Search

Earthworms play a crucial role in soil fertility through decomposition, nutrient mineralization and water infiltration, and they are used as a standard organism in ecotoxicological testing. However, to use them for evaluations of environmental pollution, knowledge on the age-related variations in antioxidant enzymes within this species as they undergo different environmental conditions such as treatment to heavy metal insecticides, herbicides, salinity and polluted soil, vermifiltration etc. that cause stress. Due to oxidative stress, the growth and reproductive potential of earthworms are affected because of an imbalance between antioxidant enzymes and Reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study provides a fundamental understanding of the antioxidant enzyme activity and oxidative stress in three earthworm species (Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugeniae and Pheretima posthuma) at various stages of their lives. Before studying their usage as potential biomarkers, it is necessary to explore the age-related variations in antioxidant enzymes within these species which serve as the quintessential terrestrial invertebrates in evaluations of environmental pollution. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbic peroxidase (APX), and peroxidase (POD), as well as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an oxidative stress marker, were measured in the total body of juvenile, sub-adult, and adult earthworms. SOD and CAT activities respectively declined and increased with age in all earthworm species and maximum SOD activity (4.86 U/g FW) and CAT activity (12.33 U/g FW) were found in respectively juvenile (EF-J) and adult (EF-A) stages of E. fetida. In P. posthuma, APX and POD activities rose with age. APX activity was significantly maximum (6.18 U/g FW) in P. posthuma adult stage (PP-A) whereas significant maximum POD activity (0.46±0.01ΔOD/min) in EF-J stage. H2O2, an oxidative stress marker, increased with age in all earthworm species. P. posthuma adult (PP-A) had the maximum activity (4.06 µmole/g FW), and EF-J life stage had the lowest activity (1.35 µmole/g FW). In response to increased oxidative stress (H2O2), the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX, and POD) work together. Overall, Eisenia fetida performed better than E. eugeniae and P. posthuma. This study fills the gaps in antioxidant enzyme activities at the different age stages of earthworms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poisoning is acknowledged as a significant contributing factor to deaths in most of the low-income and middle income countries. Even though poisoning is regarded as a global burden, different parts of the world may experience different types of poisoning. For the purpose of creating and implementing appropriate policies to address this acknowledged public health issue, it is imperative to understand the epidemiology of poisoning cases in a given area. Material & Method: The present study was a retrospective study of poisoning deaths that were brought for medico legal autopsy at a tertiary care facility in southern Haryana between January 2018 and December 2023. A total of 264 medico legal autopsies for poisoning deaths were performed during the study period. Relevant information and subjective data like age, gender, marital status & occupation have been collected from medico legal autopsy register from January 2018 to December 2023. Results: It was observed that out of 264 cases female outnumbered male in ratio 1.3:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the second and third decade of life. Married couples were more vulnerable and the majority of the victims (64.77%) had accidentally consumed poison. Conclusion: The epidemiology of poisoning is highlighted in the study, which shows that poisoning fatalities accounted for almost 30% of total autopsies. Since the region is heavily dependent on agriculture, to control deaths caused by poisoning awareness programs should be implemented vigorously to educate and nurture the character of young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Road traffic accident is one of the major avoidable public health problems and is on the rise which can be attributed to increase in the number of vehicles, daily life changes, nasty tendency of violating traffic rules, anarchic traffic system and risky approach. It is a matter of national concern, in view of its extent and gravity and the subsequent negative impacts on the economy, public health and the general wellbeing of the people. The aim of this study was to know the pattern of injuries in victims of fatal road traffic accidents. Material & Method: The present study was a prospective, cross-sectional study. The study was conducted at the tertiary healthcare centre in southern Haryana. Total of 75 cases of fatal road traffic accident cases were enrolled during one year of study period. The basic information about the deceased like age, gender, mode of travel of victim was obtained from investigating officer narration and inquest papers. During autopsy, detailed examination of injuries was carried out and the autopsy findings were recorded and analyzed. Results: It was observed that out of 75 cases male outnumbered female in ratio 5.25:1. Majority of the victims belonged to age group 21-30 year (26.7%). Among the external injuries, abrasions were most common followed by lacerations. It was also observed that majority of the victims had intracranial hemorrhage (60%) followed by rib fracture (41.3%) and 17.3% of the victims had pelvis fracture. Conclusion: From the present study it was concluded that road traffic accidents were more common in the younger age group and two wheeler occupants followed by pedestrians were most vulnerable to road traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An essential and necessary component of any investigation into a sudden, suspicious death is the medico-legal autopsy. It's critical to understand the profile of medico-legal autopsy cases in order to ascertain the mortality rate from non-natural causes in a given area and addressing the demographic requirements in accordance with the region's unique mortality statistics. Material & Method: The present study was a retrospective study of autopsies performed at a tertiary care centre in southern Haryana, from January 2018 to December 2023. During this period a total of 886 medico legal autopsies were conducted. Relevant information and subjective data like age, gender, marital status & manner of death have been collected from medico legal autopsy register from January 2018 to December 2023. Results: It was observed that out of 886 cases male outnumbered females in ratio 2.06:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the age group 21-30 years. Majority of the deaths occurred due to poisoning (n=264, 29.79%), followed by road traffic accidents 26.74%. Conclusion: Majority of cases were in the 3rd decade of life, males outnumbered females. Poisoning and road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death. Public attention, awareness, preventive and remedial strategies should be undertaken to reduce similar incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) offer the ideal platform to optically initialize the qubits utilizing the superposition of valley polarized photons. However, in the commonly available 2H phase TMDCs, thickness sensitive crystal inversion symmetry demands the precise control over the number of layers, which makes the study of valley physics challenging. On the other hand, 3R-polymorphic phase TMDCs are non-centrosymmetric irrespective of the number of layers and therefore retain valley degree of freedom for all the thicknesses. Here, using polarization resolved photoluminescence measurements under linearly polarized excitations, we demonstrate the coherent superposition of the valley photons (known as valley coherence) in synthetic 3R-phase MoS2 with different numbers of layers ranging from 3 layers to 11 layers. With near-resonant excitation (633 nm for AX0), the degree of linear polarization (a measure of the valley coherence) is observed up to 70% at 80 K measurement temperatures and is found to be layer thickness independent. Robust valley coherence is attributed to the high optical quality and the 3R crystal symmetry of the MoS2. Using angle resolved polarization dependent measurements, it is established that the net dipolar emission aligns with the polarization orientations of the incident laser, which signifies the valley coherence to be independent of the crystal orientation. This study paves the way toward using 3R-phase MoS2 as a key material for the development of future quantum technologies utilizing valley polarized photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Road traffic accidents are preventable public health issues and are becoming more common. These accidents can be linked to a number of factors, including an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, changes in daily life, a nasty habit of breaking traffic laws, anarchic traffic systems, and risky driving practices. Thoraco-abdominal injury in different forms is one of the major causes of mortality in the victims of fatal road traffic accidents. The aim of this study was to know the pattern of thoraco-abdominal injuries in victims of fatal road traffic accident cases. Material & Method: The present study was conducted at the tertiary healthcare centre in southern Haryana. Total of 75 cases of fatal road traffic accident cases were enrolled during one year of study period. The basic information about the deceased like age, gender, mode of travel of the victim was obtained from investigating officer narration and inquest papers. During autopsy, detailed examination of injuries was carried out and the autopsy findings were recorded and analyzed. Results: It was observed that out of 75 cases male outnumbered females in ratio 5.25:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the age group 21-30 years. The commonest injury of the thoracic region was rib fracture (41.3%). It was also observed that 17.3% of victims had pelvic fracture. Conclusion: Human error is a major contributing factor to fatal RTAs, which can be avoided in many cases. A more stringent licensing policy, particularly for four-wheelers, increased knowledge of traffic laws, the reduction of drug abuse and an appropriate road network that is in line with traffic volume can help to reduce the number of fatal road traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memristors-based integrated circuits for emerging bio-inspired computing paradigms require an integrated approach utilizing both volatile and nonvolatile memristive devices. Here, an innovative architecture comprising of 1D CVD-grown core-shell heterostructures (CSHSs) of MoO 2 -MoS 2 is employed as memristors manifesting both volatile switching (with high selectivity of 10 7 and steep slope of 0.6 mV decade -1 ) and nonvolatile switching phenomena (with I on /I off ≈10 3 and switching speed of 60 ns). In these CSHSs, the metallic core MoO 2 with high current carrying capacity provides a conformal and immaculate interface with semiconducting MoS 2 shells and therefore it acts as a bottom electrode for the memristors. The power consumption in volatile devices is as low as 50 pW per set transition and 0.1 fW in standby mode. Voltage-driven current spikes are observed for volatile devices while with nonvolatile memristors, key features of a biological synapse such as short/long-term plasticity and paired pulse facilitation are emulated suggesting their potential for the development of neuromorphic circuits. These CSHSs offer an unprecedented solution for the interfacial issues between metallic electrodes and the layered materials-based switching element with the prospects of developing smaller footprint memristive devices for future integrated circuits., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)