Degradation kinetics of bioactive components, antioxidant activity, colour and textural properties of selected vegetables during blanching.

Bioactive components of fruit and vegetables play an important role in scavenging free radicals and protect the body from degenerative diseases. A kinetic study was conducted to quantify the losses occurring in bioactive components, antioxidant activity and changes in colour and firmness of four commonly used vegetables (beetroot, green pea, eggplant and green pepper) during heat treatment (70-90 °C). The study revealed that logistic model can predict the variation in bioactive components and antioxidant activity with higher R2 and lower root mean square error (RMSE) as compared to first order model due to logarithmic reduction in these properties in the beginning of the process itself. However zero and first order kinetic models were found suitable to predict the changes occurring in colour and firmness respectively during blanching. D, z value, activation energy (Ea), activation enthalpy and entropy were calculated for all measured parameters for selected vegetables in the temperature range of 70-90 °C. These finding would be useful in designing thermal processes and related calculations for these vegetables.

A structural insight into hydroxamic acid based histone deacetylase inhibitors for the presence of anticancer activity.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been actively explored as anti-cancer agents due to their ability to prevent deacetylation of histones, resulting in uncoiling of chromatin and stimulation of a range of genes associated in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. During the past several years, many HDACi have entered pre-clinical or clinical research as anti-cancer agents with satisfying results. Out of these, more than 8 novel hydroxamic acid based HDACi i.e., belinostat, abexinostat, SB939, resminostat, givinostat, quisinostat, pentobinostat, CUDC-101 are in clinical trials and one of the drug vorinostat (SAHA) has been approved by US FDA for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). It is clear from the plethora of new molecules and the encouraging results from clinical trials that this class of HDAC inhibitors hold a great deal of promise for the treatment of a variety of cancers. In this review, we classified the hydroxamic acid based HDACi on the basis of their structural features into saturated, unsaturated, branched, un-branched and 5, 6-membered cyclic ring linker present between zinc binding group and connecting unit. The present article enlists reports on hydroxamic acid based HDACi designed and developed using concepts of medicinal chemistry, demonstrating that hydroxamate derivatives represent a versatile class of compounds leading to novel imaging and therapeutic agents. This article will also provide a complete insight into various structural modifications required for optimum anticancer activity.

Peptide based macrocycles: selective histone deacetylase inhibitors with antiproliferative activity.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been enthusiastically investigated as a novel generation of chemotherapeutics for cancers usually called as epigenetic therapeutics. Histone deacetylases have been found to influence cellular function by catalyzing the removal of acetyl groups from ε-N-acetylated lysine residues of several protein substrates including histones, transcription factors, α-tubulin, and nuclear importers. Cyclic peptides represent the most structurally complicated and diverse class of histone deacetylase inhibitors. Each subtype of the Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) family perform a distinct role in the gene expression and cyclic peptides with their plentiful set of surface contacts, zinc binding group and macrocyclic cap, can target enzyme precisely through adequate modulation of the amino acid configurational and structural assortment. The present article summarizes current status of different peptide based macrocyclic compounds being developed as HDACi for the treatment of cancer.

Searching microsatellites in DNA sequences: approaches used and tools developed.

Microsatellite instability associated genomic activities and evolutionary changes have led to a renewed focus on microsatellite research. In last decade, a number of microsatellite mining tools have been introduced based on different computational approaches. The choice is generally made between slow but exhaustive dynamic programming based approaches, or fast and incomplete heuristic methods. Tools based on stochastic approaches are more popular due to their simplicity and added ornamental features. We have performed a comparative evaluation of the relative efficiency of some microsatellite search tools with their default settings. The graphical user interface, the statistical analysis of the output and ability to mine imperfect repeats are the most important criteria in selecting a tool for a particular investigation. However, none of the available tools alone provides complete and accurate information about microsatellites, and a lot depends on the discretion of the user.

Quinazolinone analogs as potential therapeutic agents.

Quinazolinone scaffold has been considered as a magic moiety possessing myriad spectrum of medicinal activities. Diversity of biological response profile has attracted considerable interest of several researchers across the globe to explore this skeleton for its assorted therapeutic significance. Various novel classes of structurally different quinazolinones have been designed and synthesized depicting potential interventions such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticonvulsant, CNS depressant, antiinflammatory, antihistaminic, anticancer and so on. Moreover, the nucleus constitutes an integral structural component in a number of drugs currently employed in several clinical therapies. The present paper is an earnest attempt to provide an insight view on the current medicinal aspects of quinazolinone heterocycles alongwith brief discussion of their chemistry.

Effect of blending and storage on quality characteristics of blended sand pear-apple juice beverage.

Juice from sand pear and apple was extracted by grating the fruits following extraction using hydraulic press. The juice after extraction was filtered, heat pasteurized and packed in glass bottles followed by processing. Suitability of blending sand pear juice with apple juice was evaluated. Blending of sand pear juice (SPJ) with apple juice (AJ) in the proportion of 50:50 to 60:40 gave better quality with higher sensory score. With the increase in the level of SPJ in the AJ mix there was gradual increase in the level of polyphenols. Brix to acid ratio of the beverage was optimum when SPJ and AJ were blended in the ratio of 50:50 to 60:40. Storage of blended beverage containing 50-60% SPJ was found more shelf stable during 6 months storage.

Voriconazole-refractory fungal infection of phacoemulsification tunnel.

A 44-year-old man presented 28 days after cataract surgery (phacoemulsification) in right eye with multiple pinpoint infiltrates in posterior stroma at cataract surgery wound site. Visual acuity was 20/60. Corneal scraping from the floor of the corneal tunnel revealed fungus which was later identified to be Aspergillus flavus. The patient was started on oral voriconazole 200 mg twice daily and topical voriconazole 1% every hour. Two intracameral injections of voriconazole (50 micrograms/ 0.1 ml) were given 72 h apart, five days after starting initial therapy. Infiltrates increased in size and density in spite of 20 days of voriconazole therapy. Full-thickness patch graft was done to arrest progressive necrosis. Four months after surgery, patient had 20/60 best-corrected visual acuity. There was no recurrence in one-year follow-up. Present case illustrates the therapeutic challenge in fungal tunnel infections and possibility of voriconazole-resistant Aspergillus species.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism(s) and breast cancer risk in north Indians.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyVitamin D3) has shown experimentally anticarcinogenic effects and is thought to protect against breast cancer. The actions of Vitamin D are mediated via the Vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the polymorphisms at 3'UTR region of this gene are associated with the risk and progression of breast carcinoma. The current study is an attempt to examine the association of these variations with breast cancer risk in north Indians. METHODS: A total of 160 cases and 140 control subjects were studied for the polymorphisms at 3' end of the VDR gene. A polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and fragment analysis was performed to determine ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms and variable length poly-A microsatellite repeats. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was calculated for each pair of polymorphisms. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios for breast cancer with genotypes comprising the polymorphic sites were calculated to understand their role towards breast cancer susceptibility. RESULTS: Patient's with long poly-A repeat showed a significant association with disease (chi 2 = 9.52, df = 2, P

Development of microsatellite markers in potato and their transferability in some members of Solanaceae.

We have developed thirty new microsatellite markers in potato by screening genomic libraries and ESTs. Genomic libraries of potato cultivar Kufri Bahar were screened for sequences containing microsatellite motifs GA, GT, ACA, ATC, GAA, TAA and GATA. Using flanking sequences, PCR primers were designed for microsatellites identified from genomic libraries and ESTs. Sixteen new primer pairs from genomic libraries and fourteen from ESTs along with seven previously published primer pairs amplified PCR products in the selected genotypes comprising of 65 Solanum tuberosum lines and 14 other species of the potato gene pool. Neighbor-joining tree based on genetic distance matrix developed using microsatellite markers successfully distinguished all these genotypes in the expected size range. Seventeen microsatellites could also be cross-amplified in at least one of the five members of solanaceae, namely tomato, eggplant, pepper, petunia and tobacco. The new microsatellite markers obtained in this study will be useful in various genetic and taxonomic studies in potato and related genomes.

CYP17 gene polymorphism and its association with high-risk north Indian breast cancer patients.

A single T > C change at the 5' promoter region of the CYP17 gene is reported to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer. This study evaluates the influence of genetic polymorphism of CYP17 on breast cancer susceptibility. Two hundred and forty-two patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer and 212 age-matched controls were included in the present study. Information relating to age at onset of the disease, family history and estrogen receptor status was elicited. Investigation for CYP17 polymorphism was carried out in 106 early onset, 80 late onset and 56 familial cases. The frequencies of two CYP17 alleles were also analyzed in 116 (47.9%) cases with known estrogen receptor (ER) status confirmed immunohistochemically. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to detect the polymorphism, and the genotypes identified were assigned as homozygous wild type (A1A1), heterozygous variant (A1A2), and homozygous variant (A2A2). Associations between the various genotypes in patients and controls were investigated with Fisher's exact test. All the tests were two tailed. The results showed that the frequency of heterozygous and homozygous CYP17 genotype was higher in early onset breast cancer patients (94.3%) than in controls (80.3%), and the difference was significant (P = 0.001). A highly statistically significant increased risk in carriers of homozygous A2 allele was found in young patients (P < or = 0.001) in comparison with patients having late onset condition (P = 0.260). However, no significant association between the genotype and breast cancer risk was observed among women with strong family history. Further, data had showed that patients (80.6%) with at least one A2 allele tended to exhibit ER-independent cell proliferation, although statistical significance could not be established (P = 0.160). The present findings suggest that CYP17 A2 allele gene polymorphism might play a significant role in breast cancer development in young Indian women.

Isolation and characterization of a green tissue-specific promoter from pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.].

Expression of rbcS genes encoding small subunit of rubisco, most abundant protein in green tissue, is regulated by at least three parameters--tissue type, light conditions and stage of development. One of the green tissue-specific promoters of rbcS gene family was isolated from pigeonpea by PCR. Expression of uidA gene encoding beta-glucuronidase in the transgenic tobacco plants under the control of pigeonpea rbcS promoter, clearly showed that this promoter was as strong as pea rbcS3A promoter characterized earlier. Study of the sequence similarity with pea rbcS3A promoter, especially the region (boxes I and III) that is required for rbcS3A expression, showed more than 50% divergence. In contrast, pigeonpea promoter sequence isolated in the present study was more similar to that of spinach and rice rbcS promoters.

Virus-induced silencing of WIPK and SIPK genes reduces resistance to a bacterial pathogen, but has no effect on the INF1-induced hypersensitive response (HR) in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Activation of two mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), wound-induced protein kinase (WIPK) and salicylic acid-induced protein kinase (SIPK), is one of the earliest responses that occur in tobacco plants that have been wounded, treated with pathogen-derived elicitors or challenged with avirulent pathogens. We isolated cDNAs for these MAPKs (NbWIPKand NbSIPK) from Nicotiana benthamiana. The function of NbWIPK and NbSIPK in mediating the hypersensitive response (HR) triggered by infiltration with INF1 protein (the major elicitin secreted by Phytophthora infestans), and the defense response to an incompatible bacterial pathogen (Pseudomonas cichorii), was investigated by employing virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to inhibit expression of the WIPK and SIPK genes in N. benthamiana. Silencing of WIPK or SIPK, or both genes simultaneously, resulted in reduced resistance to P. cichorii, but no change was observed in the timing or extent of HR development after treatment with INF1.

Bilateral spontaneous regression of retinoblastoma with dominant transmission.

A young man with three patches of regressed retinoblastoma with good visual acuity is described. The other eye was phthisical. Circumstantial evidence suggests that this eye also has a regressed retinoblastoma. The patient's daughter showed histopathologically confirmed well-differentiated retinoblastoma.