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Biomedical subjects

U Mehta

Publications and source records attributed to U Mehta.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Effect of Callosobruchus chinensis (Bruchid) infestation on antinutritional factors in stored legumes.

Effect of bruchid infestation on selected antinutritional factors, saponin, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor activities, of three (mung bean, chickpea and pigeon pea) legumes stored for six months was studied. The three antinutritional factors, saponin, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), increased with increased storage period. Saponin, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor activity values were significantly lower in control samples compared to stored infested samples. The difference between the contents of antinutritional factors were significant (p < 0.05) during different storage periods.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Regulation of male fertility by pyrimethamine in adult mice.

Studies were carried out to determine the antifertility and reversibility effect of pyrimethamine (PYR) in adult male mice. The parameters mainly included sperm count and motility, fertility, histoarchitecture of testis and testicular cell kinetics quantitatively following oral administration of PYR (50 mg/kg body weight per day) for 30 days. The same parameters were also studied in PYR-treated animals which were allowed to recover for 45 days (recovery group). The results suggest that sperm motility as well as counts were significantly decreased in PYR-treated animals, and the fertility rate fell to zero. Testicular histology as well as germ cell kinetics were altered. However, in the animals of the recovery group, all the parameters studied were more or less similar to those of control animals. The study demonstrates the antifertility as well as reversible efficacy of PYR.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

alpha-Glucosidase activity in the rat epididymis under different physiological conditions.

The estimation of alpha-glucosidase activity in semen is widely used as a marker of epididymal function. In the present studies, glucosidase activity was evaluated in the different segments of the rat epididymis under various physiological conditions. In addition, the effect of two known male antifertility agents, gossypol and alpha-chlorohydrin, on enzyme activity was evaluated. Enzyme activity was absent from the epididymis of rats aged 10 and 20 days but became detectable at 30 days of age when the adult pattern of distribution (highest activity in the caput epididymis) was established. Enzyme activity was reduced significantly in all segments of the epididymis at 7 days after castration and a significant decrease in activity was also observed following the administration of either gossypol or alpha-chlorohydrin. These findings are consistent with a role for alpha-glucosidase in sperm maturation in the epididymis.

Aging↗
PubMed1997

Effect of diet induced hypercholesterolemia and selenium supplementation on nitric oxide synthase activity.

The aim of the present study was to examine the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS, EC 1.14.23) in plasma of high fat diet (HFD, 2% cholesterol and 100 g table butter/kg diet) and HFD + selenium (Se, 1 ppm as sodium selenite) fed rabbits for three months. Significant increase in the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in HFD fed group was observed. The activity of NOS also increased very significantly. However in Se supplemented animals, there was a significant reduction in serum cholesterol as well as in plasma NOS activity relative to HFD fed animals. It is concluded that the protective effect of Se on HFD induced NOS activity acts probably through its antioxidant/inhibitory action.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Effect of Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) on carbohydrate content of chickpea, green gram and pigeon pea.

Effect of Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) infestation was seen on the carbohydrate and dietary fibre content of chickpea, green gram and pigeon pea at 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 per cent levels of infestation. With increase in level of infestation energy, starch, total sugars and non-reducing sugars decreased, whereas significant increase in the reducing sugars, crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin was observed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Culture, drug abuse and some reflections on the family.

The authors recently completed a set of monographs on culture and drug use and abuse in a tribal district in Gujarat in western India where changes have occurred in alcohol consumption, two districts in Karnataka in south India where widespread use of cannabis is prevalent, six districts of Gujarat where extensive opium drinking is common, and also on the drug abuse situation in Goa, Delhi and Bombay. On the basis of those studies, the authors call for decentralized planning and a review of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, and they critique some of the dominant practices in contemporary prevention and rehabilitation of addicts. The role of the family is examined as a socialization institution for transmittal of culture. The limits posed by patriarchy on the extent to which the family can be an agent of primary or secondary prevention of drug use and abuse are indicated.

Culture↗
PubMed1993

Effect of oil treatments on the levels of antinutritional factors in Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) infested stored pulses.

Coconut, groundnut and mustard oil treated whole red gram, green gram and bengal gram were infested with Callosobruchus chinensis (L.), stored for 6 months, and observed at monthly intervals for antinutritional factors (phytic acid, trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) and saponins). The values of phytic acid and TIA of treated and untreated pulses were similar at month one. The saponin content of green gram and Bengal gram were, however, higher in control than the oil treated pulses at month one. From month two to six the untreated controls had progressively more antinutrients than their oil treated counterparts. In mustard and groundnut oil treated pulses, the antinutrients remained static for 6 months, however, coconut oil treated pulse had increased antinutrients from end of month four onwards. The storage period was associated with the level of insect infestation which in turn influenced the antinutrient contents of pulses.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Utilization of beta-carotene from Spirulina platensis by rats.

The availability of beta-carotene from Spirulina as compared to standard all trans beta-carotene was studied by the liver and kidney vitamin A storage method. After 21 days of vitamin A depletion, the rats were repleted with beta-carotene from Spirulina and a standard source at two dietary levels (60 and 120 micrograms/day) for a 10 day period. At lower levels, the liver storage levels of vitamin A and the percent of beta-carotene absorption were comparable to those of the standard. At higher levels both these parameters of the Spirulina fed group were significantly (P < 0.01) inferior to the standard source fed group. However, the Spirulina fed group showed better (P < 0.05) growth than the standard fed group did at both low and high levels of feeding.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effect of supplementation of blue green alga (Spirulina) on outcome of pregnancy in rats.

To study the supplementary effect of Spirulina, pregnant rats were fed 5 different kinds of diets (casein, Spirulina, wheat gluten, Spirulina + wheat gluten, Spirulina-without additional vitamins and minerals), each providing 22% protein during the period of pregnancy. The outcome of pregnancy was assessed from litter and dams' weight and litter size. Maternal weight gain was found to be maximum with Spirulina + wheat gluten and least with the wheat gluten diet. Rats receiving Spirulina containing diets produced significantly (p < 0.05) higher litter size than those receiving casein and wheat gluten. In spite of having higher litter size, Spirulina containing diet groups produced pups with birth weights comparable to those of casein. Spirulina appears to be a good dietary supplement during pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Antinutritional factors in pulses as influenced by different levels of Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Bruchids) infestation.

Influence of six (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60%) levels of bruchids infestation on the contents of selected antinutritional factors-phytic acid, saponins, trypsin inhibitors activity (TIA) of three (chickpea, red gram, and green gram) pulses was studied. Comparisons of infested samples were made with uninfested controls of each pulse. The three antinutritional factors viz TIA, phytic acid and saponins were found to increase with the increase in the level of infestation. All the control pulse values of the phytic acid, saponins and TIA were significantly lower than those of the infested samples. Barring a few exceptions, the differences in the contents of antinutritional factors in pulses infested at different levels were significant (P < 0.05).

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Protein quality of chickpea (Cicer arietenum) with different grades of Callosobruchus chinensis L. infestation.

The chickpea was infested at 20, 40, and 60% levels by Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Bruchids) and its protein quality was evaluated in comparison with that of uninfested chickpea and casein protein. The protein quality parameters used were protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein utilization (NPU), apparent protein digestibility (APD), true protein digestibility (TPD), biological value (BV) and net protein ratio (NPR). The proximate composition was also determined. The PER, BV, NPU, APD, TPD, NPR and nitrogen retention of casein protein was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than all the pulse proteins. The values for all these proteins for uninfested control were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the three infested pulse proteins. Within the infestation levels the nitrogen retention, APD, TPD, BV and NPR of the 20 and 40% infestation levels were similar. However, the NPU of proteins at all infestation levels differed significantly (p < 0.05). It may be concluded that, in general, an increase in the infestation levels by bruchids leads to a deterioration in the protein quality of chickpea.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Iron status and growth of rats fed different dietary iron sources.

The present study was carried out to investigate the availability of iron from spirulina, whole wheat, whole egg and standard ferrous sulphate in terms of haemoglobin formation, serum and tissue iron levels. Male albino Wistar rats were first depleted of iron by giving low-iron diet (9 ppm) and bleeding 1-2 ml blood at weekly intervals for a period of 21 days. The anaemic rats were repleted with iron sources at a level of 35 ppm for 21 days. Rats receiving whole egg gained significantly (p < 0.01) higher weight than the rest of the three groups. The increase in haemoglobin was significantly higher with ferrous sulphate than with whole wheat (p < 0.05), spirulina and whole egg (p < 0.01). Feeding of ferrous sulphate, whole egg and spirulina produced significantly higher tissue iron levels than feeding of whole wheat. Thus, availability of iron from spirulina and whole egg were found to be comparable to that of the standard.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Iron bioavailability from Spirulina platensis, whole egg and whole wheat.

Bioavailability of iron from Spirulina was assessed in comparison with whole egg, whole wheat and standard ferrous sulphate using haemoglobin depletion repletion assay. Haemoglobin regeneration efficiency of Spirulina and whole egg was similar and significantly higher than that of whole wheat. The absorption of iron from Spirulina was significantly lower than that of ferrous sulphate and whole egg but significantly greater than that from whole wheat.

Absorption↗
PubMed1991

Nature of aortic smooth muscle cellular activity induced by cholesterol incorporation through an LDL-receptor-independent pathway: preventive role of trifluoperazine on such activity.

The present study was addressed to understand two specific issues: (a) whether atherogenic activity of smooth muscle cells could be initiated by incorporating cholesterol within their membranes through a LDL-receptor-independent pathway; and (b) whether trifluoperazine, which we had recently shown to prevent the cholesterol-induced atherogenesis in an experimental animal model system, could prevent such activity of these cells induced by cholesterol in vitro. The results of such a study revealed that trifluoperazine could prevent the cholesterol-induced stimulation of (a) DNA synthesis, (b) cholesterol synthesis, (c) intracellular cGMP levels, (d) intracellular free and esterified cholesterol accumulation, and (e) collagen secretion. Furthermore, the drug caused stimulation of cholesterol-induced suppression of LDL-receptor synthesis. On this basis, we suggest that acquisition of cholesterol by smooth muscle cells through the LDL-receptor-independent pathway may be the fundamental process responsible for atherogenic activity of these cells and that the drug trifluoperazine has the inherent capacity to prevent the membrane-cholesterol-modulated atherogenic activity of smooth muscle cells in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effect of trifluoperazine on DNA and LDL-receptor synthesis in smooth muscle cells exposed to hypercholesterolemic medium in vitro.

We recently demonstrated that calmodulin and/or protein kinase C may play a crucial role in cholesterol-induced atherogenesis in experimental animal model system. The present study, which was undertaken to elucidate the effect of trifluoperazine (known as a potent inhibitor of calmodulin and protein kinase C) on DNA and LDL-receptor synthesis of aortic smooth muscle cells exposed to hypercholesterolemic medium, revealed that (a) trifluoperazine at a concentration of 25 microM caused an approximately threefold increase in the [35S]methionine-incorporated LDL-receptor protein as compared with values found in control cells; (b) the drug at concentrations greater than or equal to 0.1 microM caused inhibition of DNA synthesis as compared with values found in control cells. These results demonstrate that the preventive effect of trifluoperazine on the atherogenic activity of smooth muscle cells may be due to its ability to increase LDL-receptors synthesis as well as concomitant inhibitory action on DNA synthesis of smooth muscle cells exposed to hypercholesterolemic medium.

Animals↗