Assessment of Epidemiology and Clinical Profile of Psoriatic Arthritis Patients in India.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease associated with significant comorbidity. However, the characteristics of patients with psoriasis are not well documented in India, and a more detailed understanding is needed to delineate the epidemiologic profile at the regional level for better management of psoriasis. Herein, we reported the clinical profile and demographic pattern of psoriasis to further understand its burden in the Indian setting. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients diagnosed with psoriasis who fulfilled the classification criteria for psoriatic arthritis (CASPAR) criteria. Patients were included from the rheumatology outpatient department of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai, India. The outcomes included demographic and clinical profiles, patterns of joint involvement, and comorbidities associated with psoriasis. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: We enrolled 60 patients, with a mean age of 50.87 years and a higher proportion of females (62%). The majority of patients with less than five joints had associated comorbidities (40 out of 60). Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) occurred in 41 patients [mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of onset-38.88 ± 13.24 years], with the highest occurrence in the 30-50 years (53.3%). The majority of patients with PsA developed it within 2 to ≥5 years of psoriasis occurrence. We did not find any significant correlation between the occurrence of PsA and comorbidities, as well as the duration of PsA and the number of joints (p = 0.152). Pitting and enthesitis were the most common morphological changes noted in almost half of the patients. CONCLUSION: Our study provides an overview of the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of psoriasis patients in India. These findings could be useful for early diagnosis of PsA and help clinicians in assessing the progression of psoriasis into PsA.

INPPO2014, First INPPO World Congress on "Plant Proteomics: Methodology to Biology"-A global platform for involving, gathering and disseminating knowledge.

The International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) is a global platform of the plant proteomics community or, more generally, the scientific community that uses proteomics to address plant biology. Organizing an international conference is one of its initiatives to promote plant proteomics by involving and gathering scientists/researchers/students and by disseminating the acquired knowledge. In this fourth INPPO Highlights, the first INPPO World Congress 2014 (INPPO2014) is described and discussed. The INPPO2014 was held at the University of Hamburg (Germany) with the title "Plant Proteomics: Methodology to Biology" under the leadership of Sabine Lüthje (Germany). Participants (around 150) from 38 nations attended this congress covering all continents. The four-day scientific program comprised 52 lectures and 61 poster presentations in a highly professional and friendly atmosphere on mass spectrometry and gel-based proteomics. Two round-table open discussions deliberated on plant proteomics, its associated international organizations/initiatives and future INPPO perspectives. The Second INPPO World Congress 2016 (INPPO2016) "The Quest for Tolerant Varieties-Phenotyping at Plant and Cellular Level" is planned to be organized in Bratislava (Slovakia) under the leadership of Martin Hajduch (Slovak Republic) and Sébastien Carpentier (Belgium) and cosponsored by the COST action FA1306.

First systematic plant proteomics workshop in Botany Department, University of Delhi: transferring proteomics knowledge to next-generation researchers and students.

International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) outlined ten initiatives to promote plant proteomics in each and every country. With greater emphasis in developing countries, one of those was to "organize workshops at national and international levels to train manpower and exchange information". This third INPPO highlights covers the workshop organized for the very first time in a developing country, India, at the Department of Botany in University of Delhi on December 26-30, 2013 titled - "1(st) Plant Proteomics Workshop / Training Program" under the umbrella of INPPO India-Nepal chapter. Selected 20 participants received on-hand training mainly on gel-based proteomics approach along with manual booklet and parallel lectures on this and associated topics. In house, as well as invited experts drawn from other Universities and Institutes (national and international), delivered talks on different aspects of gel-based and gel-free proteomics. Importance of gel-free proteomics approach, translational proteomics, and INPPO roles were presented and interactively discussed by a group of three invited speakers Drs. Ganesh Kumar Agrawal (Nepal), Randeep Rakwal (Japan), and Antonio Masi (Italy). Given the output of this systematic workshop, it was proposed and thereafter decided to be organized every alternate year; the next workshop will be held in 2015. Furthermore, possibilities on providing advanced training to those students / researchers / teachers with basic knowledge in proteomics theory and experiments at national and international levels were discussed. INPPO is committed to generating next-generation trained manpower in proteomics, and it would only happen by the firm determination of scientists to come forward and do it.

Boosting the globalization of plant proteomics through INPPO: current developments and future prospects.

The International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) is a non-profit-organization consisting of people who are involved or interested in plant proteomics. INPPO is constantly growing in volume and activity, which is mostly due to the realization among plant proteomics researchers worldwide for the need of such a global platform. Their active participation resulted in the rapid growth within the first year of INPPO's official launch in 2011 via its website (www.inppo.com) and publication of the 'Viewpoint paper' in a special issue of PROTEOMICS (May 2011). Here, we will be highlighting the progress achieved in the year 2011 and the future targets for the year 2012 and onwards. INPPO has achieved a successful administrative structure, the Core Committee (CC; composed of President, Vice-President, and General Secretaries), Executive Council (EC), and General Body (GB) to achieve INPPO objectives. Various committees and subcommittees are in the process of being functionalized via discussion amongst scientists around the globe. INPPO's primary aim to popularize the plant proteomics research in biological sciences has also been recognized by PROTEOMICS where a section dedicated to plant proteomics has been introduced starting January 2012, following the very first issue of this journal devoted to plant proteomics in May 2011. To disseminate organizational activities to the scientific community, INPPO has launched a biannual (in January and July) newsletter entitled 'INPPO Express: News & Views' with the first issue published in January 2012. INPPO is also planning to have several activities in 2012, including programs within the Education Outreach committee in different countries, and the development of research ideas and proposals with priority on crop and horticultural plants, while keeping tight interactions with proteomics programs on model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and Medicago truncatula. Altogether, the INPPO progress and upcoming activities are because of immense support, dedication, and hard work of all members of the INPPO community, and also due to the wide encouragement and support from the communities (scientific and non-scientific).