bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFICACY OF MOMETASONE AND FLUTICASONE NASAL SPRAYS FOR TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC RHINITIS
Authors: Mirmoezzi Mahshid Sadat , Yazdi Mohammad Shurideh , Gholami Omid
Published: March 2017

Objective: Allergic rhinitis is the most prevalent of allergic diseases in the world. Nasal corticosteroids are the most applicable drugs for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In this study, we compared the efficacy of fluticasone propionate (FP) and mometasone furoate (MF) nasal sprays in the treatment of allergic rhinitis based on total nasal symptom score (TNSS) questionnaire.Methods: For this study, 75 allergic rhinitis patients based on skin prick test and inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to two groups: FP and MF groups. FP group received 200 µg dose of FP nasal spray (1 spray/nostril) daily and the MF group received 100 mg dose of MF nasal spray (1 spray/nostril) daily for 8 w. The effects of the two agents were compared based on TNSS questionnaire in 0, 4 and 8 w after the beginning of the treatment.Results: Results showed that patients in both groups exhibited significant improvement in their TNSS (P Value<0.001). A detailed TNSS analysis showed MF to be more effective for relieving all symptoms than FP. The most difference is in decreasing postnasal discharge (PND) symptom. However, the difference for relieving all symptoms is not significant (P value>0.05).Conclusion: In conclusion, FP and MF are significantly effective in relieving of allergic rhinitis symptoms. Even though, the difference between the two is not significant for 8 w therapy.
EVALUATION OF ANTI-OBESITY ACTIVITY OF SOLASODINE IN HIGH FAT DIET-INDUCED OBESITY IN RAT
Authors: Khaserao Satish , Somani Rahul
Published: March 2017

Objective: This study was planned to study the anti-obesity activities of solasodine on high fat (HF) diet-induced obese rats.Methods: Wistar rats were divided into six groups. Control group (Group 1) received normal diet and 0.5 % CMC (5 ml/kg). HF control group (Group 2) received HF diet. Group 3 received orlistat (25 mg/kg body weight per oral). Group 4, 5 and 6 received 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight solasodine respectively. Treatment was given for 6 w to the respective group along with HF diet. Body weight, food intake and abdomen circumference was measured every week for 6 w. On day 42, the serum biochemical parameters like blood glucose and insulin, serum leptin, total cholesterol and triglyceride were evaluated. Animals were sacrificed with overdose of diethyl ether. The liver and retroperitoneal adipose tissues were removed and weighed immediately.Results: Treatment with solasodine at dose of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg significantly (p<0.001) reduced body weight, abdomen circumference and retroperitoneal adipose tissue weight as compared to the HF diet control group. Solasodine also significantly reduced serum total cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose level as compared to HF diet control group (***p<0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05 when compared with normal control. ###p<0.001, #p<0.05 when compared with high fat control). In addition, it also inhibited the induction of fatty liver with accumulation of hepatic triglyceride.Conclusion: Solasodine exhibited anti-obesity effect by showing a reduction in body weight, abdomen circumference, total cholesterol level, triglyceride level and glucose level in high-fat diet fed rats.
PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES AND GC-MS ANALYSIS OF SPERMADICTYON SUAVEOLENS ROXB
Authors: Papitha Ruthiran , Ravi Lokesh , Selvaraj Chinnadurai Immanuel
Published: March 2017

Objective: The present study was performed to identify the phytochemical constituents of leaves and flowers of a plant Spermadictyon suaveolens extracted with four different solvents.Methods: Dried and powdered samples were subjected to soxhlation based on the polarity of the solvents. The extracts were scanned using Ultra Violet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry with the wavelength ranging from 200–800 nm by comparing the absorption spectrum with the spectra of known compounds, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry was used to find out the functional groups of the compounds and GC-MS system consisting of a Perkin Elmer Technologies Model Clarus 680 GC equipped with Clarus 600 (EI) was used to identify the metabolites by matching their recorded mass spectra with the standard mass spectra from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST05. LIB) libraries provided by the software of the GCMS system (TurboMass version 5.4.2).Results: The phytochemical tests indicated the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins and terpenoids from the chloroform extract of leaves and flowers. UV-visible spectrophotometer results indicated a wavelength range between 230–660 nm for the flower and leaf extracts for major peaks. FT-IR analysis indicated major functional groups such as aromatic, primary, secondary and aliphatic amines, alkanes, carboxylic acids and amides. GC-MS analysis results revealed major bioactive compounds in the crude extracts.Conclusion: Presence of secondary metabolites has been identified from the phytochemical studies. Many phyto-compounds have been identified from the leaves and flowers of using GC-MS analysis. Hence, this medicinal plant may be used as a source for treating many diseases.
BIOANALYTICAL METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SOFOSBUVIR FROM HUMAN PLASMA
Authors: Madhavi S. , Rani A. Prameela
Published: March 2017

Objective: This study points to build up and validate a simple methodology to quantify the most used drug sofosbuvir for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, in human plasma by using atazanavir as an Internal Standard (IS) for preclinical studies and validate as per USFDA guidelines.Methods: Sofosbuvir was isolated from plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction method using acetonitrile; good chromatographic separation was achieved on Kromasil Column (250 mm ×4.6 mm, 5 µm). The mobile phase consisted of 0.1 % orthophosphoric acid (OPA) buffer pH 2 and acetonitrile in the ratio of (68:32, v/v), respectively. The analysis time was 7 min at a flow rate 1 ml/min. The photodiode array detector (PDA) detection was carried out at 228 nm. The suggested method was validated by performing linearity, system suitability, specificity and sensitivity, accuracy and precision, recovery, ruggedness, stability studies. The method was validated as per USFDA guidelines.Results: The developed method resulted in retention times of sofosbuvir and IS were found out to be 4.7 and 4.2 min respectively. The calibration curves are linear (r2 = 0.999) over the concentration range of 0.050-2.0 µg/ml of plasma analytes concentration. LOQ value was found to be 0.050 µg/ml with precision and accuracy. Within-batch % mean accuracy of the method ranged between 96.00% and 109.09%, and within-batch and total precision, expressed as the coefficient of variation, was 1.40–10.33%. Overall percentage mean recovery of sofosbuvir from spiked plasma was 84.14%. All the validated parameters were found to be within the limit.Conclusion: A simple, accurate, precise, linear, rugged and rapid RP-HPLC method was developed for quantitative estimation of sofosbuvir in human plasma and should be suitable for conducting pharmacokinetics studies and therapeutic drug monitoring.
PATTERN OF ANTIBIOTICS UTILIZATION IN NEONATAL SEPTICEMIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY FROM RURAL TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL WESTERN MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
Authors: R. Shinde A. , V. Mohite R. , V. Shinde R.
Published: March 2017

Objective: To assess the quantification of use of antibiotics and to find out empiric antibiotic regimen practiced for neonatal sepsis in rural tertiary health care centre.Methods: A hospital, record based cross-sectional study was conducted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NICU) at tertiary care hospital located in western Maharashtra, India. The study was planned during the year 2011-12 among 84 neonates with sepsis. Data were collected by using proforma includes demographic details, antibiotic prescriptions and relevant information.Results: Among the total 84 neonates, max, 60.71% had a history of term delivery. The proportion of early and late onset of sepsis was 47.61% and 52.38% for which total 18 antibiotics were used of which max, 88.88% were injectables. Amikacin was used in max, 78.57% neonates followed by cefotaxime, 45.23% and ampicillin, 35.71% in single or combination form respectively. Amikacin was used for max; 929 d followed by cefotaxime, 523 d and ampicillin 331 d respectively. Antibiotics used in single, double and multiple regimens were 19.04%, 46.42% and 34.52% respectively. Empiric antibiotic regimens practiced were cefotaxim+amikacin and cefotaxim+ampicillin, of which max, 80% patients were treated with the cefotaxim+amikacin antibiotic regimen. Out of 84 neonates max, 70% were improved at the time of discharge.Conclusion: Neonatal sepsis was well treated by cefotaxim+amikacin empirical injectable regimen with maximum survival.
STABILITY INDICATING RP-HPLC METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF VILDAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN IN PHARMACEUTICAL DOSAGE FORM
Authors: Jayaprakash Ramesh , Natesan Senthil Kumar
Published: March 2017

Objective: The present study was aimed to develop a rapid, accurate, linear, sensitive and validate stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatographic [RP-HPLC] method for determination of vildagliptin and metformin in pharmaceutical dosage form.Methods: The chromatographic separation was performed on kromasil-C18 column [4.5 x 250 mm; 5 µm] using a mobile phase consisting of 0.05 mmol potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer: acetonitrile [80:20 v/v], [pH adjusted to 3.5 using orthophosphoric acid]. The flow rate is 0.9 ml/min and the detection was carried out at 263 nm.Results: The chromatographic condition, the peak retention time of metformin and vildagliptin were found to be 2.215 min and 2.600 min respectively. Stress testing was performed in accordance with an international conference on harmonization [ICH] Q1A R2 guidelines. The method was validated as per ICH Q2 R1 guidelines. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the concentration range of 5-17.5 µg/ml and 50-175 µg/ml for vildagliptin and metformin. The limit of detection and quantification was found to be 0.0182 µg/ml and 0.0553 µg/ml for vildagliptin and 0.4451 µg/ml and 1.3490 µg/ml for metformin respectively.Conclusion: A new sensitive, simple and stability indicating reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography [RP-HPLC] method has been developed and validated for the determination of vildagliptin and metformin. The proposed method can be used for routine determination of vildagliptin and metformin.
SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION AND DOCKING OF SOME NOVEL SUBSTITUTED 1, 3-THIAZINE DERIVATIVES
Authors: Bairam Ravindar , Muppavarapu Srinivasa Murthy , Sreekanth Sivan
Published: March 2017

Objective: Chalcones and their heterocyclic analogs represent an important class of small molecules which have a wide range of pharmacological activities. Therefore, in this study, synthesis and anticonvulsant and antimicrobial activities of some new 1, 3-thiazines have been extensively discussed.Methods: The reaction mixture of 4-tert-butylcyclohexanone on Claisen-Schmidt condensation with various aromatic aldehydes in the presence of dilute sodium hydroxide afforded the corresponding chalcones. Further, these compounds were subjected to cocondensation with thiourea, in the presence of isopropanol, catalyzed by aqueous potassium hydroxide to form 4-aryl 8-arylidene-5, 6-dihydro-2-imino-6-methyl-4H, 7H-(1, 3) benzothiazines. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds have been established on the basis of their spectral analysis. The newly synthesized compounds have been tested for their biological screening. Antimicrobial activity by cup plate agar diffusion method and antiepileptic activity by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures model, using diphenyl hydantain as standard, and also they are subjected to molecular properties prediction, toxicity, drug-likeness, lipophilicity and solubility parameters determination were done by using Osiris program, Molsoft, Prototox and ALOGPS 2.1 software. The binding mode of the synthesized compounds with active protein site has been predicted using docking method.Results: Most of the compounds have shown good anticonvulsant as well as antimicrobial activities, but it is less than the standard drugs. 1, 3-thiazines derivatives were more potent, and among them, compounds TB5 andTB7 were the most active compounds in these series; TB5 whichcontains isopropyl phenyl moiety, was shown moderate potent activity with onset of convulsion at 14.1 min and TB7 containing 3, 4, 5-trimethoxyphenyl substituents on the thiazine moiety was more potent as it has prolonged the onset of convulsions by 18.7 min. Whereas in the case of antimicrobial activity of the compounds, from the results we have observed that TB5 have been shown greatest antimicrobial activity in all the bacterial and fungal strains, TB2 also shown superior activity, the others have been shown good antimicrobial activity.Conclusion: According to the activity studies, it is observed that the synthesis and antimicrobial as well as anticonvulsant activities of novel 1, 3-thiazine derivatives have been shown better activity. Moreover molecular docking results give an insight into how further modification of the lead compound can be carried out for higher inhibitory activity. In particular, compounds with electron withdrawing substituents along with lipophilic methoxyl and isopropyl groups were more potent.
PRODUCTION OF ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTICANCER FOM FEATHER-KERATINOLYTIC NOCARDIOPSIS SP. 28ROR AS A NOVEL STRAIN USING FEATHER MEAL MEDIUM
Authors: Omran Rabab
Published: March 2017

Objective: Production of bioactive secondary metabolites from a feather-degrading actinobacterial species using feather meal medium. Methods: Protease producer actinobacterial isolates (22) recovered from farm soil, poultry farm soil and feather wastes were used to test the antagonistic effect on pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophyte using Mueller-Hinton agar and potato dextrose agar (PDA) media. The best isolate was used to produce the active metabolites in feather meal medium composed from (g/l) 10 feather meal, 5 sucrose and 0.3 l cement extract were dissolved in tap water, in addition to the standard medium composting of (g/l) glucose (1%), tryptone (1%), KH2PO4 (0.07%) and K2HPO4 (0.14%) were dissolved in distilled water, both of them at initial pH 9. The secondary metabolites were partially purified by Sephadex LH20 column and the antimicrobial activity and cytotoxic activity were assayed.Results: 31.82% of isolates inhibited the growth of both bacterial and fungal test organisms and the best one was Nocardiopsis sp. 28ROR (GenBank: KC702802.1) at a significant level P˂ 0.05. It produced bioactive metabolites in both feather meal broth and the standard media. The partially purified metabolites inhibit the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 (51%) and normal hepatic cell line WRL-68 (9%), in addition to inhibiting S. aureus andTrichophyton menta agrophyte growth.Conclusion: The actinobacteria has vast abilities to degrade very complex wastes and converted to simple constituents to reprocess in other industries. So the Nocardiopsis sp. 28ROR was a novel strain produced anticancer, antimicrobial substances using feather meal medium as a cheap waste medium.
ALTERATION IN CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM BY SUB-ACUTE LEAD EXPOSURE: A DOSE-DEPENDENT STUDY
Authors: Das Pritha , Pal Sudipta
Published: March 2017

Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of sub-acute lead exposure on certain aspects of carbohydrate metabolism.Methods: Swiss albino male mice (weighing 30-35 g) were selected for the present study and divided into five groups; one control group and others lead-treated groups i.e. Group A (5 mg/kg body weight), Group B (10 mg/kg body weight), Group C (15 mg/kg body weight) and Group D (20 mg/kg body weight). Parameters like blood and liver glucose, glycogen and pyruvic acid contents were determined in liver tissue. The enzyme activities like pyruvate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and glucose 6-phosphatase were recorded in that tissue. Additionally, free amino acid nitrogen content and transaminase enzyme activities were also evaluated in liver tissue of mice.Results: The study reveals that lead caused a significant diminution of blood and hepatic glucose levels and fall in liver glycogen content in a dose-dependent manner, the highest effect was observed in animals treated with lead at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight. Glucose 6-phosphatase activity was decreased significantly in all the treated groups. There was a dose-dependent increase in pyruvic acid content whereas pyruvate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and transaminase enzyme activities were significantly depressed in a dose-dependent fashion in all the treated animals. Additionally, lead treatment significantly (p<0.001) enhanced free amino acid nitrogen in the liver to provide a substrate for gluconeogenesis.Conclusion: It is suggested that an adaptive mechanism is initiated by stimulating and retarding glycogenolytic and glycolytic activity and also by rising in the content of free amino acid nitrogen to recover from the lead stressed toxic manifestation
EPILEPSY AND ORAL HORMONAL CONTRACEPTION-INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Hebbar Shripad
Published: March 2017

There are about 50 million people with epilepsy in the world and a quarter of them are in the reproductive age group. India alone contributes to 10% of this fig. Because of the advances in therapeutic drugs, the women affected with epilepsy easily enter into reproductive life. These women like others are highly fertile and frequently need to adopt effective and safe contraceptive measures to avoid unplanned pregnancy. There are several concerns regarding the efficacy and safety of natural methods or barrier methods in women who are taking antiepileptic drugs (AED), failure of which poses a great risk to the affected person because pregnancy can result in exposure of fetus to the teratogenic effect of AEDs and also the hemodynamic changes in pregnancy can lower the plasma concentrations of AED and there can be poor seizure control. Oral hormonal pills are prescribed to epileptic women, not only for birth control but also in certain situations such as polycystic ovaries, irregular menstruation, acne and dysfunctional uterine bleeding. There are major bidirectional interactions between reproductive hormones and antiepileptic drugs which the physician should be aware of while dealing with these women. There are now enough evidence that oral contraceptive pills can reduce the efficacy of AEDs by affecting their metabolism and also AEDs by themselves may affect the contraceptive efficacy of oral pills by different pathways. Though estrogen free hormonal contraception is least likely to be effected by this nature of drug interaction, but still caution should be exercised in drug prescription as progesterone by itself has a lesser contraceptive effect and hence even slighted drug interaction too can lead to contraceptive failure. This extensive review focusses upon potential drug interactions between constituents of various oral pills and anti-epileptic drugs, the formulations available in India with different dosages for oestrogen and newer progestogens with their advantages with a special note on ormeloxifene which is exclusively marketed for birth control in Rural India. Special conditions such as contraception during lactation and emergency contraception for epileptic women are also discussed
Enhanced Crawler with Multiple Search Techniques using Adaptive Link-Ranking and Pre-Query Processing
Authors: Gaikwad Suchetadevi M. , Thakare Sanjay B.
Published: March 2017

As deep web enlarges; there has been increased interest in methods which help efficiently trace deep-web interfaces. However, because of huge volume and varying nature of deep-web, achieving wide coverage and high efficiency is difficult issue. We proposed a three stage framework, an Enhanced Crawler, for efficiently gathering deep web interfaces. In first stage, enhanced crawler performs site based searching of center pages using automated search engines, avoiding visiting an oversized variety of pages and consuming time. In second stage, enhanced crawler achieves quick in site browsing by fetching most relevant links with associate degree of reconciling link ranking. For further enhancement, our system ranks and priorities websites and also uses a link tree data structure to achieve deep coverage. In third stage, our system provides pre-query processing mechanism so as to help users to write their search query easily by providing char by char keyword search with ranked indexing.
Security based on Received Signal Strength in Localization for Underwater Sensor Networks
Authors: Kaur Karamjeet , Singh Sekhon Gianetan
Published: March 2017

Underwater sensor networks are envisioned to enable a broad category of underwater applications such as pollution tracking, offshore exploration, and oil spilling. Such applications require precise location information as otherwise the sensed data might be meaningless. On the other hand, security critical issue as underwater sensor networks are typically deployed in harsh environments. Localization is one of the latest research subjects in UWSNs since many useful applying UWSNs, e.g., event detecting. Now day’s large number of localization methods arrived for UWSNs. However, few of them take place stability or security criteria. In purposed work taking up localization in underwater such that various wireless sensor nodes get localize to each other. RSS based localization technique used remove malicious nodes from the communication intermediate node list based on RSS threshold value. Purposed algorithm improves more throughput and less end to end delay without degrading energy dissipation at each node. The simulation is conducted in MATLAB and it suggests optimal result as comparison of end to end delay with and without malicious node.
Role of DNA Methylation in Type 2 Diabetes Etiology: Using Genotype as a Causal Anchor
Authors: Elliott Hannah R. , Shihab Hashem A. , Lockett Gabrielle A. , Holloway John W. , McRae Allan F. , Smith George Davey , Ring Susan M. , Gaunt Tom R. , Relton Caroline L.
Published: March 2017

Several studies have investigated the relationship between genetic variation and DNA methylation with respect to type 2 diabetes, but it is unknown if DNA methylation is a mediator in the disease pathway or if it is altered in response to disease state. This study uses genotypic information as a causal anchor to help decipher the likely role of DNA methylation measured in peripheral blood in the etiology of type 2 diabetes. Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip data were generated on 1,018 young individuals from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. In stage 1, 118 unique associations between published type 2 diabetes single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genome-wide methylation (methylation quantitative trait loci [mQTLs]) were identified. In stage 2, a further 226 mQTLs were identified between 202 additional independent non–type 2 diabetes SNPs and CpGs identified in stage 1. Where possible, associations were replicated in independent cohorts of similar age. We discovered that around half of known type 2 diabetes SNPs are associated with variation in DNA methylation and postulated that methylation could either be on a causal pathway to future disease or could be a noncausal biomarker. For one locus (KCNQ1), we were able to provide further evidence that methylation is likely to be on the causal pathway to disease in later life.
Cotransplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells With Neonatal Porcine Islets Improve Graft Function in Diabetic Mice
Authors: Hayward Julie A. , Ellis Cara E. , Seeberger Karen , Lee Timothy , Salama Bassem , Mulet-Sierra Aillette , Kuppan Purushothaman , Adesida Adetola , Korbutt Gregory S.
Published: March 2017

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess immunoregulatory, anti-inflammatory, and proangiogenic properties and, therefore, have the potential to improve islet engraftment and survival. We assessed the effect human bone marrow–derived MSCs have on neonatal porcine islets (NPIs) in vitro and determined islet engraftment and metabolic outcomes when cotransplanted in a mouse model. NPIs cocultured with MSCs had greater cellular insulin content and increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. NPIs were cotransplanted with or without MSCs in diabetic B6.129S7-Rag1tm1Mom/J mice. Blood glucose and weight were monitored until reversal of diabetes; mice were then given an oral glucose tolerance test. Islet grafts were assessed for the degree of vascularization and total cellular insulin content. Cotransplantation of NPIs and MSCs resulted in significantly earlier normoglycemia and vascularization, improved glucose tolerance, and increased insulin content. One experiment conducted with MSCs from a donor with an autoimmune disorder had no positive effects on transplant outcomes. Cotransplantation of human MSCs with NPIs demonstrated a beneficial metabolic effect likely as a result of earlier islet vascularization and improved islet engraftment. In addition, donor pathology of MSCs can influence the functional capacity of MSCs.
Correcting Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats With an SGLT2 Inhibitor Restores Glucose Effectiveness in the Liver and Reduces Insulin Resistance in Skeletal Muscle
Authors: O’Brien Tracy P. , Jenkins Erin C. , Estes Shanea K. , Castaneda Antonio V. , Ueta Kiichiro , Farmer Tiffany D. , Puglisi Allison E. , Swift Larry L. , Printz Richard L. , Shiota Masakazu
Published: March 2017

Ten-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats at an early stage of diabetes embody metabolic characteristics of obese human patients with type 2 diabetes, such as severe insulin and glucose intolerance in muscle and the liver, excessive postprandial excursion of plasma glucose and insulin, and a loss of metabolic flexibility with decreased lipid oxidation. Metabolic flexibility and glucose flux were examined in ZDF rats during fasting and near-normal postprandial insulinemia and glycemia after correcting excessive postprandial hyperglycemia using treatment with a sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2-I) for 7 days. Preprandial lipid oxidation was normalized, and with fasting, endogenous glucose production (EGP) increased by 30% and endogenous glucose disposal (E-Rd) decreased by 40%. During a postprandial hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp after SGLT2-I treatment, E-Rd increased by normalizing glucose effectiveness to suppress EGP and stimulate hepatic glucose uptake; activation of glucokinase was restored and insulin action was improved, stimulating muscle glucose uptake in association with decreased intracellular triglyceride content. In conclusion, SGLT2-I treatment improves impaired glucose effectiveness in the liver and insulin sensitivity in muscle by eliminating glucotoxicity, which reinstates metabolic flexibility with restored preprandial lipid oxidation and postprandial glucose flux in ZDF rats.
[11C]5-hydroxy-tryptophan PET for Assessment of Islet Mass During Progression of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Carlbom Lina , Espes Daniel , Lubberink Mark , Martinell Mats , Johansson Lars , Ahlström Håkan , Carlsson Per-Ola , Korsgren Olle , Eriksson Olof
Published: March 2017

[11C]5-hydroxy-tryptophan ([11C]5-HTP) positron emission tomography of the pancreas has been shown to be a surrogate imaging biomarker of pancreatic islet mass. The change in islet mass in different stages of type 2 diabetes (T2D) as measured by noninvasive imaging is currently unknown. Here, we describe a cross-sectional study where subjects at different stages of T2D development with expected stratification of pancreatic islet mass were examined in relation to individuals without diabetes. The primary outcome was the [11C]5-HTP uptake and retention in pancreas, as a surrogate marker for the endogenous islet mass. We found that metabolic testing indicated a progressive loss of β-cell function, but this was not mirrored by a decrease in [11C]5-HTP tracer accumulation in the pancreas. This provides evidence of retained islet mass despite decreased β-cell function. The results herein indicate that β-cell dedifferentiation, and not necessarily endocrine cell loss, constitutes a major cause of β-cell failure in T2D.
Influencia de las variedades de maíz (Zea mays L.) de Campeche (México) sobre la ganancia de peso en ratones
Authors: Mex-Álvarez Rafael Manuel de Jesús , Garma-Quen Patricia Margarita
Published: March 2017

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de los extractos de cinco variedades de maíz cultivados en el Estado de Campeche (México) sobre el aumento del peso corporal y la cantidad de alimentos consumidos por ratones albinos machos. Se monitoreó la cantidad de agua bebida, la cantidad de alimento ingerido y el peso corporal de los ratones; tanto el consumo de agua y de alimentos no variaron en los diferentes grupos del estudio, pero el peso corporal ganado por los ratones alimentados con una dieta alta en grasas y tratados con extracto de maíz morado fue significativamente menor (36.32 %) en comparación con el grupo control (48.5 %). Este efecto fue más notorio a partir de la quinta semana del tratamiento, cuando el porcentaje de incremento de peso aumentó más pronunciadamente en los grupos controles.
EDITORIAL: Journalism with integrity
Authors: Bacon Wendy
Published: March 2017

This is the third issue Pacific Journalism Review has published on the theme of investigative journalism in recent years. Our first issue (PJR, 2011) followed the first regional Investigative Journalism conference held at the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology in December 2010. In that issue, we argued that universities and academic journalists have an important role to play in building a culture of investigative reporting in the region. This issue follows up on that suggestion by focusing particularly on investigative journalism produced in an academic context. The second edition followed the ‘Back to the Source’ conference hosted by the Australian Centre for Investigative Journalism (ACIJ) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in September 2011 (PJR, 2012). Since our 2011 issue, pressures on the business model that once sustained high quality investigative journalism have continued to increase. As we go to press, photographers’ jobs at Fairfax media are threatened. Journalists have mobilised to focus public attention on the role of photographers as newsgatherers. Walkley Award-winning Fairfax photographer Kate Geraghty’s picture of asylum seekers holding up their identity cards as they are transported in buses into the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea in 2013 is a reminder of how images recorded by journalists courageous enough to defy official restrictions on media have both humanised and publicised the plight of asylum seekers in our region.
Journalists’ confidential sources: Reform lessons from recent Australian shield law cases
Authors: Fernandez Joseph
Published: March 2017

That journalism, especially journalism delving into serious impropriety, relies heavily upon a journalist’s ability to honour promises of confiden­tiality to sources, and therefore needs protection, has been well acknowledged. Former Attorney-General Philip Ruddock in proposing protec­tion for journalists’ confidential sources—commonly referred to as shield law—in the first such major federal level initiative, said ‘[t]his privilege is an important reform to evidence law’ (Explanatory Memorandum, 2007); and in the circumstances then prevailing ‘the protection of journalists is too important an issue to wait’ (Philip Ruddock, Second Reading Speech, 2007). In one instance the court went so far as to say that the importance of source protection was ‘entirely unexceptionable and in accordance with human experience and common sense’ (Liu, 2010, para 51). Are journal­ists’ confidential sources better protected with the advent of statutory protection in several Australian jurisdictions? The media does not think so (MEAA, 2013). Former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus observed towards the end of his term of office: ‘Recent court proceedings have highlighted the inadequacy of protections for journalists in some jurisdictions and lack of uniformity in laws across Australia’ (Dreyfus, 2013). The current Commonwealth government in relation to national uniform shield law is unclear. The Australian shield law framework beckons reform and recent events indicate some potential reform areas.
FRONTLINE: Journalism practice and critical reflexivity: A death in custody interview
Authors: Mason Bonita
Published: March 2017

Critical reflexivity is a relatively recent strand in journalism studies. It has its advocates, but there are few models. This article offers one possible model, of one moment of practice: an interview with the mother-in-law of an Australian Indigenous woman who died an avoidable death in prison. The critically reflexive approach taken in this research accommodates the individual, social, objective and subjective elements in a practice, and uses the tools provided by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Donald Schön’s work on reflective practice and the reflective practitioner. Together, these approaches provide different but complementary conceptual, ana­lytical, practice-based and narrative tools for making journalism practice, and journalists in the practice, an object of study. Critical reflexivity, by adding an inside perspective, is a valid method by which to add to the range of journalism studies that examine journalism from the outside. Such research allows for an inter-weaving of context, self, relationships, others, theory, history, facts, values and experiences, expanding and enriching our understanding of journalism practice and its place in society.Caption: Figure 1: 'The girl in Cell 4' article opening page of HQ, March/April 1997.
Mind the gap: Health reporting in the Pacific
Authors: Cullen Trevor
Published: March 2017

Previous research on developing health journalism in the Pacific region has encouraged journalists to think outside the box when it comes to reporting health, and to view it as more than just drugs and doctors. Factors such as politics, economics, religion, education, gender inequality and traditional cultural taboos influence health outcomes to varying degrees. This perspec­tive on health provides an extensive list of news and feature stories for the media, and yet, this wider focus on the determinants of health is not what drives health journalism in many Pacific countries. This article uses a case study of press coverage of HIV in Papua New Guinea from 2000 2010 to show how coverage of HIV or other communicable diseases in the Pacific need a much wider frame than that of drugs and doctors.
Content and source analysis of newspaper items about Māori issues: Silencing the ‘natives’ in Aotearoa?
Authors: Abel Sue , Barnes Angela Moewaka , Borell Belinda , Gregory Amanda , McCreanor Tim , McManus Anna-Lyse , Nairn Raymond , Rankine Jenny
Published: March 2017

This article reports on a content analysis of newspaper items from Aotearoa/New Zealand about Māori issues, focusing on level of coverage, topics and sources. Results from analysis of a representative sample of news items from six months over 2007-2008 were compared with two previous pilot studies in 2004 and early 2007. The study found that the mass media covered Māori stories at very low rates, worked a narrow range of topics and prioritised Pākehā sources over Māori, even in articles specifically about Māori issues. The authors sketch an indigenous theory of media news processes and relate these findings to already published thematic and discourse analyses of the materials from the same database to illustrate the roles of mass media coverage in the dynamics of national life in Aotearoa.
NOTED: Lost in translation
Authors: Robie David
Published: March 2017

Reviewed book by Tim HoganNew Zealand media and journalists largely equate the ‘Pacific’ with Polynesia. The focus of reportage and understanding the region begins with the Cook islands and ends with Niue, Samoa and Tonga, with a limited grasp of Fiji. Anything west of Nadi, the Melanesian nations, gains cursory attention and Tahiti Nui (Polynesian) and Kanaky (Melanesian) are all but ignored.
‘Failed’ or resilient subaltern communities? Pacific indigenous social protection systems in a neoliberal world
Authors: Ratuva Steven
Published: March 2017

The notion of failed state is based on culturally, historically and ideologically slanted lenses and tends to rank post-colonial societies at the lower end of the Failed State Index (FSI). Likewise, the Social Protection Index (SPI) uses neoliberal and Western-based variables and tends to disadvantage subaltern post-colonial communities as in the Pacific. This article reverses this trend by arguing for a re-examination of the factors which shape the resilience and adaptability of local communities, something which has always been ignored by mainstream classificatory schemas such as the FSI and SPI. To this end, the article examines the indigenous and local human security and social protection systems in the Pacific and how these provide support mechanisms for community resilience and adaptation in the face of a predatory neoliberal onslaught and globalisation. It focuses on kinship, reciprocity, communal obligation and communal labour as examples of social protection mechanisms in four case studies—Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati and Vanuatu. Of significance here is the role of critical and progressive journalists and media in deconstructing the ideological and cultural bias embedded in these discourses.
Photoessay: Melanesian mythical places with unreported conflicts: A portrait
Authors: Bohane Ben
Published: March 2017

As a photojournalist who has lived and journeyed through the ‘Black Islands’, Vanuatu resident Ben Bohane was drawn to them because they still seemed like mythical and remote places in an increasingly familiar world, while many of their conflicts went largely unreported. There were family connections too. So beginning in 1994, he ran a naval blockade to cover the war in Bougainville and soon found others too, wars the rest of the world had conveniently forgotten: in East Timor, West Papua as well as Bougainville. Then there were riots in New Caledonia, civil war in the Solomon Islands and coups in Fiji. The following is an introductory extract and a portfolio of images from Bohane's 2013 monograph, Black Islands: Spirit and War in Melanesia.Caption: Radio Free Bougainville on the air with ‘Philip’ at the microphone. Central Bougainville, PNG 1994 (p. 157). © BEN BOHANE
Noted: Modern activist journalism
Authors: Ellmers Steve
Published: March 2017

Review of: Censored 2014: Fearless Speech in Fateful Times, by Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth with Project Censored. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2013, 431pp. ISBN 978-1-60980-484-7From its provocative title to its inclusion of contributions from observers like John Pilger, Censored 2014 provides no space for a counter narrative to its criticism of what it calls the corporate or establishment media. Heroes abound but they aren’t The New York Times or CNN. Instead we’re told it’s Bradley Manning, Glen Greenwald or Iceland who deserve praise rather than censure. The project feels there are three main stories which are routinely and deliberately ignored by existing media outlets: climate change, economic inequality and conflicts launched in the name of Empire. This last conclusion is one that goes uncontested even when chapters are devoted to how independent journalists are disparaged as conspiracy theorists by their mainstream rivals if they call attention to false flag terrorism, or demand full investigations into 9/11.
Editorial: Two decades of critical inquiry
Authors: Robie David
Published: March 2017

Pacific Journalism Review is far more than a research journal. As an independent publication, it has given strong support to investigative journalism, socio-political journalism, political economy of the media, photojournalism and political cartooning in its two decades of publishing, which have all been strongly reflected in the character of the journal. It has also been a champion of journalism practice-as-research methodologies and strategies, as reflected especially in its Frontline section, initiated by one of the co-editors of this volume, Wendy Bacon. Barry King and Philip Cass are also co-editors and have been key contributors at various stages. Many people have contributed to developing PJR along the way and I will try to do justice over their roles.Pacific Journalism Review collaborators on board the vaka: From left: Pat Craddock, Chris Nash, Lee Duffield, Trevor Cullen, Philip Cass, Wendy Bacon, Tui O'Sullivan, Shailendra Singh, Del Abcede, Kevin Upton (in cycle crash helmet), and David Robie. Riding the sail: Mark Pearson, Campion Ohasio, Ben Bohane, Allison Oosterman and John Miller. Also: Barry King (on water skis) and the cartoonist, Malcolm Evans, riding a dolphin. © 2014 Malcolm Evans/Pacific Journalism Review
Media freedom in Fiji: Journalism challenges facing Wansolwara, an independent, campus-based newspaper
Authors: Drugunalevu Eliki , Manarae Irene
Published: March 2017

This article is a case study of Wansolwara, the University of the South Pacific (USP) journalism programme student training newspaper. The article compares the outcomes of Wansolwara’s coverage of the 2000 and 2006 Fiji coups in relation to student learning and an alternative media voice in a climate of restrictions. Interviews with student journalists and lecturers involved in the coup coverage indicate that Wansolwara’s status as a campus-based newspaper has been a strategic benefit in filling some gaps in mainstream media reporting, besides providing students with empowering learning experiences. The case study illustrates the importance of an independent, campus-based newspaper somewhat less restrained by commercial pressures and less exposed to direct state coercion.
Cap Bocage: Tracing the militant voice of environmental protest in New Caledonia
Authors: Marbrook Jim
Published: March 2017

This article is an attempt to document some of the filmmaking processes and highlight some of the specific factors that determined the final form of the film Cap Bocage. I see this as an opportunity to outline more personal reflections on process. This article will firstly give context to some of the filmmaking challenges by discussing the idea of the voice of a documentary (Nichols, 2010, p. 256) as it relates to subject matter. Here I will emphasise the idea of a personal approach to story that sometimes runs adjacent to the traditional techniques one may find in more expositional work or in a purely journalistic rendering of the narrative. This article also explores two other works that concern themselves with militant struggle in New Caledonia. One is the feature length drama Rebellion (Kassowitz, 2011) and the other a documentary: Tjibaou le pardon (Dagneau, 2006). While the approach to the history of militancy in the films is different, both works are good examples of the challenges filmmakers face while tracing stories involving conflict or societal trauma.Image: Florent Eurisouké in a still from Jim Marbrook’s 2014 documentary Cap Bocage.
If it bleeds, it leads? Changing death coverage in The New Zealand Herald
Authors: Barnes Lyn , Edmonds Elesha
Published: March 2017

Death has become more prominent in the news in the past four decades. Articles about a murder or accident, which in the past may have featured on page five or seven of daily newspapers, now often take up all of the front page of The New Zealand Herald. New categories have also emerged, including the threat of death or near death. This is evident from the increase in human interest stories which not only report the details of the incident but also capture emotion. This article follows the increased visibility of death stories on the front page of New Zealand’s largest newspaper, The New Zealand Herald, and investigates how that coverage has changed over time. International scholars have examined the visibility of death in the media closely. However, research is sparse about exactly how this large body of work correlates with New Zealand print media. Therefore, this study aims to close this gap by using content analysis to discuss the prominence of death in The New Zealand Herald over four decades from the 1970s, and the reasons for increased coverage of threats of death or near death.
Noted: Media representations of global cities
Authors: Steve Ellmers
Published: March 2017

Ellmers, Steve. (2015). Media representations of global cities. Pacific Journalism Review, 21(2): 214. Review of Media and the City, by Myria Georgiou. Cambridge, Polity Press, 2013, 184pp. ISBN: 978-0-7456-4855-2In Media and the City, Myria Georgiou claims 'global cities' such as London aren't just examples of diversity and difference, but are also responsible for creating those very qualities. However, it's never entirely clear how this is actually acheived.
Distant, disconnected and in danger: Are educators doing enough to prepare students for frontline freelance risks?
Authors: Wake Alexandra
Published: March 2017

For anyone who has worked in another country, the journalistic ‘rules of engagement’ differ in each port. Foreign correspondents argue passionately for the freedom of the press, saying that by ‘bearing witness’ to crimes against civilians they will be able to effect change. However, in taking risks to report on such events, most journalists recognise that—if their reports displease a particular country’s power elite—they can quickly find themselves deported, banned from future entry, languishing behind bars or, in a worst-case scenario, killed. Using Bourdieuan considerations, this article concentrates on the young, mostly freelance, journalists who have absorbed Western news values—including the myth of the heroic war reporter and truth-seeker—and suggests greater understanding of the cultural and political nuances of countries from which they intend to report. Using journalism as a methodology, this article looks at several cases in which reporters have found themselves in difficulties, and suggests that educators consider sharing three lessons: know your employer; acknowledge local differences between countries; and learn the skill of risk assessment. Risk-assessment skills include stressing the need for sufficient pre-deployment training in first aid, personal safety, security and other protocols and, most importantly, managing exposure to traumatic situations.
Frontline: The Rainbow Warrior, secrecy and state terrorism: A Pacific journalism case study
Authors: Robie David
Published: March 2017

France detonated 193 of a total of 210 nuclear tests in the South Pacific, at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls, before halting them in 1996 in the face of Pacific-wide protests. On 10 July 1985, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour, killing photographer Fernando Pereira, in a futile bid to stop a protest flotilla going to Moruroa. The author was on board the Rainbow Warrior for more than 10 weeks of her last voyage. He was awarded the 1985 New Zealand Media Peace Prize for reportage and investigations into the ‘Rainbow Warrior and Rongelap Evacuation’. The following year, the author’s book Eyes of Fire told the inside story of state terrorism in the Pacific. He has subsequently reflected on a 20-year legal struggle by Television New Zealand and other media campaigners to prevent the French spies gagging reportage of their guilty plea from a public video record and the lingering secrecy about the health legacy of nuclear tests in the Pacific. In the context of the Frontlineproject for journalism as research, his work inspired a microsite—a community-driven collaborative project in 2015 coordinated by the publishers, Little Island Press, interrogating participants over a three-decade period and ‘challenging the nature of mainstream media in New Zealand’ with an alternative reader’s media model.