Priyanka Rani Garg

Manually curated database of rice proteins

‘Manually Curated Database of Rice Proteins’ (MCDRP) available at http://www.genomeindia.org/biocuration is a unique curated database based on published experimental data. Semantic integration of scientific data is essential to gain a higher level of understanding of biological systems. Since the majority of scientific data is available as published literature, text mining is an essential step before the data can be integrated and made available for computer-based search in various databases. However, text mining is a tedious exercise and thus, there is a large gap in the data available in curated databases and published literature. Moreover, data in an experiment can be perceived from several perspectives, which may not reflect in the text-based curation. In order to address such issues, we have demonstrated the feasibility of digitizing the experimental data itself by creating a database on rice proteins based on in-house developed data curation models. Using these models data of individual experiments have been digitized with the help of universal ontologies. Currently, the database has data for over 1800 rice proteins curated from >4000 different experiments of over 400 research articles. Since every aspect of the experiment such as gene name, plant type, tissue and developmental stage has been digitized, experimental data can be rapidly accessed and integrated.

Pro-inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms and threat for coronary heart disease in a North Indian Agrawal population

The association of IFN-γ (+874 A/T; rs2430561), TNF-α (-308 G/A; rs1800629) and TNF-β (+252 A/G; rs909253) with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) has not been rigorously tested in Indian population. In the present study we sought to examine the role of these cytokines in the causation of CHD and their association with conventional CHD risk factors. A total of 138 case and 187 unrelated healthy controls aged 35 to 80years, matched on ethnicity and geography were collected from North Indian Agrawal population. Single nucleotide polymorphisms at the promoter TNF-α -308 G/A and the intronic IFN-γ +874 A/T were analyzed by allele-specific PCR, and the intronic TNF-β +252 A/G was analyzed by RFLP. Of the three selected polymorphisms, genotypic distribution of IFN-γ +874 A/T and TNF-β +252 A/G polymorphisms was significantly different between patients and controls in the present study. OR revealed statistically significant risk for CHD with respect to IFN-γ +874 T allele, whereas OR for TNF-β +252 A/G showed three fold risk in homozygous condition though not significant. No such trend could be observed for TNF-α -308 G/A polymorphism. Multivariate logistic regression after adjusting for all the confounders showed significant risk for CHD with the genotypes and genotypic combinations of all the three markers (albeit not significant with TNF-α). Increased risk for CHD was likely to be associated with interaction of IFN-γ with diastolic hypertension, TNF-α with diabetes and BMI, and TNF-β with serum triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels. The results suggest that these selected cytokine polymorphisms could possibly serve as potential bio-markers for CHD in conjunction with specific conventional risk factors.

MTHFR C677T polymorphism and its homocysteine-driven effect on blood pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is the single most important modifiable risk factor for ischemic stroke (1) and is defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or as diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. Data suggest that elevated homocysteine is an independent risk factor for hypertension (2). Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism has been found to be associated with increased homocysteine (>15 μmol/L) and hypertension (3), although associations are conflicting (4). Interrelationship among MTHFR C677T, homocysteine, and blood pressure is less understood. We examined the effect of MTHFR C677T polymorphism and hyperhomocysteinemia on blood pressure in a North Eastern population with East Asian ancestry. A total of 1142 individuals aged 35–75 years (unrelated up to first cousin) were recruited and fasting lipids and glucose, height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, and homocysteine (n = 200) were measured, and MTHFR C677T was genotyped after taking their written informed consent. Two hundred forty-eight individuals were identified with hypertension, and a crosssectional design was formulated with their 248 age and gender-matched controls (normotensives). Individuals having TT genotype of MTHFR C677T had significantly higher blood pressure than those having CC genotype. TT genotype and elevated homocysteine levels between 10 to 15 μmol/L and above showed significant eightfold and threefold increased risks, respectively, for hypertension. Hyperhomocysteinemia and MTHFR C677T showed significant increased risk even after controlling for probable confounders. We, therefore, conclude that MTHFR 677TT genotype and elevated homocysteine levels (even in the upper limits of the normal range of 5–15 μmol/L) are significantly associated with hypertension particularly in the present population, regardless of age and gender. Although the study did not assess the association of MTHFR C677T and increased homocysteine levels directly with stroke, the study highlights a homocysteine-driven effect of MTHFR C677T on blood pressure that is an important risk factor for stroke and various stroke-related anomalies.

The association of non-HDL cholesterol with the presence of metabolic syndrome in North Indian subjects with and without CAD.

Aim: The present study aims to identify which lipid parameter is significantly associated with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and also to find out the association of non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) with the presence of MetS in North Indian subjects with and without CAD. Subjects and methods: One hundred and thirteen CAD and 140 non-CAD (controls) aged 35–75 years were recruited for the study, matched for ethnicity and geography after obtaining their written informed consent. The CAD patients were identified based on their medical diagnostic history. Height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressures (systolic and diastolic) and lipid profile were measured for all the subjects. Results: Sixty-nine out of 113 (61.06%) of CAD and 52/140 (37.1%) of non-CAD had MetS. Age standardized prevalence of MetS was 23.2% and 16.1% in CAD and non-CAD individuals, respectively. Age standardized prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in the CAD group was in the order of abdominal obesity>non-HDL-C>systolic blood pressure (SBP) > triglyceride (TG) > total cholesterol (TC) > diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) > High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C). Non-HDL-C, TG and HDL-C were found to be significantly associated with MetS. Conclusions: TG and HDL-C are established risk components included in the characterization of MetS; but significant association of non-HDL-C with MetS in the present study is a key finding. The study focuses on the use of non-HDL-C as a simple screening tool to identify individuals with clustering metabolic abnormalities which increase the propensity for CAD.

Impaired Homocysteine Metabolism Associated with High Plasma Interleukin- 17A Levels, a Pro-Atherogenic Marker, in an Endogamous Population of North India

Background Impaired homocysteine metabolism (IHM; hyperhomocysteinemia) has been linked with many complex disorders like cardiovascular diseases and immunological disturbances. However, studies understanding IHM in light of pro- and anti- atherogeneic markers like Interleukin-17A & -10 (IL-17A & IL-10) and Forkhead box p3 (Foxp3, a master transcription factor) are scarce. Aim In our present study, we aimed to understand the relation of IHM with plasma IL-17A and IL-10 levels and Foxp3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from an endogamous population (Jats of Haryana, North India) with high prevalence of IHM without the concurrence of significant adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Methods Forty (40) clinically healthy individuals, unrelated up to first cousins, were recruited and were subjected to demographic, physiological and anthropometric profiling, followed by intravenous blood sample collection (fasting) and lipid profiling. Plasma homocysteine levels were estimated and individuals with homocysteine levels ≥ 15umol/L and <15umol/L were categorized as the impaired homocysteine metabolism group (IHM, n=30) and normal homocysteine metabolism group (NHM, n=10) respectively. Plasma folate and vitamin B12 and MTHFR C677T (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) polymorphism were detected. Relative mRNA expression of Foxp3 in PBMCs (normalized to 18S) was quantitated using SyBR green technology. Plasma IL-10 & 17 levels were estimated by ELISA assays. Results and Conclusions None of the physiological, anthropometric and lipid variables were different between the two groups. Foxp3 mRNA expression levels were relatively lower, and plasma IL-10 levels were found to be comparable among IHM and NHM group. However, significantly higher IL-17A levels and relatively high LDL cholesterol levels were present in the IHM group as compared with NHM. Our findings suggest that the Jats of Haryana, North India, exhibiting high levels of homocysteine, might also carry the high IL-17A -pro-atherogenic marker, suggesting an increasing burden of pre-morbid condition. This apparently does not reach to significant mortality/morbidity attributed to the counter action or balancing act of IL-10 (an anti-atherogenic marker). This further suggests environment-influenced epigenetic control mechanisms of the targeted genes in the present population.

Low voltage bulk-driven CMOS inverter with lower delays

In this paper, a low voltage bulk-driven CMOS inverter capable of operating at power supplies of ±0.9V using standard CMOS technologies is proposed. The proposed inverter gives not only smoother transient response with a lower delay, but also a sharper fall from high to low than its gate-driven counterpart. The proposed bulk-driven inverter is analysed for various regions of operation and simulated results using SPICE in 0.35μm CMOS technology are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the circuit.

Nonhigh‐density lipoprotein cholesterol: a better marker of risk for hypertension than the low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol

Lipoprotein disorders have been found to be associated with critical pathological changes during the development of stroke (1). Studies now suggest nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) as an independent risk factor and a stronger predictor of ischemic stroke and hypertension (the single modifiable risk factor for ischemic stroke) than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (2), although the association is controversial (3). We examined the effect of high levels of non-HDL-C on blood pressure. Characteristics of the individuals have been published previously (4) in this journal. Hypertensive individuals were found to have significantly higher mean levels of both LDL-C and non-HDL-C than the normotensives. Studies suggest a risk for various lipid-related anomalies at LDL-C levels above 100 mg/dl, and levels at and/or below this is considered normal. Non-HDL-C levels equal to or above 130 mg/dl are considered high (1). Therefore, subjects were divided into four categories, viz, (1) those having LDL-C 130 mg/dl at normal LDL-C levels (<100 mg/dl) (Table 1). The present study raises a concern for those individuals who have normal LDL-C levels but have high levels of nonHDL-C (which remain unchecked). The study thus sheds light on the residual risk for hypertension (i.e. the baseline risk factor for stroke) that remains in individuals who have high non-HDL-C levels when LDL-C levels remain normal. It is therefore suggested that the lipidlowering therapy should consider nonHDL-C as the primary and not the secondary target even in those who have normal LDL-C levels.

PDE4D Gene Polymorphisms and Coronary Heart Disease: A Case‐Control Study in a North Indian Population

The present study aims to assess the association of PDE4D gene polymorphisms (SNP83 and SNP87) with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) in a single Mendelian population of Delhi.