The Effect of CYP2C19*2 (rs4244285) and CYP17 (rs743572) SNPs on Adriamycin and Paclitaxel based Chemotherapy Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) are phase I metabolizing enzymes involved in detoxification of chemotherapeutic agents. Among the CYP gene family, including CYP1A1, CYP1B1, CYP2C, CYP2D, CYP2E and CYP17, their significance in cancer susceptibility is well established. However, there remains limited understanding regarding the polymorphisms of CYP2C19*2 and CYP17 and their potential correlation with chemotherapy-induced toxicity reactions in breast cancer (BC) patients. In this study we intended to identify the association of CYP2C19*2 and CYP17 gene polymorphisms on drug response as well as toxicity reactions in BC patients undergoing adriamycin/paclitaxel based chemotherapy within Indian population. METHODS: Two hundred BC patients receiving adriamycin and paclitaxel chemotherapy were enrolled in this study and chemotherapy induced hematological and non-hematological toxicity reactions were noted. The polymorphisms of CYP2C19*2 (681G>A) and CYP17 (34T>C) isoforms of cytochrome p 450 gene was studied by PCR and RFLP analysis. RESULTS: The univariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between CYP2C19*2 (681 G>A) polymorphisms with hematological toxicities i.e., anemia (OR=9.77, 95% CI: 2.84-33.52; p=0.0003), neutropenia (OR=5.72, 95% CI: 1.75-18.68; p=0.003), febrile neutropenia (OR=4.29, 95% CI: 1.32-13.87; p=0.014) and thrombocytopenia (OR=5.86, 95% CI: 1.15-29.72); p=0.032) in BC patients. Additionally BC patients treated with adriamycin exhibited significant association between CYP2C19*2 polymorphism with chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) (OR=99.73, 95% CI: 5.70-174.64); p=0.001), fatigue (OR=83.29, 95% CI: 4.77-145.69); p=0.002), bodyache (OR=4.44, 95% CI: 1.24-15.91); p=0.021) and peripheral neuropathy (OR=12.00, 95% CI: 1.80-79.89); p=0.010. Furthermore, the regression analysis indicated an association between CYP17 with body ache (OR=2.77, 95% CI: 1.21-6.34; p=0.015) and peripheral neuropathy (OR=3.90, 95% CI: 1.59-9.53; p=0.002) in BC patients treated with paclitaxel chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: The findings obtained from this study illustrated significant association of CYP2C9*2 (681G>A) polymorphism with adreamicin based chemotherapy induced toxicities and CYP17 (34T>C) polymorphism with paclitaxel induced bodyache and peripheral neuropathy in BC patients.

Influence of (C1236T and C3435T) Polymorphisms of ABCB1 Gene on Chemotherapy Treatment Outcome and Toxicity in Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: ATP Binding Cassette Transporters (ABCB1) gene plays an important role in transport of different metabolites and anticancer drugs across the cell membrane. There is lack of knowledge on ABCB1 gene polymorphism and its correlation with Adriamycin or paclitaxel based chemotherapy induced toxicity in breast cancer patients. Therefore in this study, we explored the correlation of ABCB1 polymorphisms gene on response and toxicity in adriamycin and paclitaxel based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients from Indian population. METHODS: Two hundred BC patients receiving Adriamycin and paclitaxel chemotherapy were enrolled in this study and chemotherapy induced hematological and non-hematological toxicity reactions were noted. The polymorphisms in ABCB1 gene (C1236T, C3435T) were studied by PCR and RFLP analysis. RESULTS: The univariate logistic regression analysis showed statistically significant negative association with protective effects of ABCB1 (C3435T) polymorphism with heterozygous genotype (OR=0.34, 95% CI: 0.13-0.89; p=0.027), homozygous variant genotype (OR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.10-0.99; p=0.049) and combined C/T+T/T genotypes (OR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.13-0.79; p=0.013) in relation with severe toxicity of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients treated with Adriamycin chemotherapy. The 3435 C>T polymorphism of ABCB1 gene with heterozygous C/T genotype showed significantly negative association (OR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.14-0.96; p=0.042) with peripheral neuropathy in patients treated primarily with paclitaxel thereafter Adriamycin. CONCLUSION: The findings obtained from this study revealed significant association of ABCB1 3435 C>T polymorphisms with non-hematological toxicity in response to adriamycin and paclitaxel based chemotherapy.

Superoxide Dismutase (rs2070424, rs4880, rs2536512) and Catalase (rs794316, rs1001179) SNPs and their Association with Breast Cancer Risk: Findings from a Hospital Based Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: The antioxidant enzymes are important cellular components involved in detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protect cells from ROS induced oxidative damage. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of antioxidant enzyme coding genes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) may alter the enzyme activity which can influence susceptibility towards carcinogenesis.  Therefore, the present study was planned to investigate possible SNPs of SOD (SOD1 (Cu,Zn-SOD), SOD2(Mn-SOD), SOD3(EC-SOD) and CAT genes and their possible association with breast cancer risk in rural Indian women. METHODS: In this case-control study, the association of SOD and CAT gene polymorphism was studied by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The study was conducted among 400 clinically breast cancer patients and 400 healthy women in a population of South-Western Maharashtra. The logistic regression analysis was carried out to calculate Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval and p-value, where p ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The results of analysis of genotype frequency distribution showed significant association of rs4880 SNP of Mn-SOD with BC risk at homozygous variant (CC/CC) genotype (OR 2.46; 95%CI, 1.61-3.75; p<0.0001) and corresponding frequency of variant (C) allele (OR 1.53; 95%CI, 1.25-1.86; p<0.0001). In CAT gene polymorphisms the variant (T/T) was increased significantly in BC cases as compared to controls (OR 3.45; 95%CI, 2.17-5.50; p<0.0001) along with its variant (T) allele (OR 2.01; 95%CI, 1.63-2.48; p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results implied that, C/C genotype of SOD2-1183T/C polymorphism and T/T genotype of CAT-262 C/T polymorphism may be associated with an increased breast cancer risk. However, SOD1-251 A/G and SOD3-172 G/A polymorphisms did not show any significant difference in variant homozygous genotypes of patients compared to controls.

Antiretroviral action of Rosemary oil-based atazanavir formulation and the role of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system in the management of HIV-1 infection.

Atazanavir or ATV is an FDA-approved, HIV-1 protease inhibitor that belongs to the azapeptide group. Over time, it has been observed that ATV can cause multiple adverse side effects in the form of liver diseases including elevations in serum aminotransferase, indirect hyper-bilirubinemia, and idiosyncratic acute liver injury aggravating the underlying chronic viral hepatitis. Hence, there is an incessant need to explore the safe and efficacious method of delivering ATV in a controlled manner that may reduce the proportion of its idiosyncratic reactions in patients who are on antiretroviral therapy for years. In this study, we assessed ATV formulation along with Rosemary oil to enhance the anti-HIV-1 activity and its controlled delivery through self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system or SNEDDS to enhance its oral bioavailability. While the designing, development, and characterization of ATV-SNEDDS were addressed through various evaluation parameters and pharmacokinetic-based studies, in vitro cell-based experiments assured the safety and efficacy of the designed ATV formulation. The study discovered the potential of ATV-SNEDDS to inhibit HIV-1 infection at a lower concentration as compared to its pure counterpart. Simultaneously, we could also demonstrate the ATV and Rosemary oil providing leads for designing and developing such formulations for the management of HIV-1 infections with the alleviation in the risk of adverse reactions.

Anti-CD4 antibody and dendrimeric peptide based targeted nano-liposomal dual drug formulation for the treatment of HIV infection.

AIMS: Development and characterization of LAM and DTG loaded liposomes conjugated anti-CD4 antibody and peptide dendrimer (PD2) to improve the therapeutic efficacy and to achieve targeted treatment for HIV infection. MAIN METHODS: A 2-level full factorial design was used to optimize the preparation of dual drug loaded liposomes. Optimized dual drug loaded ligand conjugated liposomes were assessed for their cytotoxicity and cell internalization on TZM-bl cells. Anti-HIV efficiency of the dual drug loaded liposomes were screened for their inhibitory potential in TZM-bl cells and the activities were confirmed using Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs). KEY FINDINGS: The particle size of the optimized dual drug-loaded liposomes was 133.7 ± 4.04 nm, and the spherical morphology of the liposomes was confirmed by TEM analysis. The entrapment efficiency was 34 ± 4.9 % and 54 ± 1.8 % for LAM and DTG, respectively, and a slower in vitro release of LAM and DTG was observed when entrapped into liposomes. The cytotoxicity of the dual drug loaded liposomes was similar to the cytotoxicity of free drug solutions. Conjugation of anti-CD4 antibody and PD2 did not significantly influence the cytotoxicity but it enhanced the uptake of liposomes into the cells. Conjugated dual drug loaded liposomes exhibited better HIV inhibition with lower IC50 values (0.0003 ± 0.0002 µg/mL) compared to their free drug solutions (0.002 ± 0.001 µg/mL). The liposomal formulations have shown similar activities in both screening and confirmatory cell-based assays. SIGNIFICANCE: The results demonstrated the cell targeting ability of dual drug loaded liposomes conjugated with anti-CD4 antibody and peptide dendrimer. Conjugated liposomes also improved anti-HIV efficiency of LAM and DTG.

Impact of Interaction between Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3 with Tumor Suppressor Tp53 Gene Increases Risk of Breast Cancer: A Hospital Based Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: At present very little information is available on combined effects of DNA repair genes with tumor suppressor gene polymorphisms and their association with cancer susceptibility. No such association studies have been carried out with breast cancer or any other cancer from India. Present study was conducted to study the combined effects of SNPs of XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3 with Arg72Pro and Arg249Ser SNPs of TP53 gene in risk of BC in rural parts of India. METHODS: The polymorphisms of Arg194Trp, Arg280His, Arg399Gln of XRCC1, Arg188His of XRCC2 and Thr241Met of  XRCC3 with Arg72Pro and Arg249Ser of TP53 gene polymorphisms was studied by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The association among the polymorphisms with breast cancer risk was studied by Odds ratio within 95% confidence interval and SNP-SNP interaction were confirmed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The results of genotype frequency distribution of XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3 genotypes showed positive association between XRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism and BC risk (OR=4.54; 95% CI: 3.36- 6.15; p<0.0001).  Also the heterozygous genotypes Arg188His of XRCC2 (OR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.13- 2.21; p=0.007) and Thr241Met genotype of XRCC3 (OR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.44- 3.13; p=0.0001) were associated with BC risk. The combination of heterozygous Arg280His genotype of XRCC1 along with Arg72Pro genotype of TP53 increased the risk of BC (OR=4.53; 95% CI: 2.85-7.20); p<0.0001). Similarly,  the combined effect of heterozygous Arg/His genotype of XRCC1 with heterozygous Arg/Ser genotype of TP53 at codon 249 showed significant association with increased BC risk (OR=5.08; 95% CI: 2.86-9.04); p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The findings derived from our study concluded that the heterozygous variant Arg280His genotype of XRCC1 and Thr241Met polymorphism of XRCC3 in combination with heterozygous arginine72proline genotype and heterozygous Arg249Ser polymorphism of TP53 showed significant association with breast cancer risk in Maharashtrian women.

TP53 (rs1042522, rs28934571) and TP21 (rs1801270, rs1059234) Polymorphisms and Risk of Breast Cancer among Rural Women of Maharashtra: Findings from a Hospital Based Case- Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Various studies all around the world depicted the relationship of polymorphisms in tumor suppressor genes with risk of various cancers, but there are unambiguous conclusions on this association. A hospital based case-control study was designed to review the association of polymorphism of tumor suppressor genes p21 and p53 with breast cancer risk in women residing in rural Maharashtra. METHODS: Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) a C>A transversion (Ser>Arg) at codon 31 of exon 2 (rs1801270), C>T transition occurring 20bp upstream from stop codon of exon 3 (rs1059234) in p21 gene and G>C (Arg>Pro) transition at codon 72 of exon 4 (rs1042522), G>T (Arg>Ser) transition at codon 249 in exon 7 (rs28934571) in p53 gene were studied. To precise the quantitative assessment, we enrolled 800 subjects sorted into 400 clinically confirmed breast cancer patients and 400 healthy women from a tertiary care hospital (Krishna Hospital and Medical Research Centre) of south-western Maharashtra. The genetic polymorphisms in p21 and p53 genes was studied by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method using blood genomic DNA isolated from breast cancer patients and controls.  The level of association of polymorphisms was assessed using Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval and p-value identified using logistic regression model. RESULTS: After the analysis of SNPs (rs1801270, rs1059234) of p21 and (rs1042522, rs28934571) in p53 gene our analysis suggested that heterozygote Ser/Arg genotype with OR=0.66; 95% CI: 0.47- 0.91; p=0.0003 and homozygote variant Arg/Arg genotype with OR=0.23; 95% CI: 0.13- 0.40; p<0.0001of rs1801270 of p21 was negatively associated with risk of breast cancer in studied population. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study supported that rs1801270 SNP of p21 was inversely associated with breast cancer risk in the studied rural women population.

Human Papilloma Virus: An Unraveled Enigma of Universal Burden of Malignancies.

HPV, or Human Papilloma Virus, has been the primary causative agent of genital warts and cervical cancer worldwide. It is a sexually transmitted infection mainly affecting women of reproductive age group, also infecting men and high-risk group individuals globally, resulting in high mortality. In recent years, HPV has also been found to be the major culprit behind anogenital cancers in both gender and oropharyngeal and colorectal cancers. Few studies have reported the incidence of HPV in breast cancers as well. For a few decades, the burden of HPV-associated malignancies has been increasing at an alarming rate due to a lack of adequate awareness, famine vaccine coverage and hesitancy. The effectiveness of currently available vaccines has been limited to prophylactic efficacy and does not prevent malignancies associated with post-exposure persistent infection. This review focuses on the current burden of HPV-associated malignancies, their causes and strategies to combat the growing prevalence of the cancers. With the advent of new technologies associated with treatment pertaining to therapeutic interventions and employing effective vaccine coverage, the burden of this disease may be reduced in the population.

Biogenic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Potential of Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized using Lasiosiphon eriocephalus Decne Plant Extract.

INTRODUCTION: Recent advancements in biomedicine have revolutionized nanomedicine as a therapeutic moderator in the management of both infectious and noninfectious diseases. PURPOSE: In the current study we demonstrated biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract of Lasiosiphon eriocephalus as a capping and reducing agent and evaluation of their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. METHODS: The biosynthesized LE-AuNPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, DLS, and Zeta potential analysis. The antibacterial activity was checked by a minimum inhibitory concentration assay. The anticancer potential of biogenic LE-AuNPs was checked by cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assay against HeLa and HCT-15 cells. RESULTS: The characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak of the colloidal solution at 538 nm by UV-Vis spectrum confirmed the formation of LE-AuNPs in the solution. The SEM, TEM, and XRD revealed 20-60 sized hexagonal and crystalline LE-AuNPs. The LE-AuNPs displayed significant inhibition potential against DPPH and ABTS radicals in vitro. The LE-AuNPs demonstrated significant antibacterial potential. The results of cytotoxicity interpreted that biogenic gold nanoparticles exhibited strong dose and time-dependent cytotoxicity effect against selected cancer cell lines where IC50 of LE-AuNPs required to inhibit the growth of HeLa cells after 24 h and 48 h exposure were 5.65± 0.69 µg/mL and 4.37±0.23 µg/mL respectively and that of HCT- 15 cells was 6.46 ± 0.69 µg/mL and 5.27 ± 0.34 µg/mL, 24h and 48h post-exposure respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study revealed that gold nanoparticles synthesized using L. eriocephalus, showed remarkable antioxidant, antimicrobial, and extensive cytotoxicity and genotoxicity activities.

Genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A, CYP1B, CYP2C and risk of cervical cancer among rural population of Maharashtra: Findings from a hospital-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Last few decades, multiple studies all over the world revealed the association of genetic polymorphism in cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes with risk of developing different type of cancers, but contradictory outcomes were evidenced in case of cervical cancer (CC) risk. Therefore, the discrepancies in earlier reports influenced us to evaluate the association of CYP1A1*2A rs4646903, CYP1B1*3 rs1056836, CYP2C8*2 rs11572103, CYP2C9*2 rs1799853, CYP2C9*3 rs1057910, and CYP2C19*2 rs4244285 polymorphisms and CC susceptibility in the women of rural population of Maharashtra. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, genetic association of the polymorphisms in CYP genes was studied by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The study was conducted among 350 clinically confirmed CC patients and 350 healthy volunteers in a population of south-western Maharashtra. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and P value were evaluated to get the level of association where P ≤ 0.005 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: After the analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) of CYP1A1, CYP1B1, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19, we noticed that CYP1B1*3 rs1056836 (Leu4326Val) polymorphism possessed a significantly elevated risk (OR = 3.28; 95% CI: 2.18-4.94; P < 0.0001), whereas CYP2C19*2 rs4244285 showed significantly lower risk (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33-0.85 P < 0.009) of CC in the studied rural population. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study supported that rs1056836 SNP of CYP1B1*3 increase CC development, whereas rs4244285 of CYP2C19*2 lowers the CC risk in the studied population.

Genomic Analysis of AZD1222 (ChAdOx1) Vaccine Breakthrough Infections in the City of Mumbai.

Background: This manuscript describes the genetic features of SARS-CoV-2 mutations, prevalent phylogenetic lineages, and the disease severity amongst COVID-19-vaccinated individuals in a tertiary cancer hospital during the second wave of the pandemic in Mumbai, India. Methods: This observational study included 159 COVID-19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic from 17th March to 1st June 2021 at a tertiary cancer care centre in Mumbai. The cohort comprised of healthcare workers, staff relatives, cancer patients, and patient relatives. For comparison, 700 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced during the first wave (23rd April to 25th September 2020) at the same centre were also analysed. Patients were assigned to nonvaccinated (no vaccination or <14 days from the 1st dose, n = 92), dose 1(≥14 days from the 1st dose to <14 days from the 2nd dose, n = 29), and dose 2 (≥14 days from the 2nd dose, n = 38) groups. Primary measure was the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 genomic lineages among different groups. In addition, severity of COVID-19 was assessed according to clinical and genomic variables. Results: Kappa B.1.1671.1 and delta B.1.617.2 variants contributed to an overwhelming majority of sequenced genomes (unvaccinated: 40/92, 43.5% kappa, 46/92, 50% delta; dose 1: 14/29, 48.3% kappa, 15/29, 51.7% delta; and dose 2: 23/38, 60.5% kappa, 14/38 36.8% delta). The proportion of the kappa and delta variants did not differ significantly across the unvaccinated, dose 1, and dose 2 groups (p = 0.27). There was no occurrence of severe COVID-19 in the dose 2 group (0/38, 0% vs. 14/121, 11.6%; p = 0.02). SARS-CoV-2 genomes from all three severe COVID-19 patients in the vaccinated group belonged to the delta lineage (3/28, 10.7% vs. 0/39, 0.0%, p = 0.04). Conclusions: Sequencing analysis of SARS-COV-2 genomes from Mumbai during the second wave of COVID-19 suggests the prevalence of the kappa B.1.617.1 and the delta B.1.627.2 variants among both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Continued evaluation of genomic sequencing data from breakthrough COVID-19 is necessary for monitoring the properties of evolving variants of concern and formulating appropriate immune response boosting and therapeutic strategies.

Membrane-organizing extension spike protein and its role as an emerging biomarker in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most malignant tumor worldwide with a relatively poor prognosis. This can be due to lack of using new specific biomarkers as a mode of pristine interventional therapy for detecting the lesions at an early stage, thereby not allowing it to proceed to a severe advanced stage. Biomarkers, being the products of malignant cells, can prove to be promising prognostic factors in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of oral cancer. One such biomarker is membrane-organizing extension spike protein (MOESIN). Belonging to the family of ezrin/radixin/MOESIN proteins, MOESIN acts as a structural linker between plasma membrane and actin filament of the cell moiety and is involved in regulating many fundamental cellular processes such as cell morphology, adhesion and motility. This narrative review is a systematic compilation on MOESIN and its role as an emerging biomarker in OSCC.

Comprehensive immune cell profiling depicts an early immune response associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 in cancer patients.

Recent studies have highlighted multiple immune perturbations related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection-associated respiratory disease [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)]. Some of them were associated with immunopathogenesis of severe COVID-19. However, reports on immunological indicators of severe COVID-19 in the early phase of infection in patients with comorbidities such as cancer are scarce. We prospectively studied about 200 immune response parameters, including a comprehensive immune-cell profile, inflammatory cytokines and other parameters, in 95 patients with COVID-19 (37 cancer patients without active disease and intensive chemo/immunotherapy, 58 patients without cancer) and 21 healthy donors. Of 95 patients, 41 had severe disease, and the remaining 54 were categorized as having a nonsevere disease. We evaluated the association of immune response parameters with severe COVID-19. By principal component analysis, three immune signatures defining characteristic immune responses in COVID-19 patients were found. Immune cell perturbations, in particular, decreased levels of circulating dendritic cells (DCs) along with reduced levels of CD4 T-cell subsets such as regulatory T cells (Tregs ), type 1 T helper (Th1) and Th9; additionally, relative expansion of effector natural killer (NK) cells were significantly associated with severe COVID-19. Compared with patients without cancer, the levels of terminal effector CD4 T cells, Tregs , Th9, effector NK cells, B cells, intermediate-type monocytes and myeloid DCs were significantly lower in cancer patients with mild and severe COVID-19. We concluded that severely depleted circulating myeloid DCs and helper T subsets in the initial phase of infection were strongly associated with severe COVID-19 independent of age, type of comorbidity and other parameters. Thus, our study describes the early immune response associated with severe COVID-19 in cancer patients without intensive chemo/immunotherapy.

Clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and outcomes of COVID-19 in cancer and non-cancer patients from a tertiary Cancer Centre in India.

BACKGROUND: There is paucity of data regarding clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and outcomes of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in cancer versus non-cancer patients, particularly from India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an observational, single-centre, retrospective analysis of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalised in our institution between 22 May 2020 and 1 December 2020. We compared baseline clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and outcomes of COVID-19 (overall mortality, time to discharge) between cancer and non-cancer patients. RESULTS: A total of 200 COVID-19 infection episodes were analysed of which 109 (54.5%) were patients with cancer and 91 (45.5%) were patients without cancer. The median age was 43 (interquartile range [IQR]:32-57), 51 (IQR: 33-62) and 38 (IQR: 31.5-49.3) years; of whole cohort, cancer and non-cancer patients, respectively. Comparison of outcomes showed that oxygen requirement (31.2% [95% CI: 22.6-40.7] vs. 17.6% [95% CI: 10.4-26.9]; p = 0.03), median time to discharge (11 days [IQR: 6.75-16] vs. 6 days [IQR: 3-9.75]; p < 0.001) and mortality (10.0% [95% CI: 5.2-17.3] vs. 1.1% [95% CI: 0.03-5.9]; p = 0.017) were significantly higher in patients with cancer. In univariable analysis, factors associated with higher mortality in the whole cohort included diagnosis of cancer (10.1% vs. 1.1%; p = 0.027; odds ratio [OR]: 7.04), age ≥60 (17.4% vs. 2.6%; p = 0.001; OR: 7.38), oxygen requirement (22% vs. 0.6%; p < 0.001; OR: 29.01), chest infiltrates (19.2% vs. 1.4%; p < 0.001; OR: 22.65), baseline absolute lymphocyte count <1 × 109 /L (10.8% vs. 1.9%; p = 0.023; OR:5.1), C-reactive protein >1 mg% (12.8% vs. 0%; p = 0.027; OR: 24.69), serum procalcitonin >0.05 ng/ml (22.65% vs. 0%; p = 0.004; OR: 4.49) and interleukin-6 >6 pg/ml (10.8% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.036; OR: 3.08). In multivariable logistic regression, factors significantly associated with mortality were oxygen requirement (p = 0.005; OR: 13.11) and high baseline procalcitonin level (p = 0.014; OR: 37.6). CONCLUSION: Cancer patients with COVID-19 have higher mortality and require longer hospital stay. High procalcitonin levels and oxygen requirement during admission are other factors that affect outcomes adversely.

Biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles using Argemone mexicana L. and their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on human colon cancer cell line (HCT-15).

BACKGROUND: Nanomedicine has evolved as precision medicine in novel therapeutic approach of cancer management. The present study investigated the efficacy of biogenic gold nanoparticles synthesized using Argemone mexicana L. aqueous extract (AM-AuNPs) against the human colon cancer cell line, HCT-15. RESULTS: Biosynthesis of AM-AuNPs was determined by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and further characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transition infrared spectroscopy analysis. The cytotoxic activity of AM-AuNPs was assessed by the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, whereas genotoxicity was evaluated by the DNA fragmentation assay. The expression of apoptosis regulatory genes such as p53 and caspase-3 was explored through semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting to evidence apoptotic cell death in HCT-15 cells. Biogenic AM-AuNPs inhibited cell proliferation in HCT-15 cell line with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 20.53 µg/mL at 24 h and 12.03 µg/mL at 48 h of exposure. The altered cell morphology and increased apoptosis due to AM-AuNPs were also evidenced through nuclear DNA fragmentation and upregulated expression of p53 and caspase-3 in HCT-15 cells. CONCLUSION: The AM-AuNPs may exert antiproliferative and genotoxic effects on HCT-15 cells by cell growth suppression and induction of apoptosis mediated by activation of p53 and caspase-3 genes.

Genetic characterization of chikungunya viruses isolated during the 2015-2017 outbreaks in different states of India, based on their E1 and E2 genes.

During 2015-2017, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) showed a resurgence in several parts of India with Karnataka, Maharashtra and New Delhi accounting for a majority of the cases. E2-E1 gene based characterization revealed Indian subcontinent sublineage strains possessing Aedes aegypti mosquito-adaptive mutations E1: K211E and E2:V264A, with the 211 site positively selected. Novel mutational sites E1: K16E/Q, E1: K132Q/T, E1: S355T, E2: C19R and E2:S185Y could be associated with epitopes or virulence determining domains. The study examines the role of host, vector and viral factors and fills gaps in our molecular epidemiology data for these regions which are known to possess a dynamic population.