l-Tetrahydropalmatine, an Active Component of Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, Protects against Myocardial Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats

l-Tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) is an active ingredients of Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, which protects against acute global cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury. In this study, we show that l-THP is cardioprotective in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury and examined the mechanism. Rats were treated with l-THP (0, 10, 20, 40 mg/kg b.w.) for 20 min before occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and subjected to myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (30 min/6 h). Compared with vehicle-treated animals, the infarct area/risk area (IA/RA) of l-THP (20, 40 mg/kg b.w.) treated rats was reduced, whilst l-THP (10 mg/kg b.w.) had no significant effect. Cardiac function was improved in l-THP-treated rats whilst plasma creatine kinase activity declined. Following treatment with l-THP (20 mg/kg b.w.), subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase p85, serine473 phosphorylation of Akt and serine1177 phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) increased in myocardium, whilst expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) decreased. However, the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF were increased in I30 minR6 h, but decreased to normal level in I30 minR24 h, while treatment with l-THP (20 mg/kg b.w.) enhanced the levels of these two genes in I30 minR24 h. Production of NO in myocardium and plasma, activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in plasma and the expression of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in myocardium were decreased by l-THP. TUNEL assay revealed that l-THP (20 mg/kg b.w.) reduced apoptosis in myocardium. Thus, we show that l-THP activates the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO pathway and increases expression of HIF-1α and VEGF, whilst depressing iNOS-derived NO production in myocardium. This effect may decrease the accumulation of inflammatory factors, including TNF-α and MPO, and lessen the extent of apoptosis, therefore contributing to the cardioprotective effects of l-THP in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury

Picturization of Women: With Reference to the Select Poems of Jayanta Mahapatra

The present research aims to explore the representation and portrayal of women in the selected poems of Jayanta Mahapatra, one of India’s most profound and prolific contemporary English poets. His compelling depictions of women often encompass and transcend the boundaries of traditional Indian cultural norms and societal structures, thus requiring a detailed, nuanced investigation. His poems deal with the alienation of women from themselves and from the society.  The atrocities that are exerted on women is explicitly exposed by the poet. They were not only termed as weaker sex by the patriarchal society but also made them as such. The poet stands by the deprived section of the society and acts as a voice of them, as the silent screaming is not heard by the world.  His works serve as a bridge between the world of man and the world of woman. The pivotal focus of this study is an examination of Mahapatra’s depiction of women, ranging from symbolizing pure innocence and tradition to epitomizing complex modern experiences and gendered identity. The research critically investigates how the poet’s use of imagery, metaphors, and symbolic language paints a vivid picture of women across his poems, thereby adding another dimension to the thematic concerns of his poetic oeuvre. Moreover, the paper scrutinizes the elements of socio-cultural context, gender constructs, and feminist perspectives within Mahapatra\u27s poetic descriptions. Through this examination, it seeks to analyze the intertwining of the personal, social, and cultural experiences of women in the poet\u27s picturization. The study further delves into Mahapatra\u27s poetry’s use of nature and its metaphorical connections to femininity, while considering Indian societal realities and dynamics. Mahapatra’s depiction of women in his poetry transcends from being merely characters to profound representations of societal paradigms and discourses, reflecting the inherent challenges and conflicts that women face in a patriarchal society

A rhodopsin in the brain functions in circadian photoentrainment in Drosophila

Animals partition their daily activity rhythms through their internal circadian clocks, which are synchronized by oscillating day-night cycles of light. The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster senses day-night cycles in part through rhodopsin-dependent light reception in the compound eye and photoreceptor cells in the Hofbauer-Buchner eyelet. A more noteworthy light entrainment pathway is mediated by central pacemaker neurons in the brain. The Drosophila circadian clock is extremely sensitive to light. However, the only known light sensor in pacemaker neurons, the flavoprotein cryptochrome (Cry), responds only to high levels of light in vitro. These observations indicate that there is an additional light-sensing pathway in fly pacemaker neurons. Here we describe a previously uncharacterized rhodopsin, Rh7, which contributes to circadian light entrainment by circadian pacemaker neurons in the brain. The pacemaker neurons respond to violet light, and this response depends on Rh7. Loss of either cry or rh7 caused minor defects in photoentrainment, whereas loss of both caused profound impairment. The circadian photoresponse to constant light was impaired in rh7 mutant flies, especially under dim light. The demonstration that Rh7 functions in circadian pacemaker neurons represents, to our knowledge, the first role for an opsin in the central brain