Is fat-to-lean mass ratio a better predictor of heart variability than body mass index?

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) may not accurately predict cardiometabolic risk due to confounders like age, gender, relatively high lean mass, and the "thin-fat phenotype" prevalent in south Asian populations. Fat-to-lean mass ratio (FTLM), which assesses the balance between fat and lean body mass, may provide a more complete assessment of cardiometabolic health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional analytical study investigated the relationship between FTLM ratio, BMI, and heart rate variability (HRV) in apparently healthy male adults. 88 participants recruited through convenience sampling underwent anthropometric assessments, bioimpedance body composition analysis, and HRV testing. Pearson's or Spearman's correlation and linear regression analyses were performed where appropriate to assess the relationship between FTLM ratio, BMI, and HRV. RESULTS: Both BMI and FTLM showed significant positive correlation with normalized LF power and LF-HF ratio and a negative correlation with normalized HF power, RMSSD, and pNN50. However, FTLM ratio showed a stronger association with HRV parameters than BMI and could explain a greater percentage of the variability in LF-HF ratio (32% compared to 18.4%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Assessment of both fat and lean mass, expressed as a ratio, is a better index of quantifying adiposity and predicting the influence of altered body composition on cardiometabolic health.

Antiangiogenic Potential of Troxerutin and Chitosan Loaded Troxerutin on Chorioallantoic Membrane Model.

Angiogenesis is crucial to the development of cancer because it allows the transport of oxygen, nutrients, and growth factors as well as the spread of tumors to distant organs. Inhibitors of angiogenesis prevent the formation of blood vessels that allow tumor cells to shrink, rather than promote tumor growth. Chitosan acts as a carrier for many drugs, since the compound has various properties such as biodegradable, less toxicity, more stable, simple, easy to prepare, and biocompatible. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of chitosan nanoparticles encapsulated with troxerutin (Chi-Trox NPs) against angiogenesis and cancer in ova chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. Chi-Trox NPs were synthesized using a nanoprecipitation method and were characterized by various analyses. 24 hours' fertilized eggs (6 eggs/group) were treated with native Trox and Chi-Trox NPs for 5 days. The antiangiogenic activity was evaluated by morphometric, histopathological, immunohistochemical (CD104 and vimentin), and mRNA expression of MMP and FGF2 using RT-PCR. The anticancer activity was evaluated by histopathological, immunohistochmical (CD44), and mRNA expression of FGF2 and MMP. The synthesized chitosan NPs were successfully encapsulated with troxerutin, and the loading efficiency of chitosan NPs was found to be 86.4 ± 0.12% and 13.2 ± 0.16% respectively. Morphometric analysis of Chi-Trox NPs showed a considerable decrease in the number of blood vessels compared with control and native Trox. The histopathological observation of CAM confirmed that Chi-Trox NPs induce a significant reduction in inflammatory cells and the thickness of blood capillaries compared to control and native Trox. The immunohistochemical evaluation of CAM revealed Chi-Trox decreased CD104, vimentin and CD44 protein levels were compared with control and native Trox. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of FGF2 and MMP were significantly downregulated compared to their native forms. From the obtained results, Chi-Trox NPs possess significant inhibition of angiogenesis and can be used as therapeutic agents for cancer in the future.

Screening of Potential Breast Cancer Inhibitors through Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a key enzyme involved in overexpression in several human cancerous diseases including breast cancer. By performing efficient virtual screening in a series of active molecules or compounds from the Maybridge, NCI (National Cancer Institute), and Enamine databases, potential identification of COX-2 inhibitors could lead to new prognostic strategies in the treatment of breast cancer. Based on a 50% structural similitude, compounds were chosen as the inductive model of COX-2 inhibitions from these databases. Selected compounds were filtered and tested with Lipinski's rule of five followed by absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties. Subsequently, molecular docking was performed to achieve accuracy in screening and also to find an interactive mechanism between hit compounds with their respective binding sites. Simultaneously, molecular simulations of top-scored compounds were selected and coded such as Maybridge_55417, NCI_30552, and Enamine_62410. Chosen compounds were analyzed and interpreted with COX-2 affinity. Results endorsed that hydrophobic affinity and optimum hydrogen bonds were the forces driven in the interactive mechanism of in silico hits compounds with COX-2 and can be used as efficient alternative therapeutic agents targeting deleterious breast cancer. With these in silico findings, compounds identified may prevent the action of the COX-2 enzyme and thereby diminish the incidence of breast cancer.

Anticancer effect of selenium/chitosan/polyethylene glycol/allyl isothiocyanate nanocomposites against diethylnitrosamine-induced liver cancer in rats.

Background: Nano-based drug delivery systems have shown several advantages in cancer treatment like specific targeting of cancer cells, good pharmacokinetics, and lesser adverse effects. Liver cancer is a fifth most common cancer and third leading cause of cancer-related mortalities worldwide. Objective: The present study focusses to formulate the selenium (S)/chitosan (C)/polyethylene glycol (Pg)/allyl isothiocyanate (AI) nanocomposites (SCPg-AI-NCs) and assess its therapeutic properties against the diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver cancer in rats via inhibition of oxidative stress and tumor markers. Methodology: The SCPg-AI-NCs were synthesized by ionic gelation technique and characterized by various characterization techniques. The liver cancer was induced to the rats by injecting a DEN (200 mg/kg) on the 8th day of experiment. Then DEN-induced rats treated with 10 mg/kg of formulated SCPg-AI-NCs an hour before DEN administration for 16 weeks. The 8-hydroxy-2' -deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) content, albumin, globulin, and total protein were examined by standard methods. The level of glutathione (GSH), vitamin-C & -E, and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were examined using assay kits. The liver marker enzymes i.e., alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate tansaminase (AST), γ-glutamyl transaminase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Bax, and Bcl-2 levels, and caspase-3&9 activities was examined using assay kits and the liver histopathology was assessed microscopically by hematoxylin and eosin staining method. The effect of formulated SCPg-AI-NCs on the viability and apoptotic cell death on the HepG2 cells were examined using MTT and dual staining assays, respectively. Results: The results of different characterization studies demonstrated the formation of SCPg-AI-NCs with tetragonal shape, narrowed distribution, and size ranging from 390 to 450 nm. The formulated SCPg-AI-NCs treated liver cancer rats indicated the reduced levels of 8-OHdG, albumin, globulin, and total protein. The SCPg-AI-NCs treatment appreciably improved the GSH, vitamin-C & -E contents, and SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR activities in the serum of liver cancer rats. The SCPg-AI-NCs treatment remarkably reduced the liver marker enzyme activities in the DEN-induced rats. The SCPg-AI-NCs treatment decreased the AFP and CEA contents and enhanced the Bax and caspase 3&9 activities in the DEN-induced rats. The SCPg-AI-NCs effectively decreased the cell viability and induced apoptosis in the HepG2 cells. Conclusion: The present findings suggested that the formulated SCPg-AI-NCs remarkably inhibited the DEN-induced liver carcinogenesis in rats. These findings provide an evidence that SCPg-AI-NCs can be a promising anticancer nano-drug in the future to treat the liver carcinogenesis.

COVID-19: Impact analysis and recommendations for power sector operation.

The demand of electricity has been reduced significantly due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Governments around the world were compelled to reduce the business activity in response to minimize the threat of coronavirus. This on-going situation due to COVID-19 has changed the lifestyle globally as people are mostly staying home and working from home if possible. Hence, there is a significant increase in residential load demand while there is a substantial decrease in commercial and industrial loads. This devastating situation creates new challenges in the technical and financial activities of the power sector and hence most of the utilities around the world initiated a disaster management plan to tackle this ongoing challenges/threats. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the global scenarios of power systems during COVID-19 along with the socio-economic and technical issues faced by the utilities. Then, this study further scrutinized the Indian power system as a case study and explored scenarios, issues and challenges currently being faced to manage the consumer load demand, including the actions taken by the utilities/power sector for the smooth operation of the power system. Finally, a set of recommendations are presented to support the government/policymakers/utilities around the world not only to overcome the current crisis but also to overcome future unforeseeable pandemic alike scenario.

Phytochemical Profile of Erythrina variegata by Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Analyses.

Natural products derived from plant sources have been utilized to treat patients with numerous diseases. The phytochemical constituents present in ethanolic leaf extract of Erythrina variegata (ELEV) were identified by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analyses. Shade dried leaves were powdered and extracted with ethanol for analyses through HPLC to identify selected flavonoids and through GC-MS to identify other molecules. The HPLC analysis of ELEV showed the presence of gallic and caffeic acids as the major components at concentrations of 2.0 ppm and 0.1 ppm, respectively, as well as other components. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 3-eicosyne; 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol; butanoic acid, 3-methyl-3,7-dimethyl-6-octenyl ester; phytol; 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, diundecyl ester; 1-octanol, 2-butyl-; squalene; and 2H-pyran, 2-(7-heptadecynyloxy) tetrahydro-derivative. Because pharmacopuncture is a new evolving natural mode that uses herbal extracts for treating patients with various ailments with minimum pain and maximum effect, the results of this study are particularly important and show that ELEV possesses a wide range of phytochemical constituents, as indicated above, as effective active principle molecules that can be used individually or in combination to treat patients with various diseases.