A Comparative Study Between Alcoholics of Koraga Community, Alcoholics of General Population and Healthy Controls for Antioxidant Markers and Liver Function Parameters

Objectives: It is well established that long-term alcohol consumption leads to liver cirrhosis and other related disorders. Sufficient work has been done on biochemical markers of liver damage and antioxidant status of chronic alcoholics in general population. In the current study chronic alcoholics from a community called Koraga are analysed for the same parameters in a view to assess the extent of liver damage as compared to healthy controls and other alcoholics. Methods: Serum and urine samples from Koraga alcoholics (n=28), general alcoholics (n=30) and healthy controls (n=31) were analysed for liver function parameters and antioxidant markers. Liver function parameters were determined by automated analyzer. Markers of antioxidant status were estimated spectrophotometrically. The data was analysed using SPSS version 16.0. Results: There was significant increase in serum AST, serum ALT, serum GST and urine GST in both general and Koraga alcoholics when compared to healthy controls (p<0.0001). Serum ALT, serum GST and urine GST activity was significantly higher in general alcoholics when compared to Koraga alcoholics (p<0.001). Serum and urine total thiol levels were significantly lower in general alcoholics when compared to healthy controls and Koraga alcoholics (p<0.0001). We have observed no difference in total thiols level between healthy controls and Koraga alcoholics, in fact, there was significant increase in urine total thiols level in Koraga alcoholics compared to healthy controls (p<0.001). On Pearson’s correlation serum AST, serum ALT correlated positively with serum and urine GST (p<0.0001) and negatively with serum total thiols (p<0.0001). Serum GST correlated negatively with serum total thiols (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Results of our study possibly indicate that the extent of alcohol induced liver damage in Koraga subjects is comparatively lower than general alcoholics, even though the alcohol consumption is found to be higher in them. There may be some mechanism that is rendering them resistant to alcoholic liver damage which needs to be explored through further studies at molecular level

Glutathione S-Transferase activity and total thiol status in chronic alcohol abusers before and 30 days after alcohol abstinence

Background: Glutathione S Transferase (GST) has been involved in detoxification process in the liver and its activity has been shown to be increased in alcohol abusers. In the current work we measured the GST activity, total thiol status, AST, ALT, and direct bilirubin in chronic alcohol abusers before and 30 days after alcohol abstinence and lifestyle modification. Methods: Serum and urine GST activity and total thiol status were determined using spectrophotometric methods and serum transaminases were determined using clinical chemistry analyzer. Results: We found,significant increase in serum and urine GST (p<0.001), AST (p<0.001), ALT (p<0.001), and decrease in total thiol status (p<0.001) in chronic alcohol abusers. GST activity significantly decreased (p<0.001) and total thiol status were improved significantly (p<0.001) 30 days after alcohol abstinence and lifestyle modification. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary data to suggest the role of GST as prognostic indicator of alcohol abstinence with possible trend towards an improvement in liver function

Hepatolithiasis with biliary ascariasis – a case report

BACKGROUND: Biliary ascariasis is regarded as possible etiological factor for hepatolithiasis. Here we report one case of a patient with hepatolithiasis with biliary ascariasis who developed a liver abscess, which was treated with partial hepatectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A young adult female presented with epigastric pain and vomiting with repeated attacks of cholangitis. ERCP showed evidence of multiple intrahepatic calculi with the development of abscess in the left lobe of liver. The patient underwent partial hepatectomy and was found to have biliary ascariasis on histology. She was treated with antihelmenthic therapy and has had an uneventful postoperative period of 2 years. CONCLUSION: Biliary ascariasis with hepatolithiasis, although rare, should be considered in endemic countries

Influence of Superabsorbent Polymers on Properties of High-Performance Concrete with Active Supplementary Cementitious Materials of Nigeria

Concrete of strengths classes ≥ C55/67 referred to as high strength or highperformance concrete (HSC/HPC) are noted to be generally of low water/binder (W/B), made from binary or ternary cements with silica fume (SF) being a necessary constituent, and often requiring internal curing. Non-availability and high cost of SF in most sub-Saharan Africa like Nigeria however makes HSC/HPC production in this region very difficult and hence the continued search for alternative supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) with good performance properties as constituents of ternary/binary cements in HPC. This study thereby examines the strength properties of metastable calcined clay (MCC) based HPC cured internally with superabsorbent polymer (SAP) 0.2–0.3% (by weight of binder (bwob)). HPC mixtures of varied MCC and Rice husk ash (RHA) contents containing two SAP grain sizes labelled (SP1 ˂ 300 μm and SP2 ˂ 600 μm) were cast in 100 mm cubes and cured for varying ages (7, 14, 28 and 56 days) before testing. The hardened specimens were subjected to compressive strength and water absorption tests at the varied curing ages for the performance assessment of the binder types and SAP grain sizes in HPC with age. This study revealed the possibility of achieving Class 1 HPC (50–75 N/mm2) utilizing industry manufactured calcined clay and locally produced RHA in Nigeria. The compressive strength of HPCs increased as the curing age increases for both SCM type, SAP contents and grain sizes. RHA based HPCs however showed better strength performance at the early ages than the MCC based. SAP addition in MCC based HPCs led to slight decrease in compressive strength as the SAP contents increased while the RHA based HPCs on the other hand, revealed slight increase in compressive strength with increase in SAP contents

Variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and yield contributing characters in Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent: A threatened medicinal tree

Not AvailableAbstract The experiment was conducted during 2016-2017 at Division of Plant Genetic Resources, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Hessarghatta, Bengaluru. Genotypic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and yield contributing traits were studied in ten Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent. accessions. Data were recorded for plant height (m), stem girth (cm), leaf length (cm), leaf width (cm), petiole length (cm), leaf area (cm2), number of pods per tree, pod length (cm), width of pod (cm), number of seeds per pod, pod yield (kg/plant). Among different yield attributing characters studied, the highest magnitude of PCV and GCV were recorded in leaf area (26.869 and 27.827 %), number of pods per plant(36.593 and 37.610 %) and pod yield per plant (46.319 and 46.912 %).High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent over mean was recorded for the characters viz., leaf length (90.30 %), petiole length (85.20%), leaf area (93.20 %), number of pods per tree (94.70 %) and pod yield per plant (97.50 %).Hence, these characters were predominantly governed by additive gene action and could be used as a selection criterion for breeding programmes in the future. Keywords: Oroxylum indicum, Variability, Heritability, Genetic advanceNot Availabl

Simultaneous transcriptional profiling of bacteria and their host cells

We developed an RNA-Seq-based method to simultaneously capture prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression profiles of cells infected with intracellular bacteria. As proof of principle, this method was applied to Chlamydia trachomatis-infected epithelial cell monolayers in vitro, successfully obtaining transcriptomes of both C. trachomatis and the host cells at 1 and 24 hours post-infection. Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that cause a range of mammalian diseases. In humans chlamydiae are responsible for the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infections and trachoma (infectious blindness). Disease arises by adverse host inflammatory reactions that induce tissue damage & scarring. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these outcomes. Chlamydia are genetically intractable as replication outside of the host cell is not yet possible and there are no practical tools for routine genetic manipulation, making genome-scale approaches critical. The early timeframe of infection is poorly understood and the host transcriptional response to chlamydial infection is not well defined. Our simultaneous RNA-Seq method was applied to a simplified in vitro model of chlamydial infection. We discovered a possible chlamydial strategy for early iron acquisition, putative immune dampening effects of chlamydial infection on the host cell, and present a hypothesis for Chlamydia-induced fibrotic scarring through runaway positive feedback loops. In general, simultaneous RNA-Seq helps to reveal the complex interplay between invading bacterial pathogens and their host mammalian cells and is immediately applicable to any bacteria/host cell interaction. © 2013 Humphrys et al

Veronica plants-drifting from farm to traditional healing, food application, and phytopharmacology

The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.M.d.M.C. is grateful for funding from the “Acción 6 del Plan de Apoyo a la Investigación de la Universidad de Jaén, 2017–2019”. N. Martins would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Portugal) for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and “NORTE2020 – Northern Regional Operational Program” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012)

Comparative Study of Superabsorbent Polymers and Pre‐soaked Pumice as Internal Curing Agents in Rice Husk Ash Based High‐Performance Concrete

Utilisation of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and pre‐soaked lightweight aggregates (LWA) as internal curing (IC) agents for the mitigation of autogenous shrinkage and micro‐cracking of high strength/highperformance concrete (HSC/HPC) have been well researched and documented in literature. Rice husk ash (RHA) on the other hand has been adjudged to be of good pozzolanic activity and a possible alternative to silica fume (SF) in low water/binder (W/B) concrete production. An experimental comparative study was conducted in the current work to assess the effectiveness of the two known ICagents on rice husk ash (RHA) based HPC. HPC mixtures of fc,cube28=60 MPa minimum target strength produced and internally cured with 0.3% content of SAP by weight of binder (bwob) and varied content of pre‐soaked pumice (5 to 10% in steps of 2.5%) by weight of coarse aggregate (bwocg) were cast using 100 mm cubes samples. Thereafter, the samples were cured for 7, 14, 28 and 56 days by water immersion before subjecting them to compressive strength test. The results showed 0.2% bwob SAP HPC (SHPC1) to be the best performed internally cured HPC at the early ages with similar long‐term strength values as 5 and 7.5% bwocg saturated pumiced HPC (PHPC1&2). The study thereby recommends SAP content of 0.2% bwob and saturated pumice content up to 7.5% bwocg for use as ICagent in HPC

The effect of long term combined yoga practice on the basal metabolic rate of healthy adults

BACKGROUND: Different procedures practiced in yoga have stimulatory or inhibitory effects on the basal metabolic rate when studied acutely. In daily life however, these procedures are usually practiced in combination. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the net change in the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of individuals actively engaging in a combination of yoga practices (asana or yogic postures, meditation and pranayama or breathing exercises) for a minimum period of six months, at a residential yoga education and research center at Bangalore. METHODS: The measured BMR of individuals practicing yoga through a combination of practices was compared with that of control subjects who did not practice yoga but led similar lifestyles. RESULTS: The BMR of the yoga practitioners was significantly lower than that of the non-yoga group, and was lower by about 13 % when adjusted for body weight (P < 0.001). This difference persisted when the groups were stratified by gender; however, the difference in BMR adjusted for body weight was greater in women than men (about 8 and 18% respectively). In addition, the mean BMR of the yoga group was significantly lower than their predicted values, while the mean BMR of non-yoga group was comparable with their predicted values derived from 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU predictive equations. CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is a significantly reduced BMR, probably linked to reduced arousal, with the long term practice of yoga using a combination of stimulatory and inhibitory yogic practices