Role of Gal and GalNAc containing glycans in various physiological processes

Glycoconjugates are involved in the vital physiological functions including blood group determination, cancer recognition, protein stabilization, sperm-egg adhesion and pathogenic interaction in body. These diverse biological functions of glycoconjugates are regulated by complex oligosaccharide structures linked with proteins and lipids in macromolecular assemblies. The diversity in oligosaccharide chains attached with lipids and proteins is specifically linked with the conformational behavior of sugar residues giving rise to unique carbohydrate structures with wide range of sequence and anomeric linkage. This is a challenging task to explore the relationship between biological processes and stereochemical behavior of sugar residues. Current review article focuses the specific stereochemical involvement (anomery and linkages) of Gal and its derivative GalNAc in wide range of cellular activities. These sugar residues exhibit different physiological functions at the terminal and subterminal position in glycans.Keywords: D-Galactose; N-Acetyl-D-Galactosamine; Oligosaccharides; Sequence and anomeric linkages; Physiological efficac

Drop size in a liquid pulsed sieve-plate extraction column

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Genetic study of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste perception among six human populations of Jammu and Kashmir (India)

Background: The ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a bitter chemical has long been known to be a bimodal autosomal trait inherited in a simple Mendelian recessive pattern which is being widely used for both genetic and anthropological studies. The frequency of taster and non-taster allele is found to vary in different populations. The present paper deals with the distribution of PTC tasting ability as a marker to study the genetic structure among Muslim populations of Jammu; as no detailed information is available.Aim: To investigate the prevalence and gene frequencies of PTC taste sensitivity among male and females.Subjects and methods: We have undertaken a survey of gene frequencies of PTC taste ability for six different endogamous groups including tribal population. PTC serial dilution method was used to assess the PTC taster and non-taster phenotypes. Hardy–Weinberg method was used to determine allele frequencies.Results: Gujjar and Bakarwal population showed highest PTC threshold while Syed had the least. The phenotypic frequency for PTC taste ability varies within six populations; Syed were observed with highest taster frequency while Gujjar and Bakarwal had lowest taster frequency. The taster frequency of six different populations showed that the percentage of taster frequency was more frequent than that of the non-tasters. Also, females (x2= 4.563, df =5, p= 0.471) had more PTC tasters than males (x2= 5.254, df =5, p= 0.385), being statistically significant. The allelic frequencies in Gujjar and Bakarwal for non-taster (t) males and females were 55.86 and 54.55, respectively. In Syed population, t-allele frequencies for males and females were 45.75 and 37.79, respectively, while the other four populations showed intermediate t-allele frequencies. The heterozygosity showed little variation among all of the six populations.Keywords: Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC); PTC threshold; Gene frequency; Genotype frequency; Heterozygosity; Human populatio

Prevalence and gene frequencies of A1A2BO and Rh(D) blood group alleles among some Muslim populations of North India

Background: Research on ABO group system has been of immense interest, due to its medical importance in different diseases. Till date only a few studies have been done on the prevalence and gene frequencies of A1A2BO and Rh(D) blood groups among the Muslim populations ofUttar Pradesh, North India. The data generated in the present work may be useful for health planners while making efforts to face the future health challenges in the region.Aim: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and gene frequencies of A1A2BO and Rh(D) blood groups among six Muslim populations of Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, North India.Subjects and methods: Blood samples from a total of 724 healthy, unrelated individuals were drawn at random from the six different endogamous groups of Muslim populations of Uttar Pradesh, North India. A1A2BO and Rh blood grouping were carried out by standard slide agglutination method and allele frequencies were determined.Results: In total 724 samples analyzed, the most frequent blood group was found to be group O 29.97% (n= 217), followed by A1 26.52% (n=192), B 20.03% (n= 145), A1B 19.34% (n= 140), A2 2.90% (n= 21) and A2B 1.24% (n= 9). The overall phenotypic frequencies of A1A2BO blood groups were O >A1>B> A1B>A2>A2B. The calculated allelic frequencies were 0.5619, 0.2214, 0.1973 and 0.0259 for group Io, Ib, Ia1 and Ia2, respectively. The Chi-square differences for A1A2BO blood groups among different Muslim populations were found to be significant (v2 =41.22, df= 25, p <0.02). Out of total 724 samples, 613 (84.67%) samples were Rh+ve and 111 (15.33%) were Rhve

Nursing Students Challenges at Educational and Clinical Environment

Introduction: Nursing students are facing a series of challenges progressively in the clinical practices as well as in education system. The influence of these challenges is on their learning skills. Gape between theoretical leaning and its implementation during the course of training has impact on nursing student’s empowerment. Nursing students have emphasizes on education which taught by preceptor during their training but afterword in their practice and but clinical experience has been totally difference. Nursing students conduct their clinical practice in various kinds of clinical settings. The clinical learning environment is essential for students to most likely accomplish desired learning outcomes.Methods: Descriptive cross sectional study design was used. Study conducted on nursing students and total population for this research work 160 nursing students of Allama Iqbal Medical College at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore.Results: The findings of this research indicated that from the participant’s point of views were follow as, the most important challenge in the educational environment were educator follow traditional ways of teaching in their nursing care (97.1%),no application of theoretical aspects of the nursing process in practice  (69.6%), there is a gap between practice and education system (98.1%), the use of practice were follow as :there is a major difference what they were taught in class is similar what they practice at clinical environment  (95.8%), student not received  constructive feedback from nurse educator/clinical facilitator during accompaniment (96.2%).Conclusions: The gap between the theory and practice was an important finding. Practical-orientation and traditional view of educators, students and nurses about clinical competency based on practical skills that reduced the need of practice based on knowledge and research.  Efforts to reduce the problems between the theory and practice in academic and clinical environment are needed to improve training of student nurses. Also education of professionalism and action based on work environment may be useful. Keywords- Challenges, Nursing students, Educational environment, Clinical environment DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/62-06 Publication date:May 31st 201

Eco-biology of Mastacembelus pancalus (Ham.) and their distribution in different water bodies

The eco-biological of the spiny eel, Mastacembelus pailcalus in the river Padma, adjacent flood plains and ponds were influenced by various physico-chemical factors such as water temperature, water transparency, pH, dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide and alkalinity. Flood plain areas are the best habitat for the M. pancalus with maximum abundance

Precision Medicine Informatics: Principles, Prospects, and Challenges

Precision Medicine (PM) is an emerging approach that appears with the impression of changing the existing paradigm of medical practice. Recent advances in technological innovations and genetics, and the growing availability of health data have set a new pace of the research and imposes a set of new requirements on different stakeholders. To date, some studies are available that discuss about different aspects of PM. Nevertheless, a holistic representation of those aspects deemed to confer the technological perspective, in relation to applications and challenges, is mostly ignored. In this context, this paper surveys advances in PM from informatics viewpoint and reviews the enabling tools and techniques in a categorized manner. In addition, the study discusses how other technological paradigms including big data, artificial intelligence, and internet of things can be exploited to advance the potentials of PM. Furthermore, the paper provides some guidelines for future research for seamless implementation and wide-scale deployment of PM based on identified open issues and associated challenges. To this end, the paper proposes an integrated holistic framework for PM motivating informatics researchers to design their relevant research works in an appropriate context.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables, journal pape

Apparent Digestibility Of Fish Meal, Blood Meal and Meat Meal For Labeo Rohita Fingerlings

ABSTRACT A feeding trial was conducted to determine the apparent nutrient digestibility of three feed ingredients of animal protein sources for Labeo rohita fingerlings. Reference diet was mixed with test ingredients in 70:30 ratios to formulate test diets. Chromic oxide was added as an indigestible marker. Apparent nutrient digestibility coefficient of dry matter and crude fat for blood meal and fish meal was significantly higher than meat meal at P<0.05. The crude protein digestibility values of blood meal (71.90±1.98) were significantly lower than fish meal (80.20±1.27) and meat meal (79.92±2.40). The apparent gross energy digestibility of fish meal (69.30±3.71) was significantly higher from meat meal (61.55±4.63) and blood meal (59.55±5.20). The nutrient digestibility values of fish meal and blood meal for dry matter and crude fat are similar whereas for crude protein the digestibility values of fish meal and meat meal are close to each other. It is concluded from this study that blood meal and meat meal can be included in diets of Labeo rohita fingerlings

Effect of gravistimulation on amino acid profile of pea, rice, corn, wheat during early growth stages

AbstractThe amino acids are one of the major cellular components of plants, which are involved in different metabolic pathways. In present study, effect of artificial gravistimulation on amino acid profiles of pea, rice, corn, wheat during early growth stages was investigated. One-axis clinostat was used for gravistimulation application, which was applied at embryonic stage. Amino acid profile was measured in 10-days old seedlings of pea, rice, corn and wheat cultivars. The effect of clinostat rotation was also evaluated under salt stress and MS medium supplement. Germinated pea, rice, corn and wheat seedlings were grown under the gravity condition for specific time interval. Corn and wheat seeds showed slow germination as compared to pea and rice cultivars. The rate of amino acid formation under gravity condition was significantly higher than control (un-treated seedling). The variation in amino acid profile of pea, rice, corn and wheat cultivars vary deferentially. Results revealed that gravistimulation applied through clinostat has positive effect on amino acid profile in plant tissue and future studies should be focused on growth, biochemical, physiological at lateral stages of growth