Case-Only Studies of Gene-Environment Interaction: Role of Linkage Disequilibrium and Population Stratification

Studies of gene-environment interactions (G×E) have been considered important owing to their scientific and public health implications. Indeed, many common complex diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are presumed to rely on both genetic (G) and environmental (E) risk factors. One major challenge to G×E studies is the insufficient power of traditional epidemiological study designs. A nontraditional approach, the case-only (CO) design, has been proposed as a potentially efficient strategy to assess G×E. Previously, the CO approach was shown to provide better per-sample power compared to other epidemiological study designs including case-control or cohort designs. This approach relies upon two key assumptions, namely that (i) the disease is sufficiently rare in the general population and that (ii) G and E are uncorrelated in the general population. When these assumptions are valid, departures from a multiplicative relative risk model, colloquially known as a ‘multiplicative interaction’, can be evaluated by testing the association between G and E in cases only. Therefore, in contrast to case-control studies, CO studies require genotype and exposure information from a set of affected individuals alone (‘no controls’) to track down the underlying G×E. In the past, CO studies of G×E usually followed a candidate (or single-) gene approach, but their utility on genome-wide level remained unexplored

Active Drivers of Adoption of Internet Banking

Application of internet by banking sector in India has changed the definition of banking completely. The management of different banks has been making concrete efforts to facilitate the acceptance of i-banking by bringing out its benefits to the customers. This paper identifies the active factors that influence customers intention regarding use of internet banking in Himachal Pradesh  Data was collected from a sample of 120 respondents through a well structured questionnaire. The data was collected from Government employees of Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh by asking close ended questions regarding their attitude towards i-banking and their future intention about its use . For analysing and interpreting data in the present study, basic statistical tools, chi-square test (test of independence) and logistical regression analysis was used with the help of SPSS 16.0 version. Out of seven factors i.e., perceived risk, perceived usefulness,  perceived quality of service, Perceived cost, Perceived ease of use, trust and awareness, three significant factors i.e., perceived risk, perceived usefulness  and perceived quality of service have been identified that actively influence future adoption intention to adopt internet banking . Further the study exhibited that perceived usefulness and perceived quality of service positively influence the intention to adopt i-banking while perceived risk negatively affect the future adoption intention of i-banking. This  model has the overall predictability of classifying 76.7 % cases correctly and exhibited that 87.2 % customers are classified for adopting i-banking service whereas 57.1 % customers for not having intention to use it in futur

Role of Watershed Management in Bridging Demand – Supply Gap of Fodder for Enhancing Livestock Production in Shivaliks, Haryana

Watershed programme is an important intervention in dryland areas to improve livestock productivity through increased feed and fodder supply. The present study has focused on the impact of watershed interventions on crop-livestock linkages with particular emphasis on how the interventions have affected the quantity of stovers/straws as livestock feeding materials in bridging the demand-supply gap. The study has been carried out in three typical Shivalik foothill watersheds (two treated and one untreated) in the Panchkula district of Haryana state. The impact of watershed development programme has been estimated by adopting both with and without approach and before and after approach. The untreated watershed has derived 65 per cent of its total income from animal husbandry. On the contrary, this sector has contributed 42 per cent and 20 per cent in two treated watersheds. The availability of supplemental irrigation enabled the villagers to step up cropping intensity. The number of goats has reduced considerably in both treated watersheds and the number of stall-fed buffaloes has increased. Adult cattle units per household and per hectatre of cultivated area have been found to be highest in the untreated watershed. Green and dry fodder availability, both from cultivated lands and forest area, has increased as a result of implementation of watershed programme. Although the gap between requirement and availability has narrowed down in both the treated watersheds, significant gains could be realized in Sambhalwa watershed due to sufficient water availability to all the households. Bunga watershed has also shown effectiveness of watershed development programme in reducing demand –supply gap of fodder. This gap, however, widened after reaching the saturation point of watershed programme, i.e. after 22 years of its implementation.Fodder, Demand-supply gap, Watershed management, Livestock production, Shivaliks, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q01, Q15, Q25, Q28,

An emerging protagonist: Sodium Glucose Co-transporters (SGLTs) as a burgeoning target for the treatment of diabetes mellitus

Contemporary therapies to rationalize the hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) generally involve insulin-dependent mechanisms and lose their effectiveness as pancreatic b-cell function decreases to a greater extent. The kidney emerges out as a novel and potential target to trim down the T2DM. The filtered glucose is reabsorbed principally through the sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2), a low affinity transport system, which is present at the luminal surface cells that cover the first segment of proximal tubules. Competitive inhibition of SGLT2 therefore represents an innovative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of hyperglycaemia and/or obesity in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes by enhancing glucose and energy loss through the urine. Selective inhibitors of SGLT2 reduce glucose reabsorption, causing excess glucose to be eliminated in the urine; this decreases plasma glucose. SGLT2 inhibitors are coupled with osmotic dieresis and loss of weight which aid in reducing blood pressure. The observation that individuals with familial renal glycosuria maintain normal long-term kidney function provides some encouragement that this mode of action will not adversely affect renal function. This novel mechanism of targeting the kidney for the treatment of T2DM is reasonably valuable and is independent of insulin and clutch with the low risk of hypoglycemia

FORMULATION, OPTIMIZATION, AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF POLYMERIC NANOSUSPENSION OF FLURBIPROFEN

Objective: At present, more than 40% of drugs are poorly water-soluble that leads to reduced bioavailability. The objective of the present investigation was to overcome the issue of poor aqueous solubility of drug; therefore, stable flurbiprofen (FBF) nanosuspensions were developed by nanoprecipitation method. Materials and Methods: Based on particle size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency, the polymeric system of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose E15 and poloxamer 188 was used effectively. The prepared formulations were evaluated for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, saturation solubility, entrapment efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, dissolution profile, and stability. Results: The resultant FBF nanosuspensions depicted particles in size range of 200–400 nm and were physically stable. After nanonization, the crystallinity of FBF was slightly reduced in the presence of excipients. The aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of all FBF nanosuspensions were significantly increased as compared with FBF powder. Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated that nanoprecipitation is a promising method to develop stable polymeric nanosuspension of FBF with significant increase in its aqueous solubility

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF CLOBETASOL-17-PROPIONATE-LOADED CARBOXYMETHYL CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLE

Objective: Formulation and evaluation of clobetasol-17-propionate-loaded carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticle. Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder caused due to the autoimmune factors. It has a detrimental psychological and physiological impact on patients due to the emergence of apparent skin. The systemic therapy with anti-psoriatic drugs such corticosteroids, immunosuppressant, and gene suppressors causes severe side effects. As a result, increasing the effectiveness and safety of the aforementioned medicines when applied topically would be extremely useful in avoiding the side effects associated with the systemic route of administration. Methods: Chitosan (CS) has not been widely used in the clinic applications but due to its limited solubility and poor mechanical characteristics. CS, on the other hand, is chemically changed to form carboxymethyl (CMC), which is soluble at both neutral and basic pH. Chemical modifications can also be used to attach different functional groups and control hydrophobic, cationic, and anionic properties. CMC is a promising carrier that might possibly traverse the thick scales of psoriatic skin since it is a penetration enhancer that allows drug diffusion through either the transcellular or paracellular pathways. Comparative study is done using CMC as a polymer and CD as a polymer. Results: CP-loaded CMC nanoparticles show better result results than CP-loaded CD polymer. Conclusion: Clobetasol-17-propionate-loaded carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticle shows better results with improved solubility