Inflammatory Protein Signatures as Predictive Disease-Specific Markers for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide, consisting of a broad spectrum of diseases such as simple steatosis (NAFL), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatic inflammation plays a key role in the pathophysiology of NAFLD. Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines are considered as contributing factors to NAFLD development and progression. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the inflammatory protein signatures as predictive disease-specific markers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This cross-sectional study included healthy control (n = 64), NAFL (n = 109), and NASH (n = 60) human subjects. Serum concentrations of various cytokines and chemokines were evaluated using sensitive multiplex assays. We used principal component analysis (PCoA) to reveal distinct differences in the levels of cytokines and chemokines between each of the study groups. Further, a random forest classification model was developed to identify the panel of markers that could predict diseases. The protein-protein network analysis was performed to determine the various signaling pathways associated with the disease-specific panel of markers. Serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-1ra, G-CSF, PDGF-BB, MCP-1, MIP-1a, MIP-1b, RANTES, eotaxin, IL-8 and IP-10 were significantly increased in NASH group as compared to control group. Furthermore, serum concentrations of IL-9 and IL-13 were significantly lower in the NASH group, whereas IL-2 levels were significantly decreased in the NAFL group when compared to the control group. PCoA results demonstrated statistically significant differences in cytokines and chemokines between each of the study groups (PERMANOVA p = 0.001; R2 = 0.102). RANTES, IL-1ra, MIP-1b, IL-2, and G-CSF could differentiate the NAFL group from the controls; G-CSF, IL-1ra, TNF-α, RANTES, and IL-9 could differentiate the NASH group from the controls; and G-CSF, IL-9, IL-13, eotaxin, and TNF- α could differentiate the NASH group from the NAFL group. Our protein-protein network revealed that these markers are involved in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, TNF, chemokine, JAK/STAT, P13K/Akt, TLR, NOD-like receptor, NF-kB, and adipocytokine signaling pathways which might be responsible for disease pathogenesis. Our study findings revealed a set of distinct cytokine and chemokine markers and they might be considered as biomarkers in distinguishing NASH from NAFL. Future multicentre studies with larger sample size are recommended to determine the potential utility of these panels of markers.

Temperature-induced disruptive growth rate behavior due to streaming instability in semiconductor quantum plasma with nanoparticles.

The nature of the growth rate due to streaming instability in a semiconductor quantum plasma implanted with nanoparticles has been analyzed using the quantum hydrodynamic model. In this study, the intriguing effect of temperature, beam electron speed, and electron-hole density on growth rate and frequency is investigated. The results show that the growth rate demonstrates a nonlinear behavior, strongly linked to the boron implantation, beam electron streaming speed and quantum correction factor. A noteworthy finding in this work is the discontinuous nature of the growth rate of streaming instability in boron implanted semiconducting plasma system. The implantation leads to a gap in the growth rate which further gets enhanced upon increase in concentration of implantation. This behavior is apparent only for a specific range of the ratio of thermal speed of the electrons to that of the holes.

Circulatory bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 8B is a non-invasive predictive biomarker for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a complex disease which is characterized by the deposition of fats in the hepatocytes. Further, it progresses to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The increasing prevalence of NAFLD urges to find the non-invasive predictive biomarkers. In this study, we sought to determine increased BMP8B levels as predictors for the progression of NAFLD. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, circulatory BMP8B levels were measured in healthy controls (n = 56), NAFL patients (n = 72) and NASH patients (n = 77) by using an ELISA kit. Human hepatic BMP8B mRNA expression was measured in the liver tissue of control and NASH patients. In addition, BMP8B expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry analysis. Furthermore, hepatic BMP8B mRNA expression was measured in wild type (WT) mice, WT mice fed with choline deficient high fat diet (WT+CDHF), iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) knockout (iNOS-/-) mice, iNOS-/- fed with CDHF diet (iNOS-/-+CDHF). RESULTS: Increased circulatory BMP8B levels and BMP8B mRNA expression in hepatic tissue were significantly higher in NASH patients as compared with the control subjects. BMP8B expression was increased parallel to the fibrosis score in the hepatic tissues of NASH patients. It was observed that increased BMP8B levels have shown a significant positive correlation between aspartate aminotransferase (r = 0.31, p = 0.005), alanine aminotransferase (r = 0.23, p = 0.045), APRI (r = 0.30, p = 0.009), and Fib-4 score (r = 0.25, p = 0.036) in NASH patients. BMP8B has maintained a significant association with NASH and shown high sensitivity (92.91%) and specificity (92.73%) in NASH patients. Furthermore, increased BMP8B mRNA expression levels were observed in iNOS-/-+CDHF mice. CONCLUSION: Our study findings confirmed that BMP8B increases with the severity of the disease and BMP8B shows potential as a non-invasive predictive biomarker to identify NAFLD progression. However, future studies should investigate circulatory BMP8B levels in a large number of patients and also its impact on liver during NAFLD progression.

Capacitive and Sensing Responses of Biomass Derived Silver Decorated Graphene.

A new, easy and green method is utilized for producing silver decorated graphene for its application in sensors and supercapacitors. The biomass-derived silver decorated graphene (AgGr) samples are prepared using an APCVD reactor with varying the process temperature from 600 to 800 °C. The as-synthesized AgGr samples were then characterized by AFM, SEM, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. The interlayer spacing and ID/IG ratio of the AgGr samples varied from 3.6 to 3.7 Å and 0.87 to 1.52, respectively, as the process temperature was raised from 600 to 800 °C. The SEM image shows the distribution of the flower-like structure of Ag flakes in the graphene sheet for the AgGr-800 sample. Also, the greater number of active sites on the surface of AgGr-800 and the presence of a higher number of defects makes it least useful for p-nitrophenol sensing due to the excess opening of the CV curve but has a maximum capacitance of 93.5 Fg-1 in 1 M H2SO4. AgGr-600 showed extremely good sensing of p-nitrophenol than the other AgGr samples. Therefore this novel technique can be utilized for the large scale manufacture of various metal decorated graphene samples for their application in different fields.

Diversity of Rhizoctonia solani associated with pulse crops in different agro-ecological regions of India.

Four hundred seventy Rhizoctonia solani isolates from different leguminous hosts originating from 16 agro-ecological regions of India covering 21 states and 72 districts were collected. The disease incidence caused by R. solani varied from 6.8 to 22.2 % in the areas surveyed. Deccan plateau and central highlands, hot sub-humid ecoregion followed by northern plain and central highlands and hot semi-arid ecoregion showed the highest disease incidence. R. solani isolates were highly variable in growth diameter, number, size and pattern of sclerotia formation as well as hyphal width. The isolates obtained from aerial part of the infected plants showing web blight symptoms produced sclerotia of 1-2 mm in size whereas, the isolates obtained from infected root of the plants showing wet root rot symptoms produced microsclerotia (<1 mm). Majority of R. solani isolates showed <8 µm hyphal diameter. Based on morphological characters the isolates were categorized into 49 groups. Seven anastomosis groups (AGs) were identified among the populations of R. solani associated with the pulse crops. The frequency (25.6 %) of AG3 was the highest followed by AG2-3 (20.9 %) and AG5 (17.4 %). The cropping sequence of rice/sorghum/wheat-chickpea/mungbean/urdbean/cowpea/ricebean influenced the dominance of AG1 (16.3 %). Phylogenetic analysis utilizing ITS-5.8S rDNA gene sequences indicated high level of genetic similarity among isolates representing different AGs, crops and regions. ITS groups did not correspond to the morphological characters. The sequence data from this article has been deposited with NCBI data libraries with JF701707 to JF701795 accession numbers.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus associated with severe acute pancreatitis and pseudoaneurysms: a report of two cases.

CONTEXT: Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The intensity of bleeding ranges from intermittent occult bleeding to massive acute bleeding leading to death. Although most cases can be managed by angioembolization, surgery plays an important role. CASE REPORT: We report two cases of hemosuccus pancreaticus managed at our institution in the past three years. Both cases occurred associated with acute pancreatitis. A pseudocyst was found in one case. Angioembolization failed in one case and was not tried in the other because of hemodynamic instability. Both cases were successfully managed by surgery. CONCLUSION: Timely intervention, either by embolization or by surgery, can control this potentially life-threatening bleeding. Choice of treatment, surgery or embolization, depends on technological availability and expertise of the practitioner.