Study of Oxidative Stress in Relation with Antioxidant Status in Chronic Bronchitis

Lipid peroxide plays an important role in inflammatory lung diseases. Increased epithelial permeability produced by cigarette smoke is likely to be mediated though depletion of the Total Antioxidant Capacity .Oxidative stress has been recognized as a central feature of smoke induced chronic bronchitis. Imbalance between oxidants and Total Anioxidant Capacity is also an established fact in these patients. 60 patients with chronic bronchitis included in the study. Their base line clinical examination, malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide, alpha tochopherol and Total Antioxidant Capacity were measured. 100 healthy non-smokers\u27 were served as controls. The mean malondialdehyde levels and nitric oxide in the patients at base line were higher than Controls (p<0.001). Plasma alpha-tocopherol and total antioxidant capacity were lower (p<0.001) in the patients compared to controls. The present study shows that initially the plasma lipid peroxide (MDA) levels were high and antioxidants. (alpha- tocopherol, total antioxidant capacity) were low in patients with chronic bronchitis. Our results suggest the presence of oxidative stress and decrease in total antioxidant capacity in chronic bronchitis

STUDIES ON BIOAVAILABILITY ENHANCEMENT OF CURCUMIN

Objective: The objective of the present work was to improve aqueous solubility and in vivo bioavailability of curcumin and structural analogues of curcumin such as potassium, calcium, magnesium salts and nitro derivative. Methods: Structural analogues of curcumin were prepared by reaction of curcumin with potassium chloride, magnesium chloride hexahydrate and calcium chloride dihydrate in a suitable solvent. The nitro derivative synthesized by treating curcumin with sulphuric acid and nitric acid. The prepared analogues were evaluated for melting behavior, solubility, UV spectrophotometry, partition coefficient, moisture content, cellular uptake, FTIR analysis, antimicrobial activity and in vivo bioavailability in the rat. Results: Chemical modification of curcumin increased the saturation solubility to 11.6, 16.5, 21.5, 28.0 µg/ml in calcium salt, magnesium salt, potassium salt and nitro derivative respectively, against 8.6 µg/ml of curcumin. The analogues were chemically stable as curcumin analyzed by FTIR spectrophotometry. Increased cellular uptake, as well as enhanced antimicrobial activity, was demonstrated by modified curcumin analogues. Moreover, significant improvement in plasma levels was estimated with nitro derivative. Conclusion: The present work recommends that nitration of curcumin improves aqueous solubility which may improve absorption and in vivo bioavailability

The electric dipole response of 76^{76}Se above 4 MeV

The dipole response of $^{76}_{34}$Se in the energy range 4 to 9 MeV has been analyzed using a $(\vec\gamma,{\gamma}')$ polarized photon scattering technique, performed at the High Intensity $\gamma$-Ray Source facility, to complement previous work performed using unpolarized photons. The results of this work offer both an enhanced sensitivity scan of the dipole response and an unambiguous determination of the parities of the observed J=1 states. The dipole response is found to be dominated by $E1$ excitations, and can reasonably be attributed to a pygmy dipole resonance. Evidence is presented to suggest that a significant amount of directly unobserved excitation strength is present in the region, due to unobserved branching transitions in the decays of resonantly excited states. The dipole response of the region is underestimated when considering only ground state decay branches. We investigate the electric dipole response theoretically, performing calculations in a 3D cartesian-basis time-dependent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock framework.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, to be submitted to PR

Celastrus paniculatus and memantine prevent alcohol dependence and improve decision making in alcohol dependent C57BL6 mice

Background: Alcohol use disorder poses a huge burden with only a handful of approved drugs. AUD is associated with impaired decision-making that leads to compulsive drinking despite negative consequences. A drug that decreases alcohol consumption as well as improves decision-making may thus prove more useful. This study was planned to evaluate the effect of two drugs, Celastrus paniculatus and memantine on alcohol preference and decision impairment in alcohol-dependent mice. Methods: In part 1, the effect of both the study drugs on alcohol consumption was studied using intermittent access model in 70 male C57BL6 mice. In part 2, effect of drugs on decision making was studied using the rodent version of Iowa gambling task. Mice were divided in seven study groups: Group 1-3: Celastrus paniculatus (140, 280, and 560 mg/kg), Group 4: memantine (25 mg/kg), Group 5: vehicle control 1 (Milk), Group 6: vehicle control 2 (normal saline) and Group 7: naltrexone(1mg/kg). Results: Percentage alcohol preference was lower in test groups i.e., Celastrus paniculatus at medium (40.90±15.18%) and high doses (31.79±7.46%) vs. milk (82.74±8.53%; p&lt;0.05); and in memantine group (36.28±10.99%) vs. normal saline (83.27±5.51%; p&lt;0.05). The results were not significantly different to Naltrexone (19.70±6.90%). Percentage preference to disadvantageous arms was also lower in Celastrus paniculatus, at medium (50.52±1.92%) and high doses (48.11±2.43%) compared to milk (54.47±2.73%; p&lt;0.05) and memantine (47.45±1.67%) compared to normal saline (54.00±2.73%; p&lt;0.05), indicating better decision-making ability in the test groups. The findings were comparable to Naltrexone group (45.43±2.52%). Conclusions: These results indicate that Celastrus paniculatus and memantine reduce alcohol consumption and improve decision making in alcohol-dependent mice

Implementation of a Portable Learning Management System (PLMS) without Internet for Skill Development in a rural Educational Institute’s

Skill development initiatives are critical for India's advancement since they reduce unemployment, stimulate economic growth, promote inclusion, and strengthen the country's worldwide competitiveness. By investing in skill development, India can capitalize on its demographic dividend and unleash the potential of its workforce for long-term growth and prosperity. The situation of education in rural India is frequently marked by several problems, particularly when it comes to accessing technology resources such as the internet and Learning Management Systems (LMS). Rural education infrastructure is often less developed than in urban areas, resulting in limited access to new technologies and digital resources. The Present research paper focuses on design and implement portable Learning Management System (PLMS) without internet for skill development in rural education Institutes

Quality-of-life analysis of pembrolizumab vs brentuximab vedotin for relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma

KEYNOTE-204 (NCT02684292) demonstrated a progression-free survival advantage for pembrolizumab over brentuximab vedotin (BV) in patients who had relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL) following, or who were ineligible for, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL), measured by patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from KEYNOTE-204, are reported from patients who received ≥1 dose of study treatment and completed ≥1 PRO assessment. The EORTC QoL Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and EuroQoL EQ-5D were administered at baseline, every 6 weeks until week 24, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Prespecified end points included least squares mean (LSM) changes from baseline to week 24 and time to true deterioration (TTD; ≥10-point decline from baseline). Comparisons were evaluated using 2-sided P values uncontrolled for multiplicity. High compliance at baseline (.90%) and through week 24 (.80%) was demonstrated across treatment groups (PRO analysis set: Pembrolizumab, n = 146; BV, n = 150). The EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status (GHS)/ quality of life (QoL) score improved from baseline to week 24 on pembrolizumab and worsened on BV and demonstrated significant LSM differences at 24 weeks (GHS/QoL: 8.60 [95% confidence interval, 3.89-13.31]; P = .0004). Significant improvements were observed in each QLQ-C30 domain except emotional and cognitive functioning. Compared with BV, pembrolizumab prolonged TTD for GHS/QoL (hazard ratio, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.22-0.74]; P = .003) and each QLQ-C30 domain except cognitive functioning. In conclusion, pembrolizumab demonstrated overall improvements in PROs of HRQoL measures over BV in the KEYNOTE-204 study. These data and previously reported efficacy results support pembrolizumab as the preferred treatment option for patients with R/R cHL who are ineligible for or experience relapse after ASCT

New records of Conidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from Andhra Pradesh, east coast of India

641-647A benthic investigation from the coastal corridor of Andhra Pradesh revealed 17 species of cone snails. Of these, seven species, namely Conasprella aculeiformis Reeve, C. coromandelica (E. A. Smith), Conus amadis (Gmelin), C. caracteristicus (Fischer von Waldheim), C. coronatus (Gmelin), C. monile Hwass in Bruguiere, and C. sulcatus Hwass in Bruguière are recorded for the first time from the coastal waters of Andhra Pradesh. The present findings of Conus from Andhra Pradesh coast are indicative of the species extended distribution to the northeast coast along the Bay of Bengal. Additionally, the live specimens collected could be of resource value for species description and historical analyses

New records of Conidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from Andhra Pradesh, east coast of India

A benthic investigation from the coastal corridor of Andhra Pradesh revealed 17 species of cone snails. Of these, seven species, namely Conasprella aculeiformis Reeve, C. coromandelica (E. A. Smith), Conus amadis (Gmelin), C. caracteristicus (Fischer von Waldheim), C. coronatus (Gmelin), C. monile Hwass in Bruguiere, and C. sulcatus Hwass in Bruguière are recorded for the first time from the coastal waters of Andhra Pradesh. The present findings of Conus from Andhra Pradesh coast are indicative of the species extended distribution to the northeast coast along the Bay of Bengal. Additionally, the live specimens collected could be of resource value for species description and historical analyses

First record of Veneridae clam Protapes ziczac (Linnaeus, 1758) from east coast of India, Andhra Pradesh

A venerid bivalve Protapes ziczac (Linnaeus, 1758) from benthic collections is reported for the first time from the coastal waters of Andhra Pradesh, east coast of India. The findings of this study indicate the extended distributional range of the species, until now documented from the west coast of India