Altered pattern of lipids in plasma and erythrocyte membranes of rheumatoid arthritis patients

The present study has investigated the levels of lipids, lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL and LDL cholesterol), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and vitamin E in plasma and erythrocyte membranes of twenty two clinically diagnosed adult rheumatoid arthritis patients and an equal number of age matched healthy subjects. The levels of lipids and lipoprotein cholesterol were markedly reduced in patients with rheumatoid arthritis as compared to healthy subjects. The altered lipid pattern may be related to decreased lipoprotein cholesterol, fatty acids and impairment in antioxidant defence mechanism.     

Electrical conduction and superconductivity

The article discusses the origin of electrical conduction and resistance in metals. It also discusses superconductivity in metals and the underlying mechanism. The salient features of high temperature superconductivity are mentioned and difficulties in understanding the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity are briefly discussed.     

“Air Anatomy” – Teaching Complex Spatial Anatomy Using Simple Hand Gestures

Spatial understanding of complex anatomical concepts is often a challenge for learners, as well as for educators. It is even more challenging for students with low mental spatial abilities. There are many options to teach spatial relationships, ranging from simple models to high-end three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality tools. Using a randomized controlled trial design, this study explored the use of a unique combination of deictic and iconic hand gestures to enhance spatial anatomical understanding, coining the term “Air Anatomy”. The control group (n = 45) was given a lecture on the anatomy of extraocular muscles, while the intervention group (n = 49) received the same lecture including “Air Anatomy” hand gestures. When compared to the control group, the post-test scores for the intervention group were significantly higher for basic recall (P < 0.001; Mann–Whitney U test) and for the application of knowledge (P = 0.015; Mann–Whitney U test). Students with low to moderate spatial ability (as assessed by a mental rotation test) were found to benefit most by this technique. Students in the intervention group also reported a lower extrinsic cognitive load and higher germane load, when compared to the control group. An instructional skills questionnaire survey indicated the effectiveness of this technique in improving overall classroom experience. Feedback of the students in the intervention group was also favorable for instruction using “Air Anatomy”. The study suggests that “Air Anatomy” is a useful, “no-cost”, accessible method that aids spatial understanding of anatomical concepts.     

Doctoral program selection using pairwise comparisons

This article illustrates the application of a pairwise comparison methodology to the doctoral program selection process. The first section includes a brief discussion of the pairwise comparison methodology better known in the literature as Saaty's Analytic Hierarchy Process. In the next section, a hierarchy for structuring and facilitating the doctoral program selection decision is described. This section is followed by an illustration of the methodology using the hierarchy for which four MBA students contemplating a doctoral program provided pairwise comparisons. Next, the results obtained above are discussed, and followed by our summary and conclusions.     

Serum Vitamin D Levels in Indian Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Low serum vitamin D level has an increased association with risk of multiple sclerosis (MS).There has been no published data on the levels of this vitamin in Indian population with MS. Hence we decided to undertake this study to document if there is evidence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with MS in our population. 26 patients with diagnosis of MS by modified Mc Donald’s criteria were enrolled in this study. Serum vitamin D (1,25 hydroxy) levels were measured by electro-chemiluminescence in our biochemistry lab. An age-matched control group of 202 patients who did not have a diagnosis of MS were included. In our study group 76.9 % had vitamin D level less than 20 ng/ml compared to 65.5 % of control group (p value of 0.019). Our study revealed a trend towards low vitamin D values in Indian MS patients.     

Do trees tell about the past?

Realizing the consequences of global warming, scientists are currently engaged in understanding the causes and mitigation measures of this phenomenon. One of the important criteria to understand the present pattern of climate is the study of past climate. To reconstruct past climate, analysis of ice cores, lake sediments, peat bogs, ocean floor and trees is necessary. This article explains how the anatomical features of trees can throw light on past climate.     

Information Search Behaviors of Indian Farmers: Implications for Extension Services

Abstract

Purpose: In India, a national survey conducted in 2003 showed that only 40% of farmers accessed extension. But little is known of the characteristics of farmers who did not access extension. However, this understanding is needed in order to target approaches to farmers, who differ in their access and use of information, that is their information search behaviors. The main objective of this paper is to segment farmers from this survey based on their information search behaviors and identify the factors that determine farmers' information search behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach: Cluster analysis is applied to the number of sources accessed and frequency of source used, to define farmers' information search behaviors.

Findings: The four groups that emerged are: ‘no search’, ‘low search’, ‘moderate search’ and ‘high search’. Sixty percent of farmers had no search behavior, which means they had not accessed any extension that year. By state, the largest group of these farmers was in Rajasthan. By comparison, the largest group of high searchers was in Kerala. Using Rajasthan and Kerala as case studies, these search behaviors differ by landholding size and education. ‘No search’ farmers had the smallest landholdings, lowest education, used fewer inputs and relied on groundwater for irrigation. By comparison, ‘high search’ farmers had the largest landholdings, most education, used more inputs and irrigated using canals.

Practical implications: The difference in search behaviors between the case study states, and within the states, shows that targeted extension approaches are needed to reach different farmers, particularly the no, low and moderate search groups, with programs customized to address their context-specific information needs.

Originality/value: Using information search strategy as the basis for analysis, this paper provides additional evidence of the need to consider the context-specific situations of farmers when designing extension services.     

Bibliometrics of global malaria vaccine research

Objectives: This study evaluates malaria vaccine research carried out in different parts of the world during 1972–2004 using different bibliometric indicators. Method: Data have been downloaded from PubMed for the period 1972–2004 using the keywords (malaria* or plasmodium or falciparum) and (vaccine*) in the title and abstract fields. The study examined the pattern of growth of the output, its geographical distribution, profile of different countries in different subfields and pattern of citations using GOOGLE Scholar. Results: Malaria vaccine research output is gradually increasing. The USA, followed by the UK and Australia contributed the highest number of papers. Publication activity has decreased in Switzerland and Sweden, but has increased in Brazil and China. The majority of the countries have focused on the development of asexual blood stage malaria. Citations per paper and incidence of high‐quality papers for the USA, the UK, Papua New Guinea and Denmark are more than the average. The majority of the prolific institutions are located in the USA, the UK, France and Australia. Conclusion: The last two decades have witnessed considerable growth in research output in this field, while a successful malaria vaccine still remains elusive. Interestingly, the countries like the USA, the UK and Australia that lead in the quantity, quality and citation of this output are often not those directly affected by malaria.     

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients

The main objective of the study was to assess the oxidative stress in plasma and erythrocytes of rheumatoid arthritis patients by measuring the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamin E, C and reduced glutathione) and enzymatic antioxidants [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx)]. This study has been conducted on twenty-two adult female rheumatoid arthritis patients and an equal number of healthy subjects. Elevated lipid peroxidation and multidirectional changes in the antioxidant defence system were noticed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The enhanced lipid peroxidation accompanied by disturbance in antioxidant status indicates that rheumatoid arthritis patients are more prone to free radical mediated oxidative damage.     

Changes in the levels of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans in diabetes associated with myocardial infarction

Changes in the levels of glycoprotein (GP) and glycosminoglycans (GAG) were studied in diabetes associated with myocardial infarction in rats. Diabetes was induced by alloxan while myocardial infarction was induced using isoproterenol. Most of the GAG fraction increased in the heart and aorta in diabetes superimposed with myocardial infarction. The carbohydrate of GP also increased in heart while in serum only sialic acid showed an increase. The activity of lysosomal enzymes showed an increase in the case of β-glucuronidase and β-hexosaminidase while in the case of β-galactosidase and β-fucosidase it showed a decrease in the heart.