Effect of Viscum album 30 CH on pre-diagnosed vis-a-vis diagnosed hypertensive individuals

The World Health Organization considers hypertension the most common health problem in today's growing population. Studies show that the rate of primary hypertension is about 85-95% and the rate of secondary hypertension is only 5%. However, homoeopathy is used as an alternative in such cases (i.e., HTN) but it has good clinical results in cases of HTN. Viscum album is a circulatory remedy and has been observed to lower blood pressure by acting on the circulation in many cases, but very little research has been done to prove this. This study aimed to determine whether the homoeopathic medicine Viscum album is effective in reducing blood pressure in participants with essential hypertension. Methods: This was a monocentric, Phase 2 clinical trial, single arm, single blind, and randomized, interventional study conducted in the outpatient department of Homoeopathic Hospital & Post-graduate Research Centre of Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune. A total of 40 participants (male and female) between the ages of 20 and 75 were enrolled in this study. Blood pressure was measured in the sitting position using a sphygmomanometer according to standard procedures.  Result: The result was a decrease in blood pressure after 10-12 weeks of outpatient care. Significant reduction in blood pressure levels of hypertensive participants before and after treatment and in participants in remission. Of the 40 cases, Mean sBP before treatment is 150, in the same vein systolic blood pressure after treatment is 124.4; and Mean dBP before treatment is 94.9, where as in after treatment diastolic blood pressure is reduced with 79.2. The P-value is <0.0001. Conclusion: The homoeopathic medicine Viscum album produced a significant effect on lowering blood pressure levels in participants with essential hypertension. Further studies with control groups may provide a larger source of information to demonstrate that Viscum album is effective in the treatment of essential hypertensio

Mean ergodic multiplication operators on weighted spaces of continuous functions

[EN] Multiplication operators on weighted Banach spaces and locally convex spaces of continuous functions have been thoroughly studied. In this note, we characterize when continuous multiplication operators on a weighted Banach space and on a weighted inductive limit of Banach spaces of continuous functions are power bounded, mean ergodic or uniformly mean ergodic. The behaviour of the operator on weighted inductive limits depends on the properties of the defining sequence of weights and it differs from the Banach space case.The research of Bonet was partially supported by Project Prometeo/2017/102 of the Generalitat Valenciana. The authors authors were also partially supported by MINECO Project MTM2016-76647-P. Rodriguez also thanks the support of the Grant PAID-01-16 of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Bonet Solves, JA.; Jorda Mora, E.; Rodríguez-Arenas, A. (2018). Mean ergodic multiplication operators on weighted spaces of continuous functions. Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics. 15(3):1:108-11:108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00009-018-1150-8S1:10811:108153Bierstedt, K.D.: An introduction to locally convex inductive limits, Functional analysis and its applications (Nice, 1986), 35–133, ICPAM Lecture Notes. World Sci. Publishing, Singapore (1988)Bierstedt, K.D.: A survey of some results and open problems in weighted inductive limits and projective description for spaces of holomorphic functions. Bull. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège 70(4–6), 167–182 (2001)Bierstedt, K.D., Bonet, J.: Some recent results on VC(X). In: Advances in the theory of Fréchet spaces (Istanbul, 1988), NATO Adv. Sci. Inst. Ser. C Math. Phys. Sci., vol. 287, pp. 181–194. Kluwer Acad. Publ., Dordrecht (1989)Bierstedt, K.D., Bonet, J.: Completeness of the (LB)-spaces VC(X). Arch. Math. (Basel) 56(3), 281–285 (1991)Bierstedt, K.D., Bonet, J.: Some aspects of the modern theory of Fréchet spaces. Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fís. Nat. Ser. A Mat 97(2), 159–188 (2003)Bierstedt, K.D., Meise, R., Summers, W.H.: A projective description of weighted inductive limits. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 272(1), 107–160 (1982)Bierstedt, K.D., Meise, R., Summers, W.H.: Köthe sets and Köthe sequence spaces. In: Functional analysis, holomorphy and approximation theory, Rio de Janeiro, pp. 27–91 (1980)Bonet, J., Ricker, W.J.: Mean ergodicity of multiplication operators in weighted spaces of holomorphic functions. Arch. Math. 92, 428–437 (2009)Klilou, M., Oubbi, L.: Multiplication operators on generalized weighted spaces of continuous functions. Mediterr. J. Math. 13(5), 3265–3280 (2016)Krengel, U.: Ergodic Theorems. de Gruyter, Berlin (1985)Lin, M.: On the uniform ergodic theorem. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 43, 2 (1974)Lotz, H.P.: Uniform convergence of operators on $$L^\infty$$ L ∞ and similar spaces. Math. Z. 190, 207–220 (1985)Manhas, J.S.: Compact multiplication operators on weighted spaces of vector-valued continuous functions. Rocky Mt. J. Math. 34(3), 1047–1057 (2004)Manhas, J.S.: Compact and weakly compact multiplication operators on weighted spaces of vector-valued continuous functions. Acta Sci. Math. (Szeged) 70(1–2), 361–372 (2004)Manhas, J.S., Singh, R.K.: Compact and weakly compact weighted composition operators on weighted spaces of continuous functions. Integral Equ. Oper. Theory 29(1), 63–69 (1997)Meise, R., Vogt, D.: Introduction to Functional Analysis. The Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, New York (1997)Oubbi, L.: Multiplication operators on weighted spaces of continuous functions. Port. Math. (N.S.) 59(1), 111–124 (2002)Oubbi, L.: Weighted composition operators on non-locally convex weighted spaces. Rocky Mt. J. Math. 35(6), 2065–2087 (2005)Singh, R.K., Manhas, J.S.: Multiplication operators on weighted spaces of vector-valued continuous functions. J. Austral. Math. Soc. Ser. A 50(1), 98–107 (1991)Singh, R.K., Manhas, J.S.: Composition operators on function spaces. North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam (1993)Singh, R.K., Manhas, J.S.: Operators and dynamical systems on weighted function spaces. Math. Nachr. 169, 279–285 (1994)Wilanski, A.: Topology for Analysis. Ginn, Waltham (1970)Yosida, K.: Functional Analysis. Springer, Berlin (1980

Sacred forest of Kunjapuri Siddhapeeth, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract: Sacred forests are a new frontier for interdisciplinary research and are relevant for biodiversity conservation. However, several sacred forests are experiencing failure of legal protection in guaranteeing their integrity and conservation. To bridge the gap between the needs of local people and to safeguard the health of these sacred places, immediate steps are called for. The present study was conducted in Kunjapuri Siddhapeeth, which is one of the 52 Siddhapeeths of India. A total of 239 plant species belonging to 78 families and 207 genera were collected from the study area. Out of these, nine species are considered threatened and three species vulnerable. Presently, the health of this sacred forest is deteriorating under constant anthropogenic pressures. These disturbances are also a threat for various rare, vulnerable and threatened plants. These forests are maintained and managed by the forest department and the locals are not co-operating. Therefore, the government should either promote community-based conservation of biodiversity in these forests or their administration should be handed over to temple authorities. Resumen: Los bosques sagrados representan una nueva frontera para la investigación interdisciplinaria y son relevantes para la conservación de la biodiversidad. No obstante, varios bosques sagrados carecen de una protección legal que garantice su integridad y conservación. Es necesario realizar acciones inmediatas para conciliar las necesidades de los pobladores locales y salvaguardar la salud de estos espacios sagrados. El presente estudio se llevó a cabo en Kunjapuri Siddhapeeth, que es uno de los 52 Siddhapeeths de la India. En el área de estudio se recolectó un total de 239 especies de plantas pertenecientes a 78 familias y 207 géneros. Entre éstas, se considera que nueve especies están amenazadas y tres son vulnerables. En la actualidad, la salud de este bosque sagrado se está deteriorando bajos las presiones antropogénicas constantes. Estos disturbios también constituyen una amenaza para varias plantas raras, vulnerables y amenazadas. Estos bosques son mantenidos y manejados por el departamento forestal y los pobladores locales no están cooperando. Por lo tanto, o el gobierno debería promover que la conservación de la biodiversidad en estos bosques tenga una base en la comunidad, o su administración debería pasar a manos de las autoridades del templo. Resumo: As florestas sagradas são a nova fronteira para a investigação interdisciplinar e é relevante para a conservação da biodiversidade. Contudo, várias florestas sagradas vêm enfrentando uma lacuna legal que não lhes garante a sua integridade e conservação. Para estabelecer a ligação entre as necessidades da população local e a salvaguarda da saúde deste lugares sagrados, é necessário assumir medidas imediatas. O presente estudo foi conduzido em Kunjapuri Siddhapeeth, que é um dos 52 Siddhapeeths da Índia. Um total de 239 espécies de plantas, pertencendo a 78 famílias e 207 géneros, foram colhidos na área de estudo. Destas, nove espécies são consideradas ameaçadas e três são vulneráveis. Presentemente, o estado desta floresta sagrada está a deteriorar-se sob a constante pressão antropogénica. Estes perturbações

Complementary analysis of Mueller-matrix images of optically anisotropic highly scattering biological tissues

Background: Using optical techniques for tissue diagnostics (so-called ‘optical biopsy’) has been a subject of extensive research for many years. Various groups have been exploring different spectral and/or imaging modalities (e.g. diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, autofluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT), polarized light microscopy, etc.) for biomedical applications. In this paper, we report on using multi-wavelength imaging Mueller polarimetry combined with an appropriated image post-processing for the detection of tissue malignancy. Methods: We investigate a possibility of complementary analysis of Mueller matrix images obtained for turbid tissue-like scattering phantoms and excised human normal and cancerous colorectal tissue samples embedded in paraffin. Combined application of correlation, fractal and statistical analysis was employed to assess quantitatively the polarization-inhomogeneous scattered fields observed at the surface of tissue samples. Results: The combined analysis of the polarimetric images of paraffin-embedded tissue blocks has proved to be an efficient tool for the unambiguous detection of tissue malignant transformation. A fractal structure was clearly observed at spatial distributions of depolarization of light scattered in healthy tissues in a visible range of spectrum, while corresponding distributions for cancerous tissues did not show such dependence. We demonstrate that paraffin does not destroy a fractal structure of spatial distribution of depolarization. Thus, the loss of fractality in spatial distributions of depolarization for cancerous tissue is related to the structural changes in the tissue sample induced by cancer itself and, therefore, may serve as a marker of the disease. Conclusion: The obtained results emphasize that a combined use of statistical, correlation and fractal analysis for the Mueller-matrix image post-processing is an effective approach for an assessment of variations of optical properties in turbid tissue-like scattering media and biological tissues, with a high potential to be transferred to clinical practice for screening cancerous tissue samples

Identifying divergent design thinking through the observable behavior of service design novices

© 2018, Springer Nature B.V. Design thinking holds the key to innovation processes, but is often difficult to detect because of its implicit nature. We undertook a study of novice designers engaged in team-based design exercises in order to explore the correlation between design thinking and designers’ physical (observable) behavior and to identify new, objective, design thinking identification methods. Our study addresses the topic by using data collection method of “think aloud” and data analysis method of “protocol analysis” along with the unconstrained concept generation environment. Collected data from the participants without service design experience were analyzed by open and selective coding. Through the research, we found correlations between physical activity and divergent thinking, and also identified physical behaviors that predict a designer’s transition to divergent thinking. We conclude that there are significant relations between designers’ design thinking and the behavioral features of their body and face. This approach opens possible new ways to undertake design process research and also design capability evaluation

Functional kinomics establishes a critical node of volume-sensitive cation-Cl^- cotransporter regulation in the mammalian brain

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.There is another record in ORE for this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/10871/33424Cell volume homeostasis requires the dynamically regulated transport of ions across the plasmalemma. While the ensemble of ion transport proteins involved in cell volume regulation is well established, the molecular coordinators of their activities remain poorly characterized. We utilized a functional kinomics approach including a kinome-wide siRNA-phosphoproteomic screen, a high-content kinase inhibitor screen, and a kinase trapping-Orbitrap mass spectroscopy screen to systematically identify essential kinase regulators of KCC3 Thr991/Thr1048 phosphorylation – a key signaling event in cell swelling-induced regulatory volume decrease (RVD). In the mammalian brain, we found the Cl−-sensitive WNK3-SPAK kinase complex, required for cell shrinkage-induced regulatory volume decrease (RVI) via the stimulatory phosphorylation of NKCC1 (Thr203/Thr207/Thr212), is also essential for the inhibitory phosphorylation of KCC3 (Thr991/Thr1048). This is mediated in vivo by an interaction between the CCT domain in SPAK and RFXV/I domains in WNK3 and NKCC1/KCC3. Accordingly, genetic or pharmacologic WNK3-SPAK inhibition prevents cell swelling in response to osmotic stress and ameliorates post-ischemic brain swelling through a simultaneous inhibition of NKCC1-mediated Cl− uptake and stimulation of KCC3-mediated Cl− extrusion. We conclude that WNK3-SPAK is an integral component of the long-sought “Cl−/volume-sensitive kinase” of the cation-Cl− cotransporters, and functions as a molecular rheostat of cell volume in the mammalian brain.We thank the excellent technical support of the MRC-Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (PPU) DNA Sequencing Service (coordinated by Nicholas Helps), the MRC-PPU tissue culture team (coordinated by Laura Fin), the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) antibody purification teams (coordinated by Hilary McLauchlan and James Hastie). We are grateful to the MRC PPU Proteomics facility (coordinated by David Campbell, Robert Gourlay and Joby Varghese). We thank for support the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12016/2; DRA) and the pharmaceutical companies supporting the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy Unit (AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck KGaA, Janssen Pharmaceutica and Pfizer; DRA). We thank Thomas J. Jentsch (Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin) for providing the KCC1/3 double KO mice and his reading of this manuscript. We thank Nathaniel Grey (Harvard) for providing the kinase inhibitor library used in this study (NIH LINCS Program grant U54HL127365). This work was also supported by a Harvard-MIT Neuroscience Grant (to KTK/SJE)