Tag: nevin manimala

Balkan J Med Genet. 2021 Mar 23;23(2):73-78. doi: 10.2478/bjmg-2020-0029. eCollection 2020 Nov.

ABSTRACT

The Wingless/INT (WNT) signaling network has roles in renal cancer development. It was shown that the tumor-suppressor microRNA-124 (miR-124) is associated with the Wnt pathway. Thus, we aimed to measure miR-124 expression levels to evaluate whether it is a prognostic marker or a potential treatment strategy. Thirty tumor and 30 surrounding healthy kidney tissues from the same subjects diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), were included in the study. The expression levels of miR-124 were measured with real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and determined by the 2^-ΔΔCT method. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 program was used for statistical analyses and a p value of 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The expression levels of miR-124 was found to be about 3-fold lower in tumors than in healthy tissues (p 0.001) and decreased expression levels correlated with tumor stage, tumor diameter, body mass index (BMI) and neutrophil values (p 0.05). Our results showed that miR-124 expression levels are associated with RCC. MicroRNA-124 may be assessed as a biomarker in prognosis and the restoration of miR-124 expression might be effective in the treatment of RCC.

PMID:33816075 | PMC:PMC8009564 | DOI:10.2478/bjmg-2020-0029

Balkan J Med Genet. 2021 Mar 23;23(2):35-40. doi: 10.2478/bjmg-2020-0021. eCollection 2020 Nov.

ABSTRACT

Genetic and epigenetic factors have an important role during the development of osteoporosis. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κ B (NF-κB) (RANK)/receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) pathway is important for the bone remodeling, and NFATC1 and FOS are the downtargets of this pathway. Here, we report methylation status of NFATC1 and FOS genes in post- and premenopausal women. In this study, 30 premenopausal and 35 postmenopausal women were included. Methylation sensitive-high resolution melting (MS-HRM) analysis was used for identification of NFATC1 and FOS genes methylation. The NFATC1 gene was methylated in 11 of the 35 postmenopausal women, and the FOS gene was methylated in six of the postmenopausal women (p >0.005). Here, we found statistically significant association between unmethylation of the NFATC1 gene and postmenopausal status. This result explains the epigenetic regulation of osteoclasts during the menopausal transition, and for the first time, our results can be used for epigenetic explanation of postmenopausal osteoporosis in the literature. However, the limited number of studies in this field makes our results crucial. Our results showed great value of epigenetic profiles of postmenopausal women.

PMID:33816070 | PMC:PMC8009562 | DOI:10.2478/bjmg-2020-0021

Balkan J Med Genet. 2021 Mar 23;23(2):41-48. doi: 10.2478/bjmg-2020-0030. eCollection 2020 Nov.

ABSTRACT

Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is the most common intravenous anesthetic used in modern medicine. It is postulated that individual differences in genetic factors [polymorphism of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] in the genes encoding metabolic enzymes, molecular targets and molecular binding sites of propofol can be responsible for susceptibility to propofol effects. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of the cytochrome P450 2B6 isozyme CYP2B6 (rs3745274), γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor α1 subunit GABRA1 (rs2279020) and ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 ABCB1 (rs1045642) gene polymorphisms on propofol therapeutic outcomes in the patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy. Ninety patients aged 29-74 years, with different ethnicities were included in this study. The presence of polymorphisms was analyzed using TaqMan SNP genotype analysis on Stratagene MxPro 3005P real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The distribution of all three genetic variants was within the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There was no significant difference (p >0.05) in the allelic frequencies of polymorphic variants and genotype distributions between adult and older patients and between patients of different ethnicities. Our study did not detect a statistically significant influence of the CYP2B6 (c.516G>A), GABRA1 (c.1059+15G>A) and ABCB1 (c.3435T>C) variants on the variability of clinical parameters (doses for induction in anesthesia, additional doses, induction time and wake time after anesthesia and side effects of propofol). However, the observed trend on the possible influence of the CYP2B6 (c.516G>A) and GABRA1 (c.1059+15G>A) variants warrant an extension of these studies on a larger number of patients.

PMID:33816071 | PMC:PMC8009561 | DOI:10.2478/bjmg-2020-0030

Balkan J Med Genet. 2021 Mar 23;23(2):49-58. doi: 10.2478/bjmg-2020-0016. eCollection 2020 Nov.

ABSTRACT

Modifying genes play an exclusive role in the genetic regulation of the risk of breast cancer development in women with a pathogenic variation of BRCA1 or BRCA2. Therefore, it has been suggested that TNFRSF11A, which is among those modifying genes present in breast cancer development, may have a significant role in patients with positive BRCA1 or BRCA2 variations. In our study, we investigated the probable effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TNFRSF11A gene, such as rs4485469, rs9646629, rs34739845, rs17069904, rs 884205, rs4941129 on the risk of breast cancer in patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 variations. A total of 23 breast cancer patients with pathogenic variations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, 28 patients with no pathogenic variations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, and 55 healthy women as a control group, were included in this study. The SNPs were determined with allelic discrimination analysis through the real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. There was no statistically significant difference between the SNPs of the TNFRSF11A gene rs4485469, rs9646629, rs34739845, rs17069904, rs884205, rs4941129 and metastasis, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and CerB2 receptor positivity between patient and control group (p >0.05). However, the rs4485469 SNP was found to be borderline significant between the patient groups with and without BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations (p = 0.059). In patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variations living in the Trakya region of Turkey, we could not determine the relationship between TNFRSF11 SNPs with breast cancer risk.

PMID:33816072 | PMC:PMC8009568 | DOI:10.2478/bjmg-2020-0016

Cureus. 2021 Mar 31;13(3):e14206. doi: 10.7759/cureus.14206.

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR), including symptoms of sneezing, nasal itching, airflow obstruction, and nasal discharge caused by histamine and immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reactions, is ~30% in the U.S. Recent studies seem to suggest that the allergic inflammatory processes in AR may be induced by the interaction between an allergen (trigger) and the nasal microbiome (substrate). In this study, we have identified two agents with antihistaminic and microbiome-modulating characteristics that can be administered intranasally, namely, chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) and xylitol (X). This study aimed to test the efficacy of intranasal CPM plus xylitol (CPM+X) nasal for the treatment of AR in an outpatient setting. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, 30-day pilot study was conducted during the spring of 2019. After starting five days of placebo therapy (run-in period), patients with moderate-to-severe AR nasal symptoms were randomized to treatment with CPM+X (n=16) spray and nasal saline placebo (PLB; n=13). Both treatments were administered in the form of one spray dose (~100 µL of the solution containing 1.25 mg CPM) per nostril twice a day. Outcome variables were the changes in visual analog scale (VAS) and daily symptoms score (DSS) at days 1, 5, 10, 15, 25, and 30 after the initiation of the treatment. ANOVA (analysis of variance) with repeated revealed a significant treatment-by-time interaction such that the CPM+X group had a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in both DSS (∆-3.0 ± 2.7) and VAS (∆-3.8 ± 2.0) scores compared to PLB after 30 days. The difference in DSS and VAS scores between the groups was evident just after five days (day 10) of using CPM+X. The CPM+X scores were significantly lower (p < 0.008) starting from day 10 compared with day 1, whereas there were no statistically significant (p > 0.008) changes in the PLB during the 30-day treatment window. The present data suggest that nasal CPM+X use effectively improves AR symptoms. A large-scale study of the long-term effects of CPM+X for the treatment of other chronic respiratory disorders and the potential microbiome-modulating effects warrants further investigation.

PMID:33816038 | PMC:PMC8010914 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.14206

3 Biotech. 2021 Apr;11(4):169. doi: 10.1007/s13205-021-02707-w. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

ABSTRACT

In this modern era, medicine is facing many alarming challenges. Among different challenges, antibiotics are gaining importance. Recent years have seen unprecedented increase in knowledge and understanding of various factors that are root cause of the spread and development of resistance in microbes against antibiotics. The infection results in the formation of microbial colonies which are termed as biofilms. However, it has been found that a multiple factors contribute in the formation of antimicrobial resistance. Due to higher dose of Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) as well as of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), a large batch of antibiotics available today are of no use as they are ineffective against infections. Therefore, to control infections, there is dire need to adopt alternative treatment for biofilm infection other than antibiotics. This review highlights the latest techniques that are being used to cure the menace of biofilm infections. A wide range of mechanisms has been examined with particular attention towards avenues which can be proved fruitful in the treatment of biofilms. Besides, newer strategies, i.e., matrix centered are also discussed as alternative therapeutic techniques including modulating microbial metabolism, matrix degrading enzyme, photodynamic therapy, natural compounds quorum sensing and nanotechnology which are being used to disrupt extra polymeric substances (EPS) matrix of desired bacterial biofilms.

PMID:33816046 | PMC:PMC7966653 | DOI:10.1007/s13205-021-02707-w

EPJ Data Sci. 2021;10(1):15. doi: 10.1140/epjds/s13688-021-00271-0. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

ABSTRACT

Working from a dataset of 118 billion messages running from the start of 2009 to the end of 2019, we identify and explore the relative daily use of over 150 languages on Twitter. We find that eight languages comprise 80% of all tweets, with English, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese being the most dominant. To quantify social spreading in each language over time, we compute the ‘contagion ratio’: The balance of retweets to organic messages. We find that for the most common languages on Twitter there is a growing tendency, though not universal, to retweet rather than share new content. By the end of 2019, the contagion ratios for half of the top 30 languages, including English and Spanish, had reached above 1-the naive contagion threshold. In 2019, the top 5 languages with the highest average daily ratios were, in order, Thai (7.3), Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, and Catalan, while the bottom 5 were Russian, Swedish, Esperanto, Cebuano, and Finnish (0.26). Further, we show that over time, the contagion ratios for most common languages are growing more strongly than those of rare languages.

PMID:33816048 | PMC:PMC8010293 | DOI:10.1140/epjds/s13688-021-00271-0

Cureus. 2021 Feb 28;13(2):e13619. doi: 10.7759/cureus.13619.

ABSTRACT

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a physical disability and disturbed psychosocial functioning in young people. Many psychological and psychiatric comorbidities have been reported in MS. Objective To determine the frequency of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among MS patients and their relation to MS severity. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in an adult MS cohort. Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) were used to determine the presence and severity of OCD and SAD. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for statistical analysis. The Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression were used to assess the association of the two diseases with the severity of MS. Results A total of 145 persons with MS (pwMS) were studied. The mean age was 33.5 (±8.5) years; the mean duration of MS was 7.2 (± 5.1) years. The majority (74.1%) were women; 57.3% were married; 63% had a college education; 50% belonged to the higher middle-class socioeconomic strata. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was the most common type of MS (92.2%). The mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was 2.24 (±2.19). SAD was reported by 26.9%, and OCD was reported by 31% of the cohort. PwMS with walking difficulty but not wheelchair-bound had a statistically significant increased risk of SAD (p = 0.036). There was no direct association between MS-related disability and OCD. However, pwMS with SAD were more likely to have concomitant OCD (t=4.68, p-value <0.001, 95% CI: 0.47-1.16). Increasing disability was associated with higher chances of developing social anxiety and, in turn, OCD (t=3.39, p-value <0.001, 95% CI: 0.66-2.52). Conclusions Social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders were present in nearly one-third of pwMS. Impaired walking but not wheelchair dependence was associated with social anxiety. PwMS with SAD were more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PMID:33816018 | PMC:PMC8010157 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.13619

Cureus. 2021 Mar 1;13(3):e13634. doi: 10.7759/cureus.13634.

ABSTRACT

Background On March 3, 2020, the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported by the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Within days, the government confirmed more cases and adopted lockdown measures with travel restrictions from March to June 2020. A distinctive coronavirus was isolated from 190,823 patients by June 30. The pandemic resulted in a significant risk to public health. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the rate of premature births. Method In this cross-sectional study, we observed premature births at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The study site is a 1,500-bed teaching hospital, with around 4,500 annual deliveries, 70 beds in level II and level III, and tertiary care NICU. We compared the birth rates among preterm infants between March 1 to June 30, 2017-2019, to the similar calendar months of 2020. Information on nationality, gestational age, and maternal conditions were collected from the medical records. We used the Poisson regression model to assess the preterm birth rate’s temporal trends before lockdown versus during lockdown. Results Among 7,226 total live neonates, we recorded 1,320 preterm infants during the study period of 2017-2020. The preterm birth rate per 1,000 live births during lockdown showed a 23% drop in the overall preterm birth rate with Prevented Fraction of 36% in extremely preterm (<28 weeks gestational age) births and 26% in moderate/late premature (32 weeks to 36 weeks + 6 days gestational age) births. The estimated preterm birth rate among the Saudi expats (15.11/1,000 live births) showed an increased tendency compared to Saudi nationals (odds ratio [OR]=1.07; 95% CI: 0.75-1.52) and was statistically not significant during the strict lockdown. Conclusion There was a significant reduction in the birth rate of extremely preterm and moderate/late preterm infants during lockdown when compared to the preceding three years. A national dataset is required to evaluate the extent of lockdown’s impact on the preterm birth rate.

PMID:33816033 | PMC:PMC8011548 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.13634

Cureus. 2021 Mar 1;13(3):e13635. doi: 10.7759/cureus.13635.

ABSTRACT

Background and objectives Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an independent risk factor for increased mortality, especially in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), but the mechanism of its development is unknown. This study aimed at evaluating volume overload and inflammation as potential variables to cause its development in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Materials and methods This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted on patients undergoing hemodialysis at a tertiary hospital in northern India. Patients of end-stage renal disease, aged 18 years or more, on maintenance hemodialysis for over two months were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of PH, determined by measuring systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP). The severity of PH was defined as: mild (SPAP 35-45 mmHg), moderate (SPAP 46-55 mmHg), and severe (SPAP> 55mmHg). The two groups were evaluated for demographic variables, type of vascular access, biochemical parameters, and markers of inflammation and fluid overload. Data between the two groups were compared statistically. Results This study included a total of 82 patients showing the prevalence of PH to be 25.6% with a men-to-women ratio of 2:1. Out of 21 cases of PH, mild PH was found in seven (33.3%) cases, moderate in 14 (66.7%), and cases with severe PH were none. The two groups differed significantly in ejection fraction and markers of inflammation and volume status. Laboratory data associated with PH were alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (p<0.05) and pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (p <0.05). Conclusion The present study showed higher levels of inflammatory markers alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and pro-b-type natriuretic peptide and lower levels of ejection fraction in patients undergoing HD, indicating a significant association with PH.

PMID:33816034 | PMC:PMC8011622 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.13635