Association of the Apolipoprotein A-I Gene Polymorphisms with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Atherogenic Indices in Patients from Assam, Northeast India.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and particularly decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) dyslipidemia are prevalent in Assam, India. This study was undertaken to investigate whether Apolipoprotein A-I (APOA1) gene polymorphisms (G-75A and C+83T) were associated with i) the risk for decreased HDL-C, and ii) other CVD risk factors, viz. serum lipids, atherogenic indices, obesity, and blood pressure (BP). A total of 649 subjects were screened, from which 200 eligible individuals, classified as case group with decreased HDL-C levels (100 subjects) and control group with normal HDL-C levels (100 subjects) were enrolled and genotyped using polymersase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing. Lipid fractions [HDL-C, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), triglycerides (TG)] and atherogenic indices [Castelli's Risk Indices-I and -II (CRI-I and -II), non-HDL-C fraction, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC)] were estimated. The G-75A and C+83T loci were not associated with decreased HDL-C risk. This was confirmed across different genetic models (dominant, recessive, additive and allelic). Association was also absent with BP and obesity. However, the G-75A locus was associated with LDL-C, whereas the C+83T locus was associated with TG and VLDL-C. Furthermore, these sites had effects on atherogenic indices. The rare A allele at the G-75A locus was associated with adverse CRI-I, CRI-II, non-HDL-C and AC values, while the major C allele at the C+83T locus was associated with adverse AIP values. Thus, the pro-atherogenic G-75A polymorphism and the anti-atherogenic C+83T polymorphism represent important genetic loci that modulate CVD risk factors in subjects from Assam.

Class II and IV HDACs function as inhibitors of osteoclast differentiation.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are negative regulators of transcription and have been shown to regulate specific changes in gene expression. In vertebrates, eighteen HDACs have thus far been identified and subdivided into four classes (I-IV). Key roles for several HDACs in bone development and biology have been elucidated through in vitro and in vivo models. By comparison, there is a paucity of data on the roles of individual HDACs in osteoclast formation and function. In this study, we investigated the gene expression patterns and the effects of suppressing individual class II (Hdac4, 5, 6, 9, and 10) and class IV (Hdac11) HDACs during osteoclast differentiation. We demonstrated that HDAC class II and IV members are differentially expressed during osteoclast differentiation. Additionally, individual shRNA-mediated suppression of Hdac4, 5, 9, 10 and 11 expression resulted in increased multinucleated osteoclast size and demineralization activity, with little to no change in the overall number of multinucleated osteoclasts formed compared with control shRNA-treated cells. We also detected increased expression of genes highly expressed in osteoclasts, including c-Fos, Nfatc1, Dc-stamp and Cathepsin K. These observations indicate that HDACs cooperatively regulate shared targets in a non-redundant manner.

Biodiversity of epilithic cyanobacteria from freshwater streams of Kakoijana reserve forest, Assam, India.

The biodiversity of epilithic cyanobacteria from one of the unexplored habitats of freshwater streams of Kakoijana reserve forest of Assam, India was estimated. This paper lists a total of 29 species representing 18 genera of 12 families and 4 orders as per recent system of classification. Morphological descriptions, common habitats and distribution pattern were described for each species identified that were represented systematically. Of these 29 species, 11 were unicellular, 9 non-heterocytous filamentous and 9 heterocytous filamentous forms. All the unicellular (Aphanocapsa crassa, A. muscicola, Aphanothece nidulans, A. saxicola, Chlorogloea purpurea, Chroococcus cohaerens, C. minimus, C. minor, Cyanobacterium cedrorum, Cyanocystis versicolor and Gloeocapsopsis crepidinum) and 13 (Calothrix epiphytica, C. scopulorum, Leptolyngbya boryana, L. calotrichoides, L. fragilis, L. notata, Lyngbya arboricola, Nostoc humifusum, N. oryzae, N. punctiforme, Parthasarathiella prolifica, Porphyrosiphon ceylanicus and Scytonema millei) of the remaining 18 species were recorded for the first time as freshwater epiliths. While, 5 species (Hapalosiphon welwitschii, Leptolyngbya tenuis, Oscillatoria pseudogeminata, Phormidium laetevirens, Tolypothrix fragilis) and 8 species (Aphanothece saxicola, Calothrix scopulorum Chlorogloea purpurea, Chroococcus minor, Gloeocapsopsis crepidinum, Leptolyngbya calotrichoides, L. fragilis and L. tenuis) were reported earlier as freshwater-and marine-epilithic forms respectively. All are new records for Assam except 6 species (A. nidulans, H. welwitschii, N. punctiforme, N. oryzae, O. pseudogeminata and P. ceylanicus), while 3 species (C. purpurea, L. boryana and L. calotrichoides) are new records for India. Six nitrogen fixing heterocytous forms such as, C. epiphytica, C. scopulorum, N. humifusum, N. punctiforme, N. oryzae and S. millei, were common to the neighboring paddy fields.

[Divorces in Europe during the years 1950-1980]. / Rozwody w Europie w latach 1950-1980

PIP: Data on legal divorces in more than 20 European countries are analyzed. A general trend toward higher rates of divorce is noted for the 1970s, although some countries showed declines in divorce during the 1950s, partly in contrast to the high rates observed immediately following World War II. Some explanations of recent divorce trends are attempted.^ieng

Effect of lead chromate on chromosome aberration, sister-chromatid exchange and DNA damage in mammalian cells in vitro.

Possible mutagenic activity of lead chromate in mammalian cells was studied using assays for chromosome aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in cultured human lymphocytes, and DNA fragmentation as detected by alkaline-sucrose gradient sedimentation in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Lead chromate caused dose-related increases in chromosome aberration and sister-chromatid exchange in human lymphocytes. No increase in DNA damage was observed in CHO cells, possibly due to the relative insensitivity of the CHO cells and the limited solubility of lead chromate in tissue culture medium. The mutagenicity of lead chromate in human lymphocytes appears to be entirely due to the chromate ion since chromosome aberrations were induced by potassium chromate but not lead chloride.

Detection of the mutagenic activity of lead chromate using a battery of microbial tests.

The potential mutagenicity of the carcinogen lead chromate was tested by the following battery of microbial tests: the Escherichia coli PolA+/PolA- survival test; the Salmonella/microsome His+ reversion assay; the E. coli Trp+ reversion test as a plate assay; the E. coli Gal+ forward mutation test; and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae assay for mitotic recombination. Lead chromate is mutagenic in Salmonella and in Saccharomyces and is thus identified as a microbial mutagen by this battery. Metabolic activation by rat liver homogenate (S9) is not required for the mutagenic activity of lead chromate. The most statistically significant, positive result is found with a supplementary assay, the E. coli fluctuation test. To determine whether the lead ion and/or the chromate ion were responsible for the mutagenicity observed, lead chloride and chromium trioxide (chromic acid) were also tested. In E. coli fluctuation test, the ranges of maximal mutagenicity for chromium trioxide and lead chromate overlap at the concentration 10(-5)M, whereas lead chloride shows no mutagenicity and little lethality at concentrations up to 10(-3)M. Thus, it appears that the chromate ion is responsible for the mutagenicity of lead chromate.

A hierarchical approach to mutagenicity testing and regulatory control of environmental chemicals.

A hierarchical approach to mutagenicity testing and regulatory control of environmental chemicals is proposed. The guiding concepts and principles relating to the testing of chemicals for mutagenicity and evaluation of genetic hazards are discussed.

International reference study on the identification and scoring of human chromosome aberrations. Results of a WHO comparative study.

Chromosome aberrations in human peripheral blood are recognized parameters of cellular damage and are used as indicators of exposure to ionizing radiation and certain chemicals. However, significant interlaboratory variability exists in the results reported from different laboratories. The primary objective of the present study was to examine problems associated with the identification and analysis of chromosome aberrations. Significant interlaboratory variability was found to exist in the analysis of human chromosome spreads for induced interphase aberrations, apparently owing in part to differences in the selection and rejection of spreads for scoring and also in the recognition and classification of various types of aberrations. These differences are reflected in the dose-response relationships for aberrations as well as for damaged spreads. For damaged spreads the scoring variability appears to be relatively small. It is inferred that factors additional to differences in scoring may play a significant role in the large variation in the reported dose-response relationships both for ionizing radiation and for chemically induced aberrations.