CHARACTERIZATION OF SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL PHENOTYPE AND FUNCTIONALITY FOR POTENTIAL TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) embedded scaffolds have possible applications in treating diseased tissues that are rich in SMCs. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is an example of a disease that can be caused due to SMC dysfunction within the urinary sphincter. The goal of this thesis was to create a SMC-populated tissue engineered urethral wrap (TEUW) using autologous urethral SMCs (uSMCs), to be used as a cuff around the native urethra to integrate with the host tissue for providing mechanical and functional reinforcement to the diseased urethra. uSMCs were isolated from rat urethras. SMC phenotype was verified by immunofluorescence and western blotting. Isolation purity was assessed by staining uSMCs for skeletal muscle and urothelium markers since they are also present in the urethra. TEUWs were examined for SMC phenotype, apoptosis, mechanical and histological endpoints after culture.This thesis also evaluated the functionality of differentiated SMCs (dSMCs), which were derived via mechanical stimulation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMMSCs). The long-term objective is to use BMMSCs as an autologous source for SMCs in order to create TEUW-like tubular constructs for treating SMC related dysfunctions including, but not limited to SUI. uSMCs and dSMCs were assessed and compared for intracellular Ca2+ activity (fura-2) and contractile responses (live-cell) to various stimuli.Results of isolated uSMCs revealed expression of SMC markers and absence of skeletal and urothelium markers, suggesting isolation purity. uSMC-based TEUWs showed non-linear pressure-diameter profiles like soft tissues, greater compliance than the native urethra, and burst pressures similar to stem-cell based TEUWs. Both, uSMCs and dSMCs, exhibited intracellular Ca2+ activity, with and without extracellular Ca2+, vital for full SMC function. However, their failure to show morphological changes in the presence of agonists during contractility assessment indicated absence of mature SMCs. In summary, this study demonstrates proficient uSMC isolation, which represents an important step towards TEUW development, and that uSMCs and dSMCs are not fully functional at the differentiation stage tested. Future work should focus on increasing contractile protein expression by using matrix-like culture systems and/or biochemical stimulants. Following a systematic examination, SMC-populated TEUWs could be tested in an animal model

MarkLogic Database – Only Enterprise NoSQL DB

MarkLogic DB is one of the Enterprise NoSQL database that supports multiple-model database design. It is optimized for structured and unstructured data that allows to store, manage, query and search across JSON, XML, RDF (Triplestore) and can handle data with a schema free and leads to faster time-to-results by providing handling of different types of data. It provides ACID Transactions using MVCC (multi-version concurrency control). One of the important key feature of MarkLogic is its Bitemporal behavior by providing data at every point in time. Due to its shared-nothing architecture it is highly available and easily and massively scalable with no single point of failure making structured data integration easier. It also has incremental backup means to only backup the updated data. Marklogic provides Hadoop integration and Hadoop is designed to store large amount of data in Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and works better with the transactional applications

INCIDENCES OF-AND RISK FACTOR FOR NEW ONSET DIABETES AFTER TRANSPLANTATION IN LIVE DONOR KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION: A PROSPECTIVE SINGLE CENTRE STUDY

Objective: The objective of present study was to evaluate incidence and risk factors for the development of new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) after kidney transplantation at our center.Methods: A total 79 nondiabetic patients who underwent living donor kidney transplantation from January 2014 to August 2014 were prospectively enrolled. All the patients were followed for one year. All the patients received the same protocol of immunosuppressive therapy. NODAT was defined as if a patient had HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, fasting venous plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dl, or was receiving diet or medical therapy for diabetes.Results: The incidence of NODAT was 29.9% after one year. Risk factors associated with the development of NODAT included older age (OR: 1.07; p<0.05), family history (OR: 3.58; P<0.05), hepatitis C virus (HCV) positivity (OR: 11.15; p<0.05), obesity (OR: 4.28; p<0.05), pre-transplant triglycerides (OR: 1.01; p<0.005) and cholesterol level (OR: 1.01; p<0.005).Conclusion: The prevalence of potentially modifiable risk factors in our study cohort was overweight recipients and pretransplant HCV infection, serum triglycerides, and cholesterol levels.Keywords: New-onset Diabetes after transplantation, Kidney transplantation, Tacrolimus, Hepatitis C virus

Comparison of Induction Therapy Using Antithymocyte Globulin and Using Basiliximab for Live Donor Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single Centre Prospective Cohort Study

Objective: Acute rejections (AR) have a negative impact on long-term graft survival and are the major predictor of chronic rejection. Induction therapy is used to reduce AR and prevent delayed graft function (DGF). Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and basiliximab are mainly used for this purpose. In this prospective, cohort study, we analysed and compared the safety and efficacy of ATG and basiliximab in induction therapy for live donor kidney transplant recipients.Methods: Graft survival, AR-free survival, renal function, DGF and tolerability were compared in patients who underwent live-donor transplantation between January 2014 and August 2014 at Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, Nadiad, Gujarat, India.Results and Discussion: A total of 85 live-donor kidney transplant recipients who enrolled were followed up for 12 mo. The incidence of AR was greater in the basiliximab group, as compared with the ATG group (25.6% versus 7.1%, p <0.05). The incidence of antibody treated AR was also greater (18.6% versus 2.4 %, p < 0.05). Patient survival rate and graft survival rate were 95.2% and 92.9% in the ATG group, respectively, compared with 90.4%and 90.7% in the basiliximab group, respectively. The incidence of adverse events was higher in the ATG group compared with the basiliximab group (71.4% versus 48.3%, p<0.05).Conclusion: The incidence of AR and antibody-treated AR was significantly higher in the basiliximab group than in the ATG cohort. However, ATG was associated with significantly higher incidence of adverse events and leucopenia than basiliximab. Both the strategies were achieved similar patient and graft survival

Isolation and Characterization of Nodule-Associated Exiguobacterium sp. from the Root Nodules of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and Their Possible Role in Plant Growth Promotion

One of the ways to increase the competitive survivability of rhizobial biofertilizers and thus achieve better plant growth under such conditions is by modifying the rhizospheric environment or community by addition of nonrhizobial nodule-associated bacteria (NAB) that cause better nodulation and plant growth when coinoculated with rhizobia. A study was performed to investigate the most commonly associated nodule-associated bacteria and the rhizospheric microorganisms associated with the Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) plant. Isolation of nonrhizobial isolates from root nodules of Fenugreek was carried out along with the rhizospheric isolates. About 64.7% isolates obtained from Fenugreek nodules were gram-negative coccobacilli, 29.41% were gram-positive bacilli, and all rhizospheric isolates except one were gram-positive bacilli. All the isolates were characterized for their plant growth promoting (PGP) activities. Two of the NAB isolates M2N2c and B1N2b (Exiguobacterium sp.) showed maximum positive PGP features. Those NAB isolates when coinoculated with rhizobial strain—S. meliloti, showed plant growth promotion with respect to increase in plant's root and shoot length, chlorophyll content, nodulation efficiency, and nodule dry weight

Protective action of taurine, given as a pretreatment or as a posttreatment, against endotoxin-induced acute lung inflammation in hamsters

To assess the effect of taurine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis, female Golden Syrian hamsters were intratracheally instilled with bacterial LPS (0.02 mg in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) pH 7.4), before or after a 3-day intraperitoneal treatment with a single dose of taurine (50 mg/kg/day in PBS pH 7.4), and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue samples were collected at 24 hr after the last treatment. In comparison to BALF samples from animals receiving only PBS pH 7.4, and serving as controls, those of LPS-stimulated animals exhibited a higher count of both total leukocytes and neutrophils and increased expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1. In comparison to lungs from control animals, those from LPS-treated animals showed increased cellular apoptosis, lipid peroxidation, decreased glutathione levels, altered activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase) and focal inflammation confined to the parenchyma. A treatment with taurine was found to significantly attenuate all these alterations, with the protection being, in all instances, greater when given before rather than after LPS. The present results suggest that taurine is endowed with antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties that are protective in the lung against the deleterious actions of Gram negative bacterial endotoxin

Similar prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in any ICU survivor patient relative

Background: Iwashyna et al defined a chronic critically ill (CCI) patient as any patient requiring care in ICU for more than or equal to 10 days. Physicians often assume that the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in relatives of CCI patients would be higher than in those patients who are not CCI. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms of relatives of a CCI and those whose patients are not CCI. We aimed to establish that the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms are similar in relatives of any ICU survivor patient. Methods: The study was a non-interventional, observational, cross-sectional study. Relatives were evaluated as early as possible after day ten following ICU admission for CCI patients and non-CCI patients on or a day before discharge from ICU. During this evaluation, anonymous demographic data of relatives were captured, and PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales were administered and completed by the relative. Results: A total of 418 relatives consented and were included in the study [104 in CCI patient group and 314 in non-CCI group]. Overall, the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in the entire study cohort was 23.2% (95% CI, 19.4-27.5) and 16.5% (95% CI, 13.2-20.4), respectively. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the proportion of PHQ-9 total score >9 (p value: 0.577) as well as the GAD-7 total score (p value: 0.816). Conclusions: There was no difference in the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in relatives of a CCI versus those whose patients are not CCI

Linking of different ethnicities, races and religions to lipid profile patterns and hypolipidaemic drug usage patterns in coronary artery disease patients

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the consequence of atherosclerosis in which inadequate blood flow in the coronary arteries leads to myocardial necrosis. The impact of ethnic on CAD might be underestimated within Indian communities. There have never been any studies done associating them to lipid profile patterns in the Indian setup hence this study is the first of its kind to work towards attending the absence of data in this direction.The study aimed to evaluate the presence of ethnic differences in lipid profile patterns and hypolipidemic drug use in CAD patients.Methods: An 8-week cross-sectional prospective study was conducted in the cardiology OPD of a tertiary care hospital. Adult CAD patients prescribed with at least one hypolipidaemic drug, having their lipid profile values and willing to give informed consent were selected. The prescription pattern was noted, and the lipid profile values of the patients classified as per ATP III guidelines by NCEP. Atherogenic dyslipidaemia was considered when patients had triglyceride levels >150 mg/dl and HDL<40 mg/dl. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS. P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: A total of 123 patients enrolled. Out of these, 115 were Hindus and among Hindus, most were Brahmins (34). The most prescribed hypolipidaemic drug was Rosuvastatin. Thirty six patients had high triglyceride levels out of which 35 were Hindus. Low HDL (<40 mg/dl) was present in 70 patients out of which 64 were Hindus. Atherogenic dyslipidaemia was seen in 44 patients. Majority of them belonged to the age group of 51-60 years (43.2%) and were Patels. Total cholesterol and LDL were high in 1 and 2 Jains respectively. Lipid values were higher in Tier-3 city patients.Conclusion: Hindu patients in this study showed a poorer lipid profile while among the castes, Jains and Patel’s fared poorly. It was seen that atherogenic dyslipidemia is on a rise in the Indian population