Manipal University

About: Manipal University is a education organization based out in Manipal, Karnataka, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 9525 authors who have published 11207 publications receiving 110687 citations.

Diminution of singlet oxygen-induced DNA damage by curcumin and related antioxidants.

Abstract: Curcumin, the natural antioxidant from turmeric, an Indian spice, and its derivatives have significant abilities to protect plasmid pBR322 DNA against single-strand breaks induced by singlet oxygen (1O2), a reactive oxygen species with potential genotoxic/mutagenic properties. 1O2 was generated at 37 degrees C in an aqueous buffer system by the thermal dissociation of the endoperoxide of 3,3'-(1,4-naphthylene)dipropionate (NDPO2). Among the compounds tested, curcumin was the most effective inhibitor of DNA damage followed by desmethoxycurcumin, bisdesmethoxycurcumin and other derivatives. The observed antioxidant activity was both time- and concentration-dependent. The protective ability of curcumin was higher than that of the well-known biological antioxidants lipoate, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene. However, the highest protective ability with saturating concentrations of curcumin did not exceed 50%. The ability of curcumin and its derivatives to protect DNA against 1O2 seems to be related to their structures and may at least partly explain the therapeutic and other beneficial effects of these compounds including anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic properties.

Incidence of Diabetes and Prediabetes and Predictors of Progression Among Asian Indians: 10-Year Follow-up of the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES).

Abstract: OBJECTIVE There is little data on the incidence rates of diabetes and prediabetes (dysglycemia) in Asian Indians. This article presents the incidence of diabetes and prediabetes and the predictors of progression in a population-based Asian Indian cohort. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Data on progression to diabetes and prediabetes from 1,376 individuals, a subset of 2,207 of the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) cohort with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) or prediabetes at baseline, who were followed for a median of 9.1 years (11,629 person-years), are presented. During follow-up, 534 died and 1,077 with NGT and 299 with prediabetes at baseline were reinvestigated in a 10-year follow-up study. Diabetes and prediabetes were diagnosed based on the American Diabetes Association criteria. Incidence rates were calculated and predictors of progression to prediabetes and/or diabetes were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS The incidence of diabetes, prediabetes, and “any dysglycemia” were 22.2, 29.5, and 51.7 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Among those with NGT, 19.4% converted to diabetes and 25.7% to prediabetes, giving an overall conversion rate to dysglycemia of 45.1%. Among those with prediabetes, 58.9% converted to diabetes. Predictors of progression to dysglycemia were advancing age, family history of diabetes, 2-h plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ), low HDL cholesterol, and physical inactivity. CONCLUSIONS Asian Indians have one of the highest incidence rates of diabetes, with rapid conversion from normoglycemia to dysglycemia. Public health interventions should target modifiable risk factors to slow down the diabetes epidemic in this population.

Mass and lifetime measurements of exotic nuclei in storage rings

Abstract: Mass and lifetime measurements lead to the discovery and understanding of basic properties of matter. The isotopic nature of the chemical elements, nuclear binding, and the location and strength of nuclear shells are the most outstanding examples leading to the development of the first nuclear models. More recent are the discoveries of new structures of nuclides far from the valley of stability. A new generation of direct mass measurements which allows the exploration of extended areas of the nuclear mass surface with high accuracy has been opened up with the combination of the Experimental Storage Ring ESR and the FRragment Separator FRS at GSI Darmstadt. In-flight separated nuclei are stored in the ring. Their masses are directly determined from the revolution frequency. Dependent on the half-life two complementary methods are applied. Schottky Mass Spectrometry SMS relies on the measurement of the revolution frequency of electron cooled stored ions. The cooling time determines the lower half-life limit to the order of seconds. For Isochronous Mass Spectrometry IMS the ring is operated in an isochronous ion-optical mode. The revolution frequency of the individual ions coasting in the ring is measured using a time-of-flight method. Nuclides with lifetimes down to microseconds become accessible. With SMS masses of several hundreds nuclides have been measured simultaneously with an accuracy in the 2 x 10(-7)-range. This high accuracy and the ability to study large areas of the mass surface are ideal tools to discover new nuclear structure properties and to guide improvements for theoretical mass models. In addition, nuclear half-lives of stored bare and highly charged ions have been measured. This new experimental development is a significant progress since nuclear decay characteristics are mostly known for neutral atoms. For bare and highly charged ions new nuclear decay modes become possible, such as bound-state beta decay. Dramatic changes in the nuclear lifetime have been observed in highly charged ions compared to neutral atoms due to blocking of nuclear decay channels caused by the modified atomic interaction. High ionization degrees prevail in hot stellar matter and thus these experiments have great relevance for the understanding of the synthesis of elements in the universe and astrophysical scenarios in general.