Levels of salivary thiocyanate and its relation with occurrence of micronuclei using exfoliative cytology in smokers and nonsmokers.

Aims: To evaluate the levels of salivary thiocyanate and its relation with the occurrence of micronuclei (MN) using exfoliative cytology in smokers and nonsmokers. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients were divided into 3 groups: nonsmoker group 1 (control), smokers group 2, and smokers group 3. Their saliva was collected and analyzed for thiocyanate levels, and exfoliative cytology was evaluated for the presence of MN. Statistical Analysis Used: Fisher’s exact test and ANOVA test were used. Results: It was seen that as the grade of smoking increased, the levels of salivary thiocyanate and occurrence of MN increased. Conclusions: Detection and quantification of “biomarkers” such as salivary thiocyanate and MN in noninvasive and painless procedures such as oral exfoliative cytology can be an upcoming research domain in the field of cancer prevention and therapeutics.

Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity amongst the community dwelling rural older adults in northern India.

Background & objectives: The population of elderly is growing globally and so are the physical illnesses and psychiatric morbidity. This study was planned to assess the prevalence and patterns of psychiatric morbidity amongst rural older adults in Lucknow, north India. Methods: A survey was conducted in subjects aged 60 yr and above to identify the cases of psychiatric morbidity in rural population from randomly selected two revenue blocks of Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India. All subjects were screened through Hindi Mental Status Examination (HMSE) and Survey Psychiatric Assessment Schedule (SPAS) to identify for the suspected cases of cognitive and the psychiatric disorders, respectively. The subjects screened positive on HMSE and SPAS were assessed in detail on Cambridge Mental Disorder of the Elderly Examination-Revised (CAMDEX-R) and Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), to diagnose cognitive disorders and psychiatric disorders (other than the cognitive), respectively on the basis of International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) diagnostic guidelines. Results: The overall prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in rural older adults was found to be 23.7 per cent (95% CI=21.89-25.53). Mood (affective) disorders were the commonest (7.6%, 95% CI=6.51-8.80), followed by mild cognitive impairment (4.6%, 95% CI=3.72-5.53), mental and behavioural disorders due to substance use (4.0%, 95% CI=3.17-4.87) and dementia (2.8%) [Alzheimer’s disease (2.4%, 95% CI=1.81-3.16) and vascular (0.4%, 95% CI=0.16-0.73)]. Interpretation & conclusions: Overall prevalence of psychiatric morbidity amongst rural elderly in this study was found to be less in comparison to those reported in earlier studies from India. However, prevalence pattern of different disorders was found to be similar. Therefore, it appears that a stringent methodology, refined case criteria for diagnosis and assessment by trained professionals restrict false diagnosis.

Comparative evolutionary analyses of beta globin gene in eutherian, dinosaurian and neopterygii taxa.

Background & objectives: Comparative genomics and evolutionary analyses of conserved genes have enabled us to understand the complexity of genomes of closely related species. For example: -globin gene present in human hemoglobin is one such gene that has experienced many genetic changes in many related taxa and produced more than 600 variants. One of the variant, HBS causes sickle-cell anemia in humans but offers protection against severe malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study, we characterized and performed evolutionary comparative analyses of the -globin gene in different related and unrelated taxa to have a comprehensive view of its evolution. Methods: DNA and protein sequences of -globin gene were downloaded from NCBI and characterized in detail in nine eutherian (Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Macaca mulatta, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, Bos taurus, Canis familiaris, Equus caballus, Oryctolagus cuniculus), a dinosaurian (Gallus gallus) and a neopterygii (Danio rerio) taxa. Three more eutherian (Papio anubis, Ovis aries and Sus scrofa) taxa were included for an analysis at the protein level but not included at the gene level owing to lack of genomic information. Computational and phylogenetic analyses were performed using evolutionary comparative approach. Results: Results of comparative and phylogenetic analyses revealed less conservation of genetic architecture of -globin compared to its protein architecture in all eutherian taxa. Both dinosaurian and neopterygii taxa served as outgroups and varied at gene and protein levels. Interpretation & conclusion: Most remarkably, all primates from eutherian taxa including P. anubis showed only nine codon position differences and an absolute similarity between H. sapiens and P. troglodytes. Absolute conservation of coding region in Equus caballus (horse) was observed. The results were discussed with an inference on the role of evolutionary forces in maintaining such close similarities and variations across closely related taxa. Further, the need to utilize more comparative approaches in understanding the disease causing genes’ evolution in closely related taxa is hoped for.

Novel microbial route to synthesize silver nanoparticles using spore crystal mixture of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Metallic nanoparticles are traditionally synthesized by wet chemical techniques, where the chemicals used are often toxic and flammable. In the present study, the spore crystal mixture of Bacillus thuringiensis was used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, XRD and TEM. X-ray diffraction and TEM analysis showed the average particle size of 15 nm and mixed (cubic and hexagonal) structure. This is for the first time that any bacterial spore crystal mixture was used for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Further, these biologically synthesized nanoparticles were found to be highly toxic against different multi drug resistant human pathogenic bacteria.

Psychosocial Characteristics as Perceived by Families in North Indian Community.

National or Caste group characteristics typify psycho-social characteristics of that group. These typifying psycho-social characteristics, whether of individuals or of families or of small or big groups, have tremendous predictive value in determining interventional outcomes. Systematic studies to discern distinguishing features of population subgroups vis-à-vis domicile, socio economic status (SES), gender etc. practically non-existent. . Psycho-social characteristics determine behavioural expressions in day to day living. In a separate large scale study entitled “A Study of the Impact of Behavioural Interventions on Illness Breeding Behaviors” funded by World Bank through Uttar Pradesh Health System Development Project; Lucknow, 1134 families drawn on stratified random basis from rural and urban areas of Barabanki, Mujaffarnagar and Gorakhpur districts of Uttar Pradesh (Northern India) were studied along various psycho-social characteristics to study the differences, if any, between the population subgroups. The data revealed significant differences between the population sub-groups along several psychosocial characteristics. The findings are discussed.

Effects of beta-cyfluthrin on white and sepia mutants of Drosophila melanogaster.

The effects of sublethal concentrations of a synthetic pyrethroid, beta-cyfluthrin (Bulldock 025 SC) were investigated in the F1 generations of white and sepia mutants of Drosophila melanogaster after various cross combinations of the parents which were exposed separately to the insecticide mixed diet for 24 hours. The experiment was carried out under the laboratory conditions at a temperature of 25+/-5 degrees C and 60+/-5% relative humidity. The insecticide had deleterious effect on the growth and development of both the mutant flies. Larval, pupal and total developmental periods were found to be increased as compared to controls, whereas the number of adult emerged decreased in all the treatment sets. Larval period index (LPI), pupal period index (PPI) and growth index (GI) were observed to be decreased in the entire cross combinations. Maximum effects were observed in those sets where both the sexes were treated, crossed and F1 generation was studied on the treated food having sublethal concentration of the insecticide, followed by similar treatment sets but on the fresh untreated food. Females were found to be resistant as compared to the males, whereas white mutant files were more susceptible to the test insecticide beta-cyfluthrin as compared to sepia mutant flies.