The protective role of HSP27 in ocular diseases.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are stress-induced proteins that are important constituents of the cell's defense system. The activity of HSPs enhances when the cell undergoes undesirable environmental conditions like stress. The protective roles of HSPs are due to their molecular chaperone and anti-apoptotic functions. HSPs have a central role in the eye, and their malfunction has been associated with the manifestation of ocular diseases. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27, HSPB1) is present in various ocular tissues, and it has been found to protect the eye from disease states such as retinoblastoma, uveal melanoma, glaucoma, and cataract. But some recent studies have shown the destructive role of HSP27 on retinal ganglionic cells. Thus, this article summarizes the role of heat shock protein 27 in eye and ocular diseases and will focus on the expression, regulation, and function of HSP27 in ocular complications.

Comparative evaluation of the aqueous humor proteome of primary angle closure and primary open angle glaucomas and age-related cataract eyes.

PURPOSE: To analyze and compare the total proteome of aqueous humor (AH) from patients having primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG), primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and age-related cataract. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY: Aqueous humor was collected from age-matched PACG, POAG and cataract patients who underwent surgery, and it was immediately stored at - 80 °C until analysis. From each sample, 25 µg of total protein was subjected to trypsin digestion and subsequently LC-MS/MS analysis was performed for the deep proteome analysis. The data acquired after the LC-MS/MS analysis were analyzed using Proteome Discoverer 1.4. The identified peptide matches were validated using percolator, at less than 1% false discovery rates. RESULTS: A total of 625, 594 and 636 proteins were identified in PACG, POAG and cataract groups, respectively (n = 9 in each group). The inter-group comparison among all these groups showed that 246 proteins were identified in all the three groups. An average of 236 ± 42, 218 ± 40 and 214 ± 62 proteins from each AH sample of PACG, POAG and cataract, respectively, was identified. There were 53 proteins commonly found in all 9 PACG AH, 59 proteins in POAG AH and 42 proteins in 9 cataracts AH samples. In the individual analysis, there were 28 proteins found in all the samples analyzed representing the "constitutive AH proteome." Spectral counting analysis of 246 proteins identified in all three group types showed significant differences in protein abundance. In proteins unique to PACG AH, 7 proteins viz. ARHGEF12, APC2, WAS, PIK3CG, ITGB1, MSN and PFN1 out of 226 were found in "Regulation of Actin Cytoskeleton" pathway, whereas in POAG 5 out of 206 proteins viz. ADCY2, ITPR1, MAPK3, MAP3K2 and TUBB1 were found in "Gap Junction" pathway. CONCLUSIONS: A qualitative as well as a quantitative comparison of proteomes of AH from PACG, POAG and age-related cataract eyes showed significant differences, thus providing clues to the disease pathophysiology.

Polycystic ovary syndrome: An exploration of unmarried women's knowledge and attitudes.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age and a chief cause of subfertility attributed to ovulation. Besides, lack of knowledge about PCOS, its treatment, and lifestyle changes influence the prognosis. The present qualitative inquiry investigates the knowledge and attitudes of unmarried women towards the syndrome, associated treatment, and necessary lifestyle changes in the fight against the same. A total of 15 participants with PCOS were selected using purposive sampling (n from southern parts of India viz. Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. The telephonic interviews were conducted in late November and early December 2020. He conventional content analysis emerged with six major themes. The themes capsulated women's knowledge, causes, complications and risk factors, treatment of PCOS their perceived importance of health promotive behaviours such as physical activity, sleep patterns, and perceived support from society. The importance of diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle were additional relevant factors stressed by the respondents. Although the medicines helped participants attain regular menstrual cycles, they also had side effects reported in the discussion. Few respondents reported that they lacked the necessary awareness of PCOS when diagnosed at a younger age. The study enhances the understanding of PCOS from a qualitative approach that has cultural relevance apart from pertinent clinical and lifestyle implications.

Chitosan functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes as a receptive surface for laccase and copper to perform degradation of chlorpyrifos in aqueous environment.

Chitosan (CTS) functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes (HNT) have been used as receptive nano-supports for the grafting of copper (Cu) and laccase (Lac) for the degradation of chlorpyrifos. The developed nanocomposite Lac@Cu-CTS-HNT showed 83.4% Lac immobilization which was further characterized by TEM, SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, DSC and TGA. The chlorpyrifos degradation studies were performed under constant stirring for 24 h with both free enzyme and Lac@Cu-CTS-HNT and were analysed through HPLC. Percentage degradation of chlorpyrifos with the nanocomposite went as high as 97% for 50 µg/mL chlorpyrifos at neutral pH and room temperature. Variable pesticide and nanocomposite concentration, pH, and temperature studies for pesticide degradation were also performed, followed by reusability studies. The nanocomposite maintained its degradation ability at ~97% even at variable temperature and pH conditions. Reusability study was performed 5 times wherein the degradation percentage remained the same after 5 cycles (~<95%). Degradation kinetics were also performed for the nanocomposite in the presence and absence of the immobilized enzyme. Through this study, it is suggested that Lac@Cu-CTS-HNT can be a potential nano-catalyst for the degradation of chlorpyrifos in aqueous environment.

The mouse double minute 2 309T>G polymorphism and retinoblastoma risk: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MDM2 gene. It is expressed in retinoblastoma (Rb) cells and acts as a key negative regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Several studies have investigated the association of Rb with MDM2 309T>G polymorphism, but the results were conflicting. To derive a more precise estimation of the association, we performed a meta-analysis of the relationship between MDM2 309T>G polymorphism with Rb in all published studies. METHODS: Published literature from PubMed and other databases were retrieved. All the reported studies evaluating the association between MDM2 309T>G polymorphism and Rb risk were included. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the fixed-effect model. A total of four case-control studies, including 520 cases and 745 controls were included. RESULTS: This meta-analysis found that MDM2 309T>G polymorphism was significantly associated with Rb risk in the dominant model, TG+GG versus TT (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.11-1.84, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis suggested that MDM2 309T>G polymorphism has a significant association with increased Rb risk.

Variation of momentum accommodation coefficients with pressure drop in a nanochannel.

Accommodation coefficients (ACs) are the phenomenological parameters used to evaluate gas-wall interactions. The gas transport through a finite length nanochannel will confront the variation of properties along the length of the channel. A three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulation has been carried out to examine this streamwise inhomogeneity of flow characteristics in a nanochannel. The rarefaction of the flow to the downstream direction is a crucial behavior in a pressure-driven nanochannel flow. This is manifested as the variation in velocity and temperature along the length of the channel. Subsequently, the interactions between the gas and wall particles will get reduced considerably. Moreover, the characteristics near the wall are examined in detail. A nonhomogeneous behavior in density and velocity profile near the wall is reported. Further, the momentum accommodation coefficient (MAC) in both the tangential and normal directions is examined along the lengthwise sections of the channel. The results show a significant variation of tangential and normal MACs along the length. Further, three channels with different length-to-characteristic dimension (L/H) ratios are considered to investigate the effect of L/H ratio. All three channels are subjected to the same pressure drop along the length. It is observed that the MACs and slip length show distinct behavior for different (L/H) ratios. The work establishes that the variation of MAC along the length of the channel has to be considered in modeling the nano- and microtransport systems.

Emerging Advanced Technologies Developed by IPR for Bio Medical Applications ­.A Review.

Over the last decade, research has intensified worldwide on the use of low-temperature plasmas in medicine and healthcare. Researchers have discovered many methods of applying plasmas to living tissues to deactivate pathogens; to end the flow of blood without damaging healthy tissue; to sanitize wounds and accelerate its healing; and to selectively kill malignant cancer cells. This review paper presents the latest development of advanced and plasma-based technologies used for applications in neurology in particular. Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), an aided institute of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has also developed various technologies in some of these areas. One of these is an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet (APPJ). This device is being studied to treat skin diseases, for coagulation of blood at faster rates and its interaction with oral, lung, and brain cancer cells. In certain cases, in-vitro studies have yielded encouraging results and limited in-vivo studies have been initiated. Plasma activated water has been produced in the laboratory for microbial disinfection, with potential applications in the health sector. Recently, plasmonic nanoparticle arrays which allow detection of very low concentrations of chemicals is studied in detail to allow early-stage detection of diseases. IPR has also been developing AI-based software called DeepCXR and AIBacilli for automated, high-speed screening and detection of footprints of tuberculosis (TB) in Chest X-ray images and for recognizing single/multiple TB bacilli in sputum smear test images, respectively. Deep Learning systems are increasingly being used around the world for analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) signals for emotion recognition, mental workload, and seizure detection.

Molecular-dynamics study of Poiseuille flow in a nanochannel and calculation of energy and momentum accommodation coefficients.

We report a molecular-dynamics study of flow of Lennard-Jones fluid through a nanochannel where size effects predominate. The momentum and energy accommodation coefficients, which determine the amount of slip and temperature jumps, are calculated for a three-dimensional Poiseuille flow through a nano-sized channel. Accommodation coefficients are calculated by considering a " gravity"- (acceleration field) driven Poiseuille flow between two infinite parallel walls that are maintained at a fixed temperature. The Knudsen number (Kn) dependency of the accommodation coefficients, slip length, and velocity profiles is investigated. The system is also studied by varying the strength of gravity. The accommodation coefficients are found to approach a limiting value with an increase in gravity and Kn. For low values of Kn (<0.15), the slip length obtained from the velocity profiles is found to match closely the results obtained from the linear slip model. Using the calculated values of accommodation coefficients, the first- and second-order slip models are validated in the early transition regime. The study demonstrates the applicability of the Navier-Stokes equation with the second-order slip model in the early transition regime.