The antiquity of earthquakes

If we adopt the definition that an earthquake is shaking of the earth due to natural causes, then we may argue that earthquakes have been occurring since the very beginning of the earth about 4.5 billion years ago.     

Hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular disease: The nutritional perspectives

Several members of the vitamin B-complex family are known to participate in the normal metabolism of homocysteine (Hcy). Leaving aside the genetic determinants of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHC), the deficiencies of these vitamins can also result in HHC. The situation of sustained and long standing HHC is likely to be prevalent in population groups with low/average socio-economic status, geriatric population and alcohol abusers. If not corrected by supplementation, these population groups certainly are more vulnerable to develop atherosclerosis (AS) and subsequently, cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hyperhomocysteinemia per se and/or HHC-induced oxidative stress result(s) in chronic chemical endothelial injury/dysfunction, smooth muscle proliferation, prothrombotic state and oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) leading to diverse cardiovascular complications. In the first decade of the new millennium, major research efforts would be directed towards understanding the basic mechanism of HHC-induced oxidative stress and the pathophysiology of HHC-induced CVD, culminating in the evolution of hitherto unknown therapeutic strategies such as nutriceuticals and oxidant-antidotes.     

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and estrogen hormone in osteoarthritic female patients

Osteoarthritis of knee joints is a disease of old age in both sex. It is very common after the age of 40 years in elderly females or in postmenopausal phase of females. It is characterized by narrowing of space in joints due to inflammation. The exact mechanism of inflammation in this disease is not yet clear. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) may involve in onset of disease. The present study is being carried out in 130 female subject of age group 40–60 years suffering from osteoarthritis of knee joints and 50 normal healthy control female subjects. A correlation is made between TNF-α and estrogen and found significant inverse correlation (r<0.001), between TNF-α and estrogen hormone in osteoarthritic female patients as compared to normal healthy control female group.     

Performativity and pedagogising knowledge: globalising educational policy formation,dissemination and enactment

Critical policy scholars have increasingly turned their attention to: (1) the work of policy actors engaged in globalised and globalising processes of policy formation, (2) the global flows or movements of education policies across multifaceted, hybrid networks of public–private agencies, and (3) the complex politics of global–national policy translation and enactment in local school contexts. Scholars have emphasised firstly, the economic turn in education reform policies, a shift from a social democratic education orientation and secondly, policy convergence towards a dominant neoliberal political agenda. This paper suggests that Bernstein’s concepts of the totally pedagogised society (TPS) and the pedagogic device, as the ensemble of rules for the production, recontextualisation and evaluation of pedagogic discourses may add to this corpus of critical policy scholarship. It does this by firstly reviewing the take up of Bernstein’s concept of the TPS in the critical policy sociology literature, arguing that this interpretation presents a largely dystopian account of globalising educational policies. In contrast, the paper argues for and presents an alternative open-ended reading and projection of Bernstein’s concept of the TPS and pedagogic device for thinking about globalised processes and devices of the pedagogic communication of knowledge(s).     

The health information seeking behaviour and needs of community health workers in Chandigarh in Northern India

This article represents two‐firsts for the feature – it is the first to report on a study outside the UK and the first to examine the health information needs of community health workers. Sonika Raj is pursuing PhD at the Centre for Public Health, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in India and she conducted her research in Chandigarh. The article outlines the important role that health workers at community level play in determining health outcomes in the developing world, including Chandigarh. It demonstrates that while those workers recognise their information needs, there are many issues affecting their ability to access health information effectively, not least their limited access to appropriate technology and training. AM     

Materials and techniques: Early Buddhist wall paintings and sculptures at Sumda Chun,Ladakh

An assemblage of Buddhist wall paintings and sculptures dating to the twelfth/early thirteenth century are found distributed over the interiors of the temple complex at Sumda Chun, Ladakh. Detailed investigations carried out as part of a conservation project shed light on their antiquity and production technology. The sculptures are constructed with fine mud mortar applied over a wooden armature and affixed to the walls without any support from the ground. In both the sculptures and wall paintings, the paint layer is applied over a thin gypsum ground that functions as a white colourant where unpainted. For the paint layer, azurite, vermilion, and orpiment are the dominant mineral pigments utilized. Minium (red lead) has been used for preparatory drawings and as paint. Highlighting of special areas was achieved using a laminate of tin–lead alloy and gold on relief. Overall the material and techniques employed in the execution of the wall paintings and sculptures are consistent with those reported for other early sites in the region.     

Metabolic Bone Profile of Healthy Adult North Indian Population from Chandigarh Urban Bone Epidemiological Study (CUBES)

We aimed to estimate metabolic bone profile in a large cohort of healthy, adult Indian population to generate reference standards of serum calcium, phosphate and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25 (OH) Vitamin D and iPTH, and also to find out the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in healthy population. Apparently healthy people in the age group of 20–80 years, residing in the union territory of Chandigarh were chosen. Fasting samples for serum calcium, phosphate, albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25 (OH) D and iPTH were collected and were processed on the same day. We recruited 930 healthy subjects from different subsectors of Chandigarh. Final analysis was done for 915 subjects. Out of this, 530 (58%) were women and 385 (42%) were men. The study participants were divided into two groups, less than and more than 50 years for the men and pre and post-menopausal for the women. The serum calcium, phosphate, ALP and iPTH were significantly higher in the post-menopausal women compared to the pre-menopausal women. The median plasma 25 (OH) D in men and women was 12.5 ng/mL and 14.3 ng/mL, respectively. 25 (OH) D deficiency was seen in 65.4% of individuals. 25 (OH) D levels co-related negatively with iPTH levels (r = − 0.4, p < 0.0001), and showed an increasing trend with age. We have thus presented metabolic bone profile of healthy, adult north Indian population. These reference values can be used for diagnosis and monitoring of various MBDs. Vitamin D deficiency is still rampant in our population in spite of increasing awareness.