INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF NF-κB, COX-1, COX-2, COMT, IL-10, IL-6 AND TNF-α IN MODULATING ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ENTADA PHASEOLOIDES

Objective: To investigate the analgesic activity of methanolic extract of Entada phaseoloides (MEEP) along with its molecular mechanistic pathway. Methods: Swiss albino female mice and Wistar rats of either sex were administered orally with MEEP extracts (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) and pentazocine, tramadol and diclofenac sodium, as standard drugs. Following administration, anti-nociceptive activity was evaluated using an acetic acid-induced writhing test, Eddy’s hot plate, and hot water immersion test. Serum was collected for molecular expression of various proteins and genes using Reverse Transcriptase PCR and Western Blotting. Results: Acetic acid writhing test, a frequently used method to assess peripheral analgesic activity, revealed that MEEP reduced peripherally induced pain in a dose-dependent manner. Likewise, Eddy’s hot plate and hot water immersion methods, often implicated for testing central analgesic activities, showed that MEEP is bestowed with the capability to counteract analgesia in a dose and time-dependent manner. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and factors like COX-2, IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-κB that cause inflammatory responses and pain were significantly reduced, suggesting its analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential. This analgesic and the anti-inflammatory role played by MEEP is also supported by the up-regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and COMT and COX-1 enzyme demonstrated no significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: The study revealed the weak peripheral and potent central analgesic property MEEP by modulating pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways

Cloning and heterologous expression of a gene encoding lycopene-epsilon-cyclase, a precursor of lutein in tea (Camellia sinensis var assamica)

This report describes the cloning and expression of a gene lycopene epsilon cyclase, (LCYE) from Camellia sinensis var assamica which is a precursor of the carotenoid lutein in tea. The 1982 bp cDNA sequence with 1599 bp open reading frame of LCYE was identified from an SSH library constructed for quality trait in tea. 5’ and 3’ RACE (rapid-amplification of cDNA ends) was done to clone the full length cDNA of LCYE. Homology studies showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of LCYE gene had the highest sequence identity of up to 84% with Vitis vinefera. The cloned gene was successfully expressed in a PET based Escherichia coli expression system. The size of the expressed protein was 59615 Daltons. A suppression subtractive library was constructed using a quality clone H3111 (tester) and a garden series clone T3E3 (driver).Key words: Carotenoid, RACE, heterologous expression, lutein, tea

Timescapes of Himalayan hydropower: promises, project life cycles, and precarities

In this paper, we review the existing social science scholarship focused on hydropower development in the Himalayan region, using an interpretive lens attuned to issues of time and temporality. While the spatial politics of Himalayan hydropower are well examined in the literature, an explicit examination of temporal politics is lacking. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework organized around the heuristic of timescapes, highlighting temporal themes implicit in the existing literature. In three sections, we explore the temporal politics of anticipation that shape hydropower dreams, the intersecting temporalities and rhythms that modulate the life cycles of hydropower projects, and the ways that geological and hydrological time affect both hydropower development and broader Himalayan futures. Along the way, we pose a series of questions useful for framing future research given the significant climatic, geophysical, and sociopolitical changes underway in the Himalayan bioregion, calling for greater analytical attention to time, temporality, and temporal ethics in future studies of hydropower in the Himalayas and beyond.Austin Lord, Georgina Drew, Mabel Denzin Gerga

Family-led rehabilitation after stroke in India (ATTEND): a randomised controlled trial

Background Most people with stroke in India have no access to organised rehabilitation services. The effectiveness of training family members to provide stroke rehabilitation is uncertain. Our primary objective was to determine whether family-led stroke rehabilitation, initiated in hospital and continued at home, would be superior to usual care in a low-resource setting. Methods The Family-led Rehabilitation after Stroke in India (ATTEND) trial was a prospectively randomised open trial with blinded endpoint done across 14 hospitals in India. Patients aged 18 years or older who had had a stroke within the past month, had residual disability and reasonable expectation of survival, and who had an informal family-nominated caregiver were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care by site coordinators using a secure web-based system with minimisation by site and stroke severity. The family members of participants in the intervention group received additional structured rehabilitation training—including information provision, joint goal setting, carer training, and task-specific training—that was started in hospital and continued at home for up to 2 months. The primary outcome was death or dependency at 6 months, defined by scores 3–6 on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) as assessed by masked observers. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2013/04/003557), Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12613000078752), and Universal Trial Number (U1111-1138-6707). Findings Between Jan 13, 2014, and Feb 12, 2016, 1250 patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n=623) or control (n=627) groups. 33 patients were lost to follow-up (14 intervention, 19 control) and five patients withdrew (two intervention, three control). At 6 months, 285 (47%) of 607 patients in the intervention group and 287 (47%) of 605 controls were dead or dependent (odds ratio 0·98, 95% CI 0·78–1·23, p=0·87). 72 (12%) patients in the intervention group and 86 (14%) in the control group died (p=0·27), and we observed no difference in rehospitalisation (89 [14%]patients in the intervention group vs 82 [13%] in the control group; p=0·56). We also found no difference in total non-fatal events (112 events in 82 [13%] intervention patients vs 110 events in 79 [13%] control patients; p=0·80). Interpretation Although task shifting is an attractive solution for health-care sustainability, our results do not support investment in new stroke rehabilitation services that shift tasks to family caregivers, unless new evidence emerges. A future avenue of research should be to investigate the effects of task shifting to health-care assistants or team-based community care

Наночастинки оксидів перехідних металів для виробництва біопалива

Виснаження запасів викопного палива та зростання населення призвели до пошуку альтернативних ресурсів. Біодизель є альтернативою викопному паливу. Його можна отримати з рослинних олій, тваринних жирів та відходів кулінарної олії. Переетерифікація – це процес, який використовується для синтезу біодизеля. За синтез біодизеля переважно відповідають два типи каталізаторів. Це гомогенні та гетерогенні каталізатори. Комерційно гомогенні каталізатори в основному використовуються в промисловості для синтезу біодизеля. Гомогенний каталізатор потребує промивання водою для видалення домішок, тому вартість виробництва висока. Найважливішим недоліком є те, що одного разу використаний каталізатор не може бути використаний повторно. Гетерогенний каталізатор має багато переваг у порівнянні з гомогенним каталізатором, наприклад, можливість повторного використання та відсутність необхідності промивання водою. Серед гетерогенних каталізаторів перехідні метали можуть бути використані для виробництва біодизеля. Вони відносяться до d-блоку періодичної таблиці. Багато дослідників повідомляли про синтез біодизеля за допомогою нанокаталізаторів з оксидів перехідних металів. Каталізатори на основі оксидів перехідних металів є гарною заміною для синтезу біодизеля. Вони мають гетерогенні властивості та перевагу повторного використання. Крім того, каталізатори на основі оксидів перехідних металів підвищують швидкість реакції і, таким чином, забезпечують вищий вихід біодизеля.The depletion of fossil fuels and population growth led to the search for alternative resources. Biodiesel is an alternative to fossil fuel. It can be obtained from plant oils, animal fats and waste cooking oil. Transesterification is a process used to synthesize biodiesel. Two types of catalysts are mainly responsible for the synthesis of biodiesel. These are homogenous and heterogeneous catalysts. Commercially homogenous catalysts are mostly used in industry for the synthesis of biodiesel. The homogenous catalyst needs water washing to remove impurities, and thus the production cost is high. The most important disadvantage is that the catalyst once used cannot be recovered. The heterogeneous catalyst has many advantages over homogenous catalyst such as reusability and needs no water wash. Among heterogeneous catalysts, transition metals can be used for biodiesel production. They come under the d-block in the periodic table. Many researchers reported the synthesis of biodiesel by transition metal oxide nanocatalysts. The transition metal oxide catalyst is a good substitute for the synthesis of biodiesel. They possess heterogeneous properties and have an advantage of reusability. Further, the transition metal oxide catalysts enhance the reaction rate and thus possess higher biodiesel yield

Interaction of 4 μm laser beam with absorption lines of sulphur dioxide

617-620Interaction of a free electron laser beam of wavelength 4 μm with rotational lines of sulphur dioxide has been studied. Values of transmittance, averaged over intervals of 0.1 cm⁻¹, are obtained for absorber thickness 0.01, 0.1 and 1 atm-cm, using the quasi-random model of molecular band absorption. From these values, intensities of the high resolution absorption lines of SO₂ are simulated in the frequency interval 2499.0115 – 2499.9910 cm⁻¹

Not Available

Not AvailableA study was carried out to assess the genetic varability in jackfruit grown in agroforestry homestead gardens of Tripura, India for selection of elite types of jackfruit germplasm. Forty two jackfruit genotypes were selected from 20 major jackfruit growing locations surrounded by forest. The genotypes of jackfruit was characterized by using 42 standardized morphological descriptors of International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). Signi cant variation was found in tree size (5-30 m), fruit colour (greenish, yellowish, reddish yellow), fruit weight (1.5-10.5 kg), fruit yield (15-250 fruits/plant), fruit shape (round to long), pulp colour (creamy white to coppery red), pulp thickness and consistency (soft to rm), number of akes (5-207/fruit), ake length (3-7 cm) and TSS (6-25°Brix). Variation was also observed in leaf size (8.5-17.78 cm), leaf width (4-10 cm), stalk length (5-30 cm), tree growth habit (erect to spreading type) and fruit bearing habit (regular/twice a year) at the tree age range of 10-55 years. Exterior rind colour varied from green to yellow-reddish yellow. Accessions were signi cantly different in respect to weight of seed and edible portion. Ten genotypes (WTJF-03, WTJF-02, WTJF-10, STJF-02, STJF-04, STJF-10, NTJF-02, NTJF-08, NTJF-11, DJF-09) out of 42 genotypes were found superior type on the basis of fruit shape, pulp quality, TSS of pulp, rind:pulp:seed ratio and seasonal availability. The results suggest that selected elite genotypes of jackfruit can be used for vegetable, dessert, processing purposes and also to conserve and use them for breeding programmes for development of superior cultivars.Not Availabl