Journal of Applied Biomedicine, 2008 (vol. 6), issue 2
Original Research Article
Locomotor activity and serum tryptophan and serotonin in goats: daily rhythm
Giuseppe Piccione, Claudia Giannetto, Anna Assenza, Francesco Fazio, Giovanni Caola
J Appl Biomed 6:73-79, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.010 
The goal of the present study was to investigate the daily amount of motor activity and the daily rhythm of tryptophan and serotonin in goats housed in individual boxes under a 12/12 light/dark cycle. We equipped six Girgentana breed goats with Actiwatch-Mini® (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd., UK), actigraphy-based data loggers that record a digitally integrated measure of motor activity. Also blood samples were collected at four-hour intervals over a 48 h period via an intravenous cannula inserted into the jugular vein. The concentration of tryptophan (TRP) and serotonin (5-HT) were assessed by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)...
Antihyperglycaemic activity of alcoholic extract of Aerva lanata (L.) A. L. Juss. Ex J. A. Schultes leaves in alloxan induced diabetic mice
Tushar A. Deshmukh, Bapuso V. Yadav, Sachin L. Badole, Subhash L. Bodhankar, Sunil R. Dhaneshwar
J Appl Biomed 6:81-87, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.011
Aerva lanata is prostrate or decumbent to erect herb. The objective of the present investigation was to study the antihyperglycaemic activity of alcoholic extract of A. lanata leaves (AL-alc) on serum glucose levels, and on the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in alloxan induced diabetic mice. AL-alc (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) and glyburide (10 mg/kg) were administered orally in alloxan (70 mg/kg, i.v.) induced diabetic mice. In AL-alc (400 mg/kg), the onset was 4 h, the peak effect was 6 h but the effect waned at 24 h. In the subacute study, repeated administration (once a day for 28 days) of the glyburide and AL-alc caused a significant...
Effect of Helicteres isora bark extracts on heart antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in streptozotocin diabetic rats
Ganesan Kumar, Gani Sharmila Banu, Arunachalam Ganesan Murugesan
J Appl Biomed 6:89-95, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.012
The present study investigated the effect of the aqueous extract of Helicteres isora L. (Sterculiaceae) bark on oxidative stress in the heart of rats during diabetes. The aqueous extract of Helicteres isora bark (100 mg, 200 mg/kg body weight, b.w.) was screened for its antioxidant effect in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. An appreciable decrease in peroxidation products, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), conjugated dienes (CD), and hydroperoxides (HP) was observed in the heart tissues of Helicteres isora (HI) treated diabetic rats. The decreased activities of key antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide...
Distribution of cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 in the mouse seminal vesicle
Thotakura Balaji, Manickam Ramanathan, Marimuthu Srinivasan, Venugopal Padmanabhan Menon
J Appl Biomed 6:97-104, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.013
Cyclooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for the production of prostaglandins (PGs). This cyclooxygenase exists in two isoforms: cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygense-2 (COX-2). In humans and primates high levels of COX-2 are detected in the seminal vesicle. Further, the main source of PGs in the semen of these species is from the seminal vesicle. In rodents, the source of PGs in semen is from the vas deferens and abundant levels of COX-2 are detected. A direct relation is thought to exist between COX-2 levels and the source of PGs in semen. Moreover, the role of COX-1 and COX-2 in the seminal vesicle of rodents is obscure. The present study aims...
Biochemical studies on the effect of Terminalia chebula on the levels of glycoproteins in streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetes in rats
Gandhipuram Periasamy Senthilkumar, Sorimuthu Pillai Subramanian
J Appl Biomed 6:105-115, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.014
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Terminalia chebula fruit extract on the levels of plasma and tissue glycoprotein components in streptozotocin-induced-diabetic rats. Oral administration of T. chebula fruit extract at a concentration of 200 mg/kg body weight for 30 days significantly reduced the levels of blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, urea, and creatinine as well as fucose, hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid in the diabetic rats treated with the fruit extract. The observed decrease in the levels of plasma insulin and C-peptide in the diabetic rats was elevated to near normal by T. chebula fruit extract...
Reviews
Genetically altered mice, man and medicine
Nirmala Bhogal
J Appl Biomed 6:47-56, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.007
Several million genetically altered mice are used worldwide each year for research, toxicity testing, or simply to create or sustain mutant models. In fact, as our understanding of the genetic differences between mice and men improves, so does the drive to create mouse models of human disease and toxicity. However, while some models have proven to be useful and confer tangible benefits in terms of clinical management of disease, many others add little value to clinical medicine or human safety emphasising the need for a thorough investigation of the actual or future value of such models to human medicine.
Electrochemical biosensors - principles and applications
Miroslav Pohanka, Petr Skládal
J Appl Biomed 6:57-64, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.008
The first scientifically proposed as well as successfully commercialized biosensors were those based on electrochemical sensors for multiple analytes. Electrochemical biosensors have been studied for a long time. Currently, transducers based on semiconductors and screen printed electrodes represent a typical platform for the construction of biosensors. Enzymes or enzyme labeled antibodies are the most common biorecognition components of biosensors. The principles of, and the most typical applications for electrochemical biosensors are described in this review. The relevant systems are divided into three types according to the operating principle governing...
Advances in chronohaematology
Josef Berger
J Appl Biomed 6:65-72, 2008 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2008.009
The circadian rhythms of the haemato-immune system seem to be synchronized by two clocks: the hypothalamic endogenous, and the exogenous which is based on environmental stimuli. The suprachiasmatic nucleus is not only a circadian clock, it also synchronizes peripheral oscillators and integrates light information through the retino-hypothalamic tract. The role of the "peripheral" clock genes in mature leucocytes still remains an unanswered question as well as the role of clock proteins in "non-clock" physiology. The circadian rhythms may be a basis for circannual variations, although the molecular bases of such rhythms remain a mystery. There are several...