Gastrointestinal parasites of endemic and endangered free-ranging purple-faced leaf monkey (Semnopithecus vetulus) in Sri Lanka: effect of host group size and habitat type

Primates - Similar infectious agents may be shared among human and nonhuman primates due to their close proximity. Gastrointestinal parasitism is one of the main diseases which can be transmitted...     

Potential of plant oils as inhibitors of Candida albicans growth

Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) were determined for 38 oils of plant origin against Candida albicans. Four strains including one standard strain were used in this study. The antifungal agents, Fluconazole and Amphotericin B were used as positive controls. The standard strain (ATCC10231) used in this study was found to be highly resistant to Fluconazole: 3000 microg ml(-1) of Fluconazole was required to inhibit the growth of this strain partially, and complete inhibition could not be achieved. Other Candida strains were sensitive to 5 microg ml(-1) of Fluconazole. All the strains used were sensitive to Amphotericin B. Of the 38 oils tested, 23 were found effective and fifteen were ineffective. Based on their MFCs, effective oils were categorized into three categories. Seven oils, which exerted fungicidal effect at less than 0.15% concentration of oils, were grouped into the most effective class. The oils exhibiting MFCs in the range of 0.16-1.5% concentration were considered moderately effective. Nine oils, which required more than 1.5% concentration, were regarded as less effective. The Fluconazole-resistant strain (MTCC 227) was sensitive to at least 23 of the plant oils. Results of this study indicate that oils of plant origin may find use as potential anti-Candida agents.     

Urinary proteome alterations in HER2 enriched breast cancer revealed by multipronged quantitative proteomics

Globally, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women. Although biomarker discoveries through various proteomic approaches of tissue and serum samples have been studied in breast cancer, urinary proteome alterations in breast cancer are least studied. Urine being a noninvasive biofluid and a significant source of proteins, it has the potential in early diagnosis of breast cancer. This study used complementary quantitative gel‐based and gel‐free proteomic approaches to find a panel of urinary protein markers that could discriminate HER2 enriched (HE) subtype breast cancer from the healthy controls. A total of 183 differentially expressed proteins were identified using three complementary approaches, namely 2D‐DIGE, iTRAQ, and sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra. The differentially expressed proteins were subjected to various bioinformatics analyses for deciphering the biological context of these proteins using protein analysis through evolutionary relationships, database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery, and STRING. Multivariate statistical analysis was undertaken to identify the set of most significant proteins, which could discriminate HE breast cancer from healthy controls. Immunoblotting and MRM‐based validation in a separate cohort testified a panel of 21 proteins such as zinc‐alpha2‐glycoprotein, A2GL, retinol‐binding protein 4, annexin A1, SAP3, SRC8, gelsolin, kininogen 1, CO9, clusterin, ceruloplasmin, and α1‐antitrypsin could be a panel of candidate markers that could discriminate HE breast cancer from healthy controls.     

A framework for parametric modeling of ankle ligaments to determine the in situ response under gross foot motion

Ligament sprains account for a majority of injuries to the foot and ankle complex, but ligament properties have not been understood well due to the difficulties in replicating the complex geometry, in situ stress state, and non-uniformity of the strain. For a full investigation of the injury mechanism, it is essential to build up a foot and ankle model validated at the level of bony kinematics and ligament properties. This study developed a framework to parameterize the ligament response for determining the in situ stress state and heterogeneous force–elongation characteristics using a finite element ankle model. Nine major ankle ligaments and the interosseous membrane were modeled as discrete elements corresponding functionally to the ligamentous microstructure of collagen fibers and having parameterized toe region and stiffness at the fiber level. The range of the design variables in the ligament model was determined from existing experimental data. Sensitivity of the bony kinematics to each variable was investigated by design of experiment. The results highlighted the critical role of the length of the toe region of the ligamentous fibers on the bony kinematics with the cumulative influence of more than 95%, while the fiber stiffness was statistically insignificant with an influence of less than 1% under the given variable range and loading conditions. With the flexibility of variable adjustment and high computational efficiency, the presented ankle model was generic in nature so as to maximize its applicability to capture the individual ligament behaviors in future studies.     

Heart Rate Variability,Flow, Mood and Mental Stress During Yoga Practices in Yoga Practitioners,Non-yoga Practitioners and People with Metabolic Syndrome

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia are directly associated with autonomic flexibility, self-regulation and well-being, and inversely associated with physiological stress, psychological stress and pathology. Yoga enhances autonomic activity, mitigates stress and benefits stress-related clinical conditions, yet the relationship between autonomic activity and psychophysiological responses during yoga practices and stressful stimuli has not been widely explored. This experimental study explored the relationship between HRV, mood states and flow experiences in regular yoga practitioners (YP), non-yoga practitioners (NY) and people with metabolic syndrome (MetS), during Mental Arithmetic Stress Test (MAST) and various yoga practices. The study found that the MAST placed a cardio-autonomic burden in all participants with the YP group showing the greatest reactivity and the most rapid recovery, while the MetS group had significantly blunted recovery. The YP group also reported a heightened experience of flow and positive mood states compared to NY and MetS groups as well as having a higher vagal tone during all resting conditions. These results suggest yoga practitioners have a greater homeostatic capacity and autonomic, metabolic and physiological resilience. Further studies are now needed to determine if regular yoga practice may improve autonomic flexibility in non-yoga practitioners and metabolic syndrome patients. Clinical Trial No ‘ACTRN 2614001075673’     

Massively Parallel Single Nucleus Transcriptional Profiling Defines Spinal Cord Neurons and Their Activity during Behavior

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Studies of esterase 6 in Drosophila melanogaster. XIII. Purification and characterization of the two major isozymes

Esterase-6 (EST 6; carboxylic-ester hydrolase; EC 3.1.1.1) from Drosophila melanogaster was purified to homogenity. Purified enzyme occurs as two closely moving isozymes, slow (EST 6S) and fast (EST 6F), on native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Except for slight differences in their mobility, the two isozymes share similar molecular and catalytic properties. Both isozymes are glycoproteins and have an apparent molecular weight of 62,000 to 65,000 as judged by analytical gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) electrophoresis. They have identical mobility on SDS-polyacrylamide gels and an isoelectric point of 4.5. Each isozyme has a single active catalytic site as confirmed by titration with 0,0-diethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (Paraoxon). We conclude that EST 6 is a monomeric enzyme. The amino acid composition of the two isozymes is very similar and both variants lack half-cystine residues. The low pI of the enzyme is due in part to a relatively high proportion of glutamic and aspartic amino acid residues. Characterization of the kinetic parameters of the isozymes using beta-naphthyl and p-nitrophenyl esters revealed no statistically significant differences in catalytic efficiency. There is, however, a suggestion that the two isozymes may differ in their substrate specificity.