Complete nucleotide sequence of a begomovirus associated with satellites molecules infecting a new host Tagetes patula in India

In the year 2012 leaf curl disease was observed on Marigold (Tagetes patula) in Lakshmangrh, Sikar province of India. Affected plants were severely stunted with apical leaf curl and crinkled leaves, symptoms typical of begomovirus infection. This is the first report of complete nucleotide sequence of a begomovirus associated with satellites molecules infecting a new host Tagetes patula in India.     

Posttraumatic growth among cancer patients in India

Cancer patients sometimes report positive life changes in addition to more harrowing ones. Theoretically, several cognitive processes are thought to contribute to posttraumatic growth, but few studies have examined these relationships empirically among cancer patients. Moreover, most research has been conducted in western developed countries. This preliminary study offered a novel examination of posttraumatic growth and its cognitive correlates among cancer patients in western India. As hypothesized, in bivariate analyses perceived growth was significantly associated with greater meaning-focused coping (sense-making, benefit-finding), and with reappraisal of worldviews. Growth was not related to subjective appraisals regarding illness threat or stressfulness. In multivariate analyses, reappraisal of worldviews was the strongest concurrent predictor of posttraumatic growth. Results suggest that deliberative cognitive processes merit further study.     

Serum Mortalin Correlated with α-Synuclein as Serum Markers in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study

Mortalin, a mitochondrial chaperone, plays a crucial role in reducing toxicity of Lewy bodies. Earlier studies had reported that Mortalin level gets downregulated in astrocytes and other brain tissue samples in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aims to estimate the Mortalin concentration in serum and correlate with α-synuclein (α-Syn) in PD. The concentration of Mortalin and α-Syn in serum samples of 38 PD patients and 33 control group (CG) individuals was quantified by surface plasmon resonance. The receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to develop it as blood-based protein marker. The expression of Mortalin in serum was validated by western blot. The Mortalin level was found to be declined in PD patients (1.98 ± 0.53 ng/µL) in comparison with CG individuals (3.13 ± 0.48 ng/µL), whereas α-Syn level was found to be elevated in PD patients (38.20 ± 4.22 ng/µL) than CG individuals (34.31 ± 3.23 ng/µL) in serum. The statistical analysis revealed the negative correlation between Mortalin and α-Syn. This preliminary study summarized that Mortalin plays a significant role in PD with negative correlation with α-Syn. This study provides a new paradigm for the development of Mortalin as a potent serum protein marker for diagnosis of PD.