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This article conceptualizes the everyday existential crisis of man, nature, including the planetary life as bioprecarity. It looks at the neoliberal capitalist economy that renders bios precarious. The bios incudes humans, more-than-humans, and natural resources in the Global South, available for value-generation of a select few. The article argues that disposability of bios triggers and expands neoliberal economy, thus turning entire life forms on the planet precarious. This horrendous task of erasing life-sustaining conditions and strengthening value-generation process can be abundantly found in Ambikasutan Mangad’s novel, Swarga (2017), which narrates the precarious man-nature relationship as a result of the extractive forces of neoliberalism. In the last section of the article, I turn to Phillip E Wegner’s conceptualization of “close-critical reading” paradigm as a poetics of hope in these dark times, thus highlighting how hope nourishes the fight of Enmakaje people against the capital-state complex.

Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEV) hold non-invasive RNA biomarkers for genitourinary tract diseases. However, missing knowledge about reference genes and effects of preanalytical choices hinder biomarker studies. We aimed to assess how preanalytical variables (urine storage temperature, isolation workflow) affect diabetic kidney disease (DKD)—linked miRNAs or kidney—linked miRNAs and mRNAs (kidney-RNAs) in uEV isolates and to discover stable reference mRNAs across diverse uEV datasets. We studied nine raw and normalized sequencing datasets including healthy controls and individuals with prostate cancer or type 1 diabetes with or without albuminuria. We focused on kidney-RNAs reviewing literature for DKD-linked miRNAs from kidney tissue, cell culture and uEV/urine experiments. RNAs were analyzed by expression heatmaps, hierarchical clustering and selecting stable mRNAs with normalized counts (>200) and minimal coefficient of variation. Kidney-RNAs were decreased after urine storage at −20 °C vs. −80 °C. Isolation workflows captured kidney-RNAs with different efficiencies. Ultracentrifugation captured DKD -linked miRNAs that separated healthy and diabetic macroalbuminuria groups. Eleven mRNAs were stably expressed across the datasets. Hence, pre-analytical choices had variable effects on kidney-RNAs—analyzing kidney-RNAs complemented global correlation, which could fade differences in some relevant RNAs. Replicating prior DKD-marker results and discovery of candidate reference mRNAs encourages further uEV biomarker studies.

Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEV) hold non-invasive RNA biomarkers for genitourinary tract diseases. However, missing knowledge about reference genes and effects of pre-analytical choices hinder biomarker studies. We aimed to assess how pre-analytical variables (urine storage temperature, isolation workflow) affect diabetic kidney disease (DKD) -linked miRNAs or kidney -linked miRNAs and mRNAs (kidney-RNAs) in uEV isolates and to discover stable reference mRNAs across diverse uEV datasets. We studied nine raw and normalized sequencing datasets including healthy controls and individuals with prostate cancer or type 1 diabetes with or without albuminuria. We focused on kidney-RNAs reviewing literature for DKD-linked miRNAs from kidney tissue, cell culture and uEV/urine experiments. RNAs were analyzed by expression heatmaps, hierarchical clustering and selecting stable mRNAs with normalized counts (>200) and minimal coefficient of variation. Kidney-RNAs were decreased after urine storage at -20°C vs -80°C. Isolation workflows captured kidney-RNAs with different efficiencies. Ultracentrifugation captured DKD -linked miRNAs that separated healthy and diabetic macroalbuminuria groups. Eleven mRNAs were stably expressed across the datasets. Hence, preanalytical choices had variable effects on kidney-RNAs – analyzing kidney-RNAs complemented global correlation, which could fade differences in some relevant RNAs. Replicating prior DKD-marker results and discovery of candidate reference mRNAs encourages further uEV biomarker studies.

Type 2 diabetes has been reproducibly clustered into five subtypes with different disease progression and risk of complications; however, etiological differences are unknown. We used genome-wide association and genetic risk score (GRS) analysis to compare the underlying genetic drivers. Individuals from the Swedish ANDIS (All New Diabetics In Scania) study were compared to individuals without diabetes; the Finnish DIREVA (Diabetes register in Vasa) and Botnia studies were used for replication. We show that subtypes differ with regard to family history of diabetes and association with GRS for diabetes-related traits. The severe insulin-resistant subtype was uniquely associated with GRS for fasting insulin but not with variants in the TCF7L2 locus or GRS reflecting insulin secretion. Further, an SNP (rs10824307) near LRMDA was uniquely associated with mild obesity-related diabetes. Therefore, we conclude that the subtypes have partially distinct genetic backgrounds indicating etiological differences. Genome-wide association and genetic risk score analyses highlight differences in genetic architecture across five subtypes of diabetes.

As this special issue of the Journal of Postcolonial Writing goes to print, fear of the life-changing and life-taking SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads worldwide faster than the virus itself. The volume’s v...

Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEV) are a topical source of non-invasive biomarkers for health and diseases of the urogenital system. However, several challenges have become evident in the standardization of uEV pipelines from collection of urine to biomarker analysis. Here, we studied the effect of pre-analytical variables and developed means of quality control for uEV isolates to be used in transcriptomic biomarker research. We included urine samples from healthy controls and individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and normo-, micro- or macroalbuminuria and isolated uEV by ultracentrifugation. We studied the effect of storage temperature (-20 degrees C vs. -80 degrees C), time (up to 4 years) and storage format (urine or isolated uEV) on quality of uEV by nanoparticle tracking analysis, electron microscopy, Western blotting and qPCR. Urinary EV RNA was compared in terms of quantity, quality, and by mRNA or miRNA sequencing. To study the stability of miRNA levels in samples isolated by different methods, we created and tested a list of miRNAs commonly enriched in uEV isolates. uEV and their transcriptome were preserved in urine or as isolated uEV even after long-term storage at -80 degrees C. However, storage at -20 degrees C degraded particularly the GC-rich part of the transcriptome and EV protein markers. Transcriptome was preserved in RNA samples extracted with and without DNAse, but read distributions still showed some differences in e.g. intergenic and intronic reads. MiRNAs commonly enriched in uEV isolates were stable and concordant between different EV isolation methods. Analysis of never frozen uEV helped to identify surface characteristics of particles by EM. In addition to uEV, qPCR assays demonstrated that uEV isolates commonly contained polyoma viruses. Based on our results, we present recommendations how to store and handle uEV isolates for transcriptomics studies that may help to expedite standardization of the EV biomarker field.

Satyajit Ray’s films are enriched with ideological concerns and engage with the issues of colonialism and the crisis of nationhood. His post 1970 films present an artist’s anguished response to the betrayal of the Nehruvian dream and to the anachronism of his own cherished values. It was also in this period that Ray turned to India’s colonial past and critiqued the dynamics of power relations. This essay studies how Shatranj ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1980) assesses the reasons for colonization of India and its culture by the Britishers and how, in Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973), he criticized the Raj, the mercenaries and the complexities in Indian society where he denounces the Bengal Famine of former times. Las películas de Satyajit Ray muestran su perfil ideológico e interpelan a las temáticas del colonialismo y la crisis de nacionalidad. Las películas que dirigió después de 1970 muestran la respuesta ansiosa que suponía la traición a los valores de Nehru y el anacronismo de los valores que Ray consideraba necesarios. En este período Ray también investigó el pasado colonial de India y denunció la dinámica de las relaciones de poder que existieron. Este ensayo estudia cómo Shatranj ke Khilari (Los jugadores de ajedrez, 1980) evalúa las razones culturales por las que India fue colonizada por Reino Unido y, en Ashani Sanket (Trueno distante, 1973), critica el Raj, los que cometieron crímenes despiadados y las complejidades de la sociedad india de la época, arremetiendo especialmente contra las condiciones que desencadenaros la Hambruna en Bengala.

Urinary Extracellular Vesicles (uEV) have emerged as a source for biomarkers of kidney damage, holding potential to replace the conventional invasive techniques including kidney biopsy. However, comprehensive studies characterizing uEV isolation methods with patient samples are rare. Here we compared performance of three established uEV isolation workflows for their subsequent use in transcriptomics analysis for biomarker discovery in diabetic kidney disease. We collected urine samples from individuals with type 1 diabetes with macroalbuminuria and healthy controls. We isolated uEV by Hydrostatic Filtration Dialysis (HFD), ultracentrifugation (UC), and a commercial kit- based isolation method (NG), each with different established urine clearing steps. Purified EVs were analysed by electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and Western blotting. Isolated RNAs were subjected to miRNA and RNA sequencing. HFD and UC samples showed close similarities based on mRNA sequencing data. NG samples had a lower number of reads and different mRNA content compared to HFD or UC. For miRNA sequencing data, satisfactory miRNA counts were obtained by all methods, but miRNA contents differed slightly. This suggests that the isolation workflows enrich specific subpopulations of miRNA-rich uEV preparation components. Our data shows that HFD,UC and the kit-based method are suitable methods to isolate uEV for miRNA-seq. However, only HFD and UC were suitable for mRNA-seq in our settings.

Type 2 diabetes has been reproducibly clustered into five subtypes with different disease progression and risk of complications; however, etiological differences are unknown. We used genome-wide association and genetic risk score (GRS) analysis to compare the underlying genetic drivers. Individuals from the Swedish ANDIS (All New Diabetics In Scania) study were compared to individuals without diabetes; the Finnish DIREVA (Diabetes register in Vasa) and Botnia studies were used for replication. We show that subtypes differ with regard to family history of diabetes and association with GRS for diabetes-related traits. The severe insulin-resistant subtype was uniquely associated with GRS for fasting insulin but not with variants in the TCF7L2 locus or GRS reflecting insulin secretion. Further, an SNP (rs10824307) near LRMDA was uniquely associated with mild obesity-related diabetes. Therefore, we conclude that the subtypes have partially distinct genetic backgrounds indicating etiological differences.

BackgroundType 2 diabetes (T2D) is a multi-organ disease defined by hyperglycemia resulting from different disease mechanisms. Using clinical parameters measured at diagnosis (age, BMI, HbA1c, HOMA2-B, HOMA2-IR and GAD autoantibodies) adult patients with diabetes have been reproducibly clustered into five subtypes, that differed clinically with respect to disease progression and outcomes.1 In this study we use genetic information to investigate if these subtypes have distinct underlying genetic drivers.MethodsGenome-wide association (GWAS) and genetic risk score (GRS) analysis was performed in Swedish (N=12230) and Finnish (N=4631) cohorts. Family history was recorded by questionnaires.ResultsSevere insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD) and mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD) groups had the strongest family history of T2D. A GRS including known T2D loci was strongly associated with SIDD (OR per 1 SD increment [95% CI]=1.959 [1.814-2.118]), MOD (OR 1.726 [1.607-1.855]) and mild age-related diabetes (MARD) (OR 1.771 [1.671-1.879]), whereas it was less strongly associated with severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD, OR 1.244 [1.157-1.337]), which was similar to severe autoimmune diabetes (SAID, OR 1.282 [1.160-1.418]). SAID showed strong association with the GRS for T1D, whereas the non-autoimmune subtype SIDD was most strongly associated with the GRS for insulin secretion rate (P−9). SIRD showed no association with variants in TCF7L2 or any GRS reflecting insulin secretion. Instead, only SIRD was associated with GRS for fasting insulin (P=3.10×10−8). Finally, a T2D locus, rs10824307 near the ZNF503 gene was uniquely associated with MOD (ORmeta=1.266 (1.170-1.369), P=4.3×10−9).ConclusionsNew diabetes subtypes have partially different genetic backgrounds and subtype-specific risk loci can be identified. Especially the SIRD subtype stands out by having lower heritability and less involvement of beta-cell related pathways in its pathogenesis.Research in contextEvidence before this studyIn March 2018 we suggested a novel subclassification of diabetes into five subtypes. This classification was based on clustering using clinical parameters commonly measured at diabetes diagnosis (age at diabetes onset, HbA1c, bodymass index, presence of GAD autoantibodies and HOMA2 indices for insulin resistance and secretion). These subtypes differed with respect to clinical characteristics, disease progression and risk of complications, but it remained unclear to what extent these subtypes have different underlying pathologies. In our original publication we analysed a small set of genetic risk variants for diabetes and found differential associations between subtypes, suggesting potential aetiological differences.Added value of this studyIn this study we have conducted a full genome analysis of the original ANDIS cohort, including genome-wide association studies and polygenic risk score analysis with replication in an independent cohort. We have also compared heritability and prevalence of having a family history of diabetes in the subtypes.Implications of all the available evidenceWe demonstrate that stratification into subtypes facilitates identification of genetic risk loci and that the aetiology of the subtypes is at least partially distinct. These results are especially important for the future study and treatment of individuals belonging to the severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) subtype, whose pathogenesis appears to differ substantially from that of traditional T2D.

Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is an endogenous inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase that modulates lipid levels, coronary atherosclerosis risk, and nutrient partitioning. We hypothesize that loss of ANGPTL4 function might improve glucose homeostasis and decrease risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigate protein-altering variants in ANGPTL4 among 58,124 participants in the DiscovEHR human genetics study, with follow-up studies in 82,766 T2D cases and 498,761 controls. Carriers of p.E40K, a variant that abolishes ANGPTL4 ability to inhibit lipoprotein lipase, have lower odds of T2D (odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.85–0.92, p = 6.3 × 10−10), lower fasting glucose, and greater insulin sensitivity. Predicted loss-of-function variants are associated with lower odds of T2D among 32,015 cases and 84,006 controls (odds ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.49–0.99, p = 0.041). Functional studies in Angptl4-deficient mice confirm improved insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. In conclusion, genetic inactivation of ANGPTL4 is associated with improved glucose homeostasis and reduced risk of T2D., Genetic variation in ANGPTL4 is associated with lipid traits. Here, the authors find that predicted loss-of-function variants in ANGPTL4 are associated with glucose homeostasis and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and that Angptl4−/− mice on a high-fat diet show improved insulin sensitivity.

Background: Carriers of the transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 E167K gene variant (TM6SF2(EK/KK)) have decreased expression of the TM6SF2 gene and increased risk of NAFLD and NASH. Unlike common 'obese/metabolic' NAFLD, these subjects lack hypertriglyceridemia and have lower risk of cardiovascular disease. In animals, phosphatidylcholine (PC) deficiency results in a similar phenotype. PCs surround the core of VLDL consisting of triglycerides (TGs) and cholesteryl-esters (CEs). We determined the effect of the TM6SF2 E167K on these lipids in the human liver and serum and on hepatic gene expression and studied the effect of TM6SF2 knockdown on hepatocyte handling of these lipids. Methods: Liver biopsies were taken from subjects characterized with respect to the TM6SF2 genotype, serum and liver lipidome, gene expression and histology. In vitro, after TM6SF2 knockdown in HuH-7 cells, we compared incorporation of different fatty acids into TGs, CEs, and PCs. Results: The TM6SF2(EK/KK) and TM6SF2EE groups had similar age, gender, BMI and HOMA-IR. Liver TGs and CEs were higher and liver PCs lower in the TM6SF2(EK/KK) than the TM6SF2EE group (p Conclusions: Hepatic lipid synthesis from PUFAs is impaired and could contribute to deficiency in PCs and increased intrahepatic TG in TM6SF2 E167K variant carriers. (C) 2017 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A rare loss-of-function allele p.Arg138* in SLC30A8 encoding the zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8), which is enriched in Western Finland, protects against type 2 diabetes (T2D). We recruited relatives of the identified carriers and showed that protection was associated with better insulin secretion due to enhanced glucose responsiveness and proinsulin conversion, particularly when compared with individuals matched for the genotype of a common T2D-risk allele in SLC30A8, p.Arg325. In genome-edited human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived β-like cells, we establish that the p.Arg138* allele results in reduced SLC30A8 expression due to haploinsufficiency. In human β cells, loss of SLC30A8 leads to increased glucose responsiveness and reduced KATP channel function similar to isolated islets from carriers of the T2D-protective allele p.Trp325. These data position ZnT8 as an appealing target for treatment aimed at maintaining insulin secretion capacity in T2D.

The majority of valuable compounds used worldwide are produced by chemical synthesis at very low cost, though consumers prefer to natural compounds because of their health awareness in daily life. Ferulic acid is one of the most valuable compounds having widespread application in various fields such as in baking, cosmetic, beverage and pharma industries, also used as a raw material for the production of vanillin, the most flavouring compound. Ferulic acid esterase is the enzyme that hydrolyzes the ester bond between the ferulic acid and polysaccharides present in plant cell wall and release ferulic acid from agro residues. The production of ferulic acid esterase activity by strains was detected in agar plate assay. The assay involves ethyl ferulate as a sole carbon source in specific media. Of the examined strains Aspergillus oryzae (NCIM 1212) showed the highest level of ferulic acid esterase activity 281 U/mg at the optimum pH and temperature of 5.5 and 35°C. Supplementation of soyabean meal (0.75%) as nitrogen source and sucrose (0.1%) as additional carbon source favored enzyme production.

Obesity involves alterations in transcriptional programs that can change in response to genetic and environmental signals through chromatin modifications. Since chromatin modifications involve different biochemical, neurological and molecular signaling pathways related to energy homeostasis, we hypothesize that genetic variations in chromatin modifier genes can predispose to obesity. Here, we assessed the associations between 179 variants in 35 chromatin modifier genes and overweight/obesity in 1283 adolescents (830 normal weight and 453 overweight/obese). This was followed up by the replication analysis of associated signals (18 variants in 8 genes) in 2247 adolescents (1709 normal weight and 538 overweight/obese). Our study revealed significant associations of two variants rs6598860 (OR = 1.27, P = 1.58 × 10–4) and rs4589135 (OR = 1.22, P = 3.72 × 10–4) in ARID1A with overweight/obesity. We also identified association of rs3804562 (β = 0.11, P = 1.35 × 10–4) in KAT2B gene with BMI. In conclusion, our study suggests a potential role of ARID1A and KAT2B genes in the development of obesity in adolescents and provides leads for further investigations.

Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes–associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.31; P = 3.32 × 10−9). Imputation analysis refined the signal to rs998451 (odds ratio 1.56; P = 6.3 × 10−12) within TMEM163 that encodes a probable vesicular transporter in nerve terminals. TMEM163 variants also showed association with decreased fasting plasma insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, indicating a plausible effect through impaired insulin secretion. The 2q21 region also harbors RAB3GAP1 and ACMSD; those are involved in neurologic disorders. Forty-nine of 56 previously reported signals showed consistency in direction with similar effect sizes in Indians and previous studies, and 25 of them were also associated (P < 0.05). Known loci and the newly identified 2q21 locus altogether explained 7.65% variance in the risk of T2D in Indians. Our study suggests that common susceptibility variants for T2D are largely the same across populations, but also reveals a population-specific locus and provides further insights into genetic architecture and etiology of T2D.

Common variants near melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene are shown to be associated with adiposity but have varied effects in different age groups. Among Indians, studies have shown association of these variants with obesity in adults, but their association in children is yet to be confirmed. We evaluated association of rs17782313 and rs12970134 near MC4R with adiposity and related traits in Indians including 1362 children and 4077 adults (consisting of 2049 diabetic and 2028 nondiabetic adult subjects). Both variants rs17782313 and rs12970134 showed strong association with adiposity measures (weight, body mass index and waist circumference) in children (P-range 7.6 × 10(-5)-3.8 × 10(-12)) and nominal association in nondiabetic adults (P-range 0.05-0.003). Effect sizes on adiposity measures in children (β range 0.22-0.26 Z-score) were ~3-fold higher compared with adults (β range 0.06-0.08). The minor alleles of both variants showed borderline association (P-range 0.08-0.04) with risk of type 2 diabetes in adults. Meta-analysis of rs12970134 in12 000 Indian adults corroborated its association with adiposity (P≤2.2 × 10(-9)), homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (P=4.0 × 10(-5)) and type 2 diabetes (P=0.003) with only moderate heterogeneity, suggesting similar effect on adult Indians residing in different geographical regions. In conclusion, the study demonstrates association of variants near MC4R with obesity and related traits in Indian children and adults, with higher impact during childhood.

Variants in genes involved in pancreatic β-cell development and function are known to cause monogenic forms of type 2 diabetes and are also associated with complex form. In this study, we studied the genetic association of polymorphisms in such important genes with type 2 diabetes in the high-risk Indians. We genotyped 91 polymorphisms in 19 genes (ABCC8, HNF1A, HNF1B, HNF4A, INS, INSM1, ISL1, KCNJ11, MAFA, MNX1, NEUROD1, NEUROG3, NKX2.2, NKX6.1, PAX4, PAX6, PDX1, USF1 and WFS1) in 2025 unrelated North Indians of Indo-European ethnicity comprising of 1019 diabetic and 1006 non-diabetic subjects. HNF4A promoter P2 polymorphisms rs1884613 and rs2144908, which are in high linkage disequilibrium, showed significant association with type 2 diabetes (odds ratio (OR)=1.37 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-1.57), P=9.4 × 10(-6) for rs1884613 and OR=1.37 (95%CI 1.20-1.57), P=6.0 × 10(-6) for rs2144908), as previously shown in other populations. We observed body mass index-dependent association of these variants with type 2 diabetes in normal-weight/lean subjects. Variants in USF1, ABCC8, ISL1 and KCNJ11 showed nominal association, while haplotypes in these genes were significantly associated. rs3812704 upstream of NEUROG3 significantly increased risk for type 2 diabetes in normal-weight/lean subjects (OR=1.68 (95%CI 1.25-2.24), P=4.9 × 10(-4)). Thus, pancreatic β-cell development and function genes contribute to susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in North Indians.

OBJECTIVE Common variants in PPARG, KCNJ11, TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, CDKN2A, IGF2BP2, and CDKAL1 genes have been shown to be associated with type 2 diabetes in European populations by genome-wide association studies. We have studied the association of common variants in these eight genes with type 2 diabetes and related traits in Indians by combining the data from two independent case–control studies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We genotyped eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (PPARG-rs1801282, KCNJ11-rs5219, TCF7L2-rs7903146, SLC30A8-rs13266634, HHEX-rs1111875, CDKN2A-rs10811661, IGF2BP2-rs4402960, and CDKAL1-rs10946398) in 5,164 unrelated Indians of Indo-European ethnicity, including 2,486 type 2 diabetic patients and 2,678 ethnically matched control subjects. RESULTS We confirmed the association of all eight loci with type 2 diabetes with odds ratio (OR) ranging from 1.18 to 1.89 (P = 1.6 × 10−3 to 4.6 × 10−34). The strongest association with the highest effect size was observed for TCF7L2 (OR 1.89 [95% CI 1.71–2.09], P = 4.6 × 10−34). We also found significant association of PPARG and TCF7L2 with homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (P = 6.9 × 10−8 and 3 × 10−4, respectively), which looked consistent with recessive and under-dominant models, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our study replicates the association of well-established common variants with type 2 diabetes in Indians and shows larger effect size for most of them than those reported in Europeans.

Six common genetic variants (rs2229094, rs1041981, rs1800630, rs1800629, rs361525, and rs1800610) in the TNF-LTA locus encoding the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and lymphotoxin-α have been shown to be associated with various metabolic traits including susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and increased body mass index (BMI) in Caucasians from different geographic locations and have yielded mixed results. We tested for the association of these variants with type 2 diabetes in North Indians by studying 2,115 participants comprising of 1,073 type 2 diabetes patients and 1,042 controls. We report the association of a promoter region variant of TNF: rs1800630 and non-synonymous LTA variant: rs2229094 with type 2 diabetes [OR = 0.83 (95% CI 0.72–0.95), P = 0.005 and OR = 0.86 (95% CI 0.75–0.98), P = 0.02, respectively]. Although these associations were BMI-dependent, no interactive effect of BMI and variants on type 2 diabetes was detectable. Further, the haplotype carrying all the six major alleles conferred susceptibility to type 2 diabetes [OR = 1.23 (95% CI 1.06–1.42), P = 0.005; P permuted = 0.02], with the effect much enhanced in non-obese subjects [OR = 1.45 (95% CI 1.19–1.78), P = 2 × 10−4: P permuted = 3 × 10−4]. The minor allele of rs2229094 was associated with lower hsCRP, BMI, and waist circumference (WC), while the minor allele of rs1800630 showed association with lower BMI and WC (all P

Here, we examined the association of genetic variants of FOXA2, an upstream activator of the beta-cell transcription factor network, with type 2 diabetes and related phenotypes in North India. We genotyped three SNPs (rs1212275, rs1055080, rs6048205) and the (TCC)( n ) repeat polymorphism in 1,656 participants comprising 1,031 patients with type 2 diabetes and 625 controls. SNPs rs1212275 and rs6048205 were uncommon (MAF5%) with similar distribution among patients and controls. We found a strong association of (TCC)( n ) common allele A5 with type 2 diabetes [OR = 1.66 (95% CI 1.36-2.04, p = 5.9 x 10(-7)) for A5 homozygotes]. Obese individuals with A5A5 genotype had enhanced risk when segregated from normal-weight subjects [OR = 1.92 (95% CI 1.47-2.51), p = 1.6 x 10(-6)]. A5 was also nominally associated with higher fasting glucose (p = 0.02) and lower fasting insulin (p = 0.0028) and C-peptide (p = 0.036) levels among controls. At the rs1055080 locus, GG was found to provide reduced risk among normal-weight subjects [OR = 0.59 (95% CI 0.40-0.88), p = 0.011]. Combination of protective GG and non-risk genotypes of (TCC)( n ) showed reduced risk of type 2 diabetes both among normal-weight [OR = 0.43 (95% CI 0.29-0.65), p = 1.2 x 10(-6)] and obese individuals [0.47 (95% CI 0.34-0.64), p = 4.3 x 10(-5)]. For the first time we demonstrated that FOXA2 variants may affect risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits in North India, however replication analyses in other cohorts are required to confirm the findings.

This chapter examines how Indian metropolitan cities as projected in contemporary Indian Writing in English (IWE) have led to the production of re-Orientalism. Through case studies of Manil Suri’s The City of Devi and Somnath Batabyal’s The Price You Pay, the chapter also analyses how in the recent past Indian cities, such as Bombay/Mumbai, New Delhi, and others, have been projected in post-millennial Indian fiction as sites of struggle, mimicry, and poverty, providing a re-Orientalist coherence and insistent (mis)representation of India’s postcoloniality.