MicroRNAs as Next Generation Therapeutics in Osteoporosis

Bone is an active tissue that works as a tissue and an organ as well. It is constituted of cells and blood vessels by nearly 10% of its volume, while the rest 90% is majorly contributed by extracellular portion. Bone is a living structure stably undertaking continual remodeling between bone formation and bone resorption, where bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) and bone-resorbing cells (osteoclasts) exhibit a crucial role. The differentiation process of osteoblasts and osteoclasts takes place in a balanced manner under normal conditions. This intricate balance is chiefly sustained by biochemical signaling cascades, facilitating accurate bone homeostasis in the body. Loss of balance/misregulated signaling in the bone development or disruption may lead to pathological conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, etc. Among several regulators for bone-signaling pathways, microRNAs have appeared as an imperative control of gene expression at the level of post-transcription while addressing the genes that control bone remodeling with appropriate responses in the pathogenesis and perhaps the management of bone diseases. Further, microRNAs control the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which finally influence the bone formation. Hence, there is a great possibility in exploiting microRNAs as putative therapeutic targets for the medical relief of bone associated disorders, including osteoporosis

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Not AvailableHaematological characteristics in fish changes in response to environmental conditions and thus could serve as indicators of sub lethal environmental stress. Exposure of snow trout, Schizothorax richardsonii to different water pH (5.0-9.0) for 24 h resulted in alteration in haematological and enzymological parameters. The fishes showed obvious signs of stress at pH 5.0 as indicated by their behavioural changes. Blood haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC) and packed cell volume (PCV) were higher at both extremes of pH, but significantly (p<.05) higher at lower pH than control group at pH 7.0. Likewise, serum enzymes viz. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), Glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT), Acid phosphatase (ACP) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) exhibited elevated levels during acid stress. Conversely, protein concentration fell considerably in fishes exposed to low pH.Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR

PRACTITIONERS SECTION - INTERNET RESOURCES FOR DIABETES

Internet is transforming lives of many people in the world. Nowadays Internet has become one of the most common media to extract information of interest to researchers. The Internet is composed of a large number of smaller interconnected networks called Intranets. These Intranets connect thousands computers enabling them to share information with each other and to share various resources such as powerful super computers, software and databases of information. It has made it possible for people all over the world to effectively and inexpensively communicate with each other. The Internet has become world's biggest library where retrieval of scientific resources is only a mouse click away. The geometric growth in Internet usage is mainly due to the great success of "World Wide Web". Various useful databases on diabetes are already on 'the Net' and many more being added regularly. The present article is an attempt to provide a review of several sites that may be of great significance to the diabetes researchers before execution for new assignment/project

Identification of HPr kinase/phosphorylase inhibitors

Funding Information: This research was supported by funds from the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute and a fellowship awarded by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, India (Suman Kapila and Sandeep Kumar) and by the Åbo Akademi University research mobility programme within the research profiling area “Drug Development and Diagnostics” (R.B.). The Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Biocenter Finland Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology networks, CSC IT Center for Science, Joe, Pentti and Tor Borg Memorial Fund and Prof. Mark Johnson and Dr. Jukka Lehtonen are gratefully acknowledged for the excellent computational infrastructure at the Åbo Akademi University. This work contributes also to the activities within the strategic research profiling area Solutions for Health at Åbo Akademi University (Academy of Finland, # 336355). Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Enterococcus faecalis, a gram-positive bacterium, is among the most common nosocomial pathogens due to its limited susceptibility to antibiotics and its reservoir of the genes coding for virulence factors. Bacterial enzymes such as kinases and phosphorylases play important roles in diverse functions of a bacterial cell and, thus, are potential antibacterial drug targets. In Gram-positive bacteria, HPr Kinase/Phosphorylase (HPrK/P), a bifunctional enzyme is involved in the regulation of carbon catabolite repression by phosphorylating/dephosphorylating the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) at Ser46 residue. Deficiencies in HPrK/P function leads to severe defects in bacterial growth. This study aimed at identifying novel inhibitors of E. faecalis HPrK/P from a commercial compound library using structure-based virtual screening. The hit molecules were purchased and their effect on enzyme activity and growth of resistant E. faecalis was evaluated in vitro. Furthermore, docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the interactions of the hit compounds with HPrK/P. Among the identified hit molecules, two compounds inhibited the phosphorylation of HPr as well as significantly reduced the growth of resistant E. faecalis in vitro. These identified potential HPrK/P inhibitors open new research avenues towards the development of novel antimicrobials against resistant Gram-positive bacteria.Peer reviewe

Development and Validation of Flaxseed Lignan-Enriched Set-Type Fermented Milk to Manage Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

A functional set dahi (fermented milk analogous to yoghurt) with a desirable probiotic (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum A5) count of 9.36 log CFU/mL and excellent techno-functional attributes (DPPH: 41.95% RSA, firmness: 485.49 g, sensory overall acceptability: 8.51) was developed to contain 260 mg of SDG in 20 g of dahi. Twenty-four female Albino Wistar rats (3 months old, >180 g) were ovariectomized (OVX) and divided into three groups: OVX control, OVX and control dahi, and OVX and SDG-enriched dahi. The animal study found that ovariectomy decreased serum calcium, oestrogen, and bone ash calcium levels by 32.27, 30.95, and 48.46 percent, respectively, compared to the sham group (n = 8), while daily administration of SDG-enriched dahi (20 g) for eight weeks restored them. The proximal tibial metaphysis and distal femoral epiphysis micro-CT study showed that the ovariectomy lowered bone mineral density (BMD) by 11.06% and 9.18%, respectively, and lowered Trabecular thickness (Tb. Th) by 12.66% and 11.86%, respectively, while increasing Trabecular separation (Tb. Sp.) by 90.69% and 87.70%, respectively, compared to the sham control-group rats. SDG-enriched dahi improved BMD by 16.06 and 12.24% and Tb. Th by 35.32 and 19.62%, respectively, and decreased Tb. Sp by 47.04 and 47.22%, respectively, in OVX rats. The results suggest that the developed set dahi may help treat postmenopausal osteoporosis