A Study on Customers’ Perception Towards Life Insurance Corporation Products with Reference to Chennai City

Purpose:  The objective of this study is to assess the level of customer perception towards Life Insurance Corporation in the city of Chennai. The study aims to identify the factors influencing customers' decision-making process in selecting life insurance products.   Theoretical Framework: Life insurance is a crucial aspect of financial planning, providing protection to individuals and their families against unforeseen events such as accidental death or disability. In the current scenario, there are numerous insurance companies offering life insurance products, with public limited companies being the preferred choice for investment due to their ability to safeguard both the amount invested and the policyholder's life. Insurance companies play a vital role in promoting the well-being of individuals by offering protection against life risks.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The data for this study was collected using a well-structured questionnaire and statistical techniques such as descriptive and percentage analyses were used to analyze the data.   Findings: The study showed that research finding brings practical value in improving customer perception in Chennai. The Article identifies the key elements to enhance the customer perception.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The study has fused the theory of service quality and customer perception. In addition, the study has systematized the relationship between the factors measuring the service quality of life insurance and customer satisfaction.           Originality/value: The paper's originality and value assist policy providers to regulate and weigh the measure they have been using and adjust into a set of observed variables measuring the customers’ perception of Life Insurance Corporation in Chennai. This study provides new roadmap to a future study on customer Perception towards life insurance Corporation, a document for other research in the life insurance field

Resveratrol Induces Growth Arrest and Apoptosis through Activation of FOXO Transcription Factors in Prostate Cancer Cells

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring phytopolyphenol compound, has attracted extensive interest in recent years because of its diverse pharmacological characteristics. Although resveratrol possesses chemopreventive properties against several cancers, the molecular mechanisms by which it inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis have not been clearly understood. The present study was carried out to examine whether PI3K/AKT/FOXO pathway mediates the biological effects of resveratrol.Resveratrol inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT and mTOR. Resveratrol, PI3K inhibitors (LY294002 and Wortmannin) and AKT inhibitor alone slightly induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells. These inhibitors further enhanced the apoptosis-inducing potential of resveratrol. Overexpression of wild-type PTEN slightly induced apoptosis. Wild type PTEN and PTEN-G129E enhanced resveratrol-induced apoptosis, whereas PTEN-G129R had no effect on proapoptotic effects of resveratrol. Furthermore, apoptosis-inducing potential of resveratrol was enhanced by dominant negative AKT, and inhibited by wild-type AKT and constitutively active AKT. Resveratrol has no effect on the expression of FKHR, FKHRL1 and AFX genes. The inhibition of FOXO phosphorylation by resveratrol resulted in its nuclear translocation, DNA binding and transcriptional activity. The inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway induced FOXO transcriptional activity resulting in induction of Bim, TRAIL, p27/KIP1, DR4 and DR5, and inhibition of cyclin D1. Similarly, resveratrol-induced FOXO transcriptional activity was further enhanced when activation of PI3K/AKT pathway was blocked. Over-expression of phosphorylation deficient mutants of FOXO proteins (FOXO1-TM, FOXO3A-TM and FOXO4-TM) induced FOXO transcriptional activity, which was further enhanced by resveratrol. Inhibition of FOXO transcription factors by shRNA blocked resveratrol-induced upregulation of Bim, TRAIL, DR4, DR5, p27/KIP1 and apoptosis, and inhibition of cyclin D1 by resveratrol.These data suggest that FOXO transcription factors mediate anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of resveratrol, in part due to activation of extrinsic apoptosis pathway

Resveratrol Enhances Antitumor Activity of TRAIL in Prostate Cancer Xenografts through Activation of FOXO Transcription Factor

Resveratrol (3, 4', 5 tri-hydroxystilbene), a naturally occurring polyphenol, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and antitumor activities. We have recently shown that resveratrol can enhance the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL in prostate cancer cells through multiple mechanisms in vitro. Therefore, the present study was designed to validate whether resveratrol can enhance the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL in a xenograft model of prostate cancer.Resveratrol and TRAIL alone inhibited growth of PC-3 xenografts in nude mice by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation (PCNA and Ki67 staining) and inducing apoptosis (TUNEL staining). The combination of resveratrol and TRAIL was more effective in inhibiting tumor growth than single agent alone. In xenografted tumors, resveratrol upregulated the expressions of TRAIL-R1/DR4, TRAIL-R2/DR5, Bax and p27(/KIP1), and inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 and cyclin D1. Treatment of mice with resveratrol and TRAIL alone inhibited angiogenesis (as demonstrated by reduced number of blood vessels, and VEGF and VEGFR2 positive cells) and markers of metastasis (MMP-2 and MMP-9). The combination of resveratrol with TRAIL further inhibited number of blood vessels in tumors, and circulating endothelial growth factor receptor 2-positive endothelial cells than single agent alone. Furthermore, resveratrol inhibited the cytoplasmic phosphorylation of FKHRL1 resulting in its enhanced activation as demonstrated by increased DNA binding activity.These data suggest that resveratrol can enhance the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL by activating FKHRL1 and its target genes. The ability of resveratrol to inhibit tumor growth, metastasis and angiogenesis, and enhance the therapeutic potential of TRAIL suggests that resveratrol alone or in combination with TRAIL can be used for the management of prostate cancer

<span style="mso-bidi-language:HI">Temporal expression patterns of <i>timeless </i>in <i>vg </i>and <i>cry^b </i>mutants of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> </span>

87-91The temporal expression patterns of timeless (tim) in Drosophila melanogaster at various time points were studied in intestine and salivary gland of wild type (WT), vestigial (vg) and cryptochrome-absent (cryb) mutants under 12 hr:12 hr white light:darkness (LD) and 12 hr:12 hr blue light (450 nm):darkness (BD) conditions. At ZT 06 and ZT 10, tim expression was almost nil and at ZT 18 and ZT 22, the expression was most pronounced in WT and mutants, when compared to other time points. As vg flies have greatly reduced wings, their gross locomotor activity was poorer and levels of tim expression were also least than WT flies. The weaker expression of tim in cryb flies suggested the significant role of blue light photoreceptor cryptochrome for a stronger synchronization of circadian clock. The expression patterns of rim in the salivary gland of larvae further suggested the presence of peripheral oscillators during the developmental stages. </span