Recent Articles

This article seeks to draw parallels between various rituals and practices of the Indian wedding and the concept of organ donation and transplantation. The purpose of this article is to make it easier for the layman to relate to the concept of organ donation and transplantation. The article attempts to liken “Kanyadan” (giving away of a daughter in marriage) and “Aangdan” (organ donation); makes comparisons between the two using parameters of legal age, importance of love, search for a suitable match, appointment of middle men, financial investments and legal penalties etc. The article equates traditional match making on the basis of religion with the blood group matching in organ donation and transplantation. It further links the guna milap (Matching of fate lines) of the prospective bride and groom with that of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matching in organ donation and transplantation. It also highlights the significance of ensuring compatibility with internal environment irrespective of best selected matches in both the cases. The engagement ceremony to grant social approval to a marriage is equated with socio-legal approvals by “Authorization Committees” for organ donation and transplantation. Geography or spatial proximity also plays a crucial role in facilitating a marriage as well as organ transplant. The article also concludes that a combination of sadness and jubilation is common in both these events. The post-event management in both the cases is a roller coaster ride – full of apprehensions and anxieties – and needs more investments in terms of money, emotions and care. The two however differ on the infrastructure issue; while it’s easy to perform “Kanyadan” at any place by priests or pundits, availability of infrastructure and manpower is restricted in case of “Aangdan”. The author also draws parallel between some unusual marriages and unusual organ donation and transplantations and warns people against…

Passive avoidance task is a rodent model of memory in which the animal learnt to avoid an aversive stimulus precipitated by fear and it is always accompanied by inhibition of motor behavior. We have shown in our previous studies that methyl jasmonate (MJ), a bioactive compound isolated from Jasminum grandiflorum demonstrated memory enhancing effect in hippocampal-dependent memory tasks such as Y-maze and object recognition tests in mice. This present study was designed to investigate if MJ could ameliorate memory deficits associated majorly with the activation of the amygdala in response to an aversive stimulus in the passive avoidance paradigm. The present study also evaluated the effect of MJ on scopolamine (SC)- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced memory impairment in the passive avoidance paradigm. Mice were given intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of MJ (10-40 mg/kg), donepezil, DP (1 mg/kg) or vehicle daily for 7 days before testing for memory using passive avoidance step-down apparatus. In the interaction studies, the effects of SC (3 mg/kg, i.p.) or LPS (250 µg/kg, i.p.) given alone or with MJ (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) or DP (1 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days were also evaluated. SC and LPS were injected 30 min after MJ or DP administration. The time it took (step-down latency) the mouse to step down from the elevated vibrating platform onto the grids (electrified stainless steel bars on the floor of the cage), which indicates memory function was recorded. Our findings revealed that MJ (10-40 mg/kg, i.p.) ameliorated memory deficits induced by electric shock in the passive avoidance test. MJ (10-40 mg/kg, i.p.) also attenuated memory impairment induced by SC (3 mg/kg) or LPS (250 µg/kg) in mice subjected to the shock in the passive avoidance task. Taken together, this study provides additional behavioral data, which further supports the potential usefulness of MJ in conditions associated…

Sesame is an oilseed crop grown for its seed and oil for local and export markets and is a great source of income for farmers, traders, processers and the national economy of Ethiopia. However, its productivity and production are influenced by environmental factors. This experiment was, therefore, carried out to estimate the nature and magnitude of interaction of genotypes with the environment and to identify stable sesame genotypes in Eastern Amhara Region. Twelve sesame genotypes were studied in five locations at eight environments in 2010 and 2011 main cropping seasons. The highest oil yields were obtained from genotypes Acc.00047, NN-0143 and Borkena (339.2, 306.0 and 287.5 kg ha-1), respectively. There were highly significant difference (P

Background: The use of antimalarial drugs and the prevention of man and vector contact remain the major control and prevention strategy of malaria until the availability of effective and safe vaccine. In Africa, one of the major strategies to malaria control and prevention is the home based malaria strategy through which trained community drug distributors identify and provide antimalarial drugs to children under five years with fever. This research aims at exploring the capacity, performance, and motivation of CBAs in Tamale Metropolis, Northern region, Ghana Methodology: A Survey, in-depth interviews and short ethnographic techniques were conducted among 104 CBAs who were trained and given logistical support to assess and treat children less than five years with malaria presumptively at home. Participants were selected randomly and represented urban, peri-urban and rural settings. Results: 96.2% of respondents identified malaria by presence of fever while 92.3% used fever as a cardinal sign. More than 82% of participants provided early treatment in all the three location. 64.4% of participants administered the correct number of days while 32.7% administered daily doses correctly, only 24% of CBAs knew that the Antimalarial medications they use have some side effects. 77.9% knew when to repeat drug dose when child vomit or when parent forget to give the dose. Most of the participant had registers and were reporting monthly, however, only 26.2% are somewhat motivated by some of the existing of the motivational packages. Conclusion: The overall performance and skills demonstrated by the CBAs are encouraging in all the three settings but documentation and reporting remains a challenge. Community based initiatives should be strengthened and promoted to provide homemade solutions in saving lives especially in resources limited settings. If community interventions such as community drug distribution of antimalarial drugs are needed to improving access to malaria prevention, much attention…

Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae is one of the most used condiments in many countries, and is used in the perfume industry and also in folk medicine. To evaluate the composition of this plant due to its heterogeneity, the main objective was analyze origanum in commercial form and fresh picked after treated at different temperatures, using mainly solid-state NMR techniques, as well as FTIR, XRD and TGA were applied, showing possible existence of larger molecules and structures with low molar mass due to difference of mobility presented by molecules. We observed the carbon-13 signals’ intensity and the signals detection or not varied according to kind of oregano studied as well as the thermal treatment temperature. The techniques are efficient in determining the compounds present in such heterogeneous material, although they are difficult to apply. The HR-MAS confirmed the existence of major compounds such as water, fixed oils, terpenes and polysaccharides.