A quick and economical method to isolate plasmid DNA for large scale sequencing.

Isolating plasmid DNA for large scale sequencing demands automated liquid handling facility which is expensive and labs with limited resources cannot afford them. In view of the limitations of resources and time we have designed and standardized a simple method based on lysing the bacterial cells by boiling to isolate the plasmid DNA, which can be subsequently sequenced on automated DNA sequencer without the need for further purification. The sequencing quality and the number of base read through are comparable to the standard procedure followed for isolating plasmid DNA.

Kidney stone disease: Etiology and evaluation.

The purpose of the present review is to provide an update about the most common risk factors or medical conditions associated with renal stone formation as the incidence of kidney stone disease is increasing in tropical developing countries .The potent risk factors identified include the “classic” risk factors in the urine (low urine volume, hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, hyperuricosuria, hypocitrauria, and hypomanesuria) and epidemiological factors include climate, race, ethnicity, age, sex and body weight. We have found that sedentary lifestyle habits, an unhealthy dietary plan, and overweight problems may be important promoters. We suggest that there is a need for further studies to be carried out in larger sample sizes with emphasis on above risk factors for rational, efficient and specific management.

Significance of the k-ras gene codon 12 point mutation in stomach cancer in southern India.

The frequency and clinicopathologic significance of the K-ras gene point mutation in stomach cancer remain to be defined. We investigated the frequency of K-ras codon 12 point mutations in stomach cancer using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method in 94 samples and 100 age and sex matched controls. The overall frequency of K-ras codon 12 point mutations in stomach cancer was 3.19% (3/94). DNA sequencing of three cases with K-ras codon 12 point mutations identified a single-base substitution of GGT to GTT (glycine to valine) .Two of them were in heterozygous condition and one was in homozygous condition. Conclusions: K-ras codon 12 point mutations are uncommon in stomach cancer (3.19%) in Southern India.

Evaluation of risk factors for gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies and remains an important cause of mortality. Several factors are suspected to play a role in gastric carcinogenesis which include diet, genetic factors, and infectious agents .In this study we evaluated the association between few epidemiological factors and gastric cancer risk .We have included 94 gastric cancer patients and 100 healthy age and sex matched controls in the study . Methods: Evaluation of association was based on frequency distribution of epidemiological variables in control and cancer groups. Results: Among the various factors analysed smoking (15.136; p<0.01) and alcohol consumption were found to be significantly associated (5.966 ; p<0.05) with gastric cancer. Conclusions: We conclude that smoking and alcohol consumption increase the risk of gastric cancer among the Indian population.