Membrane Cholesterol Is a Critical Determinant for Hippocampal Neuronal Polarity.

Maintaining a normal cholesterol balance is crucial for the functioning of a healthy brain. Dysregulation in cholesterol metabolism and homeostasis in the brain have been correlated to various neurological disorders. The majority of previous studies in primary cultures focus on the role of cholesterol balance in neuronal development after polarity has been established.

Extremely low frequency magnetic fields induce oxidative stress in rat brain.

The present investigation was conducted to understand the influence of long-term exposure of rats to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF), focusing on oxidative stress (OS) on different regions of rat's brain. Male Wistar rats (21-day-old) were exposed to ELF-MF (50 Hz; 50 and 100 µT) for 90 days continuously; hippocampal, cerebellar and cortical regions from rats were analyzed for (i) reactive oxygen species (ROS), (ii) metabolites indicative of OS and (iii) antioxidant enzymes. In comparison to control group rats, the rats that were continuously exposed to ELF-MF caused OS and altered glutathione (GSH/GSSG) levels in dose-dependent manner in all the regions of the brain.

Factors influencing delayed presentation of congenitally hearing impaired children in rural India.

A study was conducted to determine why there was a delay in detection of hearing loss in congenitally hearing impaired children in rural India. It was found that although the parents of these children visited a primary care physician, relevant information regarding investigation and rehabilitation of hearing loss was not available to the patient. In the absence of a universal hearing screening programme in this country, it is a matter of importance to strengthen this aspect of community otolaryngology in the undergraduate ENT programme.

Human initiated cascading failures in societal infrastructures.

In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of human-initiated cascading failures in three critical inter-dependent societal infrastructures due to behavioral adaptations in response to a crisis. We focus on three closely coupled socio-technical networks here: (i) cellular and mesh networks, (ii) transportation networks and (iii) mobile call networks. In crises, changes in individual behaviors lead to altered travel, activity and calling patterns, which influence the transport network and the loads on wireless networks.

From biological and social network metaphors to coupled bio-social wireless networks.

Biological and social analogies have been long applied to complex systems. Inspiration has been drawn from biological solutions to solve problems in engineering products and systems, ranging from Velcro to camouflage to robotics to adaptive and learning computing methods. In this paper, we present an overview of recent advances in understanding biological systems as networks and use this understanding to design and analyse wireless communication networks.

Influence of extremely low frequency magnetic fields on Ca2+ signaling and NMDA receptor functions in rat hippocampus.

Extremely low frequency (ELF<300Hz) electromagnetic fields affect several neuronal activities including memory. Because ELF magnetic fields cause altered Ca(2+) homeostasis in neural tissues, we examined their influence on Ca(2+) signaling enzymes in hippocampus and related them with NMDA receptor functions. Hippocampal regions were obtained from brains of 21-day-old rats that were exposed for 90 days to 50Hz magnetic fields at 50 and 100 microT intensities.

Biological effects of power frequency magnetic fields: Neurochemical and toxicological changes in developing chick embryos.

BACKGROUND: There are several reports that indicate a linkage between exposure to power frequency (50 - 60 Hz) magnetic fields with abnormalities in the early embryonic development of the chicken. The present study was designed to understand whether power frequency electromagnetic fields could act as an environmental insult and invoke any neurochemical or toxicological changes in developing chick embryo model. METHODS: Fertilized chicken eggs were subjected to continuous exposure to magnetic fields (50 Hz) of varying intensities (5, 50 or 100 microT) for a period of up to 15 days.