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Status of Fok I VDR polymorphism along with vitamin D, Vitamin D receptor (VDR), and cathelicidin levels in Tuberculosis (TB) patients compared to household contacts and implication of these findings in susceptibility to TB is not known. 150 active TB patients, 150 household contacts and 150 healthy controls were recruited from North Indian population. Fok1 VDR polymorphism was studied by polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).VDR mRNA and protein levels were studied using quantitative real time PCR (q rt PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Cathelicidin and Vitamin D levels were measured using ELISA and chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) respectively. Significant association was found between Fok1 polymorphism and susceptibility to TB (P < 0.0005). VDR mRNA, VDR protein and vitamin D levels were significantly lower in active TB group when compared to household contacts and healthy controls (P < 0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0005 respectively). Cathelicidin levels were higher in active TB patients compared to other groups (P < 0.0001). Expression of VDR and cathelicidin was significantly higher among ‘FF’ genotypes of VDR (more active form of VDR) compared to ‘ff’ genotype (less active form of VDR). ‘f’ allele was associated with increased susceptibility to TB. Higher frequency of ‘F’ allele, increased VDR expression along with increased vitamin D levels in household contacts compared to active TB group might be responsible for protection against active TB.

Wound healing is an orderly process driven by numerous cellular mediators that aim to accelerate it. In skin conditions such as leprosy and psoriasis, Centella asiatica, which contains high amounts of triterpenoid saponins (TSs), has been reported to have beneficial effects. This study examined the effects of TS fraction of the herb on tissue regeneration and excision wound repair in rat skin. Briefly, TS fraction was prepared from C. asiatica and applied on the wound area for 7 consecutive days. The IL-1β, NF-κB, and other biochemical parameters were then estimated, followed by examination of inflammatory cell infiltration, epithelialization, angiogenesis, and general morphology of granulation (wound) tissue by histopathology. Treatment decreased the IL-1β and NF-κB, increased epithelialization and collagen synthesis, and decreased matrix metalloproteinases. Asiatic acid, the active ingredient in the fraction, increased cell viability and inhibited nitrite production in macrophage culture. Taken together, TSs augmented wound healing, which could be due to their effect on cellular mediators involved in the process, thus creating a microenvironment that could promote tissue repair and favor tissue remodeling. The fraction, in addition to its effect on excision wounds in rat skin, is speculated to have a similar role in accidental, surgical, and diabetic wounds.

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This paper presents natural convection in a porous medium bounded by a long vertical wavy wall and a parallel wall. The shape of the wavy wall is assumed to follow a profile of cosine curve. The wall is kept at a constant heat flux while the parallel wall is kept at a constant temperature. The governing systems of nonlinear partial differential equations in their non-dimensional form are linearised by using the perturbation method in terms of amplitude and the analytical solutions for velocity and temperature fields have been obtained in terms of various parameters occurring in the model. A numerical study of the analytical solution is performed with respect to the realistic fluid air in order to illustrate the interactive influences of governing parameters on the temperature and velocity fields as well as skin friction and Nusselt number. It is found that in the case of maximum waviness (positive and negative), the velocity component along the wall has a reverse trend near the flat wall. It is observed that the parallel flow through the channel at zero waviness is greater than at maximum waviness (positive and negative) while the same trend occurs for perpendicular flow in the opposite direction. Examination of the Nusselt number shows that in the presence and absence of a heat source, the heat flows from the porous region towards the walls but in the presence of a sink, the heat flows from the walls into the porous region.

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