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Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common invasive malignancy for men in the USA. The incidence and mortality rates of PCa are significantly higher among African American men, as compared to those in Caucasian men. Betulinic acid (BA) is a penta-cyclic triterpenoid that is often found in the bark of several species of plants. It possesses a variety of biological activities, including anti-cancer activities. We examined the cytotoxic effects and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by BA and its ionic derivatives with PCa cells derived from African Americans and Caucasian men. The viability of all PCa cells was reduced by the BA compounds, and the cytotoxicity of these BA compounds was independent of ethnicity and androgen dependency. The BA compounds induced modest effects on ER stress proteins when compared with ER stress inducers, tunicamycin and thapsigargin. The induction of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) was largely correlated with the expression of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and cleaved poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase (PARP)/caspase-3 in the PCa cells. In summary, our data demonstrated that BA compounds impaired the growth of PCa cells regardless of ethnicity – through GRP78- and CHOP-independent pathways.

Flock health monitoring program is an important system, used in the poultry industry worldwide to minimize the production cost, detect clinical and subclinical diseases and acquire data to make comparisons among the farms and identify the future research area. The present study was aimed to investigate the broiler health status through a flock health monitoring program using the lesion scoring method. For this purpose, a total of 540 broiler birds were collected from four different places from January to December 2017 and necropsied. Five body systems including gastrointestinal, respiratory, immune, skeletal, and integumentary were monitored with their 33 parameters during the study period. All the scores obtained from different parameters were analyzed and summarized. Among the body systems, lesion scores percentages were more prevalent in the parameters of the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and immune systems. Regarding age groups, 2nd (0-84.4%) and 3rd weeks (0- 78.3%) had most of lesion scores percentage compared to 4th weeks (0-70.6%). With respect to season, lesion scores percentages were highest in summer (0-87.2%) and winter season (0-76.7%) respectively than monsoon season (0- 68.3%). Based on different scores, zero was scored by the most number of birds ranged from 22.6-100%, while one was scored in 0-66.9%, two in 0- 15.2%, three in 0-5.9%, and four in 0-0.4% of birds, respectively. Flock health monitoring program is a mirror of flock health status that can be a great alternative for the poultry industry and manager. Thus, the flock monitoring program mainly emphasizes poultry health which can be a good approach for future disease prevention.

Type of Study: This is a prospective study in a district level teaching from 1sr march 2003 to December 2008. The sample size was n - 500. All Patients were evaluated with history, clinical examination and allied investigations. As per selection criteria we did TURP and each patient was followed up to six months. Purpose & Importance of TURP: It has been established that open prostatectomy has got higher morbidity than that of transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). The shorter hospital stay, early institution to working place, minimum blood loss, and acceptable financial involvement makes it excellent patient's compliance. Method: The prospective studies include n - 500 cases of LUTS predominately obstructive voiding symptoms. After evaluation & fulfilling the selection criteria standard TURP were done in all cases. Result: The mean Q max improved in n - 476 cases (from 6.68 ml/ sec. to 17.47ml/second) in early post-operative period. Among others most of the cases improved within 06 months. Some of the cases (0.25%) needs secondary procedure for late complications like stricture urethra. Erectile dysfunction was not a major problem in our series. Death noticed in two cases in post operative ward due to cardiogenic shock. Conclusion: The outcome of the present study has been compared with other studies and it appears that TURP is an excellent minimally invasive procedure for the management of symptomatic BPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various photo-curable formulations were developed to improve the crust leather surfaces. Aromatic urethane diacrylate oligomer, four diacrylate monomers such as tripropylene glycoldiacrylate, 1,4 butanedioldiacrylate, 1,6 hexanedioldiacrylate, and ethyleneglycoldimethylacrylate (EGDMA) and three types of co-monomers like 2-ethylhexylacrylate (EHA), ethylacrylate, and methyl acrylate (MA) and photoinitiator Irgcure-369 were used to prepare different polymer formulations. The composition of the formulations are oligomer:monomer:co-monomer:photoinitiator=50:24:24:2. Thin polymer films were prepared using these prepared formulations under different radiation intensities. Among all the formulations MA+EGDMA containing formulations showed better properties. Leather surface was cured with these formulations and the cured surfaces were characterized. Improved tensile strength (58%) and elongation at break (35%) of the cured leather were observed with EHA+EGDMA containing formulations. Water uptake, gloss both 60 and 20°, abrasion resistance, and adhesion of the cured leather were studied. Simulating weathering effect on gloss of the leather was also performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Numerous structurally unrelated drugs, including antipsychotics, can prolong QT interval and trigger the acquired long QT syndrome (aLQTS). All of them are thought to act at the level of KCNH2, a subunit of the potassium channel. Although the QT-prolonging drugs are proscribed in the subjects with aLQTS, the individual response to diverse QT-prolonging drugs may vary substantially. Case presentation We report here a case of aLQTS in response to small doses of risperidone that was confirmed at three independent drug challenges in the absence of other QT-prolonging drugs. On the other hand, the patient did not respond with QT prolongation to some other antipsychotics. In particular, the administration of clozapine, known to be associated with higher QT-prolongation risk than risperidone, had no effect on QT-length. A detailed genetic analysis revealed no mutations or polymorphisms in KCNH2, KCNE1, KCNE2, SCN5A and KCNQ1 genes. Conclusions Our observation suggests that some patients may display a selective aLQTS to a single antipsychotic, without a potassium channel-related genetic substrate. Contrasting with the idea of a common target of the aLQTS-triggerring drugs, our data suggests existence of an alternative target protein, which unlike the KCNH2 would be drug-selective.

Aim: Brugada syndrome is an inherited cardiac disease with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Thus far Brugada syndrome has been linked only to mutations in SCN5A, the gene encoding the α-subunit of cardiac Na+ channel. In this study, a novel SCN5A gene mutation (D1714G) is reported, which has been found in a 57-year-old male patient. Since the mutation is located in a segment of the ion-conducting pore of the cardiac Na+ channel, which putatively determines ion selectivity, it may affect ion selectivity properties. Methods: HEK-293 cells were transfected with wild-type (WT) or D1714G α-subunit and β-subunit cDNA. Whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique was used to study biophysical properties at room temperature (21 °C) and physiological temperature (36 °C). This study represents the first measurements of human Na+ channel kinetics at 36 °C. Ion selectivity, current density, and gating properties of WT and D1714G channel were studied. Results: D1714G channel yielded nearly 80% reduction of Na+ current density at 21 and 36 °C. At both temperatures, no significant changes were observed in V1/2 values and slope factors for voltage-dependent activation and inactivation. At 36 °C, but not at 21 °C, D1714G channel exhibited more slow inactivation compared with WT channel. Ion selectivity properties were not affected by the mutation at both temperatures, as assessed by either current or permeability ratio. Conclusion: This study shows no changes in ion selectivity properties of D1714G channel. However, the profoundly decreased current density associated with the D1714G mutation may explain the Brugada syndrome phenotype in our patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the spectrum and prevalence of "background genetic noise" in the arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC) genetic test and to determine genetic associations that can guide the interpretation of a positive test result.Background: ARVC is a potentially lethal genetic cardiovascular disorder characterized by myocyte loss and fibrofatty tissue replacement of the right ventricle. Genetic variation among the ARVC susceptibility genes has not been systematically examined, and little is known about the background noise associated with the ARVC genetic test.Methods: Using direct deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing, the coding exons/splice junctions of PKP2, DSP, DSG2, DSC2, and TMEM43 were genotyped for 93 probands diagnosed with ARVC from the Netherlands and 427 ostensibly healthy controls of various ethnicities. Eighty-two additional ARVC cases were obtained from published reports, and additional mutations were included from the ARVD/C Genetic Variants Database.Results: The overall yield of mutations among ARVC cases was 58% versus 16% in controls. Radical mutations were hosted by 0.5% of control individuals versus 43% of ARVC cases, while 16% of controls hosted missense mutations versus a similar 21% of ARVC cases. Relative to controls, mutations in cases occurred more frequently in non-Caucasians, localized to the N-terminal regions of DSP and DSG2, and localized to highly conserved residues within PKP2 and DSG2.Conclusions: This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate genetic variation in healthy controls for the ARVC susceptibility genes. Radical mutations are high-probability ARVC-associated mutations, whereas rare missense mutations should be interpreted in the context of race and ethnicity, mutation location, and sequence conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]