Immuno-Modulatory Effect and Therapeutic Potential of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brugia malayi</Emphasis> Cystatin in Experimentally Induced Arthritis

Helminths are known to modulate host’s immune system and understanding this modulation can help in identification of novel therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases. In this study, we have assessed the immune-modulatory activity and the therapeutic effect of Brugia malayi recombinant cystatin (rBmCys) in methylated BSA (mBSA) induced arthritis using rodent model. Administration of rBmCys has suppressed the severity of mBSA-arthritis in mastomys by reducing paw swelling and other clinical disease parameters as evident from significantly decreased arthritic index. The anti-arthritic effect of rBmCys was also confirmed by decreased histopathological score for synovitis, bone erosion and fibrosis in the tissue sections of paws. Further, this therapeutic effect of cystatin was found to be associated with significantly decreased production of IFN-γ and TNF-α and increased release of IL-4 and IL-10 cytokines. These results implied that rBmCys treatment has alleviated mBSA-induced arthritis and thus can be a promising alternative agent for the treatment of arthritis.     

Electromagnetic field exposure as a plausible approach to enhance the proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in clinically relevant scenarios

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell(MSC)-based therapy has been regarded as one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in the history of modern medicine owing to its myriad of immunoregulatory and regenerative properties.With the rapid progress in the fields of osteo-and musculoskeletal therapies,the demand for MSC-based treatment modalities is becoming increasingly prominent.In this endeavor,researchers around the world have devised new and innovative techniques to support the proliferation of MSCs while minimizing the loss of hallmark features of stem cells.One such example is electromagnetic field(EMF)exposure,which is an alternative approach with promising potential.In this review,we present a critical discourse on the efficiency,practicability,and limitations of some of the relevant methods,with insurmountable evidence backing the implementation of EMF as a feasible strategy for the clinically relevant expansion of MSCs.     

Roll control using discrete-time robust sliding hyperplanes and fast output sampling

Robustness to unmatched parametric uncertainty is prime requirement of roll control algorithm, especially when it is modelled in discrete time domain and implemented through on-board processor. Sliding mode control is a well established nonlinear control technique, which ensures a robust performance in presence of matched uncertainties and disturbances. In case of the discrete version of sliding mode control, due to finite operational sampling frequency, the system trajectories cannot be forced to slide on the switching manifold. The trajectories remain confined to certain domain around the sliding surface and this is known as Quasi Sliding Mode (QSM) motion. The bound of QSM decides the accuracy and performance of the discrete version of sliding mode. By design, the discrete-time sliding modes are robust to the matched bounded perturbations, however, unmatched perturbations directly affect the boundary layer width and hence the performance of the system. In the present paper, discrete time Lyapunov inequality based sliding hyperplane is designed, which enables robustness to unmatched perturbations arising due to uncertain system matrix A. Further, the requirement of full state-vector for the design of control and sliding surface is met through the multi-rate output feedback (MROF). This control strategy is then demonstrated with application to roll position control of missile with a bandwidth limited actuator.     

Alkaline Phosphatase: An Overview

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP; E.C.3.I.3.1.) is an ubiquitous membrane-bound glycoprotein that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters at basic pH values. Alkaline phosphatase is divided into four isozymes depending upon the site of tissue expression that are Intestinal ALP, Placental ALP, Germ cell ALP and tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase or liver/bone/kidney (L/B/K) ALP. The intestinal and placental ALP loci are located near the end of long arm of chromosome 2 and L/B/K ALP is located near the end of the short arm of chromosome 1. Although ALPs are present in many mammalian tissues and have been studied for the last several years still little is known about them. The bone isoenzyme may be involved in mammalian bone calcification and the intestinal isoenzyme is thought to play a role in the transport of phosphate into epithelial cells of the intestine. In this review, we tried to provide an overview about the various forms, structure and functions of alkaline phosphatase with special focus on liver/bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase.     

Steven Vogel (1940–2015)

Steven Vogel was a pinoneer in applying principles of mechanics to diverse living systems. This article first provides a brief overview of his career. It then reviews the concepts of Péclet number and Reynolds number which are helpful in appreciating the Classics article by Vogel reproduced in this issue.