Metabolic syndrome in patients with lichen planus: A case-control study.

Background: Lichen Planus (LP) is a chronic dermatosis affecting the skin and mucous membranes. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with LP is a trigger predisposing to Metabolic Syndrome. Objectives: To study the association of Metabolic Syndrome in patients with LP. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based prospective case-control study was conducted from April 2021 to January 2023 including 75 histopathologically confirmed patients with LP and 82 age and sex-matched controls according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Metabolic Syndrome was diagnosed using Modified National Cholesterol Education Programme Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, version 26. The chi-square test was used for data analysis. Results: The majority (30.6%) of the patients belonged to the age group 31-40 years. The mean age of patients with LP was 46.13 ± 14.9 years. Female predominance (69.3%) was observed in our study. Patients with classic LP (54.6%) were predominantly observed. Metabolic Syndrome was significantly prevalent in LP patients than in controls (32% vs. 13.4%, p = 0.005, OR 3.037) and was significantly associated with morphology (only oral mucosal involvement, 61.5%, p 0.027, OR 3.9), severity (severe LP, 58.6%, p < 0.001, OR 7.79), and duration of the disease (≥6 months, 55.5%, p 0.001, OR 5.42). 71% of Metabolic Syndrome was observed in females (p 0.847). Among patients with metabolic syndrome, the majority belonged to the age group between 31 and 40 years (37.5%, p 0.378). Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure values (≥130/85 mm of Hg), Serum Triglycerides (≥150 mg/dl), and Low-Density Lipoprotein (>130 mg/dl) were significantly elevated, and High-Density Lipoprotein (<40 mg/dl) was significantly low in LP than in controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study showed a significant association of Metabolic Syndrome in patients with LP. Thus, patients with LP need to be screened to avoid complications associated with Metabolic Syndrome that is, Diabetes Mellitus, Cardiovascular Disease, colorectal cancer, and stroke.

New insights into molecular signaling pathways and current advancements in prostate cancer diagnostics & therapeutics.

Prostate adenocarcinoma accounts for more than 20% of deaths among males due to cancer. It is the fifth-leading cancer diagnosed in males across the globe. The mortality rate is quite high due to prostate cancer. Despite the fact that advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics have been made, there is a lack of effective drugs. Metabolic pathways are altered due to the triggering of androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathways, and elevated levels of dihydrotestosterone are produced due to defects in AR signaling that accelerate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Further, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways interact with AR signaling pathway and act as precursors to promote prostate cancer. Prostate cancer therapy has been classified into luminal A, luminal B, and basal subtypes. Therapeutic drugs inhibiting dihydrotestosterone and PI3K have shown to give promising results to combat prostate cancer. Many second-generation Androgen receptor signaling antagonists are given either as single agent or with the combination of other drugs. In order to develop a cure for metastasized prostate cancer cells, Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is applied by using surgical or chemical methods. In many cases, Prostatectomy or local radiotherapy are used to control metastasized prostate cancer. However, it has been observed that after 1.5 years to 2 years of Prostatectomy or castration, there is reoccurrence of prostate cancer and high incidence of castration resistant prostate cancer is seen in population undergone ADT. It has been observed that Androgen derivation therapy combined with drugs like abiraterone acetate or docetaxel improve overall survival rate in metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) patients. Scientific investigations have revealed that drugs inhibiting poly ADP Ribose polymerase (PARP) are showing promising results in clinical trials in the prostate cancer population with mCRPC and DNA repair abnormalities. Recently, RISUG adv (reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) has shown significant results against prostate cancer cell lines and MTT assay has validated substantial effects of this drug against PC3 cell lines. Current review paper highlights the advancements in prostate cancer therapeutics and new drug molecules against prostate cancer. It will provide detailed insights on the signaling pathways which need to be targeted to combat metastasized prostate cancer and castration resistant prostate cancer.

Genome-wide identification and gene expression analysis of GHMP kinase gene family in banana cv. Rasthali.

BACKGROUND: The GHMP kinase gene family encompasses ATP-dependent kinases, significantly involved in the biosynthesis of isoprenes, amino acids, and metabolism of carbohydrates. Banana is a staple tropical crop that is globally consumed but known for high sensitivity to salt, cold, and drought stresses. The GHMP kinases are known to play a significant role during abiotic stresses in plants. The present study emphasizes the role of GHMP kinases in various abiotic stress conditions in banana. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 12 GHMP kinase (MaGHMP kinase) genes in the banana genome database and witnessed the presence of the conserved Pro-X-X-X-Gly-Leu-X-Ser-Ser-Ala domain in their protein sequences. All genes were found to be involved in ATP-binding and carried kinase activity confronting their biological roles in the isoprene (27%) and amino acid (20%) biosyntheses. The expression analysis of genes during cold, drought, and salt stress conditions in tissue culture grown banana cultivar Rasthali plants showed a significant involvement of MaGHMP kinase genes in these stress conditions. The highest expression of MaGHMP kinase3 (8.5 fold) was noted during cold stress, while MaGHMP kinase1 (25 fold and 40.01 fold) showed maximum expression during drought and salt stress conditions in leaf tissue of Rasthali. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that MaGHMP kinase1 (MaHSK) and MaGHMP kinase3 (MaGlcAK) could be considered promising candidates for thwarting the abiotic stresses in banana.

Utility of C3d and C4d immunohistochemical staining in formalin-fixed skin or mucosal biopsy specimens in diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid and mucous membrane pemphigoid.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) and mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) sometimes have overlapping clinical, histopathological, and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) features in the early stages. Complement deposition is an intrinsic component of the patho-mechanism of BP in contrast to MMP. Hence immunohistochemistry (IHC) for C3d and C4d may be helpful in differentiating the two disorders. Seventy-four patients of BP and 18 patients of MMP along with 10 negative controls were enrolled in this study. C3d and C4d IHC was performed in formalin-fixed skin biopsy specimens. C3d IHC staining in BP/MMP had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 59.2%/41.2%, 100%/100%, 100%/100%, 25.6%/50.0%, respectively. C4d IHC staining in BP/MMP had a sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of 26.8%/17.6%, 100%/100%, 100%/100% and 16.1%/41.7%, respectively. Receiver operator analysis showed utility of C3d in diagnosing both BP [Area under curve (AUC) = 0.8, p = 0.0001] and MMP (AUC = 0.71; p = 0.001). C4d was useful in diagnosis of BP (AUC = 0.5; p = 0.0001), but not MMP (AUC = 0.6; p = 0.064). Hence, C3d is a better diagnostic modality for BP as compared to C4d, whereas C3d and C4d have lower diagnostic importance in MMP. C3d IHC can be employed in diagnosing BP when a second biopsy for direct immunofluorescence (DIF) is not possible or where a facility for IF microscopy does not exist.

Post Covid Juvenile Dermatomyositis with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma in a Child: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a rare multisystemic autoimmune disease of unknown cause, leads to chronic inflammation of both striated and smooth muscles. SARS - Co V2 virus infection in children generally remain asymptomatic. However, in some children it leads to a detailed immunological response named as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Post recovery, occasionally, children are susceptible to other autoimmune disorders. CASE PRESENTATION: Our case post MIS-C developed JDM. 8-year-old malnourished child developed proximal myopathy of both upper and lower limbs post recovery from COVID 19. His disease severity increased within a short span of time and he went on to develop contractures and deformity of both upper and lower limbs. He developed an uncommon complication of JDM in form of highgrade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of long-term complications of COVID-19 in children which would gradually evolve in the next few years.

Yoga as a Preventive Intervention for Cardiovascular Diseases and Associated Comorbidities: Open-Label Single Arm Study.

Aim: Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) is a standardized yoga protocol authored by experts from all over the world under the aegis of the Ministry of AYUSH, Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homeopathy (AYUSH). The potential of CYP can be determined as a cost-effective lifestyle modification to prevent the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Methods: In this prospective trial, we compared the effect of CYP at baseline and after 1 month. A total of 374 yoga-naïve participants performed CYP under the supervision of experienced trainers. Physiological [body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, percent oxygen saturation], biochemical (fasting blood glucose and lipid profile), and neurocognitive parameters were measured before and after the intervention. Results: At day 30 of yoga practice, serum levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were found significantly improved as compared to the baseline levels observed at the time of enrollment. Similarly, the lipid profile was also obtained from experienced trainers and found to be significantly different from those of yoga-naïve volunteers. When the intervention was compared between the healthy yoga-naïve participants with yoga-naïve participants suffering from medical issues, it was found that cholesterol profile improved significantly in the healthy-naive group as compared to the diseased group (hypertension, diabetes, underwent surgery, and CVD). Conclusion: These results highlight the need for further research to better understand the effects of yoga on the primary prevention of CVD.

Peritonsillar abscess due to temporomandibular joint septic arthritis: an uncommon cause of a common disease.

Peritonsillar abscess is a common presentation of complicated acute tonsillitis. The temporomandibular joint septic arthritis is an uncommon clinical entity while its complications are further rare. We present a case of a man in his late 30s who presented with a painful swelling in the left preauricular region along with increasing trismus. A diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess due to septic arthritis was made based on clinical history and examination. Patient recovered fully after antibiotic and abscess drainage. This is the first case report of temporomandibular septic arthritis leading to peritonsillar abscess.

Circumferential subannular tympanoplasty: surgical and hearing outcome in 224 ears with subtotal perforation.

BACKGROUND: Subannular tympanoplasty is a newer technique with limited research articles in the literature. These articles have limitation in terms of sample data. We reviewed outcome of subannular tympanoplasty performed during last five years in our center. OBJECTIVE: To determine the surgical and hearing outcome of circumferential subannular tympanoplasty. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed in a tertiary care academic center involving 224 subjects with mucosal chronic otitis media who underwent circumferential subannular type 1 tympanoplasty. RESULTS: Complete neo-tympanum was found in 213 cases (95.1%) at the end final follow period of 12 months after surgery. Eleven tympanic membranes did not take up the graft and considered failure at the end of 6 months after surgery. All of them were subjected for revision surgery and showed intact neo-tympanum after 12 months of surgery. The hearing outcome showed significant improvement in air conduction thresholds from 42.54 ± 13.04 dB to 30.48 ± 10.61 dB at the end of one year. No surgical complication was observed in the study group. CONCLUSION: The circumferential subannular tympanoplasty carries good surgical success and should be preferred in large and subtotal perforations. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to overcome the limitations in the present study. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first study showing outcome of subannular tympanoplasty in large sample size of more than 200.

Analysis of Smile Aesthetic Changes With Fixed Orthodontic Treatment.

INTRODUCTION:  The mouth and teeth are vital in facial aesthetics and the face as a whole is the most critical individual component determining one's physical look. As dentists, we need to be aware that this might significantly alter the care given to a patient since the patient's and the dentist's ideas of beauty may be quite different. This study sought to ascertain how the general public, general dental specialists, and orthodontics all rated the attractiveness of patients who had received orthodontic treatment using a visual scale, as well as how the facial reference could be used to gauge the improvement in smiles. METHODOLOGY:  The attractiveness of 80 continuously treated patients was assessed by comparing their pre- and post-treatment posed grin images. The attractiveness of participants' smiles was evaluated using the Visual Simple Scale, which measures affect, and the Graph of Facial Stylish Reference, which measures objectively. "Making a Jazzy Face Chart" - The analysts were able to fairly evaluate changes in elements such as the symmetry of the smile twist, the position of the gingival peak of the front teeth relative to each other, the height of the incisal edges of the front teeth, the width of the connector band of the front six teeth, and the general tip of the front teeth by referring to photographs taken during treatment. We put the Visual Basic Scale to the test by having five male orthodontists, five male general dental specialists, and five male laypeople rate how much of an improvement they noticed between the before and after photos of a patient's smile. RESULTS:  According to the findings of the first section of the research, orthodontic treatment generally leads to an increase in all indicators. Some instances, however, demonstrated worsening in characteristics such as grin arc consonance, gingival zenith location relative to each other, and incisal edge height. The second half of this research revealed that the opinions of orthodontic specialists, general dentists, and the general public varied with regard to the beauty of a smile. CONCLUSION:  Based on this research, we can say the following: Orthodontic treatment led to improvements in many of the variables that contribute to smile attractiveness, factors include the interproximal width of contact area, the height of the incisal margins of the front teeth, and the location of the gingival zenith in relation to one another, to name a few. The results of this research support the idea that the aesthetics of the smile should be assessed at the last stages of orthodontic treatment when fine adjustments are being made.

Nickel Iron Phosphide/Phosphate as an Oxygen Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for High-Power-Density Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries.

The evolution of an effective oxygen electrocatalyst is of great importance for the widespread application of Zn-air batteries but remains an immense challenge. Thus, an efficient catalyst toward the oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction (OER and ORR) is highly essential for high-performance Zn-air batteries. Here, we have reported bifunctional nickel iron phosphide/phosphate (NiFeP/Pi) catalysts with various Ni/Fe ratios toward oxygen electrocatalysis in alkaline media. These catalysts are highly active toward OER and ORR, wherein NiFe(1:2)P/Pi exhibits a low OER overpotential of 0.21 V at 10 mA cm-2 and a high ORR onset potential (0.98 V vs RHE) with the lowest potential difference (ΔE = E10 - E1/2) of 0.62 V, which surpasses that of the benchmark Pt/C and RuO2 catalyst as well as those of most previously reported bifunctional catalysts. Furthermore, the NiFe(1:2)P/Pi-based Zn-air battery demonstrates a very high power density of 395 mW cm-2 and outstanding discharge capacity of 900 mAh g-1@10 mA cm-2 along with steady cyclability, maintaining 98% of the round trip efficiency over 300 cycles. These results are helpful for a good understanding of the composition-activity relation with a certain band gap toward high-performance Zn-air batteries.

A visual strip sensor for determination of iron.

A visual strip has been developed for sensing iron in different aqueous samples like natural water and fruit juices. The sensor has been synthesized by UV-radiation induced graft polymerization of acrylamide monomer in microporous poly(propylene) base. For physical immobilization of iron selective reagent, the in situ polymerization of acrylamide has been carried out in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline. The loaded strip on interaction with Fe(II) in aqueous solution turned into orange red color and the intensity of the color was found to be directly proportional to the amount of Fe(II) in the aqueous sample. The minimal sensor response with naked eye was found for 50ngmL(-1) of Fe in 15min of interaction. However, as low as 20ngmL(-1) Fe could be quantified using a spectrophotometer. The detection limit calculated using the 3s/S criteria, where 's' is the standard deviation of the absorbance of blank reagent loaded strip and 'S' is the slope of the linear calibration plot, was 1.0ngmL(-1). The strip was applied to measure Fe in a variety of samples such as ground water and fruit juices.

Extractive fixed-site polymer sorbent for selective boron removal from natural water.

Water contamination by boron is a widespread environmental problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends maximum boron concentration of 2.4 mg L(-1) for drinking water. The paper presents a simple method for preparation of functionalized sheet sorbent for selective extraction of boron from natural water. The pores of commercially available poly(propylene) membrane were functionalized by room temperature in situ crosslinking of poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) with a cyclic diamine piperazine. The precursor membranes were chemically modified with N-methyl D-glucamine which is selective for boron. Characterization of membrane was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) techniques. The functionalized membrane has been characterized in terms of parameters that influence the sorption of boron from aqueous streams like pH, uptake capacity, contact time, effects of competing ions and reusability. The maximum boron sorption capacity determined experimentally was 28 mg g(-1). The studies showed that trace concentrations of boron were quantitatively removed from water at neutral pH. The developed fixed site polymer sorbent exhibited high sorption capacity and fast kinetics as compared to various sorbents reported in literature. It was successfully applied for the removal of boron from ground water and seawater samples in presence of high concentration of interfering ions.

Congenital CMV with LAD type 1 and NK cell deficiency.

We report a rare case of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in a patient who was subsequently diagnosed as leukocyte adhesion defect type 1 with natural killer cell deficiency. The clinical course was complicated by severe CMV pneumonitis during the newborn period. Thereafter the infant suffered from recurrent skin infections without pus formation, otitis media, and bronchopneumonia since 3 months of age. The patient had congenital CMV infection as urine and blood plasma was positive for CMV from day 12 onward. Neutrophil chemotaxis studies showed a decrease in directed chemotaxis. Neutrophils were dyspoetic and nonfunctional lacking HLA DR, CD11c, and CD18. Lymphocytes were polyclonal but lacked CD56, CD16, and surface membrane immunoglobulin.

Matrix supported tailored polymer for solid phase extraction of fluoride from variety of aqueous streams.

Fluoride related health hazards (fluorosis) are a major environmental problem in many regions of the world. It affects teeth; skeleton and its accumulation over a long period can lead to changes in the DNA structure. It is thus absolutely essential to bring down the fluoride levels to acceptable limits. Here, we present a new inorganic-organic hybrid polymer sorbent having tailored fixed-sites for fluoride sorption. The matrix supported poly (bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)-ethyl]phosphate) was prepared by photo-initiator induced graft-polymerization in fibrous and microporous (sheet) host poly(propylene) substrates. These substrates were conditioned for selective fluoride sorption by forming thorium complex with phosphate groups on bis[2-methacryloyloxy)-ethyl] phosphate (MEP). These tailored sorbents were studied for their selectivity towards fluoride in aqueous media having different chemical conditions. The fibrous sorbent was found to take up fluoride with a faster rate (15 min for ≈76% sorption) than the sheet sorbent. But, the fluoride loading capacity of sheet sorbent (4,320 mg kg(-1)), was higher than fibrous and any other sorbent reported in the literature so far. The sorbent developed in the present work was found to be reusable after desorption of fluoride using NaOH solution. It was tested for solid phase extraction of fluoride from natural water samples.

Cysticercal encephalitis with cortical blindness.

The authors report a 6-year-old boy, who had presented with low-grade fever, altered sensorium, headache and seizure for 5 days. On examination, he had features of raised intracranial pressure with left VI cranial-nerve palsy and bilateral extensor plantar response. CT scan showed multiple calcifications in cerebral cortex. MRI cranium showed multiple cysts involving whole of the brain. He was diagnosed as having cysticercal encephalitis, based on immunological and imaging study. He was managed with 20% mannitol, phenytoin and albendazole, and regained consciousness 7 days later, but had residual neurological deficit as left-lower-limb monoparesis and visual acuity of just projection of rays (PR+) and perception of light (PL+).