Effect of Resveratrol and Nicotine on PON1 Gene Expression: In Vitro Study

Dietary and lifestyle factors have been shown to have a profound effect on paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity. Cigarette smoke has been shown to inhibit its mass and activity where as resveratrol has been shown to enhance it. We exposed hepatoma derived cell line (HepG2) to resveratrol and nicotine in varying doses and measured PON1 enzymatic activity and PON1 gene expression. In addition, total protein content of HepG2 cells was also measured. Resveratrol in a dose of 15 μmol/l or above significantly increased the PON1 enzyme activity (p > 0.001) where as nicotine in a dose of 1 μmol/l or higher significantly reduced it (p < 0.05). The resveratrol in this dose also enhanced the PON1 gene expression whereas nicotine decreased it as compared to controls. However, the protein conent of cells was not changed suggesting that they were not cytotoxic in the doses used. Till date the antioxidant vitamins have shown disappointing results against LDL oxidation and cardiovascular protection. However, the effect of resveratrol on PON1 gene expression and activity was significant, suggesting increase in PON1 activity and enhanced gene expression may be its alternative mechanism for offering protection against cardiovascular disease and may be an potential pharmacological agent which can be used for this.     

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.     

Study of oxidative stress in obsessive compulsive disorder in response to treatment with Fluoxetine

Oxidative stress has been found to play important role in several neuropsychiatric diseases including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. A longitudinal case control study was conducted to evaluate the oxidative stress in 30 newly diagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder patients and same number of control patients. Serum thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, plasma ascorbate were assessed to evaluate oxidative stress and Yale Brown obsessive compulsive scale for disease severity before and after treatment with Fluoxetine at the average dosage of 40 mg/day. Improvement in Yale Brown obsessive compulsive scale score by about 43% after 12 weeks treatment was associated with significantly decreased thiobarbituric acid reacting substances and increased plasma ascorbate values (p < 0.05). The newly diagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder patients had higher serum thiobarbituric acid reacting substances as well as a lower plasma ascorbate levels than the control population. Thus, the present study suggested a significant role of oxidative stress in obsessive compulsive disorder and showed that a successful treatment with Fluoxetine not only improves the clinical scenario but also reduces the oxidative stress that may further improve the prognosis of the disease.     

Individualized Educational Programming for the Mentally Retarded∗

The minimal components of a model for teaching educational skills to the mentally retarded are described. The most important components are assessment, individual and group programming, continuous data collection, and program evaluation. The model was developed to assist teachers in designing and implementing educational programs with only supervisory assistance from the psychologist. Illustrative examples and data are presented from the Mangere Hospital and Training School where this model evolved during the last four years.

     

A Behavioural Remediation Program for Oral Reading: effects on errors and comprehension

Abstract This study examined the efficacy of a behavioral remediation program for oral reading on oral reading errors and comprehension of four moderately mentally retarded children. The remediation program included previewing of the target text, delayed attention to oral reading errors, and positive practice overcorrection of errors plus positive reinforcement for self‐correction of errors. A multiple‐baseline across subjects design was used, with comprehension probes scheduled once every two or three days across both baseline and remediation phases. Comprehension probes consisted of 10 questions based on the target text and aimed to assess the child's literal comprehension, interpretation and critical reading. While the results demonstrated a clear relationship between remediation and oral reading errors, the relationship between remediation and comprehension was less clear. The remediation program was effective in reducing oral reading errors and, in the course of the study, increasing comprehension scores. These results were replicated across all four subjects.     

The Genetic‐Environmental Influences on Individual Cognitive Functioning or IQ

While some researchers place greater emphasis on heredity causes of individual differences in cognitive functioning, others place greater emphasis on cultural and environmental factors (broadly defined). Still others place greater stress on the dynamic interrelationship between the genetic components and the environmental components in accounting for individual cognitive functioning. The paper examines these views and concludes that intelligence is far more complex than hereditarians would admit and that although we may go along with the view that heredity could set the limit to cognitive development, it is not possible to tell what this limit is, if we define intelligence as a multifaCEDSd, multicausal phenomenon, which is partially malleable and capable of expression in many diverse ways.     

Globalization and Education

This paper reviews four books on globalization and education. It begins with a brief overview of theories of globalization, focusing specifically on cultural globalization. The paper then moves on to examine how each of the books deploys and develops a theory of globalization in relation to the topic of education. It also examines the utopian vision of education outlined within the books, as well all as the methods used to undertake research in an era of globalization.     

X-ray—A boon for elemental analysis

The characteristic X-rays coming out from an unknown sample due to the irradiation of gamma rays or X-ray photons or due to the bombardment of high velocity protons are used for elemental analysis in a sample. We describe here two techniques viz., Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) which have the capability of nondestructive and multi-elemental analysis of the sample. N K Sharat Singh is a research scholar at the Department of Physics, Manipur University. His research interest lies in areas of EDXRF and PIXE. H Nandakumar Sarma is a professor of physics at Manipur University. His current research focuses on EDXRF, PIXE, ferroelectric, ferrite, Mossbauer effect and solar energy. He occasionally writes popular science articles both in English and Manipuri. An erratum to this article is available at .     

The Sikh Model of the Person, Suffering, and Healing: Implications for Counselors

The migration of South Asians to the Western hemisphere calls for a more flexible approach to integrate traditional South Asian healing resources into the practice of counseling. Through an analysis of primary textual and secondary sources, this paper delineates the Sikh model of the person, suffering, and healing. The paper concludes by drawing parallels with Western counseling theory, and a case vignette to illustrate how the Sikh spiritual tradition can be integrated with Western psychotherapy.