Performance-Based Finance was one of the reforms undertaken in the Health Sector, launched under a similar philosophical and implementation framework across most developing countries. While the World ...Bank Report (1993), printed the first thoughts about this reform, the ideas appeared earlier, in the mid-1980s as major economic crises ransacked many developing regions and tight-fisted fiscal austerity under macroeconomic policies produced scarcity of resources, inefficient management, absence of monitoring as well as inequitable distribution in the public financed health care system.
The tumor inhibiting property of green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is well documented. Studies reveal that matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) play pivotal roles in tumor invasion ...through degradation of basement membranes and extracellular matrix (ECM). We studied the effect of EGCG on matrixmetalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), the factors involved in activation, secretion and signaling molecules that might be involved in the regulation of MMP-2 in human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.
MCF-7 was treated with EGCG (20 μM, 24 h), the effect of EGCG on MMP-2 expression, activity and its regulatory molecules were studied by gelatin zymography, Western blot, quantitative and semi-quantitative real time RT-PCR, immunoflourescence and cell adhesion assay.
EGCG treatment reduced the activity, protein expression and mRNA expression level of MMP-2. EGCG treatment reduced the expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), membrane type-1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and reduced the adhesion of MCF-7 cells to ECM, fibronectin and vitronectin. Real time RT-PCR revealed a reduced expression of integrin receptors α5, β1, αv and β3 due to EGCG treatment.
Down regulation of expression of MT1-MMP, NF-kB, VEGF and disruption of functional status of integrin receptors may indicate decreased MMP-2 activation; low levels of FAK expression might indicate disruption in FAK-induced MMP-2 secretion and decrease in activation of phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase (PI-3K), extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) indicates probable hindrance in MMP-2 regulation and induction. We propose EGCG as potential inhibitor of expression and activity of pro-MMP-2 by a process involving multiple regulatory molecules in MCF-7.
This paper attempts to assess the impact of existing Rural-Urban Classification (RUC) on distribution of development funds among different realms of a settlement in Indian context. The paper ...questions upon the existing parameters of Census definitions for ‘Urban’ and ‘Rural’ and how it is affecting the ‘Master Plan Preparation Process’ for cities. Further, it indicates the role of RUC for creating disparity in distribution of various Government development funds among settlements, by discussing ten diverse contexts of the country. Due to census definition of settlement classification in a dichotomous fashion, all these developmental schemes are being applicable to Statutory Towns only, the Census Towns are completely ignored, especially the peripheral settlements around major urban centers. The paper seeks to analyze the interrelationship between present funding pattern and degree of urbanization in the selected cases, if exists at all. The paper concludes with a framework to establish a relationship between funding pattern and urbanization and develops an approach towards restructuring the settlement classification, where in the future, the Peri-Urban realms / Census Towns can be considered under urban development schemes, can undergo planned urbanization and as a result, disparity in terms of development can be minimized in the country.
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•Asymmetric cross aldol reaction by an enzyme from Daucus carota root is reported.•Variation of temperature, pH and substrates is covered.•Active enzyme is present in a specific ...variety of Daucus carota.•Covered a plausible mechanism of this enzyme catalysis.
A novel enzyme was isolated from specific variety of Daucus carota root catalyzed asymmetric cross aldol reaction of aromatic aldehydes with acetone to afford cross aldol products with excellent yield (up to 95%) and enantioselectivity (up to 99%). A plausible mechanism of the reaction has also been proposed.
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has not only resulted in immense loss of human life, but it also rampaged across the global economy and socio-cultural structure. Worldwide, countries imposed stringent ...mass quarantine and lockdowns to curb the transmission of the pathogen. While the efficacy of such lockdown is debatable, several reports suggest that the reduced human activities provided an inadvertent benefit by briefly improving air and water quality. India observed a 68-days long, nation-wide, stringent lockdown between 24 March and 31 May 2020. Here, we delineate the impact of the lockdown on groundwater and river sourced drinking water sustainability in the arsenic polluted Ganges river basin of India, which is regarded as one of the largest and most polluted river basins in the world. Using groundwater arsenic measurements from drinking water wells and water quality data from river monitoring stations, we have studied ~700 km stretches of the middle and lower reaches of the As (arsenic)-polluted parts of the river for pre-lockdown (January-March 2020), syn-lockdown (April-May), and post-lockdown periods (June-July). We provide the extent of As pollution-free groundwater vis-à-vis river water and examine alleviation from lockdown as an opportunity for sustainable drinking water sources. The overall decrease of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations and increase of pH suggests a general improvement in Ganges water quality during the lockdown in contrast to pre-and-post lockdown periods, potentially caused by reduced effluent. We also demonstrate that land use (agricultural/industrial) and land cover (urban-periurban/rural) in the vicinity of the river reaches seems to have a strong influence on river pollutants. The observations provide a cautious optimistic scenario for potentially developing sustainable drinking water sources in the arsenic-affected Ganges river basin in the future by using these observations as the basis of proper scientifically prudent, spatially adaptive strategies, and technological interventions.
sp. strain PNB can completely degrade phenanthrene, naphthalene, and biphenyl as the sole carbon and energy source. The strain is also capable of cometabolizing benzoapyrene, pyrene, acenaphthene, ...fluoranthene, etc. Here, we report the 5.69-Mb assembly and annotation of the genome sequence of strain PNB, obtained using Illumina sequencing.
•Gene clusters responsible for aromatic degradation in Sphingobium sp. PNB were sequenced.•The ferredoxin from sphingomonads is structurally unique.•Substrate specificities of several ...ring-hydroxylating oxygenases were determined.•Oxygenase capable of transforming alkylaromatics was characterized.•Complex regulation of degradative genes was revealed by real-time PCR analyses.
Sphingobium sp. PNB, like other sphingomonads, has multiple ring-hydroxylating oxygenase (RHO) genes. Three different fosmid clones have been sequenced to identify the putative genes responsible for the degradation of various aromatics in this bacterial strain. Comparison of the map of the catabolic genes with that of different sphingomonads revealed a similar arrangement of gene clusters that harbors seven sets of RHO terminal components and a sole set of electron transport (ET) proteins. The presence of distinctly conserved amino acid residues in ferredoxin and in silico molecular docking analyses of ferredoxin with the well characterized terminal oxygenase components indicated the structural uniqueness of the ET component in sphingomonads. The predicted substrate specificities, derived from the phylogenetic relationship of each of the RHOs, were examined based on transformation of putative substrates and their structural homologs by the recombinant strains expressing each of the oxygenases and the sole set of available ET proteins. The RHO AhdA1bA2b was functionally characterized for the first time and was found to be capable of transforming ethylbenzene, propylbenzene, cumene, p-cymene and biphenyl, in addition to a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Overexpression of aromatic catabolic genes in strain PNB, revealed by real-time PCR analyses, is a way forward to understand the complex regulation of degradative genes in sphingomonads.
Aim: Frontline Health Care Workers (FLHCWs) are the key workforce in the fight against ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They hail from the community and are responsible for supporting the health system in ...generating awareness, implementing preventive strategies, contact tracing and isolating potential cases. In their job responsibilities, FLHCWs thus may perceive heightened risk of exposure to the virus, leading to overwhelming emotional response and psychological distress. The objective of this study was to investigate risk perception, cognitive awareness and emotional responses among FLHCWs trained to deal with Covid 19, to identify unmet needs of this training in India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 131 frontline workers selected by a multistage sampling process from two states (Odisha and Himachal Pradesh) of India. The FLHCWs were interviewed personally (when feasible) with the help of a predesigned pretested semi-structured questionnaire.Results: The findings suggested that majority (90%) of the FLHCWs perceived that they are susceptible to nCoV-19 infection and 77.1% of FLHCWs felt high probability of them getting infected with the nCoV-19. Almost 90% of them responded that it is something they think about all the time and 41% of FLHCWs admitted that they feel helpless in the situation. About 63% of FLHCWs perceived that the nCoV-19 infection was a severe illness and 35% perceived it to be very severe and life threatening. Although most of them had received some unstructured and non-uniform training on preventive measures against COVID-19, yet only 38% felt that the knowledge was adequate to protect themselves from the nCoV-19 infection. The training sessions lacked psychological component for capacitating them with coping skills to address their emotional and psychological responses. Conclusion: The FLHCWs experienced heightened risk perception and symptoms of emotional distress in significant numbers even after trainings. A more inclusive public health policy dialogue to address the emotional and psychological coping skills is needed for capacitation of these frontline workers to address the challenges of Pandemic response now and in future.
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