Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in systemic lupus erythematosus is influenced by steroids and may not completely reflect the disease activity

Objectives: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has emerged as an important parameter in inflammatory network andcould pave the way for newer treatment strategies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study evaluated NLR as apredictor of disease activity in SLE and attempted to relate the factors influencing the NLR.Methods: The study included 117 SLE patients fulfilling the systemic lupus international collaborating clinics/AmericanCollege of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) criteria (2010). The subjects were classified into mild, moderate, and severesystemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI 2K) groups and compared. NLR values were classifiedas ≤2, >2–4 and >4 groups and its relationship with study variables was evaluated by Notched box-and-Whisker plots,Spearman correlation and Mountain plot. ROC and multiple linear regression were used to verify discriminatory abilityand factors influencing NLR respectively.Results: Approximately 24% (n=28) of patients each had mild and moderate SLEDAI disease activities, and 52.14% (n=61)had severe activity. Patients with severe disease activity were significantly younger (31.69±10.09 years) and were onmore immunosuppressants/DMARDs. The patients in the >4 NLR group had significantly elevated total leucocyte count(TLC) 5560 (3360-11480) cells/mm3 and CRP 4.46 (0.3-48.2) mg/L and more patients were on steroid therapy. The >2-4NLR group had moderate inverse correlation with SLEDAI. NLR, ESR, CRP, and C3 did not show agreement with SLEDAI.The NLR was associated with CRP and steroid usage and could not discriminate disease severity.Conclusion: The relationship of the NLR with SLEDAI was not consistent. NLR was associated with CRP and steroid use.NLR as a marker of inflammation or as a predictor of SLE disease activity needs further investigation.

Acute lung involvement in RA is not always ILD

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disorder with diverse extra-articular manifestations including vasculitis,lung disease, inflammatory eye disease and subcutaneous nodule formation. Among these manifestations, lung diseasehas been identified as a primary contributor of morbidity and mortality. The predominance of non-specific interstitialpneumonia pattern has been observed in most forms of connective tissue-associated ILD. Studies have demonstratedthat the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern is more prevalent among patients with RA-associated ILD. The extraarticular manifestations have been noted in nearly 50% of the patients, and the lung involvement in majority of thecases.8, 9 This study details the occurrence of lung involvement of viral etiology in RA, which could be misdiagnosed asRA-associated ILD

Lepromatous leprosy or rheumatoid arthritis with leprosy? A challenging case

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) manifestations in leprosy are very common, but often undiagnosed. The present study discussesa challenging case having dilemma in concluding the diagnosis as lepromatous leprosy or RA with leprosy

Molecular characterization of bacterial biocontrol agents and their chitinase genes from tea soil

In tea, bacterial biocontrol agents viz. Bacillus and Pseudomonas and an enzyme like chitinase from these bacterial strains are used to control tea pests and pathogens. However, literature on molecular identification of the same is quite scarce. In this study, Bacillus and Pseudomonas strains isolated from tea soil samples, were systematically identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Molecular characterization of bacteria was carried out to identify the species of different level chitinase producing bacteria and diversity among them. Further, chitinase gene was characterized from these bacteria to understand the gene diversity among different bacterial chitinase that has potential application in controlling the plant pests and pathogens. Sequence analysis of 16S rRNA and chitinase gene sequences was made among thirteen Bacillus and five Pseudomonas species submitted in NCBI Genbank.

Induction of Apoptosis in MCF-7 Cells by Methanolic Extract of Clitoria Ternatea L.

Aim: Investigation of apoptosis induction by methanolic extract of Clitoria ternatea L. flower against multiple cancer cell lines. Main Methods: In the present study cytotoxic activity of Clitoria ternatea L flower was determined using MTT cell viability assay. The induction of cell death/apoptosis was evaluated by light microscopy, DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzyme activation. Key Findings: The methanolic extract from C. ternatea (MECT) showed cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines. The most potent activity exhibited by MECT was against MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells with an IC50 value of 27.2 ± 2.6 μg/mL. Light microscopic evaluation clearly indicated the apoptotic morphology of MECT treated cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with various MECT concentrations resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis as indicated by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzyme activation. Significance: The current report strongly suggests the pro-apoptotic properties of C. ternatea flowers. Our findings demonstrate that C. ternatea phyto-constituents may have beneficial applications in the field of anti-cancer drug discovery.

Gender based disruptive selection maintains body size polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster.

Darwinian fitness in holometabolous insects like the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is reported to be positively correlated with body size. If large individuals in a population have higher fitness, then one would expect directional selection to operate leading to uniformly large individuals. However, size polymorphism persists in nature and needs further probing. We assessed the effect of body size on some of the fitness and fitness-related traits in replicate populations of genotypically large, genotypically small and phenotypically small D. melanogaster flies. In this study, the time taken to attain reproductive maturity and copulation duration were independent of fly size. Fecundity and longevity of large females were significantly higher when they partnered genotypically small males than when they were with genotypically larger or phenotypically small males. The increased female longevity when in association with genotypically small males was not due to selective early death of males that would release the female partner from presumed cost of persistent courtship. On the contrary, the genotypically as well as phenotypically small males had significantly higher longevity than large males. The virility of the genotypically small males was not significantly different from that of genotypically large males. Our results clearly show that selection on body size operates in the opposite direction (disruptive selection) for the two genders, thus explaining the persistence of size polymorphisms in the holometabolous insect, Drosophila melanogaster.

Rural Tourism and Rural Development in India.

This paper focus to probe the of rural tourism in India, how rural tourism can help rural society. It can have both positive and negative impacts on rural as well as urban communities. rural tourism means Any form of tourism that showcases the rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations, thereby benefiting the local community economically and social ly as well as enabling interaction between the tourists and the locals for a more enriching tourism experience can be termed as rural tourism. Rural Tourism is essentially an activity which takes place in the countryside. It is multi-faceted and may entail farm/agricultural tourism, cultural tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, and eco-tourism. Tourism growth potential can be harnessed as a strategy for Rural Development. The development of a strong platform around the concept of Rural Tourism is definitely useful for a country like India, where almost 74% of the population resides in its 7 million villages. Across the world the trends of industrialization and development have had an urban centric approach. Alongside, the stresses of urban lifestyles have led to a “counter-urbanization” syndrome. This has led to growing interest in the rural areas. Promotion of village tourism as the primary tourism product to spread tourism and its socio-economic benefits to rural and its new geographic regions. Key geographic regions would be identified for development and promotion of Rural Tourism. Keywords: Rural tourism Product, Rural development.

Emergence of Tourism in Sustainable Growth of India.

Tourism has emerged as one of the world‟s largest growing service industries with sizeable economic benefits and immense opportunities. With the emergence of technological advancement, and competitiveness in service-based industries the tourism sector is playing a vital role in contributing to improve gross domestic product (GDP), creation of employment, poverty alleviation and sustainable human development across the world economy. Tourism has the potential to stimulate other economic factors through its forward and backward linkages with a host of sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, transport, hospitality, education, health, banking, etc. Expenditure on tourism induces a chain of transactions requiring supply of goods and services from these related sectors. The consumption demand emanating from tourist expenditure also creates more employment and generates a multiplier effect on the economy.

Anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of the ethanolic extract of Shorea robusta Gaertn. f. resin.

Shorea robusta Gaertn. f. (Sal) is one of the most important traditional Indian medicinal plants. The resin of the plant has been used in the treatment of inflammation in folklore medicine. In the present study, ethanolic extract (70%) of S. robusta resin (SRE) was investigated for its anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities. Acute inflammation was produced by carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and sub-acute by cotton pellet-induced granuloma in male Wistar rats. The antipyretic activity of SRE was studied using Brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. The rats were divided into five groups with five animals in each group. Group I was treated with vehicle i.e. 1% v/v Tween-80 and served as control. Groups II to IV were treated with three different doses of SRE (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg orally). Group V was treated with standard drug etoricoxib (10 mg/kg orally). The anti-inflammatory activity of SRE was assessed by per cent reduction in edema volume of carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and by per cent decrease in granuloma formation in cotton pellet-induced granuloma test. SRE (100 and 300 mg/kg) produced a significant reduction in edema volume and decrease in granulation tissue formation in rats. Significant reduction in pyrexia was observed at all the dose levels of SRE i.e. 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg. The results of the present study demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of S. robusta resin and supported its traditional therapeutic use in painful inflammatory conditions and fever.

Screening, isolation and purification of antibacterial agents from marine actinomycetes.

As marine environmental conditions are extremely different from terrestrial ones, it is surmised that marine actino-mycetes might produce novel bioactive compounds. Hence marine sediments, collected from the coastal areas of Gokharna and Muradeshwara of Karnataka state, were screened Seventeen isolates were obtained on starch-casein agar media by soil dilution technique. However, only six isolates namely ACT-A2, ACT-A3, ACT-A4, ACT-A5, ACT-A7 and ACT-A15 showed significant antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Morphological, cultural and biochemical characterization indicated that the isolates belong to Streptomyces genus of Actinomycetes. Further studies were carried out with the most active ACT-A2. Optimization of media, temperature and pH by shake flask fermentation indicated starch-casein, 28°C and 7 to be suitable for ACT-A2. The production of antibiotics began after 24 h, reached maximum at 72 h and maintained at the same level up to 120 h. Ethyl acetate was used to extract antibacterial compounds from the culture filtrate. TLC was done on silica gel using ethyl acetate: methanol (6:4) and direct bioautography has shown the presence of two active substance, one with Rf 0.8 has more activity than the other with Rf 0.4. Further purification is done by column chromatography using a mixture of dicholoromethane and ethyl acetate. The findings from this investigation reveal that the strain ACT-A2 in order exhibited superior antimicrobial activities to other sediment isolates of actinomycetes.

Wound healing activity of ethanolic extract of Shorea robusta Gaertn. f. resin.

The ethanolic extract of S. robusta resin (10 and 30 % w/w applied locally in excised and incised wounds) produced a dose-dependent acceleration in wound contraction and increased hydroxyproline content and tensile strength of wounds in rats. The results demonstrate wound healing activity of ethanolic extract of S. robusta resin.

Moderate regular exercises reduce inflammatory response for physical stress.

Exercises induce pro-inflammatory cytokines. We assessed the effect of different grades of exercises on inflammatory cytokine response. Twenty healthy volunteers performed a single bout of moderate exercise, a single bout of strenuous exercise and one month regular moderate exercise using standardized 10m Shuttle Walk Test. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-∝) were estimated by Sandwich ELISA method after each exercise regime. Statistics were run using SPSS software version 11.0, Systat software. Repeated measures ANOVA has been used for analysis of IL-6 values and Friedman test has been used for analyzing TNF-∝ and IL-6 values. Twenty healthy volunteers (18 to 30 years) were chosen for this study. The mean and SEM of plasma levels (pg/ ml) of IL-6 before exercise was 10.70±1.11 pg/ml, whereas, after acute moderate exercise and acute strenuous exercise it was 12.00±1.09 pg/ml and 13.35±0.89 pg/ml respectively. Interestingly, after one month of moderate exercise the values decreased to; 8.80±0.65 pg/ml. Mean and SEM of TNF-α before exercise was 121.78±29.06 pg/ml. With acute moderate exercise and after acute strenuous exercise the values were 132.90±35.75 pg/ml and 112.05±29.89 pg/ml respectively. After one month moderate exercise the levels decreased to 94.95±27.29 pg/ml. The observed changes in both IL-6 and TNF-α levels before and after both moderate and strenuous exercise were statistically significant. Although there was a slight decrease in the value of both the cytokines after one month of regular moderate exercise compared to baseline value, the difference in the values was not statistically significant. However, both IL-6 and TNF-∝ levels showed overall statistically significant difference among the different grades of exercise. Plasma IL-6 and TNF-∝ increase with acute moderate exercise and IL-6 increases further with acute strenuous exercise. Their levels tend to fall below baseline with one month of regular moderate exercise indicating that regular moderate exercise has beneficial effects.

Screening, isolation and purification of antibacterial agents from marine actinomycetes.

As marine environmental conditions are extremely different from terrestrial ones, it is surmised that marine actino-mycetes might produce novel bioactive compounds. Hence marine sediments, collected from the coastal areas of Gokharna and Muradeshwara of Karnataka state, were screened Seventeen isolates were obtained on starch-casein agar media by soil dilution technique. However, only six isolates namely ACT-A2, ACT-A3, ACT-A4, ACT-A5, ACT-A7 and ACT-A15 showed significant antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Morphological, cultural and biochemical characterization indicated that the isolates belong to Streptomyces genus of Actinomycetes. Further studies were carried out with the most active ACT-A2. Optimization of media, temperature and pH by shake flask fermentation indicated starch-casein, 28°C and 7 to be suitable for ACT-A2. The production of antibiotics began after 24 h, reached maximum at 72 h and maintained at the same level up to 120 h. Ethyl acetate was used to extract antibacterial compounds from the culture filtrate. TLC was done on silica gel using ethyl acetate: methanol (6:4) and direct bioautography has shown the presence of two active substance, one with Rf 0.8 has more activity than the other with Rf 0.4. Further purification is done by column chromatography using a mixture of dicholoromethane and ethyl acetate. The findings from this investigation reveal that the strain ACT-A2 in order exhibited superior antimicrobial activities to other sediment isolates of actinomycetes.

Complementary and alternative drug therapy in arthritis.

Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is universal phenomenon. They are used commonly in chronic diseases like arthritis. To understand the pattern of utilization we undertook this study focussing mainly on the systems, where drug is administered orally. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and fourteen patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), satisfying American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria were interviewed for the modalities of therapy and drugs used. We analysed prescriptions of both conventional and CAM practitioners. Direct questionnaires regarding CAM were avoided. RESULTS: Fourty three percent (46/114) had used CAM drugs and 50% of them had used more than two modalities. Ayurveda followed by homeopathy were the two common CAM utilized by the patients. Majority believed conventional medicine has no cure for RA and adverse reactions were rare in CAM. These factors predominantly influenced their decision to use CAM. Family income, urban and rural living did not influence usage of CAM. The use of CAM increased as the duration of disease increased. CONCLUSION: Majority of the patients utilize CAM drugs, for treatment of arthritis. Their knowledge is essential to avoid drug interactions, recognise their reactions and also appreciate their risks and benefits. A scientific scrutiny to these practices and absolving them if beneficial is needed.

Hyper IgM Syndrome - An Immunodeficiency Disorder

A seven-year male child presented with history of recurrent life threatening infections associated with low IgA and IgG levels and significant elevation of IgM levels. He was diagnosed to have Hyper IgM syndrome. There was significant improvement after the immunoglobulin therapy. The child is now on regular immunoglobulin therapy and is free from recurrent infections. An index of suspicion to consider a possible diagnosis of immunodeficiency is stressed.

Gap phase regeneration of tree species of differing successional status in a humid tropical forest of Kerala, India.

Germination, establishment and growth of seedlings of tree species Palaquium ellipticum (primary), Actinodaphne malabarica (late secondary) and Macaranga peltata (early secondary) were studied in a humid tropical forest at Nelliampathy, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. While the primary species completed its germination within a brief period of 1·5 months, at the other extreme, early secondary species showed slow germination extending for about 5 months, the late secondary species falling in between. Although, all the species studied showed higher establishment and growth under gaps, the early secondary species were more responsive compared to the primary species. Primary species showed better establishment in undisturbed sites and natural gaps than under selection felled gaps; the reverse was true for late and early secondary species. Survival of seedlings increased with gap size, but sharply declined with gap age. Shoot/root ratio was consistently higher in the early secondary species than in the primary species.

Fractionation of culture filtrate antigens of Aspergillus fumigatus.

Polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and two-dimensional crossed immunoelectrophoresis (2D-CIE) of crude culture filtrate antigens prepared from three clinical isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus revealed a striking similarity in the number and nature of their antigenic components, notwithstanding the wide differences in their total protein contents. The antigenic components, which are largely proteins and glycoproteins, varied from 9-10 in number depending on the isolate. A prominent glycoprotein band, common to all the three isolates, merits further purification and detailed study. The serodiagnostic value of culture filtrate antigens of A. fumigatus vis-a-vis mycelial antigens, has been discussed.