Relationship between body mass index, liver enzymes and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Background: Obesity is a frequent co-morbid condition associated with excessive increase in weight. It is one of the most important modifiable risk factors in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Obesity may be associated with liver disease and the progression of hepatic dysfunction. Also, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), which is elevated in inflammatory situations, can be produced by monocyte-derived macrophages in adipose tissue may also disrupt liver functions. Methods: A case control study with 50 patients of T2DM and 50 age and sex matched individuals were taken to serve as controls. Results: The body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were increased in T2DM patients as compared to controls. However, the variations in liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and hsCRP were increased in individuals of normal BMI as compared with individuals of overweight BMI. Conclusions: Individuals with normal Body mass index had an increased risk of developing T2DM along with progression of hepatic dysfunction. No associations were observed between chronic low-grade inflammation and BMI and with pathogenesis of obesity-related insulin resistance

Study and analysis of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels as a biomarker of placental adherence in low lying placenta

Background: The objective was to study and analyze maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels as a biomarker of placental adherence in low lying placenta. Methods: This was a prospective observational study analysing the conditions and the data of 80 cases with low lying placenta in a tertiary care hospital. The analysis was done for the association of MSAFP with MRI, perinatal and maternal outcome. Results: The level of MSAFP was found higher in 12 out of 13 cases (93.3%) of placenta previa with placental adherence. There was significant surgical intervention (80%) and increased maternal morbidity (68.8%) in the study group with placental adherence and raised MSAFP respectively. Conclusions: MSAFP is an important biomarker for prognostication of placental adherence in low lying placenta

Correlation of Glycated Hemoglobin with Oxidative Stress in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has a heavy disease burden and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It is considered to be evolving from a complex and multifactorial metabolic disorder to an inflammatory condition. The strong link between hyperglycemia and oxidative stress has long been established. Oxidative stress leads to the generation of inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species, which results in an inflammatory state, which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. We aimed to correlate the levels of Glycated Hemoglobin with Oxidative Stress.This cross-sectional study included 200 subjects, 100 were type 2 diabetic patients and 100 were healthy non-diabetic individuals. The data were analyzed using a t test. The results showed that as the Glycated Hb increased, the levels of FBS, MDA increased and Serum SOD, Glutathione and Catalase levels decreased. The results showed a positive correlation between HbA1c and fasting blood glucose (r = 0.417, p= 0.000) and MDA (r= 0.340, p=0.000). Whereas negative correlation was observed between HbA1c and other antioxidant parameters, SOD (r= 0.025, p=0.803) Catalase (r= 0.096, p= 0.342), Glutathione (r= -0.164, p= 0.103). It is hereby concluded for the present study that when glycated Hb increases the natural antioxidants that is SOD, catalase and glutathione decrease to combact the increased formation of ROS. Serum MDA, a marker of lipid peroxidation, increased with increased glycated Hb, and shows a positive correlation, indicating that lipid peroxidation increased, when glycation of Hb increased, thus depicting an increased chance of macrovascular complication in type 2 diabetics

ROLE OF COMBINATION DRUG THERAPY FOR MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION WITH INCREASING AGE

Objective: In South Asia, hypertension is the third highest factor contributing in public health burden of disease and major risk factor for coronary artery disease especially in women and old age people. The study was aimed to determine the role of gender and age (20–80 years) on severity of hypertension to design an effective schedule for management of hypertension. Methods: The levels of serum cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and blood pressure (BP) of 240 hypertensive patients were monitored. Cholesterol, TG, and HDL levels were detected using ERBA Reagent kit of Transasia Bio-medicals LTD by CHOD-PAP, glycerol phosphate oxidase trinder End point, and polyvinyl sulfonic and polyethyleneglycol-methyl ether based methods, respectively. Results: The BP and levels of serum cholesterol, TG and LDL were increased in both the genders after 40 years of age. However, the rise in levels of these parameters was more in females in comparison to males. A hypertension management schedule involving (BP)/Cholesterol lowering drugs and lifestyle changes for period of 60 days showed that combination drug therapy was more effective than monotherapies of same drugs used at higher dosages. Conclusion: Hypertensive patients strictly followed the prescribed healthy food and exercise schedule showed improvement in their BP and lipid profile even with limited drug intervention

Studies on dyeing and bacterial resistance of Dacryodes macrophylla extract on woollen fabric

The dyeing of wool fabric using a natural dye extracted from Dacryodes macrophylla has been studied using both conventional as well as ultrasonic dyeing methods. Natural dye was extracted using water as solvent by Soxhlet extraction method. The extracted color was characterized by spectroscopic studies like UV/Visible and further tested for antimicrobial activity (against Vibrio cholerae (MTCC3906), Salmonella enterica serotype typhi (MTCC733), Shigella flexneri (MTCC1457), Escherichia coli (MTCC119), Listeria monocytogenes (MTCC657) and Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 96). It was observed that the water extract of D. macrophylla showed antimicrobial activities against S. enterica. The effect of mordants on the dyeing outcome in terms of colour depth as well as fastness properties of the dyeing was investigated.  It has been found that employing all the three techniques of dyeing i.e., conventional dyeing at 100 oC and 80 oC as well as ultrasonicated dyeings conducted at 80 oC, the mordanted samples were deeper in depth than their unmordanted counterparts. The results of fastness properties of the dyed fabrics were fair to good. Depths of the shade and fastness properties in case of ultrasonic dyeing were found to be better compared to conventional dyeing. Dacryodes macrophyllaextract  was found to enhance microbial resistance of wool as well as was itself as a good source of coloration. These textiles dyed with the natural dyes can be very useful in developing clothing for infants, elderly and infirm people to protect them against common infections

Swimming against the current: valuation of white sturgeon in renewal of the columbia river treaty

The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) between Canada and the United States was implemented in 1964 to cooperatively manage water-related issues. Treaty terms were based on concerns of flood control and economic growth with no consideration for ecosystem health and the benefits therein. In turn, basin management has become fragmented and deleterious to the River’s vast and complex watershed ecosystems. To ensure the Columbia River Basin (CRB) is able to absorb increasing demands while protecting environmental quality, provisions for the management of ecosystem services must be improved in the modernization of the Treaty. This study uses the white sturgeon as an example of how undervalued ecosystem goods and services can be integrated into the CRT. While the CRB once supported a productive population of white sturgeon, basin management has rendered them an endangered and threatened species. This study’s analysis yields recommendations for a portfolio of policies to entities of the CRT

Proteinaceous Secretory Metabolites of Probiotic Human Commensal Enterococcus hirae 20c, E. faecium 12a and L12b as Antiproliferative Agents Against Cancer Cell Lines

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and its incidence is expected to grow by almost 70% in the coming 2 decades. Recent microbiome studies in cancer mice models have shown that certain commensal bacteria play protective roles against cancer. Thus, the use of commensal microflora having anticancer activities for the treatment of cancer appears to be an attractive alternative therapeutic strategy. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) form an integral component of commensal microflora in healthy individuals. As the vaginal ecosystem is enriched in LAB genera, we screened the vaginal LAB microflora of healthy women for their anti-proliferative abilities against various human cancer cell lines. The secreted metabolites of three enterococcal strains, Enterococcus hirae 20c, Enterococcus faecium 12a and L12b, out of 92 LAB isolates selectively inhibited the in vitro proliferation of various human cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner but had no activity against normal human peripheral blood monocytes. Further, proteinase K-treatment of the cell-free supernatant (CS) of all the three enterococci abrogated their anti-proliferative abilities, thereby showing the proteinaceous nature of the secreted metabolites in the CS. The microscopic examination of the cell lines showed that CS-treatment induced apoptosis-like morphological changes in the cancer cells. Further, the probiotic characters of the strains were studied, which showed that all the three strains had broad spectrum antimicrobial activities against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, including Mycobacterium smegmatis. All the strains tolerated the gastric acidity and bile juice treatments, and had strong adhesive abilities to the colonic epithelial cell line HCT-15. Furthermore, none of the strains had any known secreted virulence factors or harbored virulence genes. This preliminary study highlights an important functional role of the commensal probiotic enterococcal strains E. hirae and E. faecium for the first time by demonstrating their anticancer properties that should be further tested in the in vivo mammalian models

Evaluating peripheral blood inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers as predictors in diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema

Purpose: To determine the correlation between serum inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 100 diabetic patients. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1 (patients with no DR, n = 27), group 2 (DR with DME, n = 34), and group 3 (DR without DME, n = 39). Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by quantitative turbidimetric immunoassay and sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively. Metabolic parameters such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), serum creatinine, and blood urea were determined by automated analyzer om-360 after standardization. Results: The levels of IL-6 and CRP differed significantly in patients with DR and without DR (P < 0.001 and P = 0.045, respectively). We also found a positive correlation between IL-6 and CRP with the severity of DR. When DR patients with DME were compared to patients without DME, only IL-6 was observed to be significantly elevated (P < 0.001). None of the metabolic markers correlated significantly with DR and DME. Conclusion: Significantly raised levels of serum inflammatory biomarkers can be used to elucidate the significant role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of DR. Therefore, circulating biomarkers can serve as diagnostic and therapeutic predictors for monitoring the onset and progression of DR and DME

Anti-biofilm Properties of the Fecal Probiotic Lactobacilli Against Vibrio spp.

Diarrheal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae is endemic in developing countries including India and is associated with high rate of mortality especially in children. V. cholerae is known to form biofilms on the gut epithelium, and the biofilms once formed are resistant to the action of antibiotics. Therefore agents that prevent the biofilm formation and disperse the preformed biofilms are associated with therapeutic benefits. The use of antibiotics for the treatment of cholera is associated with side effects such as gut dysbiosis due to depletion of gut microflora, and the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Thus search for safe alternative therapeutic agents is warranted. Herein, we screened the lactobacilli spp. isolated from the fecal samples of healthy children for their abilities to prevent biofilm formation and to disperse the preformed biofilms of V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus by using an in vitro assay. The results showed that the culture supernatant (CS) of all the seven isolates of Lactobacillus spp. used in the study inhibited the biofilm formation of V. cholerae by more than 90%. Neutralization of pH of CS completely abrogated their antimicrobial activities against V. cholera, but had negligible effects on their biofilm inhibitory potential. Further, CS of all the lactobacilli isolates caused the dispersion of preformed V. cholerae biofilms in the range 62–85%; however, pH neutralization of CS reduced the biofilm dispersal potential of the 4 out of 7 isolates by 19–57%. Furthermore, the studies showed that CS of none of the lactobacilii isolates had antimicrobial activity against V. parahaemolyticus, but 5 out of 7 isolates inhibited the formation of its biofilm in the range 62–82%. However, none of the CS dispersed the preformed biofilms of V. parahaemolyticus. The ability of CS to inhibit the adherence of Vibrio spp. to the epithelial cell line was also determined. Thus, we conclude that the biofilm dispersive action of CS of lactobacilli is strain-specific and pH-dependent. As Vibrio is known to form biofilms in the intestinal niche having physiological pH in the range 6–7, the probiotic strains that have dispersive action at high pH may have better therapeutic potential