Ethnomedicinal Plants Used by the Kanikkars of Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India to Treat Skin Diseases

This study has been carried out in Chinnamayilaru, Periyamyilaru, region of Agasthiyamalai biosphere, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. The dominant tribal group of this region is Kanikkar. The area is famous for its well protected Tiger Reserve (Kalakad- Mundandurai Tiger Reserve). The wild plants found in this region that are used especially for treating skin diseases are enumerated in the present paper. The full results of this study are organized in table form and include the species botanical name, followed by the family and local (Kanikkar) name and a brief note on the plant parts used, method of administration, dosages etc

A single-nucleus RNA-sequencing pipeline to decipher the molecular anatomy and pathophysiology of human kidneys

Defining cellular and molecular identities within the kidney is necessary to understand its organization and function in health and disease. Here we demonstrate a reproducible method with minimal artifacts for single-nucleus Droplet-based RNA sequencing (snDrop-Seq) that we use to resolve thirty distinct cell populations in human adult kidney. We define molecular transition states along more than ten nephron segments spanning two major kidney regions. We further delineate cell type-specific expression of genes associated with chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension, providing insight into possible targeted therapies. This includes expression of a hypertension-associated mechano-sensory ion channel in mesangial cells, and identification of proximal tubule cell populations defined by pathogenic expression signatures. Our fully optimized, quality-controlled transcriptomic profiling pipeline constitutes a tool for the generation of healthy and diseased molecular atlases applicable to clinical samples

Single dose pharmacokinetics of lamivudine in healthy volunteers: comparison of blood and urine kinetics

Aims: To study single dose pharmacokinetics of lamivudine (3TC) in healthy subjects. Methods: Twelve healthy subjects were administered 3TC (150 mg) followed by timed blood and urine collections up to 24 hours. Pharmacokinetic variables and percent dose of 3TC in urine were calculated. Results: Plasma exposure and percent dose of 3TC in urine were highly correlated (p < 0.001; r = 0.96). 3TC concentration at 24 hours was undetectable in all study subjects. Conclusions: Timed urine measurements could be used to study bioavailabilty of 3TC. Plasma 3TC measurements could be used to monitor adherence among HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral treatment.Aims: To study single dose pharmacokinetics of lamivudine (3TC) in healthy subjects. Methods: Twelve healthy subjects were administered 3TC (150 mg) followed by timed blood and urine collections up to 24 hours. Pharmacokinetic variables and percent dose of 3TC in urine were calculated. Results: Plasma exposure and percent dose of 3TC in urine were highly correlated (p < 0.001; r = 0.96). 3TC concentration at 24 hours was undetectable in all study subjects. Conclusions: Timed urine measurements could be used to study bioavailabilty of 3TC. Plasma 3TC measurements could be used to monitor adherence among HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral treatment

Glial-derived neurotrophic factor modulates enteric neuronal survival and proliferation through neuropeptide Y.

BACKGROUND &amp; AIMS: Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes the survival and proliferation of enteric neurons. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an important peptide regulating gastrointestinal motility. The role of NPY on the survival and proliferation of enteric neurons is not known. We examined the effects of GDNF on the expression and release of NPY from enteric neurons and the role of NPY in promoting enteric neuronal proliferation and survival. METHODS: Studies were performed in primary enteric neuronal cultures and NPY knockout mice (NPY(-/-)). GDNF-induced expression of NPY was assessed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunocytochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Using NPY-siRNA and NPY-Y1 receptor antagonist, we examined the role of NPY in mediating the survival and proliferation effects of GDNF. Gastrointestinal motility was assessed by measuring gastric emptying, intestinal transit, and isometric muscle recording from intestinal muscle strips. RESULTS: GDNF induced a significant increase in NPY messenger RNA and protein expression in primary enteric neurons and the release of NPY into the culture medium. NPY (1 mumol/L) significantly increased proliferation of neurons and reduced apoptosis. In the presence of NPY-siRNA and NPY-Y1 receptor antagonist or in enteric neurons cultured from NPY(-/-) mice, GDNF-mediated neuronal proliferation and survival was reduced. NPY increased the phosphorylation of Akt, a downstream target of the PI-3-kinase pathway. In NPY(-/-) mice, there were significantly fewer nNOS-containing enteric neurons compared with wild-type (WT) mice. NPY(-/-) mice had accelerated gastric emptying and delayed intestinal transit compared with WT mice. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that NPY acts as an autocrine neurotrophic factor for enteric neurons

Harnessing innovation platforms for sustainable intensification R4D experiences from Kongwa and Kiteto, Tanzania

United States Agency for International Developmen

Study of ABCB1 polymorphism (C3435T) in HIV-1-infected individuals from South India

Studies on P-glycoprotein expression and function have revealed that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human ABCB1 gene at 3435 (C > T) results in altered expression and function of P-glycoprotein [1, 2].There have been reports of lower nelfinavir and efavirenz (EFV) concentrations associated with TT genotypes (mutant) of ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism [3, 4].Frequency distribution of this polymorphism is known to vary across populations [3, 5, 6]. We report the genotype distribution of ABCB1 C3435T in 179 individuals (126 HIV-infected and 53 healthy) from South India. The polymorphism was correlated with plasma 12 h EFV and 2 h nevirapine (NVP) concentrations in 55 and 71 patients, respectively. Plasma EFV and NVP were estimated by HPLC [7, 8]. Genotyping was carried out by PCR-RFLP [9]

Urine levels of rifampicin & isoniazid in asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals

Background & objectives: AIDS and its associated gastrointestinal complications may impair the absorption of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs. Impaired absorption of anti-TB drugs could lead to low drug exposure, which might contribute to acquired drug resistance and reduced effectiveness of anti-TB treatment. The aim of this study was to obtain information on the status of absorption of rifampicin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH) in asymptomatic HIV- positive individuals, who are less immunocompromised. The D-xylose absorption test was also carried out to assess the absorptive capacity of intestive. Methods: The absorption of RMP, INH and D-xylose was studied in 15 asymptomatic HIV- positive individuals with CD4 cell counts > 350 cells/mm3 and 16 healthy volunteers, after oral administration of single doses of RMP (450 mg), INH (300 mg) and D-xylose (5 g). Urine was collected up to 8 h after drug administration. Percentage dose of the drugs and their metabolites and D-xylose excreted in urine were calculated. Results: A significant reduction in the urinary excretion of INH and D-xylose in HIV-positive persons compared to healthy volunteers was observed. The per cent dose of RMP and its metabolite, desacetyl RMP was also lower in HIV-positive persons compared to healthy volunteers, but this difference was not statistically significant. Interpretation & conclusion: Decreased urinary excretion of D-xylose and INH are suggestive of intestinal malabsorption in HIV-positive individuals. HIV infection could cause malabsorption of anti-TB drugs even at an early stage of the disease. The clinical implications of these findings need to be confirmed in larger studies

A study of thyroid profile in cases of primary infertility attending a tertiary care hospital of south India

Background: Infertility is a rising major problem affecting more than 50 million couples globally every year. Endocrine as well as immune system abnormalities can impair the fertility. Most of the studies globally indicated association of infertility with multiple factors like stress, luteal phase defects, structural and functional reproductive disturbances. Many infertile women with thyroid dysfunction had associated hyperprolactinemia with increases TSH in ovulatory dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to determine the association of hypo and hyperthyroidism with infertility among cases of primary infertility in women.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among the patients attending the infertility clinic for the first time. The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee and the study was carried as per the guidelines of the ethical committee. The serum levels of T3, T4 and TSH were estimated and Prolactin in cases where necessary by Chemiluminiscence immunoassay. The data was analyzed by using the unpaired “t” test. A ‘p’ value <0.05 was considered significant.Results: 285 cases were enrolled and majority (38.6%) was in 31-34 age groups with mean age of 24.2± 1.6 years. 30.53% were found with thyroid dysfunction. Majority (16.49%) were found with subclinical hypothyroid, followed in order by primary hypothyroid (9.82%), subclinical hyperthyroid (2.11%), primary hyperthyroid (1.05%), secondary hypothyroid (0.70%) and secondary hyperthyroid (0.35%).Conclusions: To conclude, thyroid dysfunction is a common cause of infertility and can be easily managed by correcting the levels of thyroid hormones. Present study suggests that thyroid replacement therapy in subclinical hypothyroidism at an early stage is justified in infertile women. Borderline variations in TSH levels should not be ignored in infertile women who are otherwise asymptomatic for subclinical hypothyroidism. Hence for better management of cases of primary infertility studies with large sample size and long term follow up are required to validate and justify the variation in TSH and prolactin levels

Indoor Scene Recognition for Micro Aerial Vehicles Navigation using Enhanced-GIST Descriptors

An indoor scene recognition algorithm combining histogram of horizontal and vertical directional morphological gradient features and GIST features is proposed in this paper. New visual descriptor is called enhanced-GIST. Three different classifiers, k-nearest neighbour classifier, Naïve Bayes classifier and support vector machine, are employed for the classification of indoor scenes into corridor, staircase or room. The evaluation was performed on two indoor scene datasets. The scene recognition algorithm consists of training phase and a testing phase. In the training phase, GIST, CENTRIST, LBP, HODMG and enhanced-GIST feature vectors are extracted for all the training images in the datasets and classifiers are trained for these image feature vectors and image labels (corridor-1, staircase-2 and room-3). In the test phase, GIST, CENTRIST, LBP, HODMG and enhanced-GIST feature vectors are extracted for each unknown test image sample and classification is performed using a trained scene recognition model. The experimental results show that indoor scene recognition algorithm employing SVM with enhanced GIST descriptors produces very high recognition rates of 97.22 per cent and 99.33 per cent for dataset-1 and dataset-2, compared to kNN and Naïve Bayes classifiers. In addition to its accuracy and robustness, the algorithm is suitable for real-time operations