Feasibility of determination of fertile period in Indian women based on urinary hormone estimations

Baseline data available on the excretory profiles of estrone giucuronide (E₁G), pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) and luteinising hormone (LH) on human menstrual cycles (n=104) was retrospectively analysed for identifying the limits of fertile period (FP) to be used as natural method of family planning. The limits of fertile period are suggested based on centile distribution of E₁G and PdG levels during defined phase of menstrual cycle. Two approaches, which do not involve any mathematical calculation are suggested. In approach A, fertile period is said to have started when E₁G value of 35 ng/ml is reached and is said to have ended when the PdG value of 2 μg/ml on two consecutive days is obtained. The criteria were applied to 30 test cycles in whom authentic fertile period was identified based on excretory profiles of E₁G, PdG and LH throughout the menstrual cycles. When approach A was followed the authentic fertile period was covered in 27 cycles giving an accuracy of 90% with a mean fertile period length of 9.11+1.9 days. In approach B, the cut off limit of E₁G value was increased to 55 ng/ml in order to reduce the days of abstinence. Though the length of the fertile period was reduced to 7.2+1.5 days the accuracy of the approach was 66.6%. Thus the approach A which has accuracy of 90% may appeal to determined couples who wish to practice family planning by periodic abstinence or restrict the use of barrier methods.     

Evaluation of antioxidant properties of berries

The present paper focuses on assessing the levels of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in selected berries of Indian sub-continent viz., gooseberry, grapes, orange and tomato. This study has revealed that orange, tomato and grapes possess predominant quantities of enzymatic antioxidants namely SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase respectively. The levels of antioxidants analyzed namely reduced glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin A were maximal in grapes, orange and tomato respectively. All the extracts of berries included in the present study inhibited iron inducedin vitro lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes, the extend of inhibition being highest for gooseberry and orange compared to tomato and grapes which could be attributed to their in-built antioxidant system.     

Role of Brain Biomarker in Predicting Clinical Outcome in Hypertensive Cerebrovascular Ischemic Stroke

This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) in prediction of disability and neurological worsening in hypertensive ischemic cerebrovascular stroke. 80 hypertensive ischemic stroke patients diagnosed by a neurologist as per WHO definition along with radiological findings suggestive of cerebrovascular stroke and differentiating from hemorrhagic stroke and 60 controls having essential hypertension coming to hospital because of regular checkup or headache but with no neurological disease were included in the study. Neurological disability was assessed by NIHSS at the time of admission (within 72 h from the onset of stroke) and on 7th day after admission and cases were categorized into mild, moderate and severe disability. Venous blood samples were drawn within 72 h from the onset of symptoms. The samples were processed as per the laboratory protocol. The serum NSE samples were analyzed using an enzyme immunoassay based on the sandwich technique. We observed raised serum NSE in hypertensive ischemic stroke (17.4 ± 5.4 ng/ml) with significant association between different hypertensive groups than in hypertensive controls (9.1 ± 0.75 ng/ml). Greater degree of disability was observed in hypertensive stroke patients with raised serum NSE and hypertensive patients with mean serum NSE level of 22.9 ± 3.6 ng/ml and dyslipidemia had greater probability of neurological worsening as compared to those with mean serum NSE level of 12.7 ± 1.2 ng/ml. Serum NSE levels can serve as a peripheral indicator of neuronal damage and assist in the prediction of disability and clinical outcome in hypertensive cerebrovascular ischemic stroke patients.     

Meaning making: What reflective essays reveal about biology students’ conceptions about natural selection

The process of reflective writing can play a central role in making meaning as learners process new information and connect it to prior knowledge. An examination of the written discourse can therefore be revealing of learners’ cognitive understanding and affective (beliefs, feelings, motivation to learn) responses to concepts. Despite reflective writing being an important learning tool, the role of this genre in upper-division college biology courses has not been well studied. This paper examines how nineteen physiological ecology students wrote about their understanding of natural selection and adaptations in ten reflective essays and describes how a model of student meaning making was developed. Qualitative essay analysis (through a triangulation of data: class observations; essays; and transcribed interviews) revealed that students could be classified into four categories of writers: subjective (personal, affective connections); objective (conceptual, cognitive connections); authentic (both affective and cognitive connections); and superficial (no supportive connections or claims). In-depth case studies illustrating these four categories are presented. Implications for college science instruction are discussed.     

Two dimensional potential mapping-Monte Carlo simulation

A very useful experiment of two dimensional potential mapping, namely electrolytic tank model, for graduate and post graduate level physics students is given here. Laplace's equation is solved for the above and the results are compared with the experiment. The agreement is so good that this is extended to complex problems. Monte Carlo simulation, an alternative to the above experiment, is developed for these complex problems and compared with the experimental results of electrolytic tank model.     

Conceptual change in natural resource management students’ ecological literacy*

Conceptual change in undergraduate capstone courses provides unique opportunities to examine how students draw from multiple courses and experiences to resolve conceptual confusion. We examined how senior-level natural resource management students revised their conceptions of ‘ecosystem’ throughout their capstone course. The concept of ecosystem is complicated by a lack of shared meaning across disciplines. Our grounded theory study analyzed student coursework and pre/post interviews. It was informed by socio-cultural and conceptual change theories and used an ecological literacy metric to examine how students’ conceptualizations of the relationships between natural, ecosystem, human, and human artifact influenced their conceptions of ecosystems. Students who did not describe ecosystems as natural struggled less with integrating human society into ecosystems than their peers that did. We conclude that it is important to explicitly create shared meaning of key conceptions at the start of a capstone course to facilitate shared meaning-making and desired conceptual change during the course.     

Incidence,type and intensity of abuse in street children in India

ObjectiveThe aims of this cross-sectional survey were to examine the prevalence, type and intensity of abuse in street children in Jaipur city, India.MethodBased on purposive random sampling, 200 street children, inclusive of equal number of boys and girls, were selected from the streets of Jaipur city, India, and administered an in-depth interview schedule which included five areas of abuse, namely, “general abuse,” “health abuse,” “verbal abuse,” “physical abuse,” and “psychological abuse.” Data was interpreted using percentages, t-test and correlations.ResultsStreet children reported experiences of abuse in all the five areas under study. Larger numbers of children (61.8%) scored in the “moderate” category of abuse while 36.6% children indicated abuse in “severe” and “very severe” categories on the intensity of abuse. Highest mean scores were obtained on the “verbal” and “psychological” area of abuse. Gender differences were significant in health and overall abuse, indicating boys to be significantly more abused than girls. There were significant positive correlations of abuse with increasing “age” and “income” of street children; and the occurrence of “multi-type” maltreatment and neglect in street children was clearly present.ConclusionDifferent forms of abuse are prevalent in street children in India. This area of study needs attention both by the researchers and the social workers.Practice implicationschildren who are identified in severe and very severe categories of abuse should be worked with in a follow up study with the help of governmental and nongovernmental agencies working in the field for child welfare.     

Poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">D,L</Emphasis>-lactic-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-glycolic acid)-based artesunate nanoparticles: formulation,antimalarial and toxicity assessments

Objective

The aim of this study was to formulate polymer-based artesunate nanoparticles for malaria treatment.

Methods

Artesunate was loaded with poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) by solvent evaporation from an oil-in-water single emulsion. Nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. In vivo antimalarial studies at 4 mg/kg were performed on Swiss male albino mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Hematological and hepatic toxicity assays were performed. In vitro cytotoxicity of free and encapsulated artesunate (Art-PLGA) to cell line RAW 264.7 was determined at concentrations of 7.8–1000 μg/ml.

Results

The particle size of the formulated drug was (329.3±21.7) nm and the entrapment efficiency was (38.4±10.1)%. Art-PLGA nanoparticles showed higher parasite suppression (62.6%) compared to free artesunate (58.2%, P<0.05). Platelet counts were significantly higher in controls (305 000.00±148 492.40) than in mice treated with free artesunate (139 500.00±20 506.10) or Art-PLGA (163 500.00±3535.53) (P<0.05). There was no sign of hepatic toxicity following use of the tested drugs. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of Art-PLGA (468.0 μg/ml) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of free artesunate (7.3 μg/ml) in the in vitro cytotoxicity assay.

Conclusions

A simple treatment of PLGA-entrapped artesunate nanoparticles with dual advantages of low toxicity and better antiplasmodial efficacy has been developed.