OXIDATIVE STRESS REDUCING AND LIVER PROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION ISOLATED FROM PAJANELIA LONGIFOLIA (WILLD) K. SCHUMAN

Objectives: We investigated the liver protective as well as oxidative stress reducing activity of isolated fractions (Pajanelia fraction-1, 2, and 3 [PF1, PF2, and [PF3]) from ethyl acetate extract of Indian medicinal plant Pajanelia longifolia (Willd.) K. Schuman.Methods: The liver protective activity of fractions was evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (0.5 ml/kg body weight intraperitoneal [b.w. i.p.]) induced hepatic damage in Swiss albino mice. Isolated fractions (at dose level of 150 mg/kg b.w. per orally [p.o.]) were administered to mice before 30 minutes of CCl4 administration. Silymarin at a dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. p.o. was taken as a standard drug. The liver protective activity of fractions was measured on serum biochemical parameters such as serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin (total). Further antioxidant activity of fractions was also measured on antioxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic levels such as reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase.Results: The in vivo study revealed that the PF3 most effectively protected the liver from damage by CCl4. The findings were also confirmed by histopathological observations. High-performance liquid chromatography result was clearly indicated that the fraction was pure.Conclution: Ethyl acetate fraction (Pajanelia fraction 3) from P. longifolia may be considered as a liver protective agent

“Let’s pull these technologies out of the ivory tower”: The politics, ethos, and ironies of participant-driven genomic research

This paper investigates how groups of ‘citizen scientists’ in non-traditional settings and primarily online networks claim to be challenging conventional genomic research processes and norms. Although these groups are highly diverse, they all distinguish their efforts from traditional university- or industry-based genomic research as being ‘participant-driven’ in one way or another. Participant-driven genomic research (PDGR) groups often work from ‘labs’ that consist of servers and computing devices as much as wet lab apparatus, relying on information-processing software for data-driven, discovery-based analysis rather than hypothesis-driven experimentation. We interviewed individuals from a variety of efforts across the expanding ecosystem of PDGR, including academic groups, start-ups, activists, hobbyists, and hackers, in order to compare and contrast how they relate their stated objectives, practices, and political and moral stances to institutions of expert scientific knowledge production. Results reveal that these groups, despite their diversity, share commitments to promoting alternative modes of housing, conducting, and funding genomic research and, ultimately, sharing knowledge. In doing so, PDGR discourses challenge existing approaches to research governance as well, especially the regulation, ethics, and oversight of human genomic information management. Interestingly, the reaction of the traditional genomics research community to this revolutionary challenge has not been negative: in fact, the community seems to be embracing the ethos espoused by PDGR, at the highest levels of science policy. As conventional genomic research assimilates the ethos of PDGR, the movement’s ‘democratizing’ views on research governance are likely to become normalized as well, creating new tensions for science policy and research ethics

Big data, open science and the brain: lessons learned from genomics

The BRAIN Initiative aims to break new ground in the scale and speed of data collection in neuroscience, requiring tools to handle data in the magnitude of yottabytes (1024). The scale, investment and organization of it are being compared to the Human Genome Project (HGP), which has exemplified “big science” for biology. In line with the trend towards Big Data in genomic research, the promise of the BRAIN Initiative, as well as the European Human Brain Project, rests on the possibility to amass vast quantities of data to model the complex interactions between the brain and behavior and inform the diagnosis and prevention of neurological disorders and psychiatric disease. Advocates of this “data driven” paradigm in neuroscience argue that harnessing the large quantities of data generated across laboratories worldwide has numerous methodological, ethical and economic advantages, but it requires the neuroscience community to adopt a culture of data sharing and open access to benefit from them. In this article, we examine the rationale for data sharing among advocates and briefly exemplify these in terms of new “open neuroscience” projects. Then, drawing on the frequently invoked model of data sharing in genomics, we go on to demonstrate the complexities of data sharing, shedding light on the sociological and ethical challenges within the realms of institutions, researchers and participants, namely dilemmas around public/private interests in data, (lack of) motivation to share in the academic community, and potential loss of participant anonymity. Our paper serves to highlight some foreseeable tensions around data sharing relevant to the emergent “open neuroscience” movement

Immunogenicity and safety of live attenuated hepatitis A Vaccine: a multicentric study

Objective: To evaluate immunogenicity and tolerability of single dose live attenuated injectable hepatitis A vaccine in four metropolitan cities of India. Methods: Live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine was administered to 505 children aged 18-60 months in four centers across India. Immunogenicity of the vaccine was assessed by estimation of anti-HAV antibody titer at 6 weeks and 6 months following administration of the vaccine. Safety evaluation of the vaccine was also done during the visits. Results: At 6 weeks, 480 subjects (95%) came for the follow-up and 411 (81.4%) subjects reported at the end of 6 months. The geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-HAV antibody of the subjects who did not have the seroprotective titer at the baseline were assessed at 6 weeks and 6 months which was 81.04 mIU/ml and 150.66 mIU/ml respectively. At 6 weeks, 95.1% seroconverted and at the end of 6 months, 97.9% had seroconverted. Both solicited and unsolicited vaccine-induced local and systemic adverse events were insignificant at all the centers, except swelling and induration in a few. Conclusion: Live attenuated injectable hepatitis A vaccine was immunogenic and tolerable with minimal reactogenecity, in this study of single dose schedule. Safety profile was also satisfactory in the study population

The Adolescent Brain : A second window to opportunity

Scientific advances over the past decade have contributed to a much greater understanding of the growth of the human brain from birth to adulthood. Latest evidence illuminates the adolescent brain as a ‘work in progress’, and adolescence as a critical period to build on early investments, offering a second chance for those who have not fared well in early childhood. Neuroscientific research in particular is integral to improving our understanding of the cerebral transformations that take place during this time and how they are influenced by interactions between the evolving adolescent brain and the environment in which it develops. In the field of early childhood development (ECD), neuroscientific evidence featured prominently in galvanizing positive change for children through changes in policy and programming and more of this type of evidence is needed to also provide answers regarding critical intervention junctures and approaches during adolescence. In this compendium, eight experts in adolescent neuroscience and development summarize scientific and programmatic evidence from their work, offering an insight into how to maximize the potential of adolescents during this period of opportunity, but also vulnerability. It builds on the discussions initiated at a one-day symposium entitled The Adolescent Brain: A second window of opportunity, held on 4 May 2016 at UNICEF headquarters in New York. The event brought together specialists to review the state of science related to the adolescent brain, specifically focusing on how to guide future responses to programming and policy and providing directions for research to further advance these aims. The advances and investments made in ECD must be continued for children in their second decade of life. Adolescence is a time of both opportunity and vulnerability. Many problematic and risky behaviours are activated in adolescence, including substance abuse, and behaviours that can lead to sexually transmitted diseases HIV/AIDS, road injuries, drowning and other negative outcomes (Mokdad, 2016). It is a time when mental illness and the incidence of suicide sharply increases (Petroni, Patel and Patton, 2016) and when experiences of bullying, inter-personal violence and exclusion often leave a long-term mark on the individual (Lupien, 2012). The commentaries in this compendium together summarize the state of adolescent neuroscience, reflecting on what is known about positive and negative impacts on brain development, including the effects of poverty, violence, stress, technology, but also socio-emotional learning, meditation, nutrition, counselling and positive relationships. They go beyond the science to discuss its application for maximizing the potential of adolescents. This compendium is designed to encourage further dialogue stimulated by new thinking grounded in adolescent neuroscience research and its application. It aims to challenge readers to bring science to bear on programme interventions and public policies for adolescents. An improved understanding from neuroscience is well-placed to strengthen behavioural evidence and provide a more complete picture of adolescent behaviour and development, while also stimulating fresh thinking and approaches that can be tested

Development of the adolescent brain: implications for executive function and social cognition.

Adolescence is a time of considerable development at the level of behaviour, cognition and the brain. This article reviews histological and brain imaging studies that have demonstrated specific changes in neural architecture during puberty and adolescence, outlining trajectories of grey and white matter development. The implications of brain development for executive functions and social cognition during puberty and adolescence are discussed. Changes at the level of the brain and cognition may map onto behaviours commonly associated with adolescence. Finally, possible applications for education and social policy are briefly considered

ANTIHEPATOTOXIC POTENTIALITY OF 2-3-6 TRIMETHYLOCT-6-ENAL AGAINST PARACETAMOL INDUCED LIVER DYSFUNCTION

Objective: We investigated the liver protective activity of 2-3-6 trimethyloct-6-enal from the methanol extract of Pajanelia longifolia (Willd.) K. Schuman. The liver protective activity of 2,3,6 trimethyloct-6-enal was evaluated against paracetamol (2 mg/kg body weight per orally) induced liver toxicity in swiss albino mice.Methods: Considering the Spectral data (IR spectrum, 1HNMR spectrum and 13C NMR spectrum) the predictable structure of 2,3,6 trimethyloct-6-enal was elucidated. To study the liver protective activity of the compound, Swiss albino mice of either sex were divided into six groups and treated for 5 d. Group I and II served as normal and toxic control, Group III were treated with Silymarin as a standard drug (50 mg/kg), and Group IV to VI was treated with 2-3-6 trimethyloct-6-enal at the dose of 50 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg b.w. p. o. respectively. The liver protective activity of the compound was measured on biochemical parameters such as aspertate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TB), triglycerides (TGL), total cholesterol (TC) and protein. Further antioxidant activity of the compound was also measured on antioxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic levels such as reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)).Results: The study revealed that the compound has protective activity at the dose of 50, 150 and 250 mg/kg b.w. p. o. against paracetamol induced toxicity. In some biochemical parameters such as aspartate amino transferase and bilirubin, the compound has showed better result at a dose of 150 mg/kg compared to standard drug silymarin (value of aspartate amino transferase (compound) =71.10±0.12, (toxic) = 173.43±1.21, (silymarin) =79.86±0.02and total bilirubin (compound) = 1.04±0.11), (toxic) = 2.69±0.02, (silymarin) ==1.11±0.01. The findings were also confirmed by histopathological observations.Conclusion: 2,3,6 trimethyloct-6-enal from Pajanelia longifolia may be considered as a potent liver protective agent