Suman Kapur

A facile one-pot green synthesis and antibacterial activity of 2-amino-4H-pyrans and 2-amino-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromenes

A facile one-pot expeditious synthesis of 2-amino-4H-pyrans and 2-amino-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromenes has been described under solvent-free conditions using magnesium oxide as a catalyst in very good yields. The reaction catalyst, magnesium oxide was reused and recycled without any loss of activity and product yield. All the synthesized compounds were screened for in vitro antibacterial activity, and compounds 3a, 3b, 3f, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e and 4g showed complete inhibition of bacterial growth at 128 microg/mL or less and the rest of the compounds exhibited incomplete inhibition.

Role of probiotics on gut permeability and endotoxemia in patients with acute pancreatitis: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Goals To study the role of probiotics on gut permeability and endotoxemia in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). Background Bacterial translocation has been implicated in infective complications in AP, which has been shown to be prevented by probiotics. Study A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Consecutive patients with AP presenting within 72 hours after the onset of abdominal pain or who had been nil orally at the time of presentation for up to 5 days were included in the study. The probiotic group received 4 sachets of Probiotics (2.5 billion bacteria per sachet) whereas the placebo group received 4 sachets of placebo for 7 days. Primary outcome measures were effect on gut permeability [assessed by lactulose/mannitol (L/M) excretion in urine] and endotoxemia assessed by endotoxin-core antibody types IgG and IgM (EndoCab IgG and IgM). Secondary outcome measures were mortality, total hospital/intensive care unit stay, abdominal discomfort, organ failure, C-reactive protein, and prealbumin levels. The study was prematurely stopped after the publication of probiotic prophylaxis in patients with predicted severe acute pancreatitis trial. Results From March 2007 to May 2008, 50 patients with AP were included in the study (26 in placebo group and 24 in probiotic group). There was no difference after intervention in gut permeability, whereas values of C-reactive protein and immunoglobulins decreased significantly [IgG: 140 (20–920) to 90 (20–600) GGU/mL and IgM: 65 (13–230) to 51 (9–240) GMU/mL] in the probiotic group. No difference was observed in prealbumin values, duration of hospital/intensive care unit stay, and mortality in both the groups. Conclusions No significant trend was identified for an effect of probiotics on gut permeability or endotoxemia in AP. However, the study was underpowered owing to premature study termination.

A118G POLYMORPHISM IN MU OPIOID RECEPTOR GENE (OPRM1): ASSOCIATION WITH OPIATE ADDICTION IN SUBJECTS OF INDIAN ORIGIN

The opioidergic hypothesis suggests an association between genetic variations at the opioid receptor mu 1 (OPRM1) gene locus and opiate addiction. The OPRM1 gene, which encodes for mu opioid receptor, contains several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon I. Two of these, C17T and A118G, have been reported to be associated with substance abuse. The present study aims to delineate the frequency of these variants in the subjects of Indian origin and study their association with the phenotype of opioid dependence. A118G (rs 1799971) and C17T (rs 1799972) were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. For 118G allele, the control subjects (n = 156) showed a frequency of 0.12 while the opioid dependents (n = 126) had an approximately 2.5-fold higher frequency of 0.31 (Odds Ratio 3.501; CI(95%) 2.212-5.555; p < 0.0001). For C17T polymorphism, the controls (n = 57) showed a frequency of 0.89 for C allele versus 0.83 seen in dependents (n = 123; odds ratio of 0.555; CI(95%) 0.264-1.147; p = 0.121). A significant association was observed between the 118G allele and no association was seen with C17T polymorphism and opioid dependence.

Association of ADH1B and ALDH2 gene polymorphisms with alcohol dependence: a pilot study from India.

Functional polymorphism in the genes encoding alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) 1B and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 2 are considered most important among several genetic determinants of alcohol dependence, a complex disorder. There is no report on the widely studied Arg47His and Glu487Lys polymorphisms from Indian alcoholdependent populations. In this paper, we report, for the first time, allelic and genotypic frequencies of Arg47His and Glu487Lys single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in North Indian alcohol-dependent subjects. A total of 174 alcohol-dependent males, recruited using DSM IV criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The results obtained from genetic analysis were correlated with clinical parameters using Students t-test or Mann Whitneys U test. The highlight of the study findings was the uniquely high frequency of the ALDH2*2/*2 genotype (among alcohol-dependent subjects) being a risk-conferring factor for alcohol dependence.

Activity of superoxide dismutase isoenzymes in lens epithelial cells derived from different types of age-related cataract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and SOD isoenzyme activity in lens epithelial cells (LECs) derived from different types of cataract in patients having phacoemulsification. SETTING: Iladevi Cataract & IOL Research Centre, Memnagar, Ahmedabad, India. METHODS: This observational study of 109 patients having phacoemulsification was performed to evaluate the level of activity in LECs of total superoxide dismutase (TSOD) and 2 superoxide dismutase isoenzymes: copper‐ (Cu) and zinc (Zn)‐dependent SOD (Cu/Zn‐SOD) and manganese (Mn)‐dependent SOD (Mn‐SOD). The curvilinear capsulorhexis (lens capsule) harboring LECs was obtained during phacoemulsification. The anterior lens capsule samples were processed for assaying SOD activity using the nitro blue tetrazolium reduction assay. The samples were grouped based on age and on pure cataract types. RESULTS: The highest level of TSOD, Cu/Zn‐SOD, and Mn‐SOD activity was in patients 50 years or younger. The activity declined gradually with age (P<.001). The level of TSOD activity increased in cortical cataract. The level of Cu/Zn‐SOD and Mn‐SOD isoenzyme activity in LECs was higher in cortical cataracts. A significant difference in the level of TSOD and Cu/Zn‐SOD activity was found with different types of cataract (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The level of TSOD, Cu/Zn‐SOD, and Mn SOD isoenzyme activity decreased with age in LECs of patients with age‐related cataract. A significant difference in the level of TSOD and Cu/Zn‐SOD isoenzyme activity between different types of cataract was observed. The activity of all 3 SOD isoenzymes was highest in cortical cataracts.

Homozygosity Mapping in Leber Congenital Amaurosis and Autosomal Recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa in South Indian Families

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are retinal degenerative diseases which cause severe retinal dystrophy affecting the photoreceptors. LCA is predominantly inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and contributes to 5% of all retinal dystrophies; whereas RP is inherited by all the Mendelian pattern of inheritance and both are leading causes of visual impairment in children and young adults. Homozygosity mapping is an efficient strategy for mapping both known and novel disease loci in recessive conditions, especially in a consanguineous mating, exploiting the fact that the regions adjacent to the disease locus will also be homozygous by descent in such inbred children. Here we have studied eleven consanguineous LCA and one autosomal recessive RP (arRP) south Indian families to know the prevalence of mutations in known genes and also to know the involvement of novel loci, if any. Complete ophthalmic examination was done for all the affected individuals including electroretinogram, fundus photograph, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography. Homozygosity mapping using Affymetrix 250K HMA GeneChip on eleven LCA families followed by screening of candidate gene(s) in the homozygous block identified mutations in ten families; AIPL1 – 3 families, RPE65- 2 families, GUCY2D, CRB1, RDH12, IQCB1 and SPATA7 in one family each, respectively. Six of the ten (60%) mutations identified are novel. Homozygosity mapping using Affymetrix 10K HMA GeneChip on the arRP family identified a novel nonsense mutation in MERTK. The mutations segregated within the family and was absent in 200 control chromosomes screened. In one of the eleven LCA families, the causative gene/mutation was not identified but many homozygous blocks were noted indicating that a possible novel locus/gene might be involved. The genotype and phenotype features, especially the fundus changes for AIPL1, RPE65, CRB1, RDH12 genes were as reported earlier.

Genetic variation in D7S1875 repeat polymorphism of leptin gene is associated with increased risk for depression: a case‐control study from India

Background: Epidemiologic data suggest an association between obesity and depression, however findings vary considerably across different studies. Both depression and obesity are disabling disorders associated with loss over appetite control, influenced by genetic and environmental factors and are risk factors for diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, etc. This study attempts to establish a link between the symptoms of depression, metabolic disorders, and obesity, to unravel the underlying association/s. Methods: This exploratory case–control study comprises 133 clinically diagnosed depressed individuals and 136 age matched controls. DNA from all 269 subjects was genotyped for D7S1875 repeat polymorphism in the promoter region of Leptin (LEP) gene using polymerase chain reaction. Results: Frequency of the shorter allele of D7S1875 (<208 bp) was 0.73 in the depressive group versus 0.67 in the control group (P=.01). Cases homozygous for D7S1875≥208 bp alleles had significantly higher value of systolic (130 versus 122; P<.009) and diastolic (85.4 versus 81; P=.01) blood pressure (SBP and DBP) than the individuals homozygous for<208 bp allele. A similar trend was observed for SBP (127.8 versus 123.6; P=.03) among controls homozygous for the longer or the shorter allele. Thus, the LEP gene appears to be an important genetic determinant for susceptibility to depression in the Indian population (OR=1.4913, 95% CI=1.0334–2.1522; P=.04). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that LEP gene variants could be related to depression and associated co‐morbidities such as hypertension. Depression and Anxiety, 2009.

Prevalence of non‐strabismic anomalies of binocular vision in Tamil Nadu: report 2 of BAND study

Population‐based studies on the prevalence of non‐strabismic anomalies of binocular vision in ethnic Indians are more than two decades old. Based on indigenous normative data, the BAND (Binocular Vision Anomalies and Normative Data) study aims to report the prevalence of non‐strabismic anomalies of binocular vision among school children in rural and urban Tamil Nadu.

Comparative Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infection Cases from Representative States of Northern and Southern India

CONTEXT Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are amongst the most common infections described in outpatient settings. Increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of urinary tract pathogens is a matter of global public health concern. Treatment of UTI depends on both prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of causative bacteria at any specific geographical location. AIM This study was undertaken to compare the prevalence of uropathogens and their AMR profile in two different geographical parts of India. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clean-catch mid-stream urine samples were collected from adult patients, bacterial flora isolated from human urine was evaluated for antimicrobial susceptibility profile using Kirby Bauers disc diffusion method among patients from Hyderabad (Southern India), Rajasthan and Punjab (Northern India). The data were analysed using Chi-square (χ2) test, confidence interval (CI), odds ratio (OR) analysis and p-value using SPSS 16 software. RESULTS Escherichia coli (55.1%) were the most prevalent isolates followed by Enterococcus faecalis (15.8%). Amikacin was the most active antimicrobial agents which showed low resistance rate of 14%. The present study revealed the geographical difference in prevalence of uropathogens with Klebsiella pneumoniae being the second most common uropathogen followed by E. faecalis in the states from northern India while no K. pneumoniae was seen in samples from southern India but E. faecalis was the second most prevalent organism. CONCLUSION Therefore, development of regional surveillance programs is highly recommended for implementation of national CA-UTI guidelines in Indian settings.

Recent advances in CO2 uptake and fixation mechanism of cyanobacteria and microalgae

ABSTRACT Aquatic photosynthetic microorganisms, cyanobacteria and microalgae, account for almost half of the worlds photosynthesis. They absorb carbon di oxide (CO2) as the major substrate to support photosynthesis, the beginning of energy flow into living organisms and one of the primary processes comprising the global carbon cycle. Among all photosynthetic mechanisms, inorganic carbon transport into ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is one of the major limiting steps in photosynthetic carbon fixation which involves active transport of HCO3−, CO2 and/or H+, or an energized biochemical mechanism. In fact, a unique system “carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM)” manages the inorganic carbon assimilation, accumulation of CO2 around RuBisCO, and utilization in algal cells. However, the information on mechanism of CO2 uptake and fixation inside the algal cells is limited. In order to make strategies for enhancement of CO2 fixation, understanding of CCM is crucial. Thus, this review provides an overview of advances in CCM research, the comparative state of the art and reports on the CO2 uptake model in cyanobacteria and microalgae. The review also discusses the challenges and future perspectives associated with algal CCM research.