Withaferin-A displays enhanced anxiolytic efficacy without tolerance in rats following sub chronic administration

Withaferin-A dose-dependently (10 tob40 mg/kg) displayed anxiolytic activity, as measured by an increase in open arm exploration time in the elevated plus-maze (EPM), following intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration in rats. Acute administration of withaferin-A at 40.0 mg/kg significantly (P<0.05) increased open arm exploration time by 176% as compared to vehicle control, which is similar to the benzodiazepine diazepam at 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg (191 and 200%, respectively). However, 24 h following sub chronic 5-day administration of diazepam twice daily (bid) at 3.0 mg/kg, diazepam was devoid of anxiolytic activity at 1.0 mg/kg, as measured by no difference in open arm exploration time when compared with vehicle control, while the 3.0 mg/kg dose still produced a significant (P<0.05) 175% increase in open arm exploration time. In contrast, following sub chronic administration of withaferin-A (40.0 mg/kg), a significant (P<0.01) enhancement in open arm exploration time was observed at 40.0 mg/kg (665% as compared to control). Therefore, withaferin-A resulted in anxiolysis which is similar to diazepam following acute administration in the EPM. However, following sub chronic administration unlike diazepam which showed an attenuation of anxiolytic activity, withaferin-A displayed enhanced anxiolytic efficacy and was devoid of tolerance.Key words: Withaferin-A, anxiety, benzodiazepines, nitric oxide, elevated plus-maze

Measurement of soot mass and PAHs during the pyrolysis of C-2-C-4 alcohols at high temperatures

Particulate matter (PM) is emitted from a range of combustion sources, can vary greatly in properties, and is able to penetrate deep into the human lungs, conveying carcinogenic PAHs present on the particle surface. Alcohol based biofuels have been shown to potentially reduce PM emissions when displacing fossil fuels. To improve understanding of the influence of fuel bound oxygen on and the relative toxicity of PM, this paper investigates quantitatively the soot mass and PAHs produced from the pyrolysis of ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol,1-butanol, and 2-butanol in a laminar flow reactor. The pyrolysis of alcohol fuels and collection of soot-bound and gas-phase PAH was carried out between 1323 and 1623 K at a fixed carbon atom concentration in nitrogen. Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was used to extract soot bound PAH and gaseous species captured on XAD resin, with speciation and quantification of PAHs undertaken using GCMS. Of the primary alcohols, the highest and lowest masses of soot were observed for 1-butanol and ethanol respectively, while secondary alcohols generated more soot mass than corresponding primary alcohols. An effect of hydroxyl group position on the total PAH distribution in the gas and particulate-bound phases was observed within the temperature range of 1323 to 1423 K. At 1323 K, 1-propanol produced approximately three times more particle phase (PP) PAH concentration than 2-propanol. Amongst the fuels tested, 1-propanol produced the highest level of carcinogenic PAHs at 1323 K, while for all C3 and C4 fuels the toxicity equivalence factor decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature

Callus induction via different growth regulators from cotyledon explants of indigenous chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars KK-1 and Hassan-2K

Callus induction from cotyledon explants was studied in indigenous chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars KK-1 and Hassan-2K on MS and B5 media containing different combinations and concentrations of growth regulators. Different MS and B5 callusing media containing varying level of 2, 4-D (2 and 4 mg/l), NAA (0.50 and 1 mg/l), BAP (5 and 10 μM) and their combinations were tested for callus induction response. Percent callus and callus fresh weight (g) were recorded after two and four weeks of culture for both genotypes. For KK-1 cultivar, the maximum callus frequency (71 and 97%) followed by (65 and 96%) were observed on 4 mg/l 2,4-D+5 μM BAP in MS and 4 mg/l 2,4-D in B5 media, respectively after two and four weeks of culture. Similarly, the highest callus fresh weight (0.411 and 0.787 g) were also recorded for MS+4 mg/l 2,4-D+5 μM BAP in contrast to B5 where the highest callus weight (0.401 and 0.693 g) was achieved on 4 mg/l 2,4-D only. In Hassan -2K, the highest callus % (68 and 96) and fresh weight (0.572 and 0.821 g) were recorded on MS+4 mg/l 2,4-D+0.50 mg/l NAA after two and four weeks of culture, respectively. In B5 medium, 2,4-D+BAP combination produced average callus induction response for both cultivars.Key words: Callus induction, chick pea cotyledons, growth regulators

Phyto-agglutinin, total proteins and amino assimilating enzymatic activity of indigeneous chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars

Biochemical studies were carried out with in vitro micropropagated plantlets of two indigenous cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), KK-1 and Hassan-2K, where extract from shoots, leaves, roots, and reproductive organs were determined for human erythrocyte agglutination (by mixing the lectin containing extract 1:1 with a 2% erythrocyte suspension), protein profiling and the amino assimilating (glutamine synthetase) enzymatic activity. Both of KK-1 and Hassan-2K cultivars extract showed highly phyto-agglutination of human erythrocytes with reproductive organs and other tissues, which represents the presence of potent lectins (phyto-agglutinin). The amino assimilating enzymatic activity of green leaves of Hasan-2K was found higher (3.545 GS μmol.gfw-1.min-1) as compared to KK-1 (2.873 GS μmol.gfw-1.min-1). Protein content profile showed variation in bulk proteins of various tissues, higher (12.634 μg/gfw) and (2.987 μg/gfw) in reproductive organs of KK-1 and Hasan-2K, respectively.Key words: Chickpea, glutamine synthetase, glyco-protein, lectin, phyto-agglutinin

Unique Responses of Stem Cell-Derived Vascular Endothelial and Mesenchymal Cells to High Levels of Glucose

Diabetes leads to complications in selected organ systems, and vascular endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and loss is the key initiating and perpetuating step in the development of these complications. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that hyperglycemia leads to EC dysfunction in diabetes. Vascular stem cells that give rise to endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) represent an attractive target for cell therapy for diabetic patients. Whether these vascular stem/progenitor cells succumb to the adverse effects of high glucose remains unknown. We sought to determine whether adult vascular stem/progenitor cells display cellular activation and dysfunction upon exposure to high levels of glucose as seen in diabetic complications. Mononuclear cell fraction was prepared from adult blood and bone marrow. EPCs and MPCs were derived, characterized, and exposed to either normal glucose (5 mmol/L) or high glucose levels (25 mmol/L). We then assayed for cell activity and molecular changes following both acute and chronic exposure to high glucose. Our results show that high levels of glucose do not alter the derivation of either EPCs or MPCs. The adult blood-derived EPCs were also resistant to the effects of glucose in terms of growth. Acute exposure to high glucose levels increased caspase-3 activity in EPCs (1.4x increase) and mature ECs (2.3x increase). Interestingly, MPCs showed a transient reduction in growth upon glucose challenge. Our results also show that glucose skews the differentiation of MPCs towards the adipocyte lineage while suppressing other mesenchymal lineages. In summary, our studies show that EPCs are resistant to the effects of high levels of glucose, even following chronic exposure. The findings further show that hyperglycemia may have detrimental effects on the MPCs, causing reduced growth and altering the differentiation potential

Management of necrotizing enterocolitis: experience at a tertiary care hospital in Oman

Introduction Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common surgical emergency in the neonatal intensive care unit. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of NEC and identify the factors predicting the surgical management and also to determine the mortality due to NEC at our tertiary care neonatal unit in Oman.Materials and methods The parameters studied included sex-based differences, gestational age at birth, birth weight, maternal risk factors, patient risk factors, age when feeding was started, type of feed, age when signs of NEC appeared, presence of any antecedent associations, clinical features, radiological features, blood investigations, requirement of surgery, surgical findings, and outcome.Results The study included 14 male and 12 female neonates. The mean gestational age at birth was 29.8 ± 3.7 weeks (range: 25–38 weeks). The mean birth weight was 1348.4 ±774.1 g (range: 610–3900 g). The total incidence of NEC was 2.28%, whereas its incidence in neonates with birth weight less than 2500g was 4.47%. Surgical management was carried out for 11 (42.3%) patients. The mean platelet count in patients managed surgically was significantly lower compared with those managed conservatively (106.5 vs. 218.1 cells/ll of blood, P < 0.05). Similarly, the mean C-reactive protein level was also higher in patients managed surgically compared with those managed conservatively (104 vs. 54 mg%, respectively, P < 0.05). Five of 26 (19.2%) patients died during the course of treatment.Conclusion The incidence and mortality rate of NEC in Oman is similar to that in other countries. Low platelet counts and high C-reactive protein levels are the factors that can predict the need for surgical management. Keywords: C-reactive protein, necrotizing enterocolitis, thrombocytopeni

Lectin status, protein contents and ammonium assimilating enzymatic activity of two indigenous cultivars of mulberry species, Morus alba and Morus nigra

The studies were carried out with plantlets of two indigenous cultivars of mulberry species Morus alba and Morus nigra grown in soil less cultures, where extracts from roots, shoots, leaves, and reproductive organs were determined for protein content, agglutination of human erythrocytes and theactivity of the ammonium assimilatory enzyme glutamine synthetase. M. nigra and M. alba extracts contained potent phytoagglutinins in various tissues with highest contents in M. nigra. The leaves and roots of both species of mulberry were used to determine the glutamine synthetase activity and high level of activity was found in both tissues. The glutamine synthetase enzymatic activity was higher in roots (1.37 ìmol.gfw-1.min-1). The extract from all tissues of both species were used to determine the total protein contents and proteins found higher in the leaves (2.129 ìg/gfw in M. nigra and 0.973 ìg/gfw in M. alba)

A holistic mathematical modelling and simulation for cathodic delamination mechanism – a novel and an efficient approach

This paper addresses a holistic mathematical design using a novel approach for understanding the mechanism of cathodic delamination. The approach employed a set of interdependent parallel processes with each process representing: cation formation, oxygen reduction and cation transport mechanism, respectively. Novel mathematical equations have been developed for each of the processes based on the observations recorded from experimentation. These equations are then solved using efficient time-iterated algorithms. Each process consists of distinct algorithms which communicate with each other using duplex channels carrying signals. Each signal represents a distinct delamination parameter. As a result of interdependency of various processes and their parallel behaviour, it is much easier to analyse the quantitative agreement between various delamination parameters. The developed modelling approach provides an efficient and reliable prediction method for the delamination failure. The results obtained are in good agreement with the previously reported experimental interpretations and numerical results. This model provides a foundation for the future research within the area of coating failure analysis and prediction

A Rare Case of a Gastro-Peritoneal Fistula Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Successfully Treated with Endoscopic Stenting

Gastro-peritoneal fistula is a rare but serious complication of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with significant morbidity and mortality. We present the case of a 42-year-old man who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity and presented later with a history of chronic epigastric pain and severe reflux. Upper gastrointestinal series showed the presence of a communicating fistula between the stomach and the left hemi-diaphragm and peri-splenic area

Development of RAPD based markers for wheat rust resistance gene cluster (Lr37-Sr38-Yr17) derived from Triticum ventricosum L.

Rust diseases are the major cause of low yield of wheat in Pakistan. Wheat breeders all over the world as well as in Pakistan are deriving rust resistance genes from alien species like Triticum ventricosumand introducing them in common wheat (Triticum aestivum). One such example is the introgression of rust resistance gene cluster Lr37-Sr38-Yr17 derived from T. ventricosum chromosome 2NS into thecommon wheat. A basic prerequisite to introduce alien rust resistance gene (like those present on 2NS segment) in locally adapted varieties is availability of a suitable marker system which can be used tokeep track of presence of newly added gene in the old background. In this present study, one hundred and fifty Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to detect polymorphismbetween two near isogenic lines NILs (Anza and Anza+2NS) of wheat and to develop RAPD based molecular markers for rust resistance gene cluster derived from T. ventricosum. Polymerase chainreactions were carried out using standard protocols. All the amplification products were in the range of 250 to 1000 bp. Thirteen molecular markers (RAPDs) out of a total of 150 (approximately 8.6%) were developed for rust resistance gene cluster Lr37-Sr38-Yr17 and recommendations have been made to utilize these markers in Pakistani wheat breeding programs aimed at establishing rust resistantgermplasm