Granulometric Analysis of the Exotic Sandstones in and around Moreh and Chandel, Chandel District, Manipur

Chaotic assemblage of conglomerate, gritstone, sandstone, shale, limestone, chert and ophiolitic derivatives occurs along the western contact of Nagaland-Manipur ophiolite belt in N-S to NNE-SSW trending direction. This assemblage is known as sedimentary melange and extends for about 200 km from north-east of Chokla in Nagaland to the south of Moreh in Manipur. Sandstones being the dominant litho-unit among the sedimentary mélange have been selected for the present study. These sandstones occur as floating bodies intermingling with both Disangs and ophiolite, hence the term exotic sandstone is used. Analysis of grain size data of these exotic sandstones in and around Moreh and Chandel, Chandel district reveals that all the samples show unimodal distribution. Cumulative curves suggest saltation and suspension are the major mode of transportation of these sediments. Mean values ranging from 1.40 ? to 3.29 ? suggest medium to very fine sand size. Standard deviation values (0.20 to 1.10) suggest that these sediments are very well sorted to moderately sorted and indicate fluctuating energy conditions during the time of deposition. The values of skewness range from -0.88 to 0.19 and 76.31% of the samples are negatively skewed, indicating high energy condition during the time of deposition of the sediments. Bivariate plots suggest that sediments were deposited both in fluvial and near shore environments. Discriminant function analysis reveals that exotic sandstones of the present study area were deposited under diverse condition

Clinical spectrum of autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome: A series of five cases

Autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome (Gardner Diamond syndrome or GDS) is a rare syndrome characterized by painful and spontaneous purpura commonly affecting adult women, and is mostly associated with psychiatric illness. Diagnosis is mainly based on clinical presentation, exclusion of other simulating diseases, and psychiatric evaluation. Only few cases have been reported till date. We report five cases of spontaneous purpura with a normal investigation profile, except for iron deficiency anemia in 1 patient, of which three had associated underlying psychiatric illness. Autoerythrocyte sensitization test was positive in all our cases. Patients presenting with painful bruises without significant medical history such as underlying bleeding disorder or drug history or history of trauma should be considered for autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome, and managed accordingly. The present study is a case series of patients with characteristic features of autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome, considering the rarity of the reports on its clinical spectra

Childhood vitiligo: A hospital-based study on 200 patients in Northeast India

Background: Vitiligo is a depigmenting disorder which can be psychologically devastating. Childhood-onset vitiligo has different epidemiological and clinical characteristics as compared to adults. Aims and Objectives: The aim was to study the clinico-epidemiological and hematologic investigation profiles of childhood vitiligo. Materials and Methods: First 200 pediatric patients younger than 18 years, with vitiligo who attended the dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary center in Northeast India, between September 2015 and August 2017 were included in the study. A detailed history and examination along with autoimmune diseases and laboratory parameters were recorded. Results: Among the 200 patients, 62% were girls. The mean age was 10.3 ± 4.9 years. The mean age at onset was 9.1 ± 4.9 years (ranging 2 months–17 years), with duration of disease varying from 1 month to 8 years with mean duration of 1.39 ± 1.63 years. Most common pattern of vitiligo was vulgaris (39.5%) followed by focal (25%), segmental (15.5%) genital (10%), acral and lateral lip (8%), and acrofacial (4%). Family history of vitiligo was seen in 12% of patients. In 96% patients, only <5% of body surface area was affected. Nearly 8.5% had Koebnerization while 9% showed leukotrichia. Thyroid-stimulating hormone and antithyroid peroxidase abnormalities were seen in 4.5% and 1% patients, respectively. Low Vitamin D level was seen in 21.5%. Conclusion: Any depigmented lesion in children should be evaluated and followed up properly to rule out vitiligo. Dermatologists and pediatricians should understand the characteristics of childhood vitiligo properly since it behave differently from adult-onset disease

Pattern of pediatric dermatoses in Northeast India

Background: The prevalence of pediatric skin diseases varies worldwide. Pediatric dermatoses require a separate view from adult dermatoses as there are important differences in clinical presentation, treatment, and prognosis. Aims and Objectives: To study the clinical and etiological presentation of dermatoses in the pediatric population in Northeast India. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out at a tertiary care center in Northeast region for 18 months (from December 2012 to May 2014). Cases under the age of 12 years were selected based on purposive sampling method. Results: Infections (36.25%) were the most common cause of skin diseases in the study group comprising 400 patients. Eczematous diseases (14.5%), pigmentary disorders (14.25%), and infestations (13.25%) were the other common causes. Varicella (6%), impetigo contagiosum (5%), and candidiasis (4.5%) were the most common viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases, respectively. Scabies (12.25%) was the most common individual disease in the present study. The prevalence of hand, foot, and mouth disease was high constituting 4% of the study group. Dyshidrotic eczema (6.5%), pityriasis alba (7.5%), and vitiligo (3.5%) were also common. Miliarial dermatitis and polymorphic light eruption also contributed significantly (5.25%) reflecting the typical pattern of the tropical skin diseases. Atopic dermatitis, genetic disorders, and nutritional deficiency disorders had a very low prevalence. Conclusion: The study finding that the majority of the diseases could be grouped into fewer than 8 disease categories may help in more accurate diagnosis. Significant proportions of the dermatoses are infections followed by eczematous and pigmentary diseases. Age, sex, locality, the income of the parents, family history, and season of presentation have an influential role in the pattern of distribution of the pediatric skin diseases

Preliminary studies on local anesthetic and antipyretic activities of Spilanthes acmella Murr. in experimental animal models

Objective: Spilanthes acmella Murr. (Family: Compositae) is a herb that grows throughout the tropics. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, fever, sore throat, and hemorrhoids. A tincture of the flowers is used to relieve toothache. The leaves and flowers produce numbness of the tongue when eaten as salad. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the local anesthetic and antipyretic activities of S. acmella in experimental animal models. Materials and Methods : Aqueous extract of S. acmella Murr. (SAM) was tested for local anesthetic action by (i) intracutaneous wheal in guinea pigs and (ii) plexus anesthesia in frogs. In both the models, 2% xylocaine was used as the standard drug. The anti-pyretic activity was determined by yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. Aspirin 300 mg/kg was used as the standard drug. Result : The test drug in concentrations of 10% and 20% produced 70.36% and 87.02% anesthesia respectively by the intracutaneous wheal compared to 97.22% anesthetic effect produced by 2% xylocaine (P<0.001). The mean onset of anesthesia with the test drug was 5.33±0.57 min compared to 2.75±0.31 min (P<0.001) for the standard drug in the plexus anesthesia model. In the anti-pyretic model, ASA in doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg produced dose-dependent reduction in mean temperature at various hours of observation. Conclusion : The present study shows that SAM has significant local anesthetic and antipyretic activities

Experimental and parametric studies on the effect of waste cooking oil methyl ester with diesel fuel in compression ignition engine

Diesel engine discharge characteristics are primarily influenced by fuel qualities, combustion chamber type, and injection settings. This study used combinations of biodiesel, waste cooking oil, and diesel fuel to do a parametric investigation on a diesel engine (DF80-WCOB20, DF70-WCOB30, DF60-WCOB40, and DF50-WCOB50). Using a complete factorial design L75 orthogonal array (O.A.), the experimental and parametric investigations were carried out. According to the experimental findings, DF80-WCOB20, DF70-WCOB30, DF60-WCOB40, and DF50-WCOB50 increase specific energy consumption while reducing engine efficiency, carbon monoxide emissions, and hydrocarbon discharges. At all engine loads, DF80-WCOB20′s brake thermal efficiency (BTE) was higher than that of DF70-WCOB30, DF60-WCOB40, and DF50-WCOB50 for respective compression ratios of 16.5, 17.5, and 18.5. Additionally, the BSFC for C.R. increases (16.5, 17.5, and 18.5) at all engine loads when waste cooking oil biodiesel is mixed with diesel fuel compared to diesel fuel. The findings indicate that while adding biodiesel made from used cooking oil to diesel fuel greatly reduces carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, it also results in higher nitrogen oxide emissions than diesel fuel