Comparative analysis of some commonly consumed allergic food materials

Abstract Background Food allergy is turning out to be one of the vital causes of death in all countries irrespective of the socio-economic status of the people. The extent of mortality from food allergens has increased several folds in the last decade. This has brought research on food allergy and its causative properties to the front. Human beings have the natural power to fight with an allergen, ranging from viruses to food. But in the case of immune-compromise or some other defects in the immune system, individuals can react against some food allergic component(s). Various studies have indicated that cereal or grain particles are more allergic materials than fruits or vegetables.   Objective This study was carried out with the main objective of understanding the variations in various biochemical parameters of a few foods commonly consumed and known to elicit allergic reactions.   Methods In this study, a few food materials known to elicit allergic reactions in some individuals were selected and comparative analysis (qualitative and quantitative) was performed in an attempt to understand the basis of their differential responses.   Results The studies indicated difference in various biochemical parameters and anti-oxidative properties between equivalent quantities of the food samples.   Conclusion Our study has revealed differential levels of nutrient contents and anti-oxidative properties between equivalent quantities of the samples of allergic food materials. These findings can be used for further research on the underlying mechanisms of their action. Keywords: Food allergy, Biochemical attributes, Non-communicable diseases, Dietary habits, Nutritio

Teaching Internationally, Learning Collaboratively: Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metaliteracy (IPILM)

Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metaliteracy (IPILM) is a discourse- oriented learning environment that engages students from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in collaborative knowledge construction. The objective is to evolve a thematic approach to course design that includes elements of open pedagogy, information literacy, and metaliteracy. IPILM invites participation from educators and learners from around the world and has witnessed an increase in participating countries. This paper describes the concept of IPILM and demonstrates the implementation of this approach in practice. The initiative was well received by students and is both feasible and sustainable as an intercultural learning endeavor. IPILM is an ongoing project and a work in progress that is an adaptable model which may be transferred to disparate fields of teaching and learning or adopted by international communities of instructors

Assessing the social patterning and magnitude of inequalities in sexual violence among young women in Uganda: Findings from 2016 demographic and health survey

Sexual violence (SV) is a significant global public health problem. To develop effectively targeted interventions to prevent SV and allocate resources equitably requires identifying the most vulnerable groups and the magnitude of these social inequities. However, these data are currently lacking. Using the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, we examined SV among all young women and ever-married young women. We conducted univariate and bivariate analyses to characterise the prevalence and social patterning of SV, and then utilised the World Health Organization Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) to assess the magnitude of social inequities in SV. At the national level, 5.5% among all young women and 20.5% of ever-married young women had experienced SV. For all young women, the largest inequities in SV were based on sub-national region of residence. Among the ever-married young women, we found profound education, wealth and place-based inequities in SV, which favoured young women with higher education, in wealthier households, and within central regions of Uganda. Our findings suggest a need for regionally targeted multi-sectoral interventions that take into consideration that multiple intersecting social dimensions such as education, poverty and the safe built environment, to address young women's risk for SV

Estimation of daylight availability in Kolkata and approximation of indoor daylight levels for different daylighting methods

This work estimated the daylight availability and luminous efficacy of solar illuminance and approximated indoor daylight levels for various indoor daylighting methods for Kolkata, a major city in eastern India having tropical savanna climate, by applying two computational methods: the Perez model and the IESNA recommended calculation procedure. It was found that hourly horizontal diffuse and global illuminance, horizontal sky and total daylight illuminance values remained mostly over 10 klx throughout the year, and global and diffuse luminous efficacies mostly remained around 95–120 and 110–150 lm/W, respectively. The linear correlation between solar irradiation and estimated illuminance was stronger for Perez model. Thus, the application of Perez model was considered the better choice to appraise the daylighting potential of Kolkata

Characterization of haemoglobin from Actinorhizal plants – An in silico approach

Plant haemoglobins (Hbs), found in both symbiotic and non-symbiotic plants, are heme proteins and members of the globin superfamily. Hb genes of actinorhizal Fagales mostly belong to the non-symbiotic type of haemoglobin; however, along with the non-symbiotic Hb, Casuarina sp. posses a symbiotic one (symCgHb), which is expressed specifically in infected cells of nodules. A thorough sequence analysis of 26 plant Hb proteins, currently available in public domain, revealed a consensus motif of 29 amino acids. This motif is present in all the members of symbiotic class II Hbs including symCgHb and non-symbiotic Class II Hbs, but is totally absent in Class I symbiotic and non-symbiotic Hbs. Further, we constructed 3D structures of Hb proteins from Alnus and Casuarina through homology modelling and peeped into their structural properties. Structure-based studies revealed that the Casuarina symbiotic haemoglobin protein shows distinct stereochemical properties from that of the other Casuarina and Alnus Hb proteins. It also showed considerable structural similarities with leghemoglobin structure from yellow lupin (pdb id 1GDI). Therefore, sequence and structure analyses point to the fact that symCgHb protein shows significant resemblance to symbiotic haemoglobin found in legumes and may thus eventually play a similar role in shielding the nitrogenase from oxygen as seen in the case of leghemoglobin