Regulation of cell division and malignant transformation

The problem of regulation of cell division is essentially a problem of understanding regulation of transition from the resting state of a cell to the dividing state and vice versa. In malignancy the ability to revert back to a normal resting state is impaired. A model is presented which attempts to explain the control of the above transitions through control of uptake of essential nutrients by a transport-inhibitory protein. Experimental evidence in favour of the model is given.     

Association of Adenovirus Infection with Human Obesity

DHURANDHAR, NIKHIL V, PUSHPA R KULKARNI, SHARAD M AJINKYA, ABHAYA A SHERIKAR, RICHARD L ATKINSON. Association of adenovirus infection with human obesity. We previously reported that chickens infected with the avian adenovirus SMAM-1 developed a unique syndrome characterized by excessive intra-abdominal fat deposition accompanied by paradoxically low serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. There have been no previous reports of avian adenoviruses infecting humans. We screened the serum of 52 humans with obesity in Bombay, India, for antibodies against SMAM-1 virus using the agar gel precipitation test (AGPT) method. Bodyweights and serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were compared in SMAM-1-positive (P-AGPT) and SMAM-1-negative (N-AGPT) groups. Ten subjects were positive for antibodies to SMAM-1, and 42 subjects did not have antibodies. The P-AGPT group had a significantly higher bodyweight (p<0.02) and body mass index (p<0.001) (95.1 ± 2.1 kg and 35.3 ± 1.5 kg/m², respectively) compared with the N-AGPT group (80.1 ± 0.6 kg and 30.7 ± 0.6 kg/m², respectively). Also, the P-AGPT group had significantly lower serum cholesterol (p<0.02) and triglyceride (p<0.001) values (4.65 mmol/L and 1.45 mmol/L, respectively) compared with the N-AGPT group (5.51 mmol/L and 2.44 mmol/L, respectively). Two subjects positive for SMAM-1 antibodies had antibodies against each others' serum, suggesting the presence of antigens in one or both. When these two serum samples were inoculated into chicken embryos, macroscopic lesions compatible with SMAM-1 infection developed. The inoculation of serum from N-AGPT subjects did not produce such lesions. The presence of increased obesity, antibodies to SMAM-1, reduced levels of blood lipids, and viremia that produces a typical infection in chicken embryos suggests that SMAM-1, or a serologically similar human virus, may be involved in the cause of obesity in some humans.     

Atmospheric concentration of pollen grains at human height

An atmospheric survey at human height (1.5–1.8 ft) was carried out from February 1988 to January 1990, in four different ecozones of the Delhi metropolis. The samples were collected by using Burkard Personal Volumetric Sampler at weekly intervals. The sampler was operating for 15 min three times a day (07, 14, 20 hrs). Altogether, 84 pollen types were identified. Some of the dominant pollen types recorded were Poaceae (25.1%), Cheno/Amaranthaceae (14.5%) and Ricinus communis (12.3%) followed by Morus, Cannabis, Prosopis, Parthenium and Artemisia. Weekly variations were recorded for the total number of pollen of different types in different months. Two major pollen seasons 1. February — April and 2. August — October were observed, although pollen was recorded throughout the year. Significant variation in total and individual pollen concentration was recorded from different inhabited areas in the same urban locality. Any definite daily pattern in the occurrence of pollen was not recorded. The concentration at lower height was also poor.     

Porcine-specific hemoglobin saturation measurements.

The determination of O(2) consumption by using arteriovenous O(2) content differences is dependent on accurate oxyhemoglobin saturation measurements. Because swine are a common experimental species, we describe the validation of CO-oximeter for porcine-specific oxyhemoglobin saturation. After developing a nonlinear mathematical model of the porcine oxyhemoglobin saturation curve, we made 366 porcine oxyhemoglobin saturation determinations with a calibrated blood-gas analyzer and a porcine-specific CO-oximeter. There was a high degree of correlation with minimal variability (r(2) = 0.99, SE of the estimate = 5.2%) between the mathematical model and the porcine-specific CO-oximeter measurements. Bland-Altman comparison showed that the CO-oximeter measurements were biased slightly lower (-0.4 vol%), and the limits of agreement (+/-2 SD) were 0.7 and -1.5 vol%. This is in contrast to a 10-20 vol% error if human-specific methods were used. The results show excellent agreement between the nonlinear model and CO-oximeter for porcine-specific oxyhemoglobin saturation measurements. In contrast, comparison of the porcine-specific oxyhemoglobin saturations with saturations obtained by using human methods highlights the necessity of species-specific measurement methodology.     

Optimisation of conditions of synthesis of oxidised starch from corn and amaranth for use in film-forming applications

Gum arabic is used as an encapsulating agent because of its film-forming ability. However, India has to import gum arabic for its domestic requirement. Oxidised starch has been reported as a substitute for gum arabic but no data are reported on the exact conditions of oxidation of starch or the analytical indicators for determining the suitability of the product for such a purpose. This work reports on the effect of process conditions for oxidation of corn and waxy amaranth starch with film-forming ability as the major criterion. The process was followed using the analytical indicators of oxidation such as carboxyl content, chlorine consumption and ferricyanide number.     

X0 Karyotype in a phenotypic male

Summary A 24-year-old male with ambiguous genitalia was found to have a predominantly 45,X chromosomal constitution. The clinical and cytological findings in this patient are presented in the report. The possible mode of origin of this aberrant phenotype due to chromosome mosaicism of 45,X/46,XY type during early embryogenesis and subsequent elimination of 46,XY cell line is discussed.     

Allelic variants of DYX1C1 are not associated with dyslexia in India

Dyslexia is a hereditary neurological disorder that manifests as an unexpected difficulty in learning to read despite adequate intelligence, education, and normal senses. The prevalence of dyslexia ranges from 3 to 15% of the school aged children. Many genetic studies indicated that loci on 6p21.3, 15q15-21, and 18p11.2 have been identified as promising candidate gene regions for dyslexia. Recently, it has been suggested that allelic variants of gene, DYX1C1 influence dyslexia. In the present study, exon 2 and 10 of DYX1C1 has been analyzed to verify whether these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence dyslexia, in our population. Our study identified 4 SNPs however, none of these SNPS were found to be significantly associated with dyslexia suggesting DYX1C1 allelic variants are not associated with dyslexia.     

Enterococci in river Ganga surface waters: Propensity of species distribution, dissemination of antimicrobial-resistance and virulence-markers among species along landscape

Background  

Surface waters quality has declined in developing countries due to rapid industrialization and population growth. The microbiological quality of river Ganga, a life-sustaining surface water resource for large population of northern India, is adversely affected by several point and non-point sources of pollution. Further, untreated surface waters are consumed for drinking and various household tasks in India making the public vulnerable to water-borne diseases and outbreaks. Enterococci, the 'indicator' of water quality, correlates best with the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases as well as prevalence of other pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, this study aims to determine the distribution of species diversity, dissemination of antimicrobial-resistance and virulence-markers in enterococci with respect to rural-urban landscape along river Ganga in northern India.     

The endogenous production of hydrogen sulphide in intrauterine tissues

Background  

Hydrogen sulphide is a gas signalling molecule which is produced endogenously from L-cysteine via the enzymes cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE). The possible role of hydrogen sulphide in reproduction has not yet been fully investigated. It has been previously demonstrated that hydrogen sulphide relaxes uterine smooth muscle in vitro. The aim of the present study was to investigate the endogenous production of hydrogen sulphide in rat and human intrauterine tissues in vitro.