Screening for gene expression fluctuations reveals latency-promoting agents of HIV.

Upon treatment removal, spontaneous reactivation of latently infected T cells remains a major barrier toward curing HIV. Therapies that reactivate and clear the latent reservoir are only partially effective, while latency-promoting agents (LPAs) used to suppress reactivation and stabilize latency are understudied and lack diversity in their mechanisms of action. Here, we identify additional LPAs using a screen for gene-expression fluctuations (or "noise") that drive cell-fate specification and control HIV reactivation from latency. Single-cell protein dynamics of a minimal HIV gene circuit were monitored with time-lapse fluorescence microscopy. We screened 1,806 drugs, out of which 279 modulate noise magnitude or half autocorrelation time. Next, we tested the strongest noise modulators in a Jurkat T cell latency model and discovered three LPAs that would be overlooked by quantifying their mean expression levels alone. The LPAs reduced reactivation of latency in both Jurkat and primary cell models when challenged by synergistic and potent combinations of HIV activators. The two strongest LPAs, NSC 401005 and NSC 400938, are structurally and functionally related to inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase, a protein involved in maintaining redox balance in host cells. Experiments with multiple functional analogs revealed two additional LPAs, PX12 and tiopronin, and suggest a potential LPA family, within which some are commercially available and Food and Drug Administration-approved. The LPAs presented here may provide new strategies to complement antiretroviral treatments. Screening for gene expression noise holds the potential for drug discovery in other diseases.

Effect of Aviptadil, a Novel Therapy, on Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Viral-related Severe ARDS: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Dealing with life-threatening viral acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has always been challenging and with the recent COVID pandemic experience, there is still the need of newer therapies to alleviate mortality. Aviptadil, has shown significant beneficial results in covid. We share our experience with this molecule by doing a retrospective study to evaluate the effect of this drug on clinical outcomes in viral-related Ards patients. Materials and methods: In this study, all patients with severe viral-related Ards received Aviptadil along with the conventional treatment. The oxygen saturation, SpO2/FiO2 (ratio of pulse oximetric saturation to fractional inspired oxygen) (S/F) ratio and PaO2/FiO2 (ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen) (p/f) ratio, before and after completion of the drug were studied. Radiological clearance and time for complete recovery from respiratory failure was noted. All variables pre- and postadministration of the drug were compared. Results: A total of 68 patients with viral pneumonias were admitted to intensive care unit (Icu) and only 6 patients had severe Ards, who received Aviptadil. The mean oxygen saturation significantly improved from 87.86% before the first Aviptadil dose to 93.43% post 3 days of infusion. Similarly, improvement was seen in PaO2 values from 54.32 to 68.4 posttherapy (p-value < 0.004). SpO2/FiO2 (ratio of pulse oximetric saturation to fractional inspired oxygen) ratio hiked from 149 to 336 at the end of the 3 days infusion (p-value < 0.003). RALE scoring system was used for radiological clearance and the mean change in the score was from 6.42 to 2.5 (p-value 0.00). The average length of stay in the Icu was 12.14 days. No adverse effects were noted. Conclusion: Aviptadil has shown to improve the clinical outcomes in patients with severe viral-related ards without any adverse effects. How to cite this article: Sampley S, Bhasin D, Sekhri K, Singh H, Gupta O. Effect of Aviptadil, a Novel Therapy, on Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Viral-related Severe ARDS: A Retrospective Observational Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(1):70-74.

Polylactic acid based polymeric nanoparticle mediated co-delivery of navitoclax and decitabine for cancer therapy.

Combination chemotherapy with systemic administration of drugs in their free form can be challenging due to non-synchronized pharmacokinetics and sub-optimal tumor accumulation. The present study investigates a PLA-based block copolymeric nanocarrier for the co-delivery of navitoclax and decitabine (NAV/DCB NPs) for combination cancer therapy. NAV/DCB NPs exhibited potent in vitro synergistic cytotoxicity in both acute myeloid leukemia and breast cancer cell lines. Biodistribution studies of NAV/DCB NPs in tumor bearing mice, showed significant drug accumulation in tumor tissue and detectable quantities in plasma even after 48 h. Good hemocompatibility with reduced in vivo platelet toxicity indicated that encapsulation in PLA-based nanocarrier helped ameliorate navitoclax associated thrombocytopenia. In vivo biological activity of NAV/DCB NPs evaluated in xenograft AML and syngeneic breast cancer model, demonstrated potent tumor growth inhibition efficacy. PLA-based NAV/DCB dual NPs present a novel, safe and effective nanoformulation for combination cancer therapy in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

Carbon dots and graphene oxide based FRET immunosensor for sensitive detection of Helicobacter pylori.

We report a novel Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) immunosensor for sensitive detection of whole cell H. pylori, a causative organism for gastric carcinoma. Highly fluorescent and well-dispersed functionalized carbon dots (FCDs) were synthesized and chemically conjugated with anti-H. pylori antibody to fabricate a fluorescent probe (FCDs-Ab). The fluorescence of FCDs-Ab gets quenched upon interaction with graphene oxide (GO), whereas in presence of H. pylori, the interaction between the FCD-Ab and GO gets interrupted and gradual restoration of fluorescence was observed due to the specific affinity and binding of Ab towards H. pylori. The immunosensor was characterized at each step of fabrication. The assay exhibits a linear detection range of 5-107 cells mL-1 with limit of detection (LOD) of 10 cells mL-1 with high specificity and selectivity to target pathogen. The analytical performance of the developed immunosensor was evaluated with different spiked food samples and the substantial recovery validates its potential for risk assessment in food testing, thus ensuring general safety of public health.

Aging-related changes in metabolic indicators in female rats and their management with Tinospora cordifolia.

Conflicting reports of HRT necessitates exploration of therapeutic interventions with the least side effects to preserve metabolic homeodynamics in women later in life. The current study was designed to elucidate the cumulative effects of aging and/or high fat diet (HFD) on some metabolic indicators and their management by Tinospora cordifolia stem powder (TCP) using middle-aged acyclic and young adult cyclic female rats as the model system. Animals were fed on either normal chow or HFD supplemented with or without TCP. Blood and liver tissue were collected for biochemical, and histological studies as well as for expression of proteins regulating lipid metabolism. Animals fed with TCP supplemented normal chow feed showed bodyweight management over 12-weeks despite their high feed and calories intake compared to young and age-matched controls as well as HFD-fed animals. TCP dose used was not toxic and rather prevented age-associated liver dysfunctions and ameliorated dyslipidemia and oxidative stress, normalized blood glucose, insulin, leptin, and secretary pro-inflammatory cytokines. Further, bodyweight management effect of TCP was observed to target AMPK signalling pathway as the mediator of lipogenesis, sterol biosynthesis, lipolysis, and ß-oxidation of fatty acids. These findings suggest that TCP supplementation in diet may be a potential interventional strategy to ameliorate aging-associated hepatic and metabolic dysfunctions and to promote healthy aging.

Cerebral Aspergillosis Complicating COVID Recovery.

How to cite this article: Sampley S, Bhasin D, Singh H, Mishra S. Cerebral Aspergillosis Complicating COVID Recovery. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(4):535-536.

Comparative Analysis of Collagen and Chitosan-based Dressing for Haemostatic and Wound Healing Application.

Collagen and chitosan have haemostatic, tissue fix and wound healing properties but the poor mechanical property limits their application. Therefore, various concentrations of collagen (1-6%) and chitosan (1-2%) were used to develop biopolymer-coated gauzes, with and without glycerol as plasticiser. Glycerol-treated gauzes showed desired mechanical and adhesive property in comparison to polymer-coated gauzes alone. Developed gauzes were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry to confirm the biopolymer coating and stability. Scanning electron microscopy showed multilayer coating of the biopolymer and faster clotting in chitosan gauzes in comparison to collagen. Surface plasmon resonance assay confirmed that chitosan exhibited more binding affinity of 65 RU in comparison to collagen, which showed 55 RU with erythrocytes. Decrease in the value of plateletcrit and mean platelet volume confirmed platelet adhesion and aggregation over the surface of polymer-coated dressings. Gamma scintigraphy studies showed 85 ± 2% formulation retention up to 12 h at the wound site in comparison to 40 ± 3% retention of the radiopharmaceutical alone. Collagen and chitosan-coated gauze showed 226 ± 15 s and 179 ± 12 s haemostasis time, respectively, which was significantly less from 506 ± 15 s in standard gauze. Chitosan gauze showed faster wound healing in comparison to the collagen-coated gauze. Chitosan and collagen-coated gauzes showed 55 ± 4% wound contraction on day seven in comparison to 25 ± 2% in the control group, while chitosan gauzes showed complete wound contraction on day fourteenth, while the collagen-coated gauze showed 90 ± 3% on the same day.

Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Bioactive Composite Scaffolds for Hemostasis and Wound Healing.

Fabrication of 3D composite scaffolds was carried out by lyophilization of variable concentrations of collagen and chitosan gel solutions. Fibrinogen and thrombin aerosol were deposited over the surface of scaffolds to enhance hemostasis and wound healing. Composite scaffolds were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer to ascertain the aerosol deposition and stability. Scanning electron microscope showed multilayered porosity with pore size of ~30 µm and mushroom-like fibril growth of aerosol. A detailed investigation by surface plasmon resonance confirmed higher binding affinity of collagen toward the human blood platelets and erythrocytes in comparison to chitosan and was found to increase with the increase in blood cell concentration from 480.8 to 886.4 RU for erythrocytes. Scaffolds showed higher binding response for platelets than erythrocytes, while fibrinogen and thrombin showed no or limited interaction. Highest blood sorption of 83 ± 4% was observed in case of aerosol deposited scaffolds. Aerosol deposited scaffolds showed minimum clotting time of 20 ± 3 s and bleeding time of 38 ± 4 s, which was significantly lower compared to the scaffolds without aerosol treatment. Aerosol deposited composite scaffolds with 2:1 concentration of chitosan/collagen showed complete wound contraction by day 14, while 50% was observed in case of the control group. In vivo studies revealed that chitosan had a crucial role in the inflammatory phase, while collagen played an important role in the proliferation and maturation phase. The present study suggests that the fabricated 3D composite scaffolds with bioactive moieties may be a potential candidate for enhanced hemostasis and wound healing applications.

Progress Toward Poliovirus Containment Implementation - Worldwide, 2019-2020.

Since 1988, when World Health Organization (WHO) Member States and partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the number of wild poliovirus (WPV) cases has declined from 350,000 in 125 countries to 176 in only two countries in 2019 (1). The Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (GCC) declared two of the three WPV types, type 2 (WPV2) and type 3 (WPV3), eradicated globally in 2015 and 2019, respectively (1). Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan (1). Containment under strict biorisk management measures is vital to prevent reintroduction of eradicated polioviruses into communities from poliovirus facilities. In 2015, Member States committed to contain type 2 polioviruses (PV2) in poliovirus-essential facilities (PEFs) certified in accordance with a global standard (2). Member states agreed to report national PV2 inventories annually, destroy unneeded PV2 materials, and, if retaining PV2 materials, establish national authorities for containment (NACs) and a PEF auditing process. Since declaration of WPV3 eradication in October 2019, these activities are also required with WPV3 materials. Despite challenges faced during 2019-2020, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the global poliovirus containment program continues to work toward important milestones. To maintain progress, all WHO Member States are urged to adhere to the agreed containment resolutions, including officially establishing legally empowered NACs and submission of PEF Certificates of Participation.

Plasmapheresis for Pulmonary Hemorrhage Following Viperine Snakebite: A Case Report with Review of Literature.

INTRODUCTION: Snakebites are one of the commonest occupational hazards in tropical countries and viperine bites are potential to cause systemic toxicity. Coagulopathies and acute kidney injury (AKI) have been documented and easily dealt with in past, but pulmonary hemorrhage has been rarely seen and plasmapheresis has shown promising result for the same. This case reports highlight the effective use of plasmapheresis for pulmonary hemorrhage post-snakebite. BACKGROUND: Viperine snakebite has been associated with high morbidity and mortality due to its toxic systemic envenomization. The important systemic manifestations are coagulopathy, neuromuscular paralysis, AKI, myotoxicity, and cardiovascular collapse. Antivenomization, renal replacement therapy, steroids, and other supportive care are considered to be the mainstay of treatment till date. Pulmonary hemorrhage has been an unusual manifestation of viper bite and rarely reported and steroids have been used in such scenario but with mixed results. Role of plasmapheresis has been documented in the management of snakebite but especially for hematological problems and in limb preservation/salvage strategies. The use of same, for pulmonary hemorrhage has not been studied yet. Here, we present a rare case of pulmonary hemorrhage along with renal failure following viper bite which was successfully treated with plasmapheresis. To the best of our knowledge, it is a rare presentation and has not been reported in the literature reviewed till date. CASE DESCRIPTION: A previously healthy, 36-year-old man presented to our hospital 48 hours after a viper bite. He developed local as well systemic manifestations evident as hemolysis and renal failure. Gradually, he started having hemoptysis followed by respiratory failure requiring ventilatory support. CT chest done was s/o bilateral pulmonary hemorrhages correlating clinically with ongoing tracheal bleed. He had no other bleeding manifestations and had normal coagulation profile. He was initially treated with methylprednisolone therapy, but then did not show any improvement and finally plasmapheresis was done as rescue therapy. Following this, he had improvement in respiratory parameters and settling tracheal bleed with resolution of radiological changes. He was successfully weaned off from the ventilation and also his renal failure also improved with near normalization of pulmonary and renal functions. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the unusual presentation of pulmonary hemorrhage in a patient with viperine bite with normal coagulation and was aggressively managed with plasmapheresis. Hence, plasmapheresis can be used as life-saving modality in patients with systemic envenomization post-viperine bit. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sampley S, Sakhuja V, Bhasin D, Singh K, Singh H. Plasmapheresis for Pulmonary Hemorrhage Following Viperine Snakebite: A Case Report with Review of Literature. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(10):986-990.

Facility-Associated Release of Polioviruses into Communities-Risks for the Posteradication Era.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative continues to make progress toward the eradication target. Indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) type 2 was last detected in 1999, WPV type 3 was last detected in 2012, and over the past 2 years WPV type 1 has been detected only in parts of 2 countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan). Once the eradication of poliomyelitis is achieved, infectious and potentially infectious poliovirus materials retained in laboratories, vaccine production sites, and other storage facilities will continue to pose a risk for poliovirus reintroduction into communities. The recent breach in containment of WPV type 2 in an inactivated poliovirus vaccine manufacturing site in the Netherlands prompted this review, which summarizes information on facility-associated release of polioviruses into communities reported over >8 decades. Successful polio eradication requires the management of poliovirus containment posteradication to prevent the consequences of the reestablishment of poliovirus transmission.

Progress Toward Poliovirus Containment Implementation - Worldwide, 2018-2019.

Among the three wild poliovirus (WPV) types, type 2 (WPV2) was declared eradicated globally by the Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (GCC) in 2015. Subsequently, in 2016, a global withdrawal of Sabin type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV2) from routine use, through a synchronized switch from the trivalent formulation of oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV, containing vaccine virus types 1, 2, and 3) to the bivalent form (bOPV, containing types 1 and 3), was implemented. WPV type 3 (WPV3), last detected in 2012 (1), will possibly be declared eradicated in late 2019.* To ensure that polioviruses are not reintroduced to the human population after eradication, World Health Organization (WHO) Member States committed in 2015 to containing all polioviruses in poliovirus-essential facilities (PEFs) that are certified to meet stringent containment criteria; implementation of containment activities began that year for facilities retaining type 2 polioviruses (PV2), including type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) materials (2). As of August 1, 2019, 26 countries have nominated 74 PEFs to retain PV2 materials. Twenty-five of these countries have established national authorities for containment (NACs), which are institutions nominated by ministries of health or equivalent bodies to be responsible for poliovirus containment certification. All designated PEFs are required to be enrolled in the certification process by December 31, 2019 (3). When GCC certifies WPV3 eradication, WPV3 and vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) type 3 materials will also be required to be contained, leading to a temporary increase in the number of designated PEFs. When safer alternatives to wild and OPV/Sabin strains that do not require containment conditions are available for diagnostic and serologic testing, the number of PEFs will decrease. Facilities continuing to work with polioviruses after global eradication must minimize the risk for reintroduction into communities by adopting effective biorisk management practices.

Low-grade neuroinflammation due to chronic sleep deprivation results in anxiety and learning and memory impairments.

Chronic sleep loss/fragmentation prevalent in the current 24/7 society is associated with irreversible consequences on health and overall wellbeing. Various studies have well documented the ill effects of acute sleep loss on cognitive functions of individuals; however, the underlying mechanism behind the chronic sleep loss is yet to be explored. The present study was aimed to investigate whether chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) triggers anxiety-like behaviour and memory decline in male Wistar rats. Rats were sleep deprived by placing them over slowly rotating drum (2 rpm) for 18 h (between 4 pm and 10 am) followed by 6 h of recovery sleep for 21 consecutive days. Post CSD regimen, rats were subjected to behavioural tests such as elevated plus maze (EPM), Novel Object Recognition (NOR) and Rotarod performance test and then sacrificed to remove brain for further molecular studies. The study demonstrated that CSD rats showed anxiogenic behaviour along with recognition memory decline compared to control rats. CSD rats further showed elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1ß) along with activation of NFκB and AP1 transcription factors in hippocampus and piriform cortex (PC) regions of brain. These observations were also accompanied by enhanced expression of GFAP and Iba1 in the two brain regions. The data suggest that CSD triggered low-grade neuroinflammation which caused anxiogenic response and recognition memory impairment. The study provides preliminary leads to further explore the role of astrocytes/microglial cells and inflammatory cytokines in mediating these neurobehavioural consequences of chronic sleep loss and to develop effective interventions to combat them.

Iron oxide labeling does not affect differentiation potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells exhibited by their differentiation into cardiac and neuronal cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promising outcomes in cardiac and neuronal diseases. Efficient and noninvasive tracking of MSCs is essential to harness their therapeutic potential. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have emerged as effective means to label stem cells and visualize them using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is known that IONPs do not affect viability and cell proliferation of stem cells. However, very few studies have demonstrated differentiation potential of iron oxide-labeled MSCs and their differentiation into specific lineages that can contribute to cellular therapies. The differentiation of IONP-labeled human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) into cardiac and neuronal lineages has never been studied. In this study, we have shown that IONP-labeled hBM-MSCs retain their differentiation potential to cardiac and neuronal cell lineages. We also confirmed that labeling hBM-MSCs with IONP does not affect their characteristic properties such as viability, cellular proliferation rate, surface marker profiling, and trilineage differentiation capacity. This study shows that IONP can be efficiently tracked, and its labeling does not alter stemness and differentiation potential of hBM-MSCs. Thus, the labeled hBM-MSCs can be used in clinical therapies and regenerative medicine.

Progress Toward Poliovirus Containment Implementation - Worldwide, 2017-2018.

Substantial progress has been made since the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis in 1988 (1). Among the three wild poliovirus (WPV) types, type 2 (WPV2) was declared eradicated in 2015, and type 3 (WPV3) has not been reported since 2012 (1). In 2017 and 2018, only Afghanistan and Pakistan have reported WPV type 1 (WPV1) transmission (1). When global eradication of poliomyelitis is achieved, facilities retaining poliovirus materials need to minimize the risk for reintroduction of poliovirus into communities and reestablishment of transmission. Poliovirus containment includes biorisk management requirements for laboratories, vaccine production sites, and other facilities that retain polioviruses after eradication; the initial milestones are for containment of type 2 polioviruses (PV2s). At the 71st WHA in 2018, World Health Organization (WHO) Member States adopted a resolution urging acceleration of poliovirus containment activities globally, including establishment by the end of 2018 of national authorities for containment (NACs) to oversee poliovirus containment (2). This report summarizes containment progress since the previous report (3) and outlines remaining challenges. As of August 2018, 29 countries had designated 81 facilities to retain PV2 materials; 22 of these countries had established NACs. Although there has been substantial progress, intensification of containment measures is needed.

Concomitant Delivery of Paclitaxel and NuBCP-9 peptide for synergistic enhancement of cancer therapy.

Paclitaxel (PTX) is a microtubule inhibitor administered as an albumin-bound nanoformulation for the treatment of breast cancer. However, the effectiveness of PTX is limited by resistance mechanisms mediated in part by upregulation of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Present investigation was designed to study the synergistic potential of NuBCP-9 and PTX loaded polymeric nanoparticles to minimize the dose and improve the efficacy and safety. PTX and NuBCP-9 loaded polylactic acid-polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol [PLA-(PEG-PPG-PEG)] nanoparticles were prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation method. PTX and NuBCP-9 loaded NPs displayed an average size of 90 nm with spherical morphology. PTX and NuBCP-9 dual loaded NPs reducedIC50 by ~40-fold and acted synergistically. Treatment of the syngeneic EAT mice with PTX-NuBCP-9/NPs resulted in improved efficacy than that alone treated mice. Overall, the concomitant delivery PTX and NuBCP-9 loaded NPs showed superior activity than that of PTX and NuBCP-9 alone treated mice.

In vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetics of bi-aryl oxazolidinone RBx 11760 loaded polylactic acid-polyethylene glycol nanoparticles in mouse hematogenous bronchopneumonia and rat groin abscess caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

RBx 11760 is a bi-aryl oxazolidinone antibacterial agent active against Staphylococcus aureus but has poor solubility. Here we have encapsulated RBx 11760 in PLA-PEG NPs with an aim to improve physicochemical, pharmacokinetics and in vivo efficacy. The average size and zeta potential of RBx 11760 loaded NPs were found to be 106.4 nm and -22.2 mV, respectively. The absolute size of nanoparticles by HRTEM was found to be approximately 80 nm. In vitro antibacterial agar well diffusion assay showed clear zone of inhibition of bacterial growth. In pharmacokinetic study, nanoparticle showed 4.6-fold and 7-fold increase in AUCinf and half-life, respectively, as compared to free drug. RBx 11760 nanoparticle significantly reduced bacterial counts in lungs and improved the survival rate of immunocompromised mice as compared to free drugs. Thus, RBx 11760 loaded nanoparticles have strong potential to be used as nanomedicine against sensitive and drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Withania somnifera as a potential anxiolytic and immunomodulatory agent in acute sleep deprived female Wistar rats.

Sleep is a profound regulator of cellular immunity, and the curtailment of sleep in present day lifestyle leads to disruption of neuro-immune-endocrine interactions. No therapeutic remedy is yet known for the amelioration of detrimental effects caused by sleep deprivation (SD). The current study was aimed to elucidate the effects of acute SD on immune function and its modulation by water extract from leaves of Withania somnifera (ASH-WEX). Three groups of animals, i.e. Vehicle-Undisturbed sleep (VUD), Vehicle-Sleep deprived (VSD) and ASH-WEX fed sleep deprived (WSD) rats were tested for their anxiety-like behaviour and further used for the study of inflammatory and apoptotic markers expression in piriform cortex and hippocampus regions of the brain. VSD animals showed high level of anxiety in elevated plus maze test, which was ameliorated in WSD group. The stress induced expression of inflammatory and immune response markers GFAP, TNFα, IL-6, OX-18 and OX-42 in VSD animals was found to be modulated by ASH-WEX. Further, the stress induced apoptosis was suppressed in WSD group as indicated by expression of NF-κB, AP-1, Bcl-xL and Cytochrome c. This study provides scientific validation to the anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties of ASH-WEX, which may serve as an effective dietary supplement for management of SD induced stress and associated functional impairments.

Progress Toward Containment of Poliovirus Type 2 - Worldwide, 2017.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) continues to make progress toward the eradication target. Only one of the three serotypes, wild poliovirus (WPV) type 1 (WPV1), is still circulating, and the numbers of cases and countries with endemic transmission are at record lows. With the certification of wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) eradication in 2015 and the global replacement of trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV) containing Sabin poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 with bivalent OPV containing only Sabin poliovirus types 1 and 3 during April-May 2016, poliovirus type 2 (PV2) is now an eradicated pathogen. However, in eight countries (Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Syria), monovalent type 2 OPV (mOPV2) was authorized for large-scale outbreak control after tOPV withdrawal (1). Poliovirus containment, an evolving area of work that affects every country, aims to ensure that all PV2 specimens are safely contained to minimize the risk for reintroducing the virus into communities. This report summarizes the current status of poliovirus containment and progress since the last report (2), and outlines remaining challenges. Within 30 countries, 86 facilities have been designated by the relevant national authorities (usually the Ministry of Health) to become poliovirus-essential facilities for the continued storage or handling of PV2 materials; each country is responsible for ensuring that these facilities meet all biorisk management requirements.

Intermittent fasting combined with supplementation with Ayurvedic herbs reduces anxiety in middle aged female rats by anti-inflammatory pathways.

Intermittent fasting-dietary restriction (IF-DR) is an increasingly popular intervention to promote healthy aging and delay age associated decline in brain functions. Also, the use of herbal interventions is gaining attention due to their non-pharmacological approach to treat several abnormalities and promote general health with least side effects. The present study was aimed to investigate the synergistic effects of IF-DR regimen with herbal supplementation on anxiety-like behavior and neuroinflammation in middle aged female rats. We used dried leaf powder of Withania somnifera and dried stem powder of Tinospora cordifolia for our study. The rats were divided into three groups: (1) Control group fed ad libitum (AL); (2) rats deprived of food for full day and fed ad libitum on every alternate day (IF-DR); and (3) IF-DR and herbal extract (DRH) group in which rats were fed ad libitum with herbal extract supplemented diet, every alternate day. Post regimen, the rats were tested for anxiety-like behavior and further used for study of key inflammatory molecules (NFκB, Iba1, TNFα, IL-1ß, IL-6) and glial marker (GFAP) in hippocampus and piriform cortex regions of brain. The study was further extended to explore the effect of DRH regimen on stress response protein (HSP70) and calcium dependent regulators of synaptic plasticity (CaMKIIα, Calcineurin). Our data demonstrated that DRH regimen reduced anxiety-like behavior in middle age female rats and associated neuroinflammation by ameliorating key inflammatory cytokines and modulated stress response. The present data may provide scientific validation for anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory potential of herbal intervention combined with short term IF-DR regimen.