Phosalone-Induced Changes in Regional Cholinesterase Activities in Rat Brain during Behavioral Tolerance

Organophosphate pesticides exert their toxic effects by cholinesteraseinhibition and the consequent prolongation of the undesirable effects ofaccumulation of acetylcholine. The signs of toxicity include tremors,convulsions, lachrymation, defecation etc. However, sustained cholinesterase inhibition through sustained administration of organophosphates would lead to the gradual disappearance of the initial signs of toxicity over time, termed behavioral tolerance. The present study was undertaken to examine the activity levels of cholinesterases in different regions of rat brain during the development of behavioral tolerance to the organophosphate phosalone. Male albino rats were given a daily oral dose of phosalone (41.35 mg, equivalent to ¼ of LD50) every day for 15 days and the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and pseudocholinesterase (PChE) were estimated at intervals at 1, 3, 9 and 15 days of treatment. All the cholinesterases were inhibited, and this inhibition was found to vary among different brain regions at different times. Greater inhibition of AChE and BuChE activities was observed at 9 days, while for PChE it was recorded at 3 days. Recovery trend to normalcy was observed earlier in PChE compared to AChE and BuChE. The signs and symptoms of pesticide toxicity were mainly cholinergic. Inhibition of cholinesterases was well correlated with the appearance and severity of signs and symptoms. Tremors and convulsions in particular were more after 9 days. After 9 days, decline followed by disappearance of majority of the signs and symptoms wasnoticed while reduction in cholinesterase activities still continued, indicatingthe development of behavioral tolerance to phosalone. Among the brainregions, striatum recorded a greater decrease in cholinesterase activity.Earlier recovery of pseudocholinesterase activity seems to be an interestingphenomenon in regulating homeostasis of cholinesterases and in thedevelopment of symptomatic tolerance of phosalone.Key words: Phosalone, Cholinesterases, Rat brain, Behavioraltolerance

ANALISIS INSTRUMEN EVALUASI MATA KULIAH IKATAN KIMIA

The goal of this research is analyze the evaluation instruments used in the final exam of the semester .This analysis is the validity and reliability. Validity consists of the level of distress and distinguishing power. This research has done on the a chemical bond course for college students of education study chemical Islamic university of Borneo (Uniska Arsyad Muhammad Al-Banjary) of fourth semester of the academic 2014 .A method of collecting data on this research used engineering documentation. This research used methods descriptive quantitative. Quantitative analysis of multiple choice used iteman program version 3.0. A qualitative analysis of multiple choice to be in accord with all the aspects of matter (content), construction and structure of the sentences.Based on the results of that analysis known about final exam a chemical bond consisting of 27.5% difficult , 55% easily enough , 15% easy and 2.5 % very easy. The overall difficulty exam level is good enough .The analysis result of differentiating resources there are about 10% bad , 25% good enough , 47.5% good and 17.5 % excellent. Based on the results, it’s just good enough , good and very good that can be used once . The reability analysis result is 0,854 indicates that final exam chemical bond given to students having high precisionBased on research can be concluded that validity test in accordance with the standards test but required improvement some questions. The questions is on a good enough level of difficulit

QTL analysis and marker assisted selection for improvement in grain protein content and pre-harvest sprouting tolerance in bread wheat

With the ever expanding possibilities to build supramotecutar structures, chemists are challenged to mimic nature including the construction of artificial cells or function thereof. Within the field of immunology, effective immunotherapy critically depends on efficient production of antigen-specific cytotoxic T-cells. Herein lies an opportunity for chemists to design and synthesize so-called artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) that can promote T-cell activation and their subsequent expansion. In this review we discuss the current status of aAPC development, also focusing on developments in nanoscience which might improve future designs. As synthetic mimics of natural antigen-presenting cells, aAPCs encompass three basic signals required for T-cell activation: MHC-antigen complexes, costimulatory molecules and soluble immune modulating compounds. Both spatial and temporal organization of these signals during aAPC/T-cell contact is important for efficient T-cell activation. We discuss how signals have been incorporated in several aAPC designs, but also how physical properties such as size and shape are essential for targeting the aAPCs to T-cell rich areas in vivo

Efficacious and Safe Tissue-Selective Controlled Gene Therapy Approaches for the Cornea

Untargeted and uncontrolled gene delivery is a major cause of gene therapy failure. This study aimed to define efficient and safe tissue-selective targeted gene therapy approaches for delivering genes into keratocytes of the cornea in vivo using a normal or diseased rabbit model. New Zealand White rabbits, adeno-associated virus serotype 5 (AAV5), and a minimally invasive hair-dryer based vector-delivery technique were used. Fifty microliters of AAV5 titer (6.5×1012 vg/ml) expressing green fluorescent protein gene (GFP) was topically applied onto normal or diseased (fibrotic or neovascularized) rabbit corneas for 2-minutes with a custom vector-delivery technique. Corneal fibrosis and neovascularization in rabbit eyes were induced with photorefractive keratectomy using excimer laser and VEGF (630 ng) using micropocket assay, respectively. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy and immunocytochemistry were used to confirm fibrosis and neovascularization in rabbit corneas. The levels, location and duration of delivered-GFP gene expression in the rabbit stroma were measured with immunocytochemistry and/or western blotting. Slot-blot measured delivered-GFP gene copy number. Confocal microscopy performed in whole-mounts of cornea and thick corneal sections determined geometric and spatial localization of delivered-GFP in three-dimensional arrangement. AAV5 toxicity and safety were evaluated with clinical eye exam, stereomicroscopy, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and H&E staining. A single 2-minute AAV5 topical application via custom delivery-technique efficiently and selectively transduced keratocytes in the anterior stroma of normal and diseased rabbit corneas as evident from immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. Transgene expression was first detected at day 3, peaked at day 7, and was maintained up to 16 weeks (longest tested time point). Clinical and slit-lamp eye examination in live rabbits and H&E staining did not reveal any significant changes between AAV5-treated and untreated control corneas. These findings suggest that defined gene therapy approaches are safe for delivering genes into keratocytes in vivo and has potential for treating corneal disorders in human patients

Tetralogy of Fallot with rheumatic mitral stenosis: A case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Rheumatic and congenital heart diseases account for the majority of hospital admissions for cardiac patients in India. Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common congenital heart disease with survival to adulthood. Infective endocarditis accounts for 4% of admissions to a specialized unit for adult patients with a congenital heart lesion. This report is unique in that a severe stenotic lesion of the mitral valve, probably of rheumatic aetiology, was noted in an adult male with Tetralogy of Fallot.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>An unusual association of rheumatic mitral stenosis in an adult Indian male patient aged 35 years with Tetralogy of Fallot and subacute bacterial endocarditis of the aortic valve is presented.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this case report the diagnostic implications, hemodynamic and therapeutic consequences of mitral stenosis in Tetralogy of Fallot are discussed. In addition, the morbidity and mortality of infective endocarditis in adult patients with congenital heart disease are summarized. The risk of a coincident rheumatic process in patients with congenital heart disease is highlighted and the need for careful attention to this possibility during primary and follow-up evaluation of such patients emphasized.</p

Assessing the Policy Landscape for Salt Reduction in South-East Asian and Latin American Countries – An Initiative Towards Developing an Easily Accessible, Integrated, Searchable Online Repository

BACKGROUND: High dietary salt intake is an avoidable cause of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Thus, salt reduction is recommended as one of the most cost-effective interventions for CVD prevention and for achieving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 25% reduction in premature non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality by 2025. However, current and comprehensive information about national salt reduction policies and related actions across different regions are difficult to access and impede progress and monitoring. OBJECTIVES: As an initial step to developing an online repository of salt reduction policies and related actions, and to track nation-wise progress towards the WHO’s 25 by 25 goal, we aimed to identify and assess salt reduction policies and actions in select countries from two of the top five most populous regions of the world- the South-East Asia and Latin America. METHODS: We conducted a literature review to identify national and regional salt reduction policies in the selected South-East Asian and Latin American countries, from January 1990–August 2020, available in English and Spanish. We also contacted selected WHO country offices (South-East Asian region) or relevant national authorities (Latin America) to gain access to unpublished documents. RESULTS: In both regions, we found only a few dedicated stand-alone salt reduction policies: Bhutan, Sri-Lanka and Thailand from South East Asia and Costa Rica from Latin America. Available polices were either embedded in other national health/nutritional policy documents/overall NCD policies or were unpublished and had to be accessed via personal communication. CONCLUSIONS: Salt reduction policies are limited and often embedded with other policies which may impede their implementation and utility for tracking national and international progress towards the global salt reduction target associated with the 25 by 25 goal. Developing an online repository could help countries address this gap and assist researchers/policymakers to monitor national progress towards achieving the salt reduction target

Cysteine oxidation targets peroxiredoxins 1 and 2 for exosomal release through a novel mechanism of redox-dependent secretion

Non-classical protein secretion is of major importance as a number of cytokines and inflammatory mediators are secreted via this route. Current evidence indicates that there are several mechanistically distinct methods of non-classical secretion. We have recently shown that peroxiredoxin (Prdx) 1 and Prdx2 are released by various cells upon exposure to inflammatory stimuli such as LPS or TNF-α. The released Prdx then acts to induce production of inflammatory cytokines. However, Prdx1 and 2 do not have signal peptides and therefore must be secreted by alternative mechanisms as has been postulated for the inflammatory mediators IL-1β and HMGB1. We show here that circulating Prdx1 and 2 are present exclusively as disulphide-linked homodimers. Inflammatory stimuli also induce in vitro release of Prdx1 and 2 as disulfide-linked homodimers. Mutation of cysteines Cys51 or Cys172 (but not Cys70) in Prdx2, and Cys52 or Cys173 (but not Cys71 or Cys83) in Prdx1 prevented dimer formation and this was associated with inhibition of their TNF-α-induced release. Thus, the presence and oxidation of key cysteine residues in these proteins are a prerequisite for their secretion in response to TNF-α and this release can be induced with an oxidant. In contrast, the secretion of the nuclear-associated danger signal HMGB1 is independent of cysteine oxidation, as shown by experiments with a cysteine-free HMGB1 mutant. Release of Prdx1 and 2 is not prevented by inhibitors of the classical secretory pathway; instead, both Prdx1 and 2 are released in exosomes from both HEK cells and monocytic cells. Serum Prdx1 and 2 are also associated with the exosomes. These results describe a novel pathway of protein secretion mediated by cysteine oxidation that underlines the importance of redox-dependent signalling mechanisms in inflammation

Corneal Transduction by Intra-Stromal Injection of AAV Vectors In Vivo in the Mouse and Ex Vivo in Human Explants

The cornea is a transparent, avascular tissue that acts as the major refractive surface of the eye. Corneal transparency, assured by the inner stroma, is vital for this role. Disruption in stromal transparency can occur in some inherited or acquired diseases. As a consequence, light entering the eye is blocked or distorted, leading to decreased visual acuity. Possible treatment for restoring transparency could be via viral-based gene therapy. The stroma is particularly amenable to this strategy due to its immunoprivileged nature and low turnover rate. We assayed the potential of AAV vectors to transduce keratocytes following intra-stromal injection in vivo in the mouse cornea and ex vivo in human explants. In murine and human corneas, we transduced the entire stroma using a single injection, preferentially targeted keratocytes and achieved long-term gene transfer (up to 17 months in vivo in mice). Of the serotypes tested, AAV2/8 was the most promising for gene transfer in both mouse and man. Furthermore, transgene expression could be transiently increased following aggression to the cornea

Animals and their products utilized as medicines by the inhabitants surrounding the Ranthambhore National Park, India

The present ethnozoological study describes the traditional knowledge related to the use of different animals and animal-derived products as medicines by the inhabitants of villages surrounding the Ranthambhore National Park of India (Bawaria, Mogya, Meena), which is well known for its very rich biodiversity. The field survey was conducted from May to July 2005 by performing interviews through structured questionnaires with 24 informants (16 men and 8 women), who provided information regarding therapeutic uses of animals. A total of 15 animals and animal products were recorded and they are used for different ethnomedical purposes, including tuberculosis, asthma, paralysis, jaundice, earache, constipation, weakness, snake poisoning. The zootherapeutic knowledge was mostly based on domestic animals, but some protected species like the collared dove (Streptopelia sp.), hard shelled turtle (Kachuga tentoria), sambhar (Cervus unicolor) were also mentioned as important medicinal resources. We would suggest that this kind of neglected traditional knowledge should be included into the strategies of conservation and management of faunistic resources in the investigated area