Integration of Modern Molecular Tools with Geological Processes to Reveal Species Phylogeny,Biogeographical Niche Prediction,and Bio-Evolution

Nature is integrated, being simultaneously controlled by different natural aspects. Genetics, bioinformatics, biostatistics and geology are four diverse and broad scientific disciplines. But we believe that these can offer important insights into species distribution and evolution, if integrated. This perspective is grounded on a case study of the family Salvadoraceae, where species distribution and phylogeny show high correlation with the geological records. The results obtained from published and ongoing research indicate that we are pointing toward better visualizing the overlapping boundaries of these specific disciplines, which will be able to more accurately answer key evolutionary questions. We highlight: (1) the combined application of bedrock-soil geological data and bioinformatics to resolve evolutionary questions regarding species eco-distribution, niche prediction and bio-evolution; and (2) signifies the importance of relaxing boundaries between the disciplines to come to a better conclusion on species diversity and distribution-driven controls. Overall, we express and briefly explain our hypothesis to integrate modern analytical tools, viz., statistical correlation of geological data via. geo-statistics (Geo), and spatiotemporal biostatistics via. geo-informatics (Geo), with gene-based paleontological shreds of evidence, and sequence-based bioinformatics, to devise a practical analysis tool, namely “Geo² gene-bioinformatics”. We invoke the development of algorithms through computational-based programs that can provide useful correlations to understand evolutionary systematics and phylogeny, species distribution, and niche prediction.

     

Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes Activity and Malondialdehyde Levels in Patients With Chronic Periodontitis and Diabetes Mellitus

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of diabetes, a known risk factor for periodontitis, on activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT) as well as levels of free radical damage marker malondialdehyde (MDA) in blood and saliva of individuals with chronic periodontitis (CP). Methods: Sixty patients with CP (30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [DMCP] and 30 systemically healthy patients [CP]) and 60 periodontally healthy individuals (30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 30 systemically healthy patients [PH]) were included in this study. After clinical measurements, blood and saliva samples were collected. SOD, GR, and CAT activities in red blood cell lysate and saliva and MDA levels in plasma and saliva samples were spectrophotometrically assayed. An analysis of variance test followed by a post hoc test was used to compare the intragroup and intergroup variances among the study groups. Results: MDA levels in both the periodontitis groups were higher than in the periodontally healthy groups, but the difference between the CP and DMCP groups did not reach statistical significance (P >0.05). There was a highly significant difference between the CP and PH groups for all the enzymes studied except for SOD in blood. Only salivary SOD and GR activities were significantly different in the CP and DMCP groups. Conclusions: This study favors the role of oxidative stress in both diabetes and periodontitis. It shows that the compensatory mechanism of the body is partially collapsed because of excessive production of free radicals during periodontitis and is not able to cope with increased free radical generation attributable to diabetes, thereby worsening the situation.     

Duplex PCR Assay for Identification of Tissue of Cattle and Buffalo Origin Targeting Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - The aim of this study was to develop PCR assay for simultaneous detection of tissues from cattle and buffalo...     

Bioremediation of Textile Dye Procion Red Yellow by Using Pseudomonas fluorescens

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Dyes primarily present in effluents from textile industries are recalcitrant organic molecules with a complex...     

Clinico-Epidemiological Profile of Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection among Vaccinated Beneficiaries from a COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Bihar,India

BackgroundWhen the whole world is fighting in an unprecedented pace against COVID-19 pandemic, the breakthrough COVID infections poise to dampen the rapid control of the same. We carried out this project with two objectives; first, to estimate the proportion of breakthrough COVID-19 infection among completely vaccinated individuals and second, to study the clinico-epidemiological profile of breakthrough COVID-19 infections among them.MethodsThis cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 2703 fully vaccinated individuals from AIIMS, Patna COVID Vaccination Centre (CVC), Bihar, India. The participants were selected randomly using a systematic sampling technique from the list of beneficiaries maintained at the CVC. Telephonic interviews were made to collect the information by trained data collectors.ResultsA total of 274 fully vaccinated beneficiaries [10.1% (95% CI: 9.1%, 11.4%)] were diagnosed with breakthrough COVID-19 infection. The infections were more among males (10.4%) and the individuals aged ≤29 years (12.5%). The beneficiary categories, the healthcare-worker and the frontline-worker, were identified as predictors of the breakthrough COVID infections. Only one in three participants had adopted adequate COVID appropriate behaviour following the full vaccination. The majority of the breakthrough infections occurred during the second wave of COVID-19. The majority of the individuals with breakthrough infections were asymptomatic and no death was reported among them.ConclusionOne in every ten fully vaccinated individuals can get the breakthrough COVID infections. The healthcare-worker and the frontline-worker had independent risk of getting the breakthrough infections. Very few with breakthrough infections were serious and no death was reported among them.     

The polyphenolic phytoalexin polydatin inhibits amyloid aggregation of recombinant human prion protein

Prion diseases involve misfolded and highly infectious aggregates of prion protein (PrP^Sc) which forms amyloid plaques leading to fatal neurodegeneration. The absence of clinically proven therapeutics makes the discovery of effective remedial interventions a prime concern. Herein, we report novel prion intervention by the polyphenolic phytoalexin, polydatin which binds with moderate affinity to the recombinant protease resistant core of human prion protein, encompassing the sequence 90–231 (rPrP^res) and inhibits its conversion into the highly neurotoxic forms. An extensive evaluation using biophysical techniques revealed that polydatin incubated rPrP^res samples generate off-pathway oligomers having reduced cross-β sheet signature, and relatively smaller in size than the native rPrP^res oligomers. The detailed structural analysis using molecular dynamics simulations elucidated the induction of antagonistic mobilities in the β2–α2 loop, α3 helix and the N-terminal amyloidogenic region of prions. This study puts forward novel prion fibrillogenesis inhibitory potential of polydatin, specifically by stabilizing the N-terminal amyloidogenic region. Collectively our results affirm the importance of polydatin in crippling the prion pathogenesis and may serve as a structural scaffold for designing novel therapeutic agents targeting amyloidogenic transition in prions.

Polydatin is found to be a pharmacologically-significant scaffold that can bind to the rPrP^res repertoire and inhibit its conversion to the highly infectious and neurotoxic PrP^Sc-like form, thus acting like a promising anti-prion drug lead.