Teachers' Professional Ethics and Its' Implications

Teachers, as professionals, are engaged in one of the most ethically demandingjobs, the education of young people; thus it is important that teachersshould constantly reflect on the ethics of their activities to ensure thatthey exhibit the best ethical example possible in their work to thosethey are morally educating. There is a felt need that teachers as professionals need to conduct themselves befitting the type of profession they practice. Thispaper is an attempt to bring to light some of the important aspects ofprofessional ethics and its implications in the field of teaching thatare essential for the attainment of professional excellence and selfsatisfaction among the teachers and other stakeholders

Analysis of heavy metal accumulation in water and fish (Cyprinus carpio) meat from Umiam Lake in Meghalaya, India.

Water quality around the world is notably declining mainly due to human activities. Low lying water catchment areas are under considerable threat of accumulating higher pollutants including heavy metals due to natural drainage and upstream anthropogenic activities. The major group that gets affected is the aquatic animals. Bioaccumulation of toxic metals in these organisms causes potential threat to human health upon consumption as these metals tend to get biomagnified in higher trophic levels within a food web. Umiam reservoir in Meghalaya is of significant importance to the state as it is the source of hydel power generation and is a popular destination for water sport and adventure facilities. Downstream irrigation, fisheries and drinking water from the lake cater to local anthropogenic needs. In recent times due to the rising population in the capital Shillong which is situated upstream of the lake, the lake is becoming significantly polluted. With this background the present study was aimed at determining the level of heavy metals in water samples of the Umiam lake as well as in the most dominantly occurring fish species, Cyprinus carpio found in the reservoir that is widely consumed. Presence of metal ions was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy that uses different lamps specific to a metal ion in the sample. The sequence of metal concentrations (in ppm) in the water sample was found to be Se (1.39) > Mn (0.186) > Fe (0.12) > Pb (0.06) > Cd (0.045) > Zn (0.031) > Cu (0.023) > Cr (0.016) > Ni (not detected). Comparing these values with WHO guidelines it was found that the levels of Se and Pb in the waters of the lake are significantly higher than the recommended values [for Se (0.04) and Pb (0.01) respectively]. A similar assessment conducted on fish meat collected from the lake showed high accumulation of Se (1.58 ppm) in the fish muscle. The order of occurrence of other metal ions in the fish muscle was Se>Zn>Fe>Ni>Cu>Cd~Mn>Cr>Pb revealing that if concentration of metal ions such as Zn, Fe, Cu goes up in the water, these ions would get preferentially accumulated in the fish muscle. The higher concentration of Se in the water as well as in the fish meat confirms bioaccumulation of this element. Although selenium is an essential trace element required in the human diet for synthesis of selenocysteine, high concentration in the body may lead to chronic selenium toxicity that manifest as selenosis, a condition associated with changes to the hair and nails, skin lesions and clinical neurological effects. Therefore, consumption of fish meat from the lake over a prolonged period of time may lead to biomagnification of this metal in human increasing the risk of chronic selenium toxicity. This study is important in bringing about awareness to general population about potential dangers of being exposed to continuous heavy metal toxicity, specifically those using this water from the lake for drinking.Â

Nostoc cyanobiont in the Cyanolichen, Sticta weigelii of Eastern Himalayan Region: Isolation, Physiological and Biochemical Characterization

A cyanobacterium identified as Nostoc sp. was isolated from the cyanolichen, Sticta weigelii (Ach.) Vainio collected from tree barks in the state of Meghalaya and its various physiological and biochemical characters were evaluated. When the lichen thalli were incubated in liquid medium, the Nostoc colonies from these thalli appeared initially in distinct sacs that released individual long heterocystous filaments into the liquid medium upon sub-culturing. The well spaced heterocystsin the filaments had a frequency of 7-8%. Chlorophyll a concentration of the cyanobacterium was higher in comparison to many other Nostoc species isolated from soil and water from the same region. Its photosynthetic activity was 519.24±0.7 nmol O2 evolved µg-1 chl a h-1 whereas respiration was 286.35±0.5 nmol O2 consumed µg-1 chl a h-1. Enzyme assays reflected nitrogenase activity of 6.98 nmol C2H4 produced µg-1 chl a h-1 and GS transferase activity of 712±3.0 nmol γ-glutamyl hydroxymate formed min-1 mg-1 protein. Nitrate reductase activity was substrate inducible. Ammonium uptake was biphasic in nature and glutamine uptake was energy dependent

Increase in intracellular proline content in Anabaena variabilis during stress conditions

The present study deals with the effects of stress due to varying concentrations of sodium chloride, cadmium, pH and exposure to pesticides on intracellular proline accumulation in Anabaena variabilis in laboratory conditions. The stresses induced due to these changes in their growth media were expressed as decrease in growth (by 40% at pH 5; 30% at 50 mM NaCl; 80% at 50 ?M endosulphan and 55% at 10 ?M CdSO4) as measured in terms of chlorophyll a concentrations in the test organism. Low pH (5, 6) had stronger negative effect on growththan increasing alkaline pH. The cyanobacterium showed varying degree of susceptibility to increasing salt, cadmium and endosulphan concentrations. Under all these altered conditions, their intracellular proline concentration was found to increase linearly in the test organism with increase in its amount of stress inducing substances in its vicinity. Proline appears to be a stress provoked substance in A. variabilis. However, there seemed to be a breakdown in the proline synthesis mechanism when concentrations of such compounds reached toxic proportions

A drug utilization study of topical corticosteroids in the department of dermatology in a tertiary care teaching hospital in upper Assam

Background: Topical corticosteroids form an important group of drugs in dermatology and are among the most commonly prescribed medications. However, despite their efficacy, they are associated with various adverse effects and as majority of the skin conditions are chronic, there is a need to ensure that there is rationality in drug use. Thus, this study was conducted with an aim to analyze the drug utilization pattern of topical corticosteroids.Methods: The study was a hospital-based, prospective and observational study and conducted for a period of 12 months. The method of data collection was done based on one-on-one consultation with patients. Data collected were recorded prospectively in a specially designed proforma. Results were then entered and analyzed using Microsoft excel.Results: In the study, it was observed that 48% of the patients were males while 52% were females. Most patients belonged to the age group of 21-30 years (30%). Scabies (30%) was the most common dermatological condition. With regard to the prescribing frequency of different topical corticosteroids, mometasone furoate (31.4%) was the preferred choice in most patients. H1 antihistaminic drugs like levocetirizine (81.6%) were the most prescribed along with topical corticosteroids, followed by emollients (36.4%) and permethrin (29.2%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.6 and all drugs were prescribed by their generic names.Conclusions: Periodic monitoring of the drug utilization pattern in the form of prescription auditing is an effective tool to constitute guidelines for improving the utilization pattern

EFFECT OF CHLOROPHYLLIN, AN SEMI-SYNTHETIC CHLOROPHYLL MOLECULE ON HYPERGLYCEMIA AND HYPERLIPIDEMIA IN STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED DIABETIC MICE

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of chlorophyllin (CHL) on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice.Methods: Diabetes was induced in mice by administering 150 mg/kg body weight (bw) dose of STZ. The effect of 10, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg bw doses of CHL on hyperglycemia was examined in diabetic mice for the acute and sub-acute period. The intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) was performed in diabetic (Group A) as well as diabetic treated with CHL (Group B), metformin (Group C), glibenclamide (Group D), and insulin (Group E) groups. The percent glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb%) level, lipid profile, and atherogenic index (AI) were determined in normal (Group A), diabetic (Group B) as well as diabetic treated with CHL (Group C), and metformin (Group D) groups.Results: In both acute and sub-acute antihyperglycemic study, 50 mg/kg bw dose of CHL was found effective in reduction of blood glucose level significantly and considered as an optimum dose. In IPGTT, the significant reduction of blood glucose level in Group B was observed at 2 h (h) and 4 h in comparison with Group A. The GHb%, lipid profile and AI value of Group C were found significantly different from Group B in the study.Conclusion: The present study justifies the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of CHL in STZ induced diabetic mice, hence suggesting its beneficial effect in the treatment of diabetes.Â

EFFECT OF DILLENIA INDICA L. AGAINST OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED CARDIOMYOPATHY ON ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETES MICE MODEL

 Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate the antihyperglycemic and antioxidative properties of Dillenia indica fruits.Methods: Aqueous fruit extract and methanolic fruit extract (MFE) were prepared, and preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out. Diabetic mice were prepared with alloxan (150 mg/kg) body weight (b.w.). Antihyperglycemic study of short duration was carried out with doses (150–550) mg/kg b.w. of MFE in diabetic mice. Antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase) activity assays and histopathological analysis were done in heart tissue of mice.Results: Preliminary phytochemical screening showed that the phytoconstituents were strongly present in the MFE and therefore was considered for further studies. From the antihyperglycemic study, it was found that 350 mg/kg b.w. dose was the most effective in reduction of blood glucose level. A significant increase in the activities of the antioxidant enzymes was observed in the MFE-treated group. From the histopathological studies, it was observed that detrimental effects of oxidative stress were attenuated in the treated group.Conclusion: Concluding the studies, it could be ascertained that D. indica fruits were found to be quite effective in proving its potential against hyperglycemia and oxidative stress, and therefore, the fruits could be considered to be of therapeutic value in diabetes.Â

Study of hysteresis in the ferromagnetic random field 3-state clock model in two and three dimensional periodic lattices at zero temperature and in the presence of dilution and an absorbing state

We numerically study hysteresis in the ferromagnetic random field 3-state clock model in two and three dimensional periodic lattices at zero temperature and in the zero frequency limit of the driving field. The on-site quenched disorders are continuous and are drawn from a uniform distribution. We numerically analyzed the effects of disorder on the dynamics of the model and hence on the shape of the hysteresis loops. We also study the model in the presence of dilution and an absorbing state