Sleep,brain vascular health and ageing

Sleep maintains the function of the entire body through homeostasis. Chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) is a prime health concern in the modern world. Previous reports have shown that CSD has profound negative effects on brain vasculature at both the cellular and molecular levels, and that this is a major cause of cognitive dysfunction and early vascular ageing. However, correlations among sleep deprivation (SD), brain vascular changes and ageing have barely been looked into. This review attempts to correlate the alterations in the levels of major neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, adrenaline, GABA and glutamate) and signalling molecules (Sirt1, PGC1α, FOXO, P66^shc, PARP1) in SD and changes in brain vasculature, cognitive dysfunction and early ageing. It also aims to connect SD-induced loss in the number of dendritic spines and their effects on alterations in synaptic plasticity, cognitive disabilities and early vascular ageing based on data available in scientific literature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first article providing a pathophysiological basis to link SD to brain vascular ageing.

     

Gonadal function in young adult males with metabolic syndrome

AimsAim of the study was to assess the gonadal function of young adult males with metabolic syndrome and to compare them with healthy age matched controls.MethodsForty young male subjects of age group 20–40 years who fulfilled the IDF criteria (2005) for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome were included in the study. Thorough evaluation of the subjects was done and history of sexual dysfunction if any was noted. Pooled blood samples were collected from each subject in fasting state for total testosterone, SHBG, FSH, LH, prolactin and insulin levels. All hormonal analyses were done by radio immune assay (RIA). Hypogonadism was defined as total testosterone less than 3 ng/ml. Eighteen healthy age matched controls were also taken for the study.ResultsTwenty percent of subjects with metabolic syndrome had eugonadotropic hypogonadism compared to 5.5% controls. Subjects with metabolic syndrome also had significantly lower SHBG level compared to the controls.ConclusionFrom this study it has been observed that eugonadotropic hypogonadism with low total testosterone and normal or low normal gonadotropin levels may be a feature of the metabolic syndrome in young adult males. Significant low SHBG levels as compared to controls could be one of the factors responsible for various biochemical alteration seen in these cases. This study highlights the importance of evaluating gonadal function in young adult males with the metabolic syndrome and has therapeutic implications in the management of such subjects with gonadal dysfunction.     

Chemotherapy and drug resistance status of malaria parasite in northeast India

India reports the highest number of malaria cases in Southeast Asia, of which Plasmodium falciparum contribute more than half of the cases every year. North eastern states of India contribute only 3.96% of country's population but account for >10% of total reported malaria cases, 11% of Plasmodium falciparum cases and 20% of malaria related deaths annually. In India, chloroquine resistance was reported for the first time from northeast region and since then chloroquine treatment failure is being reported from many parts of the region. Increased chloroquine treatment failure has led to change of the drug policy to artemisinin combination therapy as first line of malaria treatment in the region. However, replacing chloroquine to artemisinin combination therapy has not shown significant difference in the overall malaria incidence in the region. The present review addresses the current malaria situation of northeastern region of India in the light of antimalarials drug resistance.     

Synthesis of novel triazolyl pyranochromen-2(1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-ones and their antibacterial activity evaluation

A series of thirty-three novel triazolyl pyranochromen-2(1H)-one derivatives have been synthesized via Cu (I) catalysed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. All of the synthesized compounds have been fully characterized from their spectral data and evaluated for antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The activity results revealed that amongst all the compounds screened, six compounds, i.e. 2-[4-(((7-ethyl-2,2,6-trimethyl-8-oxo-2,3,4,8-tetrahydropyrano[3,2-g]chromen-10-yl)oxy)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]acetic acid (41), 10-[(1-(1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy]-3-ethyl-4,8,8-trimethyl-7,8-dihydropyrano[3,2-g]chromen-2(6H)-one (44), 3-ethyl-4,8,8-trimethyl-10-[(1-((2R,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy]-7,8-dihydropyrano[3,2-g]chromen-2(6H)-one (46), 2-[4-(((7-hexyl-2,2,6-trimethyl-8-oxo-2,3,4,8-tetrahydropyrano[3,2-g]chromen-10-yl)oxy)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]acetic acid (52), 10-[(1-(1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy]-3-hexyl-4,8,8-trimethyl-7,8-dihydropyrano[3,2-g]chromen-2(6H)-one (55) and 3-hexyl-4,8,8-trimethyl-10-[(1-((2R,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy]-7,8-dihydropyrano[3,2-g]chromen-2(6H)-one (57), exhibited moderate activity against all the strains studied with zone of inhibition between 10 and 16 mm and MIC values in the range of 75–170 µg/mL as compared to the standard used. The information obtained from structure–activity relationship can be used to design and develop the next generation of compounds with higher antibacterial efficacy.     

Malaria epidemiology along Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura State, India

Malaria epidemiological surveys were conducted in 16 villages along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura, northeastern India. Insecticide resistance among malaria vectors and chloroquine resistance in the parasite were also studied along with monitoring of vector density using light traps. The epidemiological data indicated that malaria incidence was highest during June-July and lowest during November. Examination of blood smears collected through door to door surveys indicated slide positivity rate (SPR) of 25.2% and that Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant parasite (slide falciparum rate of 22.3%). The incidence rates of falciparum malaria varied significantly among the age groups (p<0.001) and 2-4 year olds were the most affected. Major malaria vectors recorded in light trap collections were An. dirus, An. minimus and An. philippinensis/nivipes. Chloroquine resistance studies indicated that treatment failure occurred in 35% of the cases and hence the use of artesunate combination therapy (ACT) was recommended for treatment of malaria in the area.