Piperazine based antimicrobial polymers: a review

Microbial infections are a life threatening concern in several areas, which include the biomedical sector, healthcare products, water purification systems, and food packaging. Polymers with low molecular weight bioactive agents or disinfectants help the scientific community to reduce the lethality rate caused by pathogenic microbes. Antimicrobial polymeric approach is one of the advanced approaches made by researchers in concern with the problems associated with small molecules that restrict their applications in broad spectrum. History reveals the synthesis of numerous antimicrobial polymers using various antimicrobial agents but lacks the use of piperazine molecule, which is of pharmaceutical importance. This review gives an insight into the current and future perspective for the development of piperazine-based antimicrobial polymers.

Mode of action of piperazine based polymers against pathogenic microorganisms.     

NUSAP1 influences the DNA damage response by controlling BRCA1 protein levels

NUSAP1 has been reported to function in mitotic spindle assembly, chromosome segregation, and regulation of cytokinesis. In this study, we find that NUSAP1 has hitherto unknown functions in the key BRCA1-regulated pathways of double strand DNA break repair and centrosome duplication. Both these pathways are important for maintenance of genomic stability, and any defects in these pathways can cause tumorigenesis. Depletion of NUSAP1 from cells led to the suppression of double strand DNA break repair via the homologous recombination and single-strand annealing pathways. The presence of NUSAP1 was also found to be important for the control of centrosome numbers. We have found evidence that NUSAP1 plays a role in these processes through regulation of BRCA1 protein levels, and BRCA1 overexpression from a plasmid mitigates the defective phenotypes seen upon NUSAP1 depletion. We found that after NUSAP1 depletion there is a decrease in BRCA1 recruitment to ionizing radiation-induced foci. Results from this study reveal a novel association between BRCA1 and NUSAP1 and suggests a mechanism whereby NUSAP1 is involved in carcinogenesis.     

Hydrothermal synthesis,characterization and enhanced photocatalytic activity and toxicity studies of a rhombohedral Fe2O3 nanomaterial

The present investigation focuses on the synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) via a facile hydrothermal route. The material has been characterized by using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), photoluminescence (PL), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. However, the application of Fe₂O₃ metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) tied with their inimitable chemical and physical nature is thought to emphasize their exploitable medical and biological applications nowadays. Rhodamine-B (RB) was used for photocatalytic degradation studies by using rhombohedral Fe₂O₃, afterwards the material was recycled and utilized for toxicity assessments. Undeniably, a meticulous assessment is needed of the factors that influence the biocompatibility and is essential for the safe and sustainable development of the emerging chemically synthesized metal oxide nanoparticle (MONPs). The toxicity assessment of Fe₂O₃ is necessary to know the bioaccumulation and local or systemic toxicity associated to them. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of Fe₂O₃ and its histological alterations of the heart tissue of albino Wistar rat. The synthesized materials high dose was found to be highly stable and we found more toxicity against the skin melanoma cells (B16-F10), human embryonic kidney (HEK), 293 cells depending on dose. Finally, Escherichia coli, (MTCC 7410) bacterial cell wall damage studies were also conducted to provide a clear determination of rhombohedral nanomaterial behaviour. The fusion of these biocompatibility investigations paves a way for further applications in utilization of these materials in future eco-friendly applications.

The present investigation focuses on the synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) via a facile hydrothermal route.     

Bifurcated plantaris with rare relations to the neurovascular bundle in the popliteal fossa

The plantaris muscle (PM) is a vestigial muscle in human. The PM arises as a small muscular belly from the lateral condyle of the femur and then its long tendon inserts into the calcaneum or blends with the tendocalcaneus. There are many reports to describe the variations in the origin, nature of muscle, course of the tendon, and insertion of PM. However, here we report a case of a rare and unreported variation of PM with one common origin and two muscle bellies with peculiar relations with the neurovascular bundle in the popliteal fossa. Although its anatomical functions are insignificant, its tendon is useful as a graft in various reconstructive surgeries and variation in this muscle and its relation to nearby neurovascular bundle may be of clinical interest. Therefore, the present variation is worth considering in predicting uncommon neurovascular entrapment in the leg and may also be useful in various surgical procedures in the region of the knee joint.     

A Comparative Study to Assess the Awareness of Palliative Care Between Urban and Rural Areas of Ernakulum District, Kerala, India

Aim:

To assess the knowledge and attitude toward palliative care among people residing in urban and rural areas.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 185 urban and 165 rural households. Senior-most member of the household present was interviewed using a questionnaire. Only those people who have heard about palliative care were included in the study.

Results:

Out of 350 people, 47 (13.4%) have heard about palliative care. Of these 38 (20.5%) belonged to urban and 9 (5.4%) belonged to rural areas (P < 0.0001).Twenty-nine (15.7%) participants in urban and 7 (4.2%) in rural areas had some knowledge about palliative care (P = 0.0002). Source of information for 25 (53.2%) participants was newspapers followed by television 17 (36.2%). Thirty-three (86.8%) participants in urban and 7 (77.8%) in rural areas felt that palliative care helps in improving quality of life. Twenty (52.6%) participants in urban and 4 (44.4%) participants in rural areas felt that palliative care can be better provided at homes than hospitals. Thirty (78.9%) urban participants felt that bad news about the patient''s condition needs to be told to the patient first and then to their family members. In case of rural participants majority 7 (77.8%) said vice versa (P = 0.0039).

Conclusion:

Overall awareness of palliative care was poor. This calls for large-scale awareness campaigns. As home-based palliative care was preferred by many, home visits by care providers and training of family members of patient''s needing palliative care needs to be practiced widely.     

The antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects of BCX-3607, a small molecule tissue factor/factor VIIa inhibitor

Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that binds its zymogen cofactor, Factor VIIa (FVIIa) on the cell surface. Together (TF/FVIIa) they activate Factor X (FX) and Factor IX (FIX) and start the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. As such, the TF/FVIIa complex plays an important role in normal physiology as well as in thrombotic diseases such as unstable angina (UA), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In addition to its function as an initiator of coagulation, TF/FVIIa plays an important role in inflammation. Expression of TF on the cell surface and its appearance as a soluble molecule are characteristic features of acute and chronic inflammation in conditions such as sepsis and atherosclerosis. Here we demonstrate that BCX-3607, a small molecule potent inhibitor of TF/FVIIa, reduces thrombus weight in an animal model of DVT. BCX-3607 also decreases the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a LPS-stimulated mouse model of endotoxemia. Additionally, in vitro studies indicate that BCX-3607 blocks the generation of TF/FVIIa-induced IL-8 mRNA in human keratinocytes and reduces the TF/FVIIa-mediated generation of IL-6 and IL-8 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Therefore, BCX-3607 might block the TF/FVIIa-mediated coagulation and inflammation associated with pathological conditions.     

A comparison of responses to alcohol expectancy questionnaire (CEOA) of Indian and Malaysian medical students

Alcohol addiction is a social problem faced by every country worldwide. Young people are more at risk of this menace. In spite of a clear knowledge and message about the effects of alcohol on individual health and social fabric, it is hard to curb the overuse of this beverage. In the present study, we compared the outcome of a survey using Comprehensive effects of Alcohol (CEOA) in two private Medical institutions in two Asian countries, viz. KMC, Mangalore, India (n=180) and AIMST, Kedah, Malaysia (n=170). The study included both males and female students. The result suggested that the negative reinforcement responses were rated higher in both the study groups. But those who have tasted alcohol before had a higher rating that alcohol may cause positive reinforcement. Both groups of respondents showed similar trend suggesting that the alcohol expectancies are similar in Indian students and Malaysian students. From the results we could conclude that the responses of the two sample groups were comparable to each other. While the male respondents were inclined show higher affinity towards acceptance of alcohol females are very much less so. However, the respondents of both groups appeared to be well aware of the negative aspects of alcohol. Importantly previous exposure to alcohol intake dramatically changed the perception and showed increased inclination towards alcoholism. This study thus provides an important clue to the clinician, counselors and parents regarding the importance of guiding the young people about the alcoholism.