Clinical profile and obstetric outcome in pregnancies complicated by heart disease: a five year Indian rural experience

Background: Cardiac diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnant women in the developing world. This study illustrates the problem in rural India focusing on patterns of diseases, clinical features, and pregnancy outcome in these women.Methods: A retrospective analysis of five year data, from 2006 to 2010 for all patients admitted with cardiac disease in pregnancy.Results: Past history of heart disease was present in 70%. Rheumatic heart disease was predominant type in 83% and the chief complaint at admission was breathlessness in 44%.   Mitral stenosis was the commonest lesion in 55% and mitral regurgitation with or without stenosis in 48%. Preeclampsia was seen in 20% and preterm labor in 10%. Spontaneous vaginal delivery was seen in 41% and cesarean in 20.6%.Conclusions: Heart disease in pregnancy is a high risk condition has a major impact on pregnancy. Associated obstetric complications along with lack of knowledge and ignorance regarding the pathology lead to unpleasant obstetric outcomes

Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papilloma virus in cervical samples of young married women: a hospital based prospective cross-sectional study

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the cervical samples of young married women at a tertiary care hospital in Chhattisgarh. A prospective cross-sectional observational study was performed in married women, aged 18 to 30 years.Methods: Relevant history was noted and cervical samples were collected and tested for HPV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Data was compiled to calculate the prevalence of HPV and the genotypic distribution.Results: The overall prevalence of HPV in this study was 22.73% and that of type 16 and 18 either alone or in combination with other subtypes was 17.26%. They were the commonest subtypes. HPV positivity was inversely related to education levels (Chi square, p=0.05). There was a significant difference in parity of women testing positive for HPV versus those negative for HPV (one tailed Pr (t<t)=0.03, 95% CI=1.445 to 1,865 at 108 degrees of freedom). No difference was observed between education and socio economic levels of positive versus negative women. Type 16 and 18 accounted for 76% of all HPV subtypes detected.Conclusions: The prevalence of HPV infection is high in Indian women. The high risk oncogenic types are the commonest subtypes. There is an urgent need to screen for the presence of high risk HPV infections in younger women so that they may be followed up more closely to prevent cervical cancers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA based genetic characterization of four important species of Bamboo, found in Raigad district, Maharashtra State, India

Bamboos are arborescent grasses belonging to the family Poaceae and are grouped under the subfamily Bambusoideae. Bambusoideae are differentiated from other members of the family by the presence of petiolate blades with parallel venation and stamens are three, four, six or more, gynoecium is with single style with one to three stigmas and caryopsis. Bamboo is regarded as the major resource that meets the need of common man and also a poverty alleviator due to its multipurpose uses. The Raigad district, Maharashtra, India, is a good pocket of wild as well as cultivated bamboo. This district is rich in Bamboo flora specially four species viz. Bambusa bambos; Pseudoxytenanthera ritcheyi; Pseudoxytenanthera stocksii and Dendrocalamus strictus. To study the genetics of bamboo, one has to face enormous difficulties simply because of rare flowering and we cannot make hybridizations as easily as like other angiosperms. The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method is used for genetic characterization of bamboo. This method of DNA profiling is proven excellent for identification, phylogenetic analysis, population studies and genetic linkage mapping of many plant species. Establishing multilocus markers RAPD analysis of genomes provides a versatile and rapid technology requiring low infrastructural input and use of arbitrary primers for developing plant DNA fingerprinting. In the present study, a comparative genetic analysis of four species of bamboo B. bambus, P. ritcheyi, P. stocksii and D. strictus collected from different locations of Raigad district of Maharashtra, India had been carried out using PCR-RAPD analysis. The present results warrant an extensive survey of genetic variation between the given four species of bamboo. The results would be helpful in designing sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker for each species. These SCAR markers can be used as diagnostic marker to authenticate samples of given four species.Keywords: Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA ( RAPD), DNA-fingerprinting, sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR), Genetic characterization, ritcheyi, stocksii, Raigad.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(28), pp. 4446-445

Production of a potential liquid plant bio-stimulant by immobilized Piriformospora indica in repeated-batch fermentation process

Piriformospora indica, a mycorrhizal-like fungus able to establish associations with roots of a wide range of plants, supporting plant nutrition and increasing plant resistance and tolerance to stress, was shown to solubilise phosphate applied in the form of animal bone char (HABO) in fermentation systems. The process of P solubilisation was caused most likely by proton extrusion and medium pH lowering. The fungal mycelium was successfully immobilized/retained in a polyurethane foam carrier. Further employment of the immobilized mycelium in repeated-batch fermentation process resulted in at least 5 cycles of P solubilization. The concentration of soluble P increased during the experiment with 1.0 and 3.0 g HABO l−1 and at the end of the 5th batch cycle reached 40.8 and 120 mg l−1, respectively. The resulting final liquid product, without or with solubilized phosphate, was found to significantly increase plant growth and P plant uptake. It can be used as a biostimulant containing microbial plant growth-promoting substances and soluble P derived from renewable sources (HABO) thus supporting the development of sustainable agro-ecosystems.This work was supported by Project CTM2014-53186-R, Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad-ES/EC FEDER Fund and the sabbatical Grant PRX16/00277 to NV

Assessment of Rockfall Hazard and Stabilization of Rock Slope Surface at the World Heritage Ajanta Cave

The assessment of rock fall hazard of a natural rock slope surface with ancient rock cave monuments of historic importance at World-Heritage site of Ajanta in the state of Maharashtra in India, embedded in basaltic rock formation is carried out and presented. In past the site has witnessed many small and large scale rock falls in the form of boulders which could cause the loss to the ancient rock caves of historic importance as well as en-dangering the visitor’s safety. The main cause of the rock fall is dislocation of the boulders from the natural rock surface slopes due to heavy rainfall as well as due to erosion, rock weathering, trees roots widening etc. In the present study, the rock slope surface and dislocated boulders vulnerability to failure risk is carried out with the Rockfall Hazard Rating System (RHRS) in tandem with other empirical approaches available for rock mass classification. The study using rockfall hazard rating system requires tedious field-work due to the involvement of a large number of parameters and long-stretch of the site under question. The detailed field study is carried out for the evaluation of various parameters involved in the RHRS as well as that of various empirical approaches applied. In the case of the cumulative RHRS score is more than 500 which implies that the slope surface or critical boulder site is unstable, prone to failure and need immediate attention for remedial measures. Accordingly, stabilization measures are planned on the priority basis

Comparative Analysis of the Effect of Different Insecticide Treatments on Nagpur Mandarin in Biomass Accumulation

The Comparative Analysis of the Effect of Different Insecticide Treatments in Nagpur Mandarin on Biomass Accumulation was conducted during the Ambia bahar of 2009-10. The experiment was carried out on an eight-year-old Nagpur mandarin orchard with a spacing of 6.0 m x 6.0 m at Futala farm, College of Agriculture, Nagpur. The study aimed to assess the impact of different insecticide treatments on Citrus psylla management. A trial comprising of eleven treatments was set in the Randomized Block Design (RBD), replicated thrice, with each treatment plot having four plants. Four branches were selected from each plant at random and tagged. The population of citrus psylla (both nymph and adult) was counted on the twigs of 5 cm fresh growth of the shoot from all the four sides of the plant during Ambia bahar of 2009-2010. The study found that imidacloprid 0.25 ml/l, acetamiprid 0.1 g/l, and quinalphos 1 ml/l + karanj oil (pongamia oil) 10 ml/l were the most effective treatments based on biomass accumulation (wet weight basis). Meanwhile, treatments with lower efficacy were Verticillium lecani 4 g/l + mineral oil 5 ml/l, azadirachtin 2 ml/l, mineral oil 5 ml/l, and Verticillium lecani 4 g/l. Furthermore, the application of imidacloprid 0.25 ml/l, acetamiprid 0.1 g/l, thiomethoxam 0.1 g/l, and quinalphos 1 ml/l + karanj oil (pongamia oil) 10 ml/l were found to be the most effective treatments based on biomass accumulation on a dry weight basis. The results indicated that treatments with imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiomethoxam, and quinalphos with karanj oil were the most effective in promoting higher growth of new flush, bearing (buds, flowers and fruit), and biomass accumulation on both wet weight and dry weight basis. Among them, the treatment with imidacloprid at 0.25 ml/l was found to be the most effective