No Association of Matrix Metalloproteinase [MMP]-2 (−735C > T) and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase [TIMP]-2 (−418G > C) Gene Polymorphisms with Cervical Cancer Susceptibility

Matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase [TIMP]-2 are emerging as pivotal players in inflammation and carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of MMP-2 (−735C > T) [rs 2285053] and TIMP-2 (−418G > C) [rs 8179090] gene polymorphisms in cervical cancer susceptibility in Indian women. We recruited 200 cervical cancer patients from North India and 200 unrelated, age-matched, cancer-free healthy female controls of similar ethnicity. Genomic DNA extraction from peripheral blood samples, collected from the study subjects, was carried out using salting-out method. MMP-2 and TIMP-2 genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism. Our findings demonstrated no significant association between MMP-2 (−735C > T) and TIMP-2 (−418G > C) gene polymorphisms and the risk of developing cervical cancer in the study population. Further stratified analysis using a case-only study approach revealed that there was no effect of MMP-2/TIMP-2 polymorphisms on early and advanced stages of cervical cancer. Further MMP-2 and TIMP-2 polymorphisms did not modulate the risk in cervical cancer patients who smoked tobacco/cigarettes. Overall, the present study demonstrated a lack of association between MMP-2 and TIMP-2 gene polymorphisms and cervical cancer susceptibility in women of Northern India.     

Existence of three periodic solutions for a nonlinear first order functional differential equation

In this paper, we use Leggett-Williams multiple fixed point theorem to obtain different sufficient conditions for the existence of at least three nonnegative periodic solutions of the first order functional differential equation of the form

y^′(t)=-a(t)y(t)+λf(t,y(h(t))).     

The completeness theorem of Gödel

This is a two-part article giving a brief introduction to mathematical logic. It will culminate in the so-called completeness theorem of Kurt Gödel, which will be proved in the second part.     

G?del’s proof 3. Incompleteness theorems

After presenting the technique developed by G?del to examine questions about a theory such as Number Theory, Set Theory by the theory itself, we present the surprising Incompleteness Theorems of G?del.     

Higher alleles of apolipoprotein B gene 3′ VNTR: Risk for gallstone disease

Background: Imbalance in cholesterol homeostasis may lead to gallstone disease. Apolipoprotein B is sole component of low-density lipoprotein and plays an important role in cholesterol metabolism. The present study was carried out to explore the association of APOB 3′ VNTR, exon 26 XbaI and signal peptide insertion/ deletion polymorphisms with gallstone disease. 214 ultrasonographically proven gallstone patients and 322 healthy, age and sex matched controls were taken for the study. Genotyping was done using PCR followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for VNTR and insertion/ deletion analysis. For APOB XbaI polymorphism PCR product was digested with XbaI restriction enzyme, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS v11.5. Higher repeat alleles of APOB 3′ VNTR polymorphism were more frequent in gallstone patients than in controls. Alleles with more than 57 repeats were present only in patient group. Long (L) alleles with repeat higher than 49, were significantly higher (P=0.000; OR=3.705, 95% CI 2.577–5.326) and medium (M) alleles were lower (P=0.000; OR=0.406, 95% CI 0.304–0.542) in patients than in controls. To nullify the effect of gender, data was further stratified into male and female population. APOB 3′ VNTR, L alleles were imposing risk and M alleles were protective in both male and female population. APOB XbaI and insertion/deletion polymorphisms were not found to be associated with the gallstone disease. Longer alleles of APOB 3′ VNTR occur more frequently in gallstone patients, and may be an important risk factor for the development of gallstone disease. APOB XbaI and signal peptide insertion/deletion polymorphisms may not be contributing to the risk for gallstone disease.     

Prevalence of insulin resistance in first degree relatives of type-2 diabetes mellitus patients: A prospective study in north Indian population

A total of 172 first degree relatives (FDRs) and 178 controls were included in this study. All the cases and controls were subjected to various anthropometric measurements, fasting and postprandial glucose estimation, fasting insulin measurement and fasting lipid profile. Results revealed the prevalence of Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) (cases 37% Vs controls 11.6%), Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) (cases 34.3% Vs controls 11.2%) and diabetes (cases 11.05% controls 3.37%) was significantly higher in first degree relatives. Insulin resistance was measured using various methods, which included fasting plasma insulin (FPI), Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA_IR), insulin sensitivity index (ISI) (Mffm/l). Prevalence of insulin resistance (Insulin Resistance) as observed comparing FPI and HOMA_IR in cases and controls was 43.6% and 11.24% (P=0.005) and 37.8% and 12.47% (P=0.000) respectively. Prevalence of IR (Insulin Resistance) observed in cases having Normal Glucose Tolerance (NGT), Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus measuring FPI Vs HOMA_IR was 37.5% vs 30.2%, 45% vs 40%, 38.98% vs 37.28% and 36.84% vs 31.57% as accordingly. However, ISI (Mffm/l) was not found to be a promising index for IR due to its poor specificity. Though HOMA is taken as gold standard for measurement of IR globally, our study observed fasting plasma insulin representing high sensitivity (89.7%) and specificity (93.3%) as compared to HOMA. Thus FPI had emerged in this work as a simple and reliable test for diagnosing insulin resistance across the population susceptible to develop diabetes including FDRs.     

Preliminary studies on the hypoglycemic effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Peganum harmala</Emphasis> L. Seeds ethanol extract on normal and streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

Peganum harmala L. (Zygophyllaceae) is a traditional medicine used for the treatment of variety of human ailments, including antidepression, hallucination, antileishmaniasis etc. We report for first time the hypoglycemic activity of the ethanolic extract of this plant at two dose levels of 150 and 250mg/kg bw in sucrose challenged normal as well as in rats with streptozotocin induced diabetes. The oral administration of ethanolic extract causes maximum fall of blood glucose level to 22.9% (p<0.05) and 29.4% (p<0.01) respectively with the two doses in normal and 30.3% (p<0.01) and 48.4% (p<0.001) in diabetic rats. The standard drug metformin treated group showed 28.0% (p<0.01) and 45.5% (p<0.001) respectively in normal and diabetic rats. The above results show that the ethanolic extract of P. harmala is as effective as metformin in reducing the blood glucose levels of normoglycemic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.     

Preparing for the inclusive classroom: changing teachers’ attitudes and knowledge

India’s educational policy on inclusive education for students with disabilities is in sync with general global developments. Especially in the last couple of years there have been significant legislative achievements towards this endeavour. However, the implementation of inclusive education remains elusive. Besides this, teachers’ preparedness for inclusion has received little attention. This survey study had two aims. Firstly, we aimed at finding or constructing a reliable instrument to measure three aspects: the attitudes, knowledge about disability and inclusive teaching methods of regular schoolteachers. Secondly, we aimed to describe the outcomes of the three aspects. For attitudes and teaching methods we found a reliable instrument, which was selected for the usage in this study. We constructed and assessed the reliability of a scale in measuring knowledge about four disabilities: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, intellectual disability and autistic spectrum disorder in pilot and main studies. The results revealed that teachers hold neutral attitudes towards inclusive education. Their knowledge about disabilities, however, was low, but knowledge about inclusive teaching methods was acceptable, which was a significant finding. The practical implications for preparing teachers to work towards inclusion are also discussed.