Physiology of Normal Sleep: From Young to Old

Human sleep, defined on the basis of electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram(EMG) and electrooculogram (EOG), is divided into rapid eye movement (REM) sleepand four stages of non–rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Collective monitoring andrecording of physiological data during sleep is called polysomnography. Sleep whichnormally starts with a period of NREM alternates with REM, about 4-5 times, everynight. Sleep pattern changes with increasing age. Newborns sleep for about 14-16hours in a day of 24 hours. Although there is a wide variation among individuals, sleepof 7-8.5 hours is considered fully restorative in adults. Apart from restorative andrecovery function, energy conservation could be one of the functions of sleep. The roleof sleep in neurogenesis, memory consolidation and brain growth has been suggested.Though progress in medical science has vastly improved our understanding of sleepphysiology, we still do not know all the functions of sleep.Key words : electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electrooculogram,polysomnography, REM sleep, non–REM sleep, newborns, circadian rhythm, autoregulation,sleep functio

Mixed Ligand Complexes of Cu(II) & Ni(II) with Salicylaldehyde & 2-Hydroxy-, 2-Hydroxy-4-methyl- & 2-Hydroxy-5-methyl-benzophenones & Their Reaction with Amines*

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Domain swapping in human αA and αB crystallins affects oligomerization and enhances chaperone-like activity

αA and αB crystallins, members of the small heat shock protein family, prevent aggregation of proteins by their chaperone-like activity. These two proteins, although very homologous, particularly in the C-terminal region, which contains the highly conserved "α-crystallin domain," show differences in their protective ability toward aggregation-prone target proteins. In order to investigate the differences between αA and αB crystallins, we engineered two chimeric proteins, αANBC and αBNAC, by swapping the N-terminal domains of αA and αB crystallins. The chimeras were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant wild-type and chimeric proteins were characterized by fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography to study the changes in secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure. Circular dichroism studies show structural changes in the chimeric proteins. αBNAC binds more 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid than the αANBC and the wild-type proteins, indicating increased accessible hydrophobic regions. The oligomeric state of αANBC is comparable to wild-type αB homoaggregate. However, there is a large increase in the oligomer size of the αBNAC chimera. Interestingly, swapping domains results in complete loss of chaperone-like activity of αANBC, whereas αBNAC shows severalfold increase in its protective ability. Our findings show the importance of the N- and C-terminal domains of αA and αB crystallins in subunit oligomerization and chaperone-like activity. Domain swapping results in an engineered protein with significantly enhanced chaperone-like activity

The MDRF- ADA post graduate course in diabetology - scientific highlights

This article covers the scientific highlights of the MDRF-ADA Postgraduate Course in Diabetology, which was held first time in India, at Chennai during 20-22 September, 2002. Topics presented at the course included prevention of diabetes, management of diabetes and its complications like diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy, management of associated comorbities like obesity and hypertension, pregnancy in diabetic women, newer insulin delivery systems, insulin regimens, oral hypoglycemic agents, current and future trends in self monitoring of blood glucose, developing standards for diabetic education and optimal strategies for delivering effective self management education

Sleep Medicine Education in India: Policy Initiatives of National Academy of Medical Sciences (India)

The article discusses the role of National academy of Medical Sciences in initiating policy for sleep education and research in India through the NAMS Regional symposium and its further dissemination through various academic research

Comparative In vitro and In vivo study of antioxidants and phytochemical content in Bacopa monnieri

Medicinal plants are the most important source of life saving drugs for the majority of the world’s population. Plant secondary  metabolites  are  economically  important  as  drugs,  fragrances,  pigments,  food  additives  and  pesticides. Bacopa monnieri L. Penn. commonly known as “Brahmi†is an important medicinal herb of the family Scrophulariaceae. It is the foremost brain tonic herb of the Indian System of Medicine and other traditional systems, used primarily as a nerve tonic, to treat insomnia and nervous tension. Bacopa’s antioxidant properties may offer protection from free radical damage in cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Bacopa monnieri showed antibacterial effect on both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria suggests the passage of active phytochemicals through both the bacterial cell wall. Microropagation is rapid, in vitro clonal multiplication method of elite clones and also helps in dissemination and ex situ conservation of this endangered medicinal plant. The present study is justifiably planned to propagate the valuable medicinal plant Bacopa monnieri L. in in-vitro condition with various combinations/ concentrations of plant growth regulators, and compare the antioxidant and photochemical content difference in the in-vivo and in-vitro cultivated plant of Bacopa monnieri

Survey, documentation and identification of entomofauna of cocoa, Theobroma cacao L. in major cocoa growing regions of South India

Survey, monitoring and documentation of entomofauna of cocoa was carried out in three cocoa growing states viz., Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh during 2014-2015. Results revealed that a total number of 23 species of insect pests and 13 species of natural enemies were documented and identified. Among the insect pests, 14, 2 and 7 species were sucking pests, borers and defoliators, respectively. Among the natural enemies, 7 species of predators and 6 species of parasitoids were documented and identified on different insect pests of cocoa. Among the insect pests, sucking pests were found to be predominant and maximum number of entomofauna were recorded in major coco growing areas of Tamil Nadu. From the results it was concluded that the list of entomofauna documented can enhance the knowledge on diversity of the entomofauna associated with cocoa in three different cocoa growing states. Sucking pests were found to be predominant and caused huge yield loss in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. While in Andhra Pradesh pod borer and bark eating caterpillar were found to be predominant causing severe yield loss. This information provides a base for development of location specific Integrated Pest Management module

Factors determining poor prognosis in scorpion sting in coastal Andhra Pradesh

Introduction: Scorpion stings are a major public health problem and a common emergency in India and other tropical countries. In India, red scorpions are more prevalent, and their venom is more likely to cause cardiovascular complications and mortality. Objective: There are very few studies regarding predictors of poor prognosis. Hence, this study was designed which aimed to identify these factors. Materials and Methods: In this hospital-based, prospective study, children admitted to scorpion sting between December 2009 and November 2010 were included. Relevant information was collected and analyzed. Results: Scorpion stings account for 1 in every 36 admissions. Maximum cases were in 0-3 and 7-9 years age groups with mean of 6.78 years. Red scorpion stings were more common and are associated with more severe presentations. There was considerable variation in sting-prazosin interval (SPI) ranging from 2 to 28 h. If the child’s age was below 6 years, red scorpion sting and SPI >8 h were very significantly associated with a higher incidence of complications such as peripheral circulatory failure, congestive cardiac failure, myocarditis, and acute pulmonary edema. Conclusion: Younger age, red scorpion, and delay in administration of prazosin are predictors of poor prognosis in scorpion stings in children, a common and fatal medical emergency in India