Status of Catalase, Glutathione Peroxidase, Glutathione S-Transferase, and Myeloperoxidase Gene Polymorphisms in Beta-Thalassemia Major Patients to Assess Oxidative Injury and Its Association with Enzyme Activities.

Beta-thalassemic patients require regular blood transfusion to sustain their life which leads to iron overload and causes oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of variants in genes including GSTM1 , GSTT1 (null/present), CT-262 (C > T) and CT-89 (A > T), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and myeloperoxidase (MPO). The genotype studies were conducted with 200 thalassemia major (TM) patients and 200 healthy controls. Genotyping of GST gene was performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), whereas for CT, GPx and MPO genesvariants PCR- restriction fragment length polymorphism technique used. However, the enzyme activities were measured only in the patients group to assess the association with the genotypes. All enzyme estimations were performed by ELISA. We observed higher frequency of GSTT1 null, CT-89 (A > T), GPx1 198 (C > T) and MPO-463 (G > A) polymorphisms in TM patient than healthy controls. However, CT-262 (C > T) polymorphism was not found to be statistically significantly different between patients and controls. Our results suggest that frequency of null allele of glutathione-S-transferase is significantly high among TM patients. The other alleles CT-89 (A > T), GPx1 198 (C > T), and MPO-463 (G > A) are linked to decreased CT, GPX, and MPO enzyme activities.

Genetic Variation in SOD1 Gene Promoter Ins/Del and Its Influence on Oxidative Stress in Beta Thalassemia Major Patients.

Background: A genetic polymorphism of 50 bp insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) (rs 36232792) in the promoter region of the SOD1 was reported to influence the enzyme activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the status of this polymorphism of human peripheral blood cells and its association with SOD enzyme activity in beta-thalassemia major patients. Material and Methods: The study was carried out on 200 thalassemia major patients and 200 healthy controls healthy. The SOD1 genotypes were determined using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method. Serum SOD activity were assessed using SOD assay kit. In-silico analysis was assessed using loss-of-function (LoFtool) (PMID: 27563026). Results: No association was found between the insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) polymorphism and SOD enzyme activity in thalassemia major patients Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the SOD enzyme activity is not affected by the 50 bp Ins/Del polymorphism of SOD1in thalassemia major patients. Further research with larger sample size and with other genes of antioxidant system is required.

Investigating the contribution of climate variables to estimates of net primary productivity in a tropical deciduous forest in India.

Investigating the impact of climate variables on net primary productivity is crucial to evaluate the ecosystem health and the status of forest type response to climate change. The objective of this paper is (1) to estimate spatio-temporal patterns of net primary productivity (NPP) during 2001 to 2010 in a tropical deciduous forest based on the input variable dataset (i.e.meteorological and biophysical) derived from the remote sensing and other sources and (2) to investigate the effects of climate variables on NPP during 2001 to 2010. The study was carried out in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary that forms a part of a tropical forest and is situated in Uttar Pradesh, India, along the Indo-Nepal border. Mean annual NPP was observed to be highest during 2007 with a value of 878 g C m-2 year-1 and 781.25 g C m-2 year-1 for sal and teak respectively. A decline in mean NPP during 2002-2003, 2005 and 2008-2010 could be attributed to drought, increased temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD). The time lag correlation analysis revealed precipitation as the major variables affecting NPP, whereas combination of temperature and VPD showed dominant effect on NPP as revealed by generalized linear modelling. The carbon gain in NPP in sal forest was observed to be marginal higher than that of teak plantation throughout the study period. The decrease in NPP was observed during 2010, pertaining to increased VPD. Contribution of different climatic variables through some link process was revealed in statistical analysis and clearly indicated the co-dominance of all the variables in explaining NPP.

Spatial heterogeneity of climate explains plant richness distribution at the regional scale in India.

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge of species richness patterns and their relation with climate is required to develop various forest management actions including habitat management, biodiversity and risk assessment, restoration and ecosystem modelling. In practice, the pattern of the data might not be spatially constant and cannot be well addressed by ordinary least square (OLS) regression. This study uses GWR to deal with spatial non-stationarity and to identify the spatial correlation between the plant richness distribution and the climate variables (i.e., the temperature and precipitation) in a 1° grid in different biogeographic zones of India. METHODOLOGY: We utilized the species richness data collected using 0.04 ha nested quadrats in an Indian study. The data from this national study, titled 'Biodiversity Characterization at Landscape Level', were aggregated at the 1° grid level and adjudged for sampling sufficiency. The performances of OLS and GWR models were compared in terms of the coefficient of determination (R2) and the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A comparative study of the R2 and AICc values of the models showed that all the GWR models performed better compared with the analogous OLS models. The climate variables were found to significantly influence the distribution of plant richness in India. The minimum precipitation (Pmin) consistently dominated individually (R2 = 0.69; AICc = 2608) and in combinations. Among the shared models, the one with a combination of Pmin and Tmin had the best model fits (R2 = 0.72 and AICc = 2619), and variation partitioning revealed that the influence of these parameters on the species richness distribution was dominant in the arid and the semi-arid zones and in the Deccan peninsula zone. CONCLUSION: The shift in climate variables and their power to explain the species richness of biogeographic zones suggests that the climate-diversity relationships of plants species vary spatially. In particular, the dominant influence of Tmin and Pmin could be closely linked to the climate tolerance hypothesis (CTH). We found that the climate variables had a significant influence in defining species richness patterns in India; however, various other environmental and non-environmental (edaphic, topographic and anthropogenic) variables need to be integrated in the models to understand climate-species richness relationships better at a finer scale.

Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Anemic Subjects from Uttar Pradesh, India.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is caused by one or more mutations in the G6PD gene on chromosome X. It affects approximately 400 million people worldwide. The purpose of this study was to detect the prevalence of G6PD deficiency and G6PD gene mutations in the hospital-based settings in patients referred for suspected G6PD deficiency. A qualitative fluorescent spot test and dichlorophenol-indolphenol (DCIP) test were performed. G6PD-deficient, positive samples were further processed for mutation analysis by Sanger sequencing. Out of 1,069 cases, 95 (8.8%) were detected as G6PD deficient (by DCIP test) and were sent for molecular analysis. The G6PD Mediterranean mutation (563C > T) is the most common variant among G6PD-deficient individuals followed by the Coimbra (592C→T) and Orissa (131C→G) variants. We concluded that all symptomatic patients (anemic or jaundiced) should be investigated for G6PD deficiency. Our findings will inform our population screening approach and help provide better management for G6PD-deficient patients.

Spectrum and hematological profile of hereditary anemia in North Indians: SGPGI experience.

Thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies together with red cell enzymopathies are a common cause of anemia, which can be prevented by population screening and genetic counseling. This study was designed to screen the anemic patients for thalassemia, structural hemoglobin variants and red cell enzymopathies. A total of 17047 cases were evaluated from 2009 to 2018 for thalassemia, hemoglobin variants, glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, pyruvate kinase deficiency and hereditary spherocytosis. Patients' records were entered in a Microsoft excel sheet and a spectrum of disorders was evaluated. Year wise spectrum was also analyzed to see the difference in incidence at different time periods. Incidence of beta thalassemia trait and thalassemia major was found in 11.0% and 3.4% respectively, whereas other hemoglobinopathies were observed in 3.2% of the cases. G6PD deficient cases were 0.2 % and 0.4% had hereditary spherocytosis. No significant difference was observed in incidence of thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies at different time points. This study provided a health burden and detailed spectrum and prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in North Indians high risk population which contribute toward the development of prevention strategies for better management of hemoglobinopathies. In view of high incidence of thalassemia a routine hematological screening at a primary health center may be introduced as a prospective premarital screening under a thalassemia control program. Moreover rapid and easy quantification of hemoglobin variants (Hb variants) make Cation exchange - High Performance Liquid Chromatography (CE-HPLC) a suitable diagnostic test for the routine investigation of genetic causes of anemia.

Connecting links between genetic factors defining ovarian reserve and recurrent miscarriages.

PURPOSE: Approximately 1-2% of the women faces three or more successive spontaneous miscarriages termed as recurrent miscarriage (RM). Many clinical factors have been attributed so far to be the potential risk factors in RM, including uterine anomalies, antiphospholipid syndrome, endocrinological abnormalities, chromosomal abnormalities, and infections. However, in spite of extensive studies, reviews, and array of causes known to be associated with RM, about 50% cases encountered by treating physicians remains unknown. The aims of this study were to evaluate recent publications and to explore oocyte-specific genetic factors that may have role in incidence of recurrent miscarriages. METHOD: Recent studies have identified common molecular factors contributing both in establishment of ovarian reserve and in early embryonic development. Also, studies have pointed out the relationship between the age-associated depletion of OR and increase in the risk of miscarriages, thus suggestive of an interacting biology. Here, we have gathered literature evidences in establishing connecting links between genetic factors associated with age induced or pathological OR depletion and idiopathic RM, which are the two extreme ends of female reproductive pathology. CONCLUSION: In light of connecting etiological link between infertility and RM as reviewed in this study, interrogating the oocyte-specific genes with suspected roles in reproductive biology, in cases of unexplained RM, may open new possibilities in widening our understanding of RM pathophysiology.

Optimized grid representation of plant species richness in India-Utility of an existing national database in integrated ecological analysis.

Data on the distribution of plant species at spatial (grid) scales are required as input for integrative analysis along with related climate, environment, topography and soil data. Although the world's scientific community is increasingly generating data on plant species at various spatial grids and statistically interpolating and extrapolating the available information, data on plant diversity from the Asian continent are scant. Such data are unavailable for India, the mainland of which has part of three of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots. Although sufficient field sampling is always impossible and impractical, it is essential to utilize fully any available database by adjudging the sampling sufficiency at a given scale. In this work, we used an exhaustive database of the plant species of the Indian mainland that was sufficient in terms of sampling vegetation types. We transformed the data, obtained the distribution at the 1° and 2° spatial grid levels and evaluated the sampling sufficiency at acceptable threshold limits (60% to 80%). The greatest species richness values recorded in the 0.04 ha quadrant, 1° grid and 2° grid were 59, 623 and 1244, respectively. Clench model was significantly (p value < 0.001) fitted using the plant species data at both the grid levels with a very high coefficient of determination (>0.95). At an acceptable threshold limit of 70%, almost all the grids at the 2° level and more than 80% of the grids at the 1° level were found to be sufficiently sampled. Sampling sufficiency was observed to be highly scale-dependent as a greater number of 2° grids attained asymptotic behaviour following the species-area curve. Grid-level sampling insufficiency was attributed to lower numbers of sampling quadrats in forests with poor approachability, which coincided with the world biodiversity hotspots', suggesting that additional sampling was required. We prescribe the use of the 1° and 2° spatial grids with sufficient sampling for any ecological analysis in conjunction with other data and thereby offer grid-level plant species richness data for the Indian mainland for the first time.

Knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS among students of a technical institution.

BACKGROUND: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a major health problem worldwide. The number of infected people is increasing daily. Knowledge and awareness toward prevention and control of the disease is necessary among both educated and illiterate people. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at assessing the knowledge and awareness about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS among undergraduate students studying in a technical institute in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among youths aged 15-30 years studying in a technical institution in Gorakhpur. Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire developed with the help of existing literature, from 250 participants (students). RESULTS: The main source of information was the television; knowledge about the difference between HIV/AIDS was satisfactory. The findings showed that the knowledge about modes of prevention (blood checkup, needle/syringe sterilization) was satisfactory. There were several misconceptions about the modes of transmission of the disease, such as through mosquito bites, eating/drinking, and kissing. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of the study population was satisfactory, and there is a need for innovation and comprehensive education to impart better knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS.

An in vitro evaluation of the anthelmintic activity of Hedychium spichatum rhizomes and Zingiber zerumbet rhizomes on the Pheritima Posthuma model: A comparative study.

Ethanolic extracts of Hedychium spichatum rhizomes and Zingiber zerumbet rhizomes were taken for in vitro comparative studies on the anthelmintic activity against Pheritima posthuma. Different concentrations (25, 50, 100 mg/ml) of both the extracts were used for the activity. Varying albendazole concentrations (25, 50, 100 mg/ml) were used as a reference standard and normal saline (0.9% NaCl) was used for the control treatment. The results were expressed in terms of time in minutes to report the paralysis and time of death of the earthworms. The results obtained from the study indicate toward the anthelmintic activity, supporting folk use of both the plants when compared with the standard. The results also established that Z. zerumbet was a more potent candidature of as compared with H. spichatum.

Alternative therapies useful in the management of diabetes: A systematic review.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder in the endocrine system. This dreadful disease is found in all parts of the world and becoming a serious threat of mankind health. There are lots of chemical agents available to control and to treat diabetic patients, but total recovery from diabetes has not been reported up to this date. In addition to adverse effects, drug treatments are not always satisfactory in maintaining euglycemia and avoiding late stage diabetic complications. Alternative to these synthetic agents, plants provided a potential source of hypoglycemic drugs and are widely used in several traditional systems of medicine to prevent diabetes. Several medicinal plants have been investigated for their beneficial effect in different type of diabetes. Other alternative therapies such as dietary supplements, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and yoga therapies less likely to have the side effects of conventional approaches for diabetes.

Prescription pattern in asthma therapy at Gorakhpur hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: This prescription-monitoring study was conducted to establish the drug-prescribing trend of anti-asthmatic drugs in various hospitals of Gorakhpur. SETTING: The study covered three famous hospitals of Gorakhpur. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Hundred patients were studied using a prescription auditing performa. Data was recorded from the patient's attending the out patient department using a chance random sample method for two months. Patients who co- operated were interviewed and information was filled in the performa. RESULTS: The results suggested that b-agonist (40%) were the most frequently prescribed anti-asthmatic drugs followed by Methylxanthine (27%), corticosteroids (25%), leukotriene antagonist (4.4%) and anti-histaminics (3.6%) was the least prescribed. Analysis of prescription revealed that multiple drug therapy (81%) was opted for a significant number of patients as compared to single drug therapy (19%). Contrary to popular belief, oral dosage form tablets (56.3%) were preferred over inhalation (33.8%). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the present prescribing pattern of anti-asthmatics in Gorakhpur does not completely meet standard guidelines of asthma treatment. Hence there is a need to encourage physicians of Gorakhpur to follow the guidelines while treating asthma.