Paraoxanase 1 Regulation of Cardiac Inflammation and Fibrosis in a Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

Please view the PDF To see the formatted meeting abstract

Practices of face mask use and associated factors during COVID-19 pandemic among school-going children in Shimla city

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the practices of face mask use and associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic among school-going children in Shimla city.Methods: An observational study was performed in October 2021 to November 2021, with 703 students chosen using a simple random sampling procedure in Shimla city. Data was collected based on observation and analyzed using Epi info version 7. To predict the relationship between the student mask-wearing compliance and its associated factors, a univariate analysis was done.Results: A total of 703 students, 41.8% (n=294) were males while 58.2% (n=409) were females, 40.5% (n=285) 15 years of age. 97.2% (n=683) were Hindu and 72% (n=506) were studying in Government schools. All of the observed (100%) were wearing masks. 76.2% (n=536) students were using cloth mask, 12.1% (n=85) N95 masks while 11.7% (n=82) surgical masks. 81.8% (n=575) covered their mouth, as well as nose, 3.7% (n=26), had masks below the chin, 2.6% (n=18) had only their mouth covered while 11.9% (n=84) had partially covered their nose. Cloth mask was considerably more used by girls besides that there was no significant difference in the type of face mask according to age, standard of class, father’s occupation and type of school. The face mask was significantly more appropriately used by the students <15 years old and studied in junior classes, there was no significant difference in mask-wearing habits according to gender, father’s occupation and type of school.Conclusions: Every student was wearing a mask, and most had good face coverage. School authorities should plan and implement IEC activities, about, types of face masks and their proper usage

Oxygen requirements in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children admitted in tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Study was aimed to describe the oxygen requirements among children admitted as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, from January 2021 to July 2021, in the pediatric ward of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla. Children admitted with a diagnosis of MIS-C were included. Data regarding socio-demographic factors and oxygen requirements were extracted and analyzed using Epi Info V7 software.Results: A total 31 children diagnosed as MIS-C were included. Tachypnea was present in 18 (58.1%) respiratory distress in 15 (48.4%). Optimal oxygen saturation (SpO2) more than 94% in 9 (25.8%), 93-94% in 8 (25.8%), 91-92% in 5 (16.1%), 86-90% in 2 (6.5%), 81-85% in 4 (12.9%), 75-80% in 1 (3.2%), 71-75% in 1 (3.2%) and <60% in 1 (3.2%). Oxygen at the rate of 2 l/min in 1 (3.2%), 3 l/min in 2 (6.5%), 4 l/min in 1 (3.2%), 5 l/min in 5 (16.1%) and 10 l/min in 9 (29.0%), was given through nasal prong in 1 (3.2%), Venturi mask in 3 (9.7%), NRM in 7 (22.6%) and mechanical ventilation in 7 (22.6%). Duration was for 2 days in 4 (12.9%), for 3 days in 7 (22.6%), for 4 days in 3 (9.7%), for 7 days in 1 (3.2%), for 10 days in 1 (3.2%), for 11 days in 1 (3.2%) and for 13 days in 1 (3.2%). Ventilatory support was given to 7 (22.6%), for 4 days in 2 (6.5%), for 7 days in 2 (6.5%), for 10 days in 1 (3.2%), for 11 days in 1 (3.2%) and for 13 days in 1 (3.2%).Conclusions: Oxygen is a crucial component of MIS-C therapy, children, observing a dip in SpO2 level should immediately start oxygen therapy

Modular, cascade-like transcriptional program of regeneration in Stentor.

The giant ciliate Stentor coeruleus is a classical model system for studying regeneration and morphogenesis in a single cell. The anterior of the cell is marked by an array of cilia, known as the oral apparatus, which can be induced to shed and regenerate in a series of reproducible morphological steps, previously shown to require transcription. If a cell is cut in half, each half regenerates an intact cell. We used RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to assay the dynamic changes in Stentor's transcriptome during regeneration, after both oral apparatus shedding and bisection, allowing us to identify distinct temporal waves of gene expression including kinases, RNA -binding proteins, centriole biogenesis factors, and orthologs of human ciliopathy genes. By comparing transcriptional profiles of different regeneration events, we identified distinct modules of gene expression corresponding to oral apparatus regeneration, posterior holdfast regeneration, and recovery after wounding. By measuring gene expression after blocking translation, we show that the sequential waves of gene expression involve a cascade mechanism in which later waves of expression are triggered by translation products of early-expressed genes. Among the early-expressed genes, we identified an E2F transcription factor and the RNA-binding protein Pumilio as potential regulators of regeneration based on the expression pattern of their predicted target genes. RNAi-mediated knockdown experiments indicate that Pumilio is required for regenerating oral structures of the correct size. E2F is involved in the completion of regeneration but is dispensable for earlier steps. This work allows us to classify regeneration genes into groups based on their potential role for regeneration in distinct cell regeneration paradigms, and provides insight into how a single cell can coordinate complex morphogenetic pathways to regenerate missing structures

Novel Model of Oxalate Diet-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease in Dahl-Salt-Sensitive Rats

Diet-induced models of chronic kidney disease (CKD) offer several advantages, including clinical relevance and animal welfare, compared with surgical models. Oxalate is a plant-based, terminal toxic metabolite that is eliminated by the kidneys through glomerular filtration and tubular secretion. An increased load of dietary oxalate leads to supersaturation, calcium oxalate crystal formation, renal tubular obstruction, and eventually CKD. Dahl-Salt-Sensitive (SS) rats are a common strain used to study hypertensive renal disease; however, the characterization of other diet-induced models on this background would allow for comparative studies of CKD within the same strain. In the present study, we hypothesized that SS rats on a low-salt, oxalate rich diet would have increased renal injury and serve as novel, clinically relevant and reproducible CKD rat models. Ten-week-old male SS rats were fed either 0.2% salt normal chow (SS-NC) or a 0.2% salt diet containing 0.67% sodium oxalate (SS-OX) for five weeks.Real-time PCR demonstrated an increased expression of inflammatory marker interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p p p p p p p < 0.05) increases in multiple RAAS metabolites including angiotensin (1–5), angiotensin (1–7), and aldosterone. The oxalate diet induces significant renal inflammation, fibrosis, and renal dysfunction as well as RAAS activation and hypertension in SS rats compared with a normal chow diet. This study introduces a novel diet-induced model to study hypertension and CKD that is more clinically translatable and reproducible than the currently available models