SummaryEvaluation of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genes in 54 cases of tuberculoid leprosy (TL) and 44 controls has shown a positive association with HLA-DRB1 alleles that contain Arg 13 or Arg7~ 71. Among TL patients, 87% carry specific alleles of DRB1 Arg 13 or ArgT~ 71 as compared to 43% among controls (p = 5 • 10 -6) conferring a relative risk of 8.8. Thus, susceptibility to TL involves three critical amino acid positions of the [3 chain, the side chains of which, when modeled on the DR1 crystal structure, line a pocket (pocket 4) accommodating the side chain of a bound peptide. This study suggests that disease susceptibility may be determined by the independent contribution of polymorphic residues participating in the formation of a functional arrangement (i.e., pocket) within the binding cleft of an HLA molecule.

Background: Dengue infection transmitted by Aedes aegypti is endemic in India. Environmental changes and lack of awareness result in increase in transmission of dengue infection and rise in dengue outbreaks. The present study was conducted to determine the knowledge of dengue infection and practices towards dengue prevention among a rural population in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu.Methods:The study was cross sectional study, conducted in Kadambadi village of Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted among 224 study participants from June - August 2016. Systematic random sampling was followed for selecting the houses. A pretested, semi structured questionnaire was used. Significance of difference in proportions (qualitative variables) was calculated using Chi square test. Significance of p value was taken as p< 0.05.Results: Among the study participants, 210 (93.7%) heard about dengue infection. Fifty percent of participants responded correctly the symptoms of dengue infection. 89% responded correctly that dengue is transmitted by Aedes mosquito. Around 40% of the participants had correct knowledge about the breeding habitat and biting habit of Aedes mosquito. Study participants use various methods - mosquito coils (63.4%), mosquito nets (14.7%) for mosquito bite prevention.  24.1% does not follow any method of mosquito bite prevention.Conclusions:Though majority of the study participants heard about dengue symptoms and mosquito transmitting dengue infection, less than half were aware about breeding habits of Aedes mosquito and 25% did not follow any method of mosquito bite prevention practices. Community awareness is a key role in improvising dengue prevention practices.

Peptides as mimics of carbohydrates display a distinct advantage in vaccine design because of ease of synthesis and their inherent T cell-dependent nature as immunogens. While peptides that mimic carbohydrates have been described, it is not clear how they do so. To further our insight into structural relationships between peptide-mimics and carbohydrate structures, we have analyzed a potential recognition scheme between the murine monoclonal antibody, B3, directed against the tumor-associated antigen Lewis Y oligosaccharide and a peptide identified from phage display screening with B3. The Lewis Y core antigen is a difucosylated structure consisting of four hexose units. The B3 antibody binds to the peptide sequence APWLYGPA in which the putative sequence APWLY is critical for binding to the antibody. Not having experimental structural information for B3, the crystal structure of another anti-Lewis Y antibody, BR96, solved in complex with a nonoate methyl ester Lewis Y tetrasaccharide, provides a molecular basis for LeY antigen recognition and specificity, and how this binding relates to peptide binding. As a guide to place the APWLY motif in the B3 combining site, a fragment library was searched for analogous compounds that have the potential to bind to B3. Our modeling study shows that the B3-peptide complex shares similar recognition features for the difucosylated type 2 lactoseries' structure. This analysis provides a molecular perspective for peptide mimicry of a carbohydrate epitope.

No abstract

Background: The most common cancer among Indian females is breast cancer. Limited access to early detection and treatment is responsible for more than half of the deaths, primarily in rural areas, where organized mammography screening is neither affordable nor feasible. Therefore, imparting awareness on breast health and breast self-examination (BSE) is highly recommended. This study aimed to assess the impact of a health education interventional program on breast health awareness and BSE among rural women of Tamil Nadu. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 266 women. A preinterventional survey was done using a pretested validated questionnaire. A multipronged breast health education intervention was administered and its effectiveness was measured after 3 months using the same tool. Results: There was a statistically significant ( P = 0.0001) improvement in the knowledge of breast health, perceived susceptibility, and reasons for practice and proficiency of BSE practice of the interventional group from pre- to post-test. After the interventional program, 71.8% of increase in knowledge about breast health and BSE was observed. In addition, 64.7% of the women practiced BSE compared to 7.14% pretest. Conclusion: This study highlights the awareness needs by the women and application of extensive strategies to increase the acceptance of cancer screening programs.