Zinc Finger Proteins: Epigenetic Breakthroughs and Possible Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders

Engineered zinc finger proteins (ZFN) that bind specific DNA targets provide the foundation for a new class of technologies that promise significant gains in the development of novel therapeutics and molecular research tools. Individual zinc fingers have been developed in vitro to recognize many DNA triplets. When fused to the nonspecific DNA cleavage domain of the FOK1 restriction endonuclease, zinc fingers can direct double strand breaks to disrupt specific genes. Expanded triplet repeats have been identified as the genetic basis for a growing number of neurological disorders. Thus ZFN show promise for the treatment of monogenic disorders by promoting the knockout or correction of specific genes

Tramadol Potentiates Vasopressin Induced Analgesia in Albino Mice

The effect of centrally acting opioid analgesic Tramadol on vasopressin induced analgesia was evaluated in Swiss albino mice. Analgesia was evaluated in the mice using tail clip and writhing test techniques. Animals were divided into control and test groups (n=6).Arginine vasopressin (12 µg/kg i.p) and its synthetic analogue, Terlipressin (300 µg /kg i.v) injected in the mice produced analgesia by increasing the latency period by 131.6% and 53.5% respectively and reduced the acetic acid writhing by 45.85 % and 13.51 % respectively. Pretreatment with Tramadol (10 mg/kg i.p) potentiated the analgesic action of vasopressin and terlipressin  and increased the latency period and reduced the acetic acid induced writhings respectively. This study suggests that Tramadol can be combined with vasopressin for enhanced analgesic effect

Study of antepartum haemorrhage and its maternal and perinatal outcome

Background: Antepartum haemorrhage (APH) is defined as bleeding from or into the genital tract after the period of viability until delivery of fetus. Etiology includes placenta previa, abruptio placentae, local causes, systemic causes and idiopathic origin. Objective of this study was to identify factors associated with APH, and to quantitate maternal morbidity, mortality and perinatal outcome in patients with APH at a tertiary care center in India.Methods: The study was a retrospective observational study and patient information was obtained from delivery records of 100 women presenting at gestational age of 28 weeks and above with APH. All patients with bleeding per vagina after 28 weeks of gestation were included in the study and were grouped as – Placenta Previa (PP), Abruptio Placenta (AP) or unknown causes.Results: Out of total 100 cases of APH, placenta previa contributed to 80%, abruptio placenta 19% and 1% unknown causes. Overall maternal mortality was 6%. Perinatal mortality was 42%. Prevalence of low birth weight and preterm babies was high.Conclusions: APH is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality which could be prevented by early registration, regular antenatal care, early detection of high risk cases, and early referral to higher center. Good facilities for caesarean section, availability of blood banks and multidisciplinary approach with a good NICU can improve maternal and perinatal outcome of APH. The results of this study were found in good agreement with previous studies

Incidence of bone tumors and tumor like lesions at a tertiary centre - a study of 64 cases

Background: Primary bone tumors are uncommon lesions constituting less than 1% of all cancers. Although open biopsy has high accuracy, it increases risk of tumor dissemination in patients with highly malignant tumors. FNAC eliminates the complications that may occur in surgical procedures and also gives quick results. This study was conducted to determine the spectrum and demographic characteristics of bone tumors and tumor like lesions at a tertiary care centre in western Uttar Pradesh and also to assess the role of FNAC in their diagnosis.Methods: This is a three-year, retrospective as well as a prospective study done on a total of 64 cases. All the cases were subjected to detailed history, physical examination and radiological investigations. FNAC smears were stained with Giemsa and Papanicolaou stain. H and E staining was done for histopathology.Results: Mean age affected was 26 years. Male-female ratio was 2.8:1. Out of total 64 cases of bone tumors and tumor like lesions, maximum was chondrogenic tumors (17; 26.56%), followed by osteogenic tumors (15; 23.44%). Osteochondroma (08; 47.06%), Osteosarcoma (07; 46.66%) and Aneurysmal bone cyst (04; 50.0%) were the most common chondrogenic tumor, osteogenic tumor and tumor like lesion respectively. The most common bone affected was tibia (16; 25.0%), followed by femur (15; 23.4%). Sensitivity and specificity of FNAC as a diagnostic modality were 90.0% and 91.67% respectively.Conclusions: A good correlation is observed between cytological and histological diagnoses which implies that FNAC can be used as a preliminary diagnostic approach to bone tumors, although histopathology remains the gold standard

The eggshell morphology of Heterodoxus spiniger, infesting dog, Canis familiaris (Boopidae, Mallophaga)

The egg chorion of the dog louse Heterodoxus spiniger bears pentagonal / rectangular scutes (scale like sculpturing) arranged obliquely. The opercular disc of the egg bears tall cup shaped micropyles which unite to give ridge like appearance. The centre of the disc bears short thick rod like polar thread

Recent Advances in Ru Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation and Its Future Perspectives

Over the past few decades, Ru catalyzed transfer hydrogenation (TH) and asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbons, imine, nitro and carbonyl compounds have emerged as economic and powerful tools in organic synthesis. These reactions are most preferred processes having applications in the synthesis of fine chemicals to pharmaceuticals due to safe handling as these do not require hazardous pressurized H2 gas. The catalytic activity and selectivity of Ru complexes were investigated with a variety of ligands based on pincer NHC, cyclophane, half-sandwich, organophosphine etc. These ligands coordinate to Ru center in a proper orientation with a labile group replaced by H-source (like methanol, isopropanol, formic acid, dioxane, THF), which facilitate the β-hydrogen transfer to generate metal hydride species (Ru-H) and produce desired reduced product. This chapter describes the recent advances in TH and ATH reactions with homogeneous and heterogeneous Ru catalysts having different ligand environments and mechanistic details leading to their sustainable industrial applications

Preparation of probiotic-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles and in vitro survival in gastrointestinal conditions

In the present study, Probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum) loaded-solid lipid nanoparticles were prepared and characterized. Probiotics have proven to possess significant potential in addressing a range of conditions, encompassing neurodegenerative disorders, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammatory conditions. Additionally, they show efficacy in sustaining a harmonious gut microbiota ecosystem. SLNs were prepared by using solvent emulsification-diffusion technique. The size and morphology of prepared probiotic-loaded SLNs were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The activity or viability of probiotics might be compromised in the challenging gastric conditions of the stomach or in the presence of bile salts. Furthermore, they may face vulnerability to thermal or oxidative stress during preparation and storage. Hence, there is a need for stable probiotic formulations to surmount diverse physicochemical, biopharmaceutical, and biological barriers, ensuring maximal therapeutic effectiveness and clinical applicability. In vitro experiments were carried out with the aim of examining the viability of bacterial cells under gastrointestinal conditions. Encapsulation of the cells protect the cell numbers (colony forming unit) when compared to free bacteria. Nevertheless, the number of probiotic cells decreased in gastrointestinal acidic condition in contrast to free cells. Overall encapsulation of Lactobacillus plantarum in SLN’s plays an important role in enhancing viability and stability which consequently enhance the survival of bacteria against gastrointestinal environmental conditions

Correlation and path analysis studies in onion (Allium cepa) genotypes

The present study was carried out at the experimental farm of the Department of Vegetable Sciences, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during the winter (rabi) season of 2019–20 and 2020–21 to study the genetic variability, correlation and path studies in 30 different genotypes of the onion (Allium cepa L.) crop. All genotypes reflected a wide and significant spectrum of variability for all the traits under study. Genotypes UHF-ONI-13, UHF-ONI-15 and UHF-ONI-16 outperformed other genotypes in terms of yield and other critical horticultural characteristics. The magnitude of phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation for all the characters. The phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variability were high for doubles/deformed bulbs, moderate for leaf length, plant height, average bulb weight, bulb yield per plot and per hectare. High heritability along with high to moderate genetic gain was observed for doubles/deformed bulbs, leaf length, plant height, average bulb weight, bulb yield per plot and bulb yield per hectare, which suggested that improvement can be achieved through simple selection. Bulb yield had significant and positive correlation with average bulb weight, equatorial diameter, plant height, polar diameter, days to harvest and days to 50% neck fall. Path analysis showed that bulb weight, equatorial diameter, bulb shape index, neck thickness, total soluble solids, plant height and leaf length had a positive direct effect on bulb yield

Integrating population variation and protein structural analysis to improve clinical interpretation of missense variation: application to the WD40 domain

We present a generic, multidisciplinary approach for improving our understanding of novel missense variants in recently discovered disease genes exhibiting genetic heterogeneity, by combining clinical and population genetics with protein structural analysis. Using six new de novo missense diagnoses in TBL1XR1 from the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study, together with population variation data, we show that the β-propeller structure of the ubiquitous WD40 domain provides a convincing way to discriminate between pathogenic and benign variation. Children with likely pathogenic mutations in this gene have severely delayed language development, often accompanied by intellectual disability, autism, dysmorphology and gastrointestinal problems. Amino acids affected by likely pathogenic missense mutations are either crucial for the stability of the fold, forming part of a highly conserved symmetrically repeating hydrogen-bonded tetrad, or located at the top face of the β-propeller, where ‘hotspot’ residues affect the binding of β-catenin to the TBLR1 protein. In contrast, those altered by population variation are significantly less likely to be spatially clustered towards the top face or to be at buried or highly conserved residues. This result is useful not only for interpreting benign and pathogenic missense variants in this gene, but also in other WD40 domains, many of which are associated with disease

Exchange of plant genetic resources: Prospects in India

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources has the major responsibility of introducing genetic resources and distributing the same to various research Institutes/organizations within the country. It is involved in enrichment of plant genetic resources through germplasm exchange, procurement and collection from centres of diversity suitable for different agro-climatic conditions. Different biotic and abiotic stresses are the major production constraints in many crops, hence, introduction of crops from the centre of diversity is much needed to bring into superior seeds of various crops with high yield, quality, resistance to pest and diseases and tolerant to abiotic stresses through crop improvements programmes. Future emphasis is to introduce specific genotypes with special characters especially like high quality lines and lines resistant to various biotic and abiotic stresses. During the past five years 211 298 accessions including 467 995 samples of seed/planting material were introduced from 103 countries. Out of theses 116 149 accessions having 138 352 samples were germplasm while 58 024 entries having 329 704 samples were trials/nurseries entries and 1 139 wild species of different agri-horticultural crops were also introduced. During this period a total of 78 298 accessions were exported as per norms/regulation lay down by NBA and with permission of ICAR/DARE, for research purposes only. NBPGR has supplied 50 657 samples of various crops to national users in different institutes/organizations across the country for various crop improvement and breeding programmes