Variation in Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase activity following acute malaria

Primaquine and tafenoquine are the only licensed drugs with activity against Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites but cause haemolysis in patients with glucose–6–phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Malaria also causes haemolysis, leading to the replacement of older erythrocytes with low G6PD activity by reticulocytes and young erythrocytes with higher activity. Aim of this study was to assess the impact of acute malaria on G6PD activity. Selected patients with uncomplicated malaria were recruited in Bangladesh (n = 87), Indonesia (n = 75), and Ethiopia (n = 173); G6PD activity was measured at the initial presentation with malaria and a median of 176 days later (range 140 to 998) in the absence of malaria. Among selected participants (deficient participants preferentially enrolled in Bangladesh but not at other sites) G6PD activity fell between malaria and follow up by 79.1% (95%CI: 40.4 to 117.8) in 6 participants classified as deficient (<30% activity), 43.7% (95%CI: 34.2 to 53.1) in 39 individuals with intermediate activity (30% to <70%), and by 4.5% (95%CI: 1.4 to 7.6) in 290 G6PD normal (≥70%) participants. In Bangladesh and Indonesia G6PD activity was significantly higher during acute malaria than when the same individuals were retested during follow up (40.9% (95%CI: 33.4–48.1) and 7.4% (95%CI: 0.2 to 14.6) respectively), whereas in Ethiopia G6PD activity was 3.6% (95%CI: -1.0 to -6.1) lower during acute malaria. The change in G6PD activity was apparent in patients presenting with either P. vivax or P. falciparum infection. Overall, 66.7% (4/6) severely deficient participants and 87.2% (34/39) with intermediate deficiency had normal activities when presenting with malaria.These findings suggest that G6PD activity rises significantly and at clinically relevant levels during acute malaria. Prospective case-control studies are warranted to confirm the degree to which the predicted population attributable risks of drug induced haemolysis is lower than would be predicted from cross sectional surveys.     

Glycan engineering reveals interrelated effects of terminal galactose and core fucose on antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been identified as one of the potentially critical effector functions underlying the clinical efficacy of some therapeutic immunoglobin G1 (IgG1) antibodies. It has been well established that higher levels of afucosylated N-linked glycan structures on the Fc region enhance the IgG binding affinity to the FcγIIIa receptor and lead to increased ADCC activity. However, whether terminal galactosylation of an IgG1 impacts its ADCC activity is less understood. Here, we used a new strategy for glycan enrichment and remodeling to study the impact of terminal galactose on ADCC activity for therapeutic IgG1s. Our results indicate that the degree of influence of terminal galactose on in vitro ADCC activity depends on the presence or absence of the core fucose, which is typically linked to the first N-acetyl glucosamine residue of an N-linked glycosylation core structure. Specifically, terminal galactose on afucosylated IgG1 mAbs enhanced ADCC activity with impact coefficients (ADCC%/Gal%) more than 20, but had minimal influence on ADCC activity on fucosylated structures with impact coefficient in the range of 0.1–0.2. Knowledge gained here can be used to guide product and process development activities for biotherapeutic antibodies that require effector function for efficacy, and also highlight the complexity in modulating the immune response through N-linked glycosylation of antibodies.     

Seasonal pattern of tartaric acid metabolism underlying the phasic development inTamarindus indica L.

Tartaric acid is synthesized on light in the leaves ofTamarindus indica L. and is translocated to the flowers during flowering seasons. The translocation of this acid to fruits keeps peace with their growth rate. The decline of the tartaric acid content per unit fresh weight in mature fruits is not due to their utilization or conversion, but largely due to the setting up of the seeds which are devoid of any tartaric acid. Tartaric acid content in both the leaves and fruits show variation in different seasons, while malic acid does not show any change excepting a small increase in March.     

Scarlet gourdCoccinia grandis little-known tropical drug plant

Coccinia grandis (Cucurbitaceae), scarlet gourd, is widely distributed throughout the tropics and can be found in both wild and cultivated states on the plains of India. Although the sweet type is extensively cultivated for its edible fruits,C. grandis may have some potential value as a remedy for diabetes. A brief account of the botanical aspects and the food and the potential medicinal value of the different promising cultivars is provided.     

Biosorption of Long Half-life Radionuclide of Strontium Ion (Sr+) by Marine Actinobacterium Nocardiopsis sp. 13H

Microorganisms may have a direct action on the fate of organic/inorganic ions in the environment through biosorption, detoxification or bioaccumulation processes. In the present study, the marine actinobacterial Nocardiopsis sp. 13H strain, isolated from different nuclear power plant (NPP) sites, India, tested for long half-life radionuclide of strontium (Sr⁺) was studied. Nocardiopsis sp. 13H could remove 93.6 ± 0.8% of Sr⁺ from test solutions containing 10 mM SrCl₂. The biosorption of Sr⁺ was studied for optimum condition of pH, temperature and time interval of remediation. Further, Sr⁺ adsorption was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). In addition, with the presence of Sr⁺, extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were also found more and suggested interaction of EPS surface active assemblages being involved in radionuclide remediation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study confirmed that Nocardiopsis sp. 13H cell surfaces are involved in Sr⁺ adsorption with the presence of dominant functional groups such as carboxyl, hydroxyl and amide groups. The results conclude that marine actinobacterial Nocardiopsis sp. 13H could be useful for the treatment of long half-life radioisotope pollution as an eco-friendly biosorbent in marine environmental cleanup.