Circadian rhythms

Living organisms ranging from bacteria to human beings exhibit 24-h rhythms in various behaviours and physiological processes. Matching of the period of such rhythms with that of the daily environmental cycles gives an impression that they are mere passive responses to environmental changes. Here, we discuss the change in our perception about daily biological rhythms, from their identity as rhythmic phenomena occurring as passive response to environmental changes, to the biological clocks. This is the first article in a series of articles on circadian rhythms which will cover discussion on the genetic and molecular basis, circadian organization and its adaptive significance.     

Open learning in India: evolution,diversification and reaching out

Distance education has a history of over four decades in India. There has been a vast growth in the number of learners who need education and thus also the corresponding channels of providing education. Due to the constraints of the traditional educational sector, open and distance learning has been found to be a workable alternative strategy in India. This paper traces the evolution and diversification of open learning in India by examining various factors that led to the growth and success of open learning. This system, as other systems of education, is not free from problems and a critique is provided on the various factors affecting the smooth functioning of India’s open and distance learning system.     

Effects of Active Learning on Enhancing Student Critical Thinking in an Undergraduate General Science Course

To enhance students’ critical thinking in an undergraduate general science course, we designed and implemented active learning modules by incorporating group-based learning with authentic tasks, scaffolding, and individual reports. This study examined the levels of critical thinking students exhibited in individual reports and the students’ critical thinking level change over time. Findings indicated that students’ average critical thinking level fell in the category of “developing”, but students’ scores on individual reports revealed a statistically significant increase. The study suggested that the active learning strategies employed in the study were useful to promote student critical thinking.     

Antioxidant status and peroxidative stress in mother and newborn —A pilot study

Serum antioxidant status and peroxidative stress was estimated in 30 pregnant women, their newborn infants and 25 non-pregnant women. Serum Ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, retinol & β-carotene levels were found to be significantly reduced and peroxidative stress was significantly higher in mothers as compared to matched non-pregnant women. Newborn had significantly higher levels of ascorbic acid as compared to their mother but had significantly lower levels of lipid soluble vitamins. The peroxidative stress in newborn was found to be significantly less as compared to their mothers. A positive correlation of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol levels between mother and newborn reflects that their status in mother does influence the newborn status.     

Carbohydrate gel ingestion during running in the heat on markers of gastrointestinal distress

The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of carbohydrate ingestion during exercise in the heat by measuring markers of gastrointestinal damage and inflammation. Methods: Active subjects (n?=?7) completed two 60-min running trials in a heated environment (70% VO₂max, 30°C). At minute 20 of exercise, subjects consumed a carbohydrate gel (Cho) (27?g), or a non-carbohydrate placebo (nCho). Plasma endotoxin, I-FABP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and MCP-1 were measured pre-exercise, 20-min post-exercise, and again 2-h, and 4-h post-exercise. Results: Endotoxin increased 20-min post-exercise compared to pre in the Cho trial only (p?=?.03). I-FABP levels increased 20-min post-exercise in the Cho trial only compared to pre-exercise (p?=?.003). I-FABP levels were also increased in Cho trial 20-min post-exercise when compared to same time point in the nCho trial (p?=?.032). TNF-α increased 20-min post-exercise in the Cho trial only compared to pre (p?=?.03). Plasma IL-6 concentration increased 20-min post-exercise when compared to pre in both the Cho (p?=?.002) and nCho (p?=?.009), but remained elevated at the 2-h time point in the nCho trial (p?=?.03). I-FABP and several plasma cytokines (TNF-α, MCP-1, Il-6) returned to baseline sooner in the Cho trial. Conclusions: Ingestion of carbohydrate gel during exercise in the heat enhances markers of gastrointestinal wall damage.     

Molecular Basis of Cystic Fibrosis Disease: An Indian Perspective

Cystic fibrosis is a common autosomal recessive disorder usually found in population of white Caucasian descent. Now it is well documented the presence of CF disease in India with the advancement of laboratory testing. As once it was thought non existence of this disease in our population. Most of the phenotype of CF disease was in accordance of western population. Genetic analysis of CFTR gene in Indian CF patients revealed that most common mutation was delta F508 mutation. However, it was less than Caucasian population. CFTR mutations are also a causative factor in the pathogenesis of male infertility due to obstructive azoospermia. There are two most common mutation viz. IVS8-T5 and delta F508 which are responsible for congenital absence of vas deferens in male infertility patients. Elevated levels of sweat chloride at two occasions along with the presence of two mutations in CFTR gene was gold standard method for diagnosis of CF disease. It is noteworthy here that due to magnitude of Indian population, the total CF disease load would be more than many European countries. Clinical data demonstrate the prevalence of both classical and genetic form of CF in India.