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Abstract Slope instability due to tectonic, hydrological and anthropogenic activities cause severe landslides in Himalaya. Joshimath, a densely populated Himalayan town witnessed a catastrophic landslide event during December 2022 and January 2023 causing damages to ∼700 buildings. We use Interferometric synthetic aperture radar, Global Positioning System and rainfall measurements to probe the kinematics of the Joshimath landslide. We separate the seasonal and episodic deformation components using singular spectrum analysis. While the low amplitude annual landslide motions are modulated by seasonal precipitation, acceleration phases are triggered by extreme rain events. Our analysis revealed episodes of cascading motions triggered by extreme rain events resulting an overall increase in landslide velocity from −22 mm/yr during 2004–2010 to −325 mm/yr during 2022–2023. We estimate the landslide depth (∼30 m) and hydraulic diffusivity (∼3 × 10−5 m2/s) using a 1‐D pore‐water pressure diffusion model. Our study reveals the importance of systematic monitoring of ground deformation and weather parameters for landslide hazard mitigation.

The main objective of this study is the in-season forecasting of soybean crop yield using the integration of satellite remote sensing and weather observations. The study was carried out in the Paran´a state of Brazil. The soybean crop in the study region is sown during Oct.–Nov. month and harvested between Feb.–Mar. of the next year. Municipality-level soybean yield data for 15 municipalities was obtained from the AGROLINK portal of Brazil, from the 2005–06 season to the 2020–21 season. The crop yield data constituted yearly municipality-wise yield in kg/ha. Remote sensing-based indicators such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), and Rainfall data from CHIRPS was considered in the study. Regression modelling was carried out between municipality-level yield as the dependent variable and features generated from remote sensing and weather observations as independent variables. Performance evaluation of tuned random forest regression (RFR) and tuned support vector regression (SVR) were performed against multiple linear regression (MLR). A comparison of results in terms of algorithms shows that RFR performed better than SVR and MLR. Further, a rootmean- square-error (RMSE) of 414 kg/ha and an R2 value of 0.748 were achieved by the best RFR model. Validation of developed RFR model was performed on the data from the new soybean season, i.e., 2020–21. We have achieved an R2 value of 0.693 with a RMSE of 585 kg/ha. Although the model performance on the data of 2020-21 season is slightly reduced, R2 and RMSE are in good agreement with test results. This study showed that, integration of remote sensing and weather observations would be useful for in-season yield forecasting of soybean at municipality level.

Abstract Objective Patterns of cryopreservation of explanted skull bone flaps have long been a matter of debate, in particular the appropriate temperature of storage. To the best of our knowledge no study to date has compared the microbiological profile and the infection potential of skull bone flaps cryostored at the same institution at disparate degrees for neurosurgical purposes. In the context of our clinical trial DRKS00023283, we performed a bacterial culture of explanted skull bone flaps, which were cryopreserved lege artis at a temperature of either − 23 °C or − 80 °C after a decompressive hemicraniectomy. In a further step, we contaminated the bone fragments in a s uspension with specific pathogens (S. aureus, S. epidermidis and C. acnes, Colony forming unit CFU 103/ml) over 24 h and conducted a second culture. Results A total of 17 cryopreserved skull flaps (8: − 23 °C; 9: − 80 °C) explanted during decompressive hemicraniectomies performed between 2019 and 2020 as well as 2 computer-aided-designed skulls (1 vancomycin-soaked) were analyzed. Median duration of cryopreservation was 10.5 months (2–17 months). No microorganisms were detected at the normal bacterial culture. After active contamination of our skull flaps, all samples showed similar bacterial growth of above-mentioned pathogens; thus, our study did not reveal an influence of the storage temperature upon infectious dynamic of the skulls.

Remote sensing satellites allow users to acquire detailed information about the Earth's surface on a temporal basis. Widen time-series analysis at a large geographical scale involves a huge amount (in Terabytes) of satellite data downloading and processing operations. Such processes need good computational power, large storage, and sophisticated tools. Maintaining such infrastructure can cost heavily to the research/commercial enterprises. To overcome such issues, Amazon Web Service (AWS) offers a sophisticated cloud computing environment. We developed an in-house automated satellite data downloading and processing (ADDPro) pipeline on the AWS platform. The ADDPro pipeline employed Sentinel-2 satellite data to offer current and relative vegetation health information of the agriculture region on a temporal basis at the pan-India scale. Image compositing and multi-sensor data fusion technique have been incorporated into the ADDPro pipeline to produce cloud-free raster (GeoTIFF) outputs. ADDPro pipeline also facilitates lossless raster data compression, which reduces AWS data transfer costs between regions. Data compression also aids in reducing raster publishing time on GeoServer. Operationally, AWS allows users to download only the bands required to generate a certain index (e.g. NDVI) rather than the entire Sentinel-2 data package. The entire ADDPro pipeline is extremely cost-effective, efficient, and scalable.

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a useful index for vegetation monitoring. However, due to cloud cover the observations of NDVI are discrete and vary in the intensity. Therefore, there is a need to estimate the NDVI during cloud cover using alternative sources of satellite observations. The main objective of this study is to estimate NDVI during cloudy conditions using moderate resolution multi-spectral and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations. Two approaches were identified: 1) pixel replacement and 2) machine learning based regression analysis to estimate cloud free NDVI. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 8-day NDVI composite, Sentinel-1 SAR and cloud masked Sentinel-2 multi-spectral observations were collected for entire cropping season. The satellite observations were selected only for agricultural areas by applying the agriculture, non-agriculture land use land cover mask. Machine learning algorithms such as Linear Regression (LR), Random Forest Regression (RFR), and Support Vector Regression (SVR) were used for NDVI estimation. Regression analysis was performed using Sentinel-2 NDVI as an independent variable and VV, VH, Cross Ratio (i.e., VV/VH), and MODIS NDVI as dependent variables. NDVI of the cloudy pixel was estimated using the trained regression models over the agriculture areas. A regression model was trained and applied to each Sentinel-2 tile that covers an area of 100 km × 100 km. The RFR and SVR showed the highest R2 of 0.73 and a RMSE of 0.12. A visual comparison of time series graphs showed good alignment between actual (Sentinel-2) and predicted NDVI and usual crop growth trend.

A miniaturized frequency scanned leaky wave antenna (LWA) based on half mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) with open stop-band suppression is proposed. The modified cross-slot is etched on the top of HMSIW as the radiating element. The folded and unfolded ground plane designs of the proposed HMSIW LWA are compared and analyzed w.r.t their bloch impedance characteristics and it is found that further miniaturization and gain improvement at broadside by ~ 2dBi are achieved for folded ground plane design. The proposed LWA scans a region from -40° to +24° as the frequency range increases from 12 to 17 GHz with broadside at 15.5 GHz. The HMSIW LWA with folded ground plane is fabricated and its performance is experimentally measured showing the close agreement between the simulation and the measured results.

Introduction: A 22-day-old male infant presented with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate with prominent premaxillary segment, wide alar base, flat alar domes and no columellar tissue, thus leading to a severe facial deformity. A presurgical nasoalveolar moulding (PNAM) procedure was planned to facilitate an optimal surgical approximation of the cleft and surrounding tissues. Methods: PNAM was performed on the basis of the hypothesis that ‘The palatal shelves continue to grow unabated if adequate relief is provided by wax mock up while preparing the feeding plate’. An intraoral device, which consisted of an acrylic feeding plate, was constructed after adequate wax mock up in the cleft area for passive moulding, along with extraoral traction force through active lip taping. A nasal stent was subsequently attached to lift the nasal domes and lengthen the columella. The changes thus achieved with PNAM were assessed using innovative photographic and model analyses. Results: On completion of PNAM, the qualitative photographic changes showed significant premaxillary setback, columellar lengthening and fullness of alar domes. The quantitative model analysis revealed reduction in the anteroposterior cleft gap by 5 mm and 5.5 mm on right and left sides, respectively. Transverse distance between the two palatal segments reduced by 3.5 mm, 8 mm and 8.5 mm in anterior, middle and posterior regions, respectively. Conclusion: Orthodontic intervention performed for 11 weeks by PNAM helped to retract the premaxilla, reduce the cleft gap, improve the arch form, approximate lip segments and distinctly lengthen the columella. Hence, it improved the morphology of the nose by correcting the flattened nasal wings. This aided the surgeon to achieve an optimal surgical repair. Keywords: Pre-surgical nasoalveolar moulding, Lip taping, Nasal stent, Columellar lengthening

A planar asymmetric substrate integrated wave¬guide leaky wave antenna is proposed with open stop band suppression and radiation efficiency equalization through broadside for the Ku-band. The stop-band behavior exhib¬ited at broadside in the 1-D periodic structure is signifi¬cantly reduced using reflection cancellation technique by placing the two slots at a quarter distance within the unit cell. Furthermore, asymmetric technique is applied. The asymmetry is introduced with respect to both axial and transversal axis of the structure so as to match the at-broadside Bloch impedance and off-broadside Bloch im¬pedance. This provides total open stop band suppression and radiation efficiency improvement as well as equaliza-tion through broadside. The problem is analyzed with the help of Bloch impedance behavior. For illustration of the above techniques; single slot, double slot and asymmetric designs are developed for the proposed leaky wave an¬tenna. The final asymmetric design after optimization is fabricated. Measured results are almost consistent with the simulation results with complete suppression of open stop band, efficiency improvement and equalization through broadside providing continuous beam scanning from –32° to +27° with constant gain of ~12.5 dBi.

Preliminary pharmacognostical screening of crude drug as well as pet ether, chloroform, ethanol and water extracts were done on Dendrophthoe falcata (Loranthaceae). Dendrophthoe Falcata showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, reducing sugar, saponin, terpenoids, tannins and steroids. Morphological and anatomical study has been done with the aim to aid pharmacognostic and taxonomic species using light microscopy. WHO recommended physicochemical determination and authentic phytochemical procedures. Physicochemical, morphological and histological parameters evaluated in this article helps to standardize and authenticate the species Dendrophthoe falcata and possibly help to differentiate from its other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractal growth, growth kinetics, and electrical conductivity of aggregates obtained during electropolymerization in the systems (A) pyrrole-4-toluene sulfonic acid silver salt (4-TSS)-acetonitrile, (B) pyrrole-4-TSS-ZnSO4-acetonitrile, and (C) pyrrole-4-TSS-aniline-acetonitrile were investigated. In the case of system (A), effect of [4-TSS], [pyrrole], field intensity, and solvents H2O and CH3OH on morphology, fractal character, and growth kinetics was also studied. Fractal growth data were examined in detail. During studies on system (A), electric potential oscillations were observed and subjected to detailed study. The results indicate that fractal growth pattern and electric potential oscillations are inter-related. The mechanism of development of fractal growth, dendritic structure, and electric potential oscillations is discussed in terms of diffusion-limited aggregation and modified Diaz’s mechanism, which explains the random movement of radical cations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations on ion transport mechanism in the new Ag+ion conducting quaternary solid electrolyte systems: (1-x)[0.75AgI: 0.25AgCl]: xKI, where 0

An analysis of the action of the incisor teeth in humans is presented in terms of the fracture of food particles. It is predicted that the resistance of foods with an essentially linear elastic response to an initial bite by the incisors will depend on the square root of the product of two food properties, Young's modulus and toughness. This quantity should be approximately equal to the product of the stress at cracking during a bite, and the square root of the length of a notch or indentation from which that crack initiates. As a test of the theory, the relationship between in vivo stresses and the depth of incisal penetration, measured during bites on seven 'snack' foods by 10 subjects, and food properties established from mechanical testing, was investigated. Theory and experiment were found to be in excellent agreement. A dimensionless index of the efficiency of incision is suggested, relating fracture performance by subjects to values from a testing machine. This appears to have a high level of inter-subject discrimination with efficiencies varying about threefold. The method appears to have potential applications in dentistry, food science and studies of human and primate evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroaerodynamic (EAD) devices, which produce a propulsive force in air by electrostatic acceleration, have been demonstrated as a method of propulsion for airplanes. However, achieving sufficient thrust-to-power is a significant challenge in developing EAD aircraft which are practical. Theory predicts that devices with larger inter-electrode gap spacing will enable higher thrust-to-power, but most experimental work has been limited to gap spacings of less than 80 mm. Those studies which have investigated spacings of greater than 100 mm have found results deviating from theory, with lower thrust-to-power than predicted. We performed experiments between 50 and 300 mm gap spacing and conclude that three effects explain the discrepancy: ‘leakage current’ from the electrodes to the surroundings, which does not produce thrust but increases measured electrical power; reverse corona emission from the collecting electrode, which reduces thrust and increases power; and the electric potential of the thruster relative to its surroundings, which affects both leakage current and reverse corona emission. Our results show that if these effects are accounted for, the existing EAD theory is correct without modification beyond its previous range of validity and is applicable to wire-to-cylinder EAD devices up to at least 300 mm gap spacing. We support our experimental results with two-dimensional numerical simulations, which show that the experimental current and thrust, including effects of leakage current, can be reproduced by computation with 12% error—an important step towards numerical design and optimization. By experimentally replicating equilibrium in-flight conditions, we measure thrust-to-power in the laboratory of up to 15 N kW−1 for large gap spacing thrusters at practically useful thrust levels. This is two to three times higher than current implementations with smaller gap spacings, suggesting that large gap spacing thrusters will be suitable for future EAD-propelled flight applications at thrust-to-power competitive with or exceeding conventional propulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report the synthesis of four thienyltriazine and benzodithiazole/benzotriazole containing conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) TT-PP1, TT-PP2, TT-PP3 and TT-PP4 using Stille coupling reaction and Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction. By varying the spacer and heteroatom, the band gap of the polymers TT-PP2

Background: A state of impaired glucose tolerance is called prediabetes. The diagnosis of prediabetes is controversial, yet it still puts a person at risk for developing diabetes. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is useful for identifying persons at risk for peripheral artery disease and for diagnosing the condition in those who have symptoms in their lower extremities and subclinical atherosclerosis. This study highlights ABI and its correlation with cardiovascular risk factors like lipid profile and anthropometric measurement including neck circumference in prediabetes so that primary care physicians may be able to diagnose early before advancing to diabetes. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study of 2 years duration from December 2020 to September 2022 was conducted in the Department of Medicine, at a tertiary care teaching hospital situated in a rural area. Patients with pre-diabetes were enrolled and Ankle Brachial Index was calculated. The correlation of ABI with anthropometric measures and lipid profile was assessed. Results: On calculating ABI by manual method 21% which is 42 out of 200 had low ABI (

Background: Subsequent to serosurveys 1 and 2 for COVID-19 carried out in three wards of Mumbai in July and August 2020, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai conducted serosurvey 3 in March 2021. This was to identify the extent of exposure by testing specific IgG antibodies against COVID-19. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to find the prevalence of seropositivity in Mumbai, which included 10,197 samples belonging to patients visiting public dispensaries (slum population, 6006) and private (nonslum population, 4191) laboratories of Aapli Chikitsa network for blood investigations for non-COVID illnesses. The ward-wise number of unlinked anonymous samples from 24 wards was predecided by using probability proportionate sampling. The samples were collected using quota sampling technique as per predecided sample for each ward. These samples collected from nonimmunized individuals were tested for IgG antibodies at the Molecular Biology Laboratory of Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases by chemiluminescence assay (CLIA) method. Results: The overall seropositivity was found to be 36.3% (41.6% in slum and 28.59% in nonslum population). It was more in city wards (38.28%) followed by western suburb (36.47%) and then eastern suburb wards (34.86%), matching with the proportion of cases in these wards during the study period. There was no significant difference in seropositivity among males and females and in different age groups. Conclusions: Seropositivity is higher in slum areas than nonslum areas. It has reduced in slum areas and increased in nonslum areas as compared to findings of serosurveys 1 and 2. This explains the detection of a greater number of cases from nonslum areas in the second wave. The average seropositivity of 36.3% justifies the necessity of immunization on a wider scale in the city. Periodic serosurveys are required at fixed intervals to monitor the trend of infection and level of herd immunity.

Abstract Heterocyclic systems are now considered to be an integral part of material chemistry. Thiophene, selenophene, furan, pyrrole, carbazole, triazine and others are some such examples worth mentioning. 2,4,6‐Tri(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine is a C3h‐symmetric system with thiophene as the donor unit and s‐triazine as the acceptor unit. This review gives an insight into the advances made in the thienyl‐triazine chemistry over the past two to three decades. The synthetic pathways for arriving at this system and all its important derivatives are provided. The major focus is on the materials synthesized using the thienyl‐triazine system, including star molecules, linear and hyperbranched polymers, porous materials and their diverse applications. This review will play a catalytic role for new dimensions to be explored in thienyl‐triazine chemistry.

Opsoclonus–myoclonus–ataxia syndrome (OMAS) is an inflammatory neurological disordercharacterized by chaotic uncontrolled movements of the eyes and involuntary jerk-like movements of the body. We report the case of a 45-year-old man who presented with fever without any seizures or focal deficits. On examination, he had opsoclonus in his eyes and cortical myoclonus in his hands and body. On evaluation, he tested positive for the dengue NS1 antigen. Furthermore, he had low platelets, normal metabolic workup, normal brain imaging, and normalcerebrospinal fluid analysis. He was managed conservatively and showed improvement in opsoclonus–myoclonus by day 7 of his illness and complete recovery in 2 weeks. Although dengue is primarily considered to be a hematotropic virus, it can involve the nervous system and manifest with OMAS. To the best of our knowledge, OMAS has been reported in only four cases of dengue infection in adults to date.

From experimental studies, clinical studies and epidemiological studies it is proved beyond doubt that camel milk has potential role in prevention and treatment of diabetes. The main purpose of the study to isolate camel milk protein and compare its similarity with human insulin so that camel milk can be used as an adjunct therapy for diabetes. Raw camel milk (30 ml) was used for isolation of protein and peptides. The complete process included trypsin digestion, peptide fractionation and LC-MS technique. Digested and fractionized peptide sample was processed further for liquid chromatography and mass spectra/ tandem mass spectra were recorded in positive-ion and high sensitivity mode. MS/MS spectra were automatically calibrated during dynamic LC-MS. Raw data files were converted to Mascot Generic Format (MGF) and these MGF files were searched against UniPort, NCBI and common MS contaminant database. In our study 13 proteins and 22 peptide sequences were found similar to insulin/ insulin like growth factor and isoform. In our study some very large peptide sequence were identified which were seen similar to NUAK family SNF1-like kinase and this peptide sequence gives evidence of role of camel milk in cancer treatment. Observing so many similar peptides in camel milk sample with human insulin, isoform of insulin, receptors and others give strong evidence that camel milk have proteins/ peptides of such proteins similar to human insulin and give support to finding that camel milk contains insulin like molecule that mimics insulin interaction with its receptors.

Chronic alcohol consumption leads to a spectrum of liver disease that is associated with significant global mortality and morbidity. Alcohol is known to deplete hepatic vitamin A content, which has been linked to the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. It has been suggested that induction of Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) contributes to alcohol-induced hepatic vitamin A depletion, but the possible contributions of other retinoid-catabolizing CYPs have not been well studied. The main objective of this study was to better understand alcohol-induced hepatic vitamin A depletion and test the hypothesis that alcohol-induced depletion of hepatic vitamin A is due to CYP-mediated oxidative catabolism. This hypothesis was tested in a mouse model of chronic alcohol consumption, including wild type and Cyp2e1-/- mice. Our results show that chronic alcohol consumption is associated with decreased levels of hepatic retinol, retinyl esters, and retinoic acid. Moreover, the depletion of hepatic retinoid is associated with the induction of multiple retinoid catabolizing CYPs, including CYP26A1, and CYP26B1 in alcohol fed wild type mice. In Cyp2e1-/- mice, alcohol-induced retinol decline is blunted but retinyl esters undergo a change in their acyl composition and decline upon alcohol exposure like WT mice. In conclusion, the alcohol induced decline in hepatic vitamin A content is associated with increased expression of multiple retinoid-catabolizing CYPs, including the retinoic acid specific hydroxylases CYP26A1 and CYP26B1.

The quest for ultrahigh-Q nanomechanical resonators has driven intense study of strain-induced dissipation dilution, an effect whereby vibrations of a tensioned plate are effectively trapped in a lossless potential. Here, we show for the first time that torsion modes of nanostructures can experience dissipation dilution, yielding a new class of ultrahigh-Q nanomechanical resonators with broad applications to quantum experiments and precision measurement. Specifically, we show that torsion modes of strained nanoribbons have Q factors scaling as their width-to-thickness ratio squared (characteristic of “soft clamping”), yielding Q factors as high as 10^{8} and Q-frequency products as high as 10^{13} Hz for devices made of Si_{3}N_{4}. Using an optical lever, we show that the rotation of one such nanoribbon can be resolved with an imprecision 100 times smaller than the zero-point motion of its fundamental torsion mode, without the use of a cavity or interferometric stability. We also show that a strained nanoribbon can be mass loaded without changing its torsional Q. We use this strategy to engineer a chip-scale torsion pendulum with an ultralow damping rate of 7 μHz and show how it can be used to sense micro-g fluctuations of the local gravitational field. Our findings signal the potential for a new field of imaging-based quantum optomechanics, demonstrate that the utility of strained nanomechanics extends beyond force microscopy to inertial sensing, and hint that the landscape for dissipation dilution remains largely unexplored.

The discovery of contact sites was a breakthrough in cell biology. We have learned that an organelle cannot function in isolation, and that many cellular functions depend on communication between two or more organelles. One such contact site results from the close apposition of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, known as mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs). These intracellular lipid rafts serve as hubs for the regulation of cellular lipid and calcium homeostasis, and a growing body of evidence indicates that MAM domains modulate cellular function in both health and disease. Indeed, MAM dysfunction has been described as a key event in Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. Our most recent work shows that, by means of its affinity for cholesterol, APP-C99 accumulates in MAM domains of the ER and induces the uptake of extracellular cholesterol as well as its trafficking from the plasma membrane to the ER. As a result, MAM functionality becomes chronically upregulated while undergoing continual turnover. The goal of this review is to discuss the consequences of C99 elevation in AD, specifically the upregulation of cholesterol trafficking and MAM activity, which abrogate cellular lipid homeostasis and disrupt the lipid composition of cellular membranes. Overall, we present a novel framework for AD pathogenesis that can be linked to the many complex alterations that occur during disease progression, and that may open a door to new therapeutic strategies.

Odontogenesis is a complex process, which involves the molecular interaction between the epithelium and ectomesenchyme called as epithelium mesenchymal interaction (EMI). Reduced enamel epithelium (REE) after tooth formation protects enamel from coming in contact with adjacent ectomesenchyme. Also, REE acts as a source of origin for odontogenic lesions, during the process of development of a lesion, disruption in REE may occur and lead to formed enamel coming in contact with adjacent ectomesenchyme leading to the formation of cementum like calcifications. REE may play a role in pathogenesis of hard tissue formation in odontogenic lesions.

Background: Breastfeeding is commonly practiced by a majority of mothers in developing countries, though there are widespread misconceptions about optimal breastfeeding traditions. In addition to culturally prominent rituals and social norms, incorrect and inadequate breastfeeding knowledge is major factors for this high-risk behavior. Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitude and practices of breastfeeding among girls and women visiting a tertiary care center in India and to find out the factors, which influence the breastfeeding behaviors. Design/Methods: It is a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study done among women attending outpatient and inpatient Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology of S.S. Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, India. A face-to-face interview using a pre-designed, self-administered, standardized questionnaire regarding knowledge, attitude, and practices of breastfeeding was conducted. The information was collected and analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Findings: Among 1000 women enrolled in the study, 89% were married, 25% were primiparous, and 52% were multiparous. More than 50% were illiterate, 91% unemployed, and 90% had hospital delivery. Of the total 770 mothers, only 55% received proper antenatal care during pregnancy, of which only 40% were counseled about breastfeeding. Regarding knowledge and attitude about breastfeeding, majority females (71.4%) considered breast milk as best food for a newborn, which was better in younger women

Background: Chikungunya fever (CHIK) is an arboviral disease. Dengue fever (DENG) and CHIK are indistinguishable clinically and need to be differentiated by laboratory investigations. Purpose: This study aimed at estimating the seroprevalence of CHIK mono-infection and CHIK and DENG dual infection in suspected patients. We also analyzed the age, sex distribution, joint involvement, and relation of joint movement restriction with visual analog scale (VAS). Materials and Methods: Two hundred patients clinically suspected with DENG and CHIK were enrolled from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mumbai from April 2012 to October 2013. The detailed history and examination findings were recorded. Serum samples were subjected to DENG and CHIK immunoglobulin G (IgM) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The seroprevalence of CHIK was 12.5%. Mono-infection of CHIK was 3%, and CHIK and DENG dual infection was 9.5%. Most affected age group in CHIK cases was 46–60 years wherein female preponderance was seen. All 6 patients with CHIK mono-infection had fever and joint involvement; knee and elbow were the most commonly affected joints. All CHIK patients had VAS score of 6–10 with restricted joint movement. Of the patients with dual infection, the majorities were from 31 to 45 years with male preponderance; all had fever and joint pain mainly affecting knee and elbow. Of patients who had VAS score 6–10 in patients with dual infection, only 5.26% had restricted joint movement. Conclusion: IgM ELISA for Chikungunya infection should be included in the routine laboratory tests for acute febrile illness.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients experience a progressive deterioration and disability leading to worsening of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional exercise capacity. We performed this study to identify the correlation of HRQoL assessed by St George′s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the functional exercise capacity assessed by the six-minute walk test (6MWT) with severity of COPD defined by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria among spirometry-confirmed COPD patients, admitted in a tertiary care rural hospital. Materials and Methods: The study included 129 spirometry-confirmed COPD patients defined by the GOLD criteria from a tertiary care hospital in central India. They underwent HRQoL measurement using the disease-specific (SGRQ). Functional exercise capacity was measured by 6MWT, as per the American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines. Statistical Analysis: We analyzed the various SGRQ scores and six-minute walk distance (6MWD) percentage predicted with various stages of COPD using the Student′s t-test. The Pearson′s correlation coefficient (r) was used to assess the relationships between various SGRQ scores and 6MWD with FEV 1 % predicted. Results: We found that COPD patients with GOLD III and IV, but not GOLD II, had significantly poor HRQoL measured by SGRQ, as compared to patients with mild COPD (GOLD I). An inverse linear relation was found between 6MWD and the severity of COPD. Correlation of FEV 1 % predicted with various SGRQ scores varied from - 0.40 to - 0.53, with a maximum correlation of FEV 1 % predicted with an SGRQ symptom score (- 0.53) and SGRQ total score (- 0.50). A strong positive correlation was found between 6MWD and FEV 1 % predicted (0.57). Conclusions: Staging COPD according to the GOLD guidelines does correspond to important differences in the HRQoL of COPD patients having severe disease, but not for mild disease, whereas, the functional exercise capacity of COPD patients deteriorates in a linear fashion with the severity of disease assessed by the GOLD staging criteria.

Myelin formation has been identified as a modulator of neural plasticity. New tools are required to investigate the mechanisms by which environmental inputs and neural activity regulate myelination patterns. In this study, we demonstrate a microfluidic compartmentalized culture system with integrated electrical stimulation capabilities that can induce neural activity by whole cell and focal stimulation. A set of electric field simulations was performed to confirm spatial restriction of the electrical input in the compartmentalized culture system. We further demonstrate that electrode localization is a key consideration for generating uniform the stimulation of neuron and oligodendrocytes within the compartments. Using three configurations of the electrodes we tested the effects of subcellular activation of neural activity on distal axon myelination with oligodendrocytes. We further investigated if oligodendrocytes have to be exposed to the electrical field to induce axon myelination. An isolated stimulation of cell bodies and proximal axons had the same effect as an isolated stimulation of distal axons co-cultured with oligodendrocytes, and the two modes had a non-different result than whole cell stimulation. Our platform enabled the demonstration that electrical stimulation enhances oligodendrocyte maturation and myelin formation independent of the input localization and oligodendrocyte exposure to the electrical field.

Although brain has been the most common site for toxoplasma infection in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients, involvement of spinal cord by toxoplasma has been rarely found. Spinal cord toxoplasmosis can present as acute onset weakness in both lower limbs associated with sensory and bladder dysfunction. A presumptive diagnosis can be made in patients with CD4 count

This paper focuses on extending drug release duration from contact lenses by incorporating catanionic aggregates. The aggregates consist of a long-chain cationic surfactant, i.e., cetalkonium chloride (CKC), and an oppositely charged anti-inflammatory amphiphilic drug. We studied three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs with different octanol−water partition coefficients; diclofenac sodium (DFNa), flurbiprofen sodium (FBNa), and naproxen sodium (NPNa). Confirmation of catanionic aggregate formation in solution was determined by steady and dynamic shear rheology measurements. We observed the increased viscosity, shear thinning, and viscoelastic behavior characteristic of wormlike micelles; the rheological data are reasonably well described using a Maxwellian fluid model with a single relaxation time. In vitro release experiments demonstrated that the extension in the drug release time is dependent on the ability of a drug to form viscoelastic catanionic aggregates. Such aggregates retard the diffusive transport of drug molecules from the contact lenses. Our study revealed that the release kinetics depends on the CKC concentration and the alkyl chain length of the cationic surfactant. We demonstrated that more hydrophobic drugs such as diclofenac sodium show a more extended release than less hydrophobic drugs such as naproxen sodium.

Acute left ventricular (LV) failure has been reported after surgical closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) in adult patients. We report acute LV failure in a 56 year old gentleman following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and surgical closure of ASD. Transesophageal echocardiography examination of the patient following closure of ASD and CABG showed a residual ASD and a shunt (Qp :Qs = 1.5). The residual ASD was closed after re-institution of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) under cardioplegic cardiac arrest. However, the patient did not tolerate closure of the residual ASD. The CPB was re-established and under cardioplegic cardiac arrest residual ASD was reopened to create a fenestration. This time patient was weaned easily from CPB. Postoperatively, 16 hours after extubation, patient became hemodynamically unstable, the patient was electively put on ventilator and intra-aortic balloon pump. Later the patient was weaned off successfully from ventilator. Retrospective analysis of pulmonary venous flow diastolic deceleration time (PVDT D ) recorded during prebypass period measured 102 msec suggestive of high left atrial pressure which indicate possibility of LV failure after ASD closure.

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the most powerful risk factor for the progression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection to Tuberculosis (TB) disease. TB accelerates the progression of HIV infection to AIDS and shortens the survival of such patients. Aim: To determine the seroprevalence of HIV infection among TB confirmed patients in a tertiary care center in Mumbai in view of the significance of HIV in TB. Its association with gender and age was also determined. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected by venipuncture from 432 TB patients and their HIV status was determined. HIV antibody detection was carried out as per Strategy III, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines. Statistical analysis was carried out by applying the Chi-square test. Results and Conclusion: Of the 432 patients screened, 9% (39) were HIV positive. The prevalence of co-infection was higher among females (9.4%) than the male (8.7%) patients and highest amongst those aged 21to40 years (13.7%). Co-infection was found to be statistically highly associated with age (p < 0.05). This high prevalence calls for routine screening of TB patients for HIV infection.

A 27 year old female presented with swelling in the left cheek involving the maxilla, of seven months duration. Histopathological examination showed a lobulated tumour composed of large polygonal cells with distinct "chicken-wire" type of calcification around individual tumour cells. A diagnosis of chondroblastoma was made. Key Words: Bone tumour, Chondroblastoma, Maxilla.

We describe an interesting case of intramural duodenal hematoma in an otherwise healthy male who presented to emergency room with gradually progressive abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. This condition was missed on initial evaluation and patient was discharged from emergency room with diagnosis of acute gastritis. After 3 days, patient came back to emergency room and abdominal imaging studies were conducted which showed that patient had intramural duodenal hematoma associated with gastric outlet obstruction and pancreatitis. Hematoma was the cause of acute pancreatitis as pancreatic enzymes levels were normal at the time of first presentation, but later as the hematoma grew in size, it caused compression of pancreas and subsequent elevation of pancreatic enzymes. We experienced a case of pancreatitis which was caused by intramural duodenal hematoma. This case was missed on initial evaluation. We suggest that physicians should be more vigilant about this condition.

A field experiment was carried out at Horticultural Research Farm, Precision Farming Development Centre, Department of Horticulture, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh during the year 2009- 2010 in Randomized Block Design with three replications and ten treatment combinations ( 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% water through drip irrigation system with and without polythene mulch + Basin irrigation with and without mulch). Fruits characters, yield and yield attributing parameter were higher under drip irrigation with 0.6 V volume of water + polythene mulch (T8) and the same characters were lowest under control (Basin irrigation with V- volume of water). Application of black plastic mulch with drip irrigation system can conserve moisture, check the growth of weeds and improve the fruit yield and quality. Water use efficiency was higher under drip irrigation with 0.6 V volume of water + polythene mulch and low under basin irrigation with V volume of water. The net income and benefit cost ratio was also higher under the treatment T8 as compared to surface method of irrigation.

A retrospective, cross sectional, series of cases were currently studied in the department of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) Kathmandu, Nepal to find out the distribution of different malignancies in head and neck regions and to identify their treatment modalities during the period of one year from January 2003 to December 2003. Altogether 159 new cases of histopathologically/cytopathologically confirmedmalignancies of head and neck regions and their treatment modalities were analyzed. Out of 159 cases, malignancies of larynx (41), pharynx (31) and oral cavity (30) were found to be the commonest head and neck malignancies where as malignancies of ear (1), and salivary glands (4) were found to be the least common. Likewise surgery with or without radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy was found to be the commonest treatment modality. Of the 159 cases seven were occult primary. As the laryngo-pharyngo-oral malignancies are the commonest malignancies and surgery with or without radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy the commonest treatment modalities for these head and neckmalignancies. Awell equipped head and neck unit is needed at TUTH along with proposed radiotherapy and medical oncology support for better management of these malignancies. Key Words: Carcinoma, Head and Neck, Malignancy, Surgery, Radiotherapy.