Manipal University

About: Manipal University is a education organization based out in Manipal, Karnataka, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 9525 authors who have published 11207 publications receiving 110687 citations.

Telemedicine during COVID-19 in India-a new policy and its challenges.

Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a countrywide lockdown of nearly twelve weeks in India reduced access to regular healthcare services. As a policy response, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which exercises jurisdiction over telemedicine in India, rapidly issued India's first guidelines for use of telemedicine. The authors argue that: guidelines must be expanded to address ethical concerns about the use of privacy, patient data and its storage; limited access to the internet and weaknesses in the telecom infrastructure challenge widespread adoption of telemedicine; only by simultaneously improving both will use of telemedicine become equitable; Indian medical education curricula should include telemedicine and India should rapidly extend training to practitioner. They determine that for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India, positive externalities of investing in telemedicine are ample, thus use of this option can render healthcare more accessible and equitable in future.

Oncolytic reovirus preferentially induces apoptosis in KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cells, and synergizes with irinotecan.

Abstract: // Radhashree Maitra 1 , Raviraja Seetharam 1 , Lydia Tesfa 2 , Titto A.Augustine 2 , Lidija Klampfer 1,2,5 , Matthew C. Coffey 3 , John M. Mariadason 4 , and Sanjay Goel 1,2 1 Department of Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 2 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 3 Oncolytics Inc., Calgary, Canada 4 Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne, Australia 5 Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL Correspondence: Sanjay Goel, email: // Keywords : Colorectal cancer, reovirus, apoptosis, p21, caspase3 Received : February 26, 2014 Accepted : April 24, 2014 Published : April 24, 2014 Abstract Reovirus is a double stranded RNA virus, with an intrinsic preference for replication in KRAS mutant cells. As 45% of human colorectal cancers (CRC) harbor KRAS mutations, we sought to investigate its efficacy in KRAS mutant CRC cells, and examine its impact in combination with the topoisimerase-1 inhibitor, irinotecan. Reovirus efficacy was examined in the KRAS mutant HCT116, and the isogenic KRAS WT Hke3 cell line, and in the non-malignant rat intestinal epithelial cell line. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining. Combination treatment with reovirus and irintoecan was investigated in 15 CRC cell lines, including the HCT116 p21 isogenic cell lines. Reovirus preferentially induced apoptosis in KRAS mutant HCT116 cells compared to its isogenic KRAS WT derivative, and in KRAS mutant IEC cells. Reovirus showed a greater degree of caspase 3 activation with PARP 1 cleavage, and preferential inhibition of p21 protein expression in KRAS mutant cells. Reovirus synergistically induced growth inhibition when combined with irinotecan. This synergy was lost upon p21 gene knock out. Reovirus preferentially induces apoptosis in KRAS mutant colon cancer cells. Reovirus and irinotecan combination therapy is synergistic, p21 mediated, and represents a novel potential treatment for patients with CRC.

Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA): a target for antivirals and vaccines.

Abstract: Influenza, the most common infectious disease, poses a great threat to human health because of its highly contagious nature and fast transmissibility, often leading to high morbidity and mortality. Effective vaccination strategies may aid in the prevention and control of recurring epidemics and pandemics associated with this infectious disease. However, antigenic shifts and drifts are major concerns with influenza virus, requiring effective global monitoring and updating of vaccines. Current vaccines are standardized primarily based on the amount of hemagglutinin, a major surface antigen, which chiefly constitutes these preparations along with the varying amounts of neuraminidase (NA). Anti-influenza drugs targeting the active site of NA have been in use for more than a decade now. However, NA has not been approved as an effective antigenic component of the influenza vaccine because of standardization issues. Although some studies have suggested that NA antibodies are able to reduce the severity of the disease and induce a long-term and cross-protective immunity, a few major scientific issues need to be addressed prior to launching NA-based vaccines. Interestingly, an increasing number of studies have shown NA to be a promising target for future influenza vaccines. This review is an attempt to consolidate studies that reflect the strength of NA as a suitable vaccine target. The studies discussed in this article highlight NA as a potential influenza vaccine candidate and support taking the process of developing NA vaccines to the next stage.

Peristaltic mechanism of a Rabinowitsch fluid in an inclined channel with complaint wall and variable liquid properties

Abstract: The present paper emphasizes the impacts of the compliant wall and variable liquid properties on the peristaltic stream of a Rabinowitsch liquid in an inclined channel. The viscosity of the liquid differs over the thickness of the channel, and temperature-dependent thermal conductivity is considered. The perturbation strategy is utilized to solve the governing nonlinear temperature equations. The expressions for the velocity, skin friction coefficient, pressure rise, frictional force, streamline, temperature and coefficient of heat transfer are obtained. The consequences of pertinent parameters on the velocity, temperature, streamline and coefficient of heat transfer for the dilatant, Newtonian and pseudoplastic liquid models are analysed graphically. The results obtained for velocity and temperature reveal that an expansion in the estimation of variable viscosity results in diminishing the velocity and temperature fields for shear thickening liquid. Furthermore, it is noticed that for a large value of thermal conductivity the temperature profile decreases for dilatant, Newtonian and pseudoplastic fluid models.