Host protective immunity and vaccine development studies in lymphatic filariasis

Lymphatic filariasis caused mainly by infection fromWuchereria bancrofti andBrugia malayi remains as the major cause of clinical morbidity in tropical and subtropical countries. Development of vaccine against filarial infection can act as additional measure to the existing therapeutic and vector control methods in the control of this disease. The main hurdles in the development of anti-filarial vaccine are the strict primate specificity ofWuchereria bancrofti, the paucity of parasite material, the diversity of clinical manifestations and their associated complex immune responses, lack of clear understanding on host-parasite interactions and the mechanisms involved in protective immunity. However in the past few years, the information generated in immuno-epidemiological studies, correlated with observations in experimental animals suggests that a filarial vaccine is feasible. Initially live irradiated infective larvae have been successfully used to induce high level of protective immunity in several animal models. Applying diverse strategies, variety of purified or recombinant filarial antigens have been explored for their ability to induce protection in different host-parasite systems. Some of these targeted filarial antigens induced high level of resistance in experimental animals against challenge infections. More focussed studies on thorough characterization of parasitological and immunological changes associated with resistance induced by such candidate protective antigens and on delivery mechanisms and safety aspects will be crucial in their selection for possible use in humans.     

Hepatoprotective and Nephroprotective Effect of Curcumin Against Copper Toxicity in Rats

Curcumin is a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant with several potential health benefits. Although it has been examined in several metals toxicity studies, but its role in the protection against copper toxicity has not been investigated. In this study; the detoxification and antioxidant effect of curcumin were examined to determine its prophylactic/therapeutic role experimentally in rats. Forty albino rats were divided into five groups; control, CuSO₄ (4 mg/kg body weight), curcumin (80 mg/kg body weight), curcumin post-treatment (CuSO₄ for 15 days followed by curcumin for the next 15 days) and curcumin co-treatment (CuSO₄ plus curcumin for 30 days). All rats were treated orally by stomach tube for 30 days/once a day. Changes were observed in hepatic marker enzymes such as: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase-(ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), besides the serum total protein, urea and creatinine. Concentration of liver and kidney antioxidants such as: catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione-(GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. An increased in the activities of liver marker enzymes, urea, creatinine and the MDA contents were detected after exposure to CuSO₄. Meanwhile, the activities of serum total protein, hepatic and renal antioxidants were decreased. Changes in all biochemical parameters were alleviated by the post-treatment and co-treatment of curcumin. Our finding suggests that the curcumin showed protective effects on CuSO₄-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.     

Violent computer games,empathy, and cosmopolitanism

Many philosophical and public discussions of the ethical aspects of violent computer games typically centre on the relation between playing violent videogames and its supposed direct consequences on violent behaviour. But such an approach rests on a controversial empirical claim, is often one-sided in the range of moral theories used, and remains on a general level with its focus on content alone. In response to these problems, I pick up Matt McCormick’s thesis that potential harm from playing computer games is best construed as harm to one’s character, and propose to redirect our attention to the question how violent computer games influence the moral character of players. Inspired by the work of Martha Nussbaum, I sketch a positive account of how computer games can stimulate an empathetic and cosmopolitan moral development. Moreover, rather than making a general argument applicable to a wide spectrum of media, my concern is with specific features of violent computer games that make them especially morally problematic in terms of empathy and cosmopolitanism, features that have to do with the connections between content and medium, and between virtuality and reality. I also discuss some remaining problems. In this way I hope contribute to a less polarised discussion about computer games that does justice to the complexity of their moral dimension, and to offer an account that is helpful to designers, parents, and other stakeholders. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the ACLA 2006 conference in Princeton, 25 March 2006.     

Experimental therapeutic intervention with alpha tocopherol in ethanol induced testicular injuries in rats

Infertility is well-established harmful effect in chronic alcoholism and so far, there is no effective treatment for this condition. The study was conducted to determine the effects of alpha tocopherol on ethanol induced testicular injuries in male albino rats of Wistar strain. Five groups (n=6) of animals were used. Group I served as control. Group II received daily 1.6g ethanol/kg body weight/day for 4 weeks orally. Group III received 1.6g ethanol+80mg alpha tocopherol/kg body weight/day for four weeks orally. Group IV received 1.6g ethanol/kg body weight for/day 4 weeks and followed by 80mg alpha tocopherol/kg body weight/day for four weeks orally. Group V received 1.6g ethanol/kg body weight/day orally for 4 weeks, followed by 4 weeks abstinence. Twently-four hours after the last treatment the rats were sacrificed using anesthetic ether. Testes were removed and used for the estimation of extent of lipid peroxidation and tissue levels of antioxidants and steroidogenic enzymes. Alpha tocopherol treatment increased the activities of testicularΔ ⁵, 3β-HSD. Moreover, the treatment was also associated with significant decrease in testicular oxidative stress. Ethanol-induced oxidative stress and decreased steroidogenesis can be reversed by treatment with alpha tocopherol.     

Chips,tags and scanners: Ethical challenges for radio frequency identification

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems identify and track objects, animals and, in principle, people. The ability to gather information obtained by tracking consumer goods, government documents, monetary transactions and human beings raises a number of interesting and important privacy issues. Moreover, RFID systems pose an ensemble of other ethical challenges related to appropriate uses and users of such systems. This paper reviews a number of RFID applications with the intention of identifying the technology’s benefits and possible misuses. We offer an overview and discussion of the most important ethical issues concerning RFID, and describes and examine some methods of protecting privacy. Norman G. Einspruch serves as a consultant to several high-technology companies, one of which is in the RFID components and systems business.     

Rights of animals, perceptions of science, and political activism: profile of American animal rights activities

This article reports original research examining characteristics of the active followers of the American animal rights movement. Typical respondents were Caucasian, highly educated urban professional women approximately thirty years old with a median income of $33,000 (1989). Most activists think of themselves as Democrats or as Independents, and have moderate to liberal political views. They were often suspicious of science and made no distinction between basic and applied science, or public versus private animal-based research. The research suggests that animal rights activism is part of a symbolic manifestation of egalitarian social and political views concerning scientific and technological change.