The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 and Vitamin D in Osteoarthritis: A Hospital-Based Observational Study.

Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of degenerative joint disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and joint space narrowing. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are potential biomarkers for osteoarthritis. Aims and objective The study's aim is the estimation of serum and synovial fluid matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 13 and serum vitamin D levels in the grade 3 and grade 4 stages of osteoarthritis according to the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) system of classification. Materials and methods A total of 100 subjects were included; of them, 25 patients with grade 3 and 25 patients with grade 4 knee osteoarthritis diagnosed clinically and radiologically according to the Kellgren and Lawrence criteria have been enrolled in the study, and 50 patients with knee pain having a diagnosis other than degenerative OA of the knee were taken as controls. Venous blood and synovial fluid have been collected from all of them for the estimation of MMP-13 and vitamin D. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) methods were used for the estimation of MMP-13 and vitamin D, respectively. Results The mean value of synovial fluid MMP-13 was found to be elevated in grade 4 as compared to grade 3 and the control group, whereas the mean value of serum MMP-13 was found to be elevated in grade 3 as compared to grade 4 and control. The level of serum vitamin D was found deficient in OA patients as compared to control. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare these groups, and there was a significant difference between these groups (p-value of <0.05). Summary and conclusion High synovial and serum MMP-13 is associated with knee structural abnormalities in patients with knee OA as compared to the control group suggesting that MMP-13 can be a biomarker in knee OA, whereas the decreased level of vitamin D may be associated with an increased risk for the progression of OA; hence, serum vitamin D may be a good indicator for the prediction of the initiation of OA.

High Protein Yangyu jiaotuan (): In Vitro Oral-Gastro-Small Intestinal Starch Digestion and Some Physico-Chemical, Textural, Microstructural, and Rheological Properties.

Biomimetic foods are expected to have potential health benefits for the management and prevention of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the current research, two commercially available and affordable plant proteins (soy protein isolate-SPI and pea protein isolate-PPI) at two levels (5%, 10%) were added to the Yangyu jiaotuan with the objective of developing a product with reduced glycaemic properties and high protein content while maintaining its original taste and texture. The results showed that several important textural properties such as hardness and chewiness did not change significantly during the refrigerated storage. The storage modulus G' increased with refrigerated storage time for different samples, but there were significant differences among the five samples (with and without protein addition) with respect to frequency dependence during rheological measurements. The in vitro starch digestion experiments showed that the starch hydrolysis of Yangyu jiaotuan decreased considerably (by up to 42.08%) with the increase in PPI content and during refrigerated storage due to starch retrogradation. Protein has protected the microstructure and there was less damage when compared to samples without protein. The bimodal peaks of the particle size distribution curves showed that the newly developed Yangyu jiaotuan contains two different sizes of particles; the smaller particles (~30 µm) corresponded to PPI and starch granules, while the larger particles corresponded to the fragments of the gel network of the starch matrix. Based on the above results, Yangyu jiaotuan mixed with pea protein is a convenient potato staple food product, which complies with the biomimetic potato food very well.

Increased expression of serum IL-18 and IL-18R in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a heterogeneous metabolic disorder in which genetic, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and environmental factors come together to produce insulin resistance in target tissues, leading to hyperglycemia. Evidence reveals that inflammation may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of T2DM. Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a proinflammatory cytokine, plays a crucial role in the acute and chronic inflammatory process. The association of IL-18 levels with IL-18R expression in T2DM has not been investigated so far. The aim of this study was to compare the peripheral changes in serum IL-18 levels and its receptor (IL18R) expression in newly diagnosed T2DM and healthy controls. METHODS: A total of 35 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic cases and 35 non-diabetic controls were enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Venous whole blood was taken under aseptic conditions. Biochemical parameters were estimated in an auto-analyzer. Serum IL-18 levels were calculated using ELISA, whereas IL-18R expression was determined via RT-PCR. GAPDH was used as an internal control. RESULTS: When compared to non-diabetic controls, the serum IL-18 levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients (P=0.010) along with a significant upregulation of IL18R (P=0.0018). Serum IL-18 levels in T2DM and non-diabetic controls were 669.5 (445) and 498.3 (404.9) pg/mL respectively, and IL-18R showed a fold change of 10.33. CONCLUSIONS: Both serum IL-18 and its receptor IL-18R is significantly higher in newly diagnosed T2DM patients.

Effects of hydrothermal treatment and low-temperature storage of whole wheat grains on in vitro starch hydrolysis and flour properties.

This study evaluated the effect of hydrothermal treatment of whole wheat grains at 100 °C followed by cold-storage (4 °C/ 7 days) on the resulting grains, flakes, and flour characteristics. The extent of starch hydrolysis after oral-gastro-small intestinal digestion in vitro was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in intact grains, flakes, and flours from the cold-stored grains, 35.73 ± 0.34%, 49.92 ± 0.18% and, 89.04 ± 1.51%, than their non-cold-stored counterparts, 44.86 ± 0.24%, 58.73 ± 0.90% and, 95.96 ± 0.43%, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs, pasting properties, water retention capacities and relative crystallinity of the resulting flours revealed enhanced degree of gelatinisation with the treatment temperature; however, cold-storage of treated grains resulted in change in these properties due to the retrogradation of the starch. This study indicates that hydrothermal pre-treatment of grains followed by low-temperature storage for prolonged periods might help to reduce starch digestibility of wheat grains and their resulting products, and could be an effective strategy in developing reduced glycaemic impact grain products.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in North-Western India: A Retrospective Study Focusing on Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Survival.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive tumour with unpredictable outcome. It is fourth most common cause of cancers in India. However, information on HCC is inadequate in India. Therefore, the purpose of study is to determine overall survival for patients diagnosed with HCC and association between various predictive factors and survival. METHODS: Retrospectively 59 patients of HCC presenting to the radiotherapy out-patient department of our institute from April 2015 to April 2018 were included in the study. RESULTS: The median overall survival (OS) was 5 months ranging from 0 to 13 months. Majority of patients were in advance stage (III/IV). All patient died by 13 months. None of the possible predictive factors were found to be significantly associated with survival (p > 0.05) by univariate analysis. However, age < 59 years, male gender, KPS ≤ 60, AFP ≥ 400, cirrhosis, multifocality, tumour size > 10 cm, advance stage (IIIB/IV), Child-Pugh score B/C, CLIP score ≥ 4, and raised bilirubin level had poorer survival compared to other predictive factors. Median survival was better in patient treated with TACE followed by sorafenib + palliative care group (9 months) then sorafenib + palliative care and palliative care alone group (5 and 4 months respectively). Although results were not statistically significant (p = 0.133). Amongst all possible variables, highest hazard was found with multifocal lesion (2.058) and results were statistically significantly (p = 0.045, 95% confidence interval: 0.922 to 4.590) as compared to unifocal lesion with median survival period of 7 vs 9.5 months by Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis using log rank test. CONCLUSION: Multifocality was independent predicator for poor survival in HCC. Further clinical studies are necessary to improve the outcomes of patients with high risk features.

Molecular and Physiological Perspectives of Abscisic Acid Mediated Drought Adjustment Strategies.

Drought is the most prevalent unfavorable condition that impairs plant growth and development by altering morphological, physiological, and biochemical functions, thereby impeding plant biomass production. To survive the adverse effects, water limiting condition triggers a sophisticated adjustment mechanism orchestrated mainly by hormones that directly protect plants via the stimulation of several signaling cascades. Predominantly, water deficit signals cause the increase in the level of endogenous ABA, which elicits signaling pathways involving transcription factors that enhance resistance mechanisms to combat drought-stimulated damage in plants. These responses mainly include stomatal closure, seed dormancy, cuticular wax deposition, leaf senescence, and alteration of the shoot and root growth. Unraveling how plants adjust to drought could provide valuable information, and a comprehensive understanding of the resistance mechanisms will help researchers design ways to improve crop performance under water limiting conditions. This review deals with the past and recent updates of ABA-mediated molecular mechanisms that plants can implement to cope with the challenges of drought stress.

Role of interleukin-2 and interleukin-18 in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to compare the levels of anti-inflammatory interleukin-2 (IL-2) and proinflammatory interleukin-18 (IL-18) among newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and nondiabetic volunteers, to predict their roles as markers in the diagnosis of newly diagnosed T2DM. METHODS: In the study, 60 subjects were enrolled (30 T2DM cases and 30 non-diabetic controls). Biochemical parameters such as fasting plasma glucose (FBS), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipid profile were estimated in auto-analyser. Serum IL-2 and IL-18 levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in the levels of interleukins among study groups. The median (95% confidence interval) of IL-2 in cases and controls were 8.55 (6.07-47.23) and 45.87 (12.81-145.4) (p=0.02). The median (95% CI) of IL-18 on the other hand in cases and controls were 691.6 (580.3-872.6) and 511.1 (452.6-557.5) (p=0.0014). CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to correlate IL-2 and IL-18 in newly diagnosed T2DM patients. Findings from this study highlight the anti-inflammatory role of IL-2 and proinflammatory role of IL-18 in T2DM. ROC analysis helped predict their role as markers in T2DM diagnosis.