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Our Campus November 2014 Newsletter of Sri Ramachandra University ….Connecting SRU Beyond the Foliage
Our Campus
November 2014
Newsletter of Sri Ramachandra University
….Connecting SRU
Beyond the Foliage
From the Editor’s Desk
Bridges - Connecting SRU
Bridges Committee
Patron:
Shri. V. R. VenkataachalamChancellor
Advisory Board:
Prof. J. S. N. MurthyVice-Chancellor
Prof. S. RangaswamiProfessor of Eminence inMedical Education
Prof. K.V. SomasundaramDean of Faculties
Editor-in-Chief:
Dr. Sheela Ravinder. S.
Editor:
Ms. Hemalatha C. R.
Co-Editor:
Mr. Antony Leo Aseer P.
Editorial Board:
Mr. Abhinand P. A.
Dr. Archana P. Kumar
Dr. Ganesh V.
Prof. Kalpana Suresh
Dr. Nithya Jagdish
Prof. Prakash Boominathan
Prof. Sandhya Sundaram
Dr. Sreelekha B.
Secretarial Assistance:
Ms. Stella Augustus
Ms. Geetha R.
Photography:
Mr. Anand Kumar A.
Art & Design:
Mr. Arunagiri S.
Printing:
Mr. Velayudam S.
Beloved Readers,
Let us stay connected…
Convocation is a time to celebrate accomplishments and find inspiration for life
beyond the big day. Graduation, an important milestone in the learning journey is a
memorable occasion for the students. Congratulations and best wishes to the graduates
& research scholars.
Research leads to an expansion of knowledge and discoveries of new medical
treatments. The Young Faculty Research Grant (GATE) provides opportunities to young
researchers for pursuing exciting and innovative research in frontier areas every year.
Hearty congratulations to the recipients of the GATE Award.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead,
where there is no path and leave a trail.” True to his words let us go confidently in the
direction of our dreams & live the life we have imagined.
Sheela Ravinder. S. Editor-in-Chief
th20 Convocation of SRU
thErratum: The text which appeared under the 20 Graduation Ceremony of Hospital Ward Technicians on page 3 of Oct. '14 issue should be read as Director of Medical Education, Govt. of Tamil Nadu and not as Govt. of India.
Cover Photo Courtesy:Ms. R. GeethaJunior Asst. Administration
th th thThe 20 Convocation was held on 28 & 29 Nov. Dr. C. Vijaya Baskar, Hon'ble Minister for Health, Govt. of Tamil Nadu and Prof. Furqan Qamar, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi were the chief guests.
Happenings
Bridges - Connecting SRU
Faculty of Nursing
o r g a n i z e d t h e
with
t h e t h e m e ,
'Revolutionize Nursing th thSpectrum' on 27 & 28
Oct. Dr. S. Ani Grace
Kalaimathi, Registrar (FAC), Tamil Nadu Nurses & Midwives
Council was the chief guest. The newsletter 'NPS Connect' was
released during the event. 110 delegates participated.
s t1
National Nursing Ph. D
Society Conference
Prof. N. Venkatesh,
Principal, Faculty of
Physiotherapy received
f o r
meritorious service to
the specialty of Manual
T h e r a p y a n d f o r
outstanding contribution
in enhancing the level of Physiotherapy in India during the thCertified Mulligan Practitioner Conference on 10 Oct. at
D.Y. Patil University, Mumbai.
C e r t i f i c a t e o f
A p p r e c i a t i o n
Center for Toxicology
and Developmenta l
Research (CEFT) has
been certified with the
by
the National Good
Laboratory Practice Compliance Monitoring Authority, DST, Govt. thof India on 30 Oct. SRU is the first medical university to receive this
certification in the country.
Certificate of Good
Laboratory Practice
(GLP) Compliance
Dept. of Psychiatric
Nursing observed the
th on 10 Oct. with
the theme, ‘L iv ing
with Schizophrenia’.
Models and posters
were exhibited by the
Nursing students. 72 patients benefited.
World Mental Health
Day
Faculty of Management
conducted a FDP on
th on 17 Oct.
The guest speaker was
Mr. K. Veerapandian,
Asst. Prof., Dept. of
Counseling Psychology,
Madras School of Social Work, Chennai. 35 faculty members
participated.
M e n t o r i n g a n d
Counseling
Dept. of Rheumatology
observed the th on 20
Oct. A free osteoporosis
screening camp was
organized. Around 250
people benefited.
World
Osteoporosis Day
November ’14
Dept. of Oral Pathology
& M i c r o b i o l o g y t hc o n d u c t e d t h e 6
I n t e r a c t i v e S l i d e
S e m i n a r o n
by
Dr. Sharada Ramasubramanyan, Senior Scientist and Head, thGenomics Division, V Clin Bio Pvt. Ltd. on 8 Oct. 120 delegates
across South India attended.
N e x t
G e n e r a t i o n G e n e
Sequencing and i ts
Clinical Applications
Dept. of Psychiatry
observed the
with
the theme, 'Living with thSchizophrenia' on 9 &
th10 Oct. More than 500
people benefited. The
event included:
· Video presentation
· Poster exhibition
· Brochure distribution at G-Block
· Psycho-education & skit by faculty and students
World
Mental Health Day
Bridges - Connecting SRU
November ’14
Date Event
28.10.'14 CPE on ‘Novel Drug Delivery System’ by Dr. Dipankar Karmakar, General Manager, Research & Development, Arvind Remedies Pvt. Ltd., Chennai
25.10.'14 to Mr. Alexander S., Administrator & Chief Technologist presented a poster on ‘Quality Indicators 28.10.'14 in Transfusion Medicine’ at the International AABB Conference 2014 held at Philadelphia, USA
nd18.10.'14 Ms. V. Shiny, I yr. M. Sc. won the 2 prize in the State Level Talent Search conducted by Techmed Health Center & Diagnostic Pvt. Ltd. at Nandanam Arts College, Chennai
16.10.'14 Pep-talk on 'Harnessing the Power of Positive Thoughts' by Sr. Nirmala, Spiritual Development Trainer, Employer-South West Yorkshire Partnership, NHS TRUST, UK
15.10.'14 & Midas 2014 – Indian Dental Association – Madras Branch Scientific Convention held at
16.10.'14 Chettinad Health City, Chennai
CRIs won the following prizes:st
· Debate - 1 place - Ms. R. Swetha & Mr. Vinay Sundar rd
· Quiz - 3 place - Mr. Ahmed Anwer, Mr. Gautham Pragasam B., Mr. Prasanth P., Ms. Swetha R. & Mr. Vinay Sundar
st· Poster - 1 place - Ms. Trishnika Chakraborthy, Ms. Keerthika Asaithambi,
Ms. Rizwana Fathima J. & Mr. Prasanth P.rd
· Poster - 3 place - Ms. Aarthi M. U., Ms. Abbyramy A/P Nadarajan, Ms. Abinaya R., Ms. Abitha V. & Ms. Keerthika Asaithambi
th14.10.'14 to The following PGs won awards at the 36 Indian Society of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry
16.10.'14 Conference at Lucknow st
· Oral Presentations -1 place - Dr. Jean Aishwarya, III yr. Dr. T. Pavani, I yr.
rd· Poster - 3 place - Dr. Kota Bala, I yr.
· Ms. Aarthi M. U., CRI was awarded Certificate of Merit for securing the highest marks in the subject of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry at the University Examination held in June 2014
13.10.'14 CPE on ‘Application of NMR Spectroscopy in Pharmaceutical Sciences’ by Dr. K. Janardhanan, Senior Scientist-Analytical Division, V Clin Bio Pvt. Ltd.
10.10.'14 to Rehabilitation Council of India - Continuing Rehabilitation Education on Family and Marital 12.10.'14 Therapy
10.10.'14 CME on 'Management of Arthritis with Conventional Drugs' by Prof. Joy Phillip, Principal, SUT Medical College, Trivandrum and ‘Management of Arthritis with Biologics’ by Prof. Chandrashekara S. ChanRe, Rheumatology and Immunology Center & Research, Bengaluru
07.10.'14 CME on ‘International Update in Pathology - PATHCON 2014’ by Dr. Manjula Balasubramanian, Chief of Clinical Pathology, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia
Department
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Transfusion Medicine
Biochemistry
Optometry
Faculty of Dental Sciences
Oral Medicine & Radiology
Public Health Dentistry
Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Clinical Psychology
Rheumatology
Pathology
Dept. of Optometry conducted an Eye Camp as part
of World Sight Day to emphasize the occupational
hazards, eradication of blindness and preventive care
for the workers of small scale industries, Tamil Nadu
Progressive Small and Tiny Industries Association, thAmbattur Industrial Estate, Chennai on 9 Oct. 104
workers benefited.
Reach Out
Title Principal Investigator Funding Agency
Herbal drug enriched bioengineered tissue constructs for wound healing Prof. K. Mangathayaru, Faculty of Pharmacy DBT
New Project Sanctioned
Bridges - Connecting SRU
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Title of the Research Proposal
A study on vitamin D status in epileptic children on long term antiepileptic therapy in a tertiary care center
Effect of duration of acute exercise on serum irisin levels in young healthy adults
Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in adults following short term endotracheal intubation
Transthoracic echocardiography and serum troponin I levels to assess cardiac dysfunction in children with fluid refractory septic shock
Interleukin-6 and its interpretation in polytrauma to identify the safe window period for the definitive stabilization of fractures
Efficacy of 3 dimensional computer aided surgical simulation in treatment of hypoplastic maxilla in patients with cleft lip and palate
Estimation of angiotensin II levels in gingival tissue extracts of healthy and chronic periodontitis subjects
Scientific validation of bioenhancing property of a natural mucilage incorporated with a DMARD
Bioguided anti-arthritic activity of Albizia procera with special reference to MMP-9 levels in rat model
Eco-friendly bio-fabrication and characterization of metal nanoparticles mediated by marine algae and its biological evaluation
A study to assess pedometers as a means to increase spontaneous physical activity in hemodialysis patients
A study to assess effectiveness of autogenic training on depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life (QOL) among mothers of intellectually disabled children at selected schools in Chennai
Cross-national understanding of terminal suffering among hospitalized South Asians
Nuclear factor –kB inhibition in human urothelial carcinoma by a bioactive peptide using in vitro and in silico studies
Study on the genetic variants of thiopurine methyl transferase (TPMT) in 6-mercaptopurine mediated hematological toxicity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Does cacao beans (chocolate beans) can regulate + MPP induced glial cells activation and
downstream signaling in in vitro model?
Comparative analysis of mesenchymal stem cells derived from human oral and adipose tissue for expression of novel markers and cardiac differentiation protocol – A pilot study
Name(s) of collaborators & Departments
Prof. P. Ramachandran, Dr. R. Sasitharan - Senior Resident, Dr. P. N. Vinoth, Asst. Prof. (SG), Prof. Saji James, Dr. P. Subramani, PG, Dept. of Pediatrics
Prof. S. Arumugam – HOD, Dr. K. A. Thiagarajan, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine, Dr. Leena Chand, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biochemistry
Dr. Lakshmi Venkatesh, Reader, Dept. of SLHS
Dr. P. S. Rajakumar - Assoc. Prof., Dr. R. Jebaraj, Senior Asst. Prof., Dept. of Pediatrics
Prof. B. Samuel Chittaranjan, HOD, Dept. of Orthopedics
Prof. Jyotsna Murthy, HOD, Dr. Syed Altaf Hussain, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Plastic Surgery, Prof. Sridevi Padmanabhan, HOD, Dept. of Orthodontics
Prof. R. Suresh, HOD, Dept. of Periodontology
Prof. D. Chamundeeswari, Principal, Faculty of Pharmacy, Prof. S. Seethalakshmi, HOD, Dept. of Pharmacology, ESIC Medical College, Chennai
Prof. D. Chamundeeswari, Principal, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dr. C. Saravanababu, Deputy Test Facility Manager, CEFT
Prof. K. Chitra, Vice-Principal, Ms. S. Prema, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy
Prof. P. Soundararajan, HOD, Dept. of Nephrology
Prof. P.V. Ramachandran, Chairman, Nursing Education, Faculty of Nursing
Dr. A. Seethalakshmi, Dr. B. Sreelekha, Dr. S. Aruna, Readers & Ms. E. Sujitha, Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing
Prof. J. Thanka, HOD, Dept. of Pathology, Dr. W. Charles Emmanuel Jebaraj, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology
Prof. J. Julius Xavier Scott, Dept. of Pediatrics
Dr. C. Saravana Babu, Deputy Test Facility Manager, CEFT
Prof. R. Suresh, HOD, Dept. of Periodontology, Prof. P. Soundararajan, HOD, Dept. of Nephrology
N a m e o f t h e P r i n c i p a l Investigator & Department
Dr. P. Anitha, Senior Resident, Dept. of Pediatrics
Dr. C. Vasanthi, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine
Dr. Mukundan Subramanian, Asst. Prof., Dept. of ENT, Head & Neck Surgery
Dr. T. K. Shruthi, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Pediatrics
Dr. T. R. Ashok, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Orthopedics
Dr. N. K. Koteswara Prasad, Reader, Dept. of Orthodontics
Dr. R. Anjana, Reader, Dept. of Periodontology
Ms. X. Fatima Grace, Lecturer, Dept. of Pharmaceutics
Dr. M. Sangeetha, Asst. Prof., Faculty of Pharmacy
Mr. R. Nanthakumar, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy
Ms. S. Sridevi, Asst. Prof., Faculty of Physiotherapy
Ms. P. Vijayasamundeeswari, Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing
Dr. S. J. Nalini, Reader, Faculty of Nursing
Dr. G. Dicky John Davis, Lecturer, Dept. of Bioinformatics
Dr. S. Harpreet Kaur, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Human Genetics
Dr. V. Gayathri, Research Scientist, CEFT
Dr. Alan M. Punnose, Asst. Prof., Research Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, CRF
Young Faculty Research Grant – GATE (2014–2015)
Bridges - Connecting SRU
Dengue fever, one of the leading killers in tropical countries, is spread by Aedes aegypti and other
mosquitoes. Thousands of genetically engineered mosquitoes infected with bacteria that suppress
dengue were released by Brazilian researchers in August 2014. The hope is that these mosquitoes
will multiply and reduce the occurrence of the disease. The British biotech firm, Oxitec has altered
the DNA of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent it from spreading the potentially deadly virus.
Oxitec's new factory in the Brazilian city of Campinas, is the first in the world to launch the
production of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to target dengue.
OX513A, the mosquitoes dubbed by Oxitec have been bred to carry a genetic self-destruct mechanism
that causes their offspring to die before they reproduce. The Oxitec mosquito is a strain of the wild species that contains two additional genes.
The Oxitec males (which cannot bite) are released to seek out and mate with the wild females. The offspring inherit a marker that is visible
under a special light, making monitoring simple.
The scientists injected miniscule amount of DNA (typically around 10 thousand-millionths of a liter) into each mosquito egg. Many
of the eggs injected in this way did not survive. In others, the DNA which was injected was not incorporated into the mosquito's cells.
But in a few eggs, the new DNA was taken up by the mosquito's cells and were cut and pasted into the mosquito's own genome. So this
ensured that via the sperm cells of a male mosquito, or the egg-producing cells of a female, the new DNA was passed on to their
offspring.
These offspring were carefully looked after until they reached adulthood. The sterile males are then released into the environment, where
they mate with wild females. Females usually mate only once, so a female which mates with a sterile male does not produce any offspring.
As a result, the population as a whole is reduced. Eventually, with enough sterile releases, the population of the target insect in an area can
be dramatically reduced or even eliminated. India too will soon have a similar army of indigenous genetically engineered mosquitoes which
are sterile and unable to reproduce.
Source: Massonnet-Bruneel, B. et al. Fitness of transgenic mosquito Aedes aegypti males carrying a dominant lethal genetic system. PLoS One 8, e62711 (2013).
Global NewsMosquitoes to Fight Dengue
18.
19.
Tracing an apoptotic inducing compound from a marine echinoderm: Stellaster equestris in cancer cell lines
To discover new anti-inflammatory agent, isolated from leaves of Anisomeles malabarica R.Br. and to investigate anti-inflammatory activity by determining the NO and TNF-alpha and the role of Pro-inflammatory cytokines , iNOS, COX 2, NF kB and CRP using RAW 24.7 cells macrophages
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gnanambal K., Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology
Prof. K. Chitra, Vice-Principal, Ms. T. Sheelarani, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy
Prof. T. K. Parthasarathy, Professor of Eminence & Chief Adviser received the ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ from Dr. D. M. Veeraiyan, Chancellor, Saveetha University,
th thChennai on the occasion of their 27 Founder's Day celebration on 18 Nov.
Ms. R. Sumitha, Lecturer, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
Ms. S. Prema, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy
Greetings Glimpses
Dr. P. Ramachandran Professor & Head
Dept. of Pediatric Medicine
Bridges - Connecting SRU
November ’14
Let us now consider how the field of 'cosmic nothingness' has been explained by the rationalists since the time of Michael Faraday. We need to
remind ourselves how the concept of 'vacuum' in cosmology has undergone varied interpretations over the last two centuries. 'Vacuum' in its
conventional sense refers to 'empty space' or 'nothingness.' In cosmology it is used to refer to space devoid of matter.
Classical physics considered such space as emptiness; passive, and unsubstantial. But physicists in the nineteenth century hypothesized that
cosmic space is not truly empty. They postulated that it is filled with an invisible energy field and called it luminiferous ether. It came to be believed
that the ether produces friction when bodies move through it and thus slows their motion. It became difficult to explain physical phenomena in
Newtonian terms. However, the famous Michelson-Morley experiment at the turn of the twentieth century failed to prove any such frictional
effects in cosmic vacuum. The ether was removed from physicists' deliberations. Absolute vacuum - space that is truly empty and unoccupied
by any matter - took its place.
But the idea of space as totally empty did not dominate for long either. The reason was Einstein's theory of relativity that brought space and
time together in a four-dimensional matrix that interacts with matter. Observations and experiments in the following years confirmed that the
matrix has a physical reality of its own. The roots of all of nature's fields and forces are thus traced to the 'unified vacuum.' This was the basis
of the Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) developed in the second half of the twentieth century.
We have now come to the unenviable position of a slippery logic wherein the cosmic vacuum is accepted neither as an empty space nor as a
purely geometrical structure – it is admitted as a real medium in the physical sense; a medium that interacts with matter and produces physically
real effects. A number of fields occupy cosmic space: these have been described under various names: zero point field (ZPF), quantum
vacuum, cosmic plenum, non-zero Higgs field etc. As Ervin Laszlo points out, the vacuum here is considered more than relativity theory's
four-dimensional continuum: it is not just geometry of space-time, but a real physical field producing real physical effects. Physicists claim that
on the one hand, at the nano scale, the very stability of the atom is due to interaction with the physically real and active plenum (by its endowing
subatomic particles with mass) while on the other, at the cosmic scale, the fate of our universe itself is ultimately determined by the elusive
force exerted by it.
Where do these considerations take us to the biological effects of cosmic plenum? In what way is the quantum vacuum or non-zero Higgs field
related to consciousness?
Prof. S. Rangaswami,Professor of Eminence in Medical Education, SRU.
(will be continued…)
A fascinating new study suggests that some of the water molecules are more than 4.6 billion years old
which is older than the solar system itself. “Our findings show that a significant fraction of our solar
system's water, the most-fundamental ingredient to fostering life, is older than the Sun,” study co-author Dr. Conel Alexander, a scientist at the
Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington, D.C., said in a written statement, “which indicates that abundant, organic-rich interstellar ices
should probably be found in all young planetary systems”.
The study suggests that since some of Earth's water came from interstellar space, it's a good bet that water from interstellar space may
also exist in other planetary systems - and that says something about our search for extraterrestrial life.
“This is an important step forward in our quest to find out if life exists on other planets. Consequently, it raises the possibility that
some exoplanets could house the right conditions, and water resources, for life to evolve,” study co-author Dr. Tim Harries, an
Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Exeterin, England, said in a separate statement.
The scientists reached their conclusion with the help of computer models designed to simulate the evolution of a planetary system
that originally lacked deuterium, a heavy form of hydrogen that is found in some water molecules. “With our simulations, we found that
there wasn't enough energy to power the reactions to form the heavy water,” said study co-author Ilse Cleeves, a doctoral student
in Astronomy at the University of Michigan.
In other words, the models indicated that levels of deuterium now seen in Earth's water are too high to have arisen after the formation of
the Sun. So, some of the Earth's water predates the formation of the Sun & the Earth and must have come from interstellar space. If the
Sun's formation was typical, interstellar ices including water are likely common ingredients present during the formation of all planetary
systems, which puts a wonderful outlook on the possibility of other life in the universe.Source: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/physics-astronomy.
Soul to Soul
Believe it or NotWater is Older than the Sun
8November ’14
Bridges - Connecting SRU
For internal circulation only
Colors
Cerulean
Darts
Your CornerCosmic Citizen
I am a mass of matterBelonging to the nation And beyondTo the angels of the magnificent seasTo the souls of the dense forestsAnd to the constellations none fathom.
I am but a particle with valuesShining from the heartRuled by calmnessFacilitated with love.
I am the universe and what lies withinI am what happens every momentMy eyes see the beauty of allI reestablish, recreate and renovate the expansiveness And beyond.
I am like meLike the intricateness and exquisiteness of my bodyI am sufficient with what is found And what is yet to be.I have a purposeThe purpose of universal goodnessThe act that speaks on its ownEverything is me and I am everything.
I am a matter Belonging to the nationAnd beyondI am a Cosmic Citizen.
stMs. Muwaffika Taj, 1 yr., MBBS
thThe 45 Bridges Monthly Book Review was held on 07.11.'14
Book : The Sceptical Patriot
Author : Sidin Vadukut
Reviewed by : Mr. Abhinand P. A., Research Scholar, Dept. of Bioinformatics
Forthcoming Bridges Monthly Book Review
Dec. 2014 – 2 States by Chetan Bhagat
Reviewer : Dr. R. Ramya, Alumna, M.S. Ophthalmology
Dr. S. Rajeswari, Reader, Faculty of Nursing
Ms. J. Goldy, II yr., M.Sc. Medical Bioinformatics
Bloom ‘n’ Buddy
