Detection of Aflatoxin B1 through indirect ELISA from fresh grains obtained from three maize growing zones of India

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is most frequently found in plant substrates, which has shown the highest toxigenic potential. Based on previous studies, the IARC has classified AFB1 as a class 1A human carcinogen. Several impacts on consumers, such as loss of human and animal lives; health care and veterinary care costs; contaminated foods and feeds disposal costs; and investment in research and management of the myco-toxin problem. Fourteen maize seed samples comprising of recommended and local varieties were collected from three maize growing zones (Zone I- Almora, Kullu, Bilaspur, Dhaulakuan, Kangara, Saharanpur, Zone II- Karnal, Ludhiana, Pantnagar, New Delhi and Zone III- Begusarai, Varanasi, Sabour-1 and Sabour 2). In our studies AFB1 toxin range were noticed Zone-I (0.0294- 153.5081 ppb), Zone-II (0.1761- 161.0537 ppb ppb) and Zone-III (3.8366- 53.1256 ppb) collected seed samples.This indicate that ELISA technique could be applied to the monitoring of Aflatoxin contamination in a lot of samples in a cost, accuracy, simplicity and time effective manner

Management of uveal tract melanoma: A comprehensive review

AbstractUveal tract melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults, accounting for about 5–10% of all the melanomas. Since there are no lymphatic vessels in the eye, uveal melanoma can only spread hematogenously leading to liver metastasis. A wide variety of treatment modalities are available for its management, leading to dilemma in selecting the appropriate therapy. This article reviews the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available and thus, can help to individualize the treatment plan for each patient

Post Flowering Stalk Rot Complex of Maize - Present Status and Future Prospects

Post flowering stalk rot complex is one of the most serious, destructive and widespread group of diseases in maize and yield losses range from 10 to 42% and can be as high as 100% in some areas. PFSR nature is often complex as a number of fungi (like Fusarium verticillioides cause Fusarium stalk rot, Macrophomina phaseolina cause charcoal rot, Harpophora maydis cause late wilt) are involved in causation of the diseases. To combat this problem, identification of quantitative trait loci for resistance to PFSR would facilitate the development of disease resistant maize hybrids. Moreover, various chemical and biological control methods have been developed but ma¬jor emphasis is on development of maize cultivars with genetic resistance to for environment friendly control of the Post flowering stalk rot complex. The current paper reviews the information on distribution, impact of the disease, symptoms, epidemiology, disease cycle; genetics of resistance and integrated disease management approaches has been enumerated to understand the present status of knowledge about PFSR complex and will try to focus on the future perspectives available to improve PFSR management

Ecdysoneless Overexpression Drives Mammary Tumorigenesis through Upregulation of C-MYC and Glucose Metabolism

Ecdysoneless (ECD) protein is essential for embryogenesis, cell-cycle progression, and cellular stress mitigation with an emerging role in mRNA biogenesis. We have previously shown that ECD protein as well as its mRNA are overexpressed in breast cancer and ECD overexpression predicts shorter survival in patients with breast cancer. However, the genetic evidence for an oncogenic role of ECD has not been established. Here, we generated transgenic mice with mammary epithelium-targeted overexpression of an inducible human ECD transgene (ECDTg). Significantly, ECDTg mice develop mammary hyperplasia, preneoplastic lesions, and heterogeneous tumors with occasional lung metastasis. ECDTg tumors exhibit epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell characteristics. Organoid cultures of ECDTg tumors showed ECD dependency for in vitro oncogenic phenotype and in vivo growth when implanted in mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of ECDTg tumors showed a c-MYC signature, and alterations in ECD levels regulated c-MYC mRNA and protein levels as well as glucose metabolism. ECD knockdown-induced decrease in glucose uptake was rescued by overexpression of mouse ECD as well as c-MYC. Publicly available expression data analyses showed a significant correlation of ECD and c-MYC overexpression in breast cancer, and ECD and c-MYC coexpression exhibits worse survival in patients with breast cancer. Taken together, we establish a novel role of overexpressed ECD as an oncogenesis driver in the mouse mammary gland through upregulation of c-MYC-mediated glucose metabolism. IMPLICATIONS: We demonstrate ECD overexpression in the mammary gland of mice led to the development of a tumor progression model through upregulation of c-MYC signaling and glucose metabolism

Derivation of Myoepithelial Progenitor Cells from Bipotent Mammary Stem/Progenitor Cells

There is increasing evidence that breast and other cancers originate from and are maintained by a small fraction of stem/progenitor cells with self-renewal properties. Recent molecular profiling has identified six major subtypes of breast cancer: basal-like, ErbB2-overexpressing, normal breast epithelial-like, luminal A and B, and claudin-low subtypes. To help understand the relationship among mammary stem/progenitor cells and breast cancer subtypes, we have recently derived distinct hTERT-immortalized human mammary stem/progenitor cell lines: a K5+/K19− type, and a K5+/K19+ type. Under specific culture conditions, bipotent K5+/K19− stem/progenitor cells differentiated into stable clonal populations that were K5−/K19− and exhibit self-renewal and unipotent myoepithelial differentiation potential in contrast to the parental K5+/K19− cells which are bipotent. These K5−/K19− cells function as myoepithelial progenitor cells and constitutively express markers of an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and show high invasive and migratory abilities. In addition, these cells express a microarray signature of claudin-low breast cancers. The EMT characteristics of an un-transformed unipotent mammary myoepithelial progenitor cells together with claudin-low signature suggests that the claudin-low breast cancer subtype may arise from myoepithelial lineage committed progenitors. Availability of immortal MPCs should allow a more definitive analysis of their potential to give rise to claudin-low breast cancer subtype and facilitate biological and molecular/biochemical studies of this disease

Vaccine efficacy of ALVAC-HIV and bivalent subtype C gp120–MF59 in adults

BACKGROUND : A safe, effective vaccine is essential to eradicating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A canarypox–protein HIV vaccine regimen (ALVAC-HIV plus AIDSVAX B/E) showed modest efficacy in reducing infection in Thailand. An analogous regimen using HIV-1 subtype C virus showed potent humoral and cellular responses in a phase 1–2a trial in South Africa. Efficacy data and additional safety data were needed for this regimen in a larger population in South Africa. METHODS : In this phase 2b–3 trial, we randomly assigned 5404 adults without HIV-1 infection to receive the vaccine (2704 participants) or placebo (2700 participants). The vaccine regimen consisted of injections of ALVAC-HIV at months 0 and 1, followed by four booster injections of ALVAC-HIV plus bivalent subtype C gp120–MF59 adjuvant at months 3, 6, 12, and 18. The primary efficacy outcome was the occurrence of HIV-1 infection from randomization to 24 months. RESULTS : In January 2020, prespecified criteria for non-efficacy were met at an interim analysis; further vaccinations were subsequently halted. The median age of the trial participants was 24 years; 70% of the participants were women. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the vaccine and placebo groups. During the 24-month followup, HIV-1 infection was diagnosed in 138 participants in the vaccine group and in 133 in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.81 to 1.30; P = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS : The ALVAC–gp120 regimen did not prevent HIV-1 infection among participants in South Africa despite previous evidence of immunogenicity.Supported by grants (HHSN272201300033C and HHSN272201600012C) to Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics (now part of the GlaxoSmithKline [GSK] Biologicals) by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the selection and process development of the two gp120 envelope proteins TV1.C and 1086.C; by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Grant (OPP1017604) and NIAID for the manufacture and release of the gp120 clinical grade material; and by U.S. Public Health Service Grants — UM1 AI068614 to the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), UM1 AI068635 to the HVTN Statistical and Data Management Center, and UM1 AI068618 to the HVTN Laboratory Center — from the NIAID. GSK Biologicals contributed financially to the provision of preexposure prophylaxis to trial participants. The South African Medical Research Council supported its affiliated research sites.http://www.nejm.orgam2022School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

Controversies in neuro-ophthalmology: Steroid therapy for traumatic optic neuropathy

Background: There is an increase in the incidence of traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) due to increasing urbanization and rapid spurt in the number of motor vehicles on the road. Despite early presentation and ease of diagnosis the visual outcomes in TON are still limited. There is also significant confusion about the timing, dose and efficacy of steroid treatment in its management. Purpose: To provide a clinical update of the pros and cons of steroid therapy for TON. Design: The paper is a retrospective review of the currently available literature in the English language indexed in PubMed. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted by the authors using the following terms: Traumatic optic neuropathy, megadose, steroids, methylprednisolone. Relevant original articles, review articles, and case reports related to the topic of discussion were evaluated and discussed in the paper. Results: There is no prospective randomized control trial evaluating the effect of steroids in TON. There are varying reports on the effect of steroid therapy from significant improvement to no difference compared to observation. Conclusion: The decision to give steroids to patients with TON has to be on an individual case to case basis and must involve informed consent from the patient. There are documented advantages and disadvantages of steroid therapy and a prospective, randomized, controlled trial is necessary comparing steroids, surgery and observation before definitive management can be evolved

The diamagnetic susceptibilities of phthalic acid and phthalic anhydride

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