Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

• Researchers from India, London and Africa have proposed that the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) used to determine if a pregnant woman has developed gestational diabetes be replaced by an HbA1c test.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT):

• OGTTs are done to measure how well the body can process larger amounts of sugar.

Procedure:

• The person fasts overnight, and in the morning, is given a fixed dose of glucose, usually in the form of a sweet drink.
• Blood samples are taken at 30-minute intervals for 2 hours.
• If the blood sugar reading is above a certain level, this could be a sign that sugar is not being absorbed fast enough by the body’s organs.
• Then diabetes, or gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes, might be at the root of this problem.
• In gestational diabetes, blood sugar levels are often higher due to changes in the metabolism during pregnancy, but they usually come back down again after the child is born.
• Diabetes can lead to heart disease, nerve damage, eye disease, and kidney damage.

What is HbA1c test?

• A hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test is a blood test that shows what your average blood sugar (glucose) level was over the past two to three months.
• Glucose in your blood sticks to hemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells (RBCs).
• As your blood glucose levels increase, more of your hemoglobin will be coated with glucose.
• HbA1c is what’s known as glycated haemoglobin.
• An HbA1c test measures the percentage of your RBCs that have glucose-coated hemoglobin.
• RBCs are active for around 2-3 months, which is why the reading is taken quarterly.
• No preparation is needed for this test.
• A high HbA1c means you have too much sugar in your blood.       

In a first, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its latest large satellite, GSAT 20, on SpaceX''s Falcon 9 rocket.

GSAT 20 Satellite:

• It is India’s latest communications satellite.
• It is a hi-tech, heavy-weight satellite weighing 4,700 kg.
• It will have a high throughput capacity of 48 GBPS.
• The satellite made by ISRO has 32 spot beams, and it has been made to cover all of India, but with a special emphasis on providing connectivity for Northeastern India.
• The satellite will be owned and operated by ISRO''s commercial arm New Space India Ltd. (NSIL).
• ISRO opted for SpaceX to launch GSAT 20 because India’s indigenous heavy rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark 3, lacks the capability to lift such a heavy satellite.

New Space India Ltd. (NSIL):

• NSIL was incorporated in March 2019 as a wholly owned Government Company under the administrative control of the Department of Space.
• The major business areas of NSIL include:

1. Production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV) through industry;
2. Production and marketing of space-based services, including launch services and space-based applications like transponder leasing, remote sensing, and mission support services;
3. Building of satellites (both Communication and Earth Observation) as per user requirements.
4. Transfer of technology developed by ISRO centres/units and constituent institutions of the Dept. of Space;
5. Marketing spin-off technologies and products/ services emanating out of ISRO activities
6. Consultancy services

Camouflaging as a dead enzyme VEGFR1 holds key to medical solutions for colon and renal cancers

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata, investigated Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTK) called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR).

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGF):

• It is a key regulator of physiological angiogenesis during embryogenesis, skeletal growth and reproductive functions.
• VEGF has also been implicated in pathological angiogenesis associated with tumors, intraocular neovascular disorders and other conditions.
• The biological effects of VEGF are mediated by two receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2.
• The VEGFR family of receptors is the key regulator of the process of generating new blood vessels.

Highlight of the research

• The researchers were intrigued by the fact that two members of family VEGFR 1 and VEGFR 2 behaved quite differently.
• While VEGFR 2, the primary receptor regulating process of formation of new blood vessels, could be spontaneously activated, without its ligand, the other member of the family VEGFR 1 cannot be spontaneously activated even when overexpressed in cells.
• It camouflages as a dead enzyme VEGFR1 and binds with ten-fold higher affinity to its ligand VEGF-A than VEGFR2.
• This ligand binding induces a transient kinase (speeding up chemical reactions in the body by an enzyme) activation.

Recently, the Director General of Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched the mobile application-Sangyaan App.

Sangyaan App:

• It is designed and developed by the Tech Team of RPF.
• It is a practical tool for anyone seeking to stay informed about the latest legal developments in India.
• It aims to educate and empower RPF Personnel by providing comprehensive information to understand the provisions of both new and old criminal laws, while highlighting the relevance of these new acts in the context of RPF operations.
• It will provide in-depth information on three new Criminal Acts: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023.

Key Features

1. Comprehensive Legal Access
2. Comparison of Laws
3. Section wise analysis
4. Advanced Search Tools
5. Inclusive Legal Database
6. User-Friendly Design
7. Key facts about Railway Protection Force

• The history of the RPF dates back to 1882 when various Railway companies appointed their own guards for protection of Railway property.
• It was declared as statutory force in the year 1957 by an enactment of Parliament and subsequently declared as an armed force of the Union of India in the year 1985.
• In 2003, the RPF partially took up the duties of escorting passenger trains and access control at the railway stations”.
• It is led by a director-general.
• It is an armed force under the operational and administrative control of the Union Ministry of Railways.
• It is tasked with protecting and securing railway property, the passenger areas, and the passengers themselves.