Search

The study aims to prepare and evaluate the in situ Norfloxacin gel for the treatment of Conjunctivitis. The pronounced fluctuations and repeated administration of conventional eye drops are the main disadvantages of ophthalmic drug delivery. The ocular in situ gelling system is designed to achieve a prolonged therapeutic effect by improving residence time at the application site. Infrared spectroscopy studies of Norfloxacin, Sodium alginate, Gellan gum, and HPMC K4M alone and their physical mixture revealed that Norfloxacin is compatible with all the polymers used. The Ophthalmic in situ gelling system of Norfloxacin was successfully formulated using different gelling agents viz. Sodium alginate, Gellan gum, and HPMC K4M are viscosity-enhancing agents. Prepared in situ gels were subjected to evaluation such as visual appearance, pH, and drug content. All formulations were found transparent and clear, the pH of the formulations was between 7.1 to 7.4, and drug content was found within 95-98% in all in situ gelling systems. All the formulations showed instantaneous gelation when contacted with simulated tear fluid. The viscosity of all formulations decreased as the shear rate increased, indicating the pseudoplastic fluid's character. In vitro release of Norfloxacin from the prepared formulations was studied for 6 hours. Results reveal that all formulations exhibited sustained release of the drug from the gelrite polymeric network over 6 hrs. The stability studies confirmed that in situ gelling formulations of Norfloxacin remained more stable at ambient temperature and humidity. The present work was a satisfactory preliminary study in developing in situ gelling systems of Norfloxacin. Keywords: Conjunctivitis, Norfloxacin, in situ gel, Sodium alginate, sustained release.

The objective of this work was to design and characterize liquid and solid self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) for poorly soluble Dolutegravir Sodium. To optimize the composition of liquid Dolutegravir Sodium-SEDDS, solubility tests, pseudoternary phase diagrams, emulsification studies and other in vitro examinations (thermodynamic stability, droplet size and zeta potential analysis) were performed. The central composite design was employed to optimize the formulation variables, Capmul MCM (oil), Tween 80 (surfactant) and Propylene glycol (co-surfactant). Liquid self-emulsifying drug delivery system was appraised for determination of self emulsifying time, globule size and drug release. TEM study confirmed the uniform oil globules of the optimized liquid formulation. The optimized liquid formulation was formulated into free-flowing powder (S-SEDDS) by adsorption on the materials like Aerosil 200, Neusilin US2 and compressed into tablets. The solid state characterization of S-SEDDS powder was performed by using DSC, PXRD and SEM to investigate the physical nature of the drug. Further, the accelerated stability studies for 6 months revealed that S-SEDDS of Dolutegravir Sodium was found to be stable without any significant change in physico-chemical properties. S-SEDDS of Dolutegravir Sodium with improved dissolution profile was successfully prepared by using Neusilin US2 as an adsorbent carrier as compared to marketed sample.

The relationship between rind scarring [caused by Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes), Scirtothrips citri (Moulton) and wind] and physiochemical parameters was studied in three main kinnow producing zones of Punjab (Abohar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur), India. The results showed a nonsignificant increase in TSS value with increase in rind damage (caused by mites + thrips + wind) upto 50% but later on it was significantly decreased with increase in damage from 50 to 100%. Other parameters like vitamin C, phenols (pulp and peel), pectin, total carotenoids and fruit firmness were decreased with the increment in damage and lowest values were observed in 100% damaged fruits but the titrable acidity and sugars (non reducing, reducing & total sugar) parameters were not affected by rind scarring. The wind damaged fruits showed noncomparable data for all studied physiochemical parameters which indicated that wind doesn’t affect the fruit quality. It may also be concluded that only thrips and mites are responsible for deterioration of kinnow fruits quality.

The present study aims to develop and optimize a self-emulsifying drug delivery system for paediatric patients to improve the oral bioavailability of the anthelmintic drug, Praziquantel (PZQ) and to perform it’s in-vitro dissolution study. The solubility of PZQ was estimated in various vehicles to select proper component combination. Capmul MCM (oil), Cremophore RH40 (surfactant) and PEG400 (co-surfactant) were employed to construct pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. Eight formulations composed of Capmul MCM, at Smix ratios (1:1, 2:1 & 3:1) were selected. The optimized formulation F7 has a mean globule size 14.73 nm with a negative zeta potential -44.43 mV. The results indicated that PZQ loaded SEDDS, showed enhanced solubilization and nanosizing potential to improve the absorption of the drug.

Soil organic matter (SOM) has long been recognized as an important indicator of soil productivity. The SOM refers to the organic fraction of undecayed plant and animal residues. The preservation of SOM is crucial to ensure long-term sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. OM plays a critical role in the global carbon balance that is thought to be the major factor affecting global warming. Overall, adequate amounts of SOM maintain soil quality and reduce environmental pollution. SOC concentrations and storage to 60 cm depth are significantly influenced due to long-term fertilization. The SOC storage in 0–60 cm in NP+FYM (farmyard manure), NP+S, FYM and NP treatments were increased as compared to the CK treatment. The concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in organic manure plus inorganic fertilizer treatments (NP+S and NP+FYM) in 0–60 cm depth increased linearly with increasing SOC content. Light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) was also significantly higher following the treatments including organic amendment than following applications solely of chemical fertilizers. Application solely of chemical fertilizers had no significant effects on LFOC and KMnO4C fractions compared with unfertilized control plots. Carbon pools were significantly correlated with SOC, which increased with application of organic amendments. Threshold C input of 3.3 MgCha-1 yr-1 was needed to maintain the SOC stock even at the low antecedent level. This review study will be helpful in crafting sustainable nutrient management programs in the future to enhance crop productivity with high efficiency and minimum nutrient loss. Therefore, fertilization strategies that include organic manure can increase the pool of stable C in the surface soil layer, while at the same time increasing concentrations and proportions of labile C. Organic manure use contributes to improved nutrient cycling services and higher soil quality in rice-wheat system.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its labile fractions are strong determinants of soil chemical, physical, and biological properties and the recycling of crop residues is an important factor affecting soil organic matter levels and soil quality. This collected review literature specifically aims on soil fertility related to aggregate associated carbon, aggregate-size distribution, aggregation and storage of soil organic carbon trends and their respond towards organic and synthetic fertilizers and also understanding of the effects of diverse soil management regimes on SOC sequestration in cereal systems. Several studies results showed that, with the exception of unfertilized control (CK) and nitrogen fertilizer (N) treatment, the concentration of SOCs in the soil layer 0-20 cm increased. The SOC concentration and storage to depths of 60 cm is significantly affected by long-term fertilization. SOC concentrations and stocks below 60 cm for all treatments were statistically insignificant. The degree of SOC was higher in farmyard manure plus N and P fertilizers (NP+FYM) at different depths, compared with CK, at 0-60 cm soil profile and followed by straw plus N and P fertilizers (NP+S) respectively. SOC storage in NP+FYM, NP+S, FYM and nitrogen and phosphorus (NP) fertilizers treatments increased by 41.3%, 32.9%, 28.1% and 17.9% respectively compared to CK treatment in 0–60 cm. Organic manure plus inorganic fertilizer application also increased organic carbon pools of the labile soil at depths of 0–60 cm. Particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) average concentration in organic manure plus inorganic fertilizer treatments (NP+S and NP+FYM) increased by 64.9–91.9 percent, 42.5–56.9 percent and 74.7–99.4 percent over CK treatment. The average control treatment SOC concentration was 0.54 percent, which increased to 0.65 percent in RDF treatment and 0.82 percent in RDF+FYM treatment and increased enzyme activity, potentially affecting soil nutrient dynamics in field conditions. The RDF+FYM treatment sequestered 0.28 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 compared with the control treatment while the NPK treatment sequestered 0.13 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 respectively. It can be concluded that long-term additions of organic manure have the most beneficial effects on the production of carbon pools, improve the availability of SOCs and also enhance C sequestration in soils.

Handling uncertainty in information is one of the biggest challenges faced by logistics management and freight forwarding agencies. The uncertainty may be in user needs, availability of raw materials, Estimated Time of Arrivals (ETA) of shipments, or occurrence of any natural calamities. These agencies are increasingly adopting intelligent ways of handling uncertainties in the information. In this paper, we describe a machine learning-based approach to deal with the uncertainty in the Estimated Time of Arrivals (ETA) of shipments. The approach uses multiple regression techniques to predict the ETA of a shipment at the destination port. The approach uses data from two different sources. First is the in-house internal data about shipments maintained by a company. Second is the marine traffic data collected through the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The approach combines these two data to predict the ETA of a shipment. The approach predicts the ETA of the shipment with 89% accuracy. The prediction model described in the paper is being in use and the predicted ETA has been found helpful to effectively manage resources in the downstream supply chain such as human sources at port, transporter and customers inquiries.

Electric Vehicles are the future which helps in reducing the carbon emissions and provide a sustainable transport alternative. The feasibility and performance of an Electric Vehicle is affected because of its costly Battery Management System and heavy space consuming battery packs. This paper proposes a cost-efficient and reliable method of replacing the external battery packs with a single 4V cell parallel architecture of a bidirectional buck-boost converter, bucking 48V to 4V and boosting 4V to 48V. Bidirectional DC-DC power converters are used in applications that needs the power to flow in both forward and reverse direction. In this application, the power flows from the battery to motor drive for smooth control of the motor in motoring mode, while in regenerative mode, power is fed back to the battery from the motor and helps in charging the battery with the stored motor energy. The proposed converter is designed for a nominal power rating of 100W and a target efficiency of more than 80%. The conversion is implemented in two cascaded stages to achieve higher efficiency as compared to a single non-isolated converter stage. This paper details the complete design and implementation of the proposed converter. LM5170 controller is used for the application and closed-loop operation is validated at different loading conditions. Results depicting the working of circuit in buck mode are presented.

The Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has discovered its underlying foundations from Wuhan (China). Coronavirus is brought about by a novel COVID SARS-CoV2, recently named as 2019-nCoV. Coronavirus has spread across the globe and pronounced as pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) 0n the 11th March, 2020 as of now, there is no standard medication or vaccine accessible for the treatment, so repurposing of existing medication is the solitary arrangement. vaccine are the arrangements given to patients to summon invulnerable reactions prompting the creation of antibodies (humoral) or cell-interceded reactions that will battle irresistible specialists or non-irresistible conditions, for example, malignancies. Disturbing safety profile of live vaccines, weak immunogenicity of sub-unit vaccines and immunization, failure due to poor patient compliance to booster doses which should potentiate prime doses are rarestoutexplanations, which required the progress of novelgroup of preventive and therapeutic vaccines to encourage effective vaccination. Endeavors are being made to convey immunizations through transporters as they control the spatial and worldly introduction of antigens to invulnerable framework consequently prompting their supported delivery and focusing on. Henceforth, lower dosages of frail immunogens can be successfully coordinated to invigorate safe reactions and kill the requirement for the organization of prime and supporter portions as a section vaccine regimen. Novel Drug Delivery System (NDDS) will be soon for resting of medications. The part of different NDDS in resting of existing medications for treatment of different viral disease, and their importance in COVID-19 has talked about in this paper. It focuses on the currently ongoing research in the implementation and clinical trials on vaccine in the usage of NDDS in COVID-19. In addition, it portrays the part of Liposomes, Virosomes and DNA based vaccine drug delivery advancement for COVID-19

A system using computer vision techniques for tracking and providing early information of hazardous locations in huge gatherings is the need of the hour. Also, the number of video streams generated are huge and are challenging to watch them personally. The proposed system is based on the Optical Flow based estimations and detects sequences of crowd motions that are characteristic for devastating congestions. Initially, the temporal features of the scenes are extracted using Motion History Image (MHI) technique. MHI technique involves the weighted subtraction of consecutive frames of the video stream. Then the Optical Flow vectors are calculated using the Lucas-Kanade method. Segmentation of Optical Flow fields is done, and hence directional histograms of motion magnitude against motion direction are determined for respective segments. Their entropy and absolute bin magnitudes characterize the graphs. Thresholds are chosen such that there is a demarcation between sparsely crowded and densely crowded segments in the frames. Localization of crowd density levels as unpopulated, sparse and dense helps in providing immediate attention to critical areas of congestion. The directional analysis helps in having knowledge of the significant direction of motion in sparsely crowded regions.

Background Burnout, a state of physical and emotional exhaustion, in healthcare workers (HCWs) is a major concern. The prevalence of burnout, due to COVID-19 pandemic in India, is unknown. We therefore conducted this survey. Materials and methods A questionnaire-based survey using Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was carried out among HCWs looking after COVID-19 patients. Questionnaire was sent to the HCWs, using WhatsApp Messenger, and voluntary participation was sought. We received responses from 2026 HCWs. Burnout was assessed in personal, work, and client-related (COVID-19 pandemic-related) domains. Burnout was defined at a cut-off score of 50 for each domain. Results The prevalence of personal burnout was 44.6% (903), work-related burn-out was only 26.9% (544), while greater than half of the respondents (1,069, 52.8%) had pandemic-related burnout. Younger respondents (21–30 years) had higher personal and work-related burnout. The prevalence of personal and work-related burnout was significantly (p < 0.01) higher among females. The doctors were 1.64 times, and the support staff were 5 times more likely to experience pandemic-related burnout. Conclusion There is a significant prevalence of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic among HCWs, in particular, doctors and support staff. Female respondents had higher prevalence. We suggest that the management should be proactive and supportive in improving working conditions and providing assurance to the HCWs. The long-term effects of the current pandemic need to be assessed later. How to cite this article Khasne RW, Dhakulkar BS, Mahajan HC, Kulkarni AP. Burnout among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Results of a Questionnaire-based Survey. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(8):664–671.

This research work presents a novel integration of periodic defected ground structure (PDGS) with coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed microstrip antenna for enhancing its performance. DGS has been incorporated in microwave devices like filters and reflective surfaces for improving their performance characteristics. Additionally, the combination of DGS and the antenna is limited to offer polarization improvisation. In this paper, PDGS is used to enhance the fractional bandwidths of the antenna, which are obtained to be 43, 45, and 24% for 2.4, 5, and 7 GHz, respectively, supporting the multiband operation. The results are compared with CPW-fed microstrip antenna with woodpile electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure-based ground surface. The comparison shows that PDGS offers better performance in fractional bandwidth and gain at all the three bands of operation of the antenna.

The study presents the enhancement in analysis formulae and its verification for Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structure using the Eigenmode analysis method. Eigenmode analysis of EBG structure is a compact and prolific method for obtaining its performance parameters like surface bandgap (bandwidth) and resonant frequency. The enhancement in mathematical expressions of the gap width, the capacitance, and the bandwidth is carried out using the simple geometrical shapes like square, circle, and hexagon. The verification of the enhanced formulae of the EBG structure is conducted using complex shapes. The theoretical and simulated results agree with each other up to 94% accuracy.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is transforming clinical research and diagnostics, vastly enhancing our ability to identify novel disease-causing genetic mutations and perform comprehensive diagnostic testing in the clinic. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) is a commonly used method which captures the majority of coding regions of the genome for sequencing, as these regions contain the majority of disease-causing mutations. The clinical applications of WES are not limited to diagnosis; the technique can be employed to help determine an optimal therapeutic strategy for a patient considering their mutation profile. WES may also be used to predict a patient's risk of developing a disease, e.g., type 2 diabetes (T2D), and can therefore be used to tailor advice for the patient about lifestyle choices that could mitigate those risks. Thus, genome sequencing strategies, such as WES, underpin the emerging field of personalized medicine. Initiatives also exist for sharing WES data in public repositories, e.g., the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) database. In time, by mining these valuable data resources, we will acquire a better understanding of the roles of both single rare mutations and specific combinations of common mutations (mutation signatures) in the pathology of complex diseases such as diabetes.Herein, we describe a protocol for performing WES on genomic DNA extracted from blood or saliva. Starting with gDNA extraction, we document preparation of a library for sequencing on Illumina instruments and the enrichment of the protein-coding regions from the library using the Roche NimbleGen SeqCap EZ Exome v3 kit; a solution-based capture method. We include details of how to efficiently purify the products of each step using the AMPure XP System and describe how to use qPCR to test the efficiency of capture, and thus determine finished library quality.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is transforming clinical research and diagnostics, vastly enhancing our ability to identify novel disease-causing genetic mutations and perform comprehensive diagnostic testing in the clinic. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) is a commonly used method which captures the majority of coding regions of the genome for sequencing, as these regions contain the majority of disease-causing mutations. The clinical applications of WES are not limited to diagnosis; the technique can be employed to help determine an optimal therapeutic strategy for a patient considering their mutation profile. WES may also be used to predict a patient's risk of developing a disease, e.g., type 2 diabetes (T2D), and can therefore be used to tailor advice for the patient about lifestyle choices that could mitigate those risks. Thus, genome sequencing strategies, such as WES, underpin the emerging field of personalized medicine. Initiatives also exist for sharing WES data in public repositories, e.g., the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) database. In time, by mining these valuable data resources, we will acquire a better understanding of the roles of both single rare mutations and specific combinations of common mutations (mutation signatures) in the pathology of complex diseases such as diabetes.Herein, we describe a protocol for performing WES on genomic DNA extracted from blood or saliva. Starting with gDNA extraction, we document preparation of a library for sequencing on Illumina instruments and the enrichment of the protein-coding regions from the library using the Roche NimbleGen SeqCap EZ Exome v3 kit; a solution-based capture method. We include details of how to efficiently purify the products of each step using the AMPure XP System and describe how to use qPCR to test the efficiency of capture, and thus determine finished library quality.

Causal genes and variants within genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci can be identified by integrating GWAS statistics with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and determining which variants underlie both GWAS and eQTL signals. Most analyses, however, consider only the marginal eQTL signal, rather than dissect this signal into multiple conditionally independent signals for each gene. Here we show that analyzing conditional eQTL signatures, which could be important under specific cellular or temporal contexts, leads to improved fine mapping of GWAS associations. Using genotypes and gene expression levels from post-mortem human brain samples (n = 467) reported by the CommonMind Consortium (CMC), we find that conditional eQTL are widespread; 63% of genes with primary eQTL also have conditional eQTL. In addition, genomic features associated with conditional eQTL are consistent with context-specific (e.g., tissue-, cell type-, or developmental time point-specific) regulation of gene expression. Integrating the 2014 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium schizophrenia (SCZ) GWAS and CMC primary and conditional eQTL data reveals 40 loci with strong evidence for co-localization (posterior probability > 0.8), including six loci with co-localization of conditional eQTL. Our co-localization analyses support previously reported genes, identify novel genes associated with schizophrenia risk, and provide specific hypotheses for their functional follow-up.

Purpose The primary purpose of hospital-based cancer registries is assessing patient care. Clinical stage–based survival and treatment-based survival are some of the key parameters for such assessment. Because of the challenges in obtaining follow-up parameters, a separate study on patterns of care and survival was undertaken by the Indian National Cancer Registry Program. The results for cancer of the female breast are presented here. Patients and Methods Data abstracted in a standardized patient information form were transmitted online to a central repository. Treatment patterns were assessed for 9,903 patients diagnosed between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008, from 13 institutions. Survival analysis was restricted to 7,609 patients from nine institutions wherein follow-up details (as of December 31, 2012) were available for at least 60% of patients. Results The overall 5-year survival rates with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and mastectomy (MS) were 94.0% and 85.8%, respectively, for stage II disease (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.8 to 3.2) and 87.1% and 69.0%, respectively, for stage III disease (hazard ratio, 2.82; 95% CI, 2.2 to 3.7). Patients who had MS did better with systemic therapy (chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy), whereas patients with BCS required just local radiation therapy to achieve best survival. Conclusion This observational study in the natural setting of care of patients with cancer in India showed significantly decreased survival with MS when compared with BCS. The reasons for lower survival with MS and the biologic or scientific rationale of the necessity of systemic therapy to achieve optimal survival in patients undergoing MS but not in those with BCS need further investigation.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate root surface alterations in terms of location, length, and depth of root resorption in the gingival, middle, and apical third of the mesial and distal surfaces of the root in healthy and periodontally affected teeth with chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Teeth diagnosed with differing severity of chronic periodontitis, as assessed by clinical and radiographic parameters of bone destruction, were observed under a scanning electron microscope. Existence and location of root resorption areas, as well as length and depth of the resorption on each radicular third of the teeth, were determined. Results: Totally 27 teeth (60%) among all the groups exhibited root resorption. The number of teeth showing root resorption in each group was divided into the following groups; Group I: 2 teeth (13.33%); Group II: 11 teeth (73.33%); and Group III: 14 teeth (93.33%). The most affected teeth were the mandibular incisors. The apical one-third of the root was the most affected and the gingival third of the root was the least affected with respect to the length and depth of the root resorption. The mesial surface of the root was more commonly affected when compared to the distal surface of the root. Conclusion: It may thus be concluded that the existence and extent of root resorption depend on the severity of periodontal destruction.