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This study was conducted to determine the incidence of hospital admissions following acute poisoning, nature of agents involved and change in pattern of poisoning over a 5-year period. Data from hospital records of all admissions to emergency department following acute poisoning collected prospectively were analysed for the period January 1993 to January 1998. A steady increase in deliberate poisoning using pesticides, particularly among young adults, was noted. Kerosene (paraffin) was the commonest poison in children and plant poisons were also common. There were 52 deaths (3.3%) among the 1584 admissions. The majority of deaths were due to pesticides. Poisoning and mortality followed ingestion of readily-available and commonly used agents. Measures to increase public education, counselling and awareness could prevent a number of these admissions.

Background: Adiponectin is a cytokine mainly secreted from the adipose tissue, which has insulin-sensitizing effects, antiatherosclerotic actions, and antiinflammatory properties. There are a few studies that have demonstrated that adiponectin is reduced in patients with psoriasis suggesting that this adipocytokine may have a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. There have been no studies so far on adiponectin in relation to psoriasis and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Objectives: This study was performed to analyze serum adiponectin and insulin levels in psoriasis patients with and without MetS and in controls with and without MetS. Materials and Methods: We performed a case control study on 60 psoriasis patients, 29 with MetS and 31 without MetS and 40 controls, 20 with and 20 without MetS, matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Fasting serum insulin and adiponectin levels were measured in all groups. Results: The overall serum adiponectin levels were significantly reduced in psoriasis patients when compared with controls (P = 0.000). A significant reduction was also observed in psoriasis patients with MetS than those without MetS in the same group (P = 0.000). Similar decrease was observed between those with MetS in the psoriasis and control groups (P = 0.001). The lowest mean value of serum adiponectin (6387.9 ng/ml) was observed in psoriasis with MetS group and highest value (12146.3 ng/ml) in controls without MetS. Conclusion: Adiponectin levels are decreased in psoriasis patients irrespective of MetS thus indicating a role in its pathogenesis. This study prompts future trials on drugs increasing adiponectin levels in patients with psoriasis.

In recent years there have been many reports of connective tissue diseases especially scleroderma following exposure to silica and silicone. We report a 51-year-old Chinese who developed a scleroderma-like disease and pulmonary silicosis eight years after exposure to silica. To our knowledge, this is the first case to be reported in Malaysia.

Generally polymers have been considered to be insulators, but they can now be “tailored” as conducting polymers and can be synthesized for applications, especially for the semiconductor and electronic industries. Polymers can be made to conduct either electronically or ionically. Polymer materials that conduct ions can be described as ion conducting polymer electrolytes. While as prepared polyethylene oxide (PEO) samples are insulators with very low conductivity (10-10 Scm-1), impurity ion doped PEO showed conductivity values in the range of 10 Scm-5 Scm-1. The conductivity of electron conducting polymers can reach values as high as 105 Scm-1. Doping of polymers such as PEO can change its electrical properties significantly and infact make it a semiconducting material.1 This property has opened up new areas of applications such as solid state batteries, electrochromic windows and fuel cells.

Results The incidence of herpes zoster was 0.46% in the dermatology OP. The youngest patient was 4 years old and the oldest was 80 years. The incidence in males was 69.2% and females was 30.76%, Dermatomal distribution – thoracic dermatomes 55%, cranial dermatomes 21.5%, lumbar 18.4%, cervical 4.6% and sacral 1.5%. Overall, 32.3% of herpes zoster patients were HIV seropositive, the youngest seropositive patient was 8 years and the oldest being 56 years.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and joints with an increased cardiovascular risk. Previous studies have shown a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in psoriatic patients. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of MS in patients with psoriasis and healthy controls, and to determine the relation between disease severity and the presence of MS. Materials and Methods: We performed a hospital-based case-control study on 118 adult patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 120 controls matched for age, sex and body mass index. MS was diagnosed by the presence of three or more of the South Asian Modified National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Panel III criteria. Results: MS was significantly more common in psoriatic patients than in controls (44.1% vs. 30%, P value = 0.025). Psoriatic patients also had a higher prevalence of triglyceridemia (33.9% vs. 20.8%, P value = 0.011), abdominal obesity (34.7% vs. 32.5%, P value = 0.035) and elevated blood sugar. There was no difference in the high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and presence of hypertension among patients with psoriasis and normal controls. There was no correlation between the severity and duration of psoriasis with MS. Conclusion: MS is frequent in patients with psoriasis. We have found no relationship between disease severity and presence of MS. Hence, we suggest that all patients must be evaluated for the MS, irrespective of the disease severity.

Here we demonstrate a facile synthesis of 3D mesoporous carbon nitride with Ia3d symmetry (MCN-6) using mesoporous silica KIT-6 with 3D porous structure and different pore diameters as hard templates, and ethylenediamine and carbon tetrachloride as the sources for N and C, and C, respectively. The obtained materials possess bimodal pores that can be controlled with a simple adjustment of the pore diameter of the KIT-6 templates. The lower angle powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images confirm that the MCN-6 materials possess a well-ordered mesoporous 3D structure with a highly interwoven and a branched pore structure. The textural parameters such as the specific surface areas and specific pore volumes of the materials can also be controlled by tuning the pore diameter of the hard template. The specific surface area and the specific pore volume of the samples increase with increasing the pore diameter of the hard template. The C/N ratio of the MCN-6 is ca. 4.3 which is similar to that obtained for MCN-1 prepared from SBA-15 as template. FT-IR and XPS spectroscopy results reveal that samples contain a CN network with a lot of free NH 2 groups which are originated from ethylenediamine and can offer the basic sites. The temperature programmed desorption of CO 2 confirms that the samples are highly basic and the basicity of the sample is 0.195 mmol of CO 2 per g which is higher than that of MCN-1 (0.14 mmol of CO 2 per g). We tested the performance of MCN-6 materials in the base-catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde and malononitrile. The catalysts exhibit excellent activity and afford a high yield of the corresponding α,β-unsaturated nitrile in a short reaction time even at room temperature. In addition, catalysts are highly stable and can be recyclable several times without affecting their activity. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Erratum Erratum to ‘‘Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol using lanthanum doped ZnO in aqueous suspension” [Catalysis Communications 8 (9) (2007) 1377–1382] S. Anandan , A. Vinu *, T. Mori , N. Gokulakrishnan , P. Srinivasu , V. Murugesan , K. Ariga b Nano-ionics Materials Group, Fuel Cell Materials Center, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan b Supermolecules Group, Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan Department of Chemistry, Anna University, Chennai 600 025, India

Here we report for the first time on the functionalization of hexagonally ordered mesoporous carbon through a simple oxidation using ammonium persulfate solution (APS). The degree of functionalization can be easily controlled by the simple adjustment of the oxidation parameters such as oxidation time, APS concentration and oxidation temperature. The functionalized materials have been unambiguously characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption, FT-IR and HR-FESEM measurements. It has been found that the functionalized mesoporous carbon, “carboxy mesoporous carbon”, shows two times higher adsorption capability for biomolecules than pristine mesoporous carbon. The higher protein adsorption capacity of carboxy mesoporous carbon may be due to the easy access of all the adsorption sites in the interior part of the mesopores because of the oxidation of small carbon rods which are normally oriented perpendicular to the primary mesopores of CMK-3 carbon material. We expect that this novel methodology could be used to create COOH functional groups on the surface of the mesoporous carbons with different structures which can further easily be modified with various functionalities such as amines, vitamins and chiral molecules. Moreover, these functionalized mesoporous carbon materials can be utilized as a solid and stable support for immobilizing chiral amine complexes and salen complexes, amino acids and nanoparticle fabrication and may also be applicable in drug delivery, separation and adsorption technology, column packing materials for chromatographic system and fuel cell anodic devices.

Microstructural development in sintered uranium dioxide pellets was studied with reference to (1) origin of the powder and (2) time, temperature and other conditions of sintering. Changes in the microstructure of the sintered pellets when reheated at temperatures below and above sintering temperature for various periods of time have also been studied. It was found that a judicious choice of the powder with desired characteristics and a judicious choice of optimum conditions for sintering of the powder have to be utilized to attain controlled microstructure. The grain size can be increased and grain development made more perfect by an appropriate thermal treatment of the sintered pellets.

It was shown earlier that uranium dioxide derived from different compounds exhibited variations in the sintering behaviour and to attain maximum densification, the sintering should be carried out within a temperature range, specific for each of the powders.In the present work, the sintering behaviour of uranium dioxide derived from ammonium diuranate prepared by different methods, was studied in an atmosphere of hydrogen. Significant differences in the sintering (densification) behaviour of the powders was noted under identical sintering (firing) treatments. The influence of variations in sintering treatment, such as rates of heating or soaking periods, on the densification of the samples of different origins was studied. It was found that the sintering behaviour depended on both the powder characteristics and the sintering treatment. Attempts were made to relate the origin and thermal history of the UO2 with its powder characteristics; and its sintering behaviour to its powder characteristics and the fir...

The influence of powder properties and sintering treatments on the development of microstructure in sintered UO2 pellets was studied. The nature and type of porosity and grain morphology are influenced by the calcination temperature and sintering treatment and these influences persist even at a high sintering temperature.

The investigation is aimed at a study of the relations between powder properties, sintering treatments and the densification and microstructure development in urania pellets. Urania powders for this study were prepared from ammonium diuranate by decomposition and reduction at various temperatures, namely, 400°, 600°, 900°, 1200° and 1500°C. Pellets prepared from these powders were sintered at temperatures in the range of 1200° to 1700°C with different soaking periods.The influence of (i) sintering temperatures, (ii) soaking periods at different temperatures, (iii) intermediate soaks at varying time periods at various temperatures, (iv) reheating of prepared sintered pellets and (v) rates of heating during sintering, on the density and microstructure development of pellets was studied in this investigation.The study revealed that urania pellets of specified density and grain development can be prepared by first attempting to achieve densification and then continuing the thermal treatments to attain the des...

As reported earlier, electrical conductivity of sintered uranium dioxide pellets depended on the calcination temperature and the sintering treatments, and could be related to the microstructure attained. The highest sintering temperature studied was 1700° C. In the present study, high density pellets prepared by sintering at 1500° C were refired at 1800°, 1900° and 2000°C. Though there were no significant changes in the densities, the electrical conductivity of the samples varied considerably showing a minima at a refiring temperature of 1900°C. Attempts were made to correlate the changes in electrical conductivity to the microstructural changes which still seem to be influenced by the thermal history of the samples.

In an earlier investigation, it was reported that the electrical conductivity of sintered compacts of urania powders depended on the calcination temperature and the sintering treatments. In the present study, the conductivity of the samples sintered at temperatures between 1100°C to 1700°C were studied. Attempts were made to correlate the changes in the conductivity with the microstructure of the samples. The details of the microstructure were studied by electron microscopy.

Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak College, Madras-600 082 Department of Chemistry, Madras Christian College, Madras-600 069 Manuscript received 11 October 1983, revised 30 October 1984, accepted 15 February 1985 The kinetics of oxidation of benzaldehyde and some substituted benzaldehydes (o-CI, m-CI, p-Cl, o-F, m-F and p-F) have been investigated in aqueous acetic acid medium in the presence of sulphuric acid. The reaction exhibits first order both in substrate and oxidant, and second order in hydrogen ion. The reaction at constant excess H+ follows the rate expression, \(\frac{-d[Br(V)]}{dt}\)=k [Br(V)][aldehyde]. The rate of the reaction increases with increasing acetic acid content of the medium. The order of reactivity of substituted benzaldehyde is, m-CI > m-F > o-CI > p-Cl > o-F > H> p-F. the rho value is +1.1. A mechanism involving rate-determining formation of a bromate ester which decomposes to products in a fast step has been proposed.

Two common artifacts that corrupt evoked responses are noise and background electroencephalogram (EEG). In this paper, a two-level principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce these artifacts from single trial evoked responses. The first level PCA is applied to reduce noise from these VEP signals while the second level PCA reduces EEG. The method is used to analyse the object recognition and decision-making capability during visual responses. The analysis is extended to study the differences in visual response between alcoholics and non-alcoholics using single trial P3 visual evoked potential (VEP) signals. The analysis shows that alcoholics respond slower and weaker to visual stimulus as compared to non-alcoholics.

One- and three-dimensional mesoporous carbon nitride materials have been synthesized using SBA-15 and SBA-16 mesoporous silica hard templates, respectively. The obtained materials have been unambiguously characterized by sophisticated techniques such as XRD, HRTEM, EELS, XPS, FT-IR and nitrogen adsorption. The pore diameter of the above materials can easily be tuned by changing the pore diameter of mesoporous silica template with keeping the weight ratio of carbon and nitrogen source constant.

Delusion of parasitosis is a type of mono-symptomatic hypo-chondriacal psychosis common in elderly females whose response to drug therapy, usually pimozide, is variable. Two male patients presented with the delusion on their skin being infested with minute insects. One of them experienced presence of the inside the body cavities and spreading all over the body. They were treated satisfactorily with the neuroleptic drug, trifluoperazine.

Case report A 32 year old female presented with burning and itching sensation with hyperpigmentation over the sun exposed areasface, neck, back and arms. No history of any blisters over skin or hypertrichosis. History of weight loss of more than 6 kgs was documented in a month. Patient’s husband was a driver with history of multiple unprotected sexual exposures with CSW. No history of any oral or genital ulcers, artharlgia, diarrhoeal episodes, evening rise of temperature and cough with expectoration. O/E: Erythematous and edematous plaques present over sun exposed areas. Hyperpigmention with lichenoid hue + over malar region, neck folds ,back and arms Multiple excoriation marks, hyperpigmented papules and plaques present over bilateral arms, legs, and ante cubital fossa.Oral cavity, genital mucosas were normal. No generalised lymphadenopathy. Routine laboratory investigations were normal. Mantoux test, RPR, Chest Xray, USG abdomen pelvis was normal. Skin biopsy was suggestive of interface dermatitis. HIV (1 and 2) ELISA was reactive which was confirmed by Western blot. The CD4 count was 610/cumm.