The height-for-age of Indian children

The height for age of children is used as an indicator of the prevalence of undernutrition, i.e., 'stunting'. This study uses unit-record data on over 20,000 rural children, from 16 states of India, to explain variations in their height-for-age. Previous studies of children's heights have focused exclusively on the mean of the distribution of heights-for-age using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Instead, this paper uses quantile regression--which analyses different parts of the height for age distribution--and permits a richer set of conclusions to be drawn. The analysis shows the importance of locating malnourished children in terms of their place in the distribution of nutritional outcomes and, then, studying the differential impact of the determining variables on outcomes for children in different locations of the distribution.     

Oxidative stress in erythrocytes: a study on the effect of antioxidant mixtures during intermittent exposures to high altitude

The aim of our study was to compare and assess the effectiveness of antioxidant mixtures on the erythrocytes (RBC) of adult male albino rats (Wister) subjected to simulated intermittent high altitudes—5,100 m (AL₁) and 6,700 m (AL₂)—to induce oxidative stress (OS). To achieve our objective, we pre-supplemented four sets of animals with different antioxidant mixtures [vitamin E (vit.E; 50 IU/kg BW), vitamin C (vit.C; 400 mg/kg) and l-carnitine (400 mg/kg)] in different combinations [M1 (vit.E+vit.C), M2 (vit.C+carnitine), M3 (vit.E+carnitine) and M4 (vit.C+vit.E+carnitine)] for 30 days prior to as well during exposure to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IHH). Membrane instability, in terms of osmotic fragility and hemolysis, decreased in RBCs of supplemented animals. There was a significant increase in the activity of glutathione peroxidase in the RBCs of supplemented animals. We confirmed OS imposed by IHH with assays relating to lipid [thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and lipofuscin (LF)] and protein (carbonyl, PrC) oxidation, and found a positive correlation between PrC and hemolysis, with a decrease in both upon supplementation with M3 and M4 mixtures. Fluorescence microscopic observation showed a maximum decrease in the LF content in rats administered M4 and M1 compared to those on M2 and M3 mixtures at both altitudes. We suggest that multiple antioxidant fortifications are effective in overcoming increased OS experienced by RBCs at high altitudes.     

On the incidence of diarrhoea among young Indian children

Diarrhoea, claiming over three million young lives in the world every year, is the second biggest killer of children in developing countries. Using data for over 13,000 children in rural India, under the age of 3 years, this paper examines the relative effects of the different factors--inter alia the quality of the water supply, mother's literacy, housing conditions, and the level of development of the villages in which the children lived--contributing to diarrhoea. The paper highlights the importance of two factors: that children born to undernourished mothers may be more susceptible to infection than children whose mothers are well nourished, and that good hygienic practices within the home, such as washing hands with soap before feeding a child, can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea. The paper also quantifies the relative strength of the factors that determine whether mothers do so. The results emphasize the importance of mothers being literate, of household affluence and of institutional support (through the availability of trained midwives and mother and child centres in villages) in promoting domestic hygiene.     

A photoswitchable GPCR-based opsin for presynaptic inhibition

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Kinetics of uranous iron and ferrous iron oxidation by thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Archives of Microbiology -     

Immortalization of neuronal progenitors using SV40 large T antigen and differentiation towards dopaminergic neurons

Transplantation is common in clinical practice where there is availability of the tissue and organ. In the case of neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease (PD), transplantation is not possible as a result of the non‐availability of tissue or organ and therefore, cell therapy is an innovation in clinical practice. However, the availability of neuronal cells for transplantation is very limited. Alternatively, immortalized neuronal progenitors could be used in treating PD. The neuronal progenitor cells can be differentiated into dopaminergic phenotype. Here in this article, the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the differentiation of dopaminergic phenotype from the neuronal progenitors immortalized with SV40 LT antigen is discussed. In addition, the methods of generating dopaminergic neurons from progenitor cells and the factors that govern their differentiation are elaborated. Recent advances in cell‐therapy based transplantation in PD patients and future prospects are discussed.     

Effect of short-term heat treatment of rice seedlings on sensitivity of thylakoid membranes to photoinhibition

The after-effects of 24 h high temperature (35 or 45 °C) treatment on the photochemical activities and photooxidative lipid peroxidation, subsequent to their irradiation were studied in 7-d-old etiolated rice (Oryza sativa) seedlings. Photosystem (PS) 1 and PS 2 mediated photoreactions of thylakoids isolated from the seedlings exposed to high temperature did not differ significantly from the thylakoids isolated from control seedlings (25 °C). Hence, all kinds of tested thylakoids were equally efficient in capturing and utilizing radiant energy. The high irradiance induced loss in PS 2 activity and lipid peroxidation measured in terms of malondialdehyde production was more rapid in thylakoids isolated from stressed seedlings as compared to that of control seedlings. Thus the thylakoids isolated from the stressed seedlings were more prone to photodamage than those from the control seedlings.     

In vitro evaluation of leptin fragments activity on the ob receptor.

In an attempt to identify regions in the leptin molecule responsible for its bioactivity, we tested six related-leptin peptide fragments denoted: Ac-hLEP(23-47)-NH(2) (I), Ac-hLEP(48-71)-NH(2) (II), Ac-hLEP(72-88)-NH(2) (III), Ac-hLEP(92-115)-NH(2) (IV), Ac-[Ser(117)]-hLEP(116-140)-NH(2) (V), Ac-hLEP(141-164)-NH(2) (VI) and their correspondent disulfide bridged dimer forms. The activity of the fragments was evaluated in comparision to leptin, by their ability to interact with leptin receptor using a cytosensor microphysiometer. Our results indicated that the fragments IV and V and [D-Leu(4)]-OB(3) and its human sequence analog were recognized by leptin receptor present in HP-75 cells, in agreement with the results obtained by other workers, validating that this region of the molecule contain the functional epitope of the leptin molecule.