Nanoparticle jabs may help treat arthritis

Injecting nanoparticles into a joint immediately after an injury may suppress inflammation, reduce destruction of cartilage and lower the risk for osteoarthritis, a new study in mice suggests. "I see a lot of patients with osteoarthritis, and there's really no treatment," said Christine Pham from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis in the US. "We try to treat their symptoms, but even when we inject steroids into an arthritic joint, the drug only remains for up to a few hours, and then it's cleared. These nanoparticles remain in the joint longer and help prevent cartilage degeneration," said Pham. Frequently, osteoarthritis patients suffer an earlier injury - a torn meniscus or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the knee, a fall, car accident or other trauma. The body naturally responds to such injuries in the joints with robust inflammation.
Patients typically take drugs such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and as pain gets worse, injections of steroids also can provide pain relief, but their effects are short-lived. In the new study, the nanoparticles were injected shortly after an injury, and within 24 hours, the nanoparticles were at work taming inflammation in the joint. Unlike steroid injections that are quickly cleared, the particles remained in cartilage cells in the joints for weeks.
The nanoparticles used in the study are more than 10 times smaller than a red blood cell, which helps them penetrate deeply into tissues.
The particles carry a peptide derived from a natural protein called melittin that has been modified to enable it to bind to a molecule called small interfering RNA (siRNA). The melittin delivers siRNA to the damaged joint, interfering with inflammation in cells. The peptide-based nanoparticle was designed by study co-investigators Hua Pan, an assistant professor of medicine, and Samuel Wickline, Professor of Biomedical Sciences.
"The nanoparticles are injected directly into the joint, and due to their size, they easily penetrate into the cartilage to enter the injured cells," Wickline said. "Previously, we've delivered nanoparticles through the bloodstream and shown that they inhibit inflammation in a model of rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, they were injected locally into the joint and given a chance to penetrate into the injured cartilage," he said. The nanoparticles were injected shortly after injury to prevent the cartilage breakdown that eventually leads to osteoarthritis. The findings suggest that the nanoparticles, if given soon after joint injuries occur, could help maintain cartilage viability and prevent the progression to osteoarthritis.
"The inflammatory molecule that we're targeting not only causes problems after an injury, but it's also responsible for a great deal of inflammation in advanced cases of osteoarthritis," said Linda J Sandell, from Washington University's Centre for Musculoskeletal Research.

By

Chandrasekharan

III B. Sc.,

Department of biochemistry

About 6 to 7% of men and 15 to 18% of women suffer from migraine headaches which can last from a few hours up to three days. An estimated 20 million migraine attacks occur every single day. Yet, it is still one of the least understood and poorly treated medical disorders, because they most likely appear because of a complex interplay of genetic, environmental and neurological factors that vary from person to person. What’s very complex is that the experiences of people who suffer from migraines also vary greatly. Aside from the throbbing, searing pain which may or may not be one-sided, some experience “auras” prior to the onset, while other people don’t. Other symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, sweating and/or sensitivity to light, sound and smells.

What Causes Migraines?

There are many different theories about what causes migraines, but none of the hypothesis can explain the occurrence of migraines in all sufferers. These theories, although sometimes conflicting, include: Changesactuallbrain chemical “serotonin”: When levels drop, blood vessels including those in your brain become swollen and inflamed, which can lead to migraine pain. Vascular constriction in your brain: From initial blood vessel constriction and a drop in the blood flow, followed by dilation and stretching of blood vessels which activates pain-signaling neurons. Excessive increase of blood flow in your brain: As a direct contrast to the preceding theory, another research has found that migraines are not preceded by constriction and decrease in the blood flow, but rather by an increase of nearly 300%. The circulation then appears normal or even slightly reduced, once the attack is in full swing.

A neurological disorder related to the nerve cell activity that sweeps across your brain, causing pain: In this case, researchers think that a wave release of neurotransmitters across your cortex can directly stimulate your trigeminal nerves, setting off the chain reaction that ends in the transmitting of pain signals. A nervous system disorder originating in your brain stem: Your brain stem is your control center for alertness, perception of light, noise and smell, cerebral blood flow, cardiovascular function and pain sensitivity – many, if not the most, of which are a part of the symptoms of a migraine attack. A research has revealed that three clusters of cells in your brain stem are active during and after a migraine. This hypothesis indicates that an abnormal activity in those cells could include the sensation of pain, even when there are no pain signals received from your brain membrane or blood vessels. A disruption of the subtle energies circulating throughout your body, together with some unresolved emotional issues that manifest in your body as headaches

Mutation or dysfunction of certain genes

Are Your Migraines Due To a Vitamin Deficiency?

A recent study discovered that vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid supplements were found to produce a two-fold reduction in migraines over a six-month period. Previous studies, such as a 2004 study in the European Journal of Neurology, have also reported that high doses of B2 (riboflavin) can help prevent migraine attacks. Some gene mutations and dysfunctions can lead to higher levels of homocysteine production and that can make you more susceptible to migraine attacks. Vitamins B6 and B12 reduce your homocysteine levels. Researches also discovered that depending on your genotype, you may need a higher or lower dose in order for it to work. Professor Lyn Griffiths says: “… If all patients received the same vitamin dosage for the same period of time, it would be expected that those with TT genotypes, having a reduced enzymatic rate, would metabolize less homocysteine over the treatment period compared to C allele carriers, thus resulting in a smaller reduction in homocysteine and consequent migraine symptoms.

By

Kokilavaani

III B. Sc.,

Department of biochemistry

Unknown facts

BY

KOKILAVAANI

III B.Sc.,

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

For as tasty a reputation as it may have, raw milk may equally be the bane of public health officials everywhere.

Over the weekend, local and state Colorado health officials jointly announced that an outbreak of the foodborne illness campylobacteriosis had so far affected 20 people. The source of the outbreak was traced to the Larga Vista Ranch in Pueblo County, CO, with all the sufferers having drank raw unpasteurized milk during their visit there. The latest case was found on September 16, while the outbreak is currently thought to have began in early August.The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and local health departments had earlier “reached out to all shareholders in an attempt to locate further cases of illness and to inform shareholders about the potential for ongoing contamination of the milk” this September, and plans to do so again. Live in New Mexico or Colorado? You might want to avoid the raw milk — it could make you sick. Pixabay, Public Domain Campylobacteriosis, caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Campylobacter, is among the most common yet hidden foodborne illnesses in the United States. It’s estimated that 1.3 million people come down with the disease annually, yet many of these cases go unreported. It most often causes diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after the initial infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although most people recover within a week, it can be rarely fatal — 76 die from it annually. As with most foodborne bugs, campylobacteriosis is particularly troublesome for people with weakened or underdeveloped immune systems, such as the very young and old.

Ubiquitous as Campylobacter is, it isn’t the hardiest germ around. The simple act of pasteurization is more than enough to kill it off, making raw milk an unwitting accomplice in many widely spread outbreaks. Although state residents are allowed to purchase raw milk in exchange for partial ownership of a cow, they aren’t allowed to give away or sell their raw milk — a fact that didn’t stop several of the patients from obtaining their milk from others. It’s been a particularly bad year and even month for raw milk fans. Earlier this February, the CDC announced that raw milk was the likely source for a small outbreak of listeria in 2014 that infected two and killed one. And New Mexico health officials announced this September that an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis, caused by the cryptosporidium parasite or “crypto,” was traced to raw milk. In 2015, the CDC found that the number of foodborne outbreaks linked to raw milk had doubled from 2007 to 2012 compared to the time period between 1993 to 2006. Although Campylobacter was the most common culprit of these recent outbreaks (62 out 87 total), outbreaks of E. coli and Salmonella bacteria were also spread by raw milk. Health officials in both New Mexico and Colorado have asked nearby residents to avoid drinking raw milk and to discard any existing products for the time being.

BY

KOKILAVAANI

III B.Sc.,

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

Morning sickness linked to lower risk of pregnancy loss.                                          Nausea and vomiting that occurs in pregnancy is often called "morning sickness," as these symptoms typically begin in the morning and usually resolve as the day progresses. For most women, nausea and vomiting subside by the 4th month of pregnancy. Others may have these symptoms for the duration of their pregnancies. The cause of morning sickness is not known, but researchers have proposed that it protects the fetus against toxins and disease-causing organisms in foods and beverages.

"It's a common thought that nausea indicates a healthy pregnancy, but there wasn't a lot of high-quality evidence to support this belief," said the study's first author, Stefanie N. Hinkle, Ph.D, a staff scientist in NICHD's Epidemiology Branch. "Our study evaluates symptoms from the earliest weeks of pregnancy, immediately after conception, and confirms that there is a protective association between nausea and vomiting and a lower risk of pregnancy loss."

For their study, Dr. Hinkle and her colleagues analyzed data from the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction (EAGeR) trial, in which researchers tested whether taking daily low-dose aspirin prevents women who experienced one or two prior pregnancy losses from experiencing a future loss.

The authors looked at data from all the women in the study who had a positive pregnancy test. The women kept daily diaries of whether they experienced nausea and vomiting in the 2nd through the 8th week of their pregnancies and then responded to a monthly questionnaire on their symptoms through the 36th week of pregnancy. The study authors noted that most previous studies on nausea and pregnancy loss were not able to obtain such detailed information on symptoms in these early weeks of pregnancy. Instead, most of studies had relied on the women's recollection of symptoms much later in pregnancy or after they had experienced a pregnancy loss.

In the EAGeR trial, a total of 797 women had positive pregnancy tests, with 188 pregnancies ending in loss. By the 8th week of pregnancy, 57.3 percent of the women reported experiencing nausea and 26.6 percent reported nausea with vomiting. The researchers found that these women were 50 to 75 percent less likely to experience a pregnancy loss, compared to those who had not experienced nausea alone or nausea accompanied by vomiting.

BY

CHANDRASEKHARAN

III B.Sc.,

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

Artificial blood vessels developed in the lab can grow with the recipient. One of the greatest challenges in vessel bioengineering is designing a vessel that will grow with its new owner.

In this study, University of Minnesota Department of Biomedical Engineering Professor Robert Tranquillo and his colleagues generated vessel-like tubes in the lab from a post-natal donor's skin cells and then removed the cells to minimize the chance of rejection. This also means the vessels can be stored and implanted when they are needed, without the need for customized cell growth of the recipient. When implanted in a lamb, the tube was then repopulated by the recipient's own cells allowing it to grow."This might be the first time we have an 'off-the-shelf' material that doctors can implant in a patient, and it can grow in the body," Tranquillo said. "In the future, this could potentially mean one surgery instead of five or more surgeries that some children with heart defects have before adulthood." To develop the material for this study, researchers combined sheep skin cells in a gelatin-like material, called fibrin, in the form of a tube and then rhythmically pumped in nutrients necessary for cell growth using a bioreactor for up to five weeks. The pumping bioreactor provided both nutrients and "exercise" to strengthen and stiffen the tube. The bioreactor, developed with Zeeshan Syedain, a senior research associate in Tranquillo's lab, was a key component of developing the bioartificial vessel to be stronger than a native artery so it wouldn't burst in the patient.

The researchers then used special detergents to wash away all the sheep cells, leaving behind a cell-free matrix that does not cause immune reaction when implanted. When the vessel graft replaced a part of the pulmonary artery in three lambs at five weeks of age, the implanted vessels were soon populated by the lambs' own cells, causing the vessel to bend its shape and grow together with the recipient until adulthood. "What's important is that when the graft was implanted in the sheep, the cells repopulated the blood vessel tube matrix," Tranquillo said. "If the cells don't repopulate the graft, the vessel can't grow. This is the perfect marriage between tissue engineering and regenerative medicine where tissue is grown in the lab and then, after implanting the decellularized tissue, the natural processes of the recipient's body makes it a living tissue again."At 50 weeks of age, the sheep's blood vessel graft had increased 56 percent in diameter and the amount of blood that could be pumped through the vessel increased 216 percent. The collagen protein also had increased 465 percent, proving that the vessel had not merely stretched but had actually grown. No adverse effects such as clotting, vessel narrowing, or calcification were observed.

BY

CHANDRASEKHARAN

III B.Sc.,

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

Nickel is a hard, silvery-white metal whose strength, ductility and resistance to heat and corrosion make it extremely useful for the development of a wide variety of materials — from wires to coins to military equipment. 

This extremely useful metal is No. 28 in the periodic table of the elements, between the elements cobalt and copper. Nickel is a fairly good conductor of electricity and heat and is one of only four elements (cobalt, iron, nickel and gadolinium) that are ferromagnetic (magnetized easily) at room temperature. Nickel is a transition metal, meaning it has valence electrons in two shells instead of one, allowing it to form several different oxidation states.

Nickel is an essential element for healthy plant life, and trace amounts are naturally found in most vegetables, fruits, nuts and in slightly greater amounts in chocolate and wine, according to the Nickel Institute.

But like most metals, nickel has a dark side when too much enters the human body. When large amounts of nickel — which is a known carcinogenic — accumulate in the soil, air, or our food and water supply, there are risks of toxicity. 

People who work in jobs of nickel refining, electroplating and welding are at the greatest risk for health problems. Workers who breathe in traces of nickel dust are at an increased risk for lung cancer, fibrosis and other ailments.

In 2012, 25 nickel-plating workers in Egypt were given liver function tests. The results overwhelmingly showed poor liver function among the nickel workers compared to the control group. Another study in Saudi Arabia also exposed the toxic effects of nickel exposure on the lungs and airway, but the researchers also discovered an interesting fact: ingesting dietary curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, was linked to a significant reduction in toxicity and oxidative stress....

By

Mrs. K. Pavithra

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry

HCG and Hyperglycosylated hCG Carbohydrate Structure Corrected

The O-linked and N-linked oligosaccharide structures of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has been studied very thoroughly by multiple groups. It has been studied by glycosidase digestion methods, by gel filtration oligosaccharide separation, by Dionex oligosaccharide-specific HPLC, and by mass spectrometry methods. All oligosaccharide structures found on hCG and hyperglycosylated hCG by these investigators(NM, NNF and NNF biantennary N-linked structures, NNM, NNN, NNNF triantennary N-linked structures, Bi, Tetra1, Tri1 and Tri2 Type 1 O-linked oligosaccharides, and Tetra2, Hexa, Penta1 and Penta 2 Type 2 O-linked oligosaccharides).   The problem is that none of these reports show the separate carbohydrate structure of the hormone hCG. All reports show structure of a invariable mixture of the hormone hCG and a completely independent molecule, the autocrine hyperglycosylated hCG. Yes, it is only in recent years, after most of these carbohydrate structure projects were completed, that the presence of two separate molecules in pregnancy, a hormone and an autocrine, has been demonstrated.

Gout Diagnosis

To diagnose gout, the doctor will take a patient's medical history, examine the affected joint and do a blood test. He or she will also ask about:

Other symptoms

What medications the patient is taking The patient's diet How quickly and intensely the gout attack came on Details of the attack the doctor is looking for: severity of pain, length of attack and joints affected. The doctor will need to rule out other potential causes of joint pain and inflammation such as infection, injury or another type of arthritis. He will take a blood test to measure the level of uric acid in your blood. A high level of uric acid in your blood doesn’t necessarily mean you have gout, just as a normal level doesn’t mean you don’t have it. He may take an X-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI to examine soft tissue and bone. The doctor might also remove fluid from the affected joint and examine it under a microscope for uric acid crystals. Finding uric acid crystals in the joint fluid is the surest way to make a gout diagnosis.

By

Chandrasekharan

III B.Sc.,

Department of Biochemistry

Characterization of the Venom Proteome for the Wandering Spider, Ctenus hibernalis (Aranea: Ctenidae)

Spider venoms are a multicomponent mixture of polypeptides that contain a diverse array of structure and function that is used for both the immobilization of prey as well as a defense mechanism. To date, the venom composition of less than 100 of the nearly 40,000 characterized species of spiders has been investigated. Although certain venom protein families are highly conserved across spider taxa, there are several instances of novel taxa-specific venom proteins, such as latrotoxins in Latrodectus, Sphyngomyelinase D in Loxosceles, and μ-ctenitoxin-Pn1a in Phoneutria.

Role of Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis of OCD

Obsessions are defined as recurrent, persistent, thoughts, images or impulses that are experienced as intrusive & inappropriate. Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules. Until the 1850s, obsessive-compulsive phenomena were considered to be a variant of the old notion of insanity. After 1860, organic causal hypotheses for OCD included dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system and cortical blood supply. In 1880 OCD was included in the spectrum of neuroses. Psychological hypotheses suggested the OCD might result from volitional, intellectual, or emotional impairment, the last of which predominated after 1890. First description of OCD in childhood was given by Pierre Janet in 1903 who reported on a five year old boy with characteristic symptoms. OCD usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood although it can begin in childhood. Nearly 65% of the patients have the onset before 25 years of age and <15% have onset after 35 years of age.

By

Chandrasekharan

III B.Sc.,

Department of Biochemistry

Measuring forces in the DNA molecule

DNA, our genetic material, normally has the structure of a twisted rope ladder. Experts call this structure a double helix. Among other things, it is stabilized by stacking forces between base pairs. Scientists have now succeeded at measuring these forces for the very first time on the level of single base pairs. This new knowledge could help to construct precise molecular machines out of DNA.

How the brain builds panoramic memory

Two brain regions that are involved in creating panoramic memories have now been identified by neuroscientists. These brain regions, known as the OPA and RSC, help us to merge fleeting views of our surroundings into a seamless, 360-degree panorama.

By

Mrs. K. Pavithra

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry

Gout Diagnosis

To diagnose gout, the doctor will take a patient's medical history, examine the affected joint and do a blood test. He or she will also ask about:

Other symptoms
What medications the patient is taking
The patient's diet
How quickly and intensely the gout attack came on
Details of the attack the doctor is looking for: severity of pain, length of attack and joints affected.

The doctor will need to rule out other potential causes of joint pain and inflammation such as infection, injury or another type of arthritis. He will take a blood test to measure the level of uric acid in your blood. A high level of uric acid in your blood doesn’t necessarily mean you have gout, just as a normal level doesn’t mean you don’t have it. He may take an X-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI to examine soft tissue and bone. The doctor might also remove fluid from the affected joint and examine it under a microscope for uric acid crystals. Finding uric acid crystals in the joint fluid is the surest way to make a gout diagnosis.

By

Chandrasekharan

III B. Sc

Department of Biochemistry

Therapeutic Targets for Cerebral Ischemia

Stroke could be a devastating condition afflicting largely the senior for which no viable medication exists to boost neuro-rehabilitation. In specific, nice clinical profit might accrue from deciphering and targeting basic biology mechanisms underlying post-stroke CNS recovery each in structural and practical terms. Clinical trials geared toward up practical recovery once stroke has uniformly unsuccessful. One reason for this might be that little genetic information is accessible describing the post-stroke events. Recent advances in genetic science and desoxyribonucleic acid array technology might result in the discovery of latest therapeutic targets by uncovering the mechanisms underlying brain repair and regeneration once stroke. many such studies have utilized these techniques with the aim of characteristic new therapeutic targets for stroke treatment. a number of these studies revealed changes in transcriptional activity of a spread of genes connected to stress response, inflammation, acute- and delayed necrobiosis in young rats, whereas later studies discovered a pathway related to brain defense and tissue repair in an exceedingly young mouse model of stroke or neurovascular unit development genes. Some other studies were involved with the organic phenomenon within the contralateral hemisphere, that instructed the presence of bilateral effects and/or differential regulation

By

Chandrasekharan

III B. Sc

Department of Biochemistry

Glycemic Index Could be an Unreliable Indicator of Blood Sugar Response

by Shirley Johanna on  September 8, 2016 at 12:29 AM Diabetes News   - E

The glycemic index of food may vary by an average of 20 percent within an individual and 25 percent among individuals, according to a study by scientists from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HRNCA) at Tufts University. The glycemic index is a value that aims to quantify how fast blood sugar rises after eating.

In randomized, controlled, repeated tests involving 63 healthy adults, researchers found that individual blood sugar responses after consuming a fixed amount of white bread could range across all three glycemic index categories (low, medium, or high). Part of this variability could be attributed to insulin index and baseline HbA1c levels, which reflect long-term glucose control--evidence that glycemic index values are influenced by an individual's metabolic responses to food.

Developed as a way to help diabetic individuals control their blood sugar, the glycemic index is intended to represent the inherent effect food has on blood sugar levels. However, glycemic index is becoming used for broader purposes such as food labeling, and has served as the basis for several popular diets.

To study whether glycemic index values are accurate and reproducible, Matthan and her colleagues recruited 63 volunteers, who underwent six testing sessions over 12 weeks. Volunteers fasted and abstained from exercise and alcohol before each session. They then consumed either white bread, a simple carbohydrate that served as the test food, or a glucose drink, which served as a reference control, in random order. Each contained 50 grams of available carbohydrate. Blood glucose levels were measured at multiple time points for five hours after eating, and glycemic index was calculated by standard formulas.

The team found that the average glycemic index value of white bread for the study population was 62, placing it in the category of a "medium" glycemic index food.

However, deviations averaged 15 points in either direction, effectively placing white bread in all three glycemic index categories. It would be considered a low glycemic index food (average values of 35 to 55) for 22 of the volunteers, intermediate glycemic index (57 to 67) for 23 volunteers, and high glycemic index (70 to 103) for 18 volunteers. Even within the same individual, glycemic index values could differ by more than 60 points between trials.

The variability in glycemic index values occurred despite sample sizes larger than required by standard calculations. The study cohort of 63 individuals far exceeded the ten individuals used by typical glycemic index methodology, as did the six feeding challenges and five-hour blood glucose measuring window.

The authors note their findings do not suggest that a high glycemic index food may be healthy, or that a low glycemic index food unhealthy. Both glycemic index and glycemic load--a value that adjusts glycemic index to serving size--reflect only food containing carbohydrates, and no one eats food in isolation. The high variability of glycemic index and glycemic load reveal limitations in their clinical and public health applicability, and glycemic index estimates and subsequent associations with chronic disease risk needs to be reconsidered, say the authors.

"Based on our results, we feel strongly that glycemic index is impractical for use in food labeling or dietary guidelines at the individual level," Matthan said. "If your doctor told you your LDL cholesterol value could vary by 20 percent, it would be the difference between being normal or at high risk for heart disease. I don't think many people would find that acceptable."

By

Dr. A. Praveena

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry

Spot a Human by The Hair Protein

Highlights:

•Scientists study the effectiveness of using protein profile of hair strands for identifying humans

•DNA from biological samples could be damaged due to heat and light.

•Database of protein biomarkers to be created for identification and creation of protein profile.

•Single strand of hair can be used to trace out an individual from millions.

The protein in the hair can hold a lot of information and can be uniquely used to identify humans, according to a study by Dr Glendon Parker from The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA. ‘A strand of hair can be used to trace an individual.’

Nuclear DNA is unique for every individual and was considered an ideal marker for human identification, however, the stability of the DNA can be affected by

•        Heat

•        Light

•        Moisture

This renders the nuclear DNA useless in identifying individuals in certain instances. When biological samples are available for analysis but DNA data cannot be relied on, protein analysis can be used to identify humans.

Robustness of Protein in Analysis

Identification of humans based on biological samples is a very useful technique in the field of forensics as well as in archaeology. They aid in uniquely spotting humans who have been at a particular place. Though DNA can be used for identification purposes, the biological samples may have had to undergo the vagaries of nature, which erodes its ability to keep the DNA intact.

This raises the need for a better analysis technique that utilizes the biological sample available to single out an individual. To test the efficiency in identification, the researchers took bioarcheological hair samples that were from six different people. The samples were expected to be 250 years old and were from London graves, protein markers were successfully isolated from these samples. The list of markers was further increased by obtaining a total of 185 markers from 76 living individuals from European and African descent.

Process of Analysis

The protein present in the hair samples are extracted and then broken down into peptides which are smaller chains of amino acids. The sequence of the peptides are detected, separated and quantified using liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Using this process, single amino acid polymorphisms were detected and a database created with the data available which can be used to create a protein profile.

USES

This technique can be used in identifying

•        Suspects in murder or crime scenes

•        Understanding human movement across the globe

•        Identifying victims in natural disasters

•        Identifying war victims

•        Identifying bodies in mass graves

•        Determining if an individual entered a room or capacity

•        Tracing missing babies/children to their parents

There are a number of ways this technique can be used to uniquely spot an individual from millions, based on proteins present on a single strand of hair. This study can change the way people look at hair and the secrets they hold.

Reference:

1.           New Role for Hair in Human Idetification - (https:str.llnl.gov/july-2015/hart)

By

Dr. A. Praveena

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry

Kidney Function Decline Tied to CV Events in Diabetics

The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) is increased with renal function decline, according to a study published online inDiabetes Care. Stéphanie Ragot, PharmD, PhD, from INSERM CIC 1402 in Poitiers, France, and colleagues examined the correlation between renal function trajectories and the occurrence of a cardiovascular (CV) event in patients with type 2 diabetes from a discovery cohort (1,040 participants) and replication cohort.

The researchers found that over 6.3 years of follow-up there was an annual estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline and an annual serum creatinine (SCr) increase that was significantly greater in patients with versus those without MACE (P < 0.0001 for both). Patients with MACE had significantly steeper median annual individual slopes; patients with rapid decline in eGFR had adjusted risk of MACE that was 4.11 times higher. Significant additive information to help explain the occurrence of MACE for both SCr and eGFR was seen with consideration of renal function trajectories. Results were confirmed in the replication cohort. "Renal function decline was associated with a higher risk of MACE," the authors write. "The pattern of renal function decline, beyond baseline kidney function, is an independent factor of CV risk."

By

Dr. G. Saravanan

Associate Professor & Head

Department of Biochemistry

Glucose tolerance test: Testing for diabetes

A simple blood test can often detect diabetes. If the test produces borderline results, a glucose tolerance test may help with the final diagnosis. In a healthy person, glucose levels will rise after eating a meal and return to normal once the glucose is used or stored by the body. A glucose tolerance test can help to work out the difference between normal glucose levels and the levels seen in diabetes and pre diabetes. The glucose tolerance test is used to measure the body's response to glucose. The test can be used to screen for type 2 diabetes. For this test, the levels of glucose in the blood are compared before and after a sugary drink. Before taking the test, the patient is asked not to eat for 8-12 hours. A sample of blood will be taken before the test begins. This fasting sample will be used to provide a comparison for the test results.

The individual will then be asked to drink a sugary drink containing a known amount of glucose and water. The exact timing may vary, but another blood sample may be taken every 30 to 60 minutes for a total of 2 hours.

Here is what the different blood glucose levels may indicate:

§  Below 140 milligrams per deciliter - normal

§  140 to 199 milligrams per deciliter - impaired glucose tolerance or prediabetes

§  Above 199 milligrams per deciliter - diabetes

If the test results do show diabetes, the doctor may choose to repeat the test on another day or use another test to confirm the diagnosis.

Various factors can affect the accuracy of the glucose tolerance test. For the test to give reliable results, the person must be in good health and not have any other illnesses. The person should be relatively active and not be taking any medicines that could affect their blood glucose.

By

V. V. Sathibabu Uddandrao

JRF & Ph. D Research Scholar

Department of Biochemistry

Biochemists at the University of California San Diego have uncovered patterns in the outer protein coat of group AStreptococcus that could finally lead to a vaccine against these highly infectious bacteria -- responsible for more than 500,000 deaths a year, including toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis or "flesh-eating disease.

By

Mrs. K. Pavithra

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry

The level of vitamin D in our blood should neither be too high nor to low. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen are the first in the world to show that there is a connection between high levels of vitamin D and cardiovascular deaths.

By

Mrs. K. Pavithra

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry

Memory activation before exposure reduces life-long fear of spiders

Studies show that up to 30 per cent of all people suffer an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety leads to great suffering for those affected, but can be treated with exposure therapy, in which the patient is gradually exposed to the object or context that provokes the reactions. If exposure therapy is successful, a new 'safe' memory is formed, which overshadows the old fear memory. But not everyone is helped by this treatment, in part because the learning that takes place during the treatment is not permanent; the memory may return at some point later on after an initially successful exposure. Memory researchers have now demonstrated that the improvement can be made more lasting. When a person is reminded of something, the memory becomes unstable and is re-saved. If you disrupt the re-saving of the memory, so-called reconsolidation, the creation of the memory can be disrupted and the memory that is saved can be changed. A fear memory could thus be weakened or erased, and this offers hope for improved treatment of anxiety disorders. But until now there has been doubt if this would be possible because older and stronger memories have proven to be difficult to disrupt.

In a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers from Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now for the first time shown that it is possible to use this method to reduce fear in life-long phobias. The researchers exposed individuals with arachnophobia to spider pictures while measuring their brain activity in the amygdala, a part of the brain that is strongly linked to fear. They found that an activation of the fear memory, consisting of a mini-exposure 10 minutes before a more extensive exposure, led to significantly reduced amygdala activity when the subjects looked at the spider pictures again the following day. Because the memory is made unstable before exposure and re-saved in its weakened form, the fear does not return as easily. The day after exposure, the group that received an initial activation of their spider fear showed reduced amygdala activity in comparison with a control group. Avoidance of spiders also decreased, which could be predicted from the degree of amygdala activation. 'It is striking that such a simple manipulation so clearly affects brain activity and behaviour. A simple modification of existing treatments could possibly improve effects. This would mean more people getting rid of their anxieties after treatment and fewer relapses,' says Johannes Björkstrand, PhD student at the Department of Psychology, Uppsala University.

By

Chandrasekharan

III B.Sc

Department of Biochemistry