Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy and its relation with adverse pregnancy outcome

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent in all parts of the world. Pregnant women and neonates are highly vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency. Pregnant women receive very less amount of sunlight especially in parts of Southeast Asia due to traditional norms and customs. A strong positive correlation was found between low maternal vitamin D levels with gestational hypertension/preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm labour, low birth weight, intra uterine growth restriction, neonatal intensive care unit admission and Apgar score. Therefore, the present study was designed to know the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant females and to evaluate adverse effects associated with it.Methods: Total 250 nulliparous pregnant females attending Tirath Ram Shah Hospital for delivery and carrying a viable (>/28 weeks) singleton pregnancy were selected. Women with serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level <10 ng/ml, 10-20 ng/ml and <20 ng/ml, were diagnosed as vitamin D deficient, insufficient and sufficient groups respectively and the adverse outcomes was correlated.Results: In this study, out of 250 cases, 159 cases (63.6%) had vitamin D deficiency, 43 cases (17.2%) had insufficiency, and 48 cases (19.2%) had sufficient vitamin D levels (vitamin D ≥20 ng/ml). And, Vitamin D deficiency was associated with preeclampsia, preterm labour and increased risk of caesarean section.Conclusions: This study indicates that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in pregnant females thus implicating the need of a uniform strategy of vitamin D supplementation to pregnant females.

Molecular Docking Study to Identify Potent Inhibitors of Alpha-synuclein Aggregation of Parkinson’s Disease

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the widespreadneurodegenerative disorder ranked second in this categoriesand PD is also the most common movement disorder. PDdisorder affects more than 0.1% of the total population olderthan 40 years of age. Contemporary, therapies of PD arerestricted to only symptomatic relief without dealing withthe basic disease etiology such as aggregation of αSyn, thusthe progression of the disease continues with the currenttherapies. The major objective of this study was to find outputative inhibitors of human alfa-synuclein to search possibletherapeutics of Parkinson’s disease.Material and Methods: Our study included Moleculardocking study of 3D-Structure of alfa- synuclein of humanretrieved from PDB with their chemical ligands. The proteinligands docking were performed using AutoDock4.2.5.1.Further, Molecular Dynamic Simulation for protein-ligandcomplex of best dock complex was carried out usingGromacs16.10.Result: Total nineteen molecules was selected for dockingstudy out of which Amento flavones molecule shows bestbinding. The molecular docking simulation results indicatethat the protein complexes were stable throughout MDsimulations and thus proteins possess the ability to stability.Conclusion: This study provides an insight of in-silico drugdesigning approach towards alfa- synuclein modulators as apromising therapeutics of Parkinson’s’s disease.