A Comprehensive Review on Anti-Cancer Properties of Amaranthus viridis

Amaranthus Viridis L. belongs to the Family (Amaranthaceae) commonly known as “Chowlai” which a common name. A. Viridis contains several compounds like Quercetin, Kaempferol, Hydroxycinnamic acids (HCs) (coumaric acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid), Syringic acid (SA), Rutin, Vitexin, Vanillic acid, etc . In search of new activities and chemical entities, phytochemical screening of the extract from leaves of A. Viridis L. indicates the presence of biologically active constituents saponins, tannins, phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, cardiac glycoside, steroids, and triterpenoids. Quercetin is the aglycone form of several other flavonoid glycosides, Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7- tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, Syringic acid (SA) is a phenolic compound of natural origin. Syringic acid (SA) is a phenolic compound which obtained from natural origin. SA is an excellent compound to be used as a therapeutic agent in various diseases (diabetes, CVDs, cancer, cerebral ischemia, neuro and liver damage) and possesses anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiendotoxic activities. Vitexin (apigenin-8-C-glucoside) has also shows the wide range of pharmacological effects, including but not limited to anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Vanillic acid shows the anti-cancer activity

Role of Brain Angiotensin-II in Development of Experimental Diabetic Nephropathy in Wistar Rats

Abstract The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a key role in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Angiotensin-II secreted during the RAAS pathway increases nephropathy. It stimulates oxidative stress which can quench nitric oxide. Reduced nitric oxide level aggravates Ang-II-induced vasoconstriction. Ang-II has also emerged as a central mediator of the glomerular hemodynamic changes that are associated with renal injury. Deletion of ACE2 is also noted due to increased Ang-II level which leads to the development of DN. We hypothesize that nephropathy caused by Ang-II in the periphery may be controlled by brain RAAS. ACE inhibitors and ARBs may show the renoprotective effect when administered through ICV without crossing the blood-brain barrier. DN was observed after 8 weeks of diabetes induction through alloxan. Administration of captopril and valsartan once and in combined therapy for 2 weeks, significantly reduced urine output, blood urea nitrogen, total protein in the urine, serum cholesterol, serum creatinine, serum triglycerides, and kidney/body weight ratio as compared to diabetic control rats. Further, combination therapy significantly increased the body weight and serum nitrate level as compared to diabetic control animals. However, increased ACE2 levels in the brain may reduce the sympathetic outflow and might have decreased the peripheral activity of Ang-II which shows beneficial effects in DN

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Molecular characterization and novel genetic variability in leptin (obese) gene of mithun (Bos frontalis)

The present study was undertaken with the objectives of sequencing, characterization and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identification of mithun leptin gene. The mithun leptin gene (3420 bp) was sequenced, compared with other species and phylogenetic tree were constructed. Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) showed three patterns in both exon-2 and exon-3 of the gene. Nucleotide sequences from all patterns revealed three novel SNPs. In exon-2 at 25th codon, one SNP (AGC/TGC) with amino acid changed from serine to cysteine, and at 37th codon one silent mutation (ACA/ACG) was detected. In exon-3 at 72nd codon, one silent mutation (CCG/CCA) was also identified. This preliminary study of existing gene variants can be used for further association studies, thereby establishing conservation of mithun germplasm.Key words: Leptin gene, mithun, phylogeny, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)

Vitamin D status of patients with type 2 diabetes and sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is expected to be higher in patients with diabetes and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Studies estimating prevalence in the subset of patients with both diabetes and pulmonary TB are scarce. Materials and Methods: A total of 155 subjects were recruited; 46 patients with type 2 diabetes, 39 non-diabetic healthy controls, 30 patients of pulmonary TB and 40 patients with both pulmonary TB and type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D level (25 OH vitamin D) levels were done for all the 4 groups. Results: Mean vitamin D levels were not different between groups with TB, diabetes mellitus or combination of both, but the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency was higher in the group with both diabetes and TB (45%) as compared with the group with only TB (26.66%) and diabetes (17.39%) and healthy controls (7.69%). Conclusion: The prevalence of patients with severe vitamin D deficiency is higher in patients with dual affection of TB and diabetes mellitus as compared with either disorder alone implying that patients with type 2 diabetes with the most severe vitamin D deficiency are the one of the most predisposed to pulmonary TB

Mathematical Modeling of Driving Forces of an Electric Vehicle for Sustainable Operation

Increasing greenhouse gases & air pollution are a global threat. Global forums are aggressively emphasizing on reducing the dependence on non-renewable resources. Battery Electric vehicle are among the initial initiative to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and this demands more research to understand the energy requirements of a vehicle under different driving conditions. The performance of an Electric Vehicle depends on varying drive conditions and the Power Electronic Controller is primarily responsible for its sustainable operation. In this paper, a novel mathematical model is proposed to analyze the performance of an electric vehicle under different driving conditions. The model is simulated at different driving speeds keeping other longitudinal, lateral, and vertical parameters fixed. Rolling resistance forces, aerodynamic drag force, gradient force, total driving force, driving torque, and power requirements at different speeds have been calculated under standard driving conditions. The rolling resistance increases by 2.16 times with a change in the vehicle speed from 40 kmph to 120 kmph. The aerodynamic drag force increases ten times with a 10-degree gradient. The battery operating temperature is critical in vehicular performance, a hybrid Pneumatic-Liquid Thermal Management System is proposed to maintain battery operating temperature. Performance of the proposed model is simulated and found to be in line with the existing standards. This study concludes that road conditions, tyre pressure, velocity of travel, wind velocity, and temperature significantly influence the performance of an electric vehicle

Observation of incomplete fusion at low angular momenta

Present work deals with experimental studies of incomplete fusion reaction dynamics using off-line γ-ray spectrometry at energies as low as ≈3-6 MeV/nucleon. Excitation functions for five reaction products populated via complete and/or incomplete fusion processes in 16O+130Te system have been measured and compared with the predictions of the statistical model code PACE4. A significant enhancement in the measured excitation functions compared to theoretical predictions for α-emitting channels has been observed and is attributed to incomplete fusion processes. The relative strength of incomplete fusion has been found to increase with projectile energy. Results show that incomplete fusion is associated even for angular momenta lesser than the critical angular momentum for complete fusion and also reveals importance of incomplete fusion even at energies as low as ≈3-6 MeV/nucleon