Antidiabetic potential of seaweed and their bioactive compounds: a review of developments in last decade.

Diabetes Mellitus is a public health problem worldwide due to high morbidity and mortality rate associated with it. Diabetes can be managed by synthetic hypoglycemic drugs, although their persistent uses have several side effects. Hence, there is a paradigm shift toward the use of natural products having antidiabetic potential. Seaweeds, large marine benthic algae, are an affluent source of various bioactive compounds, including phytochemicals and antioxidants thus exhibiting various health promoting properties. Seaweed extracts and its bioactive compounds have antidiabetic potential as they inhibit carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes in vitro and exhibit blood glucose lowering effect in random and post prandial blood glucose tests in vivo. In addition, they have been associated with reduced weight gain in animals probably by decreasing mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines with concomitant increase in mRNA expression levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Their beneficial effect has been seen in serum and hepatic lipid profile and antioxidant enzymes indicating the protective role of seaweeds against free radicals mediated oxidative stress induced hyperglycemia and associated hyperlipidemia. However, the detailed and in-depth studies of seaweeds as whole, their bioactive isolates and their extracts need to be explored further for their health benefits and wide application in food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

Alternate splicing of transcripts upon Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection impacts the expression of functional protein domains.

Previously, we reported that infection of human macrophages with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) results in massive alterations in the pattern of RNA splicing in the host. The finding gained significance since alternate spliced variants of a same gene may have substantially different structure, function, stability, interaction partners, localization, and so forth, owing to inclusion or exclusion of specific exons. To establish a proof-of-concept; on how infection-induced RNA splicing could impact protein functions, here we used RNA-seq data from THP-1 macrophages that were infected with clinical isolate of Mtb. In addition to re-establishing the fact that Mtb infection may cause strain specific alterations in RNA splicing, we also developed a new analysis pipeline resulting in characterization of domain maps of the transcriptome post-infection. For the sake of simplicity, we restricted our analysis to all the kinases in the human genome and considered only pfam classified protein domains and checked their frequency of inclusion or exclusion due to alternate splicing across the conditions and time points. We report massive alterations in the domain architecture of most regulated proteins across the entire kinases highlighting the physiological importance of such an understanding. This study paves way for more detailed analysis of different functional classes of proteins and perturbations to their domain architecture as a consequence of mycobacterial infections. Such analysis would yield unprecedented depth to our understanding of host-pathogen interaction and allow in a more systematic manner targeting of host pathways for controlling the infections. © 2018 The Authors. IUBMB Life published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 70(9):845-854, 2018.

Development of whey protein beverage incorporating encapsulated probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus rhamnosus NCDC 347 and its physico-chemical characteristics.

In the present study, encapsulated strain Lactiplantibacillus rhamnosus NCDC 347 was used to prepare a novel whey protein-based beverage. The encapsulation process utilized skimmed milk powder matrix and evaluated strain viability, physico-chemical properties, sensory assessment, and shelf-life stability. Encapsulated L. rhamnosus NCDC 347 within skim milk powder maintained viability at 8.0 log CFU/g, forming spherical microcapsules with 1-12 µm concavities. Probiotic addition to whey protein beverages maintained pH and acidity within desired ranges. Physico-chemical analysis showed protein content of 8.71 ± 0.21 % to 10.05 ± 0.42 %, fat content of 0.56 ± 0.24 % to 0.67 ± 0.13 %, viscosity of 5.14 pa/s, and total soluble solids (TSS) of 14.42 ± 0.31 to 16.16 ± 0.23° Brix. The shelf-life study revealed that the beverage remained stable for up to 90 days with no significant changes (p > 0.05) in sensory analysis. The sensory analysis scored the test sample's acceptability at 7.3 ± 0.41. The protein-rich probiotic drink exhibited favorable sensory qualities. Overall, incorporating encapsulated probiotic strain L. rhamnosus NCDC 347 into whey protein beverages could address daily protein requirements and enhance health.

Anthropometric indices and dietary intake: prospective determinants of geriatric cognitive impairment?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the magnitude of elderly (aged 60-85 years) persons with cognitive impairment and its relation with their dietary and anthropometric status. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. The cognitive status of the subjects was screened using the Mini Mental Score Examination (MMSE). The binary logistic regression coefficients were ascertained for determining the association of predictors like MMSE score, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with the age of the subjects. SETTING: Government hospitals, Vadodara, India. SUBJECTS: Geriatric subjects (n = 50) aged 60-85 years. RESULTS: The mean age of the elderly subjects was around 68 years old. The majority of subjects fell into the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) category, with Grade I obesity. We noted significant correlations (p < 0.05; p < 0.01) with energy, protein, vitamin B12, WHR and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive abnormalities doubly elevate with advancing age, with decreased intake of dietary nutrients. The cognitive assessment undertaken focused on this rampant under-diagnosed cognition. The burgeoning prodromal insidious stage of cognitive impairment demands rapid diagnosis for preserving mental health, or else severe deterioration takes over, leading to compromised mental abilities in the elderly.

Ginkgo biloba Administered Singly and Combined With Antioxidants in Tinnitus Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus, or ear ringing, involves impulsive and spontaneous activity in the auditory neurons. Its prevalence is high in the elderly, but 10%-15% of adults suffer from tinnitus, affecting their quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba administered singly and in combination with antioxidants in tinnitus patients. Subjects and. METHODS: Patients were randomly allocated to Placebo (T0, n=22), Treatment 1 (T1, n=24), and Treatment 2 (T2, n=23) groups. The patients were educated on the study's methodology and were instructed to visit at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 14 weeks. The placebo group received starch capsule supplements. Conversely, the treatment groups received Ginkgo biloba (60 mg twice a day) singly and in combination with antioxidants. We enrolled 69 patients aged 40-70 years (41 men, 28 women). The Tinnitus Handicap Index (THI), Visual Analogue Score (VAS), and Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Scores were determined pre- and post-treatment at each visit. RESULTS: Supplementation of Ginkgo biloba, along with antioxidants, provided marked improvement (p<0.05) in post-treatment THI and VAS scores in the T2 group compared to those in the T1 and T0 groups. The greatest (p<0.05) percent difference was observed in the pre- and post-treatment THI (-36%) and VAS scores (-22.6%) of T2 patients. Likewise, the SF-36 scores improved significantly (p<0.05) in the T2 group in varied parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Ginkgo biloba, along with antioxidants, can be a promising therapy for tinnitus patients, providing marked improvement in THI, VAS, and SF-36 scores.

Phosphorylation of CFP10 modulates Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence.

IMPORTANCE: Secreted virulence factors play a critical role in bacterial pathogenesis. Virulence effectors not only help bacteria to overcome the host immune system but also aid in establishing infection. Mtb, which causes tuberculosis in humans, encodes various virulence effectors. Triggers that modulate the secretion of virulence effectors in Mtb are yet to be fully understood. To gain mechanistic insight into the secretion of virulence effectors, we performed high-throughput proteomic studies. With the help of system-level protein-protein interaction network analysis and empirical validations, we unravelled a link between phosphorylation and secretion. Taking the example of the well-known virulence factor of CFP10, we show that the dynamics of CFP10 phosphorylation strongly influenced bacterial virulence and survival ex vivo and in vivo. This study presents the role of phosphorylation in modulating the secretion of virulence factors.

Revolutionizing goat milk gels: A central composite design approach for synthesizing ascorbic acid-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles decorated alginate-chitosan nanoparticles fortified smart gels.

Goat milk gels (GMGs) are popular food due to their high water content, low-calorie density, appealing taste, texture enhancers, stability, and satiety-enhancing characteristics, making them ideal for achieving food security and zero hunger. The GMGs were optimized using the central composite design matrix of response surface methodology using goat milk powder (35-55 g), whole milk powder (10-25 g), and potato powder (10-15 g) as independent variables. In contrast, complex modulus, flow stress, and forward extrudability were chosen as dependent variables. The maximum value of complex modulus 33670.9 N, good flow stress 7863.6 N, and good extrudability 65.32 N was achieved under optimal conditions. The optimized goat milk gel was fortified with ascorbic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticle (magnetic nature) decorated alginate-chitosan nanoparticles (AA-MNP@CANPs), making it nutritionally rich in an economically feasible way-the decorated AA-MNP@CANPs characterized for size, shape, crystallinity, surface charge, and optical characteristics. Finally, the optimized fortified smart GMGs were further characterized via Scanning electron microscopy, Rheology, Texture profile analysis, Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The fortified smart GMGs carry more nutritional diversity, targeted iron delivery, and the fundamental sustainability development goal of food security.

Nutritional, phytochemical composition and potential health benefits of taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) leaves: A review.

Colocasia esculenta(L) or taro is a tropical crop largely produced for its tubers (corms) while leaves and stems remain underutilized and untapped by-products with promising potential applications.Colocasialeaves are low in calories, rich in proteins, dietary fiber, and micronutrients. However, its utilization as food remains limited owing to the lack of awareness vis-à-vis its nutritional profile and the presence of antinutrients such as tannins, phytates and oxalates. The antinutritional factors can be overcome by cooking and varied processing techniques thereby unveiling the nutritional benefits. The high content of bioactive compounds and antioxidative potential of colocasia leaves renders several health benefits such as anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory activity. The paper reviews the available literature on the nutritional, antinutritional, phytochemical profile of taro leaves and the advanced analytical techniques for their identification and quantification. Further, its health benefits and food applications have been discussed.

RNA Splicing: A New Paradigm in Host-Pathogen Interactions.

RNA splicing brings diversity to the eukaryotic proteome. Different spliced variants of a gene may differ in their structure, function, localization, and stability influencing protein stoichiometry and physiological outcomes. Alternate spliced variants of different genes are known to associate with various chronic pathologies including cancer. Emerging evidence suggests precise regulation of splicing as fundamental to normal well-being. In this context, infection-induced alternative splicing has emerged as a new pivot of host function, which pathogenic microbes can alter-directly or indirectly-to tweak the host immune responses against the pathogen. The implications of these findings are vast, and although not explored much in the case of pathogenic infections, we present here examples from splicing mediated regulation of immune responses across a variety of conditions and explore how this fascinating finding brings a new paradigm to host-pathogen interactions.

Role of antioxidants on the clinical outcome of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Antioxidants have a preventive or therapeutic role in oxygen free radical-mediated cell and tissue damage. The study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of antioxidants and intranasal steroid fluticasone furoate (FF) on the clinical outcome of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. METHODS: Subjects with perennial allergic rhinitis (n = 61) were randomly divided into two groups, group A (n = 30) received FF and group B (n = 31) received FF with antioxidants for 6 weeks. Nasal and ocular symptoms were evaluated weekly by using a four-point categoric scale. The efficacy of the study drug was assessed based on the mean change from baseline of the total daytime nasal symptom scores, total nighttime nasal symptom scores, and the composite symptom scores. RESULTS: The combined therapy (FF with antioxidants) resulted in marked improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in the mean total daytime nasal symptom scores, total nighttime nasal symptom scores, and composite symptom scores of subjects compared with ones treated with intranasal steroid (FF) alone, which highlighted the therapeutic effect of antioxidants in allergic rhinitis. CONCLUSION: Significant improvement in clinical outcome was observed in subjects who received antioxidants along with FF. However, because this was an open-label study, the results must be interpreted with caution, and further double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trials supplemented with different antioxidants together with intranasal steroids are suggested.

Evaluation of enzyme treatment conditions on extraction of anthocyanins from Prunus nepalensis L.

The study was designed to investigate the effect of enzyme assisted extraction of anthocyanins from Sohiong fruit (Prunus nepalensis) under varied time, temperature and treatment conditions. Highest anthocyanins yield was obtained by coupling enzymatic treatment along with solvent extraction simultaneously. Additionally, effect of enzyme type, enzyme concentration, reaction time and temperature were evaluated subsequently in following experiments. Cellulase treatment (10% E/S) for 180min at 4°C exhibited highest yield of 984.40±3.84mg C3G/100gdm which accounts to 14.61% higher yield when compared to conventional method (858.84±6.88mg C3G/100gdm). The study provides an economical alternative for commercial extraction of anthocyanins from Sohiong fruit which can be used as a colourant for various food and other products and owing to its antioxidizing properties can be effective for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

A comparative study of eustachian tube functions in normal and diseased ears with tympanometry and videonasopharyngoscopy.

Eustachian tube is a bony and fibrocartilagenous tube extending from the antero-inferior part of middle ear cleft to lateral wall of the nasopharynx. Its main functions are ventilation of middle ear to equalize the middle ear pressure with atmospheric pressure and mucociliary clearance. The functioning of eustachian tube has a direct impact on normal middle ear function. As a corollary, dysfunction of eustachian tube inevitably leads to retraction of the tympanic membrane initially and sterile effusion and subsequent conductive deafness later. Secretory otitis media today is the most common cause of conductive deafness in children with an intact ear drum. Evaluation of function of eustachian tube assumes paramount importance in this scenario. To evaluate eustachian tube functions in normal and diseased ears with tympanometry and videonasopharyngoscopy and to compare the tympanometric tests of eustachian tube function with videonasopharyngoscopy and to assess their reliability. The study was conducted at Army hospital (R&R) Delhi Cantt from October 2005 to April 2007. Hundred (100) ears were examined and were divided into two groups, the control group with normal tympanic membrane on otoscopy and case group with complaints of diminished hearing and intact but retracted tympanic membrane. Their eustachian tube function was evaluated by tympanometric tests and videonasopharyngoscopy. Thereafter a comparison was made between the two. The study revealed that videonasopharyngoscopy was highly accurate and reliable test for eustachian tube function as compared to tympanometry. Slow motion video analysis of eustachian tube dynamics is a useful tool for further understanding the pathophysiology of tubal dysfunction.