Prion diseases were first discovered by Stanley B. Prusiner who defined prions as infectious, transmissible proteinaceous particles that lack nucleic acid and are composed exclusively of a modified isoform of the noninfectious cellular prion protein (PrPC). These are incurable neurodegenerative conditions affecting both animals and humans. They may be sporadic, infectious or inherited in origin. Human prion diseases include Creutzfeldt–Jakob desease (CJD), Gerstmann– Straussler–Scheinker disease, Kuru and Fatal familial insomnia. Prions resist the conventional sterilization procedures and hence the dentists must be aware of such diseases so as to opt standard methods of infection control and decontamination for such infectious agents. This review article divulge the dentists with a brief overview of the characteristics of prions, the risk of transmission and the implications for infection control in dentist.
The present study was aimed to investigate the histochemical and phytochemical studies of four important medicinal plants. Leaf, stem and root sections were examined for alkaloid, protein and phenolic tests. Methanolic extracts of leaf, stem and root were analysed for the phytochemical screening of major bioactive constituents. Histochemical analysis reveals the presence of alkaloids, phenols and proteins in epidermis, cortex and vascular bundles of root, stem and leaf. Preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, phenols, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, terpenoids, coumarins, quinone and proteins. The root extract of Catharanthus roseus recorded maximum content of phenols compared to other extracts. Costus pictus root and leaf extracts exhibited a significant amount of flavonoids and tannins respectively. Further studies were focused on isolation and characterization of each plant compounds.
The present work is aimed to determine the chemical constituents in Baliospermum montanum methanolic extracts. An in vitro regenerated procedure was developed for the induction of callus from stem explant cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with various concentration and permutations of 2, 4-dichloro phenoxy acetic acid, 1-naphthalene acetic acid, 6-benzyl amino purine and gibberellic acid. FTIR & GC-MS analysis was done according to standard procedure. The quantitative estimation of β-sitosterol was done by HPLC method. Maximum fresh and dry weight of callus was estimated in the combination of GA3 (0.5 mg/L) + NAA (2 mg/L) compared to other concentration. The FTIR analysis showed various functional compounds with different characteristic peak values in the extracts. Major bioactive constituents were recognized in the GC-MS analysis. Root extract revealed the existence of 1-hexadecanol, pentanoic acid, 2-(aminooxy)- and 1-hexacosanol. Leaf extract showed the presence of propanoic acid, 2-oxo-, trimethylsilyl ester, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (z,z)-, trimethylsilyl ester, docosane, 1,22-dibromo- and pentatriacontane. Stem and stem derived callus exhibit the presence of 1,6,3,4-dihydro-2-deoxy-beta-d-lyxo-hexopyranose, n-hexadecanoic acid and pentanoic acid, 2-(aminooxy). The methanolic extract of leaf exhibited 0.2149 % of β-sitosterol content. There were no peaks observed in the root, stem and stem derived callus. Further studies are necessary for the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from B. montanum.
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health. It may even affect mental health also. Obesity also plays a role in academics; it may be disadvantageous to some of the students. Previous studies have found that obesity could influence academic performance. So this study concerned preparing questions and circulating among the students (school and college). The aim of this study is to determine the awareness level of association between obesity and academic performance. The purpose of the study was clearly explained to the students. A total of 100 responses were received. All the responses were taken into consideration and the statistical analysis paired t test was made using SPSS software for the representation of pie charts and bar graphs (association graphs). According to the results, 67% students answered that the rough weight of the topper of their class would be 45-65 kgs, 25% of them said that it would be 65-80 kgs and the rest 8% said that it would be 80-90 kgs. 37% of students responded that obesity is disadvantageous towards academics, another 63% disagree with it. Most of the students of this survey responded that obesity does not cause any adverse effects on academics. But the care should be taken by the obese students towards their health and academics.
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