Cost comparison of commonly used antidepressant drugs with drug price control order in India

Background: Price of a drug is an important factor for compliance to the treatment. So, to overcome the high prices of drugs, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under government of India has issued Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) list containing commonly used drugs. Pharmaceutical companies can be punished if they keep their prices higher than the ceiling price mentioned in the DPCO. To find out the price variations of commonly used antidepressant drugs included in DPCO list of 29th April 2019.Methods: A list of all oral antidepressant drugs included in DPCO of 29th April 2019 and available in Indian market was procured from medguide India. Analysis of number of total brands following as well as not following DPCO ceiling price was done.Results: Author found 17 formulations of four antidepressant drugs included in DPCO. Total 556 brands found out of which 84.6% were following the DPCO and 15.4% of brands prices were higher than the ceiling price of DPCO.Conclusions: Though large number of companies are following the DPCO but still strict regulation is needed to further increase the compliance of guidelines

An experimental study to evaluate the role of aspirin and metformin in prevention of depression in rats

Background: Depression was seen to be associated with an increased level of inflammatory biomarkers along with the disturbance in the monoamine neurotransmitter system. Current therapies are mostly focussed on the neurotransmitters imbalance but due to increasing cases of treatment failure there is a need to shift our treatment focus to other potential therapies. This study aimed to evaluate the preventive role of aspirin and metformin in stress induced model of depression in wistar rats.Methods: Fifty four wistar rats were randomly divided into nine groups as normal control, experimental control, aspirin (30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg), metformin (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg), two combination groups and imipramine (15 mg/kg). Depression model was created by the induction of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for consecutive 28 days. Behavioural assessment was done by evaluating immobility time in forced swim test (FST) and sucrose preference ratio (SPR) in sucrose preference test. The data were analysed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) test using SPSS software. P0.05).Conclusions: Aspirin and metformin might have a potential role in the prevention of depression

Cost comparison of antihypertensive drugs available in India with Drugs Prices Control Order price list

Background: DPCO (Drugs Prices Control Order) price list is issued by NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority) each year to guide the pharmaceuticals companies for controlling the prices in India. Some drugs cost more than the DPCO list. As antihypertensive drugs are taken lifelong once diagnosis is made, price variation and costing above prescribed price cause a huge economic burden on such patients. This study was undertaken to know the number of antihypertensive drugs brands with price above the recommended DPCO price list 2017.Methods: Authors have collected the data from website medguideindia.com, CIMS (current index of medical specialties), Drug Today, and compared the listed antihypertensive drugs of various available brands in India with DPCO price list 2017. Data was entered in Microsoft excel 2010. Percentage of selling price above the DPCO price list was calculated for each drug.Results: The data of 30 formulations of 16 antihypertensive drugs was analysed. The total number of available brands of all formulations was 1365 out of which only 831 (60.88%) brands were found to have price <DPCO recommended list. 534 (39.12%) brands had price more than the recommended limit. The minimum violation of price limit was found in case of metoprolol 25mg (6.66%) and maximum price violation was observed with spironolactone 25mg and sodium nitroprusside inj 10mg/ml.Conclusions: Reassessment and monitoring for implementation of DPCO price list should be done as still large number of brands are not following the regulations and are violating the limit set by NPPA/DPCO

Underground Soil Sensing Using Subsurface Radio Wave Propagation

Continuous sensing of soil moisture is essential for smart agriculture variable rate irrigation (VRI), real-time agricultural decision making, and water conservation. Therefore, development of simple techniques to measure the in-situ properties of soil is of vital importance. Moreover, permittivity estimation has applications in electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation analysis in the soil medium, depth analysis, subsurface imaging, and UG localization. Different methods for soil permittivity and moisture estimation are time-domain reflectometry (TDR), ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements, and remote sensing. One major bottleneck in the current laboratory-based permittivity estimation techniques is off-line measurement of the collected soil samples. At that, the remote sensing approaches are limited to shallow depths of 20cm. In this paper1, we have presented an underground soil sensing approach using subsurface radio wave propagation

Optimal Sizing, Control, and Management Strategies for Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Review

To meet the expanding energy demand, all available energy sources must be utilized. Renewable energies are both eternal and natural, but their major downside is their inconsistency. Due to the rising costs of fossil fuels and the CO2 they emit, hybrid renewable energy (HRE) sources have gained popularity as an alternative in remote and rural areas. To address this issue, a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) can be developed by combining several energy sources. In order to build modern electrical grids that have advantages for the economy, environment, and society, the hybrid system is preferable. A summary of various optimization methods (modeling techniques) of an HRES is presented in this paper. This study offers an in-depth analysis of the best sizing, control methodologies, and energy management strategies, along with the incorporation of various renewable energy sources to form a hybrid system. Modern hybrid renewable energy system utilities rely more on an optimal design to reduce the cost function. Reviews of several mathematical models put out by various academicians are presented in this work. These models were created based on reliability analyses incorporating design factors, objective functions, and economics. The reader will get familiar with numerous system modelling optimization strategies after reading this study, and they will be able to compare different models based on their cost functions. Numerous modeling approaches and software simulation tools have been created to aid stakeholders in the planning, research, and development of HRES. The optimal use of renewable energy potential and the meticulous creation of applicable designs are closely tied to the full analysis of these undoubtedly complicated systems. In this field, as well, several optimization restrictions and objectives have been applied. Overall, the optimization, sizing, and control of HRES are covered in this paper with the energy management strategies

Optimal Sizing, Control, and Management Strategies for Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Review

To meet the expanding energy demand, all available energy sources must be utilized. Renewable energies are both eternal and natural, but their major downside is their inconsistency. Due to the rising costs of fossil fuels and the CO2 they emit, hybrid renewable energy (HRE) sources have gained popularity as an alternative in remote and rural areas. To address this issue, a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) can be developed by combining several energy sources. In order to build modern electrical grids that have advantages for the economy, environment, and society, the hybrid system is preferable. A summary of various optimization methods (modeling techniques) of an HRES is presented in this paper. This study offers an in-depth analysis of the best sizing, control methodologies, and energy management strategies, along with the incorporation of various renewable energy sources to form a hybrid system. Modern hybrid renewable energy system utilities rely more on an optimal design to reduce the cost function. Reviews of several mathematical models put out by various academicians are presented in this work. These models were created based on reliability analyses incorporating design factors, objective functions, and economics. The reader will get familiar with numerous system modelling optimization strategies after reading this study, and they will be able to compare different models based on their cost functions. Numerous modeling approaches and software simulation tools have been created to aid stakeholders in the planning, research, and development of HRES. The optimal use of renewable energy potential and the meticulous creation of applicable designs are closely tied to the full analysis of these undoubtedly complicated systems. In this field, as well, several optimization restrictions and objectives have been applied. Overall, the optimization, sizing, and control of HRES are covered in this paper with the energy management strategies

Association of bone mineral density and body mass index in a cohort of Pakistanis: Relation to gender, menopause and ethnicity

Aim of the work: To assess association of body mass index (BMI) with bone mineral density (BMD) in a sample of Pakistanis and explore their relation with age, gender, menopausal status and ethnicity. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study at a tertiary care rehabilitation medicine center included apparently healthy individuals referred for an assessment of BMD through dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Subjects with any associated disorder, history of malignancy, intake of steroids, or under osteoporosis treatment were excluded. Patients were sub-grouped according to the age (⩽50 and >50 years) and menopausal status. The ethnicity was based on the provinces the patients came from. Results: Out of 600 people, 253 (42.2%) were males with a mean age of 65 ± 10 years (range: 28–100 years) and 347 (57.8%) were females (56 ± 10 years; range: 18–92 years). The majority of males had normal BMI and osteopenia while majority of females were overweight and had osteopenia. Most individuals among sub-groups based on age and menopausal status had their BMI in the overweight range. The mainstream of the subjects ⩽50 years and premenopausal women had a normal BMD and those >50 years had osteopenia. The majority of postmenopausal women had osteoporosis. The ethnicity (based on provinces) did not affect BMI or BMD. In both genders, the underweight individuals were more likely to develop osteoporosis than individuals who were overweight or had normal BMI. Conclusions: Majority of Pakistani women were overweight while men had a normal BMI. Younger age and premenopausal status was directly associated with a normal BMD. Both genders were significantly prone to have a low BMD if they had a lower BMI

KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE-19 PROTOCOLS AMONG ANESTHESIA TECHNOLOGISTS AND TRAINEES IN WEST INDIA

Objectives: The main objective of the study is to assess the knowledge and awareness of all the anesthesia technologists and trainees regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection control protocols. The health and safety of anesthesia technologists are of great importance which can ultimately aid in minimizing the risk of infection among them and facilitate them to offer exceptional care to the patients. Methods: This cross-sectional online survey was conducted on COVID-19 protocols using an online questionnaire that assesses the basic knowledge and awareness about infection control protocols. A total of 231 participant’s responses were recorded using Google form and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results: The present study showed that participant’s overall knowledge was good but they were not well trained on infection control protocol. Only 19.04% of participants were well trained about the protocol. The majority of the participants are well aware of the Personal Protective Equipment’s-related information. Conclusions: To deal with this current situation, educational intervention on infection control protocol is urgently required to train Anesthesia technologists and trainees to defend against coronavirus

Performance Evaluation of Solar PV-Based Z-Source Cascaded Multilevel Inverter with Optimized Switching Scheme

AC loads may demand a fixed or variable voltage at their input terminals. When using inverters to power such loads, the response of the inverter must be precisely controlled to suit the demands of the AC loads. Inverters with higher efficiency and sensitivity will play an increasingly essential role as the need for solar PV applications in prospective green technology grows. To increase power quality and provide a reliable power source, an inverter architecture with harmonic reduction approaches is proposed. The multilevel inverter (MLI), unlike conventional inverters, is developed by cascaded single inverter units and is often used to connect renewable energy sources. As a result, they can be utilized to efficiently reduce harmonics. Among the three topologies, the most widely used in industries is the neutral-point clamped MLI. When the levels are raised, however, they demand a larger number of diodes. When the level of the flying capacitor exceeds three, several capacitors are necessary. As a result, the optimum option for synthesizing the right output voltage from several DC sources is a cascaded multilevel inverter (CMLI). Each link in a CMLI is connected by a single DC source; therefore, there is no voltage imbalance. However, getting equal DC voltages at the input of each unit is once again a limitation. In this work, various existing multilevel inverter topologies including hybrid topologies with different switching strategies are investigated and reported. The performance of a solar PV-based seven-level quasi-Z-source cascaded H-Bridge MLI (qZS-CHBMLI) has been thoroughly examined with the best switching scheme and best topology of multilevel inverters using MATLAB/Simulink