Assessment of Water Quality in Harike Wetland - A Review

Harike, designated as Ramsar site, is the largest manmade riverine wetland in North India.  It came into existence in 1952 with the construction of barrage near confluence of rivers Sutlej and Beas. It has high ecological significance as it is the habitat of diverse flora and fauna, source of food for animals and humans and plays an important role in underground water recharge. Despite all these diverse functions, the wetland is facing a threat of extinction because of increasing anthropogenic pressure from industrial development, agriculture and over extraction of water for irrigation.  A number of studies have been undertaken to assess the water quality of Harike and the water is found to be unsafe for aquatic life as well as for human consumption. The review deals with the status of harike wetland in terms of water quality and causes of wetland loss. It also provides an overview of the methodology employed for physicochemical and biological analysis, heavy metal determination and use of remote sensing techniques for monitoring of various water quality parameters

Breaking barriers: the evolution of portable colposcopes in cervical health

Global calls for cervical cancer elimination prompt urgent focus on low-income countries where screening challenges persist. While high-income nations utilize advanced methods like human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and colposcopy, many low-resource settings rely on cost-effective approaches like visual assessment with acetic acid (VIA) performed on the same day as screening and treatment. This review explores the feasibility of implementing improved visual assessment methods in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), considering challenges posed by systemic factors. Emphasizing the vital role of visual inspection, particularly in high-income countries where colposcopy guides biopsies and treatment decisions, the article advocates for tailored screening pathways. Unlike extensive multi-step processes in high-income countries, LMICs face limitations in clinic visits, making simple VIA crucial. The article evaluates the potential of cervical imaging devices for low-resource settings, aiming to enhance cervical cancer screening in line with global elimination goals

Study of body mass index (BMI) and serum lipid profile of patients at a tertiary hospital: a cross sectional study

Background: Sedentary lifestyle have an impact on the prevalence and incidence of obesity related disorders and leads to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias and metabolic disorders that aggravate the risk in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).Methods: In our study, data of 220 subjects belonging to age group of 25 to 55 years were collected. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Subjects were categorized into two groups (BMI <25 and BMI ≥25). Serum was separated by centrifuging blood at 3000 rpm for 10 min and analyzed for lipid profile on Erba Chem 7 semi-auto analyzer.Results: In our present hospital based study we estimated the Lipid Profile in individuals categorized into two groups. (Group 1 BMI <25) and (Group 2 BMI ≥25), We found the values of Triglycerides, LDL and VLDL in Group 1 are lower as compared to Group 2.Conclusions: Our study showed positive correlation between lipid profile and obesity. Obesity is said to predispose individuals to metabolic syndrome associated diseases

How useful is HPV-DNA test for screening of cervical cancer: a prospective study

Background: The aim of present study was to evaluate the utility of HPV-DNA testing in cervical cancer screening.Methods: The study included 110 women presenting to the Gynaecological OPD of SMI Hospital who were subjected to HPV DNA test and one or more of other tests like cytology, colposcopy and histopathological examination. The results were evaluated by standard statistical methods.Results: Out of 110 patients in whom HPV-DNA testing was done, 24 had positive result, 83 had negative result and 3 had borderline test result. Sensitivity & Specificity of HPV-DNA testing was calculated to be 90% and 84.61% respectively. Its positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 69.23% and 95.66%. The percentage of false negative was calculated to be 10% and that of false positive was 15.38%.Conclusions: In our study, the sensitivity and negative predictive value of HPV-DNA testing was found to be more as compared to its specificity and positive predictive value. Widespread HPV testing for primary cervical cancer screening is not recommended as it will increase the volume of HPV testing and will not be cost- effective. It may be used for secondary screening in patients with abnormal or (ASC) cytology results as this will help in their subsequent management

Economic Analysis of Migration in Oklahoma

Economic

Evaluation of in vitro and invivo anti-inflammatory activities of Parthenium camphora

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of solvent extracts of Parthenium camphora (Family: Compositae), a non-useful and waste weed growing through waste sides. The anti-inflammatory activities were assessed through in vitro and in vivo procedures, the results were found to be very surprising and promising. Aqueous and Ethanolic solvent extracts of Parthenium camphora were found to have significant anti-inflammatory activity at doses 100 and 120 mg/Kg during in vitro anti-inflammatory assay. The ethanolic fractions of the plant causes significant reduction in inflammation i.e. 92 % (120 mg/kg) followed by aqueous extract i.e. 85 % (120 mg/kg) compared to standard anti-inflammatory drug, Diclofenac Sodium i.e. 87 % (10 mg/kg). The values of reduction in paw volume, 0.10 &plusmn; 0.05, 0.14 &plusmn; 0.05 and 0.16 &plusmn; 0.05 were found significantly of ethanol extract, aqueous extract and Diclofenac sodium, respectively at 4 h after carrageenan administration. Ethanolic extracts showed potent anti-inflammatory activity in comparison to aqueous extracts. The extracts showed higher anti-inflammatory potential as the dose varies. Thus results showed that extracts showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in dose-dependent manner. The extracts exhibited membrane stabilization effect by inhibiting hypotonicity induced lysis of erythrocyte membrane. The erythrocyte membrane is analogous to the lysosomal membrane, and its stabilization implies that the extract may as well stabilize lysosomal membrane. Stabilization of lysosomal membrane is important in limiting the inflammatory response by preventing the release of lysosomal constituents of activated neutrophils such as bacterial enzymes and proteases which cause further tissue inflammation and damage. From the above study it was concluded that the ethanolic extract of Parthenium camphora has significant membrane stabilization property compared to the aqueous extract of the same plant and it was comparable to the standard drug Diclofenac Sodium

A rare case of vaginal sarcoma in pregnancy

Vaginal Sarcoma is an extremely rare tumour in pregnancy. Authors are presenting a case report of a pregnant woman who presented with vaginal mass and urinary retention at 32 weeks of gestational age. USG confirmed a live baby with possibility of cervical fibroid. Before further investigations for diagnosis of the mass her emergency LSCS has to be done. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry then confirmed sarcoma

Duodenal perforation with Ascaris lumbricoides in a child: A case report

Gastrointestinal infestation with Ascaris lumbricoides is common in temperate and tropical countries. Although heavy worm infestation produces wide range of acute abdominal complications, duodenal perforation in association with ascariasis, especially in children, is rarely reported. We report a case of 5-year-old girl with duodenal perforation secondary to ascariasis