Anthropometric parameter-based assessment for cardiovascular disease predisposition among young Indians

AIM:To assess the predisposition for cardiovascular diseases among young Asian Indians by anthropometric data analysis.METHODS:One hundred and thirty males and 329 females aged between 15 and 26 years,attending health care check-ups at VIT University,were included in this study.Their body mass index,systolic and diastolic blood pressure,waist circumference,waist-to-hip ratio,pulse rate and pressure,along with mean arterial pressure,were measured and the data analyzed as per World Health Organization guidelines.RESULTS:Based on the analysis,54% of the male population was found to be predisposed to cardiovascular disease.Of these,approximately 40% were at highest possible risk,with greater than threshold values of body mass index,waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.Females were found to have lower risk.Both genders showed significant correlation(P < 0.0001) between body mass index and waist circumference.Waist-to-hip ratio correlated significantly only in males with the former index whereas it correlated significantly with waist circumference in both genders.Receiver operating curve analysis,when performed,showed optimal sensitivity and specificity for body mass index and waist circumference.CONCLUSION:The above results indicate that seeds of cardiovascular disease may have been sown at a young age in Asian Indian populations.Interventional measures are advised to prevent accelerated atherosclerosis leading to premature cardiovascular disease.     

Hydrogen Sulfide: A Potential Therapeutic Target in the Development of Diabetic Retinopathy

PurposeHyperglycemia damages the retinal mitochondria, and the mitochondrial damage plays a central role in the development of diabetic retinopathy. Patients with diabetes also have higher homocysteine levels, and abnormalities in homocysteine metabolism result in decreased levels of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), an endogenous gasotransmitter signaling molecule with antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the role of H₂S in the development of diabetic retinopathy.MethodsStreptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were administered a slow releasing H₂S donor GYY4137 for 6 months. The retina was used to measure H₂S levels, and their retinal vasculature was analyzed for the histopathology characteristic of diabetic retinopathy and oxidative stress, mitochondrial damaging matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and mitochondrial integrity. These parameters were also measured in the isolated retinal endothelial cells incubated in high glucose medium containing GYY4137.ResultsAdministration of GYY4137 to diabetic mice ameliorated decrease in H₂S and prevented the development of histopathology, characteristic of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes-induced increase in oxidative stress, MMP-9 activation, and mitochondrial damage were also attenuated in mice receiving GYY4137. Results from isolated retinal endothelial cells confirmed the results obtained from diabetic mice.ConclusionsThus, supplementation of H₂S donor prevents the development of diabetic retinopathy by ameliorating increase in oxidative stress and preserving the mitochondrial integrity. H₂S donors may provide a novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit the development of diabetic retinopathy.     

Effect of arsenic and chromium on the serum amino-transferases activity in Indian major carp, Labeo rohita

Arsenic and hexavalent chromium toxicity results from their ability to interact with sulfahydryl groups of proteins and enzymes, and to substitute phosphorus in a variety of biochemical reactions. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT; E.C: 2.6.1.2) and Aspartate amino transferase (AST; EC 2.6.1.1) play a crucial role in transamination reactions and can be used as potential biomarkers to indicate hepatotoxicity and cellular damage. While histopathological studies in liver tissue require more time and expertise, simple and reliable biochemical analysis of ALT and AST can be used for a rapid assessment of tissue and cellular damage within 96 h. The main objective of this study was to determine the acute effects of arsenic and hexavalent chromium on the activity of ALT and AST in the Indian major carp, Labeo rohita for 24 h and 96 h. Significant increase in the activity of ALT (P < 0.01) from controls in arsenic exposed fish indicates serious hepatic damage and distress condition to the fish. However, no such significant changes were observed in chromium-exposed fish suggesting that arsenic is more toxic to the fish. These findings indicate that ALT and AST are candidate biomarkers for arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity in Labeo rohita.     

Effects of curcumin on retinal oxidative stress and inflammation in diabetes

Background

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease with multiple risk factors, many of which appear to involve oxidative stress. Macular pigment, with its antioxidant and light-screening properties, is thought to be protective against AMD. A result has been the appearance of dietary supplements containing the macular carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. More recently, a supplement has been marketed containing, in addition, the third major carotenoid of the macular pigment, meso-zeaxanthin. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of such a supplement in raising macular pigment density in human subjects.

Methods

A 120 day supplementation study was conducted in which 10 subjects were given gel-caps that provided 20 mg/day of predominantly meso-zeaxanthin, with smaller amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. A second group of 9 subjects were given gel caps containing a placebo for the same 120 day period. Prior to and during the supplementation period, blood serum samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography for carotenoid content. Similarly, macular pigment optical density was measured by heterochromatic flicker photometry. Differences in response between the supplementation and placebo groups were tested for significance using a student's t-test.

Results

During supplementation with the carotenoids, blood samples revealed the presence of all three carotenoids. Macular pigment optical density, measured at 460 nm, rose at an average rate of 0.59 ± 0.79 milli-absorbance unit/day in the 10 supplemented subjects. This was significantly different from the placebo group (9 subjects) for whom the average rate was -0.17 ± 0.42 milli-absorbance units/day.

Conclusion

We have shown for the first time that meso-zeaxanthin is absorbed into the serum following ingestion. The data indicate that a supplement containing predominantly meso-zeaxanthin is generally effective at raising macular pigment density, and may turn out to be a useful addition to the defenses against AMD.     

Carcinoid tumor of the gall bladder

Carcinoid of the gall bladder and bile duct is a rare tumor. Primary gall bladder and biliary duct system carcinoids constitute less than 1% of all carcinoid tumors arising from different parts of the body. We describe a case of carcinoid tumor of the gall bladder in a 53-year-old woman. The rarity of this entity prompted us to present our patient as a case report. There have been only 33 cases described in the literature.     

Coronary collaterals by transthoracic echocardiography in coronary artery disease.

Demonstration of coronary collaterals has been mostly done by coronary angiographic techniques. Coronary collaterals have been demonstrated by transthoracic echocardiography for patients with anomalous origin of coronary arteries from pulmonary artery. Indirect assessment of collaterals to an infarct-related artery has been done using myocardial contrast echocardiography. We describe in this article 3 patients with coronary artery disease in whom coronary collaterals were demonstrated by transthoracic echocardiography before angiography. To our knowledge, coronary collateral demonstration by transthoracic echocardiography before angiography in patients with coronary artery disease has not been previously reported.     

Inhibition of glucose- and calcium-induced insulin secretion from betaTC3 cells by novel inhibitors of protein isoprenylation

The majority of low molecular weight G proteins undergoes a series of post-translational modification steps, e.g., isoprenylation, at their C-terminal cysteine, which seem to be critical for the transport of the modified proteins to the membrane sites for interaction with their respective effector proteins. Using lovastatin, an inhibitor of mevalonic acid, and hence, isoprenoid biosynthesis, we demonstrated previously that protein isoprenylation is critical for physiological insulin secretion from normal rat islets. Herein, we used more selective synthetic inhibitors of protein prenylation to examine their effects on glucose- and calcium-mediated insulin secretion from betaTC3 cells. Both 3-allyl- and vinylfarnesols, which inhibit and/or modulate protein farnesyl transferases, significantly (80-95%) inhibited glucose- and KCl-stimulated insulin secretion from these cells. In a similar manner, the allyl and vinyl forms of geranylgeraniol, reagents targeted toward protein geranylation, attenuated insulin secretion elicited by glucose and KCl. Furthermore, manumycin A, a natural inhibitor of protein farnesylation, and geranylgeranyl transferase inhibitor-2147 (GGTI-2147), a peptidomimetic inhibitor of protein geranylgeranylation, also inhibited glucose- and KCl-induced insulin secretion to comparable degrees. Treatment of betaTC3 cells with either 3-vinylfarnesol or 3-vinyl geranylgeraniol resulted in accumulation of unprenylated proteins in the cytosolic fraction. These data further support our original formulation that inhibition of isoprenylation of small molecular weight G proteins might impede their interaction with their putative effectors, which may be required for physiological insulin secretion.     

Suggested mechanism for the selective excretion of glucosylated albumin. The effects of diabetes mellitus and aging on this process and the origins of diabetic microalbuminuria

In previous studies in the Sprague-Dawley rat, Williams and coworkers reported the phenomenon of selective urinary excretion of glucosylated albumin (editing, i.e., the percent glucosylation of urinary albumin is more than that of plasma albumin) by the mammalian kidney. Ghiggeri and coworkers subsequently found that the extent of editing is reduced in human diabetics. Moreover, the reduction in editing in diabetes correlates inversely with levels of microalbuminuria. We also find reduction in the extent of editing in diabetic humans. We find a striking inverse correlation not only with the magnitude of microalbuminuria but also with the extent of plasma albumin glucosylation. In contrast, we found little correlation between the reduction in editing and the duration of diabetes in human subjects. Stz induced diabetes in the Sprague-Dawley rat is associated with a striking and rapid reduction in editing which develops virtually with the same kinetics exhibited by the appearance of hyperglycemia. This loss of editing is rapidly reversed by daily administration of insulin but not by aldose reductase inhibitors. Mannitol infusion in anesthetized Wistar rats resulted in an increase in urine volume, GFR, and microalbuminuria, and was also accompanied by a marked reduction in editing. This reduction was rapidly reversed by a cessation of mannitol infusion. We propose here that glucosylated albumin (in contrast to unmodified albumin) is not reabsorbed by the proximal tubule, and thus, is preferentially excreted in the urine. We postulate that the increase in GFR which emerges as a consequence of increased plasma osmolality in diabetes mellitus delivers more albumin to the proximal tubule than can be reabsorbed. This results in a dilution of excreted glucosylated albumin molecules by excreted unmodified albumin, which appears as the early microscopic albuminuria of diabetes. Paradoxically, the fall in apparent editing is accompanied by an absolute increase in the total quantity of glucosylated albumin excreted. In contrast, we found that editing of glucosylated albumin by the normal kidney is found to gradually decline as a function of age without the appearance of microalbuminuria. This suggests that a different mechanism operates to produce the loss of editing seen with aging in man, and as clearly (but in a shorter absolute time intervals) in the Fischer-344 rat.