Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Aflatoxins in Dry Fruits and Nuts from Central India

In central part of India, dry fruits and nuts are mostly sold in loose conditions and hence may get fungal infections, and may have aflatoxins to the levels beyond the safe limits. The present study is an attempt to showcase the present scenario of aflatoxins in dry fruits and nuts from Central India, both qualitatively and quantatively. Out of 84 samples, 15 were found to have the presence of at least one aflatoxin. HPLC detection showed that AFB1 is the major aflatoxin. The total aflatoxins were found in the range of 25.4 - 393.51 μg kg-1, which is beyond the safe limit set by regulatory authorities. Further, dry figs were the most contaminated among tested dry fruits, and 5 out 12 samples (41.6%) were contaminated, followed by cashew nuts (33.3%). Samples sold in loose packing were found more contaminated with aflatoxins. The study advocates that selling of such dry fruits in loose form should be banned by the regulatory authorities

Prediction of metabolic syndrome by visceral adiposity index, lipid accumulation product and model of adiposity index amongst infertile women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: This study was conducted to compare visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP) and model of adiposity index (MAOD) for prediction of metabolic syndrome (MS) amongst infertile women with and without PCOS. Methods: It was a case control, retrospective study performed in gynecology outpatient department of a tertiary care center. Total 143 infertile women with PCOS and 367 infertile women without PCOS were recruited in the study. Waist circumference (WC), BMI, waist hip ratio (WHR), insulin resistance, VAI, LAP, MOAD were assessed in both groups. Results: Significantly higher values of WC, WHR, systolic BP, insulin postprandial and all 3 adiposity indices were found among infertile women with PCOS as compared to women without PCOS. In hormonal profile, testosterone, AMH, FSH, prolactin, estradiol was found to be significantly higher in PCOS group. For predicting MS in PCOS women, VAI had the highest AUC 0.878 with a cut off value of 3.1, highest sensitivity of 88.9%, specificity of 90.7%, positive and negative predictive value of 76.2% and 96% respectively followed by LAP and MOAD. Conclusions: To conclude, all three adiposity indexes VAI, LAP and MOAD were significantly raised in PCOS women. VAI followed by LAP were the best indicators to predict metabolic syndrome in women with PCOS

Copper T (380 A) and risk of uterine perforation in lactating women: rural scenario

Background: Copper T 380 A is commonly used as PPIUCD as well as Interval contraception in rural areas of Chhattisgarh. Studies have reported that interval insertion of intrauterine device in women during their lactation period is associated with high risk of uterine perforation as compared to postpartum insertion similar as our study.Methods: 50 consecutive women were included, who came in family planning OPD of Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS), a Government Medical College, with history of copper T insertion, during their lactation period, within one year of child birth. The copper T insertion was done by health workers at peripheral health centers with complains of pain lower abdomen, menstrual irregularities, missing thread, vaginal discharge, uterine perforation following Copper T 380 A insertion. Apart from patient’s characteristics such as age and parity etc. the method of detection of the perforation and details of management were analyzed.Results: There was one case of partial uterine perforation, one case of copper T lying in peritoneal cavity, two cases of expulsion and three cases had embedded copper T in the myometrium.Conclusions: The risk of perforation due to copper T 380A insertion in lactating women is slightly high, thus timing of insertion, proper counseling and providers training, which are vital factors for intrauterine device use during lactation period, should be considered seriously so as to minimize the complications

From cognitive psychology to image segmentation: A change of perspective

Image segmentation is a complex and essential task used in many computer vision applications. The problem of image segmentation can essentially be formulated as a grouping problem which in its simplest form tries to group the pixels of image into distinguished regions of interest so that further processing of the extracted regions can be achieved. This work proposes an image segmentation model which is inspired by the findings in cognitive psychology theories to divide the image into separate coherent regions. The proposed work tries to correlate between human and machine cognition by studying the segmentation process under the light of psychology of human vision

Free radicals and antioxidants in normal versus cancerous cells — An overview

Oxygen is vital for aerobic processes of metabolism and respiration- It has been also implicated in many diseases and degenerative conditions. Free radicals formed from reactive oxygen and nitrogen species act as key players in the initiation and progression of tumor cells and enhance their metastatic potential. The imbalance in the formation and use of free radicals in the tissue creates oxidative stress. Inadequacy in normal cells antioxidant defense system or excessive free radical formation or even both can cause the cell to experience the oxidative stress. This review outlines the involvement of free radicals in different aspects of cancer, from prevention to initiation, progression, treatment and to reduce morbidity and mortality

The use of plants in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria: Pharmacological and toxicological considerations

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The prevalence of diabetes is on a steady increase worldwide and it is now identified as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. In Nigeria, the use of herbal medicine alone or alongside prescription drugs for its management is quite common. We hereby carry out a review of medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes management in Nigeria. Based on the available evidence on the species׳ pharmacology and safety, we highlight ways in which their therapeutic potential can be properly harnessed for possible integration into the country׳s healthcare system. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical information was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scopus up to 2013 for publications on medicinal plants used in diabetes management, in which the place of use and/or sample collection was identified as Nigeria. ‘Diabetes’ and ‘Nigeria’ were used as keywords for the primary searches; and then ‘Plant name – accepted or synonyms’, ‘Constituents’, ‘Drug interaction’ and/or ‘Toxicity’ for the secondary searches. Results: The hypoglycemic effect of over a hundred out of the 115 plants reviewed in this paper is backed by preclinical experimental evidence, either in vivo or in vitro. One-third of the plants have been studied for their mechanism of action, while isolation of the bioactive constituent(s) has been accomplished for twenty three plants. Some plants showed specific organ toxicity, mostly nephrotoxic or hepatotoxic, with direct effects on the levels of some liver function enzymes. Twenty eight plants have been identified as in vitro modulators of P-glycoprotein and/or one or more of the cytochrome P450 enzymes, while eleven plants altered the levels of phase 2 metabolic enzymes, chiefly glutathione, with the potential to alter the pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs. Conclusion: This review, therefore, provides a useful resource to enable a thorough assessment of the profile of plants used in diabetes management so as to ensure a more rational use. By anticipating potential toxicities or possible herb–drug interactions, significant risks which would otherwise represent a burden on the country׳s healthcare system can be avoided

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe