Impact of a structured teaching on the ill effects of tobacco chewing among Indian adults.

Tobacco chewing remains a prevalent health issue globally, particularly in India, where it is deeply ingrained in cultural practices. This study evaluates the impact of a structured teaching program on knowledge regarding the ill effects of tobacco chewing among adults enrolled in arts and commerce colleges in Patan, India. A quasi-experimental design was employed, with 100 participants recruited from arts and commerce colleges.

Epigenetic alterations in cancer.

Genetic and epigenetic modifications in DNA contribute to altered gene expression in aging and cancer. In human cancers, epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, micro RNAs and nucleosome remodelling all control gene expression. The link between the genetics and epigenetics in cancer is further shown by existence of aberrant metabolism and biochemical pathways in cancer or mutation in genes that are epigenetic players.

microRNAs: Epigenetic players in cancer and aging.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, small non-coding RNA molecules that play important regulatory roles in numerous biological processes, cellular pathways and networks. They do so by targeting specific mRNAs, directly degrading them and/or preventing their translation into proteins. The impaired function of miRNAs results in aberrant gene expression that promotes abnormal cell growth and differentiation.

Cytotoxic activity of the methanolic extract of leaves and rhizomes of Curcuma amada Roxb against breast cancer cell lines.

Objectives: To evaluate the methanol extract of both the leaves and the rhizomes of Curcuma amada (C. amada) for their cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA MB 231.

Methods: Viability and cytotoxicity induced by the extracts were assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, sulforhodamine B, and lactate dehydrogenase release assays.

Strategic action grids: a study in Indian hospitals.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide strategic recommendations to Indian hospital administrators for improving service quality by analysing performance dimensions and the importance attached to them by patients and attendants.

Design/methodology/approach: Patient and attendant perceptions were collected using a questionnaire.

Findings: Patients and attendants have different perceptions.

Anticancer activity of Zea mays leaf extracts on oxidative stress-induced Hep2 cells.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in humans. It is believed that plants can provide potential bioactive compounds for the development of "new leads" to combat cancer and other diseases. The present study focuses on the ability of the different extracts (aqueous, methanol, and chloroform) of the leaves of Zea mays in influencing the process of apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in Hep2 (laryngeal carcinoma) cells.

Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Majorana hortensis leaves.

Antioxidants are an essential defense mechanism to protect our body against free radical damage. They balance the production of free radicals and detoxify them when in excess. The objective of the study is to determine the free radical scavenging potential of the candidate plant leaves when subjected to a battery of free radical scavenging assays.

Immunohistochemical phospho tensin tumor suppressor gene staining patterns in endometrial hyperplasias: a 2-year study.

Background: Endometrial carcinoma is a common neoplasm associated with the female genital tract with considerable morbidity. Endometrial hyperplasias have been widely regarded as precursor lesions. It is of importance to the pathologist to identify the subset of hyperplasias or the associated factor which could be a possible forerunner of malignancy.

Antiproliferation and induction of apoptosis by Moringa oleifera leaf extract on human cancer cells.

Medicinal plants provide an inexhaustible source of anticancer drugs in terms of both variety and mechanism of action. Induction of apoptosis is the key success of plant products as anticancer agents. The present study was designed to determine the antiproliferative and apoptotic events of Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLE) using human tumor (KB) cell line as a model system.

Evaluation of anticancer activity of ethanol extract of Sesbania grandiflora (Agati Sesban) against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in Swiss albino mice.

Ethno Pharmacological Relevance: The plant Sesbania grandiflora (Fabaceae) is commonly known as "Sesbania" and "agathi" in ayurvedic system of medicine and reputed in the indigenous medicine in India. It is also known as "Agati Sesban" or "humming bird tree" in English. All parts of this unique plant are useful and have a wide spectrum of medicinal properties.

Modulatory effects of Moringa oleifera extracts against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative damage.

Studies have demonstrated that the induction of oxidative stress may be involved in oxidative DNA damage. The present study examined and assessed the hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-mediated DNA damage in human tumor KB cells and also assessed the ability of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts to inhibit the oxidative damage. H(2)O(2) imposed a stress on the membrane lipids which was quantified by the extent of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formed.

Protective mechanisms of Moringa oleifera against CCl(4)-induced oxidative stress in precision-cut liver slices.

Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Moringa oleifera leaves against carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-treated liver slices in vitro.

Material And Methods: The study evaluated the antioxidant properties of Moringa oleifera leaves against CCl(4)-induced oxidative damage in liver slices.

Results: CCl(4) treatment significantly decreased the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione S-transferase and caused decreased glutathione content and increased the thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS).

Fungal isolates from natural pectic substrates for polygalacturonase and multienzyme production.

Pectin rich wastes and waste dump yard soils were screened and eighty pectinolytic fungal isolates were obtained by enrichment culturing and ruthenium red plate assay. Eight isolates with higher zones of pectin hydrolysis were selected and tested for polygalacturonase production. One isolate identified as Aspergillus awamori MTCC 9166 with highest polygalacturonase activity was tested for utilization of raw pectins for enzyme production.

Resource settings have a major influence on the outcome of maintenance hemodialysis patients in South India.

Chronic kidney disease is reaching epidemic proportions and the number of patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) is increasing worldwide and also in developing countries. To meet the challenge of providing RRT, a few charity organizations provide hemodialysis units for underprivileged patients, as the private hospitals are unaffordable for the majority. There is a paucity of information on the outcome of dialysis in these patients.

Multidimensional analysis of uncharacterized sperm proteins in Ciona intestinalis: EST-based analysis and functional immunoscreening of testis-expressed genes.

An extensive analysis of testis-expressed genes in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis explored a large number of genes of unknown function. Here we characterized these genes or gene products in a multidimensional manner. We analyzed genes both highly and uniquely expressed in the testis, as expected from the EST analysis.

Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of Moringa oleifera leaves in two stages of maturity.

Antioxidants play an important role in inhibiting and scavenging free radicals, thus providing protection to human against infections and degenerative diseases. Current research is now directed towards natural antioxidants originated from plants due to safe therapeutics. Moringa oleifera is used in Indian traditional medicine for a wide range of various ailments.

Protective effects of Coriandrum sativum extracts on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Oxidative damage is implicated in the pathogenesis of various liver injuries. The study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of Coriandrum sativum on CCl(4) treated oxidative stress in Wistar albino rats. CCl(4) injection induced oxidative stress by a significant rise in serum marker enzymes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with the reduction of antioxidant enzymes.

A novel neuronal calcium sensor family protein, calaxin, is a potential Ca(2+)-dependent regulator for the outer arm dynein of metazoan cilia and flagella.

Background Information: Spermatozoa show several changes in flagellar waveform, such as upon fertilization. Ca(2+) has been shown to play critical roles in modulating the waveforms of sperm flagella. However, a Ca(2+)-binding protein in sperm flagella that regulates axonemal dyneins has not been fully characterized.

A study on the levels of nonenzymic antioxidants in the leaves and flowers of Clitoria ternatea.

Antioxidants are substances that inhibit oxidation and thus prevent cell damage. The objective of the study was to determine the antioxidant activity of the leaves as well as blue and white flowers of Clitoria ternatea. They exhibited significant antioxidant activity and the sample from the blue flower bearing plant showed better scavenging activity.

Molecular characterization of axonemal proteins and signaling molecules responsible for chemoattractant-induced sperm activation in Ciona intestinalis.

Spermatozoa undergo dramatic physiological changes at fertilization. In the ascidian Ciona intestinalis, an egg-derived substance named SAAF induces both sperm activation and chemotaxis to the egg. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying these phenomena, whole sperm proteins before and after SAAF-treatment were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Free radical scavenging activity of different parts of withania somnifera.

Antioxidants are the essential defense mechanism to protect the body against free radical damage. The objective of the study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of different parts of Withania somnifera (leaves, fresh tubers and dry tubers) towards free radical DPPH and the extent of inhibition of lipid peroxidation using hydrogen peroxide as prooxidant. The plant extracts exhibited significant antioxidant effect in the order as follows: leaves>fresh tubers>dry tubers.

Understanding the infrared spectrum of bare CH5+.

Protonated methane, CH5+, continues to elude definitive structural assignment, as large-amplitude vibrations and hydrogen scrambling challenge both theory and experiment. Here, the infrared spectrum of bare CH5+ is presented, as detected by reaction with carbon dioxide gas after resonant excitation by the free electron laser at the FELIX facility in the Netherlands. Comparison of the experimental spectrum at approximately 110 kelvin to finite-temperature infrared spectra, calculated by ab initio molecular dynamics, supports fluxionality of bare CH5+ under experimental conditions and provides a dynamical mechanism for exchange of hydrogens between CH3 tripod positions and the three-center bonded H2 moiety, which eventually leads to full hydrogen scrambling.

Molecular characterization of radial spoke subcomplex containing radial spoke protein 3 and heat shock protein 40 in sperm flagella of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.

Members of the heat-shock protein (HSP)40 regulate the protein folding activity of HSP70 proteins and help the functional specialization of this molecular chaperone system in various types of cellular events. We have recently identified Hsp40 as a component of flagellar axoneme in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis, suggesting a correlation between Hsp40 related chaperone system and flagellar function. In this study, we have found that Ciona 37-kDa Hsp40 is extracted from KCl-treated axonemes with 0.

Identification of a novel leucine-rich repeat protein as a component of flagellar radial spoke in the Ascidian Ciona intestinalis.

Axonemes are highly organized microtubule-based structures conserved in many eukaryotes. In an attempt to study axonemes by a proteomics approach, we selectively cloned cDNAs of axonemal proteins by immunoscreening the testis cDNA library from the ascidian Ciona intestinalis by using an antiserum against whole axonemes. We report here a 37-kDa protein of which cDNA occurred most frequently among total positive clones.

Optimization of fermentation conditions for production of glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin by Amycolatopsis orientalis.

Glycopeptides produced by Streptomyces species are the drugs used against beta-lactam drug-resistant staphylococcal infections, and vancomycin is important among them. Increased prevalence of resistant strains increased the usage of vancomycin worldwide and also promoted attempts for indigenous production. The optimum process conditions pH, temperature, inoculum size, agitation, and aeration for vancomycin production by Amycolatopsis orientalis were evaluated, statistically analyzed, and the response surface curves were constructed.