Rakesh K. Jain

Bio: Rakesh K. Jain is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Angiogenesis & Vascular endothelial growth factor. The author has an hindex of 200, co-authored 1467 publications receiving 177727 citations. Previous affiliations of Rakesh K. Jain include Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram & University of Oslo.

Selectin ligands and tumor-associated carbohydrate structures: specificities of alpha 2,3-sialyltransferases in the assembly of 3'-sialyl-6-sialyl/sulfo Lewis a and x, 3'-sialyl-6'-sulfo Lewis x, and 3'-sialyl-6-sialyl/sulfo blood group T-hapten.

Abstract: The sequence in the assembly of the functional unit of selectin ligands containing sulfate, sialic acid, and fucose and also tumor-associated O-glycan structures was studied by examining the specificities of alpha 2,3-sialyltransferases (ST). The first enzyme, porcine liver ST, was 57, 37, and 79% active (Km: 0.105, 0.420, and 0.200 mM), respectively, toward 6-sulfo, 6-sialyl, or 6-O-methyl derivatives of the Gal beta 1,3GalNAc alpha- unit; C-3 or C-6 substitution on Gal abolished sialylation. An acrylamide copolymer (MW approximately 40,000) containing approximately 40 T-haptens and asialo Cowper's gland mucin (MW approximately 200,000) containing approximately 48 T-haptens was 5-fold more active as an acceptor as compared to Gal beta 1, 3GalNAc alpha-O-Al on a molecular weight basis. The second enzyme, a cloned alpha-2,3-ST specific for lactose-based structure, was 70, 102, and 108% active (Km: 0.500, 0.210, and 0.330 mM), respectively, toward 6-sialyl, 6-sulfo, or 6-O-methyl derivatives of the Gal beta 1,3GlcNAc beta- unit; C-3 and C-6 substitution on Gal abolished sialylation. Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc beta- and its 6-sulfo derivative were approximately 20% active; the Lewis a structure, Gal beta 1,3- (Fuc alpha 1,4)GlcNAc beta-, was not an acceptor. The acrylamide copolymers containing approximately 40 units of Gal beta 1,3GlcNAc beta-, Gal beta 1,3(6-sulfo)GlcNAc beta-, or fetuin triantennary asialo or bovine IgG diantennary glycopeptides were respectively 5.9-, 5.4-, 0.7-, and 0.1-fold as active. A transfer of 7-9 mol of NeuAc per mole of the above copolymers was catalyzed by this ST, the sialyl linkage being susceptible to alpha 2,3-specific sialidase. A partially purified Colo 205 Lewis type (alpha 1, 3/4) fucosyltransferase catalyzed the formation of 3'-sialyl-6-sulfo Lewis a from [9-3H]NeuAc alpha 2, 3Gal beta 1, 3(6-sulfo)GlcNAc beta-O-Allyl and copolymer containing [9-3H]NeuAc alpha 2, 3Gal beta 1, 3(6-sulfo)GlcNAc beta- units, using GDP[14C]Fuc as fucosyl donor. The third enzyme, HL-60 ST, was 103% active with Gal beta 3(6-sulfo)GalNAc alpha- but was only 8% active with 6-sialo compound; it showed 11.6-fold greater activity with the copolymer of T-hapten. Further, we observed the alpha 2,3 sialylation of Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc beta- but not Gal beta 1,3GlcNAc beta- by HL60-ST, consistent with the occurrence of 3'-sialyl LacNAc and 3'-sialyl Lewis x units in leukosialin of HL60.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Dielectric Properties of Solid Tumors During Nonnothermia and Hyperthermia

Abstract: Dielectric properties of five rat mammary carcinomas, one rat glioma, and rat muscle were measured in vitro at 37 and 43 °C over a frequency range of 1 MHz-1 GHz. No significant differences were observed in the measured dielectric properties of normal and neoplastic tissues, presumably due to the high water content of both types of tissues.

Effects of sorafenib on intra-tumoral interstitial fluid pressure and circulating biomarkers in patients with refractory sarcomas (NCI protocol 6948).

Abstract: Purpose: Sorafenib is a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor with therapeutic efficacy in several malignancies. Sorafenib may exert its anti-neoplastic effect in part by altering vascular permeability and reducing intra-tumoral interstitial hypertension. As correlative science with a phase II study in patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcomas (STS), we evaluated the impact of this agent on intra-tumor interstitial fluid pressure (IFP), serum circulating biomarkers, and vascular density. Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced STS with measurable disease and at least one superficial lesion amenable to biopsy received sorafenib 400 mg twice daily. Intratumoral IFP and plasma and circulating cell biomarkers were measured before and after 1–2 months of sorafenib administration. Results were analyzed in the context of the primary clinical endpoint of time-to-progression (TTP). Results: In 15 patients accrued, the median TTP was 45 days (range 14–228). Intra-tumoral IFP measurements obtained in 6 patients at baseline showed a direct correlation with tumor size. Two patients with stable disease at two months had postsorafenib IFP evaluations and demonstrated a decline in IFP and vascular density. Sorafenib significantly increased plasma VEGF, PlGF, and SDF1a and decreased sVEGFR-2 levels. Increased plasma SDF1a and decreased sVEGFR-2 levels on day 28 correlated with disease progression. Conclusions: Pretreatment intra-tumoral IFP correlated with tumor size and decreased in two evaluable patients with SD on sorafenib. Sorafenib also induced changes in circulating biomarkers consistent with expected VEGF pathway blockade, despite the lack of more striking clinical activity in this small series. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00330421

The Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy: implementation of a population-based osteoporosis action plan in Canada

Abstract: In the last decade, there have been a number of action plans published to highlight the importance of preventing osteoporosis and related fractures. In the province of Ontario Canada, the Ministry of Health provided funding for the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy. The goal is to reduce morbidity, mortality, and costs from osteoporosis and related fractures through an integrated and comprehensive approach aimed at health promotion and disease management. This paper describes the components of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy and progress on implementation efforts as of March 2009. There are five main components: health promotion; bone mineral density testing, access, and quality; postfracture care; professional education; and research and evaluation. Responsibility for implementation of the initiatives within the components is shared across a number of professional and patient organizations and academic teaching hospitals with osteoporosis researchers. The lessons learned from each phase of the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy provides a tremendous opportunity to inform other jurisdictions embarking on implementing similar large-scale bone health initiatives.

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

Bevacizumab plus irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for metastatic colorectal cancer

Abstract: background Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, has shown promising preclinical and clinical activity against metastatic colorectal cancer, particularly in combination with chemotherapy. methods Of 813 patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer, we randomly assigned 402 to receive irinotecan, bolus fluorouracil, and leucovorin (IFL) plus bevacizumab (5 mg per kilogram of body weight every two weeks) and 411 to receive IFL plus placebo. The primary end point was overall survival. Secondary end points were progression-free survival, the response rate, the duration of the response, safety, and the quality of life. results The median duration of survival was 20.3 months in the group given IFL plus bevacizumab, as compared with 15.6 months in the group given IFL plus placebo, corresponding to a hazard ratio for death of 0.66 (P<0.001). The median duration of progressionfree survival was 10.6 months in the group given IFL plus bevacizumab, as compared with 6.2 months in the group given IFL plus placebo (hazard ratio for disease progression, 0.54; P<0.001); the corresponding rates of response were 44.8 percent and 34.8 percent (P=0.004). The median duration of the response was 10.4 months in the group given IFL plus bevacizumab, as compared with 7.1 months in the group given IFL plus placebo (hazard ratio for progression, 0.62; P=0.001). Grade 3 hypertension was more common during treatment with IFL plus bevacizumab than with IFL plus placebo (11.0 percent vs. 2.3 percent) but was easily managed. conclusions The addition of bevacizumab to fluorouracil-based combination chemotherapy results in statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in survival among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

SPAdes, a new genome assembly algorithm and its applications to single-cell sequencing ( 7th Annual SFAF Meeting, 2012)

Abstract: The lion's share of bacteria in various environments cannot be cloned in the laboratory and thus cannot be sequenced using existing technologies. A major goal of single-cell genomics is to complement gene-centric metagenomic data with whole-genome assemblies of uncultivated organisms. Assembly of single-cell data is challenging because of highly non-uniform read coverage as well as elevated levels of sequencing errors and chimeric reads. We describe SPAdes, a new assembler for both single-cell and standard (multicell) assembly, and demonstrate that it improves on the recently released E+V-SC assembler (specialized for single-cell data) and on popular assemblers Velvet and SoapDeNovo (for multicell data). SPAdes generates single-cell assemblies, providing information about genomes of uncultivatable bacteria that vastly exceeds what may be obtained via traditional metagenomics studies. SPAdes is available online ( http://bioinf.spbau.ru/spades ). It is distributed as open source software.