Antihepatotoxic effect of Elephantopus scaber L. on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Elephantopus scaber was used in folk medicine in several countries to treat different diseases. Liver diseases are major World wise health Problems. The Present aim of the study was evaluate The Antihepatotoxic effects of different fractions of Elephantopus scaber against Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic damage in Rats. All the fractions were given orally in different doses (125mg/kg, 250mg/kg, 500mg/kg). The Antihepatotoxic effect was assessed by measuring serum parameters like  aspertate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), Alkaline Phospatase (ALP) and total bilurubin.  All the fractions of Elephantopus scaber showed Antihepatotoxic effect.The ethanol fraction was shows significant percentage protection than compared to other fractions. Therefore, our study supports the isolation and use of active constituents from Ethanol fraction of Elephantopus scaber in treating of liver disease

Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening and in vitro anti oxidant and anti microbial activities of Elephantopus scaber Linn.

Preliminary phytochemical analysis and quantification of total phenols, In-vitro antioxidant and anti microbial activities of the different fractions (hydro alcoholic, hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol) of Elephantopus scaber were carried out against five selected pathogenic bacteria and three fungal species. The plant fraction possesses steroids, triterpinoids, saponins, flavonoides, carbohydrates, glycosides and oils. For total phenolic content gallic acid was taken as a standard, the ethyl acetate fraction contains rich phenolic content than other fractions and the methanol fraction shows more DPPH, superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. In Anti-microbial activity study all fractions showed good inhibition zone against three organisms i.e., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus Klebsiella pneumonia among the other test organisms along with Candida spp (fungal organism)

The minimum mean monopoly energy of a graph

The motivation for the study of the graph energy comes from chemistry, where the research on the so-called total pi - electron energy can be traced back until the 1930s. This graph invariant is very closely connected to a chemical quantity known as the total pi - electron energy of conjugated hydro carbon molecules. In recent times analogous energies are being considered, based on Eigen values of a variety of other graph matrices. In 1978, I.Gutman [1] defined energy mathematically for all graphs. Energy of graphs has many mathematical properties which are being investigated. The ordinary energy of an undirected simple finite graph G is defined as the sum of the absolute values of the Eigen values of its associated matrix. i.e. if mu(1), mu(2), ..., mu(n) are the Eigen values of adjacency matrix A(G), then energy of graph is Sigma(G) = Sigma(n)(i=1) vertical bar mu(i)vertical bar Laura Buggy, Amalia Culiuc, Katelyn Mccall and Duyguyen [9] introduced the more general M-energy or Mean Energy of G is then defined as E-M (G) = Sigma(n)(i=1)vertical bar mu(i) - (mu) over bar vertical bar, where (mu) over bar vertical bar is the average of mu(1), mu(2), ..., mu(n). A subset M subset of V (G), in a graph G (V, E), is called a monopoly set of G if every vertex v is an element of (V - M) has at least d(v)/2 neighbors in M. The minimum cardinality of a monopoly set among all monopoly sets in G is called the monopoly size of G, denoted by mo(G) Ahmed Mohammed Naji and N.D.Soner [7] introduced minimum monopoly energy E-MM [G] of a graph G. In this paper we are introducing the minimum mean monopoly energy, denoted by E-MM(M) (G), of a graph G and computed minimum monopoly energies of some standard graphs. Upper and lower bounds for E-MM(M) (G)are also established.Publisher's Versio

Scientometric assessment of research publications from fisheries institutes under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) during 2009-2018

The national fisheries research in India is spearheaded by domain-specific fisheries research institutions under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. The current study was undertaken to assess the temporal trends in research publications during the period 2009-2018, from eight fisheries research institutes under ICAR using ‘SciVal’, a web-based scientometric tool of Elsevier for measuring research performance. The data on various research metrics, such as the number of publications, their citations, field-weighted research impacts, number of publications in top journals, subject area categories and key phrases used in research outputs were extracted from the applicatio

Long-term morphological and power spectral studies of VHF amplitude scintillations recorded over Waltair (17.7°N, 83.3°E), India

This research reports on recently recorded 250 MHz amplitude scintillations at Waltair (17.7°N, 83.3°E), a low-latitude station in India, using the signals radiated from a geostationary satellite (FLEETSAT, 73°E) during a six-year period (2008 - 2013), which covers extremely low and higher solar activity years (2008 and 2013). The morphological features in terms of local time, month, and season during different geophysical conditions are presented. The scintillation patches (segregated based on their occurrence durations) have shown an increasing trend with the increasing sunspot activity. The scintillation patches with 30-min duration show increasing trends with increasing sunspot activity, and their occurrence frequencies also show increasing trends with increasing sunspot activity. The scintillation activity during disturbed epochs (Kp index lies between 3+ and 9) is found to be less compared to its quiet day counterparts. The plausible mechanisms for these observational results are discussed. In addition, power spectral characteristics, including Fresnel frequency, upper role of frequency and spectral slope of scintillations are calculated and the salient results are presented

Downregulation of uPAR and Cathepsin B Induces Apoptosis via Regulation of Bcl-2 and Bax and Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt Pathway in Gliomas

Glioma is the most commonly diagnosed primary brain tumor and is characterized by invasive and infiltrative behavior. uPAR and cathepsin B are known to be overexpressed in high-grade gliomas and are strongly correlated with invasive cancer phenotypes.In the present study, we observed that simultaneous downregulation of uPAR and cathepsin B induces upregulation of some pro-apoptotic genes and suppression of anti-apoptotic genes in human glioma cells. uPAR and cathepsin B (pCU)-downregulated cells exhibited decreases in the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and initiated the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. We also observed that the broad caspase inhibitor, Z-Asp-2, 6-dichlorobenzoylmethylketone rescued pCU-induced apoptosis in U251 cells but not in 5310 cells. Immunoblot analysis of caspase-9 immunoprecipitates for Apaf-1 showed that uPAR and cathepsin B knockdown activated apoptosome complex formation in U251 cells. Downregulation of uPAR and cathepsin B also retarded nuclear translocation and interfered with DNA binding activity of CREB in both U251 and 5310 cells. Further western blotting analysis demonstrated that downregulation of uPAR and cathepsin B significantly decreased expression of the signaling molecules p-PDGFR-β, p-PI3K and p-Akt. An increase in the number of TUNEL-positive cells, increased Bax expression, and decreased Bcl-2 expression in nude mice brain tumor sections and brain tissue lysates confirm our in vitro results.In conclusion, RNAi-mediated downregulation of uPAR and cathepsin B initiates caspase-dependent mitochondrial apoptosis in U251 cells and caspase-independent mitochondrial apoptosis in 5310 cells. Thus, targeting uPAR and cathepsin B-mediated signaling using siRNA may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of gliomas

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

WSES Jerusalem guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis

Acute appendicitis (AA) is among the most common cause of acute abdominal pain. Diagnosis of AA is challenging; a variable combination of clinical signs and symptoms has been used together with laboratory findings in several scoring systems proposed for suggesting the probability of AA and the possible subsequent management pathway. The role of imaging in the diagnosis of AA is still debated, with variable use of US, CT and MRI in different settings worldwide. Up to date, comprehensive clinical guidelines for diagnosis and management of AA have never been issued. In July 2015, during the 3rd World Congress of the WSES, held in Jerusalem (Israel), a panel of experts including an Organizational Committee and Scientific Committee and Scientific Secretariat, participated to a Consensus Conference where eight panelists presented a number of statements developed for each of the eight main questions about diagnosis and management of AA. The statements were then voted, eventually modified and finally approved by the participants to The Consensus Conference and lately by the board of co-authors. The current paper is reporting the definitive Guidelines Statements on each of the following topics: 1) Diagnostic efficiency of clinical scoring systems, 2) Role of Imaging, 3) Non-operative treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis, 4) Timing of appendectomy and in-hospital delay, 5) Surgical treatment 6) Scoring systems for intra-operative grading of appendicitis and their clinical usefulness 7) Non-surgical treatment for complicated appendicitis: abscess or phlegmon 8) Pre-operative and post-operative antibiotics.Peer reviewe

Computer-based oral health records on the World Wide Web

Recently, the World Wide Web has emerged as a platform for computer-based oral health records. Web-based patient records can make teledentistry an instant reality. Because an increasing number of dental care providers can access Web pages, traditional barriers to exchanging information are dropping. Web-based records also make cumulative, longitudinal patient records possible. Sophisticated security mechanisms can ensure the integrity and confidentiality of patient information. Because Web-based systems are simpler to install and configure, the cost of operating them may be reduced. However, their development Is complex, difficult, and expensive because the Web was not developed as a programming environment. Furthermore, the technologies underlying the Web are constantly evolving, forcing developers to continuously reengineer their systems. In addition, several policy questions, such as storage of and access to computer-based patient records, have to be answered. This article describes CMSWeb, a Web-based clinical information system implemented at Temple University School of Dentistry