The aim of this study was to modify the surfaces of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) with pullulan in order to reduce the cytotoxicity and enhance the cellular uptake of the ...nanoparticles. In this study, we have prepared and characterised the pullulan coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Pn-SPION) of size around 40–45
nm with magnetite inner core and hydrophilic outer shell of pullulan. We have investigated the effect of cellular uptake of uncoated and Pn-SPION on cell adhesion/viability, cytotoxicity, morphology and cytoskeleton organisation of human fibroblasts. Cell cytotoxicity/adhesion studies of SPIONs on human dermal fibroblasts showed that the particles are toxic and their internalisation resulted in disruption of cytoskeleton organisation of cells. On the other hand, Pn-SPIONs were found to be non-toxic and induced changes in cytoskeleton organisation different from that observed with SPION. Transmission electron microscopy results indicated that the SPION and Pn-SPION were internalised into cells via different mechanisms, thereby suggesting that the particle endocytosis behaviour is dependent on the surface characteristics of the nanoparticles.
•To design a novel type of cabinet solar dryer with UV sheet.•The experiments have been conducted with natural and forced convection solar dryer.•To compare the performances of natural and forced ...convection solar dryer with open sun drying.
In this present paper, the experimental study of novel designed ultraviolet (UV) sheet cabinet type solar dryer has been developed at Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh (21˚ 27′ N, 81˚43′ E) for drying banana slices. For this analysis, local weather condition such as solar radiations, atmospheric temperature, wind speed and humidity of air were collected. The solar dryer is designed with drying chamber using six (06) numbers of trays at upper, middle and lower part of chamber using dimensions as 57 cm × 58 cm (2 Tray), 57 cm × 90 cm (2 Tray) and 57 cm × 111 cm (2 Tray), respectively. The same setup has been designed with fan and PV panel for forced convection drying. 2 kg of banana slices were equally distributed in the six (06) trays for drying. It was found that in forced convection, banana slices reaches to equilibrium moisture content of 13.75% (wet basis) from 86.2% (wet basis) of initial moisture content in just 16 h of drying time. Whereas in the same time it reaches to 17.5 % (wet basis) and 17.7% (wet basis) of final moisture content for natural and open sun drying, respectively. It was also observed that the highest temperature was achieved by upper tray. Forced convection drying is the most efficient way of drying when compared to natural and open sun drying.
Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent in India, despite abundant sunshine. Fortification of staple foods with vitamin D is a viable strategy to target an entire population. Vitamin D fortification ...programs implemented in the United States and Canada have improved the vitamin D status in these countries, but a significant proportion of the population is still vitamin D deficient. Before fortification programs are designed and implemented in India, it is necessary to study the efficacy of the American and Canadian vitamin D fortification programs and then improve upon them to suit the Indian scenario. This review explores potential strategies that could be used for the fortification of foods in the Indian context. These strategies have been proposed considering the diverse dietary practices necessitated by social, economic, cultural and religious practices and the diverse climatic conditions in India. Fortification of staple foods, such as chapati flour, maida, rice flour and rice, may be more viable strategies. Targeted fortification strategies to meet the special nutritional needs of children in India are discussed separately in a review entitled, "Fortification of foods with vitamin D in India: Strategies targeted at children".
Background: Anxiety and depression are common psychiatric conditions. The present study was carried out to find antianxiety and antidepressant activity of methanolic extract of Triticum aestivum ...(wheat grass) in mice. Materials and methods: The methanolic extract of Triticum aestivum (META) was screened for antianxiety activity by elevated plus maze (EPM) and light and dark box (LDB) and for antidepressant activity by forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in mice. Animals were divided into four groups having six animals in each group. Group I served as control and received gum acacia aqueous suspension 10 ml/kg, Groups II and III served as test groups and received META 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively, Group IV served as standard group and received diazepam 1 mg/kg for antianxiety activity and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) for antidepressant activity once daily for thirty days. Result: META 200 and 400 mg/kg showed significant (P < 0.01) dose-dependent increase in entries and stay in the open arms in EPM and entries and stay in the light compartment in LDB as compared to control. Antianxiety effect of META at dose of 400 mg/kg was comparable (P > 0.05) with diazepam 1mg/kg. META 200 and 400 mg/kg also produced dose-dependent significant (P < 0.01) antidepressant effect, indicated by reduction in the immobility time as compared to control in both FST and TST. The antidepressant activity of META at dose of 400 mg/kg was comparable (P > 0.05) with fluoxetine 20 mg/kg. Conclusion: Results of our study suggested that META possess dose-dependent significant antianxiety and antidepressant activities.
•This study assesses climate change vulnerability of Himalayan communities and their potential to adapt to these changes.•The assessment is based on the five capitals of sustainable livelihood ...framework.•The study results that the households reside away to district head quarter are in disadvantageous position and more vulnerable than those households, who reside near to district head quarter in mountainous settings.
This study evaluated the climate change vulnerability of Himalayan communities, and their potential to adapt to these changes, through assessing their perceived reactions and counter-actions to climate change. The evaluation was conducted through proposing and testing indices for vulnerability (Climate Vulnerability Index – CVI) and adaptation (Current Adaptive Capacity Index – CACI) based on the assumption that a community is an active dynamic entity and has tremendous capability to address the impacts of climate change through an ability to make adjustments based on perceived experiences. Both CVI and CACI include the five forms of capital leading to sustainable livelihood, i.e. human, natural, financial, social and physical capital, and were assessed for each of these forms of capital based on the IPCC framework of vulnerability assessment and its three dimensions (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity). Data for the analysis were collected from randomly selected households located away from district headquarters (ADH) and near district headquarters (NDH). Each dimension was measured based on associated socio-environment-specific indicators for assessing vulnerability and sustainability at community level. The results showed that ADH households had higher human capital and natural capital vulnerability than NDH households. In contrast, NDH households had higher social capital and financial capital vulnerability than ADH households. Overall, ADH households had greater vulnerability than NDH households.
These results improve understanding of the environmental and socio-economic changes affecting rural livelihoods and the measures needed to address their specific vulnerabilities by addressing bottlenecks in education and training facilities for skill up-grading, increasing interaction opportunities through local functions and creating opportunities for income generation and effective market and farm linkages. An attempt was made to reduce the gap between bottom-up understanding and top-down policies by suggesting precautionary and ongoing adaptation practices for the communities studied, leading to effective and efficient addressal of vulnerabilities. Vulnerability in the study context was taken to mean externally driven change leading to disturbance in the human environment that could alter internal and external livelihood settings.
Management of stroke risk factors might reduce later dementia. In ASCOT (Anglo-Scandinavian Outcome Trial), we determined whether dementia or stroke were associated with different blood pressure ...(BP)–lowering regimens; atorvastatin or placebo; and mean BP, BP variability, and mean cholesterol levels.
Participants with hypertension and ≥3 cardiovascular disease risk factors were randomly allocated to amlodipine- or atenolol-based BP-lowering regimen targeting BP <140/90 mm Hg for 5.5 years. Participants with total cholesterol ≤6.5 mmol/L were also randomly allocated to atorvastatin 10 mg or placebo for 3.3 years. Mean and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, BP, and SD of BP were calculated from 6 months to end of trial. UK participants were linked to electronic health records to ascertain deaths and hospitalization in general and mental health hospitals. Dementia and stroke were ascertained by validated code lists and within-trial ascertainment.
Of 8580 UK participants, 7300 were followed up to 21 years from randomization. Atorvastatin for 3.3 years had no measurable effect on stroke (264 versus 272; adjusted hazard ratio HR, 0.92 95% CI, 0.78–1.09; P=0.341) or dementia (238 versus 227; adjusted HR, 0.98 95% CI, 0.82–1.18; P=0.837) compared with placebo. Mean total cholesterol was not associated with later stroke or dementia. An amlodipine-based compared with an atenolol-based regimen for 5.5 years reduced stroke (443 versus 522; adjusted HR, 0.82 95% CI, 0.72–0.93; P=0.003) but not dementia (450 versus 465; adjusted HR, 0.94 95% CI, 0.82–1.07; P=0.334) over follow-up. BP variability (SD mean BP) was associated with a higher risk of dementia (per 5 mm Hg HR, 1.14 95% CI, 1.06–1.24; P<0.001) and stroke (HR, 1.21 95% CI, 1.12–1.32; P<0.001) adjusted for mean BP.
An amlodipine-based BP regimen reduced the long-term incidence of stroke compared with an atenolol-based regimen but had no measurable effect on dementia. Atorvastatin had no effect on either stroke or dementia. Higher BP variability was associated with a higher incidence of later dementia and stroke.
Background and Purpose- Carotid artery plaque with <50% luminal stenosis may be an underappreciated stroke mechanism. We assessed how many stroke causes might be reclassified after accounting for ...nonstenosing plaques with high-risk features. Methods- We included patients enrolled in the Cornell Acute Stroke Academic Registry from 2011 to 2015 who had anterior circulation infarction, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, and magnetic resonance angiography of the neck. High-risk plaque was identified by intraplaque hemorrhage ascertained from routine neck magnetic resonance angiography studies using validated methods. Infarct location was determined from diffusion-weighted imaging. Intraplaque hemorrhage and infarct location were assessed separately in a blinded fashion by a neuroradiologist. We used the McNemar test for matched data to compare the prevalence of intraplaque hemorrhage ipsilateral versus contralateral to brain infarction. We reclassified stroke subtypes by including large-artery atherosclerosis as a cause if there was intraplaque hemorrhage ipsilateral to brain infarction, regardless of the degree of stenosis. Results- Among the 1721 acute ischemic stroke patients registered in the Cornell Acute Stroke Academic Registry from 2011 to 2015, 579 were eligible for this analysis. High-risk plaque was more common ipsilateral versus contralateral to brain infarction in large-artery atherosclerotic (risk ratio RR, 3.7 95% CI, 2.2-6.1), cryptogenic (RR, 2.1 95% CI, 1.4-3.1), and cardioembolic strokes (RR, 1.7 95% CI, 1.1-2.4). There were nonsignificant ipsilateral-contralateral differences in high-risk plaque among lacunar strokes (RR, 1.2 95% CI, 0.4-3.5) and strokes of other determined cause (RR, 1.5 95% CI, 0.7-3.3). After accounting for ipsilateral high-risk plaque, 88 (15.2%) patients were reclassified: 38 (22.6%) cardioembolic to multiple potential etiologies, 6 (8.5%) lacunar to multiple, 3 (15.8%) other determined cause to multiple, and 41 (20.8%) cryptogenic to large-artery atherosclerosis. Conclusions- High-risk carotid plaque was more prevalent ipsilateral to brain infarction across several ischemic stroke subtypes. Accounting for such plaques may reclassify the etiologies of up to 15% of cases in our sample.
Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) has enabled magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of tissue magnetic susceptibility to advance from simple qualitative detection of hypointense blooming artifacts ...to precise quantitative measurement of spatial biodistributions. QSM technology may be regarded to be sufficiently developed and validated to warrant wide dissemination for clinical applications of imaging isotropic susceptibility, which is dominated by metals in tissue, including iron and calcium. These biometals are highly regulated as vital participants in normal cellular biochemistry, and their dysregulations are manifested in a variety of pathologic processes. Therefore, QSM can be used to assess important tissue functions and disease. To facilitate QSM clinical translation, this review aims to organize pertinent information for implementing a robust automated QSM technique in routine MRI practice and to summarize available knowledge on diseases for which QSM can be used to improve patient care. In brief, QSM can be generated with postprocessing whenever gradient echo MRI is performed. QSM can be useful for diseases that involve neurodegeneration, inflammation, hemorrhage, abnormal oxygen consumption, substantial alterations in highly paramagnetic cellular iron, bone mineralization, or pathologic calcification; and for all disorders in which MRI diagnosis or surveillance requires contrast agent injection. Clinicians may consider integrating QSM into their routine imaging practices by including gradient echo sequences in all relevant MRI protocols.
Level of Evidence: 1
Technical Efficacy: Stage 5
J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:951–971.
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