Search

Thiram, being a dithiocarbamate fungicide, is frequently used to protect a variety of food crops (vegetables, ornamentals and fruits) and seeds and it may remain in various products of plants, water and in soil after applications. The current study was executed to record the toxic effects of thiram in male albino rats. A total of 15 adult male albino rats were obtained from local market and were placed in wire cages in three groups (A-C). Thiram was administered daily to all rats of group B (50 mg/kg bw) and C (75 mg/kg bw) for 21 days and different tissues (blood, testes and liver) were harvested for determination of hematological, reproductive and oxidative stress parameters. Results revealed significantly lower values of red blood cell counts and hemoglobin quantity while increased values of total white blood cell counts and neutrophil percentage. The different serum biomarkers including alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, triglyceride, glucose and cholesterol significantly escalated in thiram treated rats. Results showed significantly lower levels of antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) while higher values of oxidative stress biomarkers such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thiobarbituric acid substance (TBARS) in liver of treated albino rats. Histopathological investigations indicated different pathological lesions including degeneration and damage of spermatogonia, cellular debris in lumen of seminiferous tubules, necrosis of spermatids, decrease in frequency of seminiferous tubules with normal spermatozoa, arrest of process of spermatogenesis and inflammatory materials in testes of rats. This work shows that thiram causes disruption of normal functions of blood-biochemistry, antioxidant enzymes and reproductive tissues through induction of oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim was to study the role of inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF alpha and Creactive protein) as prognostic indicator in acute pancreatitis. Method:The study included 76 patients who were admitted in tertiary centre in New Delhi diagnosed as acute pancreatitis for the first time as per Revised Atlanta Classification. Blood samples for inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-alpha and C-reactive protein) were sent within 72 hrs of symptoms for evaluation. Later its values were correlated with CECT abdomen on 3rd and 10 th day. Results: In this study, the age of patients involved in this study were between 18-88 years. male predominance was seen in this study(68.4%). The mean C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were 145.54,158.47 and 183.44.Modified CT severity score of patients on day 3 was 6(43.4%)where as on day 10 Modified CT severity score was 4 (61.8%). There was a positive significant correlation between Modified CT severity score on day 3 with CRP, TNF-alpha and IL-6. Conclusions: Elevated levels of TNF alpha, IL-6 and CRP on day 3 are good indicators for predicting the severity and prognosis of diseases such as acute pancreatitis, as in our study it was found that there is a definite correlation between elevated inflammatory markers and the severity of inflammation of the pancreas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software Engineering (SE) as a field has grown significantly in terms of the research publications in the last few years. Criterion‐based assessment of research performance of scholars, countries along with collaboration networks and links among articles are better judged using bibliometric analysis. The results proposed in this work are based on quantitative analysis and data visualisation of 150,087 scholarly articles published in last 13 years (2007–2019) across 85 research areas based on seven categories by providing a detailed and distinctive time‐frame‐based comparison to observe a shift in research trend in SE and its 12 distinguished sub‐areas. The results of the observations proposed in this work include analysis on types of documents, yearly publication trends with results suggesting a prominent increment for the period (2015–2017) in terms of research publications, languages of research publications with findings indicating that there are articles published in languages other than English language, also, publication count‐based rankings of authors, collaboration networks of countries with findings showing the supremacy of USA and China and keyword statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMagnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) have gained significant importance in biomedicine and variety of nanotechnology-based materials used in the agriculture and biomedical industries. However, the release of different nanowastes in the water ecosystem becomes a serious concern. Therefore, this study was executed to evaluate the toxic impacts of MgO NPs on grass carp. A total of 60 grass carp were randomly divided in three groups (G0, G1, and G2). Fish reared in group G0 were kept as control while fish of groups G1 and G2 were exposed to 0.5 mg/L and 0.7 mg/L MgO NPs, respectively, mixed in water for 21 days. The 96h median lethal concentration (LC50) of MgO NPs was found to be 4.5 mg/L. Evaluation of oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant enzymes, DNA damage in different visceral organs and the presence of micronuclei in erythrocytes were determined on days 7, 14, and 21 of the trial. Results revealed dose- and time-dependent significantly increased values of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation product, DNA damage in multiple visceral organs and formation of micronuclei in the erythrocytes of treated fish (0.7 mg/L). The results on antioxidant profile exhibited significantly lower amounts of total proteins, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase in visceral organs of the fish exposed to MgO NPs (0.5 and 0.7 mg/L) at day 21 of trial compared to control group. In conclusion, it has been recorded that MgO NPs severely influence the normal physiological functions of the grass carp even at low doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histones are the most abundant proteins associated with genomic DNA. Recent observations show that histones are quite susceptible to non-enzymatic glycation which results in the generation of free radicals causing structural perturbations. In this study, our aim is to define the role of deoxyribose-modified H2A histone in SLE initiation/progression. Glycation reaction was carried out by incubating H2A histone with 10 mM deoxyribose for 21 days at 37 °C. Structural changes in glycated-H2A were studied by various physico-chemical techniques. The antigen-antibody interaction was studied by direct binding, inhibition ELISA and mobility shift assay. Deoxyribose-modified-H2A histone showed increased hyperchromicity and increased fluorescence intensity. CD results demonstrated almost 50% loss in alpha helix conformation as a consequence of glycation. This was supported by an increase in Tm value vis-à-vis thermal stability. Glycated-H2A showed cross linking in SDS-PAGE. SLE sera positive for anti-nDNA autoantibodies showed preference for deoxyribose-modified-H2A histone compared to native H2A histone or native DNA. Inhibition ELISA supported the above findings. Band shift assay further reiterated the preferential recognition of glycated-H2A over native H2A by SLE IgG autoantibodies. Deoxyribose-modified-H2A histone exhibited damage as revealed by various physico-chemical studies. Glycation of H2A has resulted in the generation of neo-epitopes on H2A histone, which are preferably bound by SLE anti-nDNA autoantibodies. It implies that deoxyribose-modified-H2A may trigger immune response resulting in the generation of anti-glycated H2A antibodies with DNA cross reacting properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now well established that non enzymatic glycation leads to formation of Amadori products which over course of time leads to formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Accumulation of AGEs is very toxic and can have direct and indirect effects in the pathogenesis of various diseases including diabetes, alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis etc. Hence, to curb these harmful effects, a number of natural and synthetic compounds are being investigated so as to reduce clinically the impact of AGEs. Here, various AGE inhibitors and breakers published till date are being reviewed. Also, potential novel therapies are also being explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A major chunk of ocular allergies in humans involve the conjunctiva, of which Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) appears to be more common. VKC, a chronic allergic conjunctivitis, frequently affects young males and is characterized by intense inflammation of the limbal and/or tarsal conjunctiva. The etiology and immunopathogenesis of VKC still remain unclear. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), a member of serine proteinase inhibitor (SERPIN) superfamily, is an acute phase protein whose concentration in blood increases in response to inflammation. AAT deficiency is one of the many factors that may be involved in several abnormalities such as liver disease, emphysema, inflammatory joint diseases and inflammatory eye diseases. In the present study, the role played by this protein in VKC was analyzed in a selective case/control study to assess its diagnostic and prognostic value. Materials and Methods: The case control study included 50 patients of VKC reporting to Ophthalmology out patient department (OPD). Age and sex matched 40 healthy subjects served as control. Serum AAT level of both the cases and controls were evaluated and compared. Moreover the serum AAT levels of the patients at presentation were compared with their serum AAT level after three weeks post treatment. Result: Levels of AAT in the serum of VKC patients at presentation (2.80 ± 0.42 mg/ml) were significantly higher as compared to controls (2.31 ± 0.21 mg/ml) whereas no significant difference was observed between the serum level of post treatment VKC patients (2.48 ± 0.26 mg/ml) and controls. Conclusion: AAT is a potent acute phase protein whose concentration rises significantly in VKC, irrespective of the age and sex of the patient. Moreover, the serum level of AAT declined significantly post treatment; therefore it might be used as a prognostic marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is insufficient data on the prevalence and consequences of eating disorders in Type 2 diabetic patients., Objective: To evaluate the presence of eating disorders (ED) and their association with glycaemic control and metabolic parameters in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on 145 patients was conducted in the medicine outpatient unit of HAHC Hospital, Jamia Hamdard tertiary care center. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) was used to screen for ED in adults with T2DM. The Score of less than 20 and more than 30 on EAT-26 questionnaire was defined as control for participants and relevant medical details like duration of treatment, glycaemic control, complications were recorded., Results: A total of 145 diabetic individuals participated in this study. Out of these, 17.3% of individuals with T2DM screened positive for ED on EAT-26 scale and had a significant positive correlation in <20 groups and a significant negative correlation in >30 groups., Conclusion: Our study reveals that eating disorders are not very common in our clinical population of T2DM, the prevalence rates of eating disorders are lower in patients with T2DM than those reported from developed western countries., Competing Interests: None., (IJBMB Copyright © 2023.)