23-Jun-2023: Joha rice -- the Nutraceutical of choice in diabetes management
Joha rice, aromatic rice cultivated in the Northeastern region of India is effective in lowering the blood glucose and preventing diabetes onset and hence is an effective nutraceutical of choice in diabetes management.
Joha is a short-grain winter paddy known for its significant aroma and noteworthy taste. The traditional claims are that the consumers of Joha rice have low incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but these needed scientific validation.
Towards that direction, scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology explored the nutraceutical properties of aromatic Joha rice. Rajlakshmi Devi along with Paramita Choudhury in their research explored the nutraceutical properties of aromatic Joha rice. Through in vitro laboratory analysis, they detected two unsaturated fatty acids viz., linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acid. These essential fatty acids (which human cannot produce) can help maintain various physiological conditions. Omega-3 fatty acid prevents several metabolic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Joha has also proved to be effective in lowering the blood glucose and preventing diabetes onset in diabetic rats.
The researchers also found that scented Joha rice has a more balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in comparison to the widely consumed non-scented variety. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of required by human beings for maintaining the proper diet is around one. They have used this Joha rice to make rice bran oil, a patented product that they claim to be effective in diabetes management.
Besides, Joha rice is also rich in several antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolics. Some of the reported bioactive compounds are oryzanol, ferulic acid, tocotrienol, caffeic acid, catechuic acid, gallic acid, tricin, and so on, each with reported antioxidant, hypoglycaemic and cardio-protective effects.
13-Jun-2023: Indian Drugs Controller approves first indigenously developed animal-derived tissue engineering scaffold for healing skin wounds with minimum scarring
The first indigenously developed tissue engineering scaffold from mammalian organs, an animal-derived Class D Biomedical Device that can rapidly heal skin wounds at low-cost with minimum scarring, has received approval from the Indian Drugs Controller.
With this, the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), became the first institution in the country to develop Class D medical devices that satisfy all statutory requirements of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Government of India.
21-Apr-2023: Scientists fabricate protein that can help study diseases like multiple sclerosis
Scientists have fabricated monolayers of pure myelin basic protein (MBP), a major protein component of myelin sheath, which is a protective membrane that wraps around the axon of nerve cells and acts as a model protein in studying diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).
MBP helps in compactification of the myelin sheath, and the fabricated tailored monolayers can give an in-depth understanding of the role of MBP in forming multi-lamellar myelin sheath structure as well as preserving the integrity, stability, and compactness of the sheath.
A research group from physical sciences division of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati, an autonomous institute of North-East India under the Department of Science and Technology, used a technique called the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique to form monolayers of pure myelin basic protein at the air-water and air-solid interfaces.
This research group is led by Dr. Sarathi Kundu, Associate Professor, along with Mr. Raktim J. Sarmah, a Senior Research Fellow, have explained the mechanism of formation of MBP while tracking the stability and rigidity of the protein films by tuning the subphase pH conditions. The reversible nature of the molecules confirms the flexibility of the films with respect to the pH conditions.
The behaviour of the protein under variable pH conditions were investigated from different areas of the monolayer formed at the air-water interface. The rigidity of the monolayers were correlated with the specific domains formed and the area occupied by the domains on the water surface.
The closely packed MBP layer formed at the air-water and also on solid surfaces fabricated by the LB method will be helpful in studying different chemical and physical properties in 2D in the vicinity of protein environment. The deposited LB films of MBP may also be considered as protein nanotemplates to crystallize proteins of interest.