Polydactyly is one of the most common hereditary limb malformations featuring additional digits in hands and/or feet. It constituted the highest proportion among the congenital limb defects in ...various epidemiological surveys. Polydactyly, primarily presenting as an additional pre‐axial or post‐axial digit of autopod, is a highly heterogeneous condition and depicts broad inter‐ and intra‐familial clinical variability. There is a plethora of polydactyly classification methods reported in the medical literature which approach the heterogeneity in polydactyly in various ways. In this communication, well‐characterized, non‐syndromic polydactylies in humans are reviewed. The cardinal features, phenotypic variability and molecular advances of each type have been presented. Polydactyly at cellular and developmental levels is mainly a failure in the control of digit number. Interestingly, GLI3 and SHH (ZRS/SHH enhancer), two antagonistic factors known to modulate digit number and identity during development, have also been implicated in polydactyly. Mutations in GLI3 and ZRS/SHH cause overlapping polydactyly phenotypes highlighting shared molecular cascades in the etiology of additional digits, and thus suggesting the lumping of at least six distinct polydactyly entities. However, owing to the extreme phenotypic and clinical heterogeneity witnessed in polydactyly a substantial genetic heterogeneity is expected across different populations and ethnic groups.
We identified seasonal human coronaviruses, influenza viruses and rhinoviruses in exhaled breath and coughs of children and adults with acute respiratory illness. Surgical face masks significantly ...reduced detection of influenza virus RNA in respiratory droplets and coronavirus RNA in aerosols, with a trend toward reduced detection of coronavirus RNA in respiratory droplets. Our results indicate that surgical face masks could prevent transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have little nutritional value and a robust body of evidence has linked the intake of SSBs to weight gain and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease ...(CVD), and some cancers. Metabolic Syndrome (MetSyn) is a clustering of risk factors that precedes the development of T2D and CVD; however, evidence linking SSBs to MetSyn is not clear. To make informed recommendations about SSBs, new evidence needs to be considered against existing literature. This review provides an update on the evidence linking SSBs and cardiometabolic outcomes including MetSyn. Findings from prospective cohort studies support a strong positive association between SSBs and weight gain and risk of T2D and coronary heart disease (CHD), independent of adiposity. Associations with MetSyn are less consistent, and there appears to be a sex difference with stroke with greater risk in women. Findings from short-term trials on metabolic risk factors provide mechanistic support for associations with T2D and CHD. Conclusive evidence from cohort studies and trials on risk factors support an etiologic role of SSB in relation to weight gain and risk of T2D and CHD. Continued efforts to reduce intake of SSB should be encouraged to improve the cardiometabolic health of individuals and populations.
The rapidly spreading, highly contagious and pathogenic SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) associated Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization ...(WHO). The novel 2019 SARS-CoV-2 enters the host cell by binding of the viral surface spike glycoprotein (S-protein) to cellular angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The virus specific molecular interaction with the host cell represents a promising therapeutic target for identifying SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drugs. The repurposing of drugs can provide a rapid and potential cure toward exponentially expanding COVID-19. Thereto, high throughput virtual screening approach was used to investigate FDA approved LOPAC library drugs against both the receptor binding domain of spike protein (S-RBD) and ACE2 host cell receptor. Primary screening identified a few promising molecules for both the targets, which were further analyzed in details by their binding energy, binding modes through molecular docking, dynamics and simulations. Evidently, GR 127935 hydrochloride hydrate, GNF-5, RS504393, TNP, and eptifibatide acetate were found binding to virus binding motifs of ACE2 receptor. Additionally, KT203, BMS195614, KT185, RS504393, and GSK1838705A were identified to bind at the receptor binding site on the viral S-protein. These identified molecules may effectively assist in controlling the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 by not only potentially inhibiting the virus at entry step but are also hypothesized to act as anti-inflammatory agents, which could impart relief in lung inflammation. Timely identification and determination of an effective drug to combat and tranquilize the COVID-19 global crisis is the utmost need of hour. Further, prompt
testing to validate the anti-SARS-CoV-2 inhibition efficiency by these molecules could save lives is justified.
Mammalian genes and genomes have been shaped by ancient and ongoing challenges from viruses. These genetic imprints can be identified via evolutionary analyses to reveal fundamental details about ...when (how old), where (which protein domains), and how (what are the functional consequences of adaptive changes) host-virus arms races alter the proteins involved. Just as extreme amino acid conservation can serve to identify key immutable residues in enzymes, positively selected residues point to molecular recognition interfaces between host and viral proteins that have adapted and counter-adapted in a long series of classical Red Queen conflicts. Common rules for the strategies employed by both hosts and viruses have emerged from case studies of innate immunity genes in primates. We are now poised to use these rules to transition from a retrospective view of host-virus arms races to specific predictions about which host genes face pathogen antagonism and how those genetic conflicts transform host and virus evolution.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in December 2019 and has caused a worldwide pandemic due to the lack of any pre-existing immunity. Accurate serology testing is urgently needed to help diagnose ...infection, determine past exposure of populations and assess the response to a future vaccine. The landscape of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 is unknown. In this study, we utilized the luciferase immunoprecipitation system to assess the antibody responses to 15 different SARS-CoV-2 antigens in patients with COVID-19. We identified new targets of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and show that nucleocapsid, open reading frame (ORF)8 and ORF3b elicit the strongest specific antibody responses. ORF8 and ORF3b antibodies, taken together as a cluster of points, identified 96.5% of COVID-19 samples at early and late time points of disease with 99.5% specificity. Our findings could be used to develop second-generation diagnostic tests to improve serological assays for COVID-19 and are important in understanding pathogenicity.
The excellent strategy to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is to inhibit the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. Since fomites are one of the vital routes of coronaviral transmission, ...disinfecting of fomites play a pivotal role in curbing its survival on the contaminated surfaces. Available commercial disinfectants cannot keep the contaminated surfaces sanitized all the time. Self-disinfecting ability of Ag-enriched TiO2 nanocoating due to its superb photocatalytic efficiency can effectively reduce infections caused by spread of pathogens at public places. Anatase Ag–TiO2 nanocoatings synthesized by sol-gel process at 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5% enriching concentrations were casted on glass substrates by spin-coating technique and subsequently annealed at 650 °C. The morphological shape, crystallographic structure, light absorbance, photo-luminosity, vibrational modes, and functional groups of Ag–TiO2 nanocoating on glass surface were studied by FE-SEM, GIXRD, UV–Visible, Photoluminescence, Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy. The developed anatase Ag–TiO2 nanocoatings manifested to improve photocatalytic disinfecting performance due to the achieved small crystallite size of 10.5–19.2 nm, diminished band gap energy of 2.56–2.60 eV, elevated surface area of 0.802–1.470 ×105 cm2/g, and enhanced light absorbance. Among the enriched specimens, 0.5% Ag–TiO2 nanocoatings predicted an overall exalted functionality compared to pristine one.
•Anatase Ag–TiO2 nanocoated self-sanitized surfaces can effectively reduce infection.•Ag generates reactive oxygen species, induce plasmonic and Schottky effects in TiO2.•Self-disinfecting efficacy of Ag–TiO2 nanocoating depends on its structural profile.
Centromeres are chromosomal elements that are both necessary and sufficient for chromosome segregation. However, the puzzlingly broad range in centromere complexity, from simple “point” centromeres ...to multi-megabase arrays of DNA satellites, has defied explanation. We posit that ancestral centromeres were epigenetically defined and that point centromeres, such as those of budding yeast, have derived from the partitioning elements of selfish plasmids. We further propose that the larger centromere sizes in plants and animals and the rapid evolution of their centromeric proteins is the result of an intense battle for evolutionary dominance due to the asymmetric retention of only one product of female meiosis.
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