THE GLOBALIZATION OF MEDICINE: A LOOK AT AYURVEDA’S INCREASING PRESCENCE IN BIOMEDICINE

This thesis examines the rich history, principles, and methodology of the traditional Indian medical system called Ayurvedic medicine, how it is being adapted through its contact with biomedicine, and how it is presently being practiced in India. The earliest evidence of healthcare in India can be traced to the Dravidian civilization of the Indus River Valley more than 4,500 years ago. However, the written origins of Indian medical practices emerge out of the earliest primary texts of Hinduism compiled about 3,500 years ago. It is in these texts that the central concepts of Ayurveda are first mentioned, including the three doá¹£as or humors, dimensions of the body that must be in balance in order for a person to experience good health. Subsequent Hindu scriptures consider how health and spirituality are related to each other and reveal the historical development of Ayurvedic medical principles. It is from this religious context that Ayurveda emerges as a systematic medical tradition in approximately 450 BCE. Ayurveda has proven to be a dynamic tradition, responding to ever-changing cultural influences and historical movements. However, as new practices have been assimilated into the tradition, old ones are preserved or adapted. As a consequence, Ayurveda has remained current and meaningful to people throughout the centuries, and it has endured as a medical practice in India for over 2,500 years. More recently, the mutual influence and convergence of ideas between cultures and religions has led to the globalization of medicine. The increasing interaction between Ayurvedic medicine and biomedicine provides a fascinating case study of such intercultural exchanges. In this study, I will explore these interactions through the examination of Ayurvedic practices and principles relating to reproductive medicine, both through textual analysis and field research in India.B.A

Effects of different exposure methods to 1-methylcyclopropene on quality of partially ripened bananas

1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is being widely used as an ethylene antagonist to suppress ethylene induced ripening in fresh produce. It is commercially available in encapsulated form in cyclodextrin, which requires moisture triggers to release from encapsulation. There are several reports on efficiency of 1-MCP for inhibiting the action of ethylene during green life (mature – but unripe stage) of bananas, but the commercialization of 1-MCP application for bananas is still under the area of research due to inconsistence responses received by researchers on its effect. Also, there are limited studies showing its effects on yellow life (at and after partially ripened stage) of bananas, so the further investigation in this area was our subject of interest. In this study, different 1-MCP exposure methods were used to treat bananas to provide the scientific base for developing its commercial application. The overall objective of this study was to provide the better understanding for extending Controlled Release Packaging (CRP) system that can deliver the 1-MCP molecules from the package over longer period of time to increase the yellow life of bananas to maintain greater quality at consumer market. The study was divided into two parts: in the first part, the packaging system was used to treat partially ripened bananas with different 1-MCP exposure methods. The physiological responses of partially ripened bananas to these different 1-MCP exposure methods, controlled exposure (timed release - slow release for longer time) and one-time exposure, were studied. All experiments were conducted on Cavendish bananas (Dole) at partially ripened stage (ripening color stages 3 and 4). In the second part, the feasibility of 1-MCP to be incorporated in the CRP system was studied by controlling 1-MCP release through polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film and studying its release from cyclodextrin through banana transpiration. The physiological responses showed that both the 1-MCP exposure methods were effective to delay ripening of partially ripened banana by at least 5-6 days. But the one-time exposure method was more effective than controlled exposure after 6 days. The PVA was able to delay the release of 1-MCP: the release of 1-MCP through PVA was nearly 15 % in 6 hours, whereas the release of 1-MCP from cyclodextrin (control- without any film) was 100% in 6 hours. The bananas were able to provide sufficient moisture through transpiration to initiate 1-MCP release from cyclodextrin within the first two hours of the experiment.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Mansi Trived

THE GLOBALIZATION OF MEDICINE: A LOOK AT AYURVEDA’S INCREASING PRESCENCE IN BIOMEDICINE

Extracted text; This thesis examines the rich history, principles, and methodology of the traditional Indian medical system called Ayurvedic medicine, how it is being adapted through its contact with biomedicine, and how it is presently being practiced in India. The earliest evidence of healthcare in India can be traced to the Dravidian civilization of the Indus River Valley more than 4,500 years ago. However, the written origins of Indian medical practices emerge out of the earliest primary texts of Hinduism compiled about 3,500 years ago. It is in these texts that the central concepts of Ayurveda are first mentioned, including the three do?as or humors, dimensions of the body that must be in balance in order for a person to experience good health. Subsequent Hindu scriptures consider how health and spirituality are related to each other and reveal the historical development of Ayurvedic medical principles. It is from this religious context that Ayurveda emerges as a systematic medical tradition in approximately 450 BCE. Ayurveda has proven to be a dynamic tradition, responding to ever-changing cultural influences and historical movements. However, as new practices have been assimilated into the tradition, old ones are preserved or adapted. As a consequence, Ayurveda has remained current and meaningful to people throughout the centuries, and it has endured as a medical practice in India for over 2,500 years. More recently, the mutual influence and convergence of ideas between cultures and religions has led to the globalization of medicine. The increasing interaction between Ayurvedic medicine and biomedicine provides a fascinating case study of such intercultural exchanges. In this study, I will explore these interactions through the examination of Ayurvedic practices and principles relating to reproductive medicine, both through textual analysis and field research in India

Structure-Based Virtual Ligand Screening on the XRCC4/DNA Ligase IV Interface

International audienceDSBs cytotoxicity is largely exploited in anticancer therapy. Thus, NHEJ is an attractive target for strategies aimed at increasing the sensitivity of tumors to clastogenic anticancer treatments. However the high affinity of the XRCC4/Lig4 interaction and the extended protein-protein interface make drug screening on this target particularly challenging. Here, we conducted a pioneering study aimed at interfering with XRCC4/Lig4 assembly. By Molecular Dynamics simulation using the crystal structure of the complex, we first delineated the Lig4 clamp domain as a limited suitable target. Then, we performed in silico screening of ~95,000 filtered molecules on this Lig4 subdomain. Hits were evaluated by Differential Scanning Fluorimetry, Saturation Transfer Difference-NMR spectroscopy and interaction assays with purified recombinant proteins. In this way we identified the first molecule able to prevent Lig4 binding to XRCC4 in vitro. This compound has a unique tripartite interaction with the Lig4 clamp domain that suggests a starting chemotype for rational design of analogous molecules with improved affinity