Self-Help Groups : An Effective Approach To Women Empowerment In India

The concept of Self-Help Group has its roots in rural areas and it has been mooted along the rural semi-urban women to improve their living conditions. Today Self-Help Groups (SHGs) play a major role in poverty alleviation in rural areas. In India, this scheme was implemented with the help of NABARD as a main nodal agency in rural development. It is a self employment generation scheme especially for rural women, who do not have their own assets. The word 'Empowerment' means giving power. According to the International Encyclopaedia (1999), power means having the capacity and the means to direct one's life towards desired social, political and economic goals or status. Empowerment of women is not just a goal in itself, it is a key to all global development. Empowerment is an active multi-dimensional process to enable women to realize their identity and power in all spheres of life. This paper examines the women empowerment through SHGs and also explains the current position of women empowerment in India

Bioconversion of glycerol waste to ethanol by Escherichia coli and optimisation of process parameters

Biofuel is one of the best ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Ever since commercial biodiesel production began, waste glycerol, the biodiesel byproduct, has gained researchers’ interest, especially its recycling. Here, we explored using glycerol residue (carbon source) as a substrate in the fermentation process for ethanol production by Escherichia coli K12 in anaerobic conditions. The factors affecting the ethanol production was optimised by response surface methodology (RSM). Significant variables that impact the ethanol concentration were pH, temperature and the substrate, with a statistically significant effect (P <0.05) on ethanol formation. The significant factor was analyzed by the Box-Behnken design. The optimum conditions for bioethanol formation using glycerol as substrate was obtained at pH 7 and temperature 37°C. The ethanol productivity was 0.77 g/L/h. The ethanol concentration of 9.2 g/L achieved from glycerol residue was close to the theoretical value with the fermentation achieved at optimised terms.

A Review of the Antioxidants from the medicinal plant, Moringa oleifera

Moringa oleifera, is a highly potent medicinal plant which is evergreen or deciduous in nature and it is found growing predominantly in the Sub-Himalayan regions of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. This plant is tagged as a medicinal plant because it contains various properties such as high antioxidant properties, anti- inflammatory, anti- cancer, antidiabetic and antimicrobial properties. This review paper will highlight, focus and discuss the antioxidant properties possessed by Moringa oleifera supported by some experiments containing materials required, methods employed, results procured and discussion to support the evidences that prove the antioxidant properties found in this plant. The first and the second experiment is about the presence of flavonoid contents like Quercetin and Rutin found respectively that contributes to the antioxidant properties found in the plant of subject, Moringa oleifera. While, the third experiment is based on the application of the antioxidant properties found in the plant that contributes towards the enhancement of the meat quality thereby, this attribute of the plant having antioxidant properties is used in the meat industries.

Chromosomal Abnormalities in Embryos

From patients with a poor prognosis of pregnancy, 1620 embryos generated in vitro and chromosomal analysis was performed on these embryos. The result was yielded in 1596 embryos, out of them 536(34%) were euploid and 1060(66%) carried chromosomal abnormalities. In addition, 92% of embryos with multinucleated cells were diagnosed mosaics whereas the 86% of chromosomal abnormalities were associated to the presence of cytoplasmic concentration. For the derivation of the normal embryonic stem cell (ESC)lines and developmental modelling aneuploid embryos have been used. Genetic diagnosis at the cleavage or blastocyst stage could be partly abnormal because during the preimplantation diploid- aneuploid mosaic embryos was most frequently observed. From a single cell of a particular embryo the chromosomal status of that embryo can be determined, thus the prevalence of mosaicism. Detection of aneuploidy in single cells have been developed recently. After conducting research methods, it was confirmed that aneuploidy is a common feature of human oocytes and preimplantation embryos. The detection of segmental aneuploidy is currently considered problematic for embryo diagnosis and patient counselling, so the data are of great relevance for preimplantation genetic testing. The first major milestone in early mammalian embryogenesis was the formation of a totipotence blastocyst which is capable of implantation. The whole chromosomal abnormalities, or aneuploidy, determines whether the human embryos will arrest or reach the blastocyst stage. Certain embryos can still form blastocyst depending on the type of chromosomal abnormalities and that can be morphologically indistinguishable from chromosomally normal embryos.

A de novo marker chromosome 15 in a child with isolated developmental delay

We report a rare case of a 14-month-old male child who was referred for developmental delay. Clinical examination revealed a hypotonic infant with speech delay and no dysmorphic features. The banding cytogenetics revealed a small supernumerary marker chromosome. Upon silver staining, the marker showed the presence of satellite regions on either ends. Further, analysis using fluorescence in situ hybridization on marker chromosome revealed its origin from chromosome 15.

Prophylactic and therapeutic potential of tender coconut water intervention on antioxidant status in electron beam irradiated Swiss albino mice

Ionizing radiation induces oxidative stress due to free radicals production. The in vitro study has shown that tender coconut water (TCW) of West Coast tall variety exhibits potent antioxidant property. Here, we attempted to evaluate the potency of TCW in reducing radiation induced oxidative stress in the mice model. The LD50/30 dose of electron beam radiation (EBR) for Swiss albino mice was assessed and was found to be 9.33Gy. Therefore, a sublethal dose of 6Gy was selected for further intervention studies to assess the levels of antioxidants. To evaluate the effective dose, the mice were irradiated with a lethal dose of 10Gy with the oral intervention of 50, 100 and 200 µL of TCW/20 g body wt. of mice. Findings of the study suggest that 100 µL/20 g body wt. was found to be effective in decreasing the mortality of irradiated mice. Further, intervention with TCW significantly increased the antioxidant levels compared to that of radiation control group. The results suggest that TCW exhibits radioprotective activity by potentiating the antioxidant levels in mice exposed to a sublethal dose of whole body EBR.

A study on management of oral cancer in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Oral cancers form nearly 30% of the cancers. The most effective way of combating oral cancer is by early diagnosis followed by concurrent chemo-radiotherapy which is the most popular approach in current practice. The adverse effects seen in oral cancer patient’s due to their treatment are nausea & vomiting, mucositis, constipation, diarrhoea, fatigue & radiation dermatitis. Polypharmacy is due to variety of treatment options in oral cancer patients, which needs to be addressed.Methods: Over a period of 18 months, the in-patient records of 79 patients with oral cancers, admitted to oncology ward of Justice K. S. Hegde Charitable Hospital, Mangalore, were scrutinized and the data collected in a specially designed proforma. Descriptive analysis of the data was done.Results: Required data was collected from 79 patients, out of which 55.7% of the patients underwent surgery and later received chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Most commonly seen adverse effects due to treatment were weight loss (75.9%), reduced appetite (67.1%), fatigue (75.9%), pain (79.7%) and skin discoloration (50.6%), etc. Various classes of adjuvant drugs were used for complications caused due to the treatment of oral cancers. Drugs like topical applicant /mouth washes constituted the bulk of the prescriptions (22%) followed by nutritional supplements (15.34%), NSAID/opioids (12.76%) hematinic (12.59 %) and other groups of drugs were also used.Conclusions: Present study helped us to plan evidence based strategies to reduce or prevent post treatment complications. Most of the adverse effects were treated accordingly to keep the patient comfortable.

Induction of Apoptosis in MCF-7 Cells by Methanolic Extract of Clitoria Ternatea L.

Aim: Investigation of apoptosis induction by methanolic extract of Clitoria ternatea L. flower against multiple cancer cell lines. Main Methods: In the present study cytotoxic activity of Clitoria ternatea L flower was determined using MTT cell viability assay. The induction of cell death/apoptosis was evaluated by light microscopy, DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzyme activation. Key Findings: The methanolic extract from C. ternatea (MECT) showed cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines. The most potent activity exhibited by MECT was against MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells with an IC50 value of 27.2 ± 2.6 μg/mL. Light microscopic evaluation clearly indicated the apoptotic morphology of MECT treated cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with various MECT concentrations resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis as indicated by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzyme activation. Significance: The current report strongly suggests the pro-apoptotic properties of C. ternatea flowers. Our findings demonstrate that C. ternatea phyto-constituents may have beneficial applications in the field of anti-cancer drug discovery.

Antiangiogenic and Proapoptotic Activity of Averrhoa Carambola L. Fruit Extract on Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Treated Mice.

Aim: Accumulation of fluid containing cancer cells in the abdomen particularly, in ovarian cancer, forms malignant ascites rendering poor prognosis at this stage. We investigated the tumor inhibitory activity of Averrhoa carambola L. fruit extract on EAC cells administered mice targeting angiogenesis and apoptosis, and the bioactive compounds responsible. Main Methods: Body weight, ascites volume and peritoneal angiogenesis were monitored. Giemsa staining on EAC cells, DNA fragmentation assay and FACS analysis to determine the growth arrest were conducted. VEGF count was monitored using ELISA. Phytochemical screening and HPLC analysis were conducted to determine the bioactive compounds. Key Findings: The fruit extract expressed direct cytotoxicity to EAC cells by inducing apoptosis as evidenced by decrease in tumor volume, viable cell count and body weight of EAC bearing mice; characteristic apoptotical features, DNA fragmentation of apoptosis, and growth arrest taking place at G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Significant decrease in density of microvessel network in peritoneal lining and VEGF count in treated cells indicated that the fruit extract curbed malignancy of tumor through its antiangiogenic activity also. All these can be attributed to catechin, epicatechin and ferulic acid present in the extract. The total phenolic, flavanoids, proancthocyanidin and condensed tannins content were 1.216 mgGAE/g extract, 767 mgCE/g extract, 586 mgCE/ g extract and 18.35 mgCE/g extract respectively. Significance: The present study is the first to provide direct evidence that Averrhoa carambola L. has potent proapoptotic and antiangiogenic activity which may contribute to its well- documented clinical activity as a pharmaceutical drug.

Genetic molecular analysis of Coffea arabica (Rubiaceae) hybrids using SRAP markers

In Coffea arabica (arabica coffee), the phenotypic as well as genetic variability has been found low because of the narrow genetic basis and self fertile nature of the species. Because of high similarity in phenotypic appearance among the majority of arabica collections, selection of parental lines for inter-varietals hybridization and identification of resultant hybrids at an early stage of plant growth is difficult. DNA markers are known to be reliable in identifying closely related cultivars and hybrids. Sequence Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) is a new molecular marker technology developed based on PCR. In this paper, sixty arabica-hybrid progenies belonging to six crosses were analyzed using 31 highly polymorphic SRAP markers. The analysis revealed seven types of SRAP marker profiles which are useful in discriminating the parents and hybrids. The number of bands amplified per primer pair ranges from 6.13 to 8.58 with average number of seven bands. Among six hybrid combinations, percentage of bands shared between hybrids and their parents ranged from 66.29% to 85.71% with polymorphic bands varied from 27.64% to 60.0%. Percentage of hybrid specific fragments obtained in various hybrid combinations ranged from 0.71% to 10.86% and ascribed to the consequence of meiotic recombination. Based on the similarity index calculation, it was observed that F1 hybrids share maximum number of bands with the female parent compared to male parent. The results obtained in the present study revealed the effectiveness of SRAP technique in cultivar identification and hybrid analysis in this coffee species. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (2): 607-617. Epub 2011 June 01.

En Coffea arabica (café arabica), el fenotipo y la variabilidad genética son bajos debido a la estrecha base genética y la autofecundación de la especie. Por su alta similitud fenotípica entre la mayoría de las colecciones de arábica, la selección de líneas parentales para hibridación entre variedades, y la identificación de los híbridos resultantes en una fase inicial de crecimiento, es difícil. Para la identificación de variedades estrechamente relacionadas y sus híbridos, los marcadores de ADN son confiables, pero los polimorfismos de amplificación de secuencias relacionadas (SRAP, por sus siglas en inglés) constituyen una nueva tecnología de marcadores moleculares basada en PCR. En este trabajo, sesenta progenies arábica híbridas, pertenecientes a seis cruces, fueron analizadas utilizando 31 marcadores altamente polimórficos. El análisis reveló siete tipos de perfiles de marcadores que son útiles en la discriminación de los progenitores y los híbridos. El número de bandas amplificadas por pares de cebadores estuvo entre 6.13 a 8.58 con un promedio de siete bandas. Entre las seis combinaciones de híbridos, el porcentaje de bandas compartidas entre híbridos y sus progenitores estuvo entre 66.29% y 85.71% con bandas polimórficas que variaron entre 27.64% y 60.0%. El porcentaje de fragmentos híbridos específicos obtenidos en diversas combinaciones híbridas varió entre 0.71% y 10.86% lo que se atribuye a la recombinación meiótica. Con base en el cálculo del índice de similitud, se observó que los híbridos F1 compartieron un número máximo de bandas con el progenitor femenino que con el masculino. Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio muestran la eficacia de la técnica de SRAP en la identificación de cultivos e híbridos de esta especie de café.

Trend of tuberculosis cases under DOTS strategy in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India: issues and challenges

Tuberculosis remains a worldwide public health problem and India accounts for highest TB burden in the world. The aim of the study was to evaluate the trend and treatment outcome of tuberculosis [TB] cases treated under DOTS strategy at a district level in Karnataka, India. This was a Retrospective record based study conducted in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, during January 2007 to April 2007. Patients registered for treatment in the entire district since its inception in 2003 to 2006 were considered for analysis. Totally, 7620 patients were treated under DOTS strategy. Of these, 3308 cases [43%] were found to be new sputum smear positive for acid-fast bacilli [AFB]. The case notification rate has increased from 55% in 2003 to 85% in 2005. The incidence of new sputum positive TB cases were maximum among productive age group [15-44 years] and was significant [X[2]= 150.08, P=< 0.001]. Males constituted 70% of the total new sputum positive TB cases and the difference seen in males and females was also statistically significant [X[2]= 551.254, P< 0.001]. Defaulter cases have been increasing among new smear positive cases and this was statistically significant [X[2]=4.9, P= 0.03]. The cure rate is declining along with the increasing default rate among new smear positive cases over a period