Unconjugated bilirubin and its derivative ameliorate IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation in mice by inhibiting MMP9 and MAPK pathway

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease that involves dysregulated proliferation of keratinocytes. Psoriatic skin lesions are characterized by redness, thickness, and scaling. The interleukin axis of IL-23/IL-17 is critically involved in the development of human psoriasis. Imiquimod (IMQ), an agonist of TLR7 is known to induce psoriatic-like skin inflammation in mice. The topical application of IMQ induces systemic inflammation with increased proinflammatory cytokines in serum and secondary lymphoid organs. Further, matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of psoriatic-like skin inflammation. The increased MMP9 activity and gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines in IMQ-induced psoriatic skin is mediated by the activation of the MAPK pathway. Moreover, the increased expression of neutrophil-specific chemokines confirmed the infiltration of neutrophils at the site of psoriatic skin inflammation. In contrast, expression of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine gene expression is reduced in IMQ-treated mice skin. Topical application of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) and its derivative dimethyl ester of bilirubin (BD1) on IMQ-induced psoriatic mice skin significantly mitigated the symptoms of psoriasis by inhibiting the activity of MMP9. Further, UCB and BD1 reduced neutrophil infiltration as evidenced by decreased myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and reduced gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and neutrophil-specific chemokines. Apart from these modulations UCB and BD1 reduced MAPK phosphorylation and upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokines. To conclude, UCB and BD1 immunomodulated the psoriatic skin inflammation induced by IMQ in mice by inhibiting neutrophil mediated MMP9, decreased proinflammatory cytokines gene expression and modulating the MAPK pathway.

Response surface methodology based optimized production, purification, and characterization of L-asparaginase from Fusarium foetens

L-asparaginase is used as one of the prime chemotherapeutic agents to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. L-asparaginase obtained from bacteria exhibits hypersensitive reactions including various side effects. The present work aimed to optimize growth parameters for maximum production of L-asparaginase by Fusarium foetens through response surface methodology, its purification, and characterization. The optimization of L-asparaginase production by Fusarium foetens was initially done through a one-factor-at-a-time method. L-asparaginase production was further optimized using a central composite design based response surface methodology. The maximum L-asparaginase activity of 12.83 IU/ml was obtained under the following growth conditions; temperature-27.5 °C, pH-8, inoculum concentration-1.5 × 10⁶ spores/ml, and incubation period-7 days. In comparison with the unoptimized growth conditions (4.58 IU/ml), the optimization led to a 2.65-fold increase in the L-asparaginase activity. The L-asparaginase from Fusarium foetens was purified 15.60-fold, with a yield of 39.89% using DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. After purification, the L-asparaginase activity was determined to be 127.26 IU/ml and the specific activity was found to be 231.38 IU/mg. The molecular mass was estimated to be approximately 37 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 5, and a temperature of 40 °C. The enzyme showed 100% specificity towards L-asparagine and no activity towards L-glutamine. Its activity was enhanced by Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Mg², while it was inhibited by β-mercaptoethanol and EDTA. The Km and Vmax of the purified L-asparaginase were found to be 23.82 mM and 210.3 IU/ml respectively. The results suggest that Fusarium foetens could be a potent candidate for the bioprocessing of L-asparaginase at a large scale.

Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets-based VIKOR and TOPSIS-based multi-criteria decision-making model for mitigating resource deletion attacks in WSNs

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), resource depletion attacks that focusses on the compromization of routing protocol layer is identified to facilitate a major influence over the network. These resource depletion attacks drain the batter power of the sensor nodes drastically with persistent network disruption. Several protocols were established for handling the impact of Denial of Service (DoS) attack, but majority of them was not able to handle it perfectly. In specific, thwarting resource depletion attack, a specific class of DoS attack was a herculean task. At this juncture, Multicriteria Decision Making Model (MCDM) is identified as the ideal candidate for evaluating the impact introduced by each energy depletion compromised sensor nodes towards the process of cooperation into the network. In this paper, A Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets-based VIKOR and TOPSIS-based multi-criteria decision-making model (PFSVT-MCDM) is proposed for counteracting with the impacts of resource depletion attacks to improve Quality of Service (QoS) in the network. This PFSVT-MCDM used the merits of Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets information for handling uncertainty and vagueness of information exchanged in the network during the process of data routing. It utilized VIKOR and TOPSIS for exploring the trust of each sensor nodes through the exploration of possible dimensions that aids in detecting resource depletion attacks. The experimental results of PFSVT-MCDM confirmed better throughput of 21.29%, enhanced packet delivery fraction of 22.38%, minimized energy consumptions 18.92%, and reduced end-to-end delay of 21.84%, compared to the comparative resource depletion attack thwarting strategies used for evaluation.

A secure lightweight fuzzy embedder based user authentication scheme for internet of medical things applications

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a network of medical devices, hardware infrastructure, and software that allows healthcare information technology to be communicated over the web. The IoMT sensors communicate medical data to server for the quick diagnosis. As, it handles private and confidential information of a user, security is the primary objective. The existing IoT authentication schemes either using two-factor(Username, password) or multi-factor (username, password, biometric) to authenticate a user. Typically the structural characteristics-based biometric trait like Face, Iris, Palm print or finger print is used as a additional factor. There are chances that these biometrics can be fabricated. Thus, these structural biometrics based authentication schemes are fail to provide privacy, security, authenticity, and integrity. The biodynamic-based bioacoustics signals are gained attention in the era of human-computer interactions to authenticate a user as it is a unique feature to each user. So, we use a frequency domain based bio-acoustics as a biometric input. Thus, this work propose a Secure Lightweight Bioacoustics based User Authentication Scheme using fuzzy embedder for the Internet of Medical Things applications. Also, the IoT sensors tends to join and leave the network dynamically, the proposed scheme adopts chinese remainder technique for generate a group secret key to protect the network from the attacks of former sensor nodes. The proposed scheme’s security is validated using the formal verification tool AVISPA(Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications). The system’s performance is measured by comparing the proposed scheme to existing systems in terms of security features, computation and communication costs. It demonstrates that the proposed system outperforms existing systems.

OXIS contacts and approximal caries in preschool children- A prospective cohort study

The present prospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of OXIS contact areas namely O (open type), X (point type), I (straight type) and S (curved type) in the development of approximal caries. We conducted this study among 953 school children with 3812 contacts in Puducherry, India. At baseline, the contacts were assessed in accordance with OXIS criteria. At the end of 12 months, two calibrated dentists measured dental caries following the International Caries Detection and Assessment (ICDAS) criteria. Information about feeding practices, diet, and oral hygiene was collected by means of a structured questionnaire from each child's parent. Data were analyzed by unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression analysis with a multilevel approach. The two levels of analysis were tooth and child. Of 3,812 contacts observed during the follow-up, 127 (3.3%) were observed as carious. Poisson regression analysis revealed a significant association between type of contact and caries prevalence (p < 0.05). The risk ratios for the development of approximal caries in X contacts were 2.4 (0.3-17.2), p value 0.38; in I contacts - 4.9 (1.2-19.9), p value 0.027; and in S contacts 8.2 (1.9-34.2), p value 0.004, when compared with the O contacts. Among the child variables, male gender (RR=2.1; 95%CI-1.3,3.5), parental supervision while toothbrushing (RR=1.6; 95%CI-1.1,2.4) and the use of toothpaste (RR=1.9; 95%CI-1.3,3.1) were found to be associated with approximal caries after adjustment for the other variables. Among the OXIS contacts, the S type was most susceptible to approximal caries due to its complex morphology, followed by I, X, and O.

Amine-Functionalized Silane-Assisted Preparation of AgNP-Deposited α-Ni(OH)2 Composite Materials and Their Application in Hg2+ Ion Sensing

A facile synthetic methodology for the deposition of different concentrations of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on α-Ni(OH)₂ sheets (α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag_0.5, α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag₁, α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag₂, and α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag₃) is reported using N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]diethylenetriamine (TPDT) silane. The TPDT aminosilane facilitates the formation of α-Ni(OH)₂ sheets and reduces the Ag⁺ precursor to AgNPs, leading to the deposition of AgNPs on α-Ni(OH)₂ sheets. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission microscopy analyses, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize the prepared α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag_0.5-3 composite materials. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping images and scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping images were recorded to understand the α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag composite sheet materials. The optical sensing property of α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag_0.5-3 composite materials toward toxic Hg²⁺ ions were investigated using a UV-vis absorption spectroscopy technique. The α-Ni₁(OH)₂-Ag₂ composite material showed selective sensing behavior.

Effects of Fermented Coffee Extracts on Spatial Cognition and Memory of Alzheimer’s Disease Induced Rats

Aim: The current study hypothesizes that ingestion of polyphenols-enriched preparation such as yeast fermented extracts of green and roasted coffee beans will demonstrate neuroprotective and stimulatory function. Study Design: Optimizing yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mediated fermentation conditions of C.Arabica beans →Extraction by the sonication-agitation method before and after roasting to obtain Fermented Green Coffee Extracts (FGCE) and Fermented Roasted Coffee Extracts (FRCE) →Phytochemical profiling of the fermented extracts was performed → Animal Study (in vivo evaluation). Place and Duration: The research work was conducted during December, 2019 to May, 2020 at the Department of Biotechnology, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Post Bag No.1, Pennalur, Sriperumbudur Tk, Kancheepuram Dt TN-602117, India. Methodology: The FGCE and FRCE extracts were prepared and subjected to comparative phytochemical profiling for in vitro analysis. Further, the in vivo analysis was performed on 24 Albino Wistar rats, which were divided into four groups (Group I (Control group) received normal diet; Group II (AD induced group) received AlCl3; Group III received FGCE and AlCl3, Group IV received FRCE and AlCl3). In order to represent the most exact model that mimics AD the rats were injected with AlCl3 .6H2O at dose 70 mg / kg I.P for 6 weeks. During induction the rats were subjected to spatial memory tests (T-maze) and motor co-ordination tests (burrowing assay). Results: The FGCE had a higher amount of polyphenols (1.20 ± 0.02 GAE mg / ml) compared to FRCE (0.99 ± 0.047 GAE mg / ml). Also, the ferric reducing anti-oxidant potential was higher in FGCE (5.14 ± 0.17 mmol Fe2+ / g) than in FRCE (3.7 ± 0.2 mmol Fe2+ / g). As a result of behavioural analysis, the fermented green coffee extract consumption in Alzheimer induced rats had a prominent positive effect on memory retention and motor co-ordination. Conclusion: This study elucidates the potential nature of FGCE in decelerating the progression of AD at a higher rate than FRCE.

Prevalence and correlation of OXIS contacts using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images and photographs

BACKGROUND

The contact areas in between primary teeth are broader, flatter, and located further cervically when compared with the contact areas of permanent molars.

AIM

We investigated the prevalence of interproximal contact area types of primary molars using CBCT images in children aged 3-10 years. Our second objective was to correlate OXIS contact areas when observed with CBCT images and clinical photographs.

DESIGN

A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed with 367 CBCT images of children, aged 3-10 years, obtained from Children's Dental Centre, South Korea. The type of contacts in between primary molars was scored at various levels, specifically, occlusal, middle, and cervical thirds, according to OXIS criteria. Following this, the same patient's records were checked for the presence of clinical photographs and scored according to the same criteria. Prevalence was stated as percentages along with numbers. Chi-square test was applied to determine association of contact areas across genders and arches. The correlation between the two methods was done by Cohen's Kappa correlation test.

RESULTS

The prevalence of the OXIS contacts obtained from CBCT images was as follows: I (79.7%), followed by X (10.0%), S (6.6%), and, finally, O (3.7%). The overall score of all the 1343 contact areas matched with the score observed at the occlusal third. All included contacts were of O (open) type at cervical third, and 1,231 contacts were of O (open) type at the middle third. Significant results were observed with respect to arches (P < .001). The correlation between the two methods was found to be 0.958.

CONCLUSIONS

The contact area observed at the occlusal level determined the overall type of contact based on OXIS criteria. Thus, reports in the literature concluded that contact areas are broad, flat, and extend further gingivally should be revised. The study also concluded almost perfect agreement between CBCT images and clinical photographs.

Mollaret's Meningitis: CSF Cytology to the Rescue

Mollaret's meningitis refers to the classical description by Pierre Mollaret of recurrent episodes of fever and meningism lasting 2-5 days, followed by spontaneous recovery. It remains a rare entity and most often is attributed to reactivation of latent Herpes Simplex virus (HSV)-2 virus. Though considered self-limiting and innocuous, there are exceptional cases in which neurological sequelae have been reported. From a clinician's perspective, narrowing down the diagnosis may not be straightforward and would require judicious use of investigations. Here we report two cases of Mollaret's meningitis, both of whom had negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HSV. These reports also highlight an unusual pattern of presentation of this rare entity and the utility of CSF cytology in clinching the diagnosis.

Comparative evaluation of a low-level laser and topical desensitizing agent for treating dentinal hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled trial

Aim

The aim of this randomized, controlled, double-blinded, clinical study is to evaluate and compare the clinical effectiveness of low-level diode GaAlAs laser and glutaraldehyde-based topical desensitizing agent on cervical dentin hypersensitivity with the help of visual analog scale (VAS).

Materials and Methods

Fifty teeth of patients aged between 20 and 50 years were included, and VAS was used to assess the dentin hypersensitivity. The teeth were randomly allocated to either Group 1 or 2 using flip coin technique. Group 1 received glutaraldehyde desensitizer and Group 2 received 905 nm low-level laser. The sensitivity scores were recorded, immediately, after1 week and 3 months after therapy. Data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test for intergroup comparison and Friedman's test for intragroup comparison.

Results

There was a significant reduction in pain in both the groups at 3 months evaluation (P = 0.001).However, Group 2 showed a significant decrease in mean VAS scores when compared with Group 1 at both the one week and three month follow ups (P = 0.04, P = 0.03, respectively).

Conclusion

Although topical desensitizer and Low Level Laser are both effective in reducing dentinal hypersensitivity, Low Level Lasers are comparatively more effective at the studied time intervals.

A Cross-sectional Study on Hepatitis B Vaccination Status and Post-exposure Prophylaxis Practices Among Health Care Workers in Teaching Hospitals of Mangalore

BACKGROUND

Health care workers (HCWs) are at high risk for acquiring hepatitis B virus infection because of needle stick injury (NSI) and occupational exposures to potentially infectious bodily fluids. Hepatitis B vaccination confers protection against the infection. Very little information is available in India about current vaccination status and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) practices among HCWs.

OBJECTIVES

This study had 2 objectives. The first was to characterize current vaccination coverage among HCWs, and the second was to define PEP practices among HCWs after NSI and exposures to potentially infectious bodily fluids.

METHODS

A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in hospitals attached to Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. We selected 297 individuals. A pretested, semistructured questionnaire was devised to collect information from study participants. After obtaining permission from the Institutional Ethics Committee, data were collected by interviewing HCWs in the hospitals. Analysis was done using SPSS.

FINDINGS

Nearly all (93.8%) of the HCWs surveyed had taken 1 dose of hepatitis B vaccine. However, only 57.1% completed the primary series of 3 doses and only 26.4% had taken 1 or more booster doses. Of the HCWs questioned, 24.8% had experienced NSIs, exposure to potentially infectious bodily fluids, or both. Local measures were the PEP practices most commonly used (85.5%) by the HCWs.

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrated that there is a need in Mangalore to improve the vaccination coverage and train HCWs in appropriate PEP practices. This will protect the workers from acquiring hepatitis B infection.

Ethnic Association of Cusp of Carabelli Trait and Shoveling Trait in an Indian Population

INTRODUCTION

Variations in the structure of teeth have always been of great interest to the dentist from the scientific as well as practical point of view. Additionally, ever since decades inter trait relationships have been a useful means to categorize populations to which an individual belongs.

AIM

To determine the association between Cusp of Carabelli and Shoveling Trait in a selected Indian population native of Bangalore city, Karnataka, India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 1885 children aged between 7-10 years. Casts of the study subjects were made to study the presence of Cusp of Carabelli of right maxillary permanent molar and shoveling trait of right maxillary permanent central incisor using the Dahlberg's classification and Hrdliucka's classification respectively. Linear regression was used to assess the association of cusp of carabelli trait with the tooth dimensions and logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of the carabelli trait with gender and presence/absence of shoveling.

RESULTS

A 40.5% of subjects had Cusp of Carabelli on first molar and 68.2% had shoveling on upper central incisor. The study revealed positive association between the two traits studied in the population. A significant difference was also found with presence of Cusp of Carabelli and the buccolingual tooth dimension of the maxillary molar (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

There is an association between the Cusp of Carabelli and the shoveling trait in the present study population, and this will be valuable in the determination of ethnic origin of an individual.

Chemically reduced graphene oxide–P25–Au nanocomposite materials and their photoelectrocatalytic and photocatalytic applications

CRGO–P25–Au NCMs were prepared through a one-pot chemical reduction method. Photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of methanol with high photocurrent and photocatalytic reduction of Cr(vi) ions to Cr(iii) ions were demonstrated.

Prevalence of aberrant dental morphological details in 6-10 year old school children in an Indian population

Background:

Variations in the structure of teeth have always been a great curiosity to the dentist from the scientific and practical point of view.

Aim:

To evaluate the prevalence of a few aberrant morphological features namely, cusp of Carabelli in primary maxillary second molar and in permanent first molar, five cusp in primary maxillary second molar and permanent first molar, shoveling and double shoveling with respect to permanent maxillary central incisors, four cusped primary mandibular second molar and permanent first molar, six cusped primary mandibular second molar and permanent first molar and seven cusped primary mandibular second molar and permanent first molar in 6–10 year old children belonging to the East Bengaluru, a City in India.

Design:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2111 children by two stage sampling method. Type III examination was performed. The findings were subjected to Chi-square test.

Results:

83.8% of the studied population had one or more of the variations checked for, as mentioned above. The variation most commonly seen was double shoveling (66.6%) followed by shoveling (65.7%). No significant results were observed in any trait with respect to gender.

Conclusion:

This study is the first of its kind, providing a baseline data of the prevalence of morphological details in the pediatric Indian population.

The radiculous' premolars: Case reports of a maxillary and mandibular premolar with three canals

Successful root canal therapy requires an accurate diagnosis and management of complex root canal morphology. Although the occurrence of three root canals in maxillary and mandibular premolars is very rare, the clinician must be able to identify it clinically and radiographically to make the necessary changes in his shaping and obturation techniques. We present the endodontic management of a maxillary first premolar with three separate roots and canals, which was diagnosed with the aberrant anatomy only after the access preparation. Then, a mandibular premolar with three root canals and fused roots, which were diagnosed radiographically, is presented. The necessary modifications of the routine clinical steps and the application of dental operating microscope for successful management of the complex anatomy, with emphasis on access modifications and radiographic interpretations are also explained. Teeth with extra roots and/or canals pose a challenge in clinical management. Identifying them early is necessary to facilitate appropriate modifications in treatment protocol, armamentarium to be used and plan optimal number of treatment sittings.

Prevalence and severity of molar incisor hypomineralization in children aged 11-16 years of a city in Karnataka, Davangere

INTRODUCTION

Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) describes the clinical picture of hypomineralization of systemic origin affecting one or more first permanent molar. There is a rarity of prevalence studies in Indian population.

OBJECTIVES

The main aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MIH in a population of South Indian children.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

A cross-sectional epidemiological survey, included 2000 children aged 11-16 years chosen by stratified random sampling from government and private schools of Davangere, a city in South India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Evaluation of MIH and decayed, missing and filled teeth was carried out in these children by a calibrated examiner. The severity of hypomineralization was recorded according to the Wetzel and Reckel scale.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Chi-square test was used to analyze the categorical data. P ≤ 0.05 was considered for statistical significance.

RESULTS

About 8.9% of all examined children showed at least one ill-structured first permanent molar in terms of MIH. The male and female ratio was found to be 1:1.1. The decreasing order of occurrence of MIH affected teeth were permanent maxillary molars, maxillaryincisors, mandibular molars and the mandibular incisors.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of MIH in the permanent dentition of south Indian children was 8.9%. There is a need for a proper planned preventive and restorative program with regard to the increasing prevalence of MIH.

Can we prevent pediatric HIV? An experience at a tertiary care hospital

BACKGROUND

Parent-to-child transmission (PTCT) is the commonest mode of acquiring HIV in more than 90% children. The risk during pregnancy varies from 20 to 45% and with specific interventions in mother and baby; it can be reduced to less than 2%. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of comprehensive PPTCT programme.

METHOD

This descriptive study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital, from Jan 2008 till Jul 2010. 32 HIV-positive pregnant mothers were enrolled in the study. They were evaluated, given triple drug antiretroviral therapy and followed up. Babies were given single dose nevirapine and zidovudine till 6 weeks of age. DNA-PCR was done for confirming the HIV status of baby.

RESULTS

The yearly period prevalence of pregnant mothers found HIV positive at antenatal clinic showed a downward trend, from 0.39% in 2008 to 0.18% in 2010. Mean CD4 count of mothers at diagnosis was 459.41 [SD - 238.37]. Twenty eight mothers (93.3%) received antiretroviral therapy. 15 (50%) babies were delivered by cesarean section and 26 infants were given replacement feeding. All the babies were singletons, 29 (96.7%) born at term with an average birth weight of 2.60 kg (SD = 0.5) and male to female ratio of 0.87:1. Twenty nine (96.7%) infants were declared HIV-negative and parent-to-child transmission rate at our center was 3.3%.

CONCLUSION

A comprehensive PPTCT programme with administration of antiretroviral therapy to the mother and infant, safe delivery practices, avoidance of breastfeeding, and close follow up, the incidence of PTCT can be reduced to negligible rates as seen in our study.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease may have a transforming growth factor-beta-, interleukin (IL)-2- or IL-10-deficient state induced by intrinsic neutralizing antibodies

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are considered to be immunologically mediated disorders that share certain features with murine models of colitis. Whether any of these models are physiologically relevant to the human condition remains controversial. The hypothesis is that increased amounts of antibodies neutralizing transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, interleukin (IL)-2 or IL-10 create a relative immunodeficient state in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predisposes to disease. To evaluate this, serum samples from patients with UC or CD and from normal healthy individuals were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Antibodies recognizing TGF-beta were most prevalent in UC (P<0.01); anti-IL-10 antibodies were elevated in CD (P<0.05), while anti-IL-2 antibodies were the same for all three groups. Importantly, the percentage of IBD patients with at least one of the antibody levels greater than any control value was 30% for UC and 33% for CD. To verify the presence of these antibodies, immobilized TGF-beta was exposed to UC sera and the attached proteins identified by Western blot assay. The proteins proved to be exclusively immunoglobulin (Ig) G. To evaluate the neutralizing activity of these antibodies, cytokine-specific IgG from subjects in each group of patients was incubated with TGF-beta, IL-2 or IL-10 before addition to a bioassay with changes in viability determined by a colorimetric analysis. Antibodies from most individuals in all three groups neutralized the action of each cytokine. This study shows that about one-third of IBD patients may have a relative deficiency of TGF-beta, IL-2 or IL-10 due to an increase in neutralizing antibodies in their sera.

Anticancer activity of a peptide combination in gastrointestinal cancers targeting multiple neuropeptide receptors

A novel peptide combination consisting of four synthetic neuropeptide analogs of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), Bombesin, Substance P and Somatostatin has been found to have potent anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. The receptors of these four neuropeptides are known to be over expressed in various cancers. We have found the presence of native neuropeptides in the culture supernatant of the primary tumor cells of human colon adenocarcinomas. It was further demonstrated by receptor-ligand assays that not only do these tumor cells synthesize and secrete four peptide hormones but also possess specific high affinity receptors on their surface. Screening a large panel of analogs to the four peptide hormones on tumor cell proliferation led to the identification of four cytotoxic analogs, the combination of which was code-named DRF7295. The design and synthesis of the peptide analogs have been described in this paper. In vitro anticancer activity of DRF7295 was studied in a large panel of human tumor cells. Gastrointestinal tumor cells of the colon, pancreas and duodenum were found to be most sensitive to DRF7295 with moderate activity seen in glioblastoma, prostate, leukemia and those of oral cancer cells. Efficacy studies in xenograft models of colon and duodenum resulted in T/C% of less than 40%, which is indicative of strong tumor regressing potential of DRF7295 in gastrointestinal cancers. Acute and long-term toxicity studies as well as safety pharmacology studies conducted indicate the safety of the drug upon systemic administration with no significant adverse pharmacological effects.