Immunomodulatory activity of methanol extract of roots of Cissampelos pareira Linn

Se analizó la actividad inmunomoduladora del extracto de metanol de las raíces de C. pareira en ratones en cinco niveles de dosificación distintos. Se observó actividad estimuladora en la respuesta de hipersensibilidad de tipo retardado (DTH) en una dosis de 200-800 mg/kg (p<0,001). El índice fagocítico también aumentó de forma significativa en comparación con los animales del grupo de control (p<0,001). El extracto de metanol no alteró la respuesta humoral frente a los eritrocitos de cordero de forma significativa, lo que resultó indicativo de ausencia de actividad en la inmunidad humoral. Dosis más elevadas del extracto también mostraron protección frente a la mielosupresión inducida por ciclofosfamida al aumentar el recuento de leucocitos totales de forma significativa (p<0,001). Por tanto, en el presente estudio queda demostrada la actividad inmunomoduladora de C. pareira.Methanol extract of roots of C.pareira was screened for its immunomodulatory activity in mice at five different dose levels. Stimulatory activity on DTH response was found at 200-800 mg/kg dose (p<0.001). Phagocytic index was also increased significantly compared to control animals (p<0.001). Methanol extract has not altered the humoral response to SRBCs significantly indicating no activity on humoral immunity. Higher doses of extract also offered protection against cyclophosphamide induced myelosuppression by increasing total WBC count significantly (p<0.001). Thus present study demonstrated the immunomodulatory activity of C.pareira.CSIR, Nueva Delhi, India

A quantum mechanical relation connecting time, temperature, and cosmological constant of the universe: Gamow's relation revisited as a special case

Considering our expanding universe as made up of gravitationally interacting particles which describe particles of luminous matter and dark matter and dark energy which is described by a repulsive harmonic potential among the points in the flat 3-space, we derive a quantum mechanical relation connecting, temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation, age, and cosmological constant of the universe. When the cosmological constant is zero, we get back the Gamow's relation with a much better coefficient. Otherwise, our theory predicts a value of the cosmological constant $2.0 10^{-56} {\rm {cm^{-2}}}$ when the present values of cosmic microwave background temperature of 2.728 K and age of the universe 14 billion years are taken as input.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Study of the Universe from a condensed matter point of view, section III corrected with a single body potentia

Immunomodulatory activity of methanol extract of flower-heads of Sphaeranthus indicus Linn

El extracto de metanol y sus fracciones de éter de petróleo, cloroformo y metanol sobrante de las cabezas florales de Sphaeranthus indicus Linn demostraron su eficacia al aumentar la actividad fagocítica, el título de anticuerpos de la hemaglutinación y la hipersensibilidad de tipo retardado, mientras que sólo la fracción de metanol restante resultó activa en la normalización de los niveles de leucocitos totales en el caso de la mielosupresión inducida por ciclofosfamida en ratones. Por tanto, el presente estudio revela que el fármaco augura buenos resultados como agente inmunomodulador, al actuar como estimulante de la inmunidad celular y humoral y de la función fagocítica.Methanol extract, its petroleum ether, chloroform and remaining methanol fractions, of flower heads of Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. were found effective in increasing phagocytic activity, haemagglutination antibody titer and delayed type hypersensitivity, whereas only remaining methanol fraction was found active in normalizing total WBC levels in case of cyclophosphamide induced myelosuppression in mice. Present study, therefore, reveals that the drug holds promise as immunomodulatory agent, which acts by stimulating both humoral as well as cellular immunity and phagocytic function

Effect of methanol extract of Achyranthes aspera linn. On rifampicininduced hepatotoxicity in rats

Se analizó el extracto de metanol de las partes aéreas de Achyranthes aspera Linn. (Familia: Amaranthaceae) para comprobar su efecto sobre la hepatotoxicidad inducida por rifampicina en ratas albinas en cinco niveles de dosis. La intoxicación por rifampicina en ratas elevó de forma significativa (p > 0,001) los niveles de SGPT-ALT, SGOTAST, FA y bilirrubina total, hecho que fue indicativo de obstrucción biliar y daño hepatocelular agudo. El extracto de metanol mostró un descenso dosis-dependiente de los niveles de SGPT-ALT, SGOT-AST, FA y bilirrubina total. La dosis mínima eficaz de extracto fue 100 mg/kg de peso corporal. Los resultados obtenidos de los estudios histopatológicos también confirmaron la actividad hepatoprotectora del fármaco frente a la hepatotoxicidad inducida por rifampicina. Por tanto, el estudio demostró que A. aspera posee un efecto antihepatotóxico frente a la rifampicina.Methanol extract of aerial parts of Achyranthes aspera Linn. (Family: Amaranthaceae) was tested for its effect on rifampicin-induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats at five dose levels. Rifampicin intoxication in rats significantly (p < 0.001) elevated the levels of SGPT, SGOT, ALKP, and total bilirubin, which indicated acute hepatocellular, damage and biliary obstruction. Methanol extract showed dose dependent decrease in the levels of SGPT, SGOT, ALKP and total bilirubin. Minimum effective dose of extract was found to be 100 mg/kg body weight. Results obtained from histopathological studies also supported hepatoprotective activity of drug against rifampicin induced hepatotoxicity. Thus study demonstrates that A. aspera possess anti-hepatotoxic effect against rifampicin.El desarrollo de este trabajo de investigación ha sido financiado a través de la U.G.C. de Nueva Delhi

Plasma Wakefield Acceleration with a Modulated Proton Bunch

The plasma wakefield amplitudes which could be achieved via the modulation of a long proton bunch are investigated. We find that in the limit of long bunches compared to the plasma wavelength, the strength of the accelerating fields is directly proportional to the number of particles in the drive bunch and inversely proportional to the square of the transverse bunch size. The scaling laws were tested and verified in detailed simulations using parameters of existing proton accelerators, and large electric fields were achieved, reaching 1 GV/m for LHC bunches. Energy gains for test electrons beyond 6 TeV were found in this case.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

The energy dependence of ptp_t angular correlations inferred from mean-ptp_{t} fluctuation scale dependence in heavy ion collisions at the SPS and RHIC

We present the first study of the energy dependence of $p_t$ angular correlations inferred from event-wise mean transverse momentum fluctuations in heavy ion collisions. We compare our large-acceptance measurements at CM energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}} =$ 19.6, 62.4, 130 and 200 GeV to SPS measurements at 12.3 and 17.3 GeV. $p_t$ angular correlation structure suggests that the principal source of $p_t$ correlations and fluctuations is minijets (minimum-bias parton fragments). We observe a dramatic increase in correlations and fluctuations from SPS to RHIC energies, increasing linearly with $\ln \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ from the onset of observable jet-related fluctuations near 10 GeV.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Neutron star properties in the quark-meson coupling model

The effects of internal quark structure of baryons on the composition and structure of neutron star matter with hyperons are investigated in the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model. The QMC model is based on mean-field description of nonoverlapping spherical bags bound by self-consistent exchange of scalar and vector mesons. The predictions of this model are compared with quantum hadrodynamic (QHD) model calibrated to reproduce identical nuclear matter saturation properties. By employing a density dependent bag constant through direct coupling to the scalar field, the QMC model is found to exhibit identical properties as QHD near saturation density. Furthermore, this modified QMC model provides well-behaved and continuous solutions at high densities relevant to the core of neutron stars. Two additional strange mesons are introduced which couple only to the strange quark in the QMC model and to the hyperons in the QHD model. The constitution and structure of stars with hyperons in the QMC and QHD models reveal interesting differences. This suggests the importance of quark structure effects in the baryons at high densities.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76\sqrt{s} = 2.76 TeV

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow$K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow$K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow$D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307

Particle-yield modification in jet-like azimuthal di-hadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-$p_{\rm T}$ trigger particles ($8 < p_{\rm T} < 15$ GeV/$c$) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jet-like correlation peaks in azimuthal di-hadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta $p_{\rm T}> 3$ GeV/$c$ on the away-side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near-side a moderate enhancement of 20-30% is found.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/350

Search for electroweak production of single top quarks in ppˉp\bar{p} collisions.

We present a search for electroweak production of single top quarks in the electron+jets and muon+jets decay channels. The measurements use ~90 pb^-1 of data from Run 1 of the Fermilab Tevatron collider, collected at 1.8 TeV with the DZero detector between 1992 and 1995. We use events that include a tagging muon, implying the presence of a b jet, to set an upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the cross section for the s-channel process ppbar->tb+X of 39 pb. The upper limit for the t-channel process ppbar->tqb+X is 58 pb. (arXiv