Subjects, Topics, and Anchoring to the Context

The article discusses the connection between the syntactic and semantic properties of weak, strong, and referential DP subjects. In particular, I argue that nominal expressions possess a situation argument and that their interpretation and their distribution follow from the presuppositional requirements that the determiner imposes on the individual argument and situation argument of its complement nominal. These presuppositional requirements, I then argue, are embodied by local relations of the subject to a distinct head in the C domain, Fin(0) in the system of Rizzi 1997, where specific referential values of discourse antecedents are accessible

Change-of-state Paradigms and the middle in Kinyarwanda

This paper investigates the derivational relationships among members of verbal paradigms in Kinyarwanda (Bantu JD.61; Rwanda) by pursuing two interrelated goals. First, I describe a variety of derivational strategies for marking transitive and intransitive variants in change-of-state verb paradigms. Second, I focus on the detransitivizing morpheme –ik which serves as one possible marking for intransitive members of these paradigms. Ultimately, I argue that this morpheme is a marker of middle voice, and the variety of readings which appear with this form can be subsumed under a single operation of argument suppression. Finally, I provide a discussion of reflexives and the apparent lack of a reflexive reading with –ik by arguing that this reading is blocked by either lexical reflexives or the reflexive prefix i–

Advancement in the field of magnetic fluids for drug discovery, medicine and biotechnology

358-362Techniques based on magnetic separation have become increasingly popular among the biological community. Magnetic separation technique offers advantage in terms of subjecting, analyte to very little mechanical stress compared to other methods, they are rapid, often highly scalable, low cost and avoid use of hazardous toxic reagents. Techniques employing magnetism are more amenable to automation and miniaturization. This paper reviews the advancement made in the field of medicine, biotechnology and drug discovery using magnetic particles technology

Application of magnetic fluids in medicine and biotechnology

683-686Several advancements have been made in the last two decades for targeting drugs to a specific area in the human body. Liposomes, resealed erythrocyte ghost preparations, antibody mediated drug targeting to specific cancer cells have become popular means of drug targeting. However all these methods are associated with several practical problems and involve tedious development stages. In the past few years, this group has been involved in developing the usage of magnetic particles as suitable carriers for delivering drugs. This method of drug delivery ensures site-specific action as well as easy to develop and use technology. Clot lytic agents like streptokinase, urokinase or tissue plasminogen activator are traditionally used for treating thrombosis. One of the major problems associated with this treatment is its nonspecific and undirected thrombolytic activity. Using magnetic fluids, as carriers for above enzymes would ensure specificity of action, reduction in amount and time of action of the drug with no side effects. This line of action could be used in treating peripheral and coronary occlusive diseases. The process of hysteresis can be utilized to develop heat in magnetic fluids and this can be used to induce hyperthermia to treat tissues/cells, especially in oncology. This, in addition to delivering anticancer drugs via magnetic particles could prove to be an excellent line of treatment for cancer chemotherapy. Phase I clinical trials using reversibly bound anticancer drug epirubicin were done, and it was found that the ferrofluid could be successfully directed to the tumors in about one-half of the patients. Present studies have shown that proteins can be bound to magnetic particles without losing their biological properties. Some of the enzymes immobilized by us have been found to retain almost 90% of their activity. The same principle could be used to deliver anti cancer and thrombolytic drugs, which have been entrapped in protein microspheres. These can be targeted to tumor cells by an external magnetic field so that it an deliver the drug slowly and in the required amount at the same time avoiding side effects associated with these drugs. The applications of magnetic fluids in other fields are also manifold. Magnetic for isolating mRNA are quicker and more efficient, and they avoid organic solvents and the need for a precipitation step. Magnetic beads linked to high affinity capture antibodies have been widely accepted as separation techniques of specific target ligands or particles such as bacteria or leukocytes from complex mixtures, such as bone marrow, blood and other body fluids. Detection of contaminating microorganisms like, staphylococcus sp. In milk using a magnetic based ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) has been developed. It is also proposed to use this technology to immobilize polymixin B antibiotic for the treatment of endotoxic shock. The extreme toxicity of this antibiotic could be avoided using dialysis to remove the magneti cally bound antibiotic, from systematic circulation, after its action. Similarly using magnetically immobilized antifungal agent amphoterecin, for systemic application., could reduce toxicity of this antifungal agent. Investigating the use of magnetically immobilized Horseshoe crab protein for combating endotoxic shock could also prove to be an effective line of treatment. Using magnetic particles as such or erythrocyte ghost preparations of the same could be used as an opaque medium in angiography and radiography techniques. In addition to this, using magnetically immobilized microorganisms for wastewater treatment is an extremely cost effective technology

Effect of Bacillus subtilis PB6, a natural probiotic on colon mucosal inflammation and plasma cytokines levels in inflammatory bowel disease

79-85The pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves the production of diverse lipid mediators, namely eicosanoid, lysophospholipids, and platelet-activating factor, in which phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) is the key enzyme. Thus, it has been postulated that control of lipid mediators production by inhibition of PLA₂ would be useful for the treatment of IBD. This hypothesis has been tested in the present study by examining the therapeutic effect of a novel natural probitic Bacillus subtilis PB6 (ATCC- PTA 6737). B. subtilis PB6 is found to secrete surfactins (cyclic lipopeptides) which have anti-bacterial potential. These surfactins inhibit PLA₂, a rate-limiting enzyme involved in the arachidonic acid associated inflammatory pathway and could downregulate the inflammatory response by regulating the eicosanoid and cytokine pathways. With this concept, an experimental animal trial has been conducted in a rat model of 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. The oral administration of PB6 suppresses the colitis as measured by mortality rate, changes in the weight gain, colon morphology and the levels of plasma cytokines. The animals treated orally with PB6 at 1.5 × 10⁸ CFU/kg thrice daily from day 4 to 10 significantly improve gross pathology of the colon and regain the colon weight to normal (p< 0.05), compared to TNBS-induced positive control. The plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IFN-γ) are also significantly lowered (p<0.05) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10 and TGF-β) significantly (p<0.05) increased after the oral administration of PB6 on day 11. The present study supports the concept that PB6 inhibits PLA₂ by the secreting surfactins. In a clinical investigation, it is found to be well tolerated by all the healthy volunteers