A neurotoxic compound has been isolated from the seeds of Lathyrus sativus in 0.5% yield and characterized as d-N-oxalyl-L-cud-diaminopropionic acid. The compound is highly acidic in character and forms oxalic acid and diaminopropionic acid on acid hydrolysis. The compound has a specific rotation of -36.9°and has apparent pK values in the order of 1.95, 2.95, and 9.25, corresponding to the two carboxyl and one amino functions, respectively. The compound has been synthesized by reacting an aqueous methanolic solution of the copper complex of l-,/3-diaminopropionic acid prepared at pH 4.5-5.0 with dimethyl oxalate under controlled pH conditions and isolating the compound by chromatography on a Dowex 50-H + column after precipitating the copper. The compound induced severe neurological symptoms in dayold chicks at the level of 20 mg/chick, but not in rats or mice. It also inhibited the growth of several microorganisms and of the insect larva Corcyra cephalonica Staint. L-Homoarginine had no neural action in chicks. It is suggested that the neurotoxic compound is species specific in its action and may be related to "neurolathyrism" associated with the human consumption of L. sativus seeds.The clinical syndrome "neurolathyrism" is attributed to the prolonged consumption of the seeds of several species of Lathyrus and notably Lathyrus sativus (Ganapathy and Dwivedi, 1961). The latter is grown and consumed under famine conditions in certain parts of central India. Patients suffering from this disease are afflicted by symptoms which are primarily of a neurological character. Though many explanations have been advanced and much research work has been carried out to characterize the causative factor (s), the etiology of this crippling disease is still unknown (Strong, 1956; Nutrition Reviews, 1963). Ressler et al. (1961) have reported the presence of L-,diaminobutyric acid, a neurotoxic compound in the seeds of L. latifolius and the same has also been detected in eleven other species of Lathyrus by Bell (1962a). However, this neurotoxic compound has not been detected in the seeds of L. sativus (Bell, 1962b). Recently Ressler (1962) reported the presence of ßcyano-L-alanine in the seeds of Vicia sativa, a common vetch which is reported as a contaminant of L. sativus seeds (Anderson et al., 1924) and suggested that the toxicity of the seeds might be due to this contaminant.

Heart failure is an aging-associated disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Sirtuin family members have been largely studied in the context of aging and agingassociated diseases. Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a cytoplasmic protein in the family of sirtuins that are NAD + -dependent class III histone deacetylases. In this work, we studied the role of SIRT2 in regulating NFAT transcription factor and the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Confocal microscopy analysis indicated that SIRT2 is localized in the cytoplasm of cardiomyocytes and SIRT2 levels are reduced during pathological hypertrophy of the heart. SIRT2 deficient mice develops spontaneous pathological cardiac hypertrophy, remodelling, fibrosis and dysfunction in an age-dependent manner. Moreover, young SIRT2 deficient mice develops exacerbated agonist-induced hypertrophy. On contrast, SIRT2 overexpression attenuated agonist-induced cardiac hypertrophy in cardiomyocytes in a cell autonomous manner. Mechanistically, SIRT2 binds to and deacetylates NFATc2 transcription factor. SIRT2 deficiency stabilizes NFATc2 and enhances nuclear localization of NFATc2, resulting in increased transcription activity. Our results suggest that inhibition of NFAT rescues the cardiac dysfunction in SIRT2 deficient mice. Thus, our study establishes SIRT2 as a novel endogenous negative regulator of NFAT transcription factor. _____________________________________

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This Paper elucidates the relative importance of soil structure and various compositional factors in influencing the liquid limit of natural kaolinitic soils. Earlier studies dealt with purified systems and anticipated that the liquid limit of the soils would increase with percentage clay size fraction and surface area, and that soils with a greater degree of particle flocculation would possess a higher liquid limit than soils with a more parallel particle arrangement. The results revealed that the inter-particle attraction and repulsion forces have a prominent role in determining the liquid limit of kaolinitic soils. These forces determine the particle arrangement (clay fabric) which in turn regulates the liquid limit values. The influence of clay fabric was ascertained from the relationships of liquid limit with shrinkage limit and sediment volume (in water) values. It was anticipated that kaolinitic soils with a greater degree of particle flocculation and a higher liquid limit would shrink less and occupy a higher sedimentation volume. As expected an increase in liquid limit was accompanied by an increase in shrinkage limit and sediment volume in water. L'article explique l'influence relative exercée par la structure du sol et les différents facteurs constitutifs sur la limite de liquidité des sols kaolinitiques naturels. Des études antérieures ont discuté des systèmes purifiés de sorte qu'on séattendait à ce que la limite de liquidité des sols s'accroisse avec le pourcentage des particules d'argile d'une certaine grandeur et leur surface, et que des sols contenant un plus grand nombre de particules floculées possèdent une limite de liquidité supérieure à celle des sols ayant des particules disposées plutôt en lamelles. Les résultats révélent que léattraction inter-particulaire et les forces de répulsion jouent un r^le primordial dans la détermination de la limite de liquidité des sols kaolinitiques. Ces forces déter-minent la disposition des particules (la structure de l'argile), laquelle à son tour détermine les valeurs de la limite de liquidité. L'influence de la structure de l'argile est démontree par les rapports entre la limite de liquidité et la limite de retrait et le volume de sédiment dans l'eau. On s'attendait à ce qu'avec une floculation des particules plus poussée et une limite de liquidité supérieure les sols kaolinitiques subissent moins de retrait et qu'ils occupent un plus grand volume de s'dimentation. Comme attendu, une augmentation de la limite de liquidité fut accompagnée d'un accroissement de la limite de retrait et du volume de sédiment dans l'eau.

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With a view to investigate the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Ni (5%) doped SnO(2) diluted magnetic semiconductor nanorods prepared by a PEG-6000 assisted wet chemical route, a systematic investigation has been carried out. The micro structural properties were investigated by Rietveld refinement of XRD data, AFM, TEM, EDS, SAED, FTIR, Raman scattering and XPS measurements. These studies revealed that Sn0.95Ni0.05O2 nanorods have a polycrystalline single phase tetragonal rutile structure without any detectable impurity phases and the aspect ratios of the nanorods are in the range 2.85-10.2. The deconvoluted XPS core level Ni 2p spectral studies determined the oxidation state of Ni as +2. The nanosize effects and local defects are found to influence the local electronic structure of materials. From M-H, M-T, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and ESR studies, all the samples are found to exhibit clear room temperature ferromagnetism without any metallic clusters. The magnetization behaviour is found to depend on the overlap of percolated bound magnetic polarons and their interactions with dopant induced defects. The magnetic exchange interactions are found to depend on the aggregation behaviour of nanorods, exchange media, the surface diffusion behaviour of randomly distributed Ni ions and the modification of electronic structure.

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Six sedentary to moderately active men with biochemical signs of riboflavin deficiency were studied under metabolic ward conditions to examine the effects of physical activity on riboflavin status. All participants were subjected to additional exercise (EXER) for an 18 d period between two maintenance (M1 and M2) periods (16 and 13 d respectively) of habitual physical activity. Energy balance and riboflavin intake were maintained throughout the study. Riboflavin status, as judged by a significant reduction in erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) activation coefficient (EGR-AC), improved on changing from home (1.53 (SD 0.14)) to period M1 (1.36 (SD 0.21)) diets. The exercise period, however, resulted in a significant deterioration in riboflavin status (1.57 (SD 0.31)) which persisted in the subsequent period M2 (154 (SD 0.15)). There was a concomitant fall in the urinary excretion of riboflavin only in the EXER period, when results were expressed as a percentage of the dietary intake of riboflavin. These results suggest an increased demand for the vitamin for selective biochemical functions during exercise. However, the energy cost of walking (treadmill 4 km/h), 50 W and 100 W work-loads (bicycle ergometer) as well as delta mechanical efficiency (DME) did not change during the three metabolic periods. The urinary excretion of riboflavin was inversely related to DME (P -0.49; P < 0.05) and directly correlated with haemoglobin levels (u 0.63; P < 0.005). The present study suggests that riboflavin status further deteriorates during a short period of increased physical activity in individuals whose riboflavin status is marginal.Riboflavin : Glutathione reductase: Physical activity: Mechanical efficiency . ___Studies confined to clinical cases of malnutrition fail to assess the situation in its entirety since they only address the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Investigations on subclinical or biochemical malnutrition, which are major problems in India, are important to rule out any functional consequences on the health and productivity of the population. In India riboflavin deficiency is very common (National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, 1980), being possibly modulated by dietary as well as non-dietary factors (infection, physical activity etc.; Belko e t Bamji et al. 1987). The basis of the present study was the observed seasonal variations in the riboflavin status of rural Indian women, as assessed by erythrocyte glutathione reductase (NADPH glutathione oxidoreductase; EC 1 . 6 . 4 . 2 ; EGR) activation coefficients (EGR-AC) (National Institute of Nutrition, 1988). Although a majority of women had marked biochemical riboflavin deficiency throughout the year, there was a significant deterioration in riboflavin status during the monsoon season compared with the summer or winter seasons. This change could not be attributed to changes in diet or morbidity. Since during the rains there was augmented physical activity * Present address: