Background: Periodontitis is a polymicrobial, chronic inflammatory disease leading to loss of tooth-supporting structures. The bacteremia, endotoxemia, and systemic low-grade inflammation associate periodontitis with systemic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. Periodontal pathogens have been detected from atheromatous plaque by amplification of the genetic material by using specific oligonucleotide primers in polymerase chain reaction. Though the association between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases has been ascertained by systematic reviews and meta-analyses, its pathophysiology is not lucid. MicroRNAs are currently implicated in the regulation of many cellular processes including inflammation and may play a vital role in our understanding of this disease association. In this casecontrol study, we explored the role of the inflammatory microRNA, miR-146a, in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) subjects with and without chronic periodontitis (CP) and its regulation of the innate immune host response to periodontal pathogens.Methods: Three groups each comprising 66 patients each, namely group 1 (ACS patients without CP), group 2 (ACS patients with CP) and group 3 (CP only) formed the study population. Subgingival plaque samples and serum samples were subjected to quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) for detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a keystone pathogen and to assess the levels of circulating miR-146a and associated proinflammatory cytokines.Results: miR-146a associated significantly in group 2 subjects with an odds ratio 1.434, 95% confidence interval 1.013-2.030, P < 0.042, and a predictive percentage of 83.3% and group 1 with a predictive percentage of 76.0.% The associated cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-, and IL-1 also showed an upregulation with statistical significance (P < 0.05).Conclusion: microRNA-146a is a key molecule associating periodontitis with acute coronary syndrome. K E Y W O R D Sacute coronary syndrome, chronic inflammation, chronic periodontitis, immune subversion, miR-146a, Porphyromonas gingivalis756

Plumbagin (5‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐1,4‐napthoquinone) is a bicyclic naphthoquinone, found in three major plant families viz. Plumbaginaceae, Ebenceae and Droseraceae. The phytochemical is reported to exhibit various pharmacological properties. In this study, plumbagin isolated from Plumbago zeylanica L. was investigated for its in vitro activity against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Against 100 MRSA isolates that included multi‐drug‐resistant phenotypes, plumbagin showed consistent activity with a narrow minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range of 4–8 μg ml−1. The time‐kill study revealed 99% kill of a reference MRSA strain, 8 h after exposure to plumbagin. In the combination MIC study using the reference MRSA strain, plumbagin showed synergistic effect with ciprofloxacin and piperacillin while additive or indifference effect with other commonly used antibiotics. The transmission electron micrograph of the reference MRSA strain treated with plumbagin confirmed cell wall and cytoplasmic changes. Our results demonstrated potent anti‐MRSA activity of plumbagin which was not impacted by multi‐drug resistance. This is a first ever study that evaluated in vitro anti‐MRSA activity of plumbagin employing large number of MRSA isolates. The findings of this study support the need for the further investigation on this phytochemical agent for therapeutic application. Significance and Impact of the Study This study revealed phytochemical plumbagin's potent and consistent in vitro antibacterial activity against clinically problematic methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) including multi‐drug‐resistant (MDR) phenotypes. The study results support further research to assess the clinical scope of plumbagin.

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Consumption of SFA-rich coconut for 3 months had no significant deleterious effect on erythrocytes or lipid-related factors compared to groundnut consumption. On the contrary, there was an increase in the anti-atherogenic HDL levels and anti-inflammatory precursor DGLA in erythrocyte lipids. This suggests that coconut consumption may not have any deleterious effects on cardiovascular risk in normal subjects.