Disorders of mental health are known to affect cognitive functions, hence called as cognitive disorders. Impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, vitamin-D deficiency and oxidative stress are ...some of the key early events reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of most common cognitive disorders, which include Alzheimer's disease. Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the known contributing factors of cognitive impairment and dementia.
A cross sectional study was carried out in 145 subjects, who were assessed for cognitive function by modified mini mental status examination (3MS). In addition, measurement of fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin, HbA1c, lipid profile, vitamin D and oxidative markers was performed. Participants were divided into different groups based on (a) vitamin D insufficiency and sufficiency; (b) diabetic and non-diabetic with and without cognitive impairment.
The study included a total of 145 subjects; 51 males and 94 females and the mean age was 68.24±9.70 years. Among diabetics with vitamin D insufficiency, 35 subjects (71.43%) had cognitive impairment, but, among non-diabetics with vitamin D insufficiency, 27 subjects (62.79%) had cognitive impairment. Chi square test showed no significant association between diabetes, vitamin D insufficiency and cognitive impairment. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were non-significantly lower in cognition-impaired subjects, when compared to cognition normal subjects in diabetics with vitamin D insufficiency.
Our study showed that cognitive impairment is more predominant in individuals with diabetes. However, our study did not find any significant relationship between T2DM, vitamin D deficiency, cognitive impairment, and oxidative stress. A significant association was found only with GPx and 3MSE score in vitamin D insufficient non-diabetics.
Several spore-forming strains of Bacillus are marketed as probiotics due to their ability to survive harsh gastrointestinal conditions and confer health benefits to the host. We report the complete ...genomes of two commercially available probiotics, Bacillus coagulans S-lac and Bacillus subtilis TO-A JPC, and compare them with the genomes of other Bacillus and Lactobacillus. The taxonomic position of both organisms was established with a maximum-likelihood tree based on twenty six housekeeping proteins. Analysis of all probiotic strains of Bacillus and Lactobacillus reveal that the essential sporulation proteins are conserved in all Bacillus probiotic strains while they are absent in Lactobacillus spp. We identified various antibiotic resistance, stress-related, and adhesion-related domains in these organisms, which likely provide support in exerting probiotic action by enabling adhesion to host epithelial cells and survival during antibiotic treatment and harsh conditions.
Various factors including diet, age, geography, culture and socio-economic status have a role in determining the composition of the human gut microbiota. The human gut microbial composition is known ...to be altered in disease conditions. Considering the important role of the gut microbiome in maintaining homeostasis and overall health, it is important to understand the microbial diversity and the functional metagenome of the healthy gut. Here, we characterized the microbiota of 31 fecal samples from healthy individuals of Indian ethnic tribes from Ladakh, Jaisalmer and Khargone by shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Sequence analysis revealed that Bifidobacterium and Prevotella were the key microbes contributing to the differences among Jaisalmer, Khargone and Ladakh samples at the genus level. Our correlation network study identified carbohydrate-active enzymes and carbohydrate binding proteins that are associated with specific genera in the different Indian geographical regions studied. Network analysis of carbohydrate-active enzymes and genus abundance revealed that the presence of different carbohydrate-active enzymes is driven by differential abundance of genera. The correlation networks were different in the different geographical regions, and these interactions suggest the role of less abundant genera in shaping the gut environment. We compared our data with samples from different countries and found significant differences in taxonomic composition and abundance of carbohydrate-active enzymes in the gut microbiota as compared to the other countries.
Current wound dressings have disadvantages such as less flexibility, poor mechanical strength, lack of porosity, and a tendency for dressings to adhere onto the wound surface; in addition, a majority ...of the dressings did not possess antibacterial activity. Hydrogel-based wound dressings would be helpful to provide a cooling sensation and a moisture environment, as well as act as a barrier to microbes. To overcome these hassles, we have developed flexible and microporous chitosan hydrogel/nano zinc oxide composite bandages (CZBs) via the incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) into chitosan hydrogel. The prepared nanocomposite bandages were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, swelling, degradation, blood clotting, antibacterial, cytocompatibility, cell attachment on the material, and cell infiltration into the composite bandages were evaluated. The nanocomposite bandage showed enhanced swelling, blood clotting, and antibacterial activity. Cytocompatibility of the composite bandage has been analyzed in normal human dermal fibroblast cells. Cell attachment and infiltration studies showed that the cells were found attached to the nanocomposite bandages and penetrated into the interior. Furthermore, the in vivo evaluations in Sprague–Dawley rats revealed that these nanocomposite bandages enhanced the wound healing and helped for faster re-epithelialization and collagen deposition. The obtained data strongly encourage the use of these composite bandages for burn wounds, chronic wounds, and diabetic foot ulcers.
Patients with active cancer are at an increased risk of arterial and venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding events. Historically, in patients with cancer, low molecular weight heparins have been ...preferred for treatment of VTE, whereas warfarin has been the standard anticoagulant for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). More recently, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism in large randomized clinical trials of patients with VTE and AF, respectively, thus providing an attractive oral dosing option that does not require routine laboratory monitoring. In this review, we summarize available clinical trial data and guideline recommendations, and outline a practical approach to anticoagulation management of VTE and AF in cancer.
Activated trivalent lanthanide (Eu
3+
) inorganic nanoparticles were regarded as the best possible alternative to conventional molecular bio probes and highly appropriate for use as sensitive ...time-resolved PL bio probes for bio-detection. Because of their strong photochemical stability, unique crisp emission lines, and high quantum efficiencies, rare-earth-based nanomaterials are the most utilized luminous materials. Furthermore, the coupling of vibrational modes of other molecules over the surface of the rare earth nanoparticles and other surface imperfections causes emission quenching. One potential strategy for preventing or minimizing these effects is to use a passivation agent that interacts with the surface of the nanoparticles. This study focuses on the passivation of tri-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) with europium oxide to form in-situ hydrophobic TOPO shell europium oxide nanoparticles for improving the physical, chemical, and optical properties of Eu
3+
ions. The Eu:TOPO ratio of the nanoparticle was optimized for effective photoluminescence and particle crystallinity by photoluminescence spectroscopy and XRD analysis. The controlled size and shape of the material were analyzed by FESEM and EDS studies. Further, the XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and
1
H-NMR studies examined the incorporation of TOPO with europium oxide nanoparticles. The optical properties of the TOPO-capped europium oxide nanoparticles were evaluated by UV-Vis DRS and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Thus, this study is based on the efficiency of varied TOPO capping ratios with synthesized europium oxide nanoparticles in generating a size-regulated, highly stable, and effective luminous material with a higher quantum yield than europium oxide.
We describe a simple method for efficiently labeling cell-surface sialic acid-containing glycans on living animal cells. The method uses mild periodate oxidation to generate an aldehyde on sialic ...acids, followed by aniline-catalyzed oxime ligation with a suitable tag. Aniline catalysis dramatically accelerates oxime ligation, allowing use of low concentrations of aminooxy-biotin at neutral pH to label the majority of cell-surface sialylated glycoproteins while maintaining high cell viability.
The gas-phase kinetics for the reactions of OH radicals and Cl atoms with 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-methyl-2-propanol (HF2M2P) were measured at temperatures between 268 and 363 K using the relative ...rate experimental technique. Methane and acetonitrile were used as reference compounds to measure the rate coefficients of the title reactions. For the reactions of HF2M2P with OH radicals and Cl atoms, the rate coefficients were measured to be (7.07 ± 1.21) × 10–15 and (2.85 ± 0.54) × 10–14 cm3 molecule–1 s–1, respectively, at 298 K. The obtained Arrhenius expressions for the reactions of HF2M2P with OH radicals and Cl atoms are k HF2M2P + OH Exp – (268 – 363 K) = (7.84 ± 0.75) × 10–14 exp −(717 ± 59)/T and k HF2M2P + Cl Exp – (268 – 363 K) = (3.21 ± 0.45) × 10–12 exp −(1395 ± 83)/T cm3 molecule–1 s–1. In addition to the experimental measurements, computational kinetic calculations were also performed for the title reactions at the M06-2X/MG3S//M06-2X/6-31 + G(d,p) level of theory using advanced methods such as the canonical variational transition-state theory coupled with small curvature tunneling corrections at temperatures between 200 and 400 K. Theoretical calculations reveal that the H-abstraction from the CH3 group is a more favorable reaction channel than that from the OH group. Thermochemistry, branching ratios, cumulative atmospheric lifetime, global warming potential, acidification potential, and photochemical ozone creation potential of HF2M2P were calculated in the present investigation.
Specific stem cell–based therapies for treating Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia are gaining importance in recent years. Accumulating data is providing further support by ...demonstrating the efficacy of neural stem cells in enhancing the neurogenesis in the aging brain. In addition to stem cells, recent studies have shown the efficacy of supplementing vitamin D in promoting neurogenesis and neuronal survival. Studies have also demonstrated the presence of mutational variants and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in neurological disorders; however, implications of these mutations in the pathophysiology and response to drug treatment are yet to be explored. Hence, in this article, we have reviewed recent reports pertaining to the role of neural stem cells and VDR-mediated cellular signaling cascades that are involved in enhancing the neurogenesis through Wnt/β-catenin and Sonic Hedgehog pathways. This review benefits neurobiologists and pharmaceutical industry experts to develop stem cell–based and vitamin D–based therapies to better treat the patients suffering from neurological diseases.
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