Aim
To determine whether serum procalcitonin (PCT) or C‐reactive protein (CRP) can diagnose post‐operative sepsis among neonates undergoing major non‐cardiac surgery.
Methods
In this diagnostic ...study, we included neonates who underwent major non‐cardiac surgery and were monitored for post‐operative sepsis. We excluded pre‐existing septic, inflammatory or life‐threatening conditions. Subjects either had ‘definite’ (culture‐positive, n = 14), ‘probable’ (clinical sepsis, culture‐negative, n = 25) or no sepsis (n = 31). We measured serum CRP and PCT at 48 ± 6 h, 72 ± 6 h and 96 ± 6 h post‐operatively and compared ‘definite or probable sepsis’ with ‘no sepsis’.
Results
Median (Q1, Q3) CRP (mg/L) in ‘definite or probable’ sepsis group was higher than ‘no sepsis’ at 72 h (91.48 (57.87, 143.50) vs. 51.32 (33.0, 80.1); P = 0.009) and 96 h (87.51 (45.19, 128.22) vs. 31.00 (25.3, 45.2); P < 0.001). Median (Q1, Q3) PCT (ng/mL) in ‘definite or probable’ sepsis was higher than ‘no sepsis’ at 72 h (4.22 (2.04, 12.73) vs. 1.78 (0.9, 6.4); P = 0.01) and 96 h (3.54 (1.96, 9.65) vs. 0.97 (0.4, 3.0); P < 0.001). Ninety‐six‐hour CRP and PCT cut‐offs (based on Youden's index) were 74.16 mg/L and 1.65 ng/mL, respectively. If both CRP and PCT were positive, specificity was 100% (95% confidence interval: 88.78–100). If either one was positive, sensitivity was 88.89% (95% confidence interval: 73.94–96.89).
Conclusions
Septic neonates have significantly higher serum CRP and PCT compared to non‐septic neonates at 72 and 96 h post‐operatively. If both CRP and PCT are positive at 96 h after surgery, it has 100% specificity, and if either one is positive, 89% sensitivity.
Dipeptidylpeptidase-II (DPP-II, E.C. 3.4.14.2), an exopeptidase was purified 15.4 fold with specific activity and yield of 15.4U/mg/mL and 14.68% respectively by a simple two step procedure from a ...probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici. DPP-II is 38.7KDa homodimeric serine peptidase with involvement of His and subunit mass of 18.9KDa. The enzyme exhibited optimal activity at pH 7.0 and 37°C with activation energy of 24.97kJ/mol. The enzyme retained more than 90% activity upto 50°C thus adding industrial importance. DPP-II hydrolysed Lys-Ala-4mβNA with KM of 50μM and Vmax of 30.8nmol/mL/min. In-silico characterization studies of DPP-II on the basis of peptide fragments obtained by MALDI-TOF revealed an evolutionary relationship between DPP-II of prokaryotes and phosphate binding proteins. Secondary and three-dimensional structure of enzyme was also deduced by in-silico approach. Functional studies of DPP-II by TLC and HPLC-analysis of collagen degraded products revealed that enzyme action released free amino acids and other metabolites. Microscopic and SDS-PAGE analysis of enzyme treated analysis of chicken’s chest muscle (meat) hydrolysis revealed change and hydrolysis of myofibrils. This may affect the flavor and texture of meat thereby suggesting its role in meat tenderization. Being a protein of LAB (Lactic acid bacteria), it is also expected to be safe.
Insulin autoimmune syndrome IAS, Hirata disease (HD) is a rare cause of recurrent spontaneous hypoglycemic episodes, characterized by high serum insulin levels and high titers of autoantibodies ...against endogenous insulin. We report a case of a previously healthy Indian male presenting with recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia with no prior exposure to exogenous insulin. Regular glucose monitoring was done. Laboratory tests showed insulin >1000 μIU/mL and C-peptide levels of 12.8 ng/ml. The patient had high titers of insulin autoantibodies (IAA) (>100 units/mL; normal range: <10 units/mL), which indicated a diagnosis of IAS. The patient was consuming alpha-lipoic acid; sulfhydryl-containing compounds have been linked to IAS. This case report highlights the importance of IAA titers in first-line investigations for hypoglycemia in a non-diabetic patient with strikingly high blood insulin levels and discusses the potential relationship between IAS and alpha-lipoic acid.
A method for rapid detection and characterization of reversible associations of macromolecules in solution is presented. A programmable dual-syringe infusion pump is used to introduce a solution of ...time-varying composition into parallel flow cells for concurrent measurement of laser light scattering at multiple angles and ultraviolet–visible absorbance. An experiment lasting less than 15
min produces a large and information-rich set of data, consisting of several thousand values of the Rayleigh ratio as a function of solute concentration(s) and scattering angle. Using a novel treatment of the data, the entire data set may be equally rapidly analyzed in the context of models for self-association. Validation experiments conducted on previously characterized nonassociating and self-associating proteins yielded robust values for molecular weights in the range 10–330
kDa and equilibrium association constants for dimer formation in the range 2
×
10
3–6
×
10
5
M
−1.
Ruminant livestock production processes are the major sources of methane production in agriculture sector triggering global environmental pollution. Above 90% of world buffalo population present in ...Asian countries, India ranks first and contributes significantly to the environmental pollution by enteric methane emissions. In this study, we examined the effect of dietary composite feed additive supplementation on ruminal methane production, nutrient utilization, milk production and immune status of buffaloes (
Bubalus bubalis
). Eighteen lactating Murrah (
Bubalus bubalis
) buffaloes at early stage of lactation were divided into two groups of nine animals and fed a composite feed additive consisted of (%,
w
/
w
) dried and ground leaves of
Cordia dichotoma
and
Holoptelea integrifolia
, 31.4 each; garlic oil, 0.6; sodium nitrate, 3.1; magnesium sulphate, 8.4; mustard oil, 12.6 and cottonseed oil, 12.5 which contained an ideal combinations of methane inhibitors, alternate hydrogen sinks and rumen stimulating agents to treatment (CFA) group animals along with basal feed of chaffed green sorghum (
Sorghum bicolor
) fodder, chaffed wheat straw and concentrate mixture for maintenance and milk production. The results showed a decrease (44.6%) in methane concentration in exhaled air of CFA group buffaloes with increase (
p
< 0.05) in digestibility of feed in comparison to control (CON). Total digestible nutrient (TDN) content of the ration fed to buffaloes of CFA group was significantly (
p
< 0.05) increased. The daily milk yield, 6% fat corrected milk (FCM) yield and immune response were also increased (
p
< 0.05) in CFA group. The study suggests that the supplementation of composite feed additive was effective to reduce enteric methane emissions and improvement in production performance and immune status of buffaloes.
The GNE-associated V727M mutation is one of the most prevalent ethnic founder mutations in the Asian HIBM cohort; however, its role in inducing disease phenotype remains largely elusive. In this ...study, the function of this hotspot mutation was profoundly investigated. For this, V727M mutation-specific altered expression profile and potential networks were explored. The relevant muscular disorder-specific in vivo studies and patient data were further analyzed, and the key altered molecular pathways were identified. Our study found that the GNEV727M mutation resulted in a deregulated lincRNA profile, the majority of which (91%) were associated with a down-regulation trend. Further, in silico analysis of associated targets showed their active role in regulating Wnt, TGF-β, and apoptotic signaling. Interestingly, COL6a3 was found as a key target of these lincRNAs. Further, GSEA analysis showed HIBM patients with variable COL6A3 transcript levels have significant alteration in many critical pathways, including epithelial-mesenchymal-transition, myogenesis, and apoptotic signaling. Interestingly, 12 of the COL6A3 coexpressed genes also showed a similar altered expression profile in HIBM. A similar altered trend in COL6A3 and coexpressed genes were found in in vivo HIBM disease models as well as in multiple other skeletal disorders. Thus, the COL6A3-specific 13 gene signature seems to be altered in multiple muscular disorders. Such deregulation could play a pivotal role in regulating many critical processes such as extracellular matrix organization, cell adhesion, and skeletal muscle development. Thus, investigating this novel COL6A3-specific 13 gene signature provides valuable information for understanding the molecular cause of HIBM and may also pave the way for better diagnosis and effective therapeutic strategies for many muscular disorders.
A reliable protocol for in vitro propagation of Potentilla nepalensis was developed and the phytochemical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects of in vitro propagated and wild grown P. nepalensis ...plants were compared. Leaves of P. nepalensis used as explants were cultured on conventional Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators. Optimum sterilization conditions were achieved by using 0.04% Bavistin for 10 min, 0.04% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min, and 0.04% mercuric chloride for 1 min and the optimum media composition for callus generation was MS minerals containing ammonium nitrate (165 mg L
−1
), calcium chloride (44 mg L
−1
), and growth regulators IBA (20 mg L
−1
), and BAP (4 mg L
−1
). The phenolic and flavonoid content were higher in wild grown plant (TPC-21.21 ± 0.54 mg g
−1
GAE; TFC-4.24 ± 0.17 mg g
−1
RE) compared to in vitro propagated P. nepalensis (TPC-3.55889 ± 0.72 mg g
−1
GAE; TFC-0.33 ± 0.07 mg g
−1
RE). Although the antioxidant activity was high in wild grown plant (IC
50
-235 ± 92.120 µg mL
−1
) than in vitro propagated (IC
50
-682.989 ± 57.118 µg mL
−1
), the antimicrobial properties for bacterial and fungal pathogens were similar.
The aim of the current study is to evaluate the anti-psoriatic potential of bakuchiol (Bak) loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) via modulating inflammatory and oxidative pathways. Bak-loaded SLNs ...were prepared using hot homogenization method and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. Bak-SLNs suspension was formulated into gel using Carbopol. Different in vivo assays were executed to explore the role of inflammatory markers and oxidative enzymes in psoriasis. DLS (dynamic light scattering) analysis showed suitable particle size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index (PDI) of developed formulation. TEM (transmission electron microscopy) reveal the spherical shape of Bak-SLNs particles. The release studies confirmed the sustained release of Bak-SLNs-based gel. UV-B-induced psoriatic Wistar rat model showed significant anti-psoriatic effect of Bak via regulating inflammatory markers (NF-kB, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-10) and levels of anti-oxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Furthermore, RT-qPCR analysis confirms that Bak downregulates the expression of inflammatory markers, while histology and immunohistology results also confirm the anti-psoriatic effect of Bak. The study indicates that Bak-loaded SLNs-based gel significantly downregulates the level of cytokines and interleukins involve in NF-kB signaling cascade; hence, it can prove to be a novel therapeutic approach to cure psoriasis.
