Possible Hypoxia Signaling Induced Alteration of Glucose Homeostasis in Rats Exposed to Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia - Role of Antioxidant (Vitamin C) and Ca2+ Channel Blocker (Cilnidipine)

Background: Hyperglycemia is found to be a regulator of HIF-1α gene expression but the regulation of HIF-1α on glucose homeostasis is unclear. Objective: To determine whether chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) alters glucose regulation and such alterations can revert through treatments with either antioxidant (vitamin c) or calcium channel blocker (cilnidipine) in male albino rats. Methods: The rats were divided into six groups i.e. normoxia (21% oxygen), CIH (10% oxygen with cycle time 3:1.5; 8h/day), normoxia with vitamin c (50 mg /100g. b.wt, orally), CIH with vitamin c, normoxia with cilnidipine (1 mg/kg/day; ip) and CIH with cilnidipine. Serum MDA, HIF-1α, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, GTT, HOMA-IR and insulinogenic index were evaluated. Results: Serum HIF-1α and MDA concentration in rats exposed to CIH increased significantly whereas simultaneous CIH with vitamin c and CIH with cilnidipine treatment show reversion of both serum HIF- 1α and MDA concentrations towards normoxic status. CIH rats showed increased fasting glucose level with unchanged plasma insulin level but both vitamin c and cilnidipine treatment improved the status. Elevated HOMA-IR and insulinogenic index along with impaired GTT were found in CIH groups although vitamin c and cilnidipine improved the glucose homeostasis in CIH exposed rats. Conclusion: CIH induces over production of reactive oxygen species as well as hyper activities of sympathetic N-type Ca2+ channels possibly through HIF 1-α expression and influence on insulin signaling by causing hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in rats. Simultaneous treatment with vitamin c or cilnidipine improves glucose homeostasis in CIH exposed rats

Variability in Sun photometer-derived total ozone over a tropical urban station

A portable, handheld, multichannel Sun photometer (ozonometer) has been used to measure total column ozone over Pune (18320N, 73510E, 559 m above mean sea level), India, a tropical urban station. Data collected on about 575 mostly clear-sky days during the 5 year period from May 1998 to May 2003 have been used in this study to examine diurnal and seasonal variations. The overall daily mean total ozone at this station is 254 Dobson units (DU), with a variability of about 7%, while the most frequently occurring value is in the range 241–250 DU. The diurnal (daytime) patterns are observed to be different in the winter (December–February), premonsoon (March–May), and postmonsoon (October–November) seasons

Results of sun photometer-derived precipitable water content over a tropical Indian station

A compact, hand-held multiband sun photometer (ozone monitor) has been used to measure total precipitable water content (PWC) at the low-latitude tropical station in Pune, India (18°32′N, 73°51′E). Data collected in the daytime (0730–1800 LT) during the period from May 1998 to September 2001 have been used here. The daytime average PWC value at this station is 1.13 cm, and the average for only the clear-sky days is 0.75 cm. PWC values between 0.75 and 1.0 cm have the maximum frequency of occurrence. There is a large day-to-day variability due to varied sky and meteorological conditions. Mainly two types of diurnal variations in PWC are observed. The one occurs in the premonsoon summer months of April and May and shows that forenoon values are smaller than afternoon values. The other type occurs in November and December and shows a minimum around noontime. There is a diurnal asymmetry in PWC in which, on the majority of the days, the mean afternoon value is greater than the forenoon value. This asymmetry is more pronounced in the summer and southwest monsoon months (i.e., March–June). Monthly mean PWC is highest in September and lowest in December. The increase in PWC from the winter (December–February) to summer (March–May) seasons is about 50% and from the summer to southwest monsoon seasons (June–September) is almost 98%. Sun photometer–derived PWC shows a fairly good relationship with surface relative humidity and radiosonde-derived PWC, with a correlation coefficient as high as 0.8

Use of the new World Health Organization child growth standards to describe longitudinal growth of breastfed rural Bangladeshi infants and young children.

BACKGROUND: Although the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference has been widely used, in 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) released new standards for assessing growth of infants and children worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the growth of breastfed rural Bangladeshi infants and young children based on the new WHO child growth standards and the NCHS reference. METHODS: We followed 1343 children in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Intervention in Matlab (MINIMat) study from birth to 24 months of age. Weights and lengths of the children were measured monthly during infancy and quarterly in the second year of life. Anthropometric indices were calculated using both WHO standards and the NCHS reference. The growth pattern and estimates of undernutrition based on the WHO standards and the NCHS reference were compared. RESULTS: The mean birthweight was 2697 +/- 401 g, with 30% weighing <2500 g. The growth pattern of the MINIMat children more closely tracked the WHO standards than it did the NCHS reference. The rates of stunting based on the WHO standards were higher than the rates based on the NCHS reference throughout the first 24 months. The rates of underweight and wasting based on the WHO standards were significantly different from those based on the NCHS reference. CONCLUSIONS: This comparison confirms that use of the NCHS reference misidentifies undernutrition and the timing of growth faltering in infants and young children, which was a key rationale for constructing the new WHO standards. The new WHO child growth standards provide a benchmark for assessing the growth of breastfed infants and children

Remote sensing of spectral signatures of tropospheric aerosols

With the launch of the German Aerospace Agency's (DLR) Modular Opto-electronic Scanner (MOS) sensor on board the Indian Remote Sensing satellite (IRS-P3) launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in March 1996, 13 channel multi-spectral data in the range of 408 to 1010nm at high radiometric resolution, precision, and with narrow spectral bands have been available for a variety of land, atmospheric and oceanic studies. We found that these data are best for validation of radiative transfer model and the corresponding code developed by one of the authors at Space Applications Centre, and called ATMRAD (abbreviated for ATMospheric RADiation). Once this model/code is validated, it can be used for retrieving information on tropospheric aerosols over ocean or land. This paper deals with two clear objectives, viz., (1) Validation of ATMRAD model/code using MOS data and synchronously measured atmospheric data, and if found performing well, then to (2) derive relationship between MOS radiances and Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT). The data validation procedure essentially involves near-synchronous measurements of columnar aerosol optical thickness and altitude profiles of aerosol concentration using ground-based multi-filter solar radiometers and Argon-ion Lidar, respectively and computation of the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) radiances from a low reflecting target (near clear water reservoir in the present study) using the ATMRAD model. The results show that the model performance is satisfactory and a relationship between the spectral parameters of MOS radiances and aerosol optical thickness can be established. In this communication, we present the details of the experiments conducted, database, validation of the ATMRAD model and development of the relationship between AOT and MOS radiance

Can air pollution affect tear film stability? a cross-sectional study in the aftermath of an explosion accident

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>After an explosion and fire in two tanks containing contaminated oil and sulphur products in a Norwegian industrial harbour in 2007, the surrounding area was polluted. This caused an intense smell, lasting until the waste was removed two years later. The present study reports examinations of tear film break up time among the population. The examinations were carried out because many of the people in the area complained of sore eyes. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between living or working close to the polluted area and tear film stability one and a half years after the explosion.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All persons working or living in an area less than six kilometres from the explosion site were invited to take part in the study together with a similar number of persons matched for age and gender living more than 20 kilometres away. Three groups were established: workers in the explosion area and inhabitants near the explosion area (but not working there) were considered to have been exposed, and inhabitants far away (who did not work in the explosion area) were considered to be unexposed. A total of 734 people were examined, and the response rate was 76 percent. Tear film stability was studied by assessing non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT) using ocular microscopy. In addition Self-reported Break Up Time (SBUT) was assessed by recording the time the subject could keep his or hers eyes open without blinking when watching a fixed point on a wall. Background information was obtained using a questionnaire. Non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney-tests with exact p-values and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both NIBUT and SBUT were shorter among the male exposed workers than among the inhabitants both near and far away from the explosion area. This was also found for SBUT among males in a multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age and smoking.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Reduced tear film stability was found among workers in an area where an explosion accident had occurred.</p

Acetylation Regulates WRN Catalytic Activities and Affects Base Excision DNA Repair

Background: The Werner protein (WRN), defective in the premature aging disorder Werner syndrome, participates in a number of DNA metabolic processes, and we have been interested in the possible regulation of its function in DNA repair by post-translational modifications. Acetylation mediated by histone acetyltransferases is of key interest because of its potential importance in aging, DNA repair and transcription. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we have investigated the p300 acetylation mediated changes on the function of WRN in base excision DNA repair (BER). We show that acetylation of WRN increases in cells treated with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), suggesting that acetylation of WRN may play a role in response to DNA damage. This hypothesis is consistent with our findings that acetylation of WRN stimulates its catalytic activities in vitro and in vivo, and that acetylated WRN enhances pol b-mediated strand displacement DNA synthesis more than unacetylated WRN. Furthermore, we show that cellular exposure to the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate stimulates long patch BER in wild type cells but not in WRN depleted cells, suggesting that acetylated WRN participates significantly in this process. Conclusion/Significance: Collectively, these results provide the first evidence for a specific role of p300 mediated WRN acetylation in regulating its function during BER

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente