A cross-sectional comparative study of some cardiovascular risk factors in premenopausal and postmenopausal apparently healthy women of Ranchi

Background: Loss of estrogenic support may put postmenopausal women at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to examine premenopausal and postmenopausal woman to provide pertinent data on some of the cardiovascular risk factors and to know approximately the period which is under protection of estrogen and the period from which a woman is affected by changes in cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in RIMS Ranchi from February 2018 to August 2019. A total of 262 apparently healthy women in the age group of 35–60 years were assessed for cardiovascular risk factors. Parameters assessed in premenopausal and postmenopausal women were heart rate, blood pressure (Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, blood sugar level, and lipid profile of the subjects. Results: Out of 262 participants, 132 were in the premenopausal group with mean age of 39.76 years and 130 were in the postmenopausal group with mean age of 50.8. Except BMI, all other cardiovascular risk parameters showed significant difference between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Conclusion: We concluded that adverse changes in lipid profile and blood sugar along with significant increase in other cardiac risk factors in postmenopausal women as compared to premenopausal group of the study predisposed this group of women at increased risk of having cardiovascular disease in near future. Hence, preventive measures against cardiovascular disease risk should be started in premenopausal period only.

Vascular Access Complications in Patients Undergoing Veno-Arterial ECMO and Their Impact on Survival in Patients With Refractory Cardiogenic Shock: A Retrospective 8-Year Study

Introduction:Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is well-recognized treatment modality for patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. Uncomplicated cannulation is a prerequisite and basis for achieving a successful outcome in ECMO. Vascular access is obtained either by surgical cut-down. Common vascular access complications are bleeding and limb ischemia. Objective: To evaluate cannulation technique, the incidence of vascular complications, and their impact on the outcome. Methods: A retrospective data analysis conducted on 95 patients receiving ECMO from 2013 to 2020 was done. The patients were divided into two groups: no vascular access complications (non-VAC group) and vascular access complications (VAC group). The groups were compared related to the hospital and ICU stays and blood transfusion. Results: The patients in both groups were demographically and clinically comparable. The Non-VAC group had 75 patients, whereas the VAC group had a total of 20 patients. The main complication observed in the VAC group was bleeding from the cannulation site which required more blood transfusion than the non-VAC group (6.8 ± 1.02 vs 4.2 ± 1.26). Limb ischemia was another complication seen in the VAC group (4.2%, n = 4). Two patients had delayed bleeding after decannulation. The overall average length of stay in the hospital was statistically similar in both the groups (22 days in the VAC group vs 18 days in the non-VAC group), but the average ICU stay was more in the VAC group compared to the non-VAC group (18 days vs 12.06 days). Conclusion: Bleeding and limb ischemia are the important vascular access site complications, which increase blood transfusion requirements, ICU stay, and overall hospital stay.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Platelet Rich Plasma Injection in Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis

Background:Platelet-rich plasma helps in repair because of its growth factor. Platelet-rich plasma has been used in humans for its healing properties. Increased concentration of growth factors and secretory proteins may increase the process of healing on a cellular level.Aim:This study was done to check the effectiveness of PRP injections in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis.Methodology:This was accomplished in patients visiting the orthopaedic OPD at the Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamilnadu. There were 40 physicians in this study, among whom 37were homosexual and 87were female. The mean age of the patients was 48.1 years (17-82 years). The study period was 3 months. The analytical method used is a visual analog score.Results:Effective therapy was performed with a decline of more than 20% (24 out of 40 patients) in visual analog score after a dual-month period. After 3 months in boys, the mean VAS score dropped from 6.88 to 9.41.Conclusion:Medication of PRP patients with chronic epicondylitis or PRP tennis elbow reduces pain and increases the flexibility of the affected knee joint

Roles of quorum sensing molecules from Rhizobium etli RT1 in bacterial motility and biofilm formation

ABSTRACT Strain RT1 was isolated from root nodules of Lens culinaris (a lentil) and characterized as Rhizobium etli (a Gram-negative soil-borne bacterium) by 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The signaling molecules produced by R. etli (RT1) were detected and identified by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The most abundant and biologically active N-acyl homoserine lactone molecules (3-oxo-C8-HSL and 3-OH-C14-HSL) were detected in the ethyl acetate extract of RT1. The biological role of 3-oxo-C8-HSL was evaluated in RT1. Bacterial motility and biofilm formation were affected or modified on increasing concentrations of 3-oxo-C8-HSL. Results confirmed the existence of cell communication in RT1 mediated by 3-oxo-C8-HSL, and positive correlations were found among quorum sensing, motility and biofilm formation in RT1.

Anti-hyperglycemic potential of Lactobacillus spp. in alloxan-induced Wistar rats

This research was aimed to investigate anti-hyperglycemic effects of two Lactobacillus spp. on alloxan induced diabetic rats. Alloxan was administered intraperitoneally to induce the diabetic conditions in experimental rats. Animals were treated with oral administration of Lactobacillus spp., such as L. plantarum and L. acidophilus at the dose of 108 CFU/ml. As a result, administration of Lactobacillus spp. significantly [P<0.05] lowered blood glucose levels in diabetic rats by [201-220mg/dl] as compared to diabetic control [265mg/dl]. Also, both the Lactobacillus spp. were able to reduce body weight of experimental animals as compared to control group, suggesting potent anti-hyperglycemic effect of Lactobacillus spp. in terms of their anti-diabetic potential

Protective effect of heat-treated cucumber [Cucumis sativus L.] juice on alcohol detoxification in experimental rats

In this study, heat-treated cucumber juice was assessed for its protective effect on blood alcohol levels and hepatic alcohol metabolic enzyme system in experimental rats. Initially, during detoxification of alcohol, all groups were orally dosed to 22% alcohol [6ml/kg body weight] along with different concentrations of heat-treated cucumber juice [10, 100 and 500mg/kg] and commercial goods for hangover-removal on sale [2ml/kg]. Cucumber juice was dosed before 30 min, and simultaneously after SOmin of alcohol administration, and its hepatoprotective effect on blood alcohol levels and hepatic alcohol metabolic enzyme system in experimental rats was evaluated. As a result, after 7h, remarkable reduction was found in the blood alcohol levels for all concentrations of cucumber juice treatment. Treatment with cucumber juice resulted in increasing dehydrogenase [ADH] and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH] enzymatic activities in rat liver at 9h after alcohol administration thereby stimulated blood alcohol metabolism as compared with control group. The effect of heat-treated cucumber juice on alcohol detoxification was observed only in the rats treated before SOmin from alcohol administration. These findings indicate that heat-treated cucumber juice has significant protective effect on alcohol detoxification in experimental rats, suggesting its usefulness in the treatment of liver injury caused by alcohol consumption

Antiviral potential of a diterpenoid compound sugiol from Metasequoia glyptostroboides

This research reports first time antiviral activity of sugiol, a diterpenoid isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides in terms of its ability to inhibit in vitro growth of HiNi influenza virus. Antiviral potential of sugiol was evaluated through cytopathogenic reduction assay using Madin-Darby canine kidney [MDCK] cell line. Sugiol [500 jug/ml] was found to exhibit considerable anti-cytopathic effect on MDCK cell line confirming its antiviral efficacy against HiNi influenza virus. These findings strongly reinforce the uf gestion that sugiol could be a candidate of choice in combinational regimen with potential antiviral efficacy

Anti-listerial synergism of leaf essential oil of Metasequoia glyptostroboides with nisin in whole, low and skim milks

OBJECTIVE@#To examine the individual and synergistic anti-listerial effect of nisin and leaf essential oil of Metasequoia glyptostroboides (M. glyptostroboides) against one of the leading foodborne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) ATCC 19116 in milk samples.@*METHODS@#The whole (8%), low (1%) and skim (no fat content) milk samples were inoculated with L. monocytogenes ATCC 19116 along with leaf essential oil of M. glyptostroboides or nisin alone as well in combinations.@*RESULTS@#In this study, the leaf essential oil at the concentrations of 2% and 5% revealed strong anti-listerial effect against L. monocytogenes ATCC 19116 in all categories of milk samples. Nisin at the concentrations of 250 and 500 IU/mL displayed a strong inhibitory effect against ATCC 19116 as compared to the control group. Additionally, synergistic combinations of leaf essential oil (1%) and nisin (62.5, 125, 250 and 500 IU/mL) also had a remarkable anti-listerial synergism in all the tested milk samples including whole, low and skim milk after 14 days.@*CONCLUSIONS@#As a major finding, the leaf essential oil of M. glyptostroboides might be a useful candidate for using in food industry to control the growth of foodborne pathogenic bacteria as confirmed by its potent anti-listerial synergistic effect with nisin against L. monocytogenes ATCC 19116 in different milk samples.

Antioxidant, lipid peroxidation inhibition and free radical scavenging efficacy of a diterpenoid compound sugiol isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the antioxidant efficacy of a biologically active diterpenoid compound sugiol isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides (M. glyptostroboides) in various antioxidant models.@*METHODS@#An abietane type diterpenoid sugiol, isolated from ethyl acetate extract of M. glyptostroboides cones, was analyzed for its antioxidant efficacy as reducing power ability and lipid peroxidation inhibition as well as its ability to scavenge free radicals such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl, nitric oxide, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals.@*RESULTS@#The sugiol showed significant and concentration-dependent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. Consequently, the sugiol exerted lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect by 76.5% as compared to α-tocopherol (80.13%) and butylated hydroxyanisole (76.59%). In addition, the sugiol had significant scavenging activities of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl, nitric oxide, superoxide and hydroxyl free radicals in a concentration-dependent manner by 78.83%, 72.42%, 72.99% and 85.04%, when compared to the standard compound ascorbic acid (81.69%, 74.62%, 73.00% and 73.79%) and α-tocopherol/butylated hydroxyanisole (84.09%, 78.61%, 74.45% and 70.02%), respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#These findings justify the biological and traditional uses of M. glyptostroboides or its secondary metabolites as confirmed by its promising antioxidant efficacy.

Production of gaba (γ - aminobutyric acid) by microorganisms: a review

GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is a four carbon non-protein amino acid that is widely distributed in plants, animals and microorganisms. As a metabolic product of plants and microorganisms produced by the decarboxylation of glutamic acid, GABA functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that directly affects the personality and the stress management. A wide range of traditional foods produced by microbial fermentation contain GABA, in which GABA is safe and eco-friendly, and also has the possibility of providing new health-benefited products enriched with GABA. Synthesis of GABA is catalyzed by glutamate decarboxylase, therefore, the optimal fermentation condition is mainly based on the biochemical properties of the enzyme. Major GABA producing microorganisms are lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which make food spoilage pathogens unable to grow and act as probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract. The major factors affecting the production of GABA by microbial fermentation are temperature, pH, fermentation time and different media additives, therefore, these factors are summarized to provide the most up-dated information for effective GABA synthesis. There has been a huge accumulation of knowledge on GABA application for human health accompanying with a demand on natural GABA supply. Only the GABA production by microorganisms can fulfill the demand with GABA-enriched health beneficial foods.

Antimicrobial activity of some promising plant oils, molecules and formulations.

Plant oils and oil components were screened in vitro for antibacterial and antifungal activity by disc diffusion method. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of oils (% v/v) against bacteria and fungi were determined by agar dilution method. Results showed that potential antimicrobial activity was demonstrated by geranium oil, geraniol, and terpineol. These oils and oil components were active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria pathogens. Antifungal activity was also observed against dermatophytes, yeasts and Aspergillus species. Antimicrobial formulations containing geranium oil, geraniol and terpineol showed strong antibacterial and antifungal activity.

Conservation and divergence of Grb7 family of Ras-binding domains

Ras proteins are signal-transducing GTPases that cycle between inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound forms. Ras is a prolific signaling molecule interacting with a spectrum of effector molecules and acting through more than one signaling pathway. The Ras-effector proteins contain a Ras-associating (RA) domain through which these associate with Ras in a GTP-dependent manner. The RA domain is highly conserved among the members of the growth factor receptor-bound (Grb) 7 family of proteins which includes Grb7, Grb10 and Grb14. Our laboratory has reported an unusual observation that RA domain of Grb14 binds to the C-terminal nucleotide binding site of cyclic nucleotide gated channel (CTRCNGA1) and inhibits the channel activity. Molecular modeling of the CTR-CNGA1 displays 50%-70% tertiary structural similarity towards Ras proteins. We named this region as Ras-like domain (RLD). The interaction between RA-Grb14 and RLD-CNGA1 is mediated through a simple protein-protein interaction temporally and spatially regulated by light and cGMP. It is interesting to note that Grb14 binds to GTPase-mutant Rab5, a Ras-related small GTPase whereas Grb10 binds only to GTP-bound form of active Rab5 but not to GTPase-defective mutant Rab5. These results suggest that Grb14 might have been evolved later in the evolution that binds to both Ras and nucleotide binding proteins such as CNGA1. Our studies also suggest that eukaryotic CNG channels could be evolved through a gene fusion between prokaryotic ion channels and cyclic nucleotide binding proteins, both of which might have undergone several sequence variations for functional adaptation during evolution.

Mechanism involved in the modulation of photoreceptor-specific cyclic nucleotidegated channel by the tyrosine kinase adapter protein Grb14

We recently found that growth factor receptor-bound (Grb) protein 14 is a novel physiological modulator of photoreceptor specific cyclic nucleotide-gated channel alpha subunit (CNGA1). Grb14 promotes the CNG channel closure through its Ras-associating (RA) domain. In the current study we show that this RA domain-mediated inhibition of rod CNG channel is electrostatic in nature. Grb14 competes with cGMP for the CNGA1 binding pocket and electrostatically interacts with Arg(559) through a negatively charged β-turn at its RA domain. Moreover, the three Glu residues (180-182) in Grb14 are absolutely critical for electrostatic interaction with the cGMP binding pocket and resultant inhibition. Our study also demonstrates that substitution of Lys140 for Ala or in combination with polyglutamte mutants of Grb14 results in a significantly reduced binding with CNGA1. These results suggest that in addition to Glu(180-182) and Lys(140), other residues in Grb14 may be involved in the electrostatic interaction with CNGA1. The RA domain is highly conserved among the members of Grb7 family of proteins, which includes Grb7, Grb10 and Grb14. Further, only Grb14 is able to modulate the channel activity, but not Grb7 and Grb10. All together, it suggests the existence of a divergence in RA domains among the members of the Grb7 family.

Antibacterial abietane-type diterpenoid, taxodone from Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miki ex Hu.

In an attempt to isolate bioactive constituents, ethyl acetate cone extract of Metasequoia glyptostroboides was subjected to a column chromatographic analysis that resulted in isolation of an abietane-type diterpenoid, taxodone. Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic means. Further, taxodone showed potential antibacterial effect as diameters of zones of inhibition against foodborne pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19166, Salmonella typhimurium KCTC 2515, S. enteritidis KCTC 2021, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 43888, Enterobacter aerogenes KCTC 2190, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and S. aureus KCTC 1916, were found in the range of 9.4 to 14.2 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of taxodone against the employed bacterial pathogens were found in the range of 250 to 1000 and 250 to <2000 μg/ml, respectively. Also the compound had a strong antibacterial effect on the viable counts of the tested bacteria. These fi ndings indicate that the bioactive compound taxodone present in M. glyptostroboides could be used as an antibacterial agent in food industry to inhibit the growth of certain important foodborne pathogens.

Comparative Effect of Newer Antihistamines on Psychomotor Functions in Indian Population.

The purpose of the present study was to comparatively evaluate the effect of newer antihistamines on psychomotor functions in Indian population. Seventy five patient volunteers were included in the study. Volunteers were put into 5 groups based on the type of antihistamine prescribed. Group-1 volunteers included those who were prescribed no antihistamine, group-2 were prescribed first generation antihistamines, group 3, 4 & 5 were prescribed second generation antihistamines cetrizine, fexofenadine and loratadine respectively. A battery of four psychomotor function tests: critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT), digit symbol substitution test (DSST), finger tapping (FT) and visual analogue scale (VAS) for day time sedation was used in the study. First generation antihistamines impaired psychomotor functions establishing the validity of psychomotor function tests chosen for the study. Second generation antihistamines did not significantly affect CFFT frequency, but DSST score was significantly reduced. Fexofenadine significantly reduced FT score. All antihistamines produced sedation except loratadine on VAS. Second generation antihistamines impaired psychomotor performance in Indian patients, however there were individual differences evident in respect to the effect of drugs.

Neuroleptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis prevalent worldwide and endemic in many areas of Kerala.Multiorgan involvement can occur in leptospirosis. Organs commonly affected are kidney, liver and heart.We report a case of leptospirosis presenting with meningoencephalatis which is rare.