Showing papers by "Sujay Ghosh published in 2018"

Association of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene promoter polymorphisms with aggressive and chronic periodontitis in the eastern Indian population.

Abstract: Background: Periodontitis is a very common inflammatory oral disease. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a cytokine that has been involved with the gingival tissue destruction and remodeling occurrence. We investigated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TNF-α gene promoter region with the susceptibility of aggressive and chronic periodontitis in the eastern Indian population.Methods: A total of 397 DNA samples from venous blood were isolated. 40 individuals were aggressive periodontitis patients, 157 were identified chronic periodontitis patients, and the remaining 200 were healthy individuals. Five SNPs of TNF-α at promoter region (rs361525, rs1800629, rs1799724, rs1800630, and rs1799964) were genotyped by PCR-sequencing in periodontitis patients and control subjects.Results: rs1800629 (-308G/A) polymorphism was more frequent in both aggressive and chronic periodontitis patients compared with the control population, though the allele frequency was different only in aggressive periodontitis patients. On the other hand, both the genotypic and allelic variation of rs361525 (-238G/A) polymorphism were found significantly less frequently in aggressive and chronic periodontitis than in controls. The other polymorphisms like rs1799724 (-857C/T) and rs1799964 (-1031T/C) were significantly different between chronic periodontitis patients and control subjects.Conclusion: The findings suggest that the rs1800629 (-308G/A) polymorphism of TNF-α gene is associated with both aggressive and chronic periodontitis while rs1799724 (-857C/T) and rs1799964 (-1031T/C) polymorphisms of TNF-α gene is associated only with the increased susceptibility to chronic periodontitis.

Risk of Down syndrome birth: Consanguineous marriage is associated with maternal meiosis-II nondisjunction at younger age and without any detectable recombination error.

Abstract: Consanguineous marriage was examined as a risk factor for Down syndrome birth. We genotyped Down syndrome family trios using short tandem repeat markers on 21q-to interpret the parental and meiotic stage of origin of errors as well as to record recombination profile along long arm of chromosome 21. We then compared nonconsanguineous (N = 811) group with-the consanguineous (N =157) marriages. We report for the first time that consanguineous marriage is associated with an increased risk for nondisjunction of chromosome 21 in oocytes-during the second meiotic division. We observed the absence of recombination more frequently in younger mothers in nonconsanguineous meiosis I cases. This was in contrast to an equal distribution of nonrecombinant cases across the age categories in the meiosis I consanguineous group. Moreover, the non-consanguineous group exhibited preferential telomeric recombination in meiosis I error among younger women and centromeric recombination in meiosis II errors in older women. In contrast, the consanguineous group exhibited medially placed recombination events in both meiosis I and meiosis II nondisjunction errors. Additionally, we recorded reduced maternal age at conception in the-consanguineous group. These findings suggest novel risk factors associated that increase the risk of chromosome 21 nondisjunction in the families with consanguinity.

Accountability, Democratisation and the Right to Information in India

Abstract: Accountability is a core democratic value. It envisages that citizens hold the powerful to account for omissions and commissions. Influenced by the global agenda for good governance, the Right to Information (RTI) Act in India was designed to build accountability through transparency. RTI is primarily a result of democratic politics. It emerged from intense grassroots activism – articulating poor and ordinary citizens’ discontent over corruption and other abuses of power. This study is based on six empirical cases of RTI usage in India’s West Bengal province. I argue that even though it is primarily designed to elicit accountability, RTI has emerged as a “seed right” because of its enabling, foundational and evolving dimensions push forward the process of democratisation. When operating individually, our respondents experienced negligible empowerment, but when the relatively powerless citizens organised collectively and were able to work through political institutions such as political parties and...

Exploration of teratogenic and genotoxic effects of fruit ripening retardant Alar (Daminozide) on model organism Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract: Alar (Daminozide) is a plant growth regulator which is widely used as a fruit preservative for apple and mango to prevent pre-harvest fruit drop, promote color development and to delay excessive ripening. The aim of the present work was to demonstrate the effect of Alar on several life history traits, adult morphology, Hsp70 protein expression and in vivo DNA damage in the brain of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. We assessed the life history and morphological traits including fecundity, developmental time, pupation height, egg-to-adult viability and mean wing length, body length, arista length and sternopleural bristle number of the emerging flies. The results showed a significant delay in the developmental milestones, increase in body length, wing length, arista length, a decrease in fecundity, pupal height and variation in sternopleural bristle number in the treated flies in comparison to the controls. Overexpression of Hsp70 protein suggests alar induced subcellular molecular stress and comet assay validates genotoxicity in the form of DNA damage in the treated larvae. Mutation screening experiment revealed induction of X lined lethal mutation.

Effect of Toxic Heavy Metal Containing Industrial Effluent on Selected Life History Traits, Adult Morphology and Global Protein Expression Pattern of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract: Accumulation of heavy metal laden industrial effluent into natural aquatic body leads to disruption of balance of that ecosystem as well as imperils the life cycle of the organisms living thereof. The present work aims to demonstrate the effect of toxic heavy metal containing industrial effluent on several life history traits, adult morphology and global protein expression pattern of insect model Drosophila melanogaster. Flies were reared for five generations in the effluent containing medium. One pair of virgin male and female fly from the stock was transferred to the vials. On the next day the male was removed and the female was transferred to fresh vials for successive days. Daily egg production of the females in different trials was recorded. Developmental time, pupation height, sex-ratio, egg-to-adult viability and mean body and wing length of the emerging flies from both treated and control groups were measured. We noted a drop in mean daily egg production rate, reduction in developmental time, shortening of pupation height, decreased egg-to-adult viability and a reduction in body and wing length in treated group in comparison to the control. However, no significant change was found in the sex-ratio of treated adult flies. Alterations in the expression pattern of body proteins in all the developmental stages were revealed by SDS-PAGE.

Impact of density and sex-dependent larval competition on selected life history traits of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Abstract: An assessment of the effects of competitive behaviour and sex on seven selected life history traits of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) was made under precisely regulated larval density. Contrary to the conditions of crowding, as considered in many previous studies, the low scale of density enabled assessment of the life history traits at the individual level with higher precision and low variations. The 0-day-old first instars were reared with the relative density of 1,2, 3, and 4 individuals with optimal food until the adults emerged. The life history traits like age at pupation, age at eclosion, adult body weight, adult body length, wing length, and adult survival were used as response variables. Both the density and sex of the competitors were considered as predictors of the life history traits and a stronger effect was evident in the female sex than in males, which is statistically significant. Result also revealed the effect of competitive behaviour was more intense in case of same sex competitors than of opposite sex. In all instances, the life history traits exhibited a trend of decreasing function with the increasing larval rearing density, in compliance with the norms of density-dependent effects on development of Drosophila Fallen and similar insects.

New records of flat mites (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from India

Abstract: Six species of Tenuipalpidae are reported for the first time from India among the seventeen species from South Bengal in the current collection. Among them, three species belong to the genus Brevipalpus, B. melichrus Pritchard and Baker, B.mitrofanovi (Pegazzano) and B. turrialbensis Manson; one species of the genus Cenopalpus, C. picitilis Chaudhri; and the remaining two species belong to the genus Tenuipalpus, T. crassulus Baker and Tuttle and T. leipoldti Meyer.