High prevalence of obesity among nursing personnel working in tertiary care hospital

Aim

To find out the prevalence of obesity and glucose intolerance among nurses working in tertiary care hospital.

Prevalence of double diabetes in youth onset diabetes patients from east Delhi and neighboring NCR region

Background

It is being increasingly reported that some of the youth onset diabetes patients cannot be classified clearly as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on usual criteria and the term double diabetes (DD) coined for these cases.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy versus other therapies: Redux

Despite the evidence suggesting that all treatments intended to be therapeutic are equally efficacious, the conjecture that one form of treatment, namely cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is superior to all other treatment persists. The purpose of the current study was to (a) reanalyze the clinical trials from an earlier meta-analysis that compared CBT to ‘other therapies’ for depression and anxiety (viz., Tolin, 2010) and (b) conduct a methodologically rigorous and comprehensive meta-analysis to determine the relative efficacy of CBT and bona fide non-CBT treatments for adult anxiety disorders. Although the reanalysis was consistent with the earlier meta-analysis' findings of small to medium effect sizes for disorder-specific symptom measures, the reanalysis revealed no evidence for the superiority of CBT for depression and anxiety for outcomes that were not disorder-specific. Following the reanalysis, a comprehensive anxiety meta-analysis that utilized a survey of 91 CBT experts from the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapists (ABCT) to consensually identify CBT treatments was conducted. Thirteen clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. There were no differences between CBT treatments and bona fide non-CBT treatments across disorder-specific and non-disorder specific symptom measures. These analyses, in combination with previous meta-analytic findings, fail to provide corroborative evidence for the conjecture that CBT is superior to bona fide non-CBT treatments.     

In vivo Heparan Sulfate Treatment Alters the Immune Response of Normal and LLC-Bearing Mice

Despite the large amount of research dedicated to the understanding and treatment of tumor growth, the majority of cancers continue to lack effective therapeutic options. As in the case of most solid tumors, growth requires evasion of the host immune system. Our previous work using the Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) model of tumor bearing (TB)-mice has shown several tumor-induced immune suppressing effects to be present. These effects include a decreased T-cell proliferative response to Con A and altered cytokine secretion patterns that favor neither a Th1 nor a Th2 response. To address these immune alterations, immune modulating approaches have been a central area of study. Of the many potential immune modulating compounds, we believe promising therapeutic potential lies in the heparin family. Heparan sulfate (HS), in particular, has been shown to increase T-cell proliferative response in non TB-mouse splenocytes as well as promotion of a beneficial Th1 response. In this paper, we studied the potential of HS to decrease tumor burden via in vivo treatment of TB-mice. Results showed both normal and TB-mice splenocytes had a dose response change in proliferation as a result of HS treatment. Furthermore, splenocytes from HS treated TB-mice showed a potentially beneficial decrease in basal level proliferation. On gross examination, HS treatment produced a decrease in tumor surface necrosis with a visible (2 ± 1.8%) surface necrotic area in treated mice as opposed to a (43 ± 16%) surface necrotic area in untreated mice. HS treatment decreased TB-mice splenomegaly when comparing mice spleen weights in treated (0.3 ± 0.05 g) vs. untreated (0.14 ± 0.02 g) groups. These results show a potential role of HS as an immune modulating agent with antitumor properties.     

Silencing of xylose isomerase and cellulose synthase by siRNA inhibits encystation in Acanthamoeba castellanii

A key challenge in the successful treatment of Acanthamoeba infections is its ability to transform into a dormant cyst form that is resistant to physiological conditions and pharmacological therapies, resulting in recurrent infections. The carbohydrate linkage analysis of cyst walls of Acanthamoeba castellanii showed variously linked sugar residues, including xylofuranose/xylopyranose, glucopyranose, mannopyranose, and galactopyranose. Here, it is shown that exogenous xylose significantly reduced A. castellanii differentiation in encystation assays (P?<?0.05 using paired t test, one-tailed distribution). Using small interfering RNA (siRNA) probes against xylose isomerase and cellulose synthase, as well as specific inhibitors, the findings revealed that xylose isomerase and cellulose synthase activities are crucial in the differentiation of A. castellanii. Inhibition of both enzymes using siRNA against xylose isomerase and cellulose synthase but not scrambled siRNA attenuated A. castellanii metamorphosis, as demonstrated by the arrest of encystation of A. castellanii. Neither inhibitor nor siRNA probes had any effect on the viability and extracellular proteolytic activities of A. castellanii.     

Interleukin-31: The “itchy” cytokine in inflammation and therapy

The cytokine interleukin-31 has been implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple atopic disorders such as atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis, and airway hyper-reactivity. In AD, IL-31 has been identified as one of the main “drivers” of its cardinal symptom, pruritus. Here, we summarize the mechanisms by which IL-31 modulates inflammatory and allergic diseases. T_H2 cells play a central role in AD and release high levels of T_H2-associated cytokines including IL-31, thereby mediating inflammatory responses, initiating immunoregulatory circuits, stimulating itch, and neuronal outgrowth through activation of the heterodimeric receptor IL-31 receptor A (IL31RA)/Oncostatin M receptor (OSMRβ). IL31RA expression is found on human and murine dorsal root ganglia neurons, epithelial cells including keratinocytes and various innate immune cells. IL-31 is a critical cytokine involved in neuroimmune communication, which opens new avenues for cytokine modulation in neuroinflammatory diseases including AD/pruritus, as validated by recent clinical trials using an anti-IL-31 antibody. Accordingly, inhibition of IL-31-downstream signaling may be a beneficial approach for various inflammatory diseases including prurigo. However, as to whether downstream JAK inhibitors directly block IL-31-mediated-signaling needs to be clarified. Targeting the IL-31/IL31RA/OSMRβ axis appears to be a promising approach for inflammatory, neuroinflammatory, and pruritic disorders in the future.     

Efficacy and Safety of Perioperative Bridging Anticoagulation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Elective Surgical Procedures: A Meta-analysis

Objective: The study objective was to determine if peri-operative bridging anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation is beneficial or harmful.Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Setting: Inpatient or in-hospital setting.Participants: Adults with atrial fibrillation having a CHADS2 score >1 undergoing elective surgical procedure on anticoagulation.Methods: A systemic search of multiple databases (Cochrane, Medline, PubMed) was performed regarding studies conducted on efficacy and safety of perioperative bridging anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation. Studies identified were reviewed by two authors individually before inclusion. The results were then pooled using Review Manager to determine the combined effect. Stroke/systemic embolism was considered as the primary efficacy outcome. Major bleeding was the primary safety outcome.Results: The systematic search revealed 108 potential articles. The full texts of 28 articles were retrieved for assessment of eligibility. After full text review, 25 articles were excluded. Three articles met inclusion criteria. No significant difference in stroke/systemic embolism with bridging anticoagulation was noted (risk ratio, 1.25-95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55–2.85). Bridging was associated with significantly higher risk of major bleeding (risk ratio, 3.29-95% CI, 2.25–4.81).Conclusion: An individualized approach is required when initiating peri-operative bridging anticoagulation. There is certainly a higher risk of bleeding with bridging anticoagulation and no difference in stroke/systemic embolism. However, the results cannot be extrapolated to patients who have valvular atrial fibrillation or CHADS2 score of 5 or greater.     

Ilimaquinone (marine sponge metabolite) as a novel inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 key target proteins in comparison with suggested COVID-19 drugs: designing,docking and molecular dynamics simulation study

The outbreak of novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has infected more than 36 million people and caused approximately 1 million deaths around the globe as of 9 October 2020. The escalating outspread of the virus and rapid rise in the number of cases require the instantaneous development of effectual drugs and vaccines. Presently, there are no approved drugs or vaccine available to treat the infection. In such scenario, one of the propitious therapeutic approaches against viral infection is to explore enzyme inhibitors amidst natural compounds, utilizing computational approaches aiming to get products with negligible side effects. In the present study, the inhibitory prospects of ilimaquinone (marine sponge metabolite) were assessed in comparison with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, favipiravir, ivermectin and remdesivir at the active binding pockets of nine different vital SARS-CoV-2 target proteins (spike receptor binding domain, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, Nsp10, Nsp13, Nsp14, Nsp15, Nsp16, main protease, and papain-like-protease), employing an in silico molecular interaction based approach. In addition, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro)–ilimaquinone complex were also carried out to calculate various structural parameters including root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), root mean square deviation (RMSD), radius of gyration (R_g) and hydrogen bond interactions. PLpro is a promising drug target, due to its imperative role in viral replication and additional function of stripping ubiquitin and interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) from host-cell proteins. In light of the possible inhibition of all vital SARS-CoV-2 target proteins, our study has emphasized the importance to study in depth ilimaquinone actions in vivo.

Inhibitory potential of ilimaquinone (marine sponge metabolite) against nine essential SARS-CoV-2 target proteins, employing a molecular interaction and dynamics simulation approach.