Metal ion complexation of hydrophilic polymeric amino ligands derived from tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate (TTEGDA)-crosslinked polyacrylamides

Complexation behaviour of amino ligands supported on polyacrylamides with 2–20 mol% of tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate crosslinks was investigated towards Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Hg(II) ions. The metal ion intake was dependent on the extent of crosslinking and followed the order: Hg(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Ni(II) > Co(II). The aminopolyacrylamides and their metal complexes were characterised by IR and EPR techniques. The absorptions of the ligands were shifted by complexation with metal ions and the EPR spectrum suggested distorted tetragonal geometry for the Cu(II) complex. The thermogravimetric analysis of the metal complexes revealed a pattern of variation of thermal stability on incorporation of metal ions. The kinetics and adsorption parameters of complexation, swelling characteristics, recyclability and specificity of metal-desorbed systems are also described

Metal complexation of crosslinked polyacrylamide-supported dithiocarbamates: effect of the molecular character and extent of crosslinking on complexation

Dithiocarbamate functions were incorporated into different polyacrylamide matrices crosslinked with a flexible and hydrophilic crosslinking agent, tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate (TEGDA), and their complexation behaviours were investigated. Crosslinked polyacrylamides with varying extents of the tetrafunctional TEGDA crosslinks were prepared by free radical solution polymerization at 60°C using potassium persulphate as initiator in ethanol. The dithiocarbamate functionality was incorporated into these polyacrylamides by a two-step polymer-analogous reaction involving (i)trans-amidation with ethylenediamine and (ii) dithiocarbamylation of the aminopolyacrylamide with carbon disulphide and alkali. The complexations of dithiocarbamate with Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II) and Hg(II) ions were followed under different conditions. The metal ion intake varied with the extent of the crosslinking agent and the observed trend in complexation is Hg(II) >Cu(II)>Zn(II)>Co(II)> Ni (II). The time-course of complexation, the possibility of recycling, swelling characteristics, and spectral and thermal analyses were carried out. The thermal stability increases upon complexation with metal ions

CuNPs decorated molecular imprinted polymer on MWCNT for the electrochemical detection of L-DOPA /

A novel synthesis of copper nanoparticle (CuNPs) is carried out by the reduction of ethylene diamine Cu complexes using sodiumborohydride as reducing agent. The synthesized copper nanoparticle is grafted with molecular imprinted polymer on MWCNT (CuNPs/ MWCNT-MIPs). Fabricated sorbent is used for the molecular recognition and sensing of levodopa (L-DOPA) in human urine and pharmaceutical samples. The non covalent interaction between L-DOPA and the functional groups present in the selective binding sites of the polymer composite sorbent is mainly responsible for the recognition property. The synthesis of CuNPs decorated MWCNT-MIPs and its extents are characterized by employing UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The electrochemical investigation shows that the imprinted (CuNPs/MWCNT-MIP) material has good recognition capacity towards L-DOPA. The sensitivity is found to be directly proportional to the concentration of template with a detection limit of 7.23 109 M (S/N = 3). The specificity and selectivity of the fabricated sensor give a fine discrimination between L-DOPA and structurally related compounds such as dopamine, uric acid, 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid.ye

Marine fisheries of the south-east coast of India during 2009 - 2010

The south-east region consisting of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry is spread over a coastal length of 2,050 km and as per the Marine Fisheries Census 2010, this region has 785 landing centres, 1,168 marine fishing villages, 3.7 lakh fishermen families and 14.63 lakh fisher folk. The estimate of total marine fish landings in 2009 for the south-east region was 8,05,295 t accounting for 25.1% of the total marine fish landings in the country

Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) among Tuberculosis Patients: A Study from Chennai, South India

BACKGROUND: Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) among tuberculosis (TB) patients are associated with nonadherence and poor treatment outcomes. Studies from Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), Chennai have reported that alcoholism has been one of the major reasons for default and mortality in under the DOTS programme in South India. Hence, it is planned to conduct a study to estimate prevalence of alcohol use and AUDs among TB patients attending the corporation health centres in Chennai, India. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional cohort study covering 10 corporation zones at Chennai and it included situational assessment followed by screening of TB patients by a WHO developed Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test AUDIT scale. Four zones were randomly selected and all TB patients treated during July to September 2009 were screened with AUDIT scale for alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Out of 490 patients, 66% were males, 66% were 35 years and above, 57% were married, 58% were from the low monthly income group of <Rs 5000 per month. No females reported alcohol use. Overall, out of 490 TB pts, 29% (141) were found to consume alcohol. Among 141 current drinkers 52% (73) had an AUDIT score of >8. Age (>35 years), education (less educated), income (<Rs 5000 per month), marital status (separated/divorced) and treatment category (Category 2) were statistically significant for TB patients with alcohol use than those TB patients without alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: AUD among TB patients needs to be addressed urgently and the findings suggest the importance of integrating alcohol treatment into TB care

Challenges and opportunities in mixed method data collection on mental health issues of health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic in India

Background: The present paper describes the key challenges and opportunities of mixed method telephonic data collection for mental health research using field notes and the experiences of the investigators in a multicenter study in ten sites of India. The study was conducted in public and private hospitals to understand the mental health status, social stigma and coping strategies of different healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.Methods: Qualitative and quantitative interviews were conducted telephonically. The experiences of data collection were noted as a field notes/diary by the data collectors and principal investigators.Results: The interviewers reported challenges such as network issues, lack of transfer of visual cues and sensitive content of data. Although the telephonic interviews present various challenges in mixed method data collection, it can be used as an alternative to face-to-face data collection using available technology.Conclusions: It is important that the investigators are well trained keeping these challenges in mind so that their capacity is built to deal with these challenges and good quality data is obtained

Factors associated with stigma and manifestations experienced by Indian health care workers involved in COVID-19 management in India: A qualitative study

Healthcare personnel who deal with COVID-19 experience stigma. There is a lack of national-level representative qualitative data to study COVID-19-related stigma among healthcare workers in India. The present study explores factors associated with stigma and manifestations experienced by Indian healthcare workers involved in COVID-19 management. We conducted in-depth interviews across 10 centres in India, which were analysed using NVivo software version 12. Thematic and sentiment analysis was performed to gain deep insights into the complex phenomenon by categorising the qualitative data into meaningful and related categories. Healthcare workers (HCW) usually addressed the stigma they encountered when doing their COVID duties under the superordinate theme of stigma. Among them, 77.42% said they had been stigmatised in some way. Analyses revealed seven interrelated themes surrounding stigma among healthcare workers. It can be seen that the majority of the stigma and coping sentiments fall into the mixed category, followed by the negative sentiment category. This study contributes to our understanding of stigma and discrimination in low- and middle-income settings. Our data show that the emergence of fear of the virus has quickly turned into a stigma against healthcare workers

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570