The Role of Protein Kinase C β (PKCβ) in Breast Cancer

Pelotonia Undergraduate Fellowship ProjectAlthough the tumor promoting PKC gene was discovered in the 1980s, the exact effects of its isoforms are still not completely understood. PKCβ in particular has been implicated as having an important role in a multitude of diseases, including cancer, through both cell autonomous and cell non-autonomous mechanisms. Interestingly, PKCβ is thought to be important in blood vessel formation and inflammation, integral aspects of tumor progression. As such, it is critical that the exact function of PKCβ in cancerous tissue be understood. By focusing on the role of PKCβ in the tumor, our project helps to establish more conclusively how PKCβ contributes to breast tumor progression, both in the tumor cells and cells of the surrounding tumor microenvironment, and may potentially lead to the development of more effective therapeutics for treatment of various cancer types, including breast cancer.Pelotonia FoundationHonors Undergraduate Research ScholarshipNo embargoAcademic Major: Molecular Genetic

A CONCEPTUAL STUDY REGARDING IMMUNITY IN AYURVEDA

It has been estimated that about 6 lacks infant and young children die from RSV annually, and if bacterial co infections are included this number may approach 10 lacks deaths annually. More than 2 million deaths are estimated to result each year the world over as a consequence of diarrheal disease in children of under five years. This statistic shows that children are more vulnerable to infection because their immune system is less or under developed. Ayurveda is a vast storehouse of knowledge relevant to human health, disease, medicines and general health-care. However mutual incomprehensibility of the terms and concepts has been a major impediment in meaningful dialogue between modern scientific medicine and Ayurveda. Some recent concepts of molecular medicine, immunology etc. have been found to have striking similarities with certain concepts of Ayurveda. Therefore, it is being realized that it might be possible to develop a relationship between modern medicine and Ayurveda. Here a comprehensive review of the Ayurvedic classical texts is presented to understand the concept of the Vyadhikshamatva w.s.r. to immunity.

Exploring determinants of birth weight of the baby delivered in a tertiary hospital of Delhi

Introduction: Low birth weight (LBW) is a global public health challenge. In India, the prevalence is 22%. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the major determinants of birth weight of the newborns delivered in a tertiary hospital of Delhi. Methodology: A total of 140 newborns were included in the study. The newborns were selected from the ICU. Results: There were 80 male and 60 female newborns. In the current study, 68% of the newborns were LBW, 5% were very LBW, and <1% extremely LBW. All the individual variables with a significant effect on birth weight (p<0.10) were analyzed together using multivariate analysis for combined effect on birth weight. Among all, mainly parity, pre-pregnancy weight, hemoglobin of mother, exposureto smoking tobacco, and residence (p<0.05) were found to be significantly associated with the birth weight of the newborn. Conclusion: Most of the data were concurrent with the previous study results along with no effect of supplementation programs such as the Integrated Child Development Service Scheme or conditional maternity benefit schemes on improving birth weight. More detailed community-based research with bigger sample size needs to be done to develop a clear understanding of some of these unaddressed or partially addressed determinants

Indigenous Sports of India: Connecting Past to the Present

Historically, sports was merely seen as a recreational or leisure activity (Mandell, 1984). However, in recent centuries sports became a global, social and an economic activity (Mylik, 2014). Since the beginning of the twentieth century, sports industry has been growing at a fast pace (Forster & Pope, 2004). Today, sports is recognised as a soft power as it’s a global medium to improve diplomatic relations and to promote peace and prosperity (Beutler, 2008). Many indigenous and traditional sports are mentioned in several historic scriptures of India. Several local games have been practiced over centuries in India (Haque & Ghosh, 2014). Traditional and indigenous sports have served the purpose of channelizing youth's energy into constructive areas. Indigenous sports create a strong sense of belonging among the youth that can improve the well-being of tribal and backward communities (Rossi, 2015). It’s in this context that this study examines the scope of indigenous sports industry in India. It’s a remarkable achievement that many of India's indigenous sports have stood the test of time and continue to attract the youth even today. The development of such sports not only benefits the youth who participate in them, but also the Indian economy. Creation and utilization of sports infrastructure, employment generation and hosting sports events have positive economic impact on the long-term development of India. Hence, this study analysis in-depth about the various indigenous sports and their spread in India. It bridges the gap of lack of literature on indigenous sports in India

EFFECTS OF MATERNAL LEAD ACETATE EXPOSURE DURING LACTATION ON POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT OF OVARIES IN OFFSPRING OF SWISS ALBINO MICE

ABSTRACT: The course of human development from conception to adulthood is extremely complex. The developing organism is particularly vulnerable to toxic insult because of rapid cell division and differentiation and severely affected during gestation and lactation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate lead toxicity on the female reproductive system during neonatal period. A total of 30 female mice randomly divided into two equal groups; control and treatment group. During experimental period, lactating female mice was given lead acetate (0.5ml/Day) from day 1 to day 21 of lactation. At 7, 14 and 21 days after birth, the ovaries weights and diameters of different developing follicles were measured. Following tissue processing, 5 µm sections were stained with haematoxylin eosin and evaluated with quantitative techniques. Ovarian parameters in different groups were compared by one-way ANOVA. The results indicated that exposure of lead caused histological alteration in developing ovaries of mice and significantly (P< 0.05) decreased Ovaries weights and diameters of different developing ovarian follicles. Studies conducted on females revealed that lead suppresses the development of various follicles during fetal and neonatal life. It appears that lead interferes during specific events of ovarian developmental stages, which may create higher sensitivity for dysfunction in reproductive system during adulthood. The present investigation evaluates the relative influences of prenatal and postnatal exposure of lead acetate on growth and ovarian histology in female offspring during postnatal development

Enhancing Upper Limb Recovery and Reducing Stress and Anxiety Through Non-Immersive Virtual Reality in Subacute and Chronic Stroke Survivors: An Experimental Study

Introduction: Stroke is the third-leading cause of major long-term disability and the second-leading cause of mortality worldwide. Paralysis, paresis (muscle weakness), spasticity, difficulty walking, difficulty controlling motions, and limb discomfort are frequent limb impairments. Nearly 80% of stroke survivors are affected. Stroke survivors suffer with physical disabilities in addition to a reduced quality of life in terms of their health, a higher degree of worry, and a loss of independence. With a prevalence of 55% to 75%, hand motor deficits are the most prevalent post-stroke.1 The most common impairment is motor dysfunction, which affects 90% of stroke survivors with some kind of upper limb motor disability. Motor dysfunction is a strong indicator of poor functional recovery. The most typical post-stroke symptom is hemiparesis.1 Objectives: The study's objective was to use a virtual reality system to enhance upper limb strength and function in hemiparesis. The study's secondary goal was to lessen tension and anxiety in stroke Survivors. Methods: This research was experimental. A patient was chosen from UEM Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) were employed as outcome measures to evaluate the patients. Result: The outcome of the post-intervention data revealed that the Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI) had significant values of P.311. P .002 was used to determine the importance of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). That indicates that following the intervention, all outcome indicators showed a considerable improvement. Conclusion: The post-intervention values of the depression anxiety stress scale (DASS 21) and the upper extremity functional index (UEFI) both indicated a substantial improvement. In order to improve strength and upper limb functions following hemiparesis and to lessen tension and anxiety as a result of the handicap, a low-cost VR system might be employed

Massive Liver Abscess Caused by Multidrug Resistant Citrobacter freundii

Pyogenic liver abscess is a disease entity that may follow infections of the biliary tract, blood stream and intra abdominal conditions like appendicitis, diverticulitis etc. Co- morbid conditions like diabetes mellitus, renal disease, malignancy, immune suppression etc. may contribute to the development of an abscess and affect the overall outcome of liver abscess as well. Escherichia coli and Klebsiellapneumoniae have been reported to be the most common isolations from these cases. Citrobacter infections usually occur in patients with some underlying co- morbidities and mostly in hospitalized patients. Recently, an increased emergence of multi- drug resistant strains is presenting a challenge to clinicians and microbiologists.Here, we report a case of massive liver abscess in an immunocompetent patient caused due to Citrobacterfreundii resistant to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, amikacin, ceftriaxone and piperacillin-tazobactam. It showed in vitro sensitivity to meropenem and aztreonam only

Neuroregenerative-Rehabilitative Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Current mainstay treatment strategies consist of surgical and medical management in acute and subacute stage. Rehabilitative management in the chronic stage. None of the existing strategies can repair the damage to the spinal cord and recover neurological functioning. Stem cells have promising results in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Various pre-clinical studies have evidenced neuro-regenerative capabilities of stem cells and shown neural recovery. Clinical studies have also shown improvements in neurological functions and quality of life. This chapter discusses about different types of cells available, routes of administration available to transplant these cells, dosages of cell and optimum time after injury at which cells should be transplanted based on world-wide literature. We have also discussed results following our protocol of intrathecal transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells. Although, not a cure, stem cell therapy further improves quality of life, functional independence and reduces secondary complications when combined with existing treatment strategies; neuroregenerative rehabilitative therapy

Optimization, Composition, and Antioxidant Activities of Exo- and Intracellular Polysaccharides in Submerged Culture of Cordyceps gracilis

Under present experiments, EPS and IPS production, monosaccharide composition, and antioxidant activities of C. gracilis were studied for the first time under submerged culture conditions. Effect of different factors on polysaccharides production was studied by orthogonal experiments using one-factor-at-a-time method. Incubation of culture in the medium with capacity 200 mL (675.12 ± 5.01 and 385.20 ± 5.01 mg/L), rotation speed 150 rpm (324.62 ± 3.32 and 254.62 ± 4.62 mg/L), 6-day culture incubation time (445.24 ± 1.11, 216.60 ± 1.71 mg/L), pH 6.0 (374.81 ± 2.52 and 219.45 ± 2.59 mg/L), and temperature 23°C (405.24 ± 1.11 and 215.60 ± 1.71 mg/L) produced higher EPS and IPS, respectively. Maximum EPS and IPS production was observed in the medium supplemented with glucose as a carbon source (464.82 ± 2.12 and 264.42 ± 2.62 mg/L) and yeast extract as a nitrogen source (465.21 ± 3.11 and 245.17 ± 3.24 mg/L), respectively. Carbon to nitrogen ratio for maximum EPS and IPS production was observed as 10 : 1 (395.29 ± 2.15 and 235.62 ± 1.40 mg/L), respectively. Glucose was found to be the major monosaccharide (62.15 ± 7.33%). Both EPS and IPS of C. gracilis showed significant DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and iron chelating activity