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Background: Nephrotic syndrome is usually accompanied by retention of water and sodium. Nephrotic syndrome is a collection of clinical findings due to kidney damage. This includes protein in the urine, low blood albumin levels, high blood lipids, and significant edema. Objectives: This study aimed to observe the pattern of lipid profile in the children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and the effect of treatment on the same. Methods: The present observational, cross sectional of 40 cases of nephrotic syndrome children aged between 2-8 years was carried out from June 2022 to July 2023 in Department of Pediatrics of Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Statistical data were analysed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS V.20 software. Results: Number of nephrotic children presented during first episode (FE) was 10 (25%). Majority (65%) were under the category of infrequent relapser (I:R) and only 4 children (10%) were frequent relapse. It was observed that during relapse, 4 cases (10%) having their serum albumin level < 1.5 gm/dl showed a very high mean serum cholesterol value of 596 mg/dl. Among 40 nephrotic children during their relapse before treatment, majority of cases (60%) showed their serum LDL cholesterol value in between 200 - 300 mg /dl. Only few cases (8%) showed very high LDL cholesterol level above 401 mg /dl. The mean + SD value (mg / dl of LDL-cholesterol among control children was 94.8 +30.39 Conclusions: This study suggests that serum lipid profile evaluation be done at regular intervals in children with nephrotic syndrome with follow up even during remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolic liver diseases (MLDs) in children can present with a wide range of clinical features. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to increase the high index of suspicion among physicians and awareness among caregivers regarding early diagnosis of MLD. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based prospective observational study has been conducted in the Paediatric Outpatient Department and Inpatient Department of RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, over 2 years from 2021 to 2023. A total of 47 children aged up to 12 years were diagnosed as various MLDs who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Template was generated and analysis was done on SPSS software. Results: The study sample was 47 children with MLDs. Mean age was 4.21±3.81 years. Males: female ratio was approximately 2.35:1. History of consanguinity among parents was present in 23.40% cases which affirmed the autosomal recessive mode of inheritance in most of the MLD. History of sibling deaths was there in 10 cases. The most common symptom was yellowish discoloration 21 (44.68%) followed by abdominal distension 12 (25.53%). There were diverse modes of presentations. The most common presentations were hepatomegaly 47 (100%) and splenomegaly 30 (63.83%). Of 47 MLDs, Wilson disease cases were maximum (27.66%) followed by glycogen storage disease (23.40%). Conclusion: High index of suspicion should be prevalent among physicians for early diagnosis of cases to reduce disease mortality and morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the tropics, scrub typhus is a growing health risk. Acute meningoencephalitis, enteric fever, Kawasaki disease, and dengue can all have similar clinical characteristics. Early intervention and a high index of suspicion help to avoid mortality and morbidity. The preferred medications are Doxycycline or Azithromycin, both intravenous and oral. Aims and objectives: The aim of thepresent study was to present clinical manifestation, laboratoryfindings and treatment outcomes of pediatric scrub typhus ina tertiary care setting. Methods: The present study was prospective observational study. A total of 45 cases detected with positive for Scrub Typhuswere includedin the study. Study was conducted from May to October 2023 in the Department of Paediatric Medicine, RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Statistical data were analysed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS V.20 software. Results: A total of 45 cases were detected to be positive for Scrub Typhus. Their age ranged from 1½years to 12 years, mean being 7 ½ years. There was no sex predilection, 21 (47%) were male and 24 (53%) were female. Fever was the chief complaint in all of them. During hospital stay, the average temperature recorded was 101ºF. Eighteen cases presented with exanthematous fever. The rash was erythematous maculopapular, mostly appearing in the limbs and sometimes over the trunk. Eschar was found only in ‘5’ cases case even after thorough searching. Other findings include organomegaly, generalized lymphadenopathy and constitutional symptoms. Conclusion :Scrub typhus do exist around Kolkata in the suburban and rural areas. Hence awareness is very important. They need to be detected early by high index of clinical suspicion and screening test followed by rapid onset of treatment by Azithromycin and Doxycycline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic DNA adopts B‐form canonically. Besides, the oligonucleotides can adopt various non‐canonical secondary structures. These are hairpins, cruciforms, triplexes, quadruplexes (G4), i‐motifs etc. G4s are usually formed by the guanine rich oligonucleotides and are found in both DNA and RNA. G4s are more frequently distributed in telomeres, promoter oncogenes, immunoglobulin switch regions, ribosomal DNA etc. Recently, it has been established that G4s are intriguingly connected with different human diseases including cancer. Stabilization of G4s by designed molecules or drugs impedes the transcription of several oncogenes and also creates encumbrance to the telomere biogenesis which is very important in impediment of cancer. G4 is treated as an important molecular target in the discovery of anti‐cancer drugs. Among the G4 targeting molecules, peptides draw sincere attention due to its small size, simple synthetic methodology, low cytotoxicity and cellular permeability. In this review, our main discussion revolves around the formation of G4, distribution of G4 in genome, structurally diverse peptides (linear, cyclic, branch, conjugated) having potential to target G4 structures and its future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G‐quadruplex (G4) is one of the non‐canonical nucleic acid structures that regulate multiple key biological processes. The formation of G4 hinders the progression of cancer. The molecular entities which can stabilize the G4 structure are very important to design anticancer therapeutics. Herein, it is described that a synthetic dendron‐like peptide, Cδ3‐(YYEE)‐E co‐assembles with G4 DNA in aqueous buffer containing Na+ ions. Various orthogonal biophysical studies have established the co‐assembly phenomenon. In silico, molecular docking studies also corroborate the results obtained from biophysical experiments. Importantly, the co‐assembly enhances the thermal stability of G4 DNA compared to free G4 DNA. The peptide inhibits the activity of telomerase enzyme which is found to be over‐expressed in most of the cancer cells and also down‐regulates the c‐Myc oncogenic expression. The peptide exhibits significant cytotoxic effect on cancer cells (HeLa and U2OS) compared to non‐cancer cells (HEK293) under similar experimental conditions. The study highlights the applicability of a synthetic bioactive peptide as a putative anticancer therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effluent contains many harmful microbes which should be eliminated before it is discharged into a water body. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) being high-quality significance and have a great impact on this research field as it inhibits microbial proliferation and infection. Therefore, it may use for Bioremediation purposes, our laboratory is fascinated by the production of polymer matrix entrapment silver nanoparticles for in situ bio-remediation purposes. The AgNPs was prepared from sawdust by decoction method. The yellowish solution turns into dark brown colour indicating the formation of AgNPs. A sharp SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) band formation in UV-vis spectroscopy scan establishes the formation and stability of silver nanoparticles in an aqueous solution. SEM microphotograph indicated roughly spheroidal structure with (63±3) nm average diameters of newly synthesized AgNp. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is eco-friendly and non-toxic to the environment was chosen for the preparation of polymeric matrix. The non-toxic concentration (1 μg/mL) of AgNp was dispersed into PVA solution followed by cross-linked with maleic acid. PVA- maleic acid is cross-linked by the formation of an ester bond, whereas silver nanoparticles physically entrap into the cross-linked matrix. The silver nanoparticles were released from the matrix nearly after 10 min of swelling of the composite film. In a microbial assay using E. coli agar medium, PVA-AgNp composite film shows the significant killing of microorganisms. Microbial elimination is measured indirectly by pH measurement and dissolved oxygen concentration measurement of the effluent in situ against RO- water, taken as control. The dissolved oxygen concentration from RO water and effluent water was measured on Day "0" followed by treatment and incubation at the BOD chamber. The treatment with PVA-AgNp composite film reduced the BOD Level and increase dissolved oxygen level simultaneously increasing the quality of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver is a vital organ to maintain physiology of the body and supports every organ of the body. Its proper functioning during pregnancy is essential for a good maternal and fetal outcome. The study analyzes the causes and fetomaternal outcome in pregnancies and suggests measures to reduce morbidity and mortality. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to analyze the maternal and fetal outcome in pregnancy complicated with abnormal liver function test. Materials and Methods: This was hospital-based observational prospective study conducted at NRS Medical College and Hospital from March 2020 to August 2021. Total 144 pregnant women with abnormal liver function were included in the study. Template was generated and analysis was done on SPSS software. Results: Among 144 pregnant women 44.4% patients were 21–25 years of age. About 79.2% patients had <2 serum bilirubin, 13.9% patients had 2–5 serum bilirubin, 2.8% patients had abruption, 11.8% patients had convulsion, and 9.3% patients had fetal bradycardia. About 13.9% patients had acute kidney injury, 22.2% patients had BT, 9.7% patients had hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets, 15.3% patients had postpartum hemorrhage, and 3.8% patients had maternal death. In our study, 34.7% patients had pre-eclampsia and 11.8% patients had eclampsia. Conclusion: Abnormal liver function during pregnancy is associated with adverse events for both the mother and the fetus. Regular antenatal check-up, screening, and diagnosing liver disorder can save the lives of many mothers and fetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein misfolding and subsequent generation of amyloid fibrils are associated with a wide range of diseases e. g. Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's, type II diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and many others. Aromatic amino acid residues of polypeptide/protein are supposed to play a critical role in formation and stabilization of amyloid fibrils. Herein, we report a synthetic peptide, ALYLV (peptide 1), corresponding to B14‐18 of insulin, that forms nanofibrillar aggregates upon self‐association in aqueous medium. Staining with congo red (CR) and thioflavin t (ThT) establish that these organized nano‐assemblies are amyloidogenic in nature. Interestingly, the structural modification of peptide 1 replacing the centrally located tyrosine residue with valine, ALVLV (peptide 2), significantly reduces the assembly propensity as well as the amyloidogenicity of peptide 2 compared to peptide 1. MTT (3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cell survival assay reveals the cytotoxicity of the aggregated peptides on HeLa cells upon 48 h of exposure. Overall, the study explores the aggregation potential, amyloidogenicity, and cytotoxicity of a hotspot of insulin and pinpoints the role of aromatic amino acid residue in amyloidosis. This outcome also illuminates the peptide nano‐assemblies for various biotechnological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of a synthetic, aromatic tripeptide, H-Phe-Phe-Phe-OH (FFF) to recognize the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) has been tested with various biophysical and thermodynamic techniques. From the study, it is established that the peptide can recognize the groove of the ct-DNA and the binding constant value calculated from the isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) study at 25C is 9.96 × 10³ M-1. From ITC data it is also noticed that the peptide-DNA complexation is favored by positive standard molar entropy contribution (TΔS°) of 13.65 kJ mol-1 and negative standard molar enthalpy contribution (ΔH°) of -9.170 kJ mol-1. The temperature-dependent ITC study also shows that the equilibrium constant value decreases gradually with increasing temperature. However, the standard molar Gibbs energy change exhibits only minor alterations suggesting the occurrence of enthalpy-entropy compensation. The studies reveal the insight into the spectroscopic and thermodynamic prospect of the FFFct-DNA interaction in vitro and hold the promise of future applications as DNA targeting drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The report describes the synthesis, self-association and DNA binding studies of an aromatic tripeptide H-Phe-Phe-Phe-OH (FFF). The peptide backbone adopts β-sheet conformation both in solid and solution. In aqueous solution, FFF self-assembles to form nanostructured aggregates. Interactions of this peptide with calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA) have been studied using various biophysical techniques including ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The value of mean binding constant calculated from UV and fluorescence spectroscopic data is (2.914 ± 0.74) x 10 3  M -1 which is consistent with an external binding mode. Fluorescence intercalator displacement (FID) assay, iodide quenching study, viscosity measurement and thermal denaturation study of DNA further confirm the groove binding mode of peptide, FFF with ct-DNA. MTT cell survival assay reveals very low cytotoxicity of the peptide toward human lung carcinoma cell line A549.