Trans fatty acid content of selected foods in Fiji

This article focuses on studying the effects of processing on trans fatty acid content of selected foods that are commonly sold in Fiji. The results of trans fatty acid content of 30 manufactured and 34 commonly consumed fast foods and snacks are presented. Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic method was applied to the analysis of trans fatty acid content in the food and oil samples. The trans fat contents are represented as elaidic acid equivalent. The results for the food samples analyzed showed that bakery products contained the highest amount of trans fatty acid content, while the spreads contained the lowest trans fat content. The differences in the data have been attributed to the factors that contributed to the higher rate of cis to trans conversion. These include the materials for the cooking vessels, temperatures and duration for cooking and types of cooking oil or fat used. Results were correlated with the dietary consumption patterns in different population groups in Fiji. Study shows a positive correlation between the high incidence of non communicable disease in Fiji and the presence of trans fatty acid in commonly consumed processed foods. It appears that in the absence of any regulatory mechanism, only a few manufacturers had voluntarily reported the appropriate values of the trans fat content in their processed foods on the food labels. It is thus recommended that consumer awareness and a statutory regulatory mechanism for labeling of trans fat in different foods should be carried out

A Comparative Clinical Study of Shamana Therapy and Shodhana Purvaka Shamana Therapy in the Management of Tamaka Shwasa w.s.r to Bronchial Asthma

Ayurveda is the science of life which deals with the prevention and cure of diseases. From the first breath of newly born till the last breath i.e, Shwasochhwasa Kriya is the sign of life. Any disturbance in this process leads to Shwasa Roga. Tamaka Shwasa is one of the important diseases of such disturbance. Shwasa is a Kapha-Vataja disease which is originated from Pittasthana. Tamaka Shwasa is very much similar to bronchial asthma in modern medicine which is a chronic disease of multifactorial origin. Ayurveda describes two type of management of all disease i.e. Shodhana and Shamana Chikitsa. In present scenario Panchakarma therapy is the best way to effectively and safely manage the condition without any specific side effects. It is one of the most effective and complete therapy in the management of the chronic disease such as Tamaka Shwasa (Bronchial Asthma). In Ayurvedic classics both Vamana and Virechana have been described specifically in the management of Tamaka Shwasa. Considering the Ayurvedic concept of treatment of Tamaka Shwasa, in present study we have used Virechana therapy along with certain herbal preparation. In this study we concluded that the cases who were treated with herbal preparation along with Virechana got better relief than herbal preparation alone

Substitution of threonine-1351 in the multidrug transporter Cdr1p of Candida albicans results in hypersusceptibility to antifungal agents and threonine-1351 is essential for synergic effects of calcineurin inhibitor FK520

Objectives: Functional characterization of a mutant Candida albicans drug resistance protein (Cdr1p) by overexpression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methods: We overexpressed green fluorescent protein-tagged Cdr1p in S. cerevisiae AD1-8u− host and introduced a point mutation to substitute T1351 with F in Cdr1p. The cells expressing T1351F mutant Cdr1p were analysed for their functional activity using minimum inhibitory concentration, spot assay, and fluconazole efflux. The binding activity of photoaffinity analogues 8-azidoATP, iodoarylazidoprazosin and azidopine to the mutant T1351F Cdr1p was also characterized. Results: The T1351F mutant Cdr1p-expressing cells were susceptible to anisomycin, cycloheximide, fluconazole, miconazole and nystatin. The mutant protein was expressed to the same level as that of native Cdr1p in S. cerevisiae cells and was properly localized to the cell surface. There was also no difference between the mutant variant and the native protein's ability to bind a photoaffinity analogue of ATP, 8-azidoATP, or the radiolabelled photoaffinity agents iodoarylazidoprazosin and azidopine. However, the substitution of T1351 resulted in considerable reduction in its ability to export fluorescent substrate rhodamine 6G. The synergy between calcineurin inhibitors FK520 and azoles was abrogated in cells expressing the T1351F mutant variant of Cdr1p. Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that the T1351 in the predicted transmembrane domain (TMD) 11 of Cdr1p is not only important for drug-substrate transport but also has a role in governing synergy of FK520

FORMULATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF DAPAGLIFLOZIN AND SAXAGLIPTIN BILAYERED TABLETS

Dapagliflozin (DG) is a sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor and Saxagliptin (SG) is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. The aim of the present work is to formulate a bilayered tablet (BT) of DG as immediate release (IR) layer and SG as sustained release (SR) layer by direct compression method for the effective treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type and concentration of superdisintegrant among [sodium starch glycolate (SSG)/Lycoat RS720/ Ludiflash] was optimized to enhance the dissolution rate (DR) of DG from the IR layer of BT. Type and concentration of SR polymer among (Carbapol 940/ Karaya gum/ HPMC K15M) was optimized to extend the release of SG up to 12 h with zero order release profile from the SR layer of BT. It was concluded that the optimization of the ratio of SG: SR polymer (HPMC K15M), had significant effect on extending the release profiles of SG. The ratio of SG: HPMC K15M at 1:18 respectively forms a better matrix for the extending the release of SG up to 12 h from the SR layer of BT. The optimized formulation; BT9 [IR9 (6% w/w Ludiflash as superdisintegrant and SR9 (with 60% HPMC K15M as SR polymer)] releases 100% of DG from the IR layer with in 45 min and extends the release of SG up to 12 h with a better zero order release profile (r2=0.994). It passes the accelerated stability studies as per ICH guidelines. A combination of these two classes [SGLT-2 inhibitors (DG) and DPP-4 inhibitors (SG)] of glucose-lowering agents and formulating them as a BT is more effective in the treatment and maintenance of type 2 diabetes mellitus

LeMYC2 acts as a negative regulator of blue light mediated photomorphogenic growth and promotes the growth of adult tomato plants

Background: Arabidopsis ZBF1/MYC2bHLH transcription factor is a repressor of photomorphogenesis, and acts as a point of cross talk in light, abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathways. MYC2 also functions as a positive regulator of lateral root development and flowering time under long day conditions. However, the function of MYC2 in growth and development remains unknown in crop plants. Results: Here, we report the functional analyses of LeMYC2 in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). The amino acid sequence of LeMYC2 showed extensive homology with Arabidopsis MYC2, containing the conserved bHLH domain. To study the function of LeMYC2 in tomato, overexpression and RNA interference (RNAi) LeMYC2tomato transgenic plants were generated. Examination of seedling morphology, physiological responses and light regulated gene expression has revealed that LeMYC2 works as a negative regulator of blue light mediated photomorphogenesis. Furthermore, LeMYC2 specifically binds to the G-box of LeRBCS-3A promoter. Overexpression of LeMYC2 has led to increased root length with more number of lateral roots. The tomato plants overexpressing LeMYC2 have reduced internode distance with more branches, and display the opposite morphology to RNAi transgenic lines. Furthermore, this study shows that LeMYC2 promotes ABA and JA responsiveness. Conclusions: Collectively, this study highlights that working in light, ABA and JA signaling pathways LeMYC2 works as an important regulator for growth and development in tomato plants

Functional interconnections of HY1 with MYC2 and HY5 in Arabidopsis seedling development

Arabidopsis seedling development is controlled by many regulatory genes involved in multiple signaling pathways. The functional relationships of these genes working in multiple signaling cascades have started to be unraveled. Arabidopsis HY1/HO1 is a rate-limiting enzyme involved in biosynthesis of phytochrome chromophore. HY5 (a bZIP protein) promotes photomorphogenesis, however ZBF1/MYC2 (a bHLH protein) works as a negative regulator of photomorphogenic growth and light regulated gene expression. Further, MYC2 and HY1 have been shown to play important roles in jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathways. Here, we show the genetic interactions of HY1 with two key transcription factor genes of light signaling, HY5 and MYC2, in Arabidopsis seedling development. Our studies reveal that although HY1 acts in an additive manner with HY5, it is epistatic to MYC2 in light-mediated seedling growth and gene expression. This study further demonstrates that HY1 additively or synergistically functions with HY5, however it works upstream to MYC2 in JA signaling pathways. Taken together, this study demonstrates the functional interrelations of HY1, MYC2 and HY5 in light and JA signaling pathways

Antioxidants, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-microbial effects of isolated compounds from Swertia corymbosa (Grieb.) Wight ex C.B. Clark – An in vitro approach

AbstractThe present study, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity of isolated compounds such as Decussatin (1), Gentiacaulein (2), Swertianin (3), 1,8-dihydroxy-2,6-dimethoxy xanthone (methylswertianin) (4) 8-hydroxy-1,2,4,6-tetramethoxyxanthone (5) and 1,2-dihydroxy-6-methoxyxanthone-8-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl (6) were investigated using an in vitro model. Results of antioxidant studies revealed that the compound 6 possessed an efficient 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50 07.19±4.56μmol/mL), 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+) (42.62±0.25mmol/L TE/g), superoxide (57.89±3.45μmol/mL), nitric oxide (18.45±1.23μmol/mL) and hydroxyl (12.13±2.76μmol/mL) radical scavenging activities, ferric reducing antioxidant power (14.76±0.10molar Fe (II)/g), metal chelating (213.85±27.18mg EDTA/g) ability. Compounds 6 and 3 exhibited significant anti-proliferative activity. Compound 6 displayed strongest antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli with MIC value of 3.90μg/mL and 21.21±0.25 and 20.27±0.11mm zone of inhibition at 25μg/mL concentration respectively. In the membrane stabilization and protein denaturation test 3 was the most potent with an IC50 value of 12.57, 18.75μmol/mL respectively

Cooperation in one machine scheduling

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