Susceptibility of the Bhopal-methyl isocyanate (MIC)-gas-tragedy survivors and their offspring to COVID-19: What we know, what we dont and what we should? / Suscetibilidade dos sobreviventes da tragédia de Bhopal-isocianato de metila (CIM)-gás e seus filhos ao COVID-19: O que sabemos, o que não sabemos e o que devemos?

Abstract There is credible evidence that the 1984-Bhopal-methyl isocyanate (MIC)-gas-exposed long-term survivors and their offspring born post-exposure are susceptible to infectious/communicable and non-communicable diseases. Bhopal's COVID-19 fatality rate suggests that the MIC-gas tragedy survivors are at higher risk, owing to a weakened immune system and co-morbidities. This situation emboldened us to ponder over what we know, what we don't, and what we should know about their susceptibility to COVID-19. This article aims at answering these three questions that emerge in the minds of public health officials concerning prevention strategies against COVID-19 and health promotion in the Bhopal MIC-affected population (BMAP). Our views and opinions presented in this article will draw attention to prevent and reduce the consequences of COVID-19 in BMAP. From the perspective of COVID-19 prophylaxis, the high-risk individuals from BMAP with co-morbidities need to be identified through a door-to-door visit to the severely gas-affected regions and advised to maintain good respiratory hygiene, regular intake of immune-boosting diet, and follow healthy lifestyle practices.

Resumo Há evidências plausíveis de que os sobreviventes a longo prazo da exposição a gás de 1984 e isocianato de metila (CIM), em Bhopal, e seus filhos nascidos após esse fato estão suscetíveis a doenças infecciosas/transmissíveis e não transmissíveis. A taxa de fatalidade COVID-19 de Bhopal sugere que os sobreviventes da tragédia do gás MIC estão em maior risco, devido a um sistema imunológico enfraquecido e comorbidades. Essa situação nos encorajou a refletir sobre o que sabemos, o que não sabemos e o que devemos saber sobre a suscetibilidade deles ao COVID-19. Este artigo objetiva responder a essas três perguntas que surgem na mente dos funcionários de saúde pública sobre estratégias de prevenção contra o COVID-19 e promoção da saúde na população afetada pelo Bhopal MIC (BMAP). Nossas visões e opiniões apresentadas neste artigo chamam a atenção para prevenir e reduzir as consequências do COVID-19 no BMAP. Da perspectiva da profilaxia com COVID-19, os indivíduos de alto risco do BMAP com condições comórbidas precisam ser identificados por meio de uma visita de porta em porta nas regiões severamente afetadas por gases e aconselhados a manter uma boa higiene respiratória, ingestão regular de dieta que estimule o sistema imunológico e seguir práticas de estilo de vida saudáveis.

PPARγ induces growth inhibition and apoptosis through upregulation of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 in gastric cancer cells

Peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-gamma (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor involved in the carcinogenesis of various cancers. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is a tumor suppressor gene that has anti-apoptotic activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer mechanism of PPARγ with respect to IGFBP-3. PPARγ was overexpressed in SNU-668 gastric cancer cells using an adenovirus gene transfer system. The cells in which PPARγ was overexpressed exhibited growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis, and a significant increase in IGFBP-3 expression. We investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms of PPARγ in SNU-668 cells using an IGFBP-3 promoter/luciferase reporter system. Luciferase activity was increased up to 15-fold in PPARγ transfected cells, suggesting that PPARγ may directly interact with IGFBP-3 promoter to induce its expression. Deletion analysis of the IGFBP-3 promoter showed that luciferase activity was markedly reduced in cells without putative p53-binding sites (-Δ1755, -Δ1795). This suggests that the critical PPARγ-response region is located within the p53-binding region of the IGFBP-3 promoter. We further demonstrated an increase in PPARγ-induced luciferase activity even in cells treated with siRNA to silence p53 expression. Taken together, these data suggest that PPARγ exhibits its anticancer effect by increasing IGFBP-3 expression, and that IGFBP-3 is a significant tumor suppressor.