Geographical distribution, disease association and diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae K/L and O antigens in India: roadmap for vaccine development.

Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a significant healthcare challenge due to its multidrug resistance and diverse serotype landscape. This study aimed to explore the serotype diversity of 1072 K. pneumoniae and its association with geographical distribution, disease severity and antimicrobial/virulence patterns in India. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on the Illumina platform, and genomic analysis was carried out using the Kleborate tool. The analysis revealed a total of 78 different KL types, among which KL64 (n=274/1072, 26 %), KL51 (n=249/1072, 24 %), and KL2 (n=88/1072, 8 %) were the most prevalent. In contrast, only 13 distinct O types were identified, with O1/O2v1 (n=471/1072, 44 %), O1/O2v2 (n=353/1072, 33 %), and OL101 (n=66/1072, 6 %) being the predominant serotypes. The study identified 114 different sequence types (STs) with varying serotypes, with ST231 being the most predominant. O serotypes were strongly linked with STs, with O1/O2v1 predominantly associated with ST231. Simpson's diversity index and Fisher's exact test revealed higher serotype diversity in the north and east regions, along with intriguing associations between specific serotypes and resistance profiles. No significant association between KL or O types and disease severity was observed. Furthermore, we found the specific association of virulence factors yersiniabactin and aerobactin (P<0.05) with KL types but no association with O antigen types (P>0.05). Conventionally described hypervirulent clones (i.e. KL1 and KL2) in India lacked typical virulent markers (i.e. aerobactin), contrasting with other regional serotypes (KL51). The cumulative distribution of KL and O serotypes suggests that future vaccines may have to include either ~20 KL or four O types to cover >85 % of the carbapenemase-producing Indian K. pneumoniae population. The results highlight the necessity for comprehensive strategies to manage the diverse landscape of K. pneumoniae strains across different regions in India. Understanding regional serotype dynamics is pivotal for targeted surveillance, interventions, and tailored vaccine strategies to tackle the diverse landscape of K. pneumoniae infections across India. This article contains data hosted by Microreact.

Expression in poplar of dehydroshikimate dehydratase induces transcriptional and metabolic changes in the phenylpropanoid pathway.

Modification of lignin in feedstocks via genetic engineering aims to reduce biomass recalcitrance to facilitate efficient conversion processes. These improvements can be achieved by expressing exogenous enzymes that interfere with native biosynthetic pathways responsible for the production of the lignin precursors. In-planta expression of a 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (QsuB) in poplar trees reduced lignin content and altered their monomer composition, which enabled higher yields of sugars after cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis. Understanding how plants respond to such genetic modifications at the transcriptional and metabolic levels is needed to facilitate further improvement and field deployment. In this work, we amassed fundamental knowledge on lignin-modified QsuB poplar using RNA-seq and metabolomics. The data clearly demonstrate that changes in gene expression and metabolite abundance can occur in a strict spatiotemporal fashion, revealing tissue-specific responses in the xylem, phloem, or periderm. In the poplar line that exhibits the strongest reduction in lignin, we found that 3% of the transcripts had altered expression levels and ~19% of the detected metabolites had differential abundance in the xylem from older stems. Changes affect predominantly the shikimate and phenylpropanoid pathways as wells as secondary cell wall metabolism, and result in significant accumulation of hydroxybenzoates derived from protocatechuate and salicylate.

Evidence of microRNAs origination from chloroplast genome and their role in regulating Photosystem II protein N (psbN) mRNA.

The microRNAs are endogenous, regulating gene expression either at the DNA or RNA level. Despite the availability of extensive studies on microRNA generation in plants, reports on their abundance, biogenesis, and consequent gene regulation in plant organelles remain naVve. Building on previous studies involving pre-miRNA sequencing in Abelmoschus esculentus, we demonstrated that three putative microRNAs were raised from the chloroplast genome. In the current study, we have characterized the genesis of these three microRNAs through a combination of bioinformatics and experimental approaches. The gene sequence for a miRNA, designated as AecpmiRNA1 (A. esculentus chloroplast miRNA), is potentially located in both the genomic DNA, i.e., nuclear and chloroplast genome. In contrast, the gene sequences for the other two miRNAs (AecpmiRNA2 and AecpmiRNA3) are exclusively present in the chloroplast genome. Target prediction revealed many potential mRNAs as targets for AecpmiRNAs. Further analysis using 5' RACE-PCR determined the AecpmiRNA3 binding and cleavage site at the photosystem II protein N (psbN). These results indicate that AecpmiRNAs are generated from the chloroplast genome, possessing the potential to regulate mRNAs arising from chloroplast gene(s). On the other side, the possibility of nuclear genome-derived mRNA regulation by AecpmiRNAs cannot be ruled out.

COG-imposed Golgi functional integrity determines the onset of dark-induced senescence.

Plant survival depends on dynamic stress-response pathways in changing environments. To uncover pathway components, we screened an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized transgenic line containing a stress-inducible luciferase construct and isolated a constitutive expression mutant. The mutant is the result of an amino acid substitution in the seventh subunit of the hetero-octameric conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex of Arabidopsis thaliana. Complementation studies verified the Golgi localization of cog7, and stress tests established accelerated dark-induced carbon deprivation/senescence of the mutant compared with wild-type plants. Multiomics and biochemical analyses revealed accelerated induction of protein ubiquitination and autophagy, and a counterintuitive increased protein N-glycosylation in senescencing cog7 relative to wild-type. A revertant screen using the overexpressor (FOX)-hunting system established partial, but notable rescue of cog7 phenotypes by COG5 overexpression, and conversely premature senescence in reduced COG5 expressing lines. These findings identify COG-imposed Golgi functional integrity as a main player in ensuring cellular survival under energy-limiting conditions.

'We work together as a group': implications of jigsaw cooperative learning.

BACKGROUND: Modern clinical practice increasingly relies on collaborative, cooperative and team-based approaches for effective patient care. Recently, Jigsaw cooperative learning has gained attention in medical education. There is a need for studies in Southeast Asian context to establish its effectives in developing various core competencies expected of health professionals such as interpersonal, communication, collaborative, and teamwork skills. This current study explores the impact of using Jigsaw Cooperative Learning on undergraduate medical students. METHOD: An explanatory mixed method research design was carried out on first year medical students at a private university in Malaysia. In Phase I, a survey was conducted to explore the effectiveness of jigsaw learning. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS. In Phase II, a focus group interview was conducted to explore their in-depth experiences. Qualitative data were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Fifty-seven students participated in the survey and seven students took part in the focus group interview. Quantitative data analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the student's individual accountability, promotive interaction, positive interdependence, interpersonal skill, communication skill, teamwork skill, critical thinking and consensus building after jigsaw learning sessions. Qualitative data explained their experiences in-depth. CONCLUSION: Jigsaw cooperative learning improves collaboration, communication, cooperation and critical thinking among the undergraduate medical students. Educators should use jigsaw learning methods to encourage effective collaboration and team working. Future studies should explore the effectiveness of the jigsaw cooperative learning technique in promoting interprofessional collaboration in the workplace.

Trends in Health Communication: Social Media Needs and Quality of Life among Older Adults in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: While social media continues to dominate, social media platforms have become powerful health communication tools for older users. However, fulfilling their social media needs can be both detrimental and beneficial to their quality of life (QoL). This study assessed social media needs as they relate to QoL among older adults in Malaysia. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study and adopted convenience sampling to recruit participants. The participants were required to self-report their sociodemographic profile, social media use and needs, and QoL. Social media use and needs were assessed using the Social Networking Sites Uses and Needs (SNSUN) scale, and QoL was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify the predictors of QoL. RESULTS: The findings revealed that the fulfilment of social integrative needs was the strongest predictor of higher QoL in all domains. However, those using social media for their affective needs demonstrated lower psychological health quality. CONCLUSIONS: Fulfilling social integrative needs is the key to improving the QoL among older adults. The continuous development of age-friendly applications is essential to keep up with constantly changing social media trends and bridge the gap of social media inequalities. More importantly, it would enable older adults to utilize social media to its fullest potential and enjoy a higher QoL through accessible health communication tools.

IgG response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis non-polar lipids and sonicated extracts among tuberculous meningitis patients.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a major global health concern due to its protean nature. There is a need to identify better biomarkers for the rapid and definitive diagnosis of TBM. Lipids have been poorly explored as diagnostic markers in TBM. AIM: Non-polar lipids (NPL) and mycobacterial sonicate extract (MTSE) antigens were assessed for diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis . METHODOLOGY: A total of 110 cerebrospinal fluid samples were categorized as confirmed, suspected and non-TBM cases according to clinical presentation and laboratory investigations, which were further analysed by NPL and MTSE ELISA. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the NPL ELISA were 39.6 and 96 %, respectively, whereas the MTSE ELISA was 17 % sensitive and 92 % specific. The combination of the NPL and MTSE ELISA test was superior to these tests alone, with sensitivity and specificity of 43 and 88 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: This combination may be useful as an adjunct in the laboratory diagnosis of TBM. However, future studies in different settings among different populations, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus co-infection, are desirable to explore the full potential of biomarkers.

Circular RNA Profiling by Illumina Sequencing via Template-Dependent Multiple Displacement Amplification.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are newly discovered incipient non-coding RNAs with potential roles in disease progression in living organisms. Significant reports, since their inception, highlight the abundance and putative functional roles of circRNAs in every organism checked for, like O. sativa, Arabidopsis, human, and mouse. CircRNA expression is generally less than their linear mRNA counterparts which fairly explains the competitive edge of canonical splicing over non-canonical splicing. However, existing methods may not be sensitive enough for the discovery of low-level expressed circRNAs. By combining template-dependent multiple displacement amplification (tdMDA), Illumina sequencing, and bioinformatics tools, we have developed an experimental protocol that is able to detect 1,875 novel and known circRNAs from O. sativa. The same method also revealed 9,242 putative circRNAs in less than 40 million reads for the first time from the Nicotiana benthamiana whose genome has not been fully annotated. Supported by the PCR-based validation and Sanger sequencing of selective circRNAs, our method represents a valuable tool in profiling circRNAs from the organisms with or without genome annotation.

Ultrastructural analysis of cell wall of drug resistant and sensitive Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from cerebrospinal fluid by transmission electron microscope.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is being increasingly recognized and is one among the leading cause of death worldwide. Remarkable impermeability of cell wall to antituberculous drugs protects the mycobacteria from drug action. The present study analyzed the cell wall thickness among first-line drug resistant and sensitive Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isolated from cerebrospinal fluid by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average thickness of the cell wall of sensitive isolates was 13.60 ± 0.98 nm. The maximum difference (26.48%) in the cell wall thickness was seen among multi-drug resistant (18.50 ± 1.71 nm) isolates and the least difference (4.14%) was shown by streptomycin-resistant (14.18 ± 1.38 nm) isolates. The ultrastructural study showed evident differences in the cell wall thickness among sensitive and resistant isolates. Preliminary TEM examination of cells indicates that morphological changes occur in the cell wall which might be attributed to the drug resistance. The thickened wall of Mtb appears to help the bacilli to overcome the action of antituberculous drugs.

Suppression of Arabidopsis GGLT1 affects growth by reducing the L-galactose content and borate cross-linking of rhamnogalacturonan-II.

Boron is a micronutrient that is required for the normal growth and development of vascular plants, but its precise functions remain a subject of debate. One established role for boron is in the cell wall where it forms a diester cross-link between two monomers of the low-abundance pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II). The inability of RG-II to properly assemble into a dimer results in the formation of cell walls with abnormal biochemical and biomechanical properties and has a severe impact on plant productivity. Here we describe the effects on RG-II structure and cross-linking and on the growth of plants in which the expression of a GDP-sugar transporter (GONST3/GGLT1) has been reduced. In the GGLT1-silenced plants the amount of L-galactose in side-chain A of RG-II is reduced by up to 50%. This leads to a reduction in the extent of RG-II cross-linking in the cell walls as well as a reduction in the stability of the dimer in the presence of calcium chelators. The silenced plants have a dwarf phenotype, which is rescued by growth in the presence of increased amounts of boric acid. Similar to the mur1 mutant, which also disrupts RG-II cross-linking, GGLT1-silenced plants display a loss of cell wall integrity under salt stress. We conclude that GGLT1 is probably the primary Golgi GDP-L-galactose transporter, and provides GDP-L-galactose for RG-II biosynthesis. We propose that the L-galactose residue is critical for RG-II dimerization and for the stability of the borate cross-link.

Temporal transcriptome profiling of developing seeds reveals a concerted gene regulation in relation to oil accumulation in Pongamia (Millettia pinnata).

BACKGROUND: Pongamia (Millettia pinnata syn. Pongamia pinnata), an oilseed legume species, is emerging as potential feedstock for sustainable biodiesel production. Breeding Pongamia for favorable traits in commercial application will rely on a comprehensive understanding of molecular mechanism regulating oil accumulation during its seed development. To date, only limited genomic or transcript sequences are available for Pongamia, while a temporal transcriptome profiling of developing seeds is still lacking in this species. RESULTS: In this work, we conducted a time-series analysis of morphological and physiological characters, oil contents and compositions, as well as global gene expression profiles in developing Pongamia seeds. Firstly, three major developmental phases were characterized based on the combined evidences from embryonic shape, seed weight, seed moisture content, and seed color. Then, the gene expression levels at these three phases were quantified by RNA-Seq analyses with three biological replicates from each phase. Nearly 94% of unigenes were expressed at all three phases, whereas only less than 2% of unigenes were exclusively expressed at one of these phases. A total of 8881 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between phases. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR analyses for 10 DEGs involved in lipid metabolism demonstrated a good reliability of our RNA-Seq data in temporal gene expression profiling. We observed a dramatic increase in seed oil content from the embryogenesis phase to the early seed-filling phase, followed by a steady and moderate increase towards the maximum at the desiccation phase. We proposed that a highly active expression of most genes related to fatty acid (FA) and triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis at the embryogenesis phase might trigger both the substantial oil accumulation and the membrane lipid synthesis for rapid cell proliferation at this phase, while a concerted reactivation of TAG synthesis-related genes at the desiccation phase might further promote storage lipid synthesis to achieve the maximum content of seed oils. CONCLUSIONS: This study not only built a bridge between gene expression profiles and oil accumulation in developing seeds, but also laid a foundation for future attempts on genetic engineering of Pongamia varieties to acquire higher oil yield or improved oil properties for biofuel applications.

A rapid and simple resazurin assay to detect minimum inhibitory concentrations of first-line drugs for Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from cerebrospinal fluid.

OBJECTIVES: Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) is a devastating manifestation of TB. The most common form of CNS-TB is tuberculous meningitis. Drug-resistant TB poses a major threat to the control of TB worldwide. Timely treatment dramatically improves the outcome. Colorimetric techniques for drug susceptibility testing based on the oxidation-reduction principle give results quick and are less expensive. The objectives of this study were to compare the susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from cerebrospinal fluid to four first-line drugs using the MGIT automated mycobacterial detection system and the resazurin assay (RA) as well as to estimate the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) by RA. METHODS: A total of 42 M. tuberculosis isolates were analysed for their susceptibilities by MGIT and RA. RESULTS: Of the 42 isolates, 35 gave concordant results with both methods. Agreement between the two tests for streptomycin and rifampicin was 100% with a Fleiss' kappa (κ) value of 1, whereas for isoniazid and ethambutol agreement was 92.86% and 90.48%, respectively, with κ values of 0.853 and 0.738. CONCLUSION: The RA appears to be a good alternative to the automated MGIT technique in resource-limited settings.

Nitric oxide in cerebrospinal fluid of central nervous system tuberculosis: correlations with culture, antibody response, and cell count.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The role of nitric oxide (NO) has been established in infection over the years. NO functions by inhibiting the growth of intracellular pathogens. The present study was undertaken to ascertain the role of NO in central nervous system (CNS) infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 781 chronic meningitis cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples suspected of CNS tuberculosis (TB) were categorized based on M. tuberculosis culture positivity, anti-TB antibody response, and CSF cell count and were analyzed for NO. RESULTS: We found that NO levels were positive in 10.88% of the CSF samples. Positivity for NO was 18%, 11.67%, 13.68%, 9.32%, and 9.66% in the cases with mycobacterial culture positivity, anti-TB antibody positivity, high cell count, low cell count, and zero cell count, respectively. Among the above cell count categories, NO levels were noticed to be elevated in high cell count samples with mononuclear cell predominance. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that NO might play some role in the later stages of tuberculous meningitis. This is the first study to our knowledge in which NO was evaluated in CSF in relation to immune response and the presence of a pathogen with such a large number of subjects.

Deciphering microRNAs and Their Associated Hairpin Precursors in a Non-Model Plant, Abelmoschus esculentus.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulatory RNAs, originated from hairpin precursors. For the past decade, researchers have been focusing extensively on miRNA profiles in various plants. However, there have been few studies on the global profiling of precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs), even in model plants. Here, for the first time in a non-model plant-Abelmoschus esculentus with negligible genome information-we are reporting the global profiling to characterize the miRNAs and their associated pre-miRNAs by applying a next generation sequencing approach. Preliminarily, we performed small RNA (sRNA) sequencing with five biological replicates of leaf samples to attain 207,285,863 reads; data analysis using miRPlant revealed 128 known and 845 novel miRNA candidates. With the objective of seizing their associated hairpin precursors, we accomplished pre-miRNA sequencing to attain 83,269,844 reads. The paired end reads are merged and adaptor trimmed, and the resulting 40-241 nt (nucleotide) sequences were picked out for analysis by using perl scripts from the miRGrep tool and an in-house built shell script for Minimum Fold Energy Index (MFEI) calculation. Applying the stringent criteria of the Dicer cleavage pattern and the perfect stem loop structure, precursors for 57 known miRNAs of 15 families and 18 novel miRNAs were revealed. Quantitative Real Time (qRT) PCR was performed to determine the expression of selected miRNAs.

Significance of immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture filtrate protein antigens in cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients: A search for diagnostic marker.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Ra) culture filtrate proteins (CFP) are explored as a diagnostic marker for tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients were categorized as confirmed (n = 47), suspected (n = 20), and non-TBM (n = 25) cases. Immune response by Western blot revealed TBM CSF samples are having heterogeneous response to CFP. CFP ELISA was 92% sensitive and 38.30% specific. ODs of confirmed TBM and non-TBM cases were significantly different (P < 0.0001) and also the suspected TBM and non-TBM cases (P = 0.0001). No significant difference noticed in TBM and suspected TBM (P = 0.90). Thus, CFP can be a better biomarker for the diagnosis of TBM.

Correlation of clinical, laboratory and drug susceptibility profiles in 176 patients with culture positive TBM in a tertiary neurocare centre.

Drug resistance has increased the difficulties in control of tuberculosis infection. The present study evaluated the clinical and laboratory features among tuberculous meningitis (TBM) patients and the drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) isolated from CSF. Out of 698 CSF samples, 176 (25.21%) were M.tb culture positive. Among the clinical signs and symptoms, fever, headache and altered sensorium were found to be statistically significant (P<0.05). ELISA was a better predictor of disease and found to be statistically significant (P<0.001) in culture-proven TBM cases. Totally, 57 (32.4%) isolates were resistant to one or more drugs that include 5 (2.8%) multidrug-resistant isolates. In conclusion, the search for antibody in CSF and also CSF chloride can represent as an adjunct in the diagnosis of TBM. Screening of drug susceptibility is a very important factor and would help in better management of the disease.

Immunoconfirmation of central nervous system tuberculosis by blotting: A study of 300 cases.

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a serious form of disease of the central nervous system. Early and accurate diagnosis of the disease and effective treatment are key important factors to contain the disease. The disease presents as chronic meningitis where other partners such as fungal meningitis, neurosyphilis, cysticercal meningitis, carcinomatous meningitis and partially treated pyogenic meningitis share a similar clinical picture making the diagnosis complicated. Culturing of the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample has shown a poor response. The main immunological method for the immunodiagnosis of TBM is the detection of an antibody response in the CSF. In the present study, total MTB sonicated extract antigen was used for ELISA and Western blot. ELISA shows overall immune response of the test sample, whereas Western blotting reveals the specific reactivity to a particular molecular weight antigen. This would also reveal the immunodominant antigen. A total of 300 CSF samples were analyzed by both ELISA and Western blotting. Of the 240 clinically suspected TBM cases, 111 samples were positive by ELISA and 81 samples by Western blot. A total of 76 CSF samples were positive by both ELISA and Western blot. None of the control samples showed positivity either by ELISA or by Western blot. TBM patients revealed major antibody reactivity to 30-40 kD region, followed by 14 kD region. ELISA is sensitive with mild non-specific binding, but Western blot is specific in detecting the immune response. The findings will be useful in definitive immunodiagnosis of TBM.

Quercetin alleviates hypercholesterolemic diet induced inflammation during progression and regression of atherosclerosis in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: Recent advances have established a fundamental role for inflammation in mediating all stages of atherosclerosis, from initiation through progression. Quercetin may be a powerful bioactive constituent of the human diet, as a free radical scavenging agent and through interactions with various endogenous proteins. The present study focused on the effect of quercetin on inflammation induced by a hypercholesterolemic diet (HCD) in rabbits. METHODS: The animals were subjected to two different experiments, atherosclerotic progression and regression. In the atherosclerotic progression study, quercetin (25 mg/kg of body weight) was administered with the HCD for 90 d. In the atherosclerotic regression study, the animals were fed with the HCD for 90 d and then supplemented with quercetin (25 mg/kg of body weight) for another 90 d. The inflammatory enzyme activities were examined and a histopathologic examination of the aorta was performed. RESULTS: In the atherosclerotic progression study, quercetin coadministered with the HCD significantly decreased the activities of inflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenases (LOX) such as 5-LOX and 12-LOX in monocytes, nitric oxide synthase activity in the plasma, myeloperoxidase activity in the aorta, and the level of C-reactive protein in serum. In the regression study, quercetin administration significantly decreased the increased activities of inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase, 5-LOX, 12-LOX, myeloperoxidase, and nitric oxide synthase and the serum level of C-reactive protein in HCD-fed rabbits compared with regression control rabbits. This effect was confirmed by histopathologic examination of the aorta. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that quercetin modulates the deleterious inflammatory effects induced by an HCD in vivo in rabbits, suggesting its beneficial effect in decreasing inflammation in atherosclerotic progression and regression.

Molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action of the flavonoid, tricin from Njavara rice (Oryza sativa L.) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: possible role in the inflammatory signaling.

Flavonoids are a group of natural substances that are located in sources of vegetal origin and are able to regulate acute and chronic inflammatory responses. The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects corroborate with the preferential use of Njavara, a rice variety in indigenous medicine and the phytochemical investigations revealed the occurrence of a flavonoid, tricin at significantly higher levels compared to staple varieties. This study describes the new aspects of inflammatory suppression by the Njavara rice by evaluating the role of active constituent, tricin in the regulation of production of various pro-inflammatory markers by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Treatment with tricin resulted in significant down-regulation of LPS-elicited production of TNF-α, IL-6, PGE(2) and NO. Tricin was found to be a potential blocker of the expression of isoforms of nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase and matrix metalloproteinases. Modulation of the cascade of molecular events in lipopolysaccharide signaling also includes inhibition of transcription factor NF-κB evidenced by the detection of enhanced p65 subunit in the nuclear extracts on tricin supplementation. The present study summarizes the role of the flavonoid, tricin in the modulation of the expression of different inflammatory mediators and revealed that the inhibitory effects on cell signaling pathways are responsible for its anti-inflammatory activity.

A rare case of spindle cell lipoma of nose.

We present a case report of a 45-year-old lady with history of swelling on right side of the nose since two years. On clinical examination, there was a firm swelling, 3 × 2 cm in size, just above the right nasoalar crease, nontender and mobile. Computed tomography revealed fibrous tissue over anterior surface of the right maxilla and nasal bone with mild sclerosis of the right nasal bone. Excision was done through lateral rhinotomy incision. Histopathological examination of the excised specimen revealed spindle cell lipoma which is very rare. Very few cases have been reported in the literature so far.