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Gastric cancer (GC) is a multistep process characterized by a gradual accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations in genes at various stages of progression. Epigenetic alterations like DNA methylation play an important role in cancer and may serve as a biomarker for cancer. The present study was aimed to investigate the promoter hypermethylation, expression profile, and Arg399Gln gene polymorphism of DNA repair gene XRCC1 (X-ray repair cross complimentary group I) in GC patients. A total of 60 histopathologically confirmed GC subjects were recruited in the study. Information on various dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors was obtained in face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire from each subject. Tissue samples were taken along with adjacent non-cancerous tissues for analysis. Promoter methylation status and expression of XRCC1 gene was evaluated using MS-PCR and western blotting respectively; while as Arg399Gln polymorphism was analyzed by PCR-RFLP. We found that the XRCC1 gene promoter of 38.3% cancerous tissues were methylated compared to 13.3% of adjacent normal tissues. The promoter hypermethylation status of the gene was found to be significantly associated with the loss of protein expression (P0.0001, OR = 14.63; 95% CI 4.01-53.43). However, we did not find any significant association of polymorphism of XRCC1 Arg399Gln with promoter methylation or protein expression. Further, comparison of methylation status and protein expression with clinical parameters like age, smoking status, etc. was also not significant (P0.05). The present study indicates that XRCC1 undergoes aberrant promoter hypermethylation with subsequent loss of protein expression in gastric cancer.

Interplay between the nervous and immune systems is critical for homeostasis, and its dysfunction underlies pathologies such as multiple sclerosis, autism, leukemia, and inflammation. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans provides an opportunity to define evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of regulation of host innate immunity and inflammation in a genetically tractable whole-animal system. In the past few years, the C. elegans nervous system has emerged as an integral part of host defense against pathogens, acting through diverse mechanisms to repress or induce protective transcriptional responses to infection in distal tissues. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the mechanisms through which the C. elegans nervous system controls the expression of host defense genes in the intestinal epithelium. Although still incomplete, the insights derived from such work have broad implications for neural regulation of epithelial function at mucosal barriers in higher organisms in health and disease.

The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans mounts transcriptional defense responses against intestinal bacterial infections that elicit overlapping starvation and infection responses, the regulation of which is not well understood. Direct comparison of C. elegans that were starved or infected with Staphylococcus aureus revealed a large infection-specific transcriptional signature, which was almost completely abrogated by deletion of transcription factor hlh-30/TFEB, except for six genes including a flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) gene, fmo-2/FMO5. Deletion of fmo-2/FMO5 severely compromised infection survival, thus identifying the first FMO with innate immunity functions in animals. Moreover, fmo-2/FMO5 induction required the nuclear hormone receptor, NHR-49/PPAR-α, which controlled host defense cell non-autonomously. These findings reveal an infection-specific host response to S. aureus, identify HLH-30/TFEB as its main regulator, reveal FMOs as important innate immunity effectors in animals, and identify the mechanism of FMO regulation through NHR-49/PPAR-α during S. aureus infection, with implications for host defense and inflammation in higher organisms.

Paraquat dichloride (PD) is a major contaminant in aquatic environment and is a cause of concern to different organisms, especially to fishes, as it causes different changes in behavioral and morph...

Aim Survivin is a unique member of inhibitor of apoptotic protein family present in embryonic development but absent in normal tissues. Splicing of the survivin gene give rise to five different splice variants and differential expression of these splice variants has been associated with disease progression and development in many human cancers. The aim of our study was to investigate the expression level of survivin (survivin-wild type) and two of its splice variants (∆Ex3 & 2B) in human breast cancer and normal adjacent. Method Fifty breast cancer patients were included in this study. The mRNA expression level of survivin and its variants was checked by SYBR Green based real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method. Result The expression of surviving WT, ∆Ex3 and survivin-2B mRNA was 88% (44/50), 76% (38/50), and 72% (36/50) respectively. Further correlation of expression of survivin splice variants with clinico-pathologic parameters in breast cancer patients indicated a stage and grade specific increase in survivin-wt mRNA, and stage and grade dependent change in expression for variants ∆Ex3 and 2B. Conclusion Our data demonstrates that differential expression of survivin splice variants is a key feature of breast cancer. Apart from survivin, targeting survivin splice variants can also be an important diagnostic and therapeutic target in cancer. Our findings may provide novel avenues for development of both diagnostics and biotheraepeutics in cancer.

One of the expected effects of mammalian developmental defects is a rise in air temperature. Heat stress adversely affects embryo oogenesis, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and implantation. The number of defects caused by heat stress in all mammals is almost identical, but each species has its own particular sensitivity to specific defects. It suggests that genotype may have a significant effect on the type of defect, its occurrence, and its extent. By heat output and loss, the body temperature is usually preserved in a restricted range, but the equilibrium can be disrupted by illness, inadequate nutrition, and severe environmental temperature. Elevated maternal temperature during pregnancy, either by fever or any other means of heating, may result in embryo death, retarded development, abortion, and many embryonic defects such as cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis or programmed cell death, structural and functional defects, and changes in maternal physiology. Maternal heat stress also reduces the levels of placental hormones. This chapter deals with the heat stress effect on reduction of reproductive function, implantation defects, etc. of different animals and humans.

Plants in urban territories assume a fundamental job to purify the contamination in human conditions. Quickly developing biomass plants, for example, Salix species, are promising for use in phytoremediation of defiled land. It is realized that substantial metals are taken up and translocated by plants to various degrees. The section portrays the decision of eco-accommodating Salix alba species and their correct situation in the urban condition to defeat the contamination issues. White willow imitations can aggregate generous measures of Cd and Zn in the over-the-ground biomass and have along these lines been tried for phytoextraction of decently polluted soils. This section likewise audits the potential for the phytoremediation of substantial metal-defiled land by the Salix alba. The perspectives from various examinations on Salix alba have been utilized to exhibit the limit and plausibility of utilizing it in phytoextraction. Consequently, to augment phytoextraction productivity, it is critical to choose a quickly developing and high biomass plant with high take-up of substantial metals, which is additionally perfect with motorized development systems and neighborhood climate conditions.

The concentrations of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides were determined in surface sediments and freshwater molluscs (Melanoides scabra and Melanoides tuberculata) from Tighra Reservoi...

Aim. The aim of the present study was to identify and evaluate predominant noise sources in the cricket bat industry of Kashmir, India. Methods. Sound levels were measured at operator’s ear level in the working zone of the workers of seven cricket bat factories. The impact assessment was made through personal interviews with each worker separately during their period of rest. Results. On average, 62.5% of the workers reported difficulty in hearing and 24.1% of the workers have become patients for hypertension. Only 58.1% of the workers complained of headache due to high noise level. Conclusions. The workers engaged in the cricket bat industry of Kashmir are exposed to high noise levels. It is suggested that personal protective equipment like ear plugs and ear muffs be used by these workers as a protection against this hazard.

Dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan in multiple animal species, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. A recent study published in Cell Metabolism by Wu et al. (2019) shows that DR represses an evolutionarily conserved p38 MAPK pathway involved in innate immunity, leading to diminished expression of p38 MAPK-regulated genes and extended lifespan.

Mycorrhizal fungi are symbionts forming mutualistic relationship with plant roots. In the present study, surface sterilized onion seeds were sown in earthen pots filled with sterile soil. Half the pots were inoculated with sterilized arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) spores and sterilized inoculated maize root fragments and another half without any AMF inoculation represented control but were provided sterilized maize root fragments having no AMF colonization. After 40 days of germination, the inoculated plants along with their controls were sampled at 20, 40, 60 and 80 days of growth. The bulbs of onion plant are shown to present a higher level of metabolites like carbohydrates, protein and phenolics, and mineral nutrition in the mycorrhizal ones as compared to the non-inoculated ones. The HPLC analysis depicted that indigestible oligosaccharides are increased due to AMF inoculation. Phytochemical changes in the AMF infected plants in comparison to their respective controls by GC–MS analysis are also reported here in.

Concentration of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides and their metabolites were determined in whole body homogenate of L. acuminata, I. exustus, V. dissimilis, V. bengalensis, from Tighra Reservoir during summer and post monsoon season using GC-MS technique. The different types of pesticides viz., HCB, heptachlor, aldrin, endosulfan, dieldrin, p,p-DDT, choloropyrifos, methyl parathion, dicholorovos, ethion, malathion, parathion were found in resident molluscs studied. Concentration of these pesticides varied independently during the summer and the post monsoon season at monitored sites. The study concluded that presence of pesticides in Tighra Reservoir is a major concern on public and ecosystem health and use of biopesticides in the adjacent area of Reservoir is highly recommended.

Nature has bestowed every living creature with unique qualities for maintaining an ecological balance. Earthworms are equipped with wonderful machinery, absolutely different from other organisms, which allow them to nurture the soil beautifully, having a direct impact on the production and quality of crops. Worms act as natural boosters when organic matter is converted into vermicompost and as soil conditioners bringing beneficial microbial activity to plants for growth and development. Microbial stimulation in the presence of earthworms may be due to the utilization of additional nutritive substances (secretion and excretion products) that they provide. Vermicomposting is highly nutritive and a growth promoter as compared to conventional compost. The process of vermicomposting has been well studied by earlier researchers, covering almost every aspect, but scant scientific literature is available on the relationship of earthworms with microbial diversity in different ecosystems. This chapter investigates how earthworms are natural boosters for agro-ecosystems and the role earthworms play in activating different microbes in agriculture fields.

Lychee is an evergreen tree of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, mostly grown in China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the rest of tropical Southeast Asia, and commercially propagated through air layering by vegetative propagation. Lychee can successfully grow at higher altitudes with sufficient moisture and in an acidic soil environment but is prone to severe frost. Lychee has the ability to spread and produce good foliage growth in the presence of sufficient organic matter including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil.

The use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides has not only caused damage to environment but has caused detrimental impacts on the health of people. In order to feed the ever growing population and prevent environmental contamination and decrease the impact on human health organic farming is being promoted all over the world. The use of Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi to boost agricultural productivity is considered a better alternative as it has strong influence on plant interactions by aiding plants in resource acquisition, disease suppression, and tolerance to soil pollution and play a decisive role in plant development. It also enhance the supply of water and nutrients (phosphate and nitrogen), to the host plant. In return, up to 20% of plant-fixed carbon is transferred to the fungus; hence the nutritional exchange is bidirectional. AMF acts as a biocontrol agent for various crops and thus reduces the burden of pesticides in agro-ecosystems. Advance research is needed to develop farming systems that optimize the use of natural resources such as mycorrhizal fungi for sustainable agricultural production. The present chapter is an attempt to study the role of AMF in controlling different plant parasitic nematodes along with its important advantages for the crop production.

Background The DNA repair gene XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism has been found to be implicated in the development of various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC), in different populations. We aimed to determine any association of this polymorphism with the risk of CRC in Kashmir. Materials and methods A total of 120 confirmed cases of CRC and 146 healthy cancer free controls from the Kashmiri population were included in this study. Genotyping was carried out by the polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results Genotype frequencies of XRCC1 Arg399Gln observed in controls were 34.2%, 42.5% and 23.3% for GG (Arg/Arg), GA (Arg/Gln), AA( Gln/Gln), respectively, and 28.3%, 66.7% and 5% in cases, with an odds ratio (OR)=5.7 and 95% confidence interval (CI) =2.3-14.1 (p=0.0001). No significant association of Arg399Gln SNP with any clinicopathological parameters of CRC was found. Conclusions We found the protective role of 399Gln allele against risk to the development of CRC. The XRCC1 heterozygote status appears to be a strong risk factor for CRC development in the Kashmiri population.

The working environment in carpet industry was assessed for fungal contamination in Gwalior (India). The sampling was carried out in five carpet units that were selected randomly. The Petri plates containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium was exposed for a period of 15 min near the workplace (exposed) and outside environment (control). They were covered again with aluminium foil before transporting them to the laboratory for further analysis. It was found that various types of fungal species viz., Aspergillus niger, A. parasitics, Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp., Trichoderma sp., Curvularia sp., Cladosporium sp., and yeast were present at the work place, which may cause various types of diseases among the weavers. Therefore, we recommended good housekeeping and workplace design, which is necessary for control of fungal contamination at the work place, that may not only reduce the disease among workers but may also increase productivity and efficiency of the workers.

Dopamine acts through two classes of G protein-coupled receptor (D1-like and D2-like) to modulate neuron activity in the brain. While subtypes of D1- and D2-like receptors are coexpressed in many neurons of the mammalian brain, it is unclear how signaling by these coexpressed receptors interacts to modulate the activity of the neuron in which they are expressed. D1- and D2-like dopamine receptors are also coexpressed in the cholinergic ventral-cord motor neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans. To begin to understand how coexpressed dopamine receptors interact to modulate neuron activity, we performed a genetic screen in C. elegans and isolated mutants defective in dopamine response. These mutants were also defective in behaviors mediated by endogenous dopamine signaling, including basal slowing and swimming-induced paralysis. We used transgene rescue experiments to show that defects in these dopamine-specific behaviors were caused by abnormal signaling in the cholinergic motor neurons. To investigate the interaction between the D1- and D2-like receptors specifically in these cholinergic motor neurons, we measured the sensitivity of dopamine-signaling mutants and transgenic animals to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor aldicarb. We found that D2 signaling inhibited acetylcholine release from the cholinergic motor neurons while D1 signaling stimulated release from these same cells. Thus, coexpressed D1- and D2-like dopamine receptors act antagonistically in vivo to modulate acetylcholine release from the cholinergic motor neurons of C. elegans.

We investigated general indoor working conditions in the cricket bat manufacturing industry in Kashmir (India) and assessed the health risk factors of workers in 10 manufacturing units. Noise level...

Regulated antimicrobial peptide expression in the intestinal epithelium is key to defense against infection and to microbiota homeostasis. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate such expression is necessary for understanding immune homeostasis and inflammatory disease and for developing safe and effective therapies. We used Caenorhabditis elegans in a preclinical approach to discover mechanisms of antimicrobial gene expression control in the intestinal epithelium. We found an unexpected role for the cholinergic nervous system. Infection-induced acetylcholine release from neurons stimulated muscarinic signaling in the epithelium, driving downstream induction of Wnt expression in the same tissue. Wnt induction activated the epithelial canonical Wnt pathway, resulting in the expression of C-type lectin and lysozyme genes that enhanced host defense. Furthermore, the muscarinic and Wnt pathways are linked by conserved transcription factors. These results reveal a tight connection between the nervous system and the intestinal epithelium, with important implications for host defense, immune homeostasis, and cancer.

The demand and development of chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals is increasing constantly posing a potential threat to the environment. The presence of pesticides and their impact makes their removal and detoxification a more urgent need. Bioremediation technologies have been successfully used and are gaining more and more importance with increased acceptance of eco-friendly remediation solutions among the scientific community. Bioremediation by fungi and bacteria is considered a better option for making environment free from pesticides, as chemical and physical methods are not only costly but also not very effective. However, the complex nature of pesticides is an obstacle to degrade the pesticides, so more versatile and robust microorganisms need to be identified which can produce the desired result in a very cost-effective manner. This study examines the role played by fungi and bacteria in degradation of the pesticides in environment and also identify the future research problems in this regard that need to be experimented.

Promoter hypermethylation of multiple genes have been identified to play a role in thyroid cancers and most prominent among them is TSHR gene promoter hypermethylation in particular showing a close association with BRAF gene-altered status. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the TSHR gene promoter hypermethylation in a series of thyroid tumor tissues in the backdrop of their BRAF gene mutational status. Methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) was used for detection of promoter methylation while BRAF gene mutational status was analyzed by PCR followed by DNA sequencing in the same series of 60 thyroid tumor tissues. The promoter region of TSHR gene was found to be methylated in 25 % (15 of 60) of the thyroid cancer patients. Patients having elevated TSH levels showed strong association with methylation (OR = 4.0, P = 0.02). BRAF V600E mutation was found in 25 % (15 of 60) patients and among them TSHR promoter was methylated in 73.3 % (11 of 15) patients and only 26.7 % (4 of 15) patients with mutated BRAF showed the absence of TSHR promoter methylation. We found a significant association between the presence of methylation in TSHR with the BRAF V600E mutation-positive cases (P

Breast cancer demonstrates geographical and ethnic variation in its incidence reflecting the effect of local environmental conditions and lifestyle. The genesis of the disease has further been complexed by the involvement of a number of genes with small effects and above all by population heterogeneity. Accordingly, variations in genes, including breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1)/breast cancer 2, early onset (BRCA2), that have been markedly associated with the breast cancer phenotype exhibit a scattered mutational pattern in different populations. The present study was aimed to analyze the sequence variations in BRCA2 gene in a case control manner in ethnically pure Kashmiri population using PCR. Sequencing of BRCA2 exons revealed the presence of five sequence variations, four of which present in exon 11 alone were somatic and one was germline located in the U-terminal region (UTR) of exon 2. Out of these, the two somatic mutations comprised of substitutions, one representing a missense mutation leading to an amino-acid substitution at codon 991 and the other was a silent mutation at codon 1131, whereas the other two mutations located in exon 11 represented a loss of polymorphism. Codons for amino acid position 846 and 868 were demonstrated to be heterozygous polymorphic variants in 66% of the normal breast tissue samples, whereas the heterozygous polymorphic variant codons at the two loci were replaced by a homozygous genotype in associated tumor tissue in 88% of cases. These two mutations were always linked. Germline variation observed in exon 2 was located in the UTR region at contig position 13870572 (rs1799943). Other screened exons of BRCA2 did not demonstrate any sequence variation. These variations may contribute to breast cancer susceptibility along with variations in other low penetrating genes in sporadic types of breast cancer in this cohort of the population.

Cancer is a multi-factorial disease and variation in genetic susceptibility, due to inherited differences in the capacity to repair mismatches in the genome, is an important factor in the development of gastric cancer (GC), for example. Epigenetic changes, including aberrant methylation of 5/CpG islands in the promoter regions of mismatch repair (MMR) genes like hMLH1, have been implicated in the development of various types of GC. In the present study we evaluated the role of hMLH1 promoter hypermethylation in Kashmiri GC patients and controls, and assessed correlations with various dietary and lifestyle factors. The study included 70 GC patients (56 males and 14 females; age (mean ± S.D) 50 ± 11.4 years). Distinction between methylated and unmethylated was achieved with MS-PCR and DNA band patterns. The Chi-square test was applied to assess the risk due to promoter hypermethylation. We found a strikingly high frequency of promoter hypermethylation in GC cases than in normal samples (72.9% (51/70) in GC cases vs 20% (14/70) in normal samples (p=0.0001). We also observed a statistically significant association between methylated hMLH1 gene promoter and smoking, consumption of sundried vegetables and hot salted tea with the risk of GC. This study revealed that hMLH1 hypermethylation is strongly associated with GC and suggested roles for epigenetic changes in stomach cancer causation in the Kashmir valley.

Dopamine signaling modulates voluntary movement and reward-driven behaviors by acting through G protein-coupled receptors in striatal neurons, and defects in dopamine signaling underlie Parkinson's disease and drug addiction. Despite the importance of understanding how dopamine modifies the activity of striatal neurons to control basal ganglia output, the molecular mechanisms that control dopamine signaling remain largely unclear. Dopamine signaling also controls locomotion behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. To better understand how dopamine acts in the brain we performed a large-scale dsRNA interference screen in C. elegans for genes required for endogenous dopamine signaling and identified six genes (eat-16, rsbp-1, unc-43, flp-1, grk-1, and cat-1) required for dopamine-mediated behavior. We then used a combination of mutant analysis and cell-specific transgenic rescue experiments to investigate the functional interaction between the proteins encoded by two of these genes, eat-16 and rsbp-1, within single cell types and to examine their role in the modulation of dopamine receptor signaling. We found that EAT-16 and RSBP-1 act together to modulate dopamine signaling and that while they are coexpressed with both D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors, they do not modulate D2 receptor signaling. Instead, EAT-16 and RSBP-1 act together to selectively inhibit D1 dopamine receptor signaling in cholinergic motor neurons to modulate locomotion behavior.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the methylation status of three important cancer related genes viz. p16, E-cadherin and hMLH1 promoters and to associate the findings with specific dietary habits in Kashmiris, a culturally distinct population in India, with gastric cancer. The study subjects were divided into three age groups viz. 0-30yrs (1 st ), 31-60yrs (2 nd ) and 61-90yrs (3 rd ). A highly significant association between the intake of local hot salted tea in 2 nd (p=0.001) and 3 rd (p=0.009) age groups was observed with the promoter hypermethylation of E cadherin. Again a highly significant association between the aberrant methylation of hMLH1 (p=0.000) and p16 (p=0.000) promoters and the intake of local hot salted tea was observed in the 2 nd age group of gastric cancer patients. The intake of sun-dried food was also significantly associated with the promoter hypermethylation of E cadherin (p=0.003) and p16 (p=0.015) genes in 3 rd age group. The results of the present study suggest a close association between the aberrant methylation of p16, E-cadherin and hMLH1 promoters and the intake of local hot salted tea and sun-dried foods in Kashmiri population.

Colorectal cancer is (CRC) one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Various genetic factors have been reported to be involved in the development of colorectal cancers including Axin gene. Axin, a major scaffold protein, plays an important role in various bio signaling pathways. We aim to study mutational pattern of Axin gene in colorectal cancer patients of Kashmiri population. The paired tumor and adjacent normal tissue specimens of 50 consecutive patients with CRC were used in our study. The DNA preparations were evaluated for the occurrence of Axin 1 and Axin 2 gene mutations by direct DNA sequencing. We analyzed exon 1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 4, 6, and 10 of Axin 1 and exon 7 of Axin 2. In this study, we found a novel mutation of G>T (GCT>TCT) transversion in exon 7 of Axin 2 gene at codon G695T (p.alanine > serine) at a frequency of 6% (3/50). In the same exon of Axin 2 gene a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was detected in codon L688L (CCT>CTT) at a frequency of 36% (18/50). In exon 1c of Axin 1 a SNP was detected at codon D726D (GAT>GAC) at a frequency of 62.5% (31/50). Both the SNPs were synonymous hence do not lead to change of amino acid. Although Axin 1 and Axin 2 gene mutations have been found to be involved in the development of colorectal cancers, it seems to be a relatively rare event in Kashmiri population. However, an interesting finding of this study is the novelty of Axin 2 gene mutations which may be a predisposing factor in ethnic Kashmiri population to CRC.

Centrosomes, the major microtubule-organizing centres (MTOCs) of animal cells, are comprised of a pair of centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material (PCM). Early in the cell cycle, there is a single centrosome, which duplicates during S-phase to direct bipolar spindle assembly during mitosis. Although crucial for proper cell division, the mechanisms that govern centrosome duplication are not fully understood. Here, we identify the Caenorhabditis elegans gene sas-5 as essential for daughter-centriole formation. SAS-5 is a coiled-coil protein that localizes primarily to centrioles. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments with green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to SAS-5 (GFP-SAS-5) demonstrated that the protein shuttles between centrioles and the cytoplasm throughout the cell cycle. Analysis of mutant alleles revealed that the presence of SAS-5 at centrioles is crucial for daughter-centriole formation and that ZYG-1, a kinase that is also essential for this process, controls the distribution of SAS-5 to centrioles. Furthermore, partial RNA-interference (RNAi)-mediated inactivation experiments suggest that both sas-5 and zyg-1 are dose-dependent regulators of centrosome duplication.

Echinococcosis (hydatid disease) is a zoonosis caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. About seventy-five per cent of all hydatid cysts are found in the liver. Surgical management of hepatic hydatid cyst includes neutralization of the parasite, evacuation of cyst, removal of germinal lining and management of the residual cavity. Our study focussed on the management of the residual cavity in patients with cystobiliary communications. We divided the patients into two groups of 40 patients each. In both the groups the cystobiliary communications were ligated using sutures. After closing the cystobiliary communications, the residual cavity was left to drain externally using a polyvinyl chloride tube in group 1 whereas either capitonnage or omentoplasty was done in group 2. The results were studied in terms of the postoperative complications, mortality and hospital stay. In the patients managed by external tube drainage, average hospital stay was 6.95 ± 0.93 days while as patients in group 2 had an average post operative stay of 4.54 ± 0.76 days (p value = 0.0001). Bile leak was seen in 6 (15%) patients in group 1, while as only 1(2.5%) patient from group 2 developed an intra-abdominal bile collection. Wound infection and deep vein thrombosis was seen in one patient each in group 1, whereas no such complication was seen in group 2. One (2.5%) patient from each group had a recurrence of the disease during follow-up.

Background/Aim: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading malignancies worldwide and has been reported to show geographical variation in its incidence, even within areas of ethnic homogeneity. The aim of this study was to identify p53 and K-ras gene mutations in CRC patients in a Kashmiri population, and to assess whether these mutations are linked with clinicopathological parameters. Materials and Methods: Paired tumor and normal tissue samples from a consecutive series of 53 patients undergoing resective surgery for CRC were prospectively studied for p53 and K-ras gene mutations by PCR/single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Results: Less than half (45%, 19/42) of the patients presented mutations in the p53 gene. Twenty eight mutations were found in the p53 gene, which comprised of 23 substitutions (17 transitions + 6 transversions), and five insertions. The 23 substitutions constituted 18 missense mutations, two nonsense mutations, and three silent mutations. Of the 28 mutations (7.14%) observed in this study, 2 were not previously reported for CRC samples and were identified as novel p53 mutations. A few patients (22.64%, 12/53) presented with mutations in K-ras, constituting 13 missense mutations, out of which 11 were G→A transitions, one was a G→C transversion, and one a G→T transversion. More than half (61.5%) of the mutations occurred in codon 12 whereas a few (38.5%) occurred in codon 13. One tumor contained missense mutations in both codons. Comparison of the mutation profiles of our patients with those of other ethnic populations and regions reflected both differences and similarities, indicating co-exposure to a unique set of risk factors. Conclusion: Mutations of the p53 and K-ras genes are some of the most common genetic changes in the development of human CRC. The high frequency of p53 gene mutations implicates p53 as a predominant factor for CRC in the high-risk ethnic Kashmiri population.

Notch signaling is critical for cell fate decisions during development. Caenorhabditis elegans and vertebrate Notch ligands are more diverse than classical Drosophila Notch ligands, suggesting possible functional complexities. Here, we describe a developmental role in Notch signaling for OSM-11, which has been previously implicated in defecation and osmotic resistance in C. elegans. We find that complete loss of OSM-11 causes defects in vulval precursor cell (VPC) fate specification during vulval development consistent with decreased Notch signaling. OSM-11 is a secreted, diffusible protein that, like previously described C. elegans Delta, Serrate, and LAG-2 (DSL) ligands, can interact with the lineage defective-12 (LIN-12) Notch receptor extracellular domain. Additionally, OSM-11 and similar C. elegans proteins share a common motif with Notch ligands from other species in a sequence defined here as the Delta and OSM-11 (DOS) motif. osm-11 loss-of-function defects in vulval development are exacerbated by loss of other DOS-motif genes or by loss of the Notch ligand DSL-1, suggesting that DOS-motif and DSL proteins act together to activate Notch signaling in vivo. The mammalian DOS-motif protein Deltalike1 (DLK1) can substitute for OSM-11 in C. elegans development, suggesting that DOS-motif function is conserved across species. We hypothesize that C. elegans OSM-11 and homologous proteins act as coactivators for Notch receptors, allowing precise regulation of Notch receptor signaling in developmental programs in both vertebrates and invertebrates., Author Summary The classic view of Notch receptor activation involves receptor binding to transmembrane Notch ligands that contain a conserved DSL (Delta, Serrate, and LAG-2) domain. Here, we find that the Caenorhabditis elegans OSM-11 protein is a novel ligand of the well-characterized Notch signal transduction pathway and plays a role in cell fate specification during development. OSM-11 is a secreted, diffusible protein whose loss decreases Notch signaling in vivo. OSM-11 and related C. elegans proteins do not contain a DSL domain, but contain a conserved motif we have named DOS (Delta and OSM-11) that is also found in the extracellular domain of known Notch ligands in organisms other than C. elegans. The functional mammalian homolog of OSM-11 is the secreted protein Deltalike1 (Dlk1), also known as Preadipocyte Factor 1 (PREF1), which plays a poorly defined role in Notch signaling regulating obesity and other developmental decisions. This suggests that Notch ligands are split into two complementary coligand families that act together to regulate Notch signaling in developmental contexts. In addition to regulating development, DOS ligands play roles in osmotic stress and C. elegans behavior, suggesting previously unsuspected roles for Notch signaling across species., The C. elegans OSM-11 protein acts with DSL ligands to activate Notch signaling in cell fate specification and defines a conserved family of potential Notch co-ligands.

Solid waste management is a worldwide problem and it is becoming more and more complicated day by day due to rise in population, industrialization and changes in our life style. Transformation of industrial sludges into vermicompost is of double interest: on the one hand, a waste is converted into value added product, and, on the other, it controls a pollutant that is a consequence of increasing industrialization. Garden waste, kitchen waste and cow dung were subjected to recycle through vermicomposting by using the epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida under field conditions. The pH, moisture content, total organic carbon, humus, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in vermicompost was analysed. It was found that moisture content, total organic carbon, humus, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium was high in cow dung, followed by kitchen waste and garden waste. This study clearly indicates that vermicomposting of garden waste, kitchen waste and cow dung can not only produce a value added produce (vermicomposting) but at the same time reduce the quantity of waste.