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Acute encephalopathies or acute confusional states are among the commonest causes of hospital admissions especially among the elderly population. A treating physician needs to have a thorough knowledge of the various etiologies, clinical presentations and associations of acute encephalopathy in order to manage these patients in a timely and efficient manner. The present study was a prospective cross sectional study conducted over a period of one year aimed to know the dynamics of encephalopathy patients attending the medical emergency. Patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included after taking consent from the attendants. The mean age of the patients was 60 years for males and 61.8 years for females. About 19.7% patients admitted in emergency department had acute confusional state. The most common etiologies in the study were strokes (25.6%), metabolic (24.9%) and septic (18.5%) encephalopathies followed by seizures (13%) and intracranial infections (5%). About 35.5% cases had multiples factors responsible for encephalopathy. The most frequent symptoms besides encephalopathy included weakness on one side of the body (15.8 %), headache (14.1%), cough (12.6%), incontinence (10.7), breathlessness (10.1%) and fever (10.2%). The overall mortality in the study was 16.5%. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with weak or non-palpable pulses, hypotensive patients, patients with aberrant pupillary responses, patients admitted in winter period and obese patients. Also low mean arterial PH, oxygen saturation and mean diastolic BP and high total leukocyte count and potassium were significantly associated with mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micropiling is an extensively used method for improving the stability of building foundations and load-carrying capacity of the soil. Unlike regular piling, it can be employed without pile driving equipment and, hence, it is a versatile option of soil reinforcement under space-restricted situations. Since, it is an economical and easy to implement option for soil improvement, this paper intends to study the improvement in bearing capacity and settlement behaviour of a fly-ash bed using fine micropiles under isolated footings, for low-cast and lightweight structures. Fly-ash, a by-product of coal-fired power plants, is used in the experiment because it is extensively used as a filling material for housing projects in low-lying areas and pavements. Micropiles were installed underneath the footing as well as beyond the periphery of footing with varied spacing and extent ratio. The results are depicted through two dimensionless constants, namely bearing capacity ratio (BCR) and settlement reduction factor (SRF). Significant improvements have been observed in load-carrying capacity and settlement potential due to decrease in spacing and increase in lateral extent of micropiles. The optimum configuration of spacing and lateral extend achieved 135% bearing capacity improvement with 71% decrease in settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the reaction function of monetary authority in India from 1997Q1 to 2019Q4 using nonlinear Taylor rule. It has been found that monetary policy reaction function (MPRF) in India is asymmetric and is influenced by the state of the economy, determined by the lagged interest rate. To capture such asymmetry, we have used a set of nonlinear models including smooth transition regression (STR) model, threshold regression (TR) model and Markov-switching regression (MSR) model along with the instrumental variable estimation technique. The analysis discloses that the behaviour of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is asymmetric, reacts aggressively to output gap in general and particularly during periods of high interest rate. Furthermore, the RBI reacts more to inflation and output gap during low volatile regimes in MSR models compared to high volatile regimes. We also found that there is a high degree of inertia in the policy rates of the RBI. The study concludes that nonlinear models may not only help in understanding the behaviour of the RBI but also prevent from making incorrect and misleading conclusions in Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes Inflation Openness (IO) relationship in an asymmetric framework using lag inflation, lag external debt and lag output growth as transition variables. Considering a Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) model with annual data of 41 developing countries for a period of 45 years from 1972 to 2016, we found a clear negative relationship between inflation and openness. This relationship becomes strong during periods of high inflation, high output growth and low external debt. We argue that though openness reduces inflation, its impact varies depending upon the state of the economy. We conclude that analysing the IO relationship using a linear framework may result in inaccurate and misleading outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem rust is a major disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide and new Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) races including TTKSK (Ug99) pose a serious threat to wheat production. The protection of new varieties against Pgt races can be increased by identifying and combining several types of stem rust resistance genes (Sr). We screened a set of 707 wheat lines and cultivars against 11 Pgt races under glass house conditions. Of the tested lines, groups of 99, 513, 289, and 515 exhibited low infection type (IT < 3) to races TTKSK, TRTTF, TTTTF, and RRTTF, respectively. Screening against Pgt races (QFCSC, QTHJC, MCCFC, RCRSC, RKRQC, TPMKC, and QCCSM) showed that most of the tested lines were resistant. These lines were screened with eight DNA markers for the presence of Sr2, Sr9a, Sr24, Sr25, Sr31, Sr36, Sr38, and Sr57 genes. Sr36 was absent from all the tested lines, whereas Sr9a was detected in four lines. The marker Sr2_ger93p predicted the presence of Sr2 in 40 lines, and marker barc71 suggested the presence of Sr24 in 12 lines. Sr25 and Sr38 were present in 13 and 54 lines, respectively. The highest frequency of Sr genes was observed for Sr57 (199 lines) and Sr31 (177 lines). Except for lines carrying Sr25 and/or Sr24 genes, most lines were susceptible to Pgt race TTKSK. Since Ug99 is overcoming Sr genes worldwide, including Sr24 and Sr36, a strategy to pyramid multiple Sr genes in new cultivars should be pursued to achieve a durable control of stem rust. The effectiveness of lines such as NRL0902, 11050, B‐2(RF)‐11, and CCRI‐6, found in the current study and featuring other Sr genes, warrants further investigation to identify the source of their resistance and use it in Pakistan wheat breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is one of the neurobiological therapies available for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders especially those resistant to pharmacotherapy or, where a rapid response is needed. Aim: To study the response of patients with different psychiatric disorders to ECT and study the relationship between seizure duration and response. Materials and Methods: It was a longitudinal study where a total of 40 patients were studied. Patients aged =12 years, who were resistant to pharmacotherapy or, having conditions where rapid response was warranted like suicidality or catatonia were included in our study as cases. A written informed consent was taken from all patients or their caretakers wherever necessary. Scales for assessment of various disorders were applied before and after treatment. Results: Majority of the patients 37.5% were in the age-group of 38-47 years followed by 22.5% in 28-37 years. Only 5% of patients were aged >60 years. Males were slightly higher in number as compared to females (21:19). Affective disorders formed the major group of the patients (75%) followed by schizophrenia (10%), obsessive compulsive disorder (10%) and mental retardation (5%). Overall, 75% of patients showed >50% response to ECT with maximum response seen in affective disorders. No significant relation was seen between seizure duration and response to ECT. Conclusion: ECT is very effective for treating various psychiatric disorders especially affective disorders. ECT is life saving in conditions like catatonia and suicidality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the demographic features, clinical presentation, and management and outcome of fifty cases of nonalcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy from a tertiary care hospital of a region with reported incidence of thiamine deficiency disorders. Materials and Methods: In a retrospective study, fifty adult cases of Wernicke's encephalopathy were analyzed. The diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy was made according to the European federation of neurological societies guidelines 2010. Response to thiamine replacement and associated brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were also considered as supportive evidence. Results: The mean age of patients was 50.38 years with 20 males and 30 females. The most common clinical manifestations were alteration in sensorium in 30 (60%), ataxia in 18 (36%), memory impairment in 15 (30%), nystagmus in 35 (70%), ophthalmoparesis in 11 (22%), and seizures in 4 (8%). A total of 42 patients had a history of recurrent vomiting. All patients had polished rice as their staple diet. Thirty-five patients had associated polyneuropathy and 15 had a gastrointestinal disorder. Twenty patients underwent MRI which showed both typical and atypical lesions. Majority of patients showed partial or complete response to intravenous thiamine. On discharge, the most common residual symptoms were lower limb weakness, ataxia, and memory impairment. Conclusion: The study shows high incidence of nonalcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy in the region with predominant causative factor being a thiamine deficient diet. Recurrent vomiting can be a prominent early symptom of thiamine deficiency and its recognition can help in the early diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy and related thiamine deficiency disorders. Thiamine fortification of food should be done in areas with reported incidence of thiamine deficiency disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 20-year-old, unmarried male presented to the emergency department with complaints of severe throbbing headache, neck stiffness, and vomiting for six days. He underwent a series of examinations and was diagnosed to have meningitis retention syndrome (MRS) that is associated with with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) meningitis following the development of urinary retention that was administered by catheterization.

Drought stress is the major limiting factor for wheat productivity all over the world. Because of severe limitations imposed by drought, development of cultivars with improved productivity under water stress is important for water deficit regions. For this purpose, a set of 24 advanced wheat lines along with four check cultivars was evaluated under irrigated (non-stress) and rainfed (stress) conditions during 2009-10 at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Analysis across two environments revealed significant diversity (P⩽0.01) between the two production environments for grain yield and weeds density. The available wheat germplasm was significantly different from each other and drought stress also significantly affected the grain yield of wheat genotypes. Interestingly, wheat genotypes BRF3, Pirsabak-2005 and BVI(N)12 gave better yield under water stress condition by 859, 463, and 115 kg ha-1, respectively than by optimum conditions. Densities of weeds were also significantly reduced under drought stress condition. Thus, drought stress can effectively be tackled with genotypes that perform better under water stress conditions. It can be inferred that maximum wheat germplasm should be collected from different parts of the world to cope with the alarming food situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variation of traits is the basic tool involved in the natural assessment and causes to produce sustainable crop under various environmental conditions. The aim of the present study was to assess twenty-four different wheat genotypes for morphological traits and yield components. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block (RCB) design having three replications. Components of variation, broad sense heritability, genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), range and genetic advance were estimated for yield and yield associated traits. Results revealed significant variation for all traits among the tested wheat genotypes. The results showed the existence of adequate genetic variability among the tested wheat genotypes. High PCV and GCV were found in grains spike-1, while highest broad sense heritability with inferior genetic advance was recorded for plant height. Wheat genotype PR-110 out performed for grain yield, while PR-103 exhibited higher biological yield. Highest number of productive tillers m-2 was counted for PR-111, while intense leaf area index was displayed by PR-103. Hybrid-404 had relatively higher grain spike-1 while PR-114 was observed for highest 1000-grain weight. Among the genotypes Pirsabak-08 excelled for dwarf traits, while Hybrid-403 was found early maturing genotypes. Grain yield was positively correlated with productive tillers m-2, and biological yield. Genotypes PR-110 and Hybrid-404 resulted in superior grain yield among the genotypes. The results should help plant breeders to utilise the most promising wheat genotypes of this study in future breeding programmes for enhancing wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]