Evaluate the effectiveness of hot foot bath with Epsom salt on joint pain, stiffness, and physical function among patients with osteoarthritis in selected hospitals at Ottanchathiram

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis typically with onset during middle or old age that is characterized by progressive degenerative changes in the cartilage of one or more joints (as of the knees, hip, and hands) accompanied by thickening and overgrowth of adjacent bone and that is marked symptomatically chiefly by stiffness, swelling, pain, deformation of joints, and loss of range of motion. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of hot foot bath with Epsom salt on joint pain, stiffness, and physical function among patients with osteoarthritis in selected hospitals at Ottanchathiram. METHODS: Conceptual framework for the study has been based on modified Wiedenbech’s helping art of clinical nursing theory. The research design used was Quasi experimental non-equivalent control group pretest and posttest design. Non probability convenience sampling technique was used to select 60 samples for the study, 30 in experimental group and 30 in control group. The tool used for the study was Womac osteoarthritis index scale to assess the joint pain, stiffness and physical function. Hot foot bath with Epsom salt procedure was done for 20 minutes daily once in the morning for a period of 10 days in experimental group. The collected data were analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The Independent ‘t’ value of joint pain was 13.3 which was significant at P < 0.05 level. This showed that there is a significant reduction in the level of joint pain between experimental and control group. The Independen ‘t’ value of stiffness was 30.6 which was significant at P < 0.05 level. This showed that there is a significant reduction in the level of stiffness between experimental and control group. The Independent ‘t’ value of physical function was 81.5 which was significant at P< 0.05 level. This showed that there is a significant improvement in the physical function between experimental and control group. The findings revealed that there was no association between the level of joint pain among patients with osteoarthritis and their selected demographic variables in experimental group. There was no significant association between the level of stiffness among patients with osteoarthritis and their selected demographic variables in experimental group. There was no significant association between the level of difficulty in physical function among patients with osteoarthritis and their demographic variables in experimental group. RESULTS: The results of the study concluded that foot bath with Epsom salt procedure was effective in reduction of joint pain, stiffness and improving the physical function among patients with osteoarthritis

Effect of Dietary Fats on Oxidative-Antioxidative Status of Blood in Rats

This study was performed to examine the effect of different fat sources, lard, sunflower oil (SO), and fish oil (FO) in high-fat and low-fat diet on reactive oxygen species generation by blood phagocytes, glutathione redox status in erythrocytes, and total plasma antioxidant ability in rats. Whole blood chemiluminescence (CL) did not differ between three low-fat fed groups. However, baseline and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated CL in blood of high-lard fed rats were lower than in low-lard and high-SO fed animals. Phagocyte-stimulated oxidative burst was higher in rats fed high-SO diet than in those fed low-SO and high-FO diets. The highest level of oxidize glutathione (GSSH), the lowest reduce glutathione (GSH)/GSSG ratio in erythrocytes, and the highest plasma activity to reduce ferric ions were observed in rats fed both diets contaning linoleic acid-rich sunflower oil compared to animals fed the corresponding energy from other fats. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity of plasma was lower in high-lard and high-FO fed rats compared to the corresponding low-fat diets, and the lowest in low-FO fed rats among low-fat fed animals. We presume from our results that linoleic acid may have dual effect, prooxidative in blood cells but maintaining total antioxidant plasma ability

Identification and validation of genes involved in gastric tumorigenesis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gastric cancer is one of the common cancers seen in south India. Unfortunately more than 90% are advanced by the time they report to a tertiary centre in the country. There is an urgent need to characterize these cancers and try to identify potential biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>We used 24 gastric cancers, 20 Paired normal (PN) and 5 apparently normal gastric tissues obtained from patients with non-gastric cancers (Apparently normal - AN) for the microarray study followed by validation of the significant genes (n = 63) by relative quantitation using Taqman Low Density Array Real Time PCR. We then used a custom made Quantibody protein array to validate the expression of 15 proteins in gastric tissues (4 AN, 9 PN and 9 gastric cancers). The same array format was used to study the plasma levels of these proteins in 58 patients with gastric cancers and 18 from patients with normal/non-malignant gastric conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventeen genes (ASPN, CCL15/MIP-1δ, MMP3, SPON2, PRSS2, CCL3, TMEPAI/PMEPAI, SIX3, MFNG, SOSTDC1, SGNE1, SST, IGHA1, AKR1B10, FCGBP, ATP4B, NCAPH2) were shown to be differentially expressed between the tumours and the paired normal, for the first time. EpCAM (p = 0.0001), IL8 (p = 0.0003), CCL4/MIP-1β (p = 0.0026), CCL20/MIP-3α (p = 0.039) and TIMP1 (p = 0.0017) tissue protein levels were significantly different (Mann Whitney U test) between tumours versus AN & PN. In addition, median plasma levels of IL8, CXCL9/MIG, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL20/MIP-3α, PDGFR-B and TIMP1 proteins were significantly different between the non-malignant group and the gastric cancer group. The post-surgical levels of EpCAM, IGFBP3, IL8, CXCL10/IP10, CXCL9/MIG, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL20/MIP-3α, SPP1/OPN and PDGFR-B showed a uniform drop in all the samples studied.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study has identified several genes differentially expressed in gastric cancers, some for the first time. Some of these have been confirmed at the protein level, as well. Some of these proteins will need to be evaluated further for their potential as diagnostic biomarkers in gastric cancers and some could be useful as follow-up markers in gastric cancer.</p

Functional classification of protein toxins as a basis for bioinformatic screening

Proteins are fundamental to life and exhibit a wide diversity of activities, some of which are toxic. Therefore, assessing whether a specific protein is safe for consumption in foods and feeds is critical. Simple BLAST searches may reveal homology to a known toxin, when in fact the protein may pose no real danger. Another challenge to answer this question is the lack of curated databases with a representative set of experimentally validated toxins. Here we have systematically analyzed over 10,000 manually curated toxin sequences using sequence clustering, network analysis, and protein domain classification. We also developed a functional sequence signature method to distinguish toxic from non-toxic proteins. The current database, combined with motif analysis, can be used by researchers and regulators in a hazard screening capacity to assess the potential of a protein to be toxic at early stages of development. Identifying key signatures of toxicity can also aid in redesigning proteins, so as to maintain their desirable functions while reducing the risk of potential health hazards

Nature of gene action for kernel yield and its component traits in maize (Zea mays L.)

Towards understanding the nature of gene action for kernel yield and its components traits, a set of 45 F1 hybrids generated by adopting diallel mating design (Method IV and Model I) involving 10 inbred lines were tested across three seasons for their performance and combining ability. Combining ability analysis revealed that the mean sum of squares due to general and specific combining ability were significant indicating the contribution of both additive and non-additive gene action in controlling days to 50% flowering, days to 50% silking, anthesis-silking interval, days to maturity, plant height, SPAD chlorophyll meter reading, specific leaf area, cob length, cob girth, number of kernel rows per cob, number of kernels per row, 100 kernel weight, harvest index and kernel yield. Estimates of components of variances (σ2GCA and σ2SCA) and ratio of σ2GCA/σ2SCA indicated the predominance of non-additive gene action for all the characters studied. Among the inbred lines, BML 2, DFTY, Heypool and PDM 1474 were found to be the best general combiners across seasons for kernel yield and most of yield components as well as developmental characters. DFTY, Heypool, PDM 1452 and PAM 1474 were identified as good general combiners for earliness. Among the top 20 best performing hybrids, BML 15 × PDM 1452, BML 15 × PDM 1474 and BML 7 × DFTY were rated as promising hybrids based on their superior performance and sca effects for kernel yield and most of the yield components. These hybrids could be recommended for commercial cultivation after extensive testing in multilocation trials

Fertilizer best management practices by SSNM and customized fertilizers for elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) cultivation in India

Elephant foot yam [Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson] is an important tuber crop grown in many parts of India for its starchy corm and the average yield of this crop is far below the potential productivity of 100 tonnes/ha. One of the reasons attributed to the lower yield is the imbalanced application of essential plant nutrients. Site specific nutrient management (SSNM) is the application of plant nutrients based on the soil and crop need, yield target and developed with the aid of models such as QUEFTS. This paper gives the result of four year study conducted to calibrate and validate the QUEFTS model for elephant foot yam cultivation and the development of SSNM zonation maps and secondary and micronutrient fortified customised fertilizers for the crop in major growing environments of India. Data collected from different field experiments conducted in major elephant foot yam-production regions of India during 1968 to 2011 were used to calibrate the model. The derived parameters of minimum and maximum accumulation of N (130 and 460), P (900 and 2100) and K (100 and 170) are proposed as standard borderline values in the QUEFTS model for elephant foot yam. A linear increase in corm yield was suggested by the model with N, P and K uptakes of 3.97, 0.71, and 7.05 kg N, P and K/1 000 kg corm. The average NPK ratio in total plant dry matter was 5.56:1:9.88. Based on these results, the model was calibrated using historical data as well as by conducting field experiments. It can be observed that fertilizer best management practices by SSNM resulted in an average actual corm yield of 33.45 tonnes/ha, whereas, the model predicted a yield of 35 tonnes/ha. The results of the study showed good agreement between predicted and measured corm yields during the four years, which indicated that the calibrated model can be used to improve NPK fertilizer recommendations for elephant foot yam in India. Based on the results and using soil fertility maps and agro ecological unit maps, SSNM zonation maps and secondary and micronutrient fortified customised fertilizers were developed for major elephant foot yam growing environments of India

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio