Cultured cambial meristematic cells - a sustainable route towards in vitro production of phytochemicals

Plant-derived natural products or secondary metabolites attract a great deal of attention pertaining to their structure, synthesis and production of wide variety of economically important products, such as flavors, fragrances, pigments, dyes, fine chemicals, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, drugs and pharmaceuticals. Most common approach for obtaining these compounds is from their native source i.e. plants. However, this conventional process presents a number of disadvantages such as non-availability of these metabolites from plants throughout year, difficulty in plant cultivation and inconsistent product yield due to climatic variations. Difficulty to obtain sufficient amounts of desired plant material, their slow growth, varying composition and concentration depending upon the geographical position and climatic conditions coupled with low yield of isolated compounds are some of the limitations of commercial extraction of these compounds by using plants as a single resource.

Exploring Riboswitches in Archaeal Metagenomes

Metagenomics is defined as the direct analysis of genomes found in an environmental sample. It involves cloning and analyzing the genomes without culturing the organisms in the community. A number of new and novel molecules with significant functionalities and applications have been identified through this approach. This study focuses on identifying riboswitches in Archaeal metagenomes. Instances of TPP and Ado-Cbl variant riboswitches have been identified in different uncultured archaeal metagenomes. These riboswitches were searched and verified by using various bioinformatics approaches. The findings in Archaeal metagenomes hint at the possibility of finding more predefined and novel classes of riboswitches as new genomic samples are extracted from the environment.

Lifting the dark clouds of depression in old age

Late-life depression refers to a depressive syndrome occurring in people older than age 65 years. The cut-off age is arbitrary and the condition is heterogeneous in terms of clinical features and coexisting medical disorders. As the population ages, the number of older people with depression is expected to increase and depression is predicted to become the leading cause of disease burden in middle and higher income countries by year 2030. In Australia, 10-15% of community dwelling older people experience depression and the prevalence can be as high as 35% in nursing home residents. Prevalence of late-life depression is higher in hospital settings compared to primary care. Older women are affected by depression twice as many as men. The prevalence and incidence of major depressive disorder will double by the age of 70-85 years.

The inhibition of Cg2076, the GHITM homologue in neurons of Drosophila Melanogaster can be rescued by Buffy

Growth hormone-inducible transmembrane protein (GHITM) is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein that contains the Bax inhibitor-1 motif and is implicated in the regulation of mitochondrial morphology and especially cristae structure. The downregulation of GHITM results in fragmented mitochondria and the release of cytochrome c, while its upregulation delays the release of cytochrome c. We inhibited CG2076 the Drosophila GHITM homologue in the neurons using RNA interference and analysed the phenotypic consequences of this mitochondrial protein. The directed expression of GHITM-RNAi in neurons under the control of the Dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) transgene results in shortened lifespan and impaired climbing ability. The co-expression of Buffy, the only anti-apoptotic B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein in Drosophila, along with GHITM-RNAi results in suppression of the shortened lifespan and premature age-dependent loss in climbing ability.

Validation of the Competency Assessment Tool (CAT)

With the population ageing, the number of seniors with cognitive impairments is growing, as is the number of requests for competency assessments. The Competency Assessment Tool (CAT) was designed to assist health and social service professionals to clinically assess competency. A qualitative study was held to validate de CAT. Five focus group (including elders, caregivers and professionals from organizations protecting elders’ rights) were held, along with ten telephone interviews (with legal practitioners). All participants were asked for their overall opinion of the CAT and its relevance in improving assessments and protecting people’s rights. According to the results, the CAT is an innovative, comprehensive and relevant tool that provides a fair and nuanced assessment of competency. Implementing this tool will help to protect the rights and freedoms of the individuals evaluated by producing an assessment that will make it easier to identify the most appropriate protective measures.

piRNAs: the “Bodyguards” of Fertility

Among the small non coding RNAs classes, piRNAs are of particular interest because of their role in allowing the normal reproduction of individuals, from Drosophila to mouse. The reduction of piRNAs in the germ cells is sufficient to cause the sterility of fruit flies. This damaging effect arises from the spread of transposable elements, normally silenced by the piRNAs, into the genome. The DNA damages caused from mobile elements are directly related to the reproductive deficits.

Application of Competency Assessment Tool (CAT) in Geriatric medicine

The relative percentage of elderly population on a global level has escalated at a slow but steady rate. In such conditions, it becomes imperative to devise newer and better clinical methods and tools that can help in imparting health care and improving quality of life of geriatric patients. The Competency Assessment Tool (CAT) is one such method that helps in assessing the real time physiological and psychological conditions of geriatric patients so that an appropriate treatment and management regimen may be designed.

Impact of psychosocial support on well being of HIV infected older adults in Ibadan

Older adults in sub-Sahara African societies are vulnerable group of people due to life experience of hardship, malnutrition, poverty and high susceptibility to chronic diseases like HIV epidemic. Hence, there are very few strategies that currently address the hidden psychosocial problem of HIV among the older adult’s ages 50 years and above. The study investigates the perceived impact of psychosocial supports on the general well-being of older adults in Ibadan.

The study was conducted among older adults attending the General Out-Patient clinic (GOP) and Geriatric Centre of University College Hospital, Ibadan. The study purposively selected 120 older adults ages 50 years and above at the GOP clinic and Geriatric Centre. Ethical consent was received from UCH research ethical committee. The study used a self-constructed instrument tagged Psychosocial Support of HIV/AIDS Older Adults Questionnaire (PSHOAQ). The reliability of the instrument yielded r=0.84 Crobanch Alpha. Four research hypotheses were tested with ANOVA.

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) encoded AC2 associates with host mirnas by directly interacting with AGO1

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV; Family: Geminiviridae, Genus: Begomovirus) infecting tomato and causes severe yield loss (~40% to 90%) (Saikia and Muniyappa, 1989). This family of viruses may contain monopartite (DNA-A) or bipartite (DNA-A and DNA-B) circular ssDNA genomes. The DNA-A component encodes six open reading frames (ORFs) namely AC1, AC2, AC3, AC4, AV1 and AV2 while, only two proteins BC1 and BV1 are encoded by DNA-B component (Dry et al, 1993; Padidam et al, 1995). AC2 encodes for a 15 kDa protein that functions as a pathogenicity factor and acts as an RSS (Voinnet et al, 1999; Kumar et al, 2014; Kumar et al, 2015).

FBN1 and TGFß1: Molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAD) develop asymptomatically until occurs aortic rupture or dissection often cause of morbidity. A high mortality is determined by TAAD and complications developing. 15,000 people die every year due to the complications of TAAD in USA. It takes 14th place according to the reasons of mortality among 55 years people and older.

The main risk factors for TAAD formation still remain under discussion. Hypertension, atherosclerosis, age, gender and eventually genetic predisposition are on the focus for the research. Only in certain cases it is caused by aortitis, atherosclerosis or inherited as a single gene mutation: in the fibrillin genes - Marfan syndrome, by inherited collagen mutations as in Ehler-Danlos syndrome, by mutations of the transforming growth factor-beta gene causing Loeys-Dietz syndrome or by actin gene mutations. Evidence has shown that FBN1 mutations may predispose TAA in the absence of phenotypic characteristics of Marfan syndrome.

Evaluation of high sensitive C-reactive protein in development of CVD and stroke among T2 diabetes mellitus

For atherosclerosis, diabetes is considered as important risk factor. In diabetes mellitus patients, atherosclerotic vascular disease is most important cause of morbidity and mortality. In the pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD)and stroke inflammation plays a key role. Serum concentration of CRP can increase more than 1000 times upon inflammation and with half-life of 19 h; CRP is stable marker of the inflammatory process. In the process of initiation and progression of atherothrombotic, inflammation is the central role in the triggering of CVD events. The interaction of innate immune system with atherosclerosis is established in vascular biology.

Management of Personality Disorders in the Emergency Department in Elderly

The management of patients with Personality Disorders (PD) is a problem that arises relatively frequently in Emergency Departments (ED); this could be even more problematic in geriatric patients for their particular condition and comorbidities. 

Personality disorders tend to be under diagnosed in clinical settings, and it has been well established that patients with some kind of PD, such as Borderline Personality Disorder are often difficult to treat because of the persistence and severity of their symptoms and because of the negative effects of the pathology on thetreatment relationship. Few studies have considered the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among all patients examined in an emergency service and even less evaluated the prevalence of personality disorders.

Comparison of a kanamycin versus hygromycin resistance gene in transgenic plant selection of Arabidopsis thaliana L

The neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) and hygromycin phosphotransferase II (hptII) genes, originally isolated from E. coli are widely used as selectable markers in transgenic research. The recovery of transgenic plants in the presence of respective selection agent has been greatly facilitated by these genes. The nptII gene confers transgenic plants resistance to the antibiotic, kanamycin, kan, and the hptII gene provides transgenic plants resistance to the antibiotic, hygromycin, hyg. 

These antibiotics normally inhibit protein synthesis in plants by binding to ribosomes. However, in the transgenic plants, the encoded enzymes, NPTII and HPTII catalyze the phosphorylation of kan and hyg respectively, once they enter into plant cells. The phosphorylated kan and hyg are inactive and therefore, unable to shut down the protein synthesis machinery in plants. This enables transgenic plants to grow in the presence of these antibiotics. Because there is no endogenous NPTII or HPTII activity in plants, these antibiotics can normally inhibit the growth of non-transgenic plants.

Journal of RNAi and Gene Silencing

The Journal will publish high-quality peer-reviewed articles addressing the biology and application of RNA interference and gene silencing in all systems. The Journal aims at providing an efficient route to fast-track publication, within 6-8 weeks of manuscript submission if accepted. Furthermore, manuscripts will be made available online in their final form generally within two weeks of acceptance.

The Journal will be primarily published online but on sufficient demand for printed version journal hard copies may also be provided to individuals and institutions.

Manuscripts in the following categories will be considered for publication: reviews and mini-reviews, research articles and short research reports, new methods and technologies, opinions on previously published literature, letters to the editor, meeting reports and commercial, patent and product news (inquiries to the Editor).

Evaluation of high sensitive C-reactive protein in development of CVD and stroke among T2 diabetes mellitus

For atherosclerosis, diabetes is considered as important risk factor. In diabetes mellitus patients, atherosclerotic vascular disease is most important cause of morbidity and mortality. In the patho genesis of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and stroke inflammation plays a key role. Serum concentration of CRP can increase more than 1000 times upon inflammation and with half-life of 19 h, CRP is stable marker of the inflammatory process. In the process of initiation and progression of atherothrombotic, inflammation is the central role in the triggering of CVD events. The interaction of innate immune system with atherosclerosis is established in vascular biology. TO envisage cardiovascular risk more perfectly have led to the emergence of a novel risk factor.

Carcinogenesis from the view point of the work of the morpho functional zones and aging

The structural organization of tissue attracts great scientific interest as processes of proliferation and differentiation of cells and, therefore, the mechanisms regulating these processes are closely connected with it. Disturbance of these processes can lead to the development of a malignant tumour in the organism. From literature it is known that all the cells of the epidermal basal layer and epithelial tissue are grouped into the epidermal proliferative units (EPU). 

The central group of cells including a stem cell and peripheral cells are the part of such unit. The behaviour of a stem cell is defined by a so called niche, i.e., a cellular environment of a stem cell. For the first time the idea of existence of niches was put forward by Schofield. The author assumed that hemopoetic stem cells are surrounded by the other cells and become the fixed stem cells. During stem cell division only one remains as a mother cell and the another daughter cell is exposed to a differentiation. 

FBN1 and TGF? 1: Molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAD) develop asymptomatically until occurs aortic rupture or dissection often cause of morbidity. A high mortality is determined by TAAD and complications developing. 15,000 people die every year due to the complications of TAAD in USA. It takes 14th place according to the reasons of mortality among 55 years people and older.

The main risk factors for TAAD formation still remain under discussion. Hypertension, atherosclerosis, age, gender and eventually genetic predisposition are on the focus for the research. Only in certain cases it is caused by aortitis, atherosclerosis or inherited as a single gene mutation: in the fibrillin genes - Marfan syndrome, by inherited collagen mutations as in Ehler-Danlos syndrome, by mutations of the transforming growth factor-beta gene causing Loeys-Dietz syndrome or by actin gene mutations. Evidence has shown that FBN1 mutations may predispose TAA in the absence of phenotypic characteristics of Marfan syndrome.