16 research outputs found
COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMINATION IN OUT-REACH CAMP PATIENTS REFERRED FOR CATARACT SURGERY- AN EFFECTIVE INSTRUMENT FOR ASSESSING OCULAR COMORBIDITIES IN COMMUNITIES.
Introduction:
Modern cataract surgery aims to provide optimum visual acuity to the patient according to his requirements and with early visual rehabilitation. A detailed evaluation before cataract surgery can help in planning proper interventions, preventing post-operative visual impairment, and appropriate patient counseling. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ocular co-morbidities in outreach camp patients referred for cataract surgery.
Materials and methods:
This retrospective study was conducted among patients admitted to Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India. Patient details were obtained from hospital records from January 2021 to January 2022. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.
Results:
A total of 3109 patients were considered out of which 1060 (34.1%) presented with some comorbidities other than cataracts. Retinopathy comprised of 26.4% followed by pterygium (24.8%) and post cataract surgery complications (10.4%). Glaucoma was present in 8.5% while nearly 7% presented with corneal involvement and 6.04% with uveitis and its sequel.
Conclusion:
A comprehensive examination of patients referred from camps can be a cost-effective and efficient tool to identify the hidden ocular diseases in the community. It not only aids in identifying but also provides optimum management of the comorbidities to provide maximum benefit to the patients.
Recommendation:
A thorough examination of patients with ocular comorbidities can help in identifying the ocular diseases earlier and planning their management efficiently
A comprehensive study of the estuary sea environment in the Bay of Bengal, near the Mahanadi River confluence
Abstract This study focuses on the environmental conditions of the Mahanadi Estuary near Paradeep Harbor and the adjacent sea. Data collected from May 2013 to April 2020 from 32 GPS fixed stations was analyzed to assess the water quality in different zones (estuarine, mixed zone, mixed zone south, and mixed zone north) of study area. Parameters such as pH, SST, TSS, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, TOC, chlorophyll, fecal coliform, and heavy metals were used to estimate the Water Quality Index (WQI) for each zone. The study found a deterioration (>â30%) in the overall water quality of the Mahanadi Estuary from 2013 to 2020, potentially attributed to river inflows, port activities, and industrial outflows in to the coastal ecosystem. Seasonal variations in temperature, salinity, turbidity, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia were observed. The water quality showed a deteriorating trend in estuarine, mixed zone, mixed zone south, and mixed zone north. Based on the water quality indices, the ecosystem shows moderate levels of stress. The degraded water quality highlights the need for a targeted mitigation plan to reduce external pressures and enhance the overall ecosystem quality. Graphical Abstrac
COVIDâ19 vaccines and their underbelly: Are we going the right way?
Abstract Background Historically, a critical aetiological agent of health concern stays till eternity after its discovery, so shall it be with the COVIDâ19 outbreak. It has transformed human life to a ânew normalâ with huge tolls on the social, psychological, intellectual and financial spheres. Aim This perspective aimed to collate numerous reported COVIDâ19 vaccineâassociated adverse events and the predisposing factors. It focussed on the efficacy of mixânâmatch (cocktail) vaccines to effectively counter COVIDâ19 infection to facilitate future research and possible interventions. Material and Methods Databases like Scopus, Pubmed and the Webâofâscience were searched for published literature on âadverse events associated with COVIDâ19 vaccineâ. The reports and updates from health agencies like the WHO and CDC were also considered for the purpose. The details with respect to the adverse events associated with COVIDâ19 vaccination and the predisposing factors were compiled to obtain insights and suggest possible future directions in vaccine research. Results India stood strong to manage its health resources in time and turned into a dominant global vaccine supplier at a time when healthcare infrastructure of many countries was still significantly challenged. Developing indigenous vaccines and the vaccination drive in India were its major achievements during the second and the subsequent COVIDâ19 waves. The fully indigenous Covaxin vaccine, primarily as an emergency intervention, was successfully rapidly launched. Similar such vaccines for emergency use were developed elsewhere as well. However, all of these reached the marketplace with a âemergency use onlyâ tag, without formal clinical trials and other associated formalities to validate and verify them as these would require much longer incubation time before they are available for human use. Discussion Many adverse events associated with either the first or the second/booster vaccination doses were reported. Evidently, these associated adverse events were considered as âusually rareâ or were often underreported. Without the additional financial or ethical burden on the vaccine companies, fortunately, the Phase IV (human) clinical trials of their manufactured vaccines are occurring by default as the human population receives these under the tag âemergency useâ. Thus, focused and collaborative strategies to unveil the molecular mechanisms in vaccineârelated adverse events in a timeâbound manner are suggested. Conclusion Reliable data particularly on the safety of children is lacking as majority of the current overâtheâcounter COVIDâ19 vaccines were for emergency use. Many of these were still in their Phase III and Phase IV trials. The need for a mutantâproof, nextâgen COVIDâ19 vaccine in the face of vaccineâassociated adverse events is opined
Aspirin Inhibition of Group VI Phospholipase A2 Induces Synthetic Lethality in AAM Pathway Down-Regulated Gingivobuccal Squamous Carcinoma
Background: To elucidate the role of iPLA2/PLA2G6 in gingivobuccal squamous cell carcinoma (GB-SCC) and to ascertain the synthetic lethality-based chemoprevention role of aspirin in arachidonic acid metabolism (AAM) pathway down-regulated GB-SCC. Methods: The in vitro efficacy of aspirin on GB-SCC cells (ITOC-03 and ITOC-04) was assessed by cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, cell migration, cell cycle assay and RNA-seq, while inhibition of PLA2G6 and AAM pathway components was affirmed by qPCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. The in vivo effect of aspirin was evaluated using NOD-SCID mice xenografts and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: We found that aspirin, which has been reported to act through the COX pathway, is inhibiting PLA2G6, and thereby the COX and LOX components of the AAM pathway. The findings were validated using PLA2G6 siRNA and immunohistochemical marker panel. Moreover, a pronounced effect in ITOC-04 cells and xenografts implied aspirin-induced synthetic lethality in the AAM pathway down-regulated GB-SCC. Conclusions: This study reveals that aspirin induces the anti-tumor effect by a previously unrecognized mechanism of PLA2G6 inhibition. In addition, the effect of aspirin is influenced by the baseline AAM pathway status and could guide precision prevention clinical trials of AAM pathway inhibitors
Template-Free Assembly in Living Bacterial Suspension under an External Electric Field
Although template-assisted self-assembly
methods are very popular
in materials and biological systems, they have certain limitations
such as lack of tunability and switchable functionality because of
the irreversible association of cells and their matrix components.
With an aim to achieve more tunability, we have made an attempt to
investigate the self-assembly behavior of rod-shaped living bacteria
subjected to an external alternating electric field using confocal
microscopy. We demonstrate that rod-shaped living bacteria dispersed
in a low salinity aqueous medium form different types of reversible
freely suspended structures when subjected to an external alternating
electric field. At low field strength, an oriented phase is observed
where individual bacterium orients with its major axis aligned along
the field direction. At intermediate field strength, bacteria align
in the form of one-dimensional (1D) chains that lie along the field
direction. Further, at high field strength, more bacteria associate
with these 1D chains laterally to form a two-dimensional (2D) array.
At higher bacterial concentration, these field-induced 2D arrays extend
to form three-dimensional columnar structures. These results are discussed
in the context of previously reported studies on bacterial self-assembly
Template-Free Assembly in Living Bacterial Suspension under an External Electric Field
Although template-assisted self-assembly
methods are very popular
in materials and biological systems, they have certain limitations
such as lack of tunability and switchable functionality because of
the irreversible association of cells and their matrix components.
With an aim to achieve more tunability, we have made an attempt to
investigate the self-assembly behavior of rod-shaped living bacteria
subjected to an external alternating electric field using confocal
microscopy. We demonstrate that rod-shaped living bacteria dispersed
in a low salinity aqueous medium form different types of reversible
freely suspended structures when subjected to an external alternating
electric field. At low field strength, an oriented phase is observed
where individual bacterium orients with its major axis aligned along
the field direction. At intermediate field strength, bacteria align
in the form of one-dimensional (1D) chains that lie along the field
direction. Further, at high field strength, more bacteria associate
with these 1D chains laterally to form a two-dimensional (2D) array.
At higher bacterial concentration, these field-induced 2D arrays extend
to form three-dimensional columnar structures. These results are discussed
in the context of previously reported studies on bacterial self-assembly