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AbstractThis study presents a comprehensive approach to vibrational analysis in a size-dependent, orthotropic thermo-piezo-photo-electric semiconductor half-space under Moore–Gibson–Thompson (MGT) photo-thermoelasticity theory with memory-dependent derivatives. Following Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory, the governing equations for the considered material are derived. The normal mode technique is applied to investigate the photothermal excitation process. Focusing on the interface adjacent to the vacuum, the study considers plasma, thermal, and mechanical stress boundary conditions to determine fundamental physical quantities. Through a detailed exploration, this research examines the impact of various thermo-piezo-photo-electric models, time, nonlocal parameters, and spatial coordinates on different physical quantities. The effects are meticulously analyzed and visually represented through graphical illustrations. While the literature survey reveals numerous studies on vibrational analysis in thermo-piezo-photo-electric semiconductor mediums under different thermoelasticity theories, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research emphasizing vibrational analysis in a size-dependent thermo-piezo-photo-electric semiconductor medium has been conducted. Moreover, the effect of memory-dependent MGT photo-thermoelasticity theory on a size-dependent thermo-piezo-photo-electric semiconductor half-space has not been illuminated until now, significantly defining the novelty of the conducted research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In India, in case of an allegation of assault, the medical officer is required to classify the nature of injury into simple, grievous, and dangerous based upon the Indian Penal Code, which is outdated and has numerous gray areas. Objective: The aim of this study is twofold: first, to formulate an objective scoring system for the medicolegal classification of head injuries and Second to validate the proposed scoring system on patients with head injury. Methods and Material: A panel of experts consisting of neurosurgeons, radiologists, and forensic specialists came up with an objective scoring system, coined as the RIGHT (radiological-intervention-Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)-based head trauma) scoring system consisting of three parameters, namely, the motor subscore of the GCS, computerized tomography image findings, and management of the patient. This was used to classify head injuries--into simple, grievous, and dangerous. A single-centre pilot study was planned--including patients with head trauma reporting to the emergency department. Medicolegal nature of the head injury was classified according to the proposed RIGHT score. A 6-month follow-up was performed using the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS). Results: In total, 130 patients with head injury reported to the emergency department. There was a significant correlation between the RIGHT score assigned upon admission and the GOS at 6 months (P < 0.001). Conclusions: As the scoring system could be applied objectively and a significant correlation between nature of injury given by RIGHT score and 6-month outcome was present; therefore, the RIGHT scoring system proved to be an effective method in unambiguously classifying the nature of head injury for medicolegal opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-reinforced polyether ether ketone (C-PEEK) is one of the high-performance thermoplastic polymers used in engineering applications. To manufacture C-PEEK parts, a material extrusion process called fused deposition modeling (FDM) is more preferred than other 3D printing technologies such as material jetting, sheet lamination, VAT photo-polymerization, binder jetting, directed energy deposition (DED) and powder bed fusion (PBF) due to its low cost and high efficiency. In FDM, the angle between printing and loading directions, called raster angle, is a known cause of material anisotropy. However, less attention has been paid to bring out the effect of raster angle on local state of strain. We fill this gap using digital image correlation (DIC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Standard specimens made using three different raster angles, namely, 0°, 45°, and 90°, were tested upto failure by fracture. 0° raster angle offers the highest strength, whereas 90° raster angle yields the least strength. All specimens fail by brittle fracture. Strain localization that evolves near interfaces between two beads or layers play the most vital role in the failure mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study uses the triple-phase lag model to investigate how higher-order fractional order and memory-dependent derivatives affect reflection at the free surface of an orthotropic piezo-thermoelastic medium. The performance of both kinds of derivatives is studied using the normal mode analysis technique. Four different types of coupled reflected plane waves are identified and explore the impact of various parameters, fractional order parameter, kernel function, the higher-order time differential fractional, and memory-dependent heat conduction parameters on energy distribution with respect to the angle of incidence. The results are presented graphically, providing numerical data for reflected waves, amplitude, and energy ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected 222 countries and territories around the globe. Notably, the speed of COVID-19 spread varies significantly across countries. This cross-cultural research proposes and empirically examines how national culture influences the speed of COVID-19 spread in three studies. Study 1 examines the effects of Hofstede's national cultural dimensions on the speed of COVID-19 spread in 60 countries. Drawing on the GLOBE study (House et al., 2004), Study 2 investigates how GLOBE cultural dimensions relate to the speed of the pandemic's spread in 55 countries. Study 3 examines the effect of cultural tightness in 31 countries. We find that five national cultural dimensions – power distance, uncertainty avoidance, humane orientation, in-group collectivism, and cultural tightness – are significantly related to the speed of COVID-19 spread in the initial stages, but not in the later stages, of the pandemic. Study 1 shows that the coronavirus spreads faster in countries with small power distance and strong uncertainty avoidance. Study 2 supports these findings and further reveals that countries with low humane orientation and high in-group collectivism report a faster spread of the disease. Lastly, Study 3 shows that COVID-19 spreads slower in countries with high cultural tightness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a nominal reduction in malnutrition in women has been seen over the last decade, yet the nutritional status of Indian women has been adversely influenced by socioeconomic inequalities. The optimal quantity and quality of women' diet have been found directly associated with the socioeconomic status. Previous studies have identified specific or few socioeconomic factors affecting nutritional status among women in specific regions of India. However, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the specific factors prevalent in different socioeconomic strata that delineate the nutritional status of women of reproductive age and the health of future generation. The present review aims to assess the association of socioeconomic inequalities on the nutritional status of women of reproductive age across different settings of India. The literature search was performed using the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. A total of twenty-six (n=26) studies were included in this review. The results of the review reveals that the low socioeconomic status of women limits the intake of nutrient-rich diets like green leafy vegetables, fruits, pulses, dairy products and meat/fish/eggs., which contain various essential macro- and micro-nutrients. On the contrary, women hailing from the high socioeconomic status are prone to high intake of fat-rich diet. Maternal income, occupation, education and nutritional awareness were the major contributory factors that affect the dietary diversity and adequacy, intake of the nutrient-rich and supplementary diets. Consequently, it leads to malnutrition and other nutrient-disorders among women belonging to low and high socioeconomic strata. Discerning the specific socioeconomic factors associated with nutritional status of women is imperative to create new sustainable health interventions and better implementation of existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Overview of Literature: Use of MISS or Percutaneous pedicle screws for thoracolumbar trauma has shown superiority in terms of postoperative pain, blood loss, operating time, hospital stay and incision size as compared to open surgical method. The use of MISS in thoracolumbar trauma has been limited due to the high cost and lack of posterolateral fusion. There is conflicting evidence for and against the use of MISS in AO classification spine A3/A4 fractures without any neurological deficit and maybe managed conservatively as well. Objective: To establish efficacy and safety of MISS, short segment pedicle screw fixation in patients of thoracolumbar fractures but without any neurological deficit. Study Design: Retrospective case reports of 2 years in which 20 patients of thoraco-lumbar trauma that underwent minimally invasive short segment spine fixation were included. Material & Methods: Retrospective analysis of 20 patients of thoraco-lumbar spine fractures that were operated from 2017 to 2019 at Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh. Patients included were in the age group of 23-70 years, operated within one week of trauma, AO type A3 and A4, and operated using short segment fixation. Our exclusion criteria were trauma more than one week old, multiple levels of fractures and non-traumatic fractures. Clinical and radiological data were collected and tabulated. Results: Most patients (8 out of 20) had fracture of D12 vertebra. 18 out of 20 patients were involved in a road traffic accident. The mean blood loss was 25.78 mL. Cobb's angle was used to measure focal deformity and the average gain in Cobb's angle after surgery was 10.9°. Mean loss in correction was 2.35°. All patients were pain-free after 6 months as measured on the VAS score. The average time taken in getting back to work after surgery was 26 days. Conclusion: MISS is the ideal treatment of choice in patients of thoraco-lumbar spine trauma without any neurological deficit. MISS provides higher safety, early mobilization, less blood loss during surgery, shorter recovery time, and less post-operative pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short structures when they are designed using base isolation, dynamic wind effects may be more, and it may govern the design. This issue is taken care to some extent using Lead plug bearings. This puts the limits on effective seismic performance only for design basis or beyond. At lower seismic excitation levels, it may not be that effective. In view of this a suitable passive control system using the knowledge of isolators and absorbers is developed and analysed. Five storey shear building models with fixed base, base isolated separately supported on laminated rubber bearing (LRB), lead plug bearing (LPB) and isolated with LRB and install with tuned mass damper (TMD) are developed. These structures are numerically analysed considering six Indian earthquakes and dynamic wind load. TMD used in LRB supported building is provided in LPB supported building and responses of building models also observed under wind load which is more than design basis. Results of all cases are compared. Combined passive isolation along with absorber found suitable for multi-hazards like earthquakes where peak displacement increases by 0.76 times to 38 times, peak acceleration decreases by 73% to 99%, maximum interstorey drift decreases by 71% to 99% when comparing with fixed base structure and for wind, values of peak displacement, peak acceleration, maximum inter-storey drift decreases by 45%, 46%, 44% when comparing with LRB provided structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tight junction proteins (TJPs) play an important role in gut-barrier dysfunction in cirrhosis and its complications such as acute variceal bleed (AVB). However, the dynamics of TJPs expression after AVB, its relation to bacterial translocation, and impact on clinical outcome is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to study the expression of TJPs in cirrhosis and assess its dynamic changes in AVB. In addition, the relation of TJP expression to endotoxemia and clinical outcomes was assessed. In this prospective pilot study, 17 patients of cirrhosis with AVB, 59 patients of cirrhosis without AVB (non-AVB cirrhosis), and 20 controls were assessed for claudin-2 and claudin-4 expression in the duodenal biopsy. In the AVB-cirrhosis group, additional biopsies were obtained after 3 weeks. Endotoxemia was assessed by measuring IgG anti-endotoxin antibody levels. Claudin expression was correlated with a 6-month survival. Claudin-2 expression was downregulated in patients with AVB and non-AVB cirrhosis in villi (P < 0.001 and 0.013) and crypts (P < 0.001 and 0.012), respectively, compared with the controls. Claudin-4 expression was similar in villi (P = 0.079), but lower in crypts (P = 0.007) in patients with cirrhosis. Claudin-2 expression was upregulated on serial biopsies in both villi and crypts (P = 0.003 and 0.001, respectively) in AVB-cirrhosis with postbleed expression comparable with those with non-AVB cirrhosis. IgG anti-endotoxin antibody levels were elevated in cirrhosis with no correlation with claudin-2/4 expression. Claudin-2 expression independently predicted survival at 6 months. Both claudin-2 and claudin-4 expression are downregulated in cirrhosis. AVB is associated with dynamic changes in TJPs expression. Gut-barrier dysfunction might predict outcomes independent of bacterial endotoxemia in cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracheostomy has been accepted as standard of care for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. There has been a shift from the era of open surgical tracheostomy to percutaneous tracheostomy. Some studies have reported certain advantages of percutaneous tracheostomy over open tracheostomy, yet some centres debate about its effectiveness and, hence, have not adopted it as a routine technique. We present our centre's experience of performing 100 bedside percutaneous tracheostomies, including those in 27 patients of cervical spine injury. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous tracheostomy such that it can be embraced as a routine technique. One hundred consecutive neurosurgical patients requiring tracheostomy for prolonged ventilation were included in the study. Patients requiring emergency tracheostomy were excluded. A prospective database was created which included demographic profile of the patient, diagnosis and related indications, procedure time and complications. Ciaglia multiple dilator technique was used for performing percutaneous tracheostomy using Cook set. Time taken was measured from skin incision to insertion of tracheostomy tube. All related complications were noted. Mean duration of procedure was 7.92 ± 0.17 min and 7.14 ± 0.1 min in patients of cervical spine injury. Cannula misplacement occurred in 5 patients and minor bleeding occurred in 4 patients, including 3 complications in patients of cervical spine injury(2 had bleeding while 1 had cannula misplacement corrected during the procedure). Conversion to open procedure was required in one patient. Percutaneous tracheostomy is a safe and effective alternative to open tracheostomy. It can be considered the first line of care in patients requiring tracheostomy, especially in patients of cervical spine injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699 produces rifamycin B and successors of this strain are in use for the industrial production of rifamycin B. Semisynthetic derivatives of rifamycin B are used against Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes tuberculosis. Although the rifamycin biosynthetic gene cluster was characterized two decades ago, the regulation of rifamycin B biosynthesis in Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699 is poorly understood. In this study, we analysed the genome and proteome of Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699 and identified 1102 transcription factors which comprise about 10% of the total genome. Using interactomics approaches we delineated 30 unique transcription factors directly involved in secondary metabolism that regulate rifamycin B biosynthesis. We also predict the role of RifN as hub in controlling the regulation of other genes involved in rifamycin biosynthesis. RifN is important for maintaining the integrity of the rifamycin-network. Thus, these transcription factor can be exploited to improve rifamycin B production in Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serrated polyps are considered precursor lesions that account for 15% to 30% of colorectal cancers, and they are overrepresented as a cause of interval cancers. They are difficult to detect and resect comprehensively; however, recent data suggest that high definition endoscopy, chromoendoscopy (via spray catheter, pump or orally), narrow band imaging, split-dose bowel preparation and a slower withdrawal (>6 minutes) can all improve detection. Cold snare resection is effective and safe for these lesions, including cold snare piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection, which is likely to become the standard of care for lesions >10 mm in size. Sessile serrated lesions ≥10 mm in size, those exhbiting dysplasia, or traditional serrated adenomas increase the chance of future advanced neoplasia. Thus, a consensus is emerging: a surveillance examination at 3 years should be recommended if these lesions are detected. Serrated lesions likely carry equivalent risk to adenomas, so future guidelines may consider serrated class lesions and adenomas together for risk stratification. Patients with serrated polyposis syndrome should undergo surveillance every 1 to 2 years once the colon is cleared of larger lesions, and their first degree relatives should undergo screening every 5 years starting at age 40. (Gut Liver 2020;14:423-429) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semmelweis reflex is a human behavioral tendency to stick to preexisting beliefs and to reject fresh ideas that contradict them (despite adequate evidence). We aim to familiarize the readers with the term that not only has a significant historical background but also grave clinical implications. A keyword search for "Semmelweis reflex," "Belief perseverance," "handwashing," and "Idea rejection" was conducted using PubMed Central, MEDLINE, and Google SCHOLAR. Literature published in paper-based journals and books was also searched. All manuscripts pertaining to these keywords were thoroughly analyzed for this review. The first section of our paper briefs the story of Ignaz Semmelweis and brushes on the contributions of other intellectual researchers that were rebuffed initially. The discussion further explains the root cause of this dismissal, an inherent bias against uncertainty that may be at the core of our fear for new ideas. Finally, this review explores the means by which we can prevent ourselves from being a victim of rejection. The age-old prejudice that is Semmelweis reflex is explored in this review. With careful and thorough study design, scientific rigor, and critical self-analysis of the manuscript, one can avoid being victimized by this reflex. The dual edged nature of this reflex lays unveiled when its importance is highlighted in the prematurely accepted medical failures. Understanding that any new idea goes through the grill of being critically analyzed and perceived encourages the scientist to hold on to the original thought as it may rather be practice changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Laparoscopic appendectomy is a commonly performed procedure. The base of appendix is secured by various techniques (suture, LigaSure, endoloop, or hamlock clip). Harmonic scalpel (HS) may be used to seal the base of the appendix. The study was conducted to assess the efficacy of HS in laparoscopic appendectomy for sealing the base of the appendix. Materials and Methods: The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 in which base was secured by endoloop and group 2 in which base of the appendix was sealed by HS in a stepwise manner. We made a record of patients' age and gender, and operative time. The patients were followed for a period of 3 months from the time of discharge. Results: During the study period of 4.5 years, 102 patients were in group 1 and 108 patients in group 2. Both groups were age and gender matched. Mean operating time for group 1 was 43.34 ± 6.7 minutes and that for group 2 was 28.46 ± 7.19 minutes (P < .0001). Complications included postoperative ileus (group 1 = 8, group 2 = 10) and surgical site infection (group 1 = 4, group 2 = 4, P > .05). Conclusion: It appears that use of HS for laparoscopic appendectomy is feasible and safe. Its results appear to be comparable with other methods of laparoscopic appendectomy. Complications are minimal. Further studies at other centers may substantiate our efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term hygiene is deeply rooted with the concept of maintaining sound health and alertness towards cleanliness, while "hygiene hypothesis" depicts the protective role of microbial community exposure in development of early immunity and initial allergic and aesthetic reactions. The tug-of-war has now been pushed toward the literal term "hygiene" over the "hygiene hypothesis" and has continued with disinfection of all microbial loads from the related environments to avoid infections in humans. With the advancement in the microbiome studies, it became clear that humans possess warm, and significant relationships with diverse microbial community. With this opinion article, we have emphasized on the importance of hygiene hypothesis in immunological responses. We also propose the individual/targeted hygiene instead of application of unanimous hygiene hypothesis. This review also elaborates the common practices that should be employed to maintain hygiene along with the balanced microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiome analysis, with specific interest on their direct impact towards the human health, is currently revolutionizing the unexplored frontiers of the pathogenesis and wellness. Although in-depth investigations of gut microbiome, 'the Black Boxes', complexities and functionalities are yet at its infancy, profound evidences are being reported for their concurrent involvement in disease etiology and its treatment. Interestingly, studies from the 'minimal murine' (Oligo-MM12), 'humanized' microbiota gnotobiotic mice models and patient samples, combined with multi-omics and cell biology approaches, have been revealing the implications of these findings in the treatment of gut dysbiosis associated diseases. Nonetheless, due to the inherent heterogeneity of the gut commensals and their unified co-existence with opportunistic pathobionts, it is utmost essential to highlight their functionalities in 'good or bad' gut in human wellness. We have specifically reviewed dietary lifestyle and infectious diseases linked with the gut bacterial consortia to delineate the ecobiotic approaches towards their treatment. This notably includes gut mucosal immunity mediated diseases such as Tuberculosis, IBD, CDI, Type 2 Diabetes, etc. Alongside of each dysbiosis, we have described the current therapeutic advancements of the pre- and probiotics derived from human microbiome studies to restore gut microbial homeostasis. With a continuous running debate on the role of microbiota in above mentioned diseases, we have collected numerous scientific evidences highlighting a previously unanticipated complex involvement of gut microbiome in the potential of human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable poultry practices are needed to maintain an adequate supply of poultry products to the increasing human population without compromising human wellbeing. In order to achieve the understanding of the core microbiome that assumes an imperative role in digestion, absorption, and assimilation of feed as well as restrict the growth of pathogenic strains, a proper meta-data survey is required. The dysbiosis of the core microbiome or any external infection in chickens leads to huge losses in the poultry production worldwide. Along with this, the consumption of infected meat also impacts on human health as chicken meat is a regular staple in many diets as a vital source of protein. To tackle these losses, sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics are being used as a feed additive along with other conventional approaches including selective breeding and modulation in feed composition. Altogether, these conventional approaches have improved the yield and quality of poultry products, however, the use of antibiotics encompasses the risk of developing multi-drug resistant pathogenic strains that can be harmful to human beings. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the chicken microbiome in order to modulate chicken gut microbiome and provide alternatives to the conventional methods. Although there is now emerging literature available on some of these important microbiome aspects, in this article, we have analysed the relevant recent developments in understanding the chicken gut microbiome including the establishment of integrated gene catalogue for chicken microbiome. We have also focussed on novel strategies for the development of a chicken microbial library that can be used to develop novel microbial consortia as novel probiotics to improve the poultry meat production without compromising human health. Thus, it can be an alternative and advanced step compared to other conventional approaches to improve the gut milieu and pathogen-mediated loss in the poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of formaldehyde as a preservative is a very common practice to decrease the microbial load and to increase the shelf life of the milk. Its addition in food has immense adverse public health significance. The present study explored a simple, low-cost, rapid, reproducible, and field applicable Smartphone-based colorimetric technology, which was standardized and in-house validated for the quantitative determination of formaldehyde in milk samples. The method has simple steps of spot-test reaction and digital image analysis with the Red Green Blue approach. The linearity of the method was shown by analytical curves ranging from 0.25-4 ppm that were characterized by R2 > 0.99. The limit of detection of 0.31 ppm demonstrated the sensitivity of the method to estimate formaldehyde residues in milk. Thus, we developed an innovative technology that uses an easily available device with potential of on-site quantification of formaldehyde in the supply chain. This technique is not only beneficial for end-users but also helps in achieving extension goals, which emphasize on the transfer of technology, i.e., moving out of the lab to the land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tells how it is possible for the Verification Technology Information Center (VERTIC) to monitor nuclear testing in China within three hours of the detonation. Use of commercial satellite imagery, seismic data and computer programs; Questions regarding collection and dissemination of sensitive information in an increasingly open world; Tests in China detected by VERTIC during 1992; Response of commercial agents to requests for high-resolution images; French connection.

Epilepsy is a neurological disease which is difficult to diagnose accurately. An authentic detection of focal epilepsy will help the clinicians to provide proper treatment for the patients. Generally, focal electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are used to diagnose the epilepsy. In this paper, we have developed an automated system for the detection of focal EEG signals using differencing and flexible analytic wavelet transform (FAWT) methods. The differenced EEG signals are subjected to 15 levels of FAWT. Various entropies namely cross correntropy, Stein’s unbiased risk estimate (SURE) entropy, and log energy entropy are extracted from the reconstructed original signal and 16 sub-band signals. The statistically significant features are obtained from Kruskal–Wallis test based on ( p < 0.05). K -nearest neighbor (KNN) and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) classifiers with different distances and kernels respectively are used for automated diagnosis. In the proposed methodology, we have achieved classification accuracy of 94.41% in detecting focal EEG signals using LS-SVM classifier with ten-fold cross validation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often require immunosuppressive therapy and blood transfusions and therefore are at a high risk of contracting infections due to hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the present study, we assessed the prevalence of these infections in patients with IBD. Methods: This retrospective study included 908 consecutive patients with IBD (ulcerative colitis [UC], n=581; Crohn's disease [CD], n=327) who were receiving care at a tertiary care center. Ninety-five patients with intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) were recruited as disease controls. Prospectively maintained patient databases were reviewed for the prevalence of HBV surface antigen, anti-HCV antibodies, and HIV (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method). HCV RNA was examined in patients who tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Prevalence data of the study were compared with that of the general Indian population (HBV, 3.7%; HCV, 1%; HIV, 0.3%). Results: The prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV was 2.4%, 1.4%, and 0.1%, respectively, in the 908 patients with IBD. Among the 581 patients with UC, 2.2% (12/541) had HBV, 1.7% (9/517) had HCV, and 0.2% (1/499) had HIV. Among the 327 patients with CD, 2.8% (8/288) had HBV, 0.7% (2/273) had HCV, and 0% (0/277) had HIV. One patient with CD had HBV and HCV coinfection. The prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV in patients with ITB was 5.9% (4/67), 1.8% (1/57), and 1.2% (1/84), respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV in north Indian patients with IBD is similar to the prevalence of these viruses in the general community. Nonetheless, the high risk of flare after immunosuppressive therapy mandates routine screening of patients with IBD for viral markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis in India is mainly confined to the deserts of Rajasthan; some cases have been reported from the dry north-western half of the Indo-Gangetic plain, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Varanasi.Aims: To highlight a new focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir State, previously a non-endemic area. This report presents the clinico-epidemiological and investigative results of 120 new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis detected between November 2012 and October 2013.Methods: The clinical diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis was made using criteria proposed by Bari and Rahman. It was further confirmed by the demonstration of Leishman-Donovan bodies in Leishman stained slit skin smears and skin biopsy specimens, and/or by a satisfactory response to intra-lesional sodium stibogluconate given weekly for 4 weeks. Serial clinical photographs were taken before giving injections and at the end of the 6 th week.Results: There were 67 females and 53 males with an age range of 8 months to 80 years. The most frequently affected site was the face. Lesions were most commonly of the nodulo-ulcerative type. The number of lesions ranged from 1 to 4. Farmers (28.1%), homemakers (27.2%) and students (27.2%) were significantly over-represented among the occupations (P < 0.001). Skin smears and biopsies were positive for Leishman-Donovan bodies in 50.8% and 44.2% cases, respectively.Conclusions: There is a new focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Jammu division which deserves urgent attention from the public health angle. Further epidemiological studies are warranted to establish the identity of the vector and the strain of Leishmania involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 9-year-old male patient presented with seizures and left-sided hemiparesis. It provides details about neurological examination as well as the application of a computed tomography (CT) scan of the head. Information about extra-axial supratentorial anaplastic ependymoma, a glial tumor, is presented.

The article discusses the study on the impact of family history on the risk of type 2 diabetes among various endogamous groups in India. The study reportedly involved Aggarwals in Delhi with a familial history of diabetes. The results revealed that family history of diabetes significantly increases the risk of developing the disease.

A two-dimensional model based on Lord–Shulman's thermoelasticity theory has been constructed to examine the impact of various physical parameters of the medium in a double porous thermoelastic, isotropic, homogeneous half-space in contact with an inviscid liquid half-space. It has been discovered that four coupled longitudinal waves and one uncoupled transverse wave may exist in the solid medium and one mechanical wave in the liquid medium, all propagating at different speeds. It has been observed that linked longitudinal waves exhibit dispersion, attenuation, etc., and depend on both kinds of voids and the thermal characteristics of the medium. The simplest form of the complex secular equation has been derived. The amplitudes of solid and liquid displacements, volume fractional fields, and temperature change at the interface have also been obtained. The computer-simulated results for magnesium crystal material for different wave profiles have been graphically displayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity has become an important global health issue. Over the last few decades, the increasing burden of obesity has resulted in ever increasing prevalence of metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Both insulin resistance and inflammation play an important role in linking obesity with cardiovascular disease (CVD). In obese people, adipose tissue undergoes substantial remodeling including hypertrophy, possibly hampering the normal physiological functions. These hypertrophic adipocytes produce an increase amount of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), hormones and inflammatory cytokines that are strongly involved in the pathogenesis of CVD. Early diagnosis and lifestyle modifications including weight loss, healthy diet intake and increased physical activity could of great importance in management and prevention of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been instrumental in identifying novel genetic variants associated with altered plasma lipid levels. However, these quantitative trait loci have not been tested in the Indian population, where there is a poorly understood and growing burden of cardiometabolic disorders. We present the association of six single nucleotide polymorphisms in 1671 sib pairs (3342 subjects) with four lipid traits: total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). We also investigated the interaction effects of gender, location, fat intake and physical activity. Each copy of the risk allele of rs964184 at APOA1 was associated with 1.06 mmol/l increase in triglycerides (SE = 0.049; p = 0.006), rs3764261 at CETP with 1.02 mmol/l increase in both total cholesterol (SE = 0.042; p = 0.017) and HDL-C (SE = 0.041; p = 0.008), rs646776 at CELSR2-PSRC1-SORT1 with 0.96 mmol/l decrease in cholesterol (SE = 0.043; p = 0.0003) and 0.15 mmol/l decrease in LDL-C levels (SE = 0.043; p = 0.0003) and rs2954029 at TRIB1 with 1.02 mmol/l increase in HDL-C (SE = 0.039; p = 0.047). A combined risk score of APOA1 and CETP loci predicted an increase of 1.25 mmol/l in HDL-C level (SE = 0.312; p = 0.0007). Urban location and sex had strong interaction effects on the genetic association of most of the studied loci with lipid traits. To conclude, we validated four genetic variants (identified by GWAS in western populations) associated with lipid traits in the Indian population. The interaction effects found here may explain the sex-specific differences in lipid levels and their heritability. Urbanization appears to influence the nature of the association with GWAS lipid loci in this population. However, these findings will require replication in other Indian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The commonest surgical treatment used for peptic ulcer perforation is omental patching. If, however, the perforation leaks, it rarely heals by itself due to persistence of duodenal fistula (DF). We present our experience with a T-tube placed into the DF for better outcome of the patients. Methods: All patients in our hospital with DF following failure of surgery for duodenal perforation were included in this study. After identification of the perforation, a size 16 French T-tube was put in place. The patients were analyzed on basis of duration of hospital stay, complications related to the T-tube and overall complications, start of oral feeds, and follow-up. Results: In this 3-year study, ten patients with DF were admitted. The mean age was 50 years. The T-tube was kept in place within the fistula for 20.5 days. The mean duration to start oral feeds was 8.8 days. The mean duration of hospital stay was 23.2 days, and the mean follow-up period was 6.3 months. The complications observed in the postoperative period were fever in four patients, wound dehiscence in four patients, and peritoneal collection in two patients, all of which were managed easily. There was no peritubal leakage and no failure of surgery as regards placement of a T-tube. There were no deaths in this study. Conclusions: Placement of a T-tube into a DF appears to be very effective procedure for managing this complication of surgical repair of a perforated peptic ulcer with an omental patch. The technique appears to be simple and rewarding. Further use of this method by other workers will substantiate our efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Diabetic nephropathy is one of the important microvascular complications of diabetes; however, the main problem remains is the control of progression of nephropathy in diabetes. Chebulic acid was selected, as tannins from Terminalia chebula are used as antidiabetic, renoprotective, antioxidant, hypotensive and an α-glucosidase inhibitor. Objective: In this study, we evaluated the effect of chebulic acid on ischemia reperfusion induced biochemical alteration in diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Chebulic acid (CA) was isolated from T. chebula; LD50 and acute toxicity studies of CA were done. Renal ischemia and reperfusion technique was used to induce nephropathy in diabetic rats. Glibenclamide (10 mg/kg) was used as diabetic standard; CA at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg were administered for 28 days and various biochemical parameters were monitored. Results: The LD50 was found to be 251 mg/kg; 25 and 50 mg/kg doses were selected as no toxic symptoms were observed at both doses, except slight diarrhea. CA significantly ( p < 0.001) reduced the glucose, creatinine, urea nitrogen, glycosylated hemoglobulin, proteinuria, urine albumin excretion, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and increased serum insulin and glycogen level. CA also restored glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase and malondialdehyde levels. Improvement in kidney was also noted in histopathological studies. Conclusions: The statistical data indicated that chebulic acid at both doses (25 and 50 mg/kg) improves biochemical alterations caused by renal ischemia in diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is an established risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and they are metabolically related through the mechanism of insulin resistance. In order to explore how common genetic variants associated with T2D correlate with body mass index (BMI), we examined the influence of 25 T2D associated loci on obesity risk. We used 5056 individuals (2528 sib-pairs) recruited in Indian Migration Study and conducted within sib-pair analysis for six obesity phenotypes. We found associations of variants in CXCR4 (rs932206) and HHEX (rs5015480) with higher body mass index (BMI) (β = 0.13, p = 0.001) and (β = 0.09, p = 0.002), respectively and weight (β = 0.13, p = 0.001) and (β = 0.09, p = 0.001), respectively. CXCR4 variant was also strongly associated with body fat (β = 0.10, p = 0.0004). In addition, we demonstrated associations of CXCR4 and HHEX with overweight/obesity (OR = 1.6, p = 0.003) and (OR = 1.4, p = 0.002), respectively, in 1333 sib-pairs (2666 individuals). We observed marginal evidence of associations between variants at six loci (TCF7L2, NGN3, FOXA2, LOC646279, FLJ3970 and THADA) and waist hip ratio (WHR), BMI and/or overweight which needs to be validated in larger set of samples. All the above findings were independent of daily energy consumption and physical activity level. The risk score estimates based on eight significant loci (including nominal associations) showed associations with WHR and body fat which were independent of BMI. In summary, we establish the role of T2D associated loci in influencing the measures of obesity in Indian population, suggesting common underlying pathophysiology across populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study scrutinizes the presence of Streptomyces strains in the soil sample collected from industrial area of Bahadurgarh (Haryana) India. The morphological approach manifested the isolated strain belong to Streptomyces species and named as Streptomyces sp. KD18. Sequencing of Streptomyces sp. KD18 genome was performed by Illumina Nextseq500 platform. 65 contigs were generated via SPAdes v3.11.1 and harboured genome size of 7.2 Mb. AntiSMASH server revealed the presence of 25 biosynthetic gene clusters in KD18 genome where BGC of lipstatin was of more interest from industrial and pharmaceutical purpose. The draft genome sequence represented via ANI values claimed that the KD18 strain belongs to Streptomyces toxytricini and finally named as S. toxytricini KD18. The LC–MS analysis of the extracted metabolite confirmed the production of lipstatin. The genome sequence data have been deposited to NCBI under the accession number of GCA_014748315.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was carried out with an attempt to separate similarly structured title drugs by liquid chromatography. Spectrophotometric techniques were generally insufficient under these conditions because of the spectral overlapping of drugs with similar functional groups. The pharmaceutical drugs prazosin, terazosin, and doxazosin contain the same parent quinazoline nucleus, thus making it especially difficult to separate the former two drugs because of their very similar structures. A simple and sensitive method for the routine determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical formulations was attempted. We found that the mobile phase consisting of A: ACN-diethylamine (0.05 ml), B: methanol, and C: 10 mM Ammonium acetate separated these drugs effectively. Separations were carried out on a new Kromasil C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5.0 μm) at 254 nm wavelength. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the range of 2-500 μg/ml. The stated method was then validated in terms of specificity, linearity, precision, and accuracy. Additionally, the proposed method reduced the duration of the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of pharmaceutical analysis is to obtain the necessary qualitative and quantitative information about the investigated sample. HPLC is the dominant separation technique in modern pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis because it results in highly efficient separations and in most cases provides high detection sensitivity. Chromatographic optimization procedures are becoming more multidisciplinary to obtain more and more information on the separations which may be isocratic or gradient. During validation of analytical methods a correlation coefficient close to unity (r = 1) is considered sufficient evidence to conclude that the experimenter has a perfect linear calibration since it is common practice to check the linearity of a calibration curve by inspection of the correlation coefficient. The aim of the presented review is divided into two parts, first is to compare isocratic and gradient elution and to propose suitable statistical procedures to access linearity of the analytical method. We found that many of the previous reasons for avoiding gradient elution (i.e. long re-equilibration times, poor precision and difficult optimization) appear much too pessimistic and linear functional analysis or lack of fitness test as another suitable statistical tool to evaluate linearity of the analytical method. Some other validation parameters are also discussed here in brief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) there will be a sudden impact on overall quality of life of patient. This disease occurs normally at the age of 40 or above and also is associated with sexual dysfunction. Thus, there is a need of update on current medications of this disease. The presented review provides information on medications available for BPH. Phytotherapies with some improvements in BPH are also included. Relevant articles were identified through a search of the English-language literature indexed on MEDLINE, PUBMED, Sciencedirect and the proceedings of scientific meetings. The search terms were BPH, medications for BPH, drugs for BPH, combination therapies for BPH, Phytotherapies for BPH, Ayurveda and BPH, BPH treatments in Ayurveda. Medications including watchful waitings, Alpha one adrenoreceptor blockers, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, combination therapies including tamsulosin-dutasteride, doxazosin-finasteride, terazosin-finasteride, tolterodine-tamsulosin and rofecoxibfinasteride were found. Herbal remedies such as Cernilton, Saxifraga stolonifera, Zi-Shen Pill (ZSP), Orbignya speciosa, Phellodendron amurense, Ganoderma lucidum, Serenoa Repens, pumpkin extract and Lepidium meyenii (Red Maca) have some improvements on BPH are included. Other than these discussions on Ayurvedic medications, TURP and minimally invasive therapies (MITs) are also included. Recent advancements in terms of newly synthesized molecules are also discussed. Specific alpha one adrenoreceptor blockers such as tamsulosin and alfuzosin will remain preferred choice of urologists for symptom relief. Medications with combination therapies are still needs more investigation to establish as preference in initial stage for fast symptom relief reduced prostate growth and obviously reduce need for BPH-related surgery. Due to lack of proper evidence Phytotherapies are not gaining much advantage. MITs and TURP are expensive and are rarely supported by healthcare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using GLOBE classification and findings, this paper compares the family characteristics and work cultures of family businesses in Anglo, Germanic, and Nordic cultures. Results indicate differing patterns in terms of the involvement of the family in the family business and other key organizational dimensions. While all three regions share their weak family orientation, the Nordic and Germanic regions share stronger future orientation and uncertainty avoidance. The Anglo and Germanic regions share stronger performance orientation and the Nordic region stands out for its low power distance and low assertiveness. Overall, the characteristics of family businesses in the three regions may be associated with the distinctive regional cultures suggesting support for the presence of culturally implicit theories in the family business characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Although initially introduced for the management of hypertension, αl-adrenergic-receptor antagonists (α1 blockers) have become the standard of care for the medical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)-related lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Alpha-blockers (alfuzosin, tamsulosin, doxazosin, prazosin, and terazosin) relax the smooth muscles in the prostate and are indicated for the symptomatic treatment of BPH, due to evidence of their positive and rapid effect on LUTS. Objective: Our objective was to develop and validate a method for simultaneous estimation of these drugs. Our aim was to develop a UV spectrophotometric method because of the simplicity and economical advantage of this technique. Materials and Methods: All these drugs were dissolved in the same solvent (methanol) and scanned under a ShimadzuUV spectrophotomer, under full UV (ultraviolet) range (200 - 400 nm). Result:After some experiments we found that this is impossible. This was evident from our study that UV spectra were overlapping each other, except in the case of tamsulosin. Conclusion: Same class of drugs may have almost the same functional groups, and gradient Reverse-Phase Liquid Chromatography(RPLC) will be more useful to separate such complicated mixtures. Therefore, we propose to develop a gradient High- Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) method as it may be a more suitable method for the simultaneous estimation of these drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative Hantzsch type QSAR study was conducted using multiple regression analysis on various sets of quinoxalines, quinoxalin-4-ones, quinazoline-2-carboxylates, 4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-ones, 2-carboxytetrahydroquinolines, phenyl-hydroxy-quinolones, nitroquinolones and 4-substituted-3-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-ones as selective glycine/NMDA site antagonists. Ten statistically validated equations were developed, which indicated the importance of CMR, Verloop’s sterimol L1 and ClogP parameters in contributing towards biological activity. Interestingly, normal and inverse parabolic relationships were found with CMR in different series, indicating a dual allosteric binding mode in glycine/NMDA antagonism. Equations reveal an optimum CMR of 10 ± 10% is required for good potency of antagonists. Other equations indicate the presence of anionic functionality at 4-position of quinoline/quinolone ring system is not absolutely required for effective binding. The observations are laterally validated and in accordance with previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of culture on family businesses in two regions of Africa: sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle Eastern region. Nine cross-culturally comparable 'etic' dimensions are used to assess characteristics of family firms in both regions, based on the Culturally-sensitive Assessment System and Education (CASE) project. Overall, the characteristics of family businesses in the regions are associated with their distinctive cultures. Several commonalities are found; however, the observed differences suggest directions for the African family businesses to become the engines for national and regional development. Implications for further research and for practice are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to validate the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of four candidate genes ( TCF7L2, HHEX, KCNJ11, and ADIPOQ) related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in an endogamous population of north India; the Aggarwal population, having 18-clans. This endogamous population model was heavily supported by recent land mark work and we also verified the homogeneity of this population by clan-based stratification analysis. Two SNPs (rs4506565; rs7903146) in TCF7L2 were found to be significant (p-value = 0.00191; p-value = 0.00179, respectively), and odds ratios of 2.1 (dominant-model) and 2.0 (recessive-model) respectively, were obtained for this population. The TTT haplotype in the TCF7L2 gene was significantly associated with T2D. Waist-Hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and age were significant covariates for increasing risk of T2D. Single-SNP, combined-SNPs and haplotype analysis provides clear evidence that the causal mutation is near to or within the significant haplotype (TTT) of the TCF7L2 gene. In spite of a culturally-learned sedentary lifestyle and fat-enriched dietary habits, WHR rather than body-mass-index emerged as a robust predictor of risk for T2D in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the quest for better genomic coverage and the need for a complete spectrum of genetic variability of complex human phenotypes, the role of larger variations, i.e. copy number variations (CNVs) excites medical geneticists and molecular anthropologists. CNVs are the technological 'missing link' filling the gap between the limits of sequence variation detection and traditional cytogenetic variation analysis. These variations are generally termed as structural variations, which includes microscopic or submicroscopic segments of DNA larger than 1 kb in size. Molecular anthropogeneticists must utilize this new tool for studying population structure defined in terms of genome diversity and hence must contribute with their efforts in the exploitation of genetic architecture of complex disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred fifty consecutive diabetes mellitus patients attending the endocrinology outpatient department and diabetic clinic constituted the study group. One hundred fifty age and sex matched non diabetics attending the medicine outpatient department were taken as controls. The majority, 65.3%, belonged to the 41-60 years age group; 56% were females, 97.3% had non-insulin dependent diabetes, 44.7% had duration of diabetes of 1-5 years. Among the study group, 66% had cutaneous manifestations as compared to 21.3% in the controls, which was statistically highly significant (P < 0.0001 ). Varied cutaneous manifestations were significantly seen in diabetics compared to controls (P < 0.05). Diabetic thick skin in the form of finger pebbles was the most common manifestation (49.49%), followed by fungal and bacterial infections (34.34%). The occurrence of cutaneous manifestations directly correlated with the duration of diabetes (P < 0.05). Majority of cases with cutaneous manifestations were having uncontrolled diabetes and had multiple and varied manifestations. As many as 87.8% of cases with cutaneous manifestations had various vascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polycystic ovaries (PCO) and their clinical expression (the polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS]) as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are common medical conditions linked through insulin resistance. We studied the prevalence of PCO and PCOS in women with diet and/or oral hypoglycemic treated T2DM and non-diabetic control women. Design: Prospective study. Methods: One hundred and five reproductive age group women with diet and /or oral hypoglycemic treated T2DM were the subjects of the study. Sixty age-matched non-diabetic women served as controls. Transabdominal ultrasonographic assessment of the ovaries was used to diagnose PCO. Clinical, biochemical and hormonal parameters were also noted. Results: Ultrasonographic prevalence of PCO was higher in women with diabetes than in nondiabetic subjects (61.0% vs. 36.7%, P < 0.003) whereas that of PCOS was 37.1% in diabetic subjects and 25% in non-diabetic controls (P > 0.1). Diabetic women with PCO had diabetes of significantly longer duration than those without PCO (4.19±2.0 versus 2.9±1.6 yrs; p < 0.05). Among both diabetic and non-diabetic women, those with PCO had significantly higher plasma LH, LH/FSH ratio, total testosterone and androstenedione levels. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a higher prevalence of PCO in women with T2DM as compared to non-diabetic subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]