Pembinaan dan penilaian program rekabentuk rasuk keluli (PRRK) sebagai alat kognitif dalam pembelajaran rekabentuk struktur di kalangan pelajar diploma kejuruteraan awam KUiTTHO

Kajian awal yang telah dijalankan mendapati pelajar Kejuruteraan Awam KUiTTHO menghadapi masalah kognitif dalam pembelajaran mata pelajaran Rekabentuk Struktur khasnya dalam pemahaman konsep dan prosedur reka bentuk. Langkah pengiraan yang terlalu banyak selalunya mengelirukan pelajar sehinggakan mereka hilang minat dan tumpuan. Bagi membantu mereka, satu program telah disediakan dengan menggunakan perisian Microsoft Excel bagi tujuan menganalisis dan mereka bentuk rasuk keluli bagi meningkatkan tahap kemahiran kognitif terhadap matapelajaran tersebut. Program Rekabentuk Rasuk Keluli (PRRK) ini disediakan berdasarkan kaedah reka bentuk yang diamalkan oleh British Standard Institution, Structural Use of Steel Work In Building. Seramai dua puluh satu orang pelajar semester akhir Diploma Kejuruteraan A warn yang mengambil mata pelajaran Rekabentuk Struktur telah diminta menilai program ini. Penilaian telah dijalankan terhadap isi, sifat mesra pengguna dan kebolehlaksanaan program menggunakan kaedah skor min. Selain itu perkaitan antara pengalaman pelajar menggunakan komputer sebagai sumber pembelajaran dengan penilaian PRRK juga telah dilihat. Keputusan skor min menunjukkan isi PRKK adalah baik, bersifat mesra pengguna dan mempunyai sifat kebolehlaksanaan. Ujian korelasi Spearman pula menunjukkan bahawa tidak terdapat sebarang perkaitan yang signifikan di antara pengalaman pelajar menggunakan komputer sebagai sumber pembelajaran dengan penilaian PRRK

FLAVONOID PROFILE OF Clitoria ternatea Linn

The present study was aimed to reveal the flavonoid profile of Clitoria ternatea L leaves, stem and seeds using the HPTLC analysis. The powdered leaves, stem and seed samples were extracted with 150 mL of methanol for 8-12 h by using the Soxhlet apparatus. The Ethyl acetate-butanone-formic acid-water (5:3:1:1) was employed as mobile phase for flavonoids. The developed plate was sprayed with 1% ethanolic aluminium chloride as spray reagent and dried at 100°C in hot air oven for 2min. The plate was photo-documented at UV 366 nm and daylight using Photo-documentation chamber.The methanolic extract of stem, leaves and seeds of Clitoria ternatea showed the presence of 24 bands with 18 different Rf values with range 0.01 to 0.96.  Out of 24 bands, 10 bands with seven Rf values viz., 0.04, 0.10, 0.28, 0.37, 0.49, 0.65 and 0.85 were idenified as flavonoids, the other bands were noted as unknown metabolites. Developed HPTLC chromatogram of Clitoria ternatea methanolic extracts of vegetative and reproductive parts could be used efficiently for identification, and quality assessment of the plant in the pharmaceutical industries. These profiles may used as chemical marker to solve plant systematic problems.The present study was aimed to reveal the flavonoid profile of Clitoria ternatea L leaves, stem and seeds using the HPTLC analysis. The powdered leaves, stem and seed samples were extracted with 150 mL of methanol for 8-12 h by using the Soxhlet apparatus. The Ethyl acetate-butanone-formic acid-water (5:3:1:1) was employed as mobile phase for flavonoids. The developed plate was sprayed with 1% ethanolic aluminium chloride as spray reagent and dried at 100°C in hot air oven for 2min. The plate was photo-documented at UV 366 nm and daylight using Photo-documentation chamber.The methanolic extract of stem, leaves and seeds of Clitoria ternatea showed the presence of 24 bands with 18 different Rf values with range 0.01 to 0.96.  Out of 24 bands, 10 bands with seven Rf values viz., 0.04, 0.10, 0.28, 0.37, 0.49, 0.65 and 0.85 were idenified as flavonoids, the other bands were noted as unknown metabolites. Developed HPTLC chromatogram of Clitoria ternatea methanolic extracts of vegetative and reproductive parts could be used efficiently for identification, and quality assessment of the plant in the pharmaceutical industries. These profiles may used as chemical marker to solve plant systematic problems

Does pamidronate enhance the osteogenesis in mesenchymal stem cells derived from fibrous hamartoma in congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia?

AbstractNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a commonly occurring genetic disorder in children. Mutation in the NF1 gene has its implication in poor osteoblastic capabilities. We hypothesised that pamidronate will enhance the osteoblastic potential of the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from lipofibromatosis tissue of children with congenital pseudarthrosis tibia (CPT) associated with NF1. In this study, bone marrow MSCs (BM MSCs) and CPT MSCs were obtained from three patients undergoing salvage surgeries/bone grafting (healthy controls) and those undergoing excision of the hamartoma and corrective surgeries respectively. The effects of pamidronate (0, 10nM, 100nM and 1μM) on cell proliferation, toxicity and differentiation potential were assessed and the outcome was measured by staining and gene expression. Our outcome showed that CPT MSCs had more proliferation rate as compared to BM MSCs. All 3 doses of pamidronate did not cause any toxicity to the cells in both the groups. The CPT MSCs showed less differentiation with pamidronate compared to the healthy control MSCs. This was quantitated by staining and gene expression analysis. Therefore, supplementation with pamidronate alone will not aid in bone formation in patients diagnosed with CPT. An additional stimulus is required to enhance bone formation

The effect of leaves extracts of Clitoria ternatea Linn against the fish pathogens

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the antimicrobial activity of Clitoria ternatea(C. ternatea) against the fish pathogens viz., Pseudomonas aeruginosa(P. aeruginosa), Escherichia coli(E. coli), Klebsiella pneumonia(K. pneumonia), Bacillus subtilis(B. subtilis), Aeromonas formican(A. formicans)s, Aeromonas hydrophila(A. hydrophila) and Streptococcus agalactiae(S. agalactiae) isolated from diseased Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).MethodsThe extracts of C. ternatea was tested against P. aeruginosa, E. coli, K. pneumonia, B. subtilis, A. formicans, A. hydrophila and S. agalactiae by the agar well diffusion method.ResultsDifferent extracts of C. ternatea showed inhibitory effects against P. aeruginosa, E. coli, K. pneumonia, B. subtilis, A. formicans, A. hydrophila and S. agalactiae. Ethyl acetate extracts of C. ternatea showed maximum of zone of inhibition against A. formicans (18 mm), A. hydrophilia (19 mm), B. subtilis (19 mm) and P. aeruginosa (21 mm) next to that ethanol extract of C. ternatea showed A. formicans (18 mm) and E. coli (14 mm) followed by Acetone extract showed maximum zone of inhibition S. agalactiae (19 mm) and K. pneumonia (17 mm).ConclusionsThe antimicrobial activities of all the four plant extracts are comparable and their potential as alternative in the treatment of infectious by these microorganisms was present in the fish. Susceptibility testing is conducted on isolates using drugs selected on the basis of their importance to human medicine and use in fish production

Ginseng total saponin attenuates myocardial injury via anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties

AbstractBackgroundGinseng total saponin (GTS) contains various ginsenosides. These ginsenosides are widely used for treating cardiovascular diseases in Asian communities. The aim of this study was to study the effects of GTS on cardiac injury after global ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) in isolated guinea pig hearts.MethodsAnimals were subjected to normothermic ischemia for 60 minutes, followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. GTS significantly increased aortic flow, coronary flow, and cardiac output. Moreover, GTS significantly increased left ventricular systolic pressure and the maximal rate of contraction (+dP/dtmax) and relaxation (−dP/dtmax). In addition, GTS has been shown to ameliorate electrocardiographic changes such as the QRS complex, QT interval, and RR interval.ResultsGTS significantly suppressed the biochemical parameters (i.e., lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase-MB fraction, and cardiac troponin I levels) and normalized the oxidative stress markers (i.e., malondialdehyde, glutathione, and nitrite). In addition, GTS also markedly inhibits the expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and nuclear factor-κB, and improves the expression of IL-10 in cardiac tissue.ConclusionThese data indicate that GTS mitigates myocardial damage by modulating the biochemical and oxidative stress related to cardiac I/R injury

Birth‐weight differences at term are explained by placental dysfunction and not by maternal ethnicity

Objective To investigate the influence of ethnicity, fetal gender and placental dysfunction on birth weight (BW) in term fetuses of South Asian and Caucasian origin. Methods This was a retrospective study of 627 term pregnancies assessed at two public tertiary hospitals in Spain and Sri Lanka. All fetuses underwent biometry and Doppler examinations within 2 weeks of delivery. The influences of fetal gender and ethnicity, gestational age (GA) at delivery, cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and maternal age, height, weight and parity on BW were evaluated by multivariable regression analysis. Results Fetuses born in Sri Lanka were smaller than those born in Spain (mean BW = 3026 ± 449 g vs 3295 ± 444 g; P < 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis demonstrated that GA at delivery, maternal weight, CPR, maternal height and fetal gender (estimates = 0.168, P < 0.001; 0.006, P < 0.001; 0.092, P = 0.003; 0.009, P = 0.002; 0.081, P = 0.01, respectively) were associated significantly with BW. Conversely, no significant association was noted for maternal ethnicity, age or parity (estimates = −0.010, P = 0.831; 0.005, P = 0.127; 0.035, P = 0.086, respectively). The findings were unchanged when the analysis was repeated using INTERGROWTH‐21st fetal weight centiles instead of BW (log odds, −0.175, P = 0.170 and 0.321, P < 0.001, respectively for ethnicity and CPR). Conclusion Fetal BW variation at term is less dependent on ethnic origin and better explained by placental dysfunction. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Transmission Dynamics of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Medical Intensive Care Unit in India

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a global pathogen and an important but seldom investigated cause of morbidity and mortality in lower and middle-income countries where it can place a major burden on limited resources. Quantifying nosocomial transmission in resource-poor settings is difficult because molecular typing methods are prohibitively expensive. Mechanistic statistical models can overcome this problem with minimal cost. We analyse the transmission dynamics of MRSA in a hospital in south India using one such approach and provide conservative estimates of the organism's economic burden. Methods and Findings: Fifty months of MRSA infection data were collected retrospectively from a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) in a tertiary hospital in Vellore, south India. Data were analysed using a previously described structured hidden Markov model. Seventy-two patients developed MRSA infections and, of these, 49 (68%) died in the MICU. We estimated that 4.2% (95%CI 1.0, 19.0) of patients were MRSA-positive when admitted, that there were 0.39 MRSA infections per colonized patient month (0.06, 0.73), and that the ward-level reproduction number for MRSA was 0.42 (0.08, 2.04). Anti-MRSA antibiotic treatment costs alone averaged $124/patient, over three times the monthly income of more than 40% of the Indian population. Conclusions: Our analysis of routine data provides the first estimate of the nosocomial transmission potential of MRSA in India. The high levels of transmission estimated underline the need for cost-effective interventions to reduce MRSA transmission in hospital settings in low and middle income countries. © 2011 Christopher et al