The present study revealed that all the groups of students perceived their learning environment positively. However, a few problematic areas of learning environment were perceived such as: students were stressed more often; they felt that the course organizers were authoritarian and emphasized factual learning. Implementing more problem-based learning, student counseling and workshops on teaching-learning for educators might enable us to remedy and enrich our learning environment.

The present study evaluates the nephroprotective effects of ursolic acid in a murine model of gentamicin induced renal damage. Wistar albino rats of either sex, weighing 150–200 g were divided into 5 groups; normal saline, gentamicin 80 mg/kg, intraperitoneally for 8 days, ursolic acid at 2, 5, and 10 mg/kg, per oral for 8 days, ursolic acid administered 3 days prior and concurrently with gentamicin for 5 days. Blood urea, serum creatinine, uric acid and blood urea nitrogen analyses and microscopic examination of kidney were performed. Gentamicin treatment caused nephrotoxicity as evidenced by marked elevation in serum urea, serum uric acid, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (162.33 ± 9.92 mg/dL, 3.13 ± 0.12 mg/dL, 6.85 ± 0.35 mg/dL and 75.86 ± 4.64 mg/dL; resp.) when compared to the saline treated groups. Co-administration of ursolic acid with gentamicin decreased the rise in these parameters in a dose dependent manner. Histopathological analysis revealed epithelial loss with intense granular degeneration in gentamicin treated rats, whereas ursolic acid mitigated the severity of gentamicin-induced renal damage. To conclude, our data suggest that ursolic acid exhibits renoprotective effect in gentamicin induced renal damage and further studies on its mechanis of action are warranted.

The higher IOP in postmenopausal women could be ascribed to dwindling levels of oestrogen and progesterone after menopause, which could act by altering any/several components of the IOP regulating mechanisms. A large body size, as was indicated by BMI, was associated with additional increases in IOP. The present study, therefore, provides further insights into the interactions between BMI and paucity of sex hormones in influencing the IOP.

Background: Obesity and health hazards associated with it are leading cause of death worldwide. The incidents of obesity are also rising at an alarming rate in the urban Indian population. Obesity is associated with adverse cardiovascular events which could be due to the altered autonomic balance seen in these individuals. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive economical tool to assess the autonomic function. Aims & Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of obesity on heart rate variability and to establish the relationship between BMI and HRV parameters. Materials and Methods: Forty six males in the age group of 40-55 years, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups as obese and non-obese based on their BMI as per WHO guidelines for Asian subjects. The ECG was recorded for a period of 10 minutes and frequency domain parameters of HRV were derived from it. Parameters obtained were compared between both the groups using independent 't' test and relationship between BMI and HRV parameters was established using Pearson's correlation test. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Obese individuals exhibited significantly lower values of both low and high frequency and normalized high frequency parameters. The ratio between low and high frequency and normalized low frequency parameters were significantly higher in obese group. A significant negative association was also observed between BMI and normalized high frequency parameter. Conclusion: A reduced parasympathetic activity associated with elevated sympathetic was observed in middle aged obese males in the resting state. This is suggestive of a higher risk for development of cardiovascular disorders.

Background: Pregnancy is a physiological condition that brings a considerable alteration in hemodynamic activity of the maternal heart. It is very important to understand the cardiac functioning of maternal heart during normal pregnancy because apart from obstetric causes, cardiac disorders are the main cause of mortality in females .Study of electrical activity of the heart is a simple noninvasive and cost effective method which can also raise alarm about the pathological changes in the cardiac function. Aims & Objective:To study the intervals of Electrocardiogram (ECG) in pregnant women and to compare the same with healthy non pregnant women. Materials and Methods: A total of 223 females fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. They were divided into four groups -nonpregnant/control group (n=30), 1 st trimester (n=36), 2 nd trimester (n=64) and 3 rd trimester (n= 93). ECG was recorded in lead II. Heart rate, PR, QT interval and QTc were also calculated. These parameters were compared between the groups using one way ANOVA test. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: An increase in heart rate and QTc interval and decrease in PR interval was observed in pregnant women when compared with the heart rate of nonpregnant females. This was statistically insignificant when compared between controls and 1 st trimester. However a significant change was observed between control group and 2 nd /3 rd trimester groups. This change was also observed significantly within the pregnant groups when compared with each other. Conclusion: The cardiovascular hemodynamic adaptation to pregnancy is a wellestablished physiological fact which was also apparent in this study. Further we noticed a significant change in electrical activity in pregnancy in terms of PR, QT and QTc intervals. These changes became more significant after 1 st trimester and peaking during the 3 rd trimester.