Response of Ovalbumin to Fructose Addition and pH Variations - Ultrasonic and FTIR Study

Main aim of this work is to understand how the protein ovalbumin is affected by the presence of cosolvent and variations in pH of the medium.  The addition of cosolvent in many cases is found to control the extent of denaturation and pH is one of the main sources of denaturant of proteins.  In this work, keeping fructose solution as cosolvent and pH of the solution as main variable, the extent of denaturation is analysed by ultrasonic methods and are further confirmed by FTIR amide-I second derivative spectra at 303 K. Obtained results shows that denaturation is sensitive to pH, however, acidic and alkaline behave totally in a different way.  It was found that the impact of alkaline pH produces lesser denaturation and is slower whereas the impact of acidic pH is specific and instantaneous. Ultrasonic analysis shows that pH variation can denature the protein whereas the addition of cosolvent supports renaturation. FTIR spectra were recorded for the experimental samples from which the second derivative curve fitted spectra were constructed using Origin program.  Quantitative assignment of peaks and the variations in cumulative areas calculated for the structures like α-helix, β-sheets etc confirms the observations of ultrasonic analysis that the pH variations aid in denaturation whereas the cosolvent supports the renaturation of protein.

Bone health after menopause: effect of surgical menopaus on bone mineral density and osteoporosis

Background: Natural menopause or surgical menopause is associated with endocrinological changes and alteration in bone and mineral metabolism. Hence this study was conducted to assess the bone mineral density changes in women with surgical menopause. Methods: This is a prospective observational study conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Sri Ramachandra medical college, which is a tertiary care teaching hospital. 60 women with surgical menopause were included in the study. BMD was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and hip joint. All the data was entered in Microsoft excel spread sheet and analysed by using SPSS software.Results: Among 60 study subjects, 41 individuals had a normal BMD, 16 had osteopenia, and 3 were diagnosed with osteoporosis. Osteopenia and osteoporosis is significantly higher in patients who had undergone hysterectomy with removal of ovaries. Observations of osteopenia and osteoporosis were significantly higher with increasing number of years post hysterectomy.Conclusions: Prevalence of osteoporosis is high in patients who undergo hysterectomy. Oophorectomy is associated with postoperative bone loss. Targeted management strategies should include routine BMD assessment and hormone therapy improves management of bone health in this population. Further more studies are needed in large populations to test alternative treatments for post oophorectomy osteoporosis

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) – An Adaptation Technology for Changing Climate

Farmers attempt to develop a different environment for rice under System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method by which the rice plants can exhibit their full potential. Major principles of SRI includes perfect land levelling, lower seed rate, transplanting young seedlings of 12 days old, single seedling / hill with wider spacing (25 x 25 cm), careful water management (applying a minimum of water during vegetative growth and at later stages maintaining only one inch water) and weed management using cono weeder thrice in the vegetative stage. Researchers and farmers’ experience in the Cauvery basin in Tamil Nadu from ClimaRice have shown that yields of rice could be increased considerably (18–27%) with reduced water consumption (22- 25%) and less expenditure, just by following SRI method of cultivation. Thus it is beneficial for small and marginal farmers under changing climatic conditions.publishedVersio

IoT-enabled digital revolution of the healthcare system

In modern civilization, healthcare is a significant problem. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is appealing to everyone because it has the ability to change the present healthcare system and address the problems that the aging population and the steady rise in chronic sickness are posing for the healthcare system. This chapter focuses on the conventional healthcare system that has been used in the past to deliver healthcare services as well as the integration of IoT, a new technology, into the healthcare system to modernize patient care. To provide services more quickly and effectively, this chapter illustrates how IoT has changed the conventional approach to monitoring healthcare. Finally, a study on different IoT-based healthcare monitoring systems will be conducted, along with a comparison of numerous IoT-based healthcare systems to show their advantages and disadvantages. The industry's digital transformation is piquing the curiosity of academics and healthcare practitioners alike. In this work, we attempt to examine the research question about the management and commercial uses of digital technology by different stakeholders. This chapter examines IoT applications for medical purposes, the different ways it is affecting the healthcare industry, and some potential future routes for its growth, such as Bio-IoT and Nano-IoT or the Internet of Nano Things. From the perspective of monitoring patients' vital signs, wireless body area networks (WBANs) are crucial components of a system. The WBANs consist of tiny smart devices that communicate wirelessly and are implanted within or on top of the patient. We analyze the literature on digital transformation in healthcare to answer this question. According to our findings, previous research can be grouped into five clusters: organizational characteristics, patient-centered approaches, operational efficiency of healthcare providers, and research techniques. These clusters are linked to illustrate how various technology adoption approaches enhance service providers' operational effectiveness. Research in a variety of directions is recommended, with implications for management as well

High fructose Corn Syrup recast glucose transporter-5, Wnt, NF-κB signalling and mitochondrial apoptosis in an animal model of oral oncogenesis

Background: Wnt signalling pathway, is mediated by members of T-cell factor (TCF) transcription factors family, is essential for the control of epithelial cell proliferation and death. Glucose transporter-5 (GLUT5), fructose-specific transporter, is also important in allowing transcellular fructose uptake. The goal of this work to determine how the High fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) affected Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) and Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signalling in the 7,12 –dimethylbenzaanthracene (DMBA)-induced hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis (HBPCs) model. Methods: Four groups of hamsters were created. For 12 weeks, 0.5 % DMBA was applied 3 times/week to the left side buccal pouches of the hamsters in groups (2 & 4). Additionally, the animals in groups (3 & 4) were given through drinking water of HFCS 25 %. The control animals were from group 1. By using western blot analysis, signalling network markers of the GLUT-5, Wnt, TCF-4, GSK-3β and NF-κB as well as mitochondrial apoptotic pathway marker expression B-cell lymphoma protein 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X (Bax) and cyclooxygenase – 2 (COX-2) was assessed. Results: Drinking water uptake of 25% HFCS encouraged progress of HBP carcinomas by constitutive stimulating of the Wnt pathway via GSK-3β overexpression. HFCS suppressed Wnt signalling which contributed the NF-κB attenuation and changes the signalling markers in apoptotic network. Conclusions: Our hypothesis suggests a mechanically crosstalk between Wnt and NF-κB signalling pathways in HBP carcinomas that is developed by HFCS. HFCS that targets the Wnt pathway and its downstream signalling mediators could be additive reason for cancer development

Transcranial doppler screening in children with Sickle Cell Anemia is feasible in central India and reveals high risk of stroke

Introduction: India has been identified as having the second largest number of births with sickle cell anemia (SCA) in the world after Africa, with estimated 44,400 new-borns affected per year. SCD was previously reported to have a milder course in children from India, with less severe disease among aboriginal tribal populations than in non-tribal populations. Recent reports indicate the occurrence of severe manifestations of SCD in both tribal and non-tribal populations in India. Stroke is one of the serious complications of SCD, but there are no data on transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening for evaluating children with SCD in India who may be at high risk for strokes. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using TCD to measure time averaged maximum of the mean velocities (TAMMV) in the intracranial arteries in children attending a tertiary centre in central India. Methods: STUDY DESIGN: A cross sectional study was conducted in consecutively recruited stable children of either sex with homozygous SCA proven by electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography in the age group of 1-26 years. Patients who were febrile, acutely ill, hypoxic or asleep were not included in the study as these conditions can falsely elevate the intracranial blood flow velocities. Patients with hemoglobinopathies other than HbSS or S/b0 Thalassemia and those with a history of congenital neurological illness were excluded. DETERMINATION OF TCD VELOCITY: TCD was performed in a tertiary care center in Nagpur using either an imaging machine (Lasiq s8) in the department of radiology or a portable non-imaging TCD (Compumedics); for both a probe of frequency 2Mhz was used. Maximum values for TAMMV in the Middle (MCA) and Anterior (ACA) cerebral arteries were measured in all; for the non-imaging TCD values for posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and basilar artery were also obtained. The results of the first scan performed on these individuals were included in this study. Using values similar to the STOP trial, TAMMV of each of these vessels were categorized as follows: Normal <= 170cm/s; Conditional - between 170 and 199 cm/s; Abnormal >= 200 cm/s; Low <50 cm/s and unobtainable. MEASUREMENT OF HAEMATOLOGICAL VALUES: Laboratory parameters such as Hemoglobin, white blood cell count (WBC), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and hemoglobin F (HbF) levels of the patients in the study were also included if the parameters were available on the day of TCD or within 90 days of TCD study. MEASUREMENT OF HEIGHT, WEIGHT AND BMI: The height and weight of each of the patients on the day of TCD or within a period of 60 days from the TCD were measured and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Results One hundred and twenty children and youth aged 1-26 (median 7) years, 67 male (56%), were recruited. Of the 120 patients, 106 (88.5%) belonged to the Scheduled Caste category, 3 (2.5%) to the Scheduled Tribe category and 11 (9.1%) to the Other Classes category. Three (2.5%) had had a clinical stroke and 8 (7%) had had seizures, one of whom also had a stroke. Twenty-seven (23%) children had TAMMV outside the normal range. Five had abnormal TAMMV in the MCA (n=4) and/or ACA (n=1), 8 had conditional TAMMV in the MCA (n=7) and/or ACA (n=1) while 14 patients had low (n=12) or unobtainable (n=2) TAMMV in the MCA. One child with stroke had low TAMMV and one had conditional TAMMV while the third had normal TAMMV. Of the 7 with isolated seizures, one had low TAMMV and one had conditional TAMMV while the remaining 5 were normal. BMI was 8.6-25.3 (median 14.1), height/weight was 3.4-10.3 (median 6.5), hemoglobin was 43-134 (median 81) g/L, oxygen saturation 87-100 (median 99)%, HbF was 1.9-60 (median 21) g/dL, MCV was 59.1-96.7 (median 83.2) fl, WBC was 2.3-35.9 (median 10.1)*109. Those with TAMMV outside the normal range were not different from those with normal TAMMV in terms of age, BMI, Height/weight, or recent hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, HbF, MCV, or WBC