Antihyperglycemic,antihyperlipidemic and antioxidative potential of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prosopis cineraria</Emphasis> bark     

Nidhi Sharma  Veena Garg  Arpita Paul 《Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB》2010,25(2):193-200

Alloxan administration in male Swiss albino mice, induced diabetes by increasing blood glucose concentration and reducing hepatic glycogen content as compared to normal control group. Besides, serum lipid profile parameters such as total-cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were also elevated, whereas, the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was reduced significantly (P<0.05) in diabetic mice. Treatment of diabetic animals with crude ethanolic extract of bark of Prosopis cineraria (P. cineraria) for 45 days, significantly lowered blood glucose level, elevated hepatic glycogen content and maintained body weight and lipid-profile parameters towards near normal range. Declined activity of antioxidant enzymes and concentration of non-enzymatic antioxidants were also normalized by drug treatment, thereby reducing the oxidative damage in the tissues of diabetic animals and hence indicating the anti-diabetic and antioxidant efficacy of the extract.  相似文献   

A new perspective on in vitro assessment method for evaluating quantum dot toxicity by using microfluidics technology     

Sanjeev Kumar Mahto  Tae Hyun Yoon    Seog Woo Rhee 《Biomicrofluidics》2010,4(3)

In this study, we demonstrate a new perspective on in vitro assessment method for evaluating quantum dot (QD) toxicity by using microfluidics technology. A new biomimetic approach, based on the flow exposure condition, was applied in order to characterize the cytotoxic potential of QD. In addition, the outcomes obtained from the flow exposure condition were compared to those of the static exposure condition. An in vitro cell array system was established that used an integrated multicompartmented microfluidic device to develop a sensitive flow exposure condition. QDs modified with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide∕trioctylphosphine oxide were used for the cytotoxicity assessment. The results suggested noticeable differences in the number of detached and deformed cells and the viability percentages between two different exposure conditions. The intracellular production of reactive oxygen species and release of cadmium were found to be the possible causes of QD-induced cytotoxicity, irrespective of the types of exposure condition. In contrast to the static exposure, the flow exposure apparently avoided the gravitational settling of particles and probably assisted in the homogeneous distribution of nanoparticles in the culture medium during exposure time. Moreover, the flow exposure condition resembled in vivo physiological conditions very closely, and thus, the flow exposure condition can offer potential advantages for nanotoxicity research.  相似文献   

Status of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphism and 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Deficiency with Essential Hypertension     

M. Prasad  D. Rajarajeswari  P. Aruna  K. Ramalingam  R. Viswakumar  Nusrath Fathima  Sandeep Kumar Vishwakarma  Aleem Ahmed Khan 《Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB》2022,37(3):335

Essential hypertension (EH) is a multifactorial and complex disease with high rate of incidence and associated co-morbidities. Previous studies do not provide unanimous results for the risk of hypertension and association with Fok I genotype frequency and serum vitamin D levels. Hence, this study was undertaken to determine the status of Fok I vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism along with vitamin D levels and blood pressure in patients with EH. Four hundred (200 controls and 200 cases of essential hypertension) participants from general Indian population were enrolled in this study. Peripheral blood samples were collected for genotyping Fok I-VDR gene polymorphism using PCR–RFLP method whereas 25-OH vitamin D levels in serum were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Significantly reduced 25-OH vitamin D levels were observed in patients with EH (24.04 ± 8.62 vs 50.46 ± 15.46) compared to control subjects (p = 0.0001). Homozygous recessive genotype ‘ff’ frequency was increased by 8.06 fold (CI: 3.71–17.47, p = 0.0001) in patients with EH compared to dominant ‘FF’ genotype frequency. In conclusion, recessive ‘ff’ genotype frequency correlates with reduced serum vitamin D levels and results in significantly increased systolic and diastolic blood pressures leading to predisposition of EH.  相似文献   

Managerial Network Impacts Firm Performance     

Debadutta Kumar Panda 《Performance Improvement Quarterly》2014,27(1):5-32

This study measures the impact of managerial networks on firm growth. A simple random technique was used to select 680 firms and a top manager from each firm. A structured pretested questionnaire was designed to collect information. The sample firms were further stratified into subgroups based on size of firms (small firms and large) and business sectors (manufacturing and service firms). Statistical tests and multivariate models were formulated for data analysis. The managerial networking intensity was found to be a positive and significant determinant of firm growth regardless of type of business and size. Managerial networking with buying firms or buyers, competitors, and government officials were found positive and statistical significant determinants of firm growth.  相似文献   

Navigating privacy tensions when responding to online aggression at postsecondary institutions     

Virginia L. Byrne  Juana Hollingsworth  Priya C. Kumar 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2023,54(6):1636-1652

Postsecondary institutions have a legal responsibility to ensure that students have access to a safe learning environment. While institutions adopt policies and hire administrators to protect students from harm, many are underprepared to support students when these harmful incidents happen online. This is of increased concern now that online aggression is pervasive across universities worldwide. While faculty, administrators and students agree that online aggression is a significant issue and that institutions ought to provide prevention and response services, there is concern that these efforts might violate privacy norms. We used the theory of privacy as contextual integrity (CI) to explore the tensions that postsecondary students and staff perceive regarding student privacy when responding to incidents of online aggression. To do so, we conducted focus groups with undergraduate students and student affairs administrators from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Mid-Atlantic USA. Our analysis surfaced three considerations that inform students' and staff's decision to report an incident of online aggression: their closeness to the person making the post, their perception of the online post content as a real threat and their knowledge of an authority figure who could help resolve the situation. We used CI theory to explain how these considerations can inform institutional policy, practice and future research.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Online aggression is a pervasive issue at postsecondary institutions worldwide that can contribute to psychological, academic and developmental issues.
• Postsecondary students and staff are unsure of how to respond to incidents of online aggression.
• There is a gap in policies and procedures for responding to online aggression at postsecondary institutions.

What this paper adds

• A novel use of Nissenbaum's (2010) theory of contextual integrity to understand students' and staff's perceptions of privacy.
• Students' and staff's decisions to intervene or report an online aggression incident are determined by their relationship to the perpetrator, the severity of the social media post and their knowledge of who to tell on campus.
• Students and staff are reluctant to inform the police out of fear of violence against the perpetrator.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• Raise awareness about responding to online aggression incidents.
• Implement online bystander intervention training programs to increase awareness and self-efficacy to intervene in unclear situations.
• Develop clear policies regarding online aggression, as well as a trustworthy procedure for how to respond.

  相似文献   

Personalized and Adaptive Context-Aware Mobile Learning: Review,challenges and future directions     

Gumbheer  Chandra Prakash  Khedo  Kavi Kumar  Bungaleea  Anjali 《Education and Information Technologies》2022,27(6):7491-7517

Education and Information Technologies - Due to the outbreak of COVID 19, digital learning has become the most efficient learning and teaching technique adopted across the world. The pervasiveness...  相似文献   

Evolving strategies in whirlwind mode: The changing face of anatomy education during Covid-19 pandemic     

Sanjib Kumar Ghosh 《Anatomical sciences education》2022,15(6):1103-1119

The Covid-19 pandemic stipulated adoption of unfamiliar strategies for delivering anatomy education in online mode. The factors which determine education strategies are variable across geographical regions. It was perceived that an overview of education strategies around the globe would be useful for anatomists. Hence this narrative review was undertaken to collate observations from different geographical regions pertaining to education strategies adopted during the pandemic. Data relevant to the topic of study were extracted from 12 articles that were selected from an initial pool of 317 articles based on search criteria set for the review. Subtle differences in core education strategies implied that baseline response from anatomists was similar across regions. It was evident that online digital tools were key elements of education strategies adopted by educators for delivering online anatomy classes across the globe. Interestingly, a considerable gap in terms of number and variety of online tools used for anatomy education (those requiring commercial purchase) was noted between economically developed and developing regions. This may have an impact on learning outcome for students and may even lead to variations in anatomical knowledge by regions. It was observed that offline human dissection sessions were incorporated into online practical classes in one region as positive cases showed a declining trend. This positive development is worth emulating elsewhere based on cautious assessment of prevailing situation. From a broad perspective timely introduction of education strategies ensured delivery of anatomy education during the pandemic and gave an evolved outlook to the fabric of anatomy education.  相似文献