The effect of variation in the calorie: protein ratio of the diet on nitrogen retention and body composition in the rat

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Effects of B vitamins on protein utilization from rice-legume dietaries by the growing rat

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Research Notes : Heritability and correlation estimates for protein, oil, and crushing hardness in photo-sensitive and insensitive groups of soybean

Protein, oil, and crushing hardness as an indicator of cooking quality are the important seed attributes for which soybean is valued in all parts of the world. Protein and oil content have been reported to be influenced by genetic and climatic factors (Chapman et al., 1976; Shorter et al., 1977) but with respect to crushing hardness attribute of soybean seed, information available in the literature is as good as nil. In the present communication, attempts have been made to understand the nature of genetic effect through heritability and other genetic parameters of variability for both photosensitive and insensitive groups of soybean. Association of these attributes has also been studied

Solitary Pancreatic Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report from India with a Review of Literature

ABSTRACT: Metastatic cancer to the pancreas accounts for less than 2% of all pancreatic malignancies, with renal cell carcinoma being the predominant type. We report the case of an elderly patient detected with a solitary lesion in the head of the pancreas, 6 years after a nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. The patient underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy for the same. A review of literature showed isolated pancreatic metastasis to be rare, ranging from 0.5 to 3%. Patients are usually asymptomatic, unless the tumor enlarges. Spread usually takes place by the hematogenous route or via lymphatics, direct spread being very unusual. Surgical resection seems to be the standard of care for isolated metastasis from renal cell carcinoma as the other modalities of treatment seem unresponsive. Typically, patients undergo a pancreaticoduodenectomy or distal pancreatectomy depending on the location of the tumor. Atypical resections are done in certain situations. Surgery is carried out in favourable candidates and a thorough evaluation needs to be done intraoperatively for multiple metastases. Histology revealed a metastatic renal cell carcinoma confirmed on immunohistochemistry. All margins were free of tumor without lymphnodal involvement. Eight months after the surgery the patient is doing well. As compared to primary pancreatic cancer, metastasis from renal cell carcinoma has a higher resectability rate. Solitary metastasis to the pancreas has a good prognosis especially in renal cell carcinoma, with a 5 years survival rate of 43 to 88%.KEYWORDS: Renal Cell Carcinoma; Pancreatic Metastasis; PancreaticoduodenectomyInternet Journal of Medical Update 2012 January;7(1):62-

Working practices and incomes of health workers : evidence from an evaluation of a delivery fee exemption scheme in Ghana

Background: This article describes a survey of health workers and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) which was carried out in 2005 in two regions of Ghana. The objective of the survey was to ascertain the impact of the introduction of a delivery fee exemption scheme on both health workers and those providers who were excluded from the scheme (TBAs). This formed part of an overall evaluation of the delivery fee exemption scheme. The results shed light not only on the scheme itself but also on the general productivity of a range of health workers in Ghana. Methods: A structured questionnaire was developed, covering individual and household characteristics, working hours and practices, sources of income, and views of the exemptions scheme and general motivation. After field testing, this was administered to 374 respondents in 12 districts of Central and Volta regions. The respondents included doctors, medical assistants (MAs), public and private midwives, nurses, community health nurses (CHNs), and traditional birth attendants, both trained and untrained. Results: Health workers were well informed about the delivery fee exemptions scheme and their responses on its impact suggest a realistic view that it was a good scheme, but one that faces serious challenges regarding financial sustainability. Concerning its impact on their morale and working conditions, the responses were broadly neutral. Most public sector workers have seen an increased workload, but counterbalanced by increased pay. TBAs have suffered, in terms of client numbers and income, while the picture for private midwives is mixed. The survey also sheds light on pay and productivity. The respondents report long working hours, with a mean of 54 hours per week for community nurses and up to 129 hours per week for MAs. Weekly reported client loads in the public sector range from a mean of 86 for nurses to 269 for doctors. Over the past two years, reported working hours have been increasing, but so have pay and allowances (for doctors, allowances now make up 66% of their total pay). The lowest paid public health worker now earns almost ten times the average gross national income (GNI) per capita, while the doctors earn 38.5 times GNI per capita. This compares well with average government pay of four times GNI per capita. Comparing pay with outputs, the relatively high number of clients reported by doctors reduces their pay differential, so that the cost per client – $1.09 – is similar to a nurse's (and lower than a private midwife's). Conclusion: These findings show that a scheme which increases demand for public health services while also sustaining health worker income and morale, is workable, if well managed, even within the relatively constrained human resources environment of countries like Ghana. This may be linked to the fact that internal comparisons reveal Ghana's health workers to be well paid from public sector sources.This work was undertaken as part of an international research programme – IMMPACT (Initiative for Maternal Mortality Programme Assessment) – funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Department for International Development, the European Commission and USAID

EVALUATION OF IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITY OF PETROLEUM ETHER EXTRACT OF SEEDS OF PITHECELLOBIUM DULCE IN WISTAR RATS

Objective: The present study was planned to assess the immunomodulatory action of petroleum ether extracts of seeds of Pithecellobium dulce (PEPD) in experimental models of immunity.Methods: Metronidazole, pyrogallol and ethanol models were used for suppression of the immune system in Wistar rats. Humoral immunity was analyzed by haemmagglutination assay, whereas, cellular immunity was carried out by paw edema and carbon clearance assay. PEPD (400 mg/kg, p. o.) was selected by acute toxicity study. Levamisole (50 mg/kg, p. o.) was used as standard.Results: Metronidazole, pyrogallol and ethanol significantly decreased the humoral and cellular immunity, whereas, PEPD and levamisole significantly increased the circulating antibody titer in the indirect haemagglunation test. PEPD and levamisole also produced significant increases in paw edema and increase in the phagocytic index in the carbon clearance assay. Animals treated with metronidazole, pyrogallol and ethanol decreased in peripheral blood RBCs and monocytes whereas, PEPD and levamisole treated groups significantly increased in peripheral blood RBCs and monocytes.Conclusion: Our data showed that PEPD possesses potential for augmenting immune activity by cellular and humoral mediated mechanisms and also significantly restores the biochemical and histopathological parameters. The present study concluded that PEPD may have therapeutic and prophylactic value as immunostimulants.Â