers and medical students across Tamil Nadu. A cross sectional questionnaire survey was prepared to evaluate the knowledge regarding waste management and waste handling techniques. The survey found that most of the hospitals (50%) are using plastic containers for waste collection. Almost 79.7% of the respondents said they follow colour coding while disposing waste. When asked about exact category only few gave correct answers. Nearly 72.8% answered that they collect the Covid patient’s wastes separately. As coronavirus is a contagious disease, each healthcare worker should be trained in safe handling of wastes. From this survey, it is clear that training about safe handling of waste is needed among workers. This survey will help government and healthcare providers to handle this Covid pandemic successfully and more effectively

Cell attachment to peptide modified glass surfaces.

Cell attachment is vital for the integration of biomaterials in the body. Surface modification using cell adhesive peptides, such as Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic (RGD), has showed promise for enhancing cell adhesion. Cell adhesion on glass and polyethylene glycol (PEGylated) surfaces modified with active RGD and Proline-Histidine-Serine-Arginine-Asparagine (PHSRN) peptides as well as inactive RDG and HRPSN control peptides was investigated in serum free conditions using three cell lines; NIH3T3 fibroblasts, MC3T3 pre-osteoblasts and C2C12 pre-myoblasts.Peptide attachment to glass surfaces was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Cell attachment and spreading was equivalent on all peptide and fibronectin coated glass surfaces and was significantly higher than on unmodified glass after 3 hours. Cell attachment to the peptide modified glass wasreduced in the presence of soluble RGD and RDG peptides, indicating that cell attachment to these surfaces may be integrin mediated, but not specific for RGD.Inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide revealed that endogenous protein synthesis did not influence the specificity of cell attachment to the peptide modified glass surfaces in all cell types within a 3 hour period. However, cycloheximide treatment inhibited cell spreading on the peptide modified glass surfaces, suggestingthat proteins synthesis was required for spreading. Long term adhesion studies, within a24 hour period, showed that all cell lines were able to remain attached to the peptide modified glass surfaces, while C2C12 and MC3T3 cells were also able to form focal adhesions during this period. Cell attachment to peptide modified PEGylated surfaces over a 3 hour period showed that NIH3T3 and C2C12 cells experienced significantly higher levels of cell attachment on the RGD modified surface compared to the otherpeptides. MC3T3 cells attached to all the peptide modified PEGylated surfaces to the same extent, suggesting that cell attachment to peptide modified PEGlyated surfaces, can be cell type dependent.In conclusion all the peptides were able to promote cell adhesion on glass surfaces in the absence of a PEG linker. In the presence of a PEG linker cellular response to the peptide surfaces was both peptide and cell type dependent

Long non-coding RNA, a supreme post-transcriptional immune regulator of bacterial or virus-driven immune evolution in teleost

The global aquaculture boom, fuelled by a reduction in wild population and detection of novel viruses, has created a demanding market, hence, there is a pressing need to investigate the immune system of fish, further. As the most diverse community of vertebrates and a central contributor to the progressing global aquaculture market, teleost continues to draw vast scientific interest. Recent breakthroughs in multi-omics technologies have provided a platform to understand the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in the host immune system during infection. Emerging evidence shows that teleost lncRNA might have a regulatory role in immune responses, mostly through lncRNA–microRNA (miRNA) sponging. Teleost lncRNA shares a functionally active short sequence complement to target the miRNA which is conserved among the several fish species. Recent report suggests that rhabdovirus exploits a lncRNA in teleost and, to dodge the host immune mechanism and negatively regulate the immune system. This observation reveals the essentiality of lncRNA in pathogen-driven immunity in teleost. Reports available on the function of teleost lncRNA are still in early stages and experimental verifications are a limiting factor. Unravelling the lncRNA-mediated immune regulation in fishes could be used against the invading pathogens to strengthen the aquaculture production. This review elaborates on the experimentally identified and functionally characterized lncRNA and its regulatory role in the teleost immune response during infection and pathogen-driven host immune evolution, which could eventually lead to achieving high standards in aquaculture productivity

Quorum sensing signals: aquaculture risk factor

Bacteria produce several virulence factors and cause massive mortality in fish and crustaceans. Abundant quorum sensing (QS) signals and high cell density are essentially required for the production of such virulence factors. Although several strategies have been developed to control aquatic pathogens through antibiotics and QS inhibition, the impact of pre-existing QS signals in the aquatic environment has been overlooked. QS signals cause detrimental effects on mammalian cells and induce cell death by interfering with multiple cellular pathways. Moreover, QS signals not only function as a messenger, but also annihilate the functions of the host immune system which implies that QS signals should be designated as a major virulence factor. Despite QS signals' role has been well documented in mammalian cells, their impact on aquatic organisms is still at the budding stage. However, many aquatic organisms produce enzymes that degrade and detoxify such QS signals. In addition, physical and chemical factors also determine the stability of the QS signals in the aqueous environment. The balance between QS signals and existing QS signals degrading factors essentially determines the disease progression in aquatic organisms. In this review, we highlight the impact of QS signals on aquatic organisms and further discussed potential alternative strategies to control disease progression

Expanding germ-organ theory: Understanding non-communicable diseases through enterobacterial translocation

Diverse microbial communities colonize different habitats of the human body, including gut, oral cavity, nasal cavity and tissues. These microbial communities are known as human microbiome, plays a vital role in maintaining the health. However, changes in the composition and functions of human microbiome can result in chronic low-grade inflammation, which can damage the epithelial cells and allows pathogens and their toxic metabolites to translocate into other organs such as the liver, heart, and kidneys, causing metabolic inflammation. This dysbiosis of human microbiome has been directly linked to the onset of several non-communicable diseases. Recent metabolomics studies have revealed that pathogens produce several uraemic toxins. These metabolites can serve as inter-kingdom signals, entering the circulatory system and altering host metabolism, thereby aggravating a variety of diseases. Interestingly, Enterobacteriaceae, a critical member of Proteobacteria, has been commonly associated with several non-communicable diseases, and the abundance of this family has been positively correlated with uraemic toxin production. Hence, this review provides a comprehensive overview of Enterobacterial translocation and their metabolites role in non-communicable diseases. This understanding may lead to the identification of novel biomarkers for each metabolic disease as well as the development of novel therapeutic drugs

Impact of spray flux density and vacuum annealing on the transparent conducting properties of doubly doped (Sn plus F) zinc oxide films deposited using a simplified spray technique

In this investigation transparent conducting properties of as-deposited and annealed ZnO:Sn:F films deposited using different spray flux density by changing the solvent volume (10 mL, 20 mL ... 50 mL) of the starting solutions have been studied and reported. The structural analyses of the films indicate that all the films have hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO with preferential orientation along (002) plane irrespective of the solvent volume and annealing treatment whereas, the overall crystalline quality of the films is found to be enhanced with the increase in solvent volume as well as with annealing. This observed enhancement is strongly supported by the optical and surface morphological results. From the measurements of electrical parameters, it is seen that, the annealed films exhibit better electrical properties compared to the as-deposited ones. Annealing has caused agglomeration of grains as confirmed by the surface morphological studies. Also, the annealing process has led to an improvement in the optical transparency as well as band gap. It is found from the analyses of the characteristics of the as- deposited and annealed films that the annealed film deposited from starting solution having solvent volume of 50 mL is optimal in all respects, as it possesses all the desirable characteristics including the quality factor (1.60 x 10(-4) (Omega/sq.)(-1)). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved