Juice blends--a way of utilization of under-utilized fruits, vegetables, and spices: a review.

The post-harvest shelf life of maximum of fruits and vegetables is very limited due to their perishable nature. In India more then 20-25 percent of fruits and vegetables are spoiled before utilization. Despite being the world's second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, in India only 1.

Hypothyroidism presenting as cardiac tamponade in Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is the commonest chromosomal anomaly. It is often associated with hypothyroidism, which may rarely present with cardiac tamponade as the earliest manifestation and prompt treatment with L-thyroxine is life saving. A six-month-old female child diagnosed as a case of Down syndrome presented with shortness of breathing for last 1 1/2 months.

Idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy in an infant.

Cardiac hypertrophy in infancy has been a subject of considerable interest. We present a case of significant left ventricular hypertrophy without any associated cause, presenting in infancy.

Tegumental phosphodiesterase SmNPP-5 is a virulence factor for schistosomes.

The intravascular trematode Schistosoma mansoni is a causative agent of schistosomiasis, a disease that constitutes a major health problem globally. In this study we cloned and characterized the schistosome tegumental phosphodiesterase SmNPP-5 and evaluated its role in parasite virulence. SmNPP-5 is a 52.

Measurement techniques and application of electrical properties for nondestructive quality evaluation of foods-a review.

Non-destructive systems are recent trends for quality evaluation of fruits and vegetables. Information on post-harvest variations in electrical properties is needed to develop new instruments for this purpose. Electrical properties are finding increasing application in agriculture and food processing industries.

Reduced ribosomal protein gene dosage and p53 activation in low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.

Reduced gene dosage of ribosomal protein subunits has been implicated in 5q- myelodysplastic syndrome and Diamond Blackfan anemia, but the cellular and pathophysiologic defects associated with these conditions are enigmatic. Using conditional inactivation of the ribosomal protein S6 gene in laboratory mice, we found that reduced ribosomal protein gene dosage recapitulates cardinal features of the 5q- syndrome, including macrocytic anemia, erythroid hypoplasia, and megakaryocytic dysplasia with thrombocytosis, and that p53 plays a critical role in manifestation of these phenotypes. The blood cell abnormalities are accompanied by a reduction in the number of HSCs, a specific defect in late erythrocyte development, and suggest a disease-specific ontogenetic pathway for megakaryocyte development.

Using RNA interference in Schistosoma mansoni.

Schistosomes are parasitic worms that infect over 200 million people and constitute an enormous public health problem worldwide. Molecular tools are being developed for use with these parasites in order to increase our understanding of their unique molecular and cell biology. Among the more promising methodologies is RNA interference (RNAi, or gene silencing), a mechanism by which gene-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers degradation of homologous mRNA transcripts.

A combination of 2-deoxy-D-glucose and 6-aminonicotinamide induces oxidative stress mediated selective radiosensitization of malignant cells via mitochondrial dysfunction.

Oxidative stress-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction is known to induce intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Previously, we have shown that a combination of metabolic modifiers 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) results in oxidative stress-mediated radiosensitization of malignant cells via noncoordinated expression of antioxidant defense. We now show that the combination (2-DG + 6-AN + 2Gy) induces significant alterations in mitochondrial membrane potential and oxidative damage to lipid and proteins selectively in malignant cells resulting in the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio stimulating intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, besides enhancing the mitotic death linked to cytogenetic damage.

Luminscent graphene quantum dots for organic photovoltaic devices.

Recent research in organic photovoltaic (OPV) is largely focused on developing low cost OPV materials such as graphene. However, graphene sheets (GSs) blended conjugated polymers are known to show inferior OPV characteristics as compared to fullerene adduct blended with conjugated polymer. Here, we demonstrate that graphene quantum dots blended with regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) or poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4phenylenevinylene) polymer results in a significant improvement in the OPV characteristics as compared to GSs blended conjugated polymers.

Epibrassinolide ameliorates Cr (VI) stress via influencing the levels of indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid, polyamines and antioxidant system of radish seedlings.

The present investigation determined the effects of epibrassinolide (EBL) on the levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and polyamine (PA) and antioxidant potential of 7-d old Raphanus sativus L. cv. 'Pusa chetki' seedlings grown under Cr (VI) metal stress.

Toward a simulation-based tool for the treatment of vocal fold paralysis.

Advances in high-performance computing are enabling a new generation of software tools that employ computational modeling for surgical planning. Surgical management of laryngeal paralysis is one area where such computational tools could have a significant impact. The current paper describes a comprehensive effort to develop a software tool for planning medialization laryngoplasty where a prosthetic implant is inserted into the larynx in order to medialize the paralyzed vocal fold (VF).

Characterization of schistosome tegumental alkaline phosphatase (SmAP).

Schistosomes are parasitic platyhelminths that currently infect over 200 million people globally. The parasites can live for years in a putatively hostile environment - the blood of vertebrates. We have hypothesized that the unusual schistosome tegument (outer-covering) plays a role in protecting parasites in the blood; by impeding host immunological signaling pathways we suggest that tegumental molecules help create an immunologically privileged environment for schistosomes.

Is there brief temporal buffering of successive visual inputs?

The part-report advantage has been used to identify short-lived forms of visual storage (Sperling, 1960). We adopt the part-report paradigm to test whether visual memory can preserve, for a brief time, successive inputs and their temporal order. In our experiments, two successive arrays, each of 4 digits, were presented on each trial.

Effect of 28-homobrassinolide on antioxidant defence system in Raphanus sativus L. under chromium toxicity.

Heavy metals have emerged as major environmental contaminants due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. The genotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of heavy metal like chromium (Cr) on man, animals and plants have been documented. In plants, accumulation of heavy metals beyond critical levels generates oxidative stress.

Effect of exogenous H2O2 on antioxidant enzymes of Brassica juncea L. seedlings in relation to 24-epibrassinolide under chilling stress.

Hydrogen peroxide is most stable molecule among reactive oxygen species, which play a vital role in growth and development of plant as signaling molecule at low concentration in response to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Exogenous application of H2O2 is known to induce chilling tolerance in plants. Brassinosteroids are plant steroid hormones known for their anti-stress properties.

In vitro antioxidant activity of extracts from the leaves of Abies pindrow Royle.

Traditionally, the leaves of Abies pindrow Royle are employed as an ayurvedic remedy for fever, hypoglycaemic, respiratory and inflammatory conditions. In this study, dichloromethane, methanol and acetone extracts of A. pindrow leaves were analysed for their phytochemical content and in vitro antioxidant activities.

Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Myotonic Dystrophy: DMPK Gene Mutation, Insulin Resistance and Development of Steatohepatitis.

Myotonic dystrophy is a multisystemic disorder characterized by repeat expansion mutations of the dystrophia myotonica protein kinase (DMPK) gene resulting in a defective muscular insulin receptor and insulin resistance. We describe a patient with myotonic dystrophy who developed biopsy-proven non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. We suggest that patients with myotonic dystrophy are at risk of developing steatohepatitis.

Short- and long-term outcome of laparostomy following intra-abdominal sepsis.

Aim: This study reports the short- and long-term outcomes of laparostomy for intra-abdominal sepsis.

Method: Twenty-nine sequential patients with intra-abdominal sepsis treated with a laparostomy over 6 years were included.

Results: The median age of the patients was 51 years, postoperative intensive care unit stay was 8 days, postoperative length of hospital stay was 87 days and follow up was 2 years.

Documented adherence to standards and guidelines: an audit.

The authors conducted a cross-sectional audit within Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to determine the prevalence of urethral catheterisation and documented adherence to relevant NHS standards. An on-line audit questionnaire was completed for all 80 inpatient wards within the Trust on a single day during the third week in June 2009. The tool collected data on prevalence and care requirements detailed in the Department of Health's (DH) Saving Lives High Impact Intervention 6 (2007).