RADIOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF FICUS RACEMOSA ETHANOL EXTRACT AGAINST ELECTRON BEAM INDUCED DNA DAMAGE IN VITRO, IN VIVO AND IN SILICO

Objective: To investigate the radioprotective effect of Ficus racemosa (Fr) ethanol stem bark extract against electron beam radiation (EBR) induced DNA damage using in vitro, in vivo and in silico models.Methods: The extract of Fr was tested against radiation induced DNA damage by exposing pBR322 plasmid to different EBR dose rates. Comet assay was conducted using mice which were exposed at 6Gy EBR. In silico study was performed by inhibiting p53 protein C-chain (1TUP C) using phyto chemicals of Fr.Results: The in vitro results revealed that, Fr at lower concentration (50µg) showed inhibitory effect on radiation induced DNA damage compared with control. Exposure of mice to 6Gy EBR increased comet parameters like TL (Tail length), OTM (Olive tail moment) and %T (percentage of DNA in the tail) of blood lymphocytes. Fr ethanol extract given orally prior to irradiation at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight protected the DNA from the radiation damage. The phytochemicals of Fr showed clear interaction with p53 protein chain C, specifically binding to Arginine 248 (ARG248) and Arginine 273 (ARG273) amino acid residues thereby inhibiting the p53 protein-DNA interaction upon radiation.Conclusion: The present study indicates that Fr ethanol extract significantly reduced radiation induced DNA damage in vivo and in vitro. It also showed that the biologically active compounds of Fr have ability to inhibit wild p53 protein which is responsible for apoptosis; these compounds can be used as radioprotectors during chemotherapy to protect normal tissues surrounding cancerous tissue.Â

Estimation of Serum Micronutrient Levels and The Possible Risk Of Oral Cancer And Premalignancy

Abstract; The oral cancer is one of the most prevalent type of cancer worldwide. It is invariably linked to lifestyle habits like alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and poor nutritional status. This apart, the role of micronutrients in oral carcinogenesis still remains less understood. So the study was undertaken to assess the micronutrient levels of oral cancer and precancerous patients.The estimation of Haemoglobin showed there was no significant difference between controls, premalignancy cases and in cancerous conditions. Zinc and copper level levels were significantly lower in cases than in controls .There is a positive correlation between serum iron and selenium level and oral cancer patients, yet we didn't find significant increase in serum iron level either in precancerous or oral cancer patients. This study may indicate that very high or low levels of micronutrients associated with oral carcinoma. Yet moderate amount of micronutrients in diet may have protective effect on oral carcinoma which requires further research in these lines

Association of FADS2 rs174575 gene polymorphism and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Many risk factors contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes. Gene and lifestyle factors are considered to be the major contributors. A dietary pattern is attributed to be one of the lifestyle risk factors favoring diabetes. The present study aims to find an association between fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene polymorphism and glycemic profile in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methodology: A total of 429 subjects were included in the study on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, of which 213 and 216 subjects were diabetic and control, respectively. Body mass index was calculated. Fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and insulin were measured using commercially available kits. rs174575 of FADS2 was selected based on previous publications and identified using the dbSNP database. To compare the biochemical parameters with the genotype, the following three models were used: additive model (CC vs CG vs GG), dominant model (CC + CG vs GG), and recessive model (CC vs CG + GG). Results and Discussion: FBS, HbA1c, insulin, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-B exhibited a high and statistically significant difference between subjects and controls. The three models exhibited a statistically significant difference between FBS, HOMA-IR, and HOMA- B (p<0.05). Conclusion: The distribution of rs174575 genotype differed significantly between the subjects and controls in the present study. The study revealed that genetic variation in FADS2 is an additional facet to consider while studying the risk factors of T2DM

Probiotics-A Legacy of Good Health

Probiotics-means live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Probiotics can be bacteria, moulds, yeast. But most Probiotics are bacteria mainly lactic acid bacteria. The Probiotics have a three step action mechanism i. Stimulates and modulates immune response ii. Normalize intestinal micro flora iii. And also have the metabolic effects like. Probiotics have been analyzed for treatment and prevention of various diseases and disorders of human body and the results obtained are very encouraging. Probiotics have turned out to be very promising in ensuring oral health and general well being

Detection of a Single Identical Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Strain in Recently Seroconverted Young Women

Infection with multiple CMV strains is common in immunocompromised hosts, but its occurrence in normal hosts has not been well-studied.We analyzed CMV strains longitudinally in women who acquired CMV while enrolled in a CMV glycoprotein B (gB) vaccine trial. Sequencing of four variable genes was performed in samples collected from seroconversion and up to 34 months thereafter.199 cultured isolates from 53 women and 65 original fluids from a subset of 19 women were sequenced. 51 women were infected with one strain each without evidence for genetic drift; only two women shed multiple strains. Genetic variability among strains increased with the number of sequenced genetic loci. Nevertheless, 13 of 53 women proved to be infected with an identical CMV strain based on sequencing at all four variable genes. CMV vaccine did not alter the degree of genetic diversity amongst strains.Primary CMV infection in healthy women nearly always involves shedding of one strain that remains stable over time. Immunization with CMVgB-1 vaccine strain is not selective against specific strains. Although 75% of women harbored their unique strain, or a strain shared with only one other woman, 25% shared a single common strain, suggesting that this predominant strain with a particular combination of genetic loci is advantageous in this large urban area

The Growth of IT & BPM Industry Services and its Journey towards ‘Make in India’ – A Case Study

Background/Purpose: Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT & BPM) Industry is considered to be one of the topmost service sectors in India with respect to the economic growth of the country, the job opportunities created and various other factors. With the changing scenario in the digital world, there is a need for the IT & BPM Industry to enhance its capabilities and take this sector forward to sustain the existing economy of the country and also increase employment opportunities. After being identified as one of the sectors to come under the ‘Make in India’ mission proposed by Prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi, this concern has taken a big leap towards improvement. Objective: To study the growth and contribution of the IT & BPM Industry towards realizing ‘Make in India’ proposed by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi. Design/Methodology/Approach: Presentation of information collected from various scholarly articles, web articles and also and analysis using SWOC framework. Findings/Result: Based on the analysis of facts and figures and also by looking at the various scenarios of expansion of IT & BPM industry in India, it is seen that this industry has seen considerable growth and progress in various avenues such as creating employment opportunities and country’s economy. Few recommendations are also suggested to take the concept further. Research limitations/implications: The study is limited to the IT & BPM Industry, though a total of 25 Industry sectors have been identified under ‘Make in India’. Originality/Value: This paper focuses on the growth of the IT & BPM Industry and the factors that helped towards making ‘Make in India’ a reality. It also tells about the support given by Government to achieve the same. Paper Type: A Research Case study paper on the growth of the IT & BPM Industry and realization of the ‘Make in India’ concept

Use of Natural Language Processing in Software Requirements Prioritization – A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose: Research involves the creation and implementation of new ideas by keeping the existing work as a foundation.  The literature review done in this paper is to familiarise and to know about the domain of research to integrate the existing ideas with the new ones. Methodology: The literature that is required for this study is chosen from multiple secondary sources such as journals, conference proceedings, and web resources. All the pieces of literature are carefully studied and summarised. This is further used to arrive at Research agendas and Research gaps.  Findings/Result: It has been observed and understood that Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a field involving analysis and processing of textual contents. It also requires Machine Learning Algorithms to support the processing. This combination has already been used in various domains, the important one being the health sector. EMR data is huge and NLP can successfully process and prioritize them in different dimensions. In that direction, the same concept and technology can be applied to Software Engineering also and Requirements can be prioritized. Originality: This literature review study is carried out using secondary data which is collected through various online sources. The information thus gathered will be used in the future to build upon existing theory and framework or build a new methodology. It is also seen that any conclusion or decision is not biased or unidirectional. A sincere effort is made to identify a research topic to carry out the research. Paper Type: Literature Review

The Mega Conglomerate of India- Success Story of Growth of Reliance Industries: A Case Study

Background/Purpose: ‘Growth’ is the aim and goal of any company – be it a startup or a conglomerate. Of late, the retail industry is growing steadily, especially in the field of e-retailing. Reliance Industries which came into the Retail business in 2006 has seen rapid and consistent success in its growth. This success is due to an assortment of contributing factors worth discussing. Objective: To observe the growth saga of Reliance Industries and review the contributing factors that helped this growth. Design/Methodology/Approach: Analysis and presentation of information collected from various scholarly articles, web articles, and also using SWOC framework. Findings/Result: Based on the study through various resources and also by analyzing the facts and figures, it is observed that sustaining in Retail market is a tough job which also requires many strategies and procedures to be amicably followed. Creativity and Innovation, Mergers and Acquisitions are some of the proven solutions for the same. Research limitations/implications: The analysis and solutions mentioned in this paper are limited to Industries whose business and annual turnover and experience is as close to Reliance Industry. Originality/Value: This paper focuses on various factors and scenarios that has made the growth of the Reliance Industry possible and taken it to the level of being labelled as mega Conglomerate. Paper Type: A Research Case study paper on success story and contributing factors of Reliance Industry in becoming the mega Conglomerate of India

CORRELATION BETWEEN APOB100/APOA1 RATIO AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: Apolipoproteins and Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective: Various lipid abnormalities are associated with Type 2 diabetes, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The objective of the study is to correlate apolipoprotein ratio with insulin resistance (IR) to understand its role in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The study population included 416 subjects of which 197 were non-diabetic and remaining 219 were non-diabetic and served as control subjects. Body mass index was calculated. Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin levels, total cholesterol, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein, ApoA-1, and ApoB-100 were measured using commercially available kits. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS for Windows 16.0. Significance was defined as p<0.05. Results: Apolipoprotein A-1 levels were lower in the diabetic group whereas apolipoprotein B-100 levels, apolipoprotein ratios were higher in the diabetic group. ApoB100 and apolipoportein ratio showed a positive correlation with IR. Conclusions: The study results indicate that apolipoprotein B100/ApoA-1 ratio can act as a strong biomarker for IR

PROBLEM ORIENTED WILLED MOVEMENT THERAPY ON MOTOR ABILITIES OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY PATIENTS WITH COGNITIVE DEFICITS

Background: Falls are a major problem in the elderly leading to increased morbidity and mortality in this population. Scores from objective clinical measures of balance have frequently been associated with falls in older adults. The Berg Balance Score (BBS) which is a frequently used scale to test balance impairments in the elderly ,takes time to perform and has been found to have scoring inconsistencies. The purpose was to determine if individual items or a group of BBS items would have better accuracy than the total BBS in classifying community dwelling elderly individuals according to fall history. Method: 60 community dwelling elderly individuals were chosen based on a history of falls in this cross sectional study. Each BBS item was dichotomized at three points along the scoring scale of 0 – 4: between scores of 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 3 and 4. Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), and positive (+LR) and negative (-LR) likelihood ratios were calculated for all items for each scoring dichotomy based on their accuracy in classifying subjects with a history of multiple falls. These findings were compared with the total BBS score where the cut-off score was derived from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: On analysing a combination of BBS items, B9 and B11 were found to have the best sensitivity and specificity when considered together. However the area under the curve of these items was 0.799 which did not match that of the total score (AUC= 0.837). A, combination of 4 BBS items - B9 B11 B12 and B13 also had good Sn and Sp but the AUC was 0.815. The combination with the AUC closest to that of the total score was a combination items B11 and B13. (AUC= 0.824). hence these two items can be used as the best predictor of falls with a cut off of 6.5 The ROC curve of the Total Berg balance Scale scores revealed a cut off score of 48.5. Conclusion: This study showed that combination of items B11 and B13 may be best predictors of falls in the elderly with a cut off of 6.5