Assessment of Menopausal Symptoms During Perimenopause and Postmenopause in Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Issues related to menopausal symptoms are very complicated in terms of experience, severity, and dynamics of the symptoms. Studies have shown that these symptoms vary among individuals depending on the menopausal stage, ethnicity, geographical location, and other factors. Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) is an effective tool to assess the severity of these symptoms. Aim: This study was done to compare the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms during peri‑ and postmenopause using the MRS. Subjects and Methods: Ninety‑two perimenopausal women and 95 postmenopausal women who attended Gynecology out patient department ( OPD) for treatment of menopausal complaints were assessed using the MRS questionnaire before starting therapy. Informed consent and ethics committee clearance was obtained prior to the study. Response was recorded and statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 17.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Result: The mean total MRS score was comparable in both the groups. The mean psychological score was significantly higher in perimenopausal group in comparison to postmenopausal group (P<0.01). The mean urogenital score was higher in postmenopausal women (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Fatigue, depression, anxiety, hot flashes, and sexual disturbances were the common symptoms that appeared first during the perimenopausal phase. As the age advanced and women progressed in the postmenopausal stage, the psychological symptoms of depression, irritability, and sleep disturbances decreased; while the urogenital symptoms, fatigue, and generalized body ache became more prominent.Keywords: Africa, menopause, menopause rating scale, perimenopause, postmenopause, severity of menopausal symptom

Role of Magnesium Sulfate in Prolonging the Analgesic Effect of Spinal Bupivacaine for Cesarean Section in Severe Preeclamptics

Background: Magnesium sulfate, N‑methyl‑d‑aspartate receptor antagonist, has both analgesic and sedative properties. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of perioperative intravenous (i.v) magnesium sulfate in severe preeclamptic patients scheduled for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Subjects and Methods: A double blind prospective randomized controlled study was designed conducted on 80 patients randomly allocated into two equal groups (n = 40) to receive either bupivacaine heavy intrathecally – Group B (control group) or bupivacaine heavy intrathecally along with i.v magnesium sulfate – Group BM (study group). Magnesium sulfate 40 mg/kg diluted in 100 ml of normal saline was administered over 15 min about 30 min prior to surgery followed by continuous infusion at the rate of 10 mg/kg/h for the next 24 h while the other group received similar volume of normal saline in the same manner. Intraoperatively, patients were monitored for hemodynamic perturbations, respiratory rate, urine output, Apgar score, uterine tonicity, and any other adverse effects. Postoperatively, duration of analgesia, number of rescue analgesics, signs of any magnesium toxicity, and incidence of postpartum eclampsia in the first 24 h were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: At different time intervals, patients in Group BM had less pain than Group B when compared on visual analog scale. Patients in Group BM were significantly more sedated as compared to Group B patients. None of the patients demonstrated bradycardia, hypotensive episodes, hypoxia, or hypoventilation in the postoperative period in the recovery room. There was no significant respiratory depression, Apgar score was comparable, and uterine tonicity was adequate in both the groups. Postoperatively, time required for first analgesic dose was significantly more in Group BM 270 (35.1) min than Group B 223 (31.4) min. There was a significant decrease in total rescue analgesic requirement in Group BM 2.5 (0.4) compared to Group B 3.6 (0.4). Incidence of postpartum eclampsia in study group (one patient) was less than the control group (four patients). Conclusion: Preoperative i.v magnesium sulfate, in severe preeclampsia not only reduces the probability of developing peripartum eclampsia, but also significantly prolongs the duration of analgesia and reduces postoperative analgesic consumption without any significant side effects.Keywords: Intravenous magnesium sulphate, preecclempsia, spinal anaesthesi

Cognitive Informatics and Soft Computing Proceeding of CISC 2017

Publisher url: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789811306167The book presents new approaches and methods for solving real-world problems

Freedom of choice to migrate: adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh

Adaptation is an essential part of climate change policy. In areas where impacts are likely to be severe, migration is considered to be an adaptation option. In Bangladesh coastal areas migration due to climate change is contingent on people’s freedom of choice at individual and household level. Following Amartya Sen’s capability approach, we argue that there should be a line drawn between migrations by free choice versus forced migration. Sen’s capability approach focuses on the importance of people’s freedom of choice to act, and the ability to achieve what they consider valuable in their life. In this paper, we use an extensive empirical work engaging 22 focus groups discussions (8–12 individuals in each group) and 14 Key Informants Interviews in South-West Bangladesh to elicit how freedom of choice changes with the economic class and social status of an individual. Using these data we apply Sen’s capability approach to understand the role of the freedom of choice when considering migration as an adaptation option. We argue that the capability approach is essential in revealing a thin border between migration as a (planned) adaptation option and forced migration

PSO-GWO Optimized Fractional Order PID Based Hybrid Shunt Active Power Filter for Power Quality Improvements

This paper presents a Hybrid Shunt Active Power Filter (HSAPF) optimized by hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization-Grey Wolf Optimization (PSO-GWO) and Fractional Order Proportional-Integral-Derivative Controller (FOPIDC) for reactive power and harmonic compensation under balance and unbalance loading conditions. Here, the parameters of FOPID controller are tuned by PSO-GWO technique to mitigate the harmonics. Comparing Passive with Active Filters, the former is tested to be bulky and design is complex and the later is not cost effective for high rating. Hence, a hybrid structure of shunt active and passive filter is designed using MATLAB/Simulink and in real time experimental set up. The compensation process for shunt active filter is different from predictable methods such as (p-q) or (id-i ) theory, in which only the source current is to be sensed. The performance of the proposed controller is tested under different operating conditions such as steady and transient states and indices like Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), Input Power Factor (IPF), Real Power (P) and Reactive Power (Q) are estimated and compared with that of other controllers. The parameters of FOPIDC and Conventional PID Controller (CPIDC) are optimized by the techniques such as PSO, GWO and hybrid PSO-GWO. The comparative simulation/experiment results reflect the better performance of PSO-GWO optimized FOPIDC based HSAPF with respect to PSO/GWO optimized FOPIDC/CPIDC based HSAPF under different operating conditions.

Energy harvesting from pavements

Against a background of the immense solar radiation incident with available pavement surfaces, the opportunity for energy to be harvested from pavements is investigated. While the emphasis is on the harvesting of solar-derived heat energy, some attention is also paid to the collection of energy derived from displacement of the pavement by traffic and to solar energy converted directly to electricity via photovoltaic systems embedded in pavements. Basic theory of heat collection is covered along with a discussion of the relevant thermal properties of pavement materials that affect heat transmission and storage in a pavement. Available technologies for pavement energy harvesting are reviewed and some of their advantages and limitations reviewed. The chapter continues with some descriptions of the ways in which the harvested energy can be stored and then used before ending with sections on evaporative cooling of pavements and system evaluation

Icariside II Induces Apoptosis in U937 Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells: Role of Inactivation of STAT3-Related Signaling

Background: The aim of this study is to determine anti-cancer effect of Icariside II purified from the root of Epimedium koreanum Nakai on human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell line U937. Methodology/Principal Findings Icariside II blocked the growth U937 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In this anti-proliferation process, this herb compound rendered the cells susceptible to apoptosis, manifested by enhanced accumulation of sub-G1 cell population and increased the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells. Icariside II was able to activate caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in a time-dependent manner. Concurrently, the anti-apoptotic proteins, such as bcl-xL and survivin in U937 cells, were downregulated by Icariside II. In addition, Icariside II could inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation and function and subsequently suppress the activation of Janus activated kinase 2 (JAK2), the upstream activators of STAT3, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Icariside II also enhanced the expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) SH2 domain-containing phosphatase (SHP)-1, and the addition of sodium pervanadate (a PTP inhibitor) prevented Icariside II-induced apoptosis as well as STAT3 inactivation in STAT3 positive U937 cells. Furthermore, silencing SHP-1 using its specific siRNA significantly blocked STAT3 inactivation and apoptosis induced by Icariside II in U937 cells. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrated that via targeting STAT3-related signaling, Icariside II sensitizes U937 cells to apoptosis and perhaps serves as a potent chemotherapeutic agent for AML

Proteomic Interrogation of Androgen Action in Prostate Cancer Cells Reveals Roles of Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetases

Prostate cancer remains the most common malignancy among men in United States, and there is no remedy currently available for the advanced stage hormone-refractory cancer. This is partly due to the incomplete understanding of androgen-regulated proteins and their encoded functions. Whole-cell proteomes of androgen-starved and androgen-treated LNCaP cells were analyzed by semi-quantitative MudPIT ESI- ion trap MS/MS and quantitative iTRAQ MALDI- TOF MS/MS platforms, with identification of more than 1300 high-confidence proteins. An enrichment-based pathway mapping of the androgen-regulated proteomic data sets revealed a significant dysregulation of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, indicating an increase in protein biosynthesis- a hallmark during prostate cancer progression. This observation is supported by immunoblot and transcript data from LNCaP cells, and prostate cancer tissue. Thus, data derived from multiple proteomics platforms and transcript data coupled with informatics analysis provides a deeper insight into the functional consequences of androgen action in prostate cancer