Pattern of lipid profile in type 2 diabetes mellitus-a study from north Bihar

Background: Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of common metabolic disorders that share the phenotype of hyperglycemia. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable degree of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and increased glucose production.Methods: To study of pattern of lipid profile in type 2 diabetes mellitus, 100 cases of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus attending the tertiary care centre were selected. The result was compared with 25 healthy, non-obese, non- diabetic and non-hypertensive subjects.Results: Triglyceride (TG) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were significantly higher whereas high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels lower in diabetics than healthy controls. Total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were other fractions which were slightly above optimal levels in diabetics.Conclusions: From our study, it was concluded that diabetes mellitus has a real impact on lipid metabolism

Study of the renal profile in relation to CD4 count in human immuno-deficiency virus patients from a tertiary centre of Bihar

Background: Human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals are at increased risk for kidney disease, including HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN). HIV peptides rather than infection may be more important in pathogenesis of HIVAN. Much has been learnt about the pathogenesis and treatment of HIV-associated renal diseases because of the development of animal models and the molecular evaluation of clinical samples.Methods: We studied 90 consecutive patients with HIV and allocated them into 3 groups, each containing 30 patients on the basis of their CD4 counts. Then each group was divided into two subgroups, X and Y on the basis of whether they received anti-retroviral treatment (HAART) or not. Subgroup X received HAART and subgroup Y did not received HAART.Results: There was male preponderance (M: F=5.4: 1). Microalbuminuria, increased serum creatinine and decreased GFR was highest among HIV patients having CD4 count below 200 as compared to those having CD4 count of 200-350 and above 350.Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that both proteinuria and HIVAN are common in HIV infected patients. Proteinuria and glomerular filtration rate have a negative correlation with the CD4 count

Optimal Configuration of Wind Farms in Radial Distribution System Using Particle Swarm Optimization Technique

Recently, a wide range of wind farm based distributed generations (DGs) are being integrated into distribution systems to fulfill energy demands and to reduce the burden on transmission corridors. The non-optimal configuration of DGs could severely affect the distribution system operations and control. Hence, the aim of this paper is to analyze the wind data in order to build a mathematical model for power output and pinpoint the optimal location. The overall objective is minimization of power loss reduction in distribution system. The five years of wind data was taken from 24o 44’ 29” North, 67o 35’ 9” East coordinates in Pakistan. The optimal location for these wind farms were pinpointed via particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm using standard IEEE 33 radial distribution system. The result reveals that the proposed method helps in improving renewable energy near to load centers, reduce power losses and improve voltage profile of the system. Moreover, the validity and performance of the proposed model were also compared with other optimization algorithms

Numerical simulation of multiple roots of van der Waals and CSTR problems with a derivative-free technique

In this paper, a derivative-free one-point iterative technique is proposed, with memory for finding multiple roots of practical problems, such as van der Waals and continuous stirred tank reactor problems, whose multiplicity is unknown in the literature. The new technique has an order of convergence of 1.84 and requires two function evaluations. It can be used as a seed to produce higher-order methods with similar properties, and it increases the efficiency of a similar procedure without memory due to Schröder. After studying its order of convergence, its stability is checked by applying it to the considered problems and comparing with the technique of the same nature for finding multiple roots. The geometrical behavior of the numerical results of the techniques is also studied

Can endometrial volume assessment predict the endometrial receptivity on the day of hCG trigger in patients of fresh IVF cycles: a prospective observational study

Background: Objective of present study was to evaluate the role of three dimensional (3D) endometrial volume measurement on the day of hCG trigger in predicting the endometrial receptivity. The present study is a prospective observational study conducted at assisted reproductive centre of a tertiary care hospital.Methods: Endometrial volume was evaluated by three-dimensional ultrasound in 90 patients undergoing first cycle of IVF on hCG trigger day and was correlated with endometrial receptivity.Results: Out of 90 patients studied 12 patients achieved pregnancy. A significant difference was found in mean endometrial volume on hCG trigger day among pregnant (5.33±2.14 cm3) women compared to non-pregnant women (4.17±1.72cm3). Using Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis the cutoff value for endometrial volume on hCG trigger day was 3.50 cm3 corresponding to sensitivity 75% and specificity 37.2%. Conclusions: The endometrial volume on hCG trigger day was significantly higher in pregnant women as compared to non-pregnant

Metastatic Signet-Ring Cell Gastric Carcinoma Masquerading as Breast Primary

Metastasis to the breast from an extra-mammary primary is a rare phenomenon; metastasis from gastric carcinoma to the breast is extremely so. We report a case who initially presented as mucin-secreting and signet-ring cell tumor of the ovary, and after an interval of 8 months with breast and chest wall metastatic nodules. The covert gastric primary eluded the oncologists at both presentations

A study to compare the efficacy of intermittent versus continuous regimen of pantaprazole in the management of upper gastrointestinal bleed (non variceal)

Background: UGI bleeding is defined as bleeding that occurs in the digestive tract proximal to the ligament of treitz. Intermittent dosage regimen IV bolus and high dose IV continuous infusion forms helps in achieving and maintaining this pH goal of more than 6 which forms optimal environment for peptic ulcer healing and clot stabilization to occur. Theoretically, high-dose IV continuous infusion should provide the most potent acid suppression. Aims and objective was to compare the efficacy of intermittent dose of pantoprazole given for 3 days i.e. 40mg intravenous twice a day versus continuous infusion dose of pantaprazole i.e. 80mg intravenous bolus followed by 8mg/hour for first 72hours in the treatment of UGI bleed.Methods: Patients of UGI bleed were randomly assigned to receive either continuous or intermittent regimen of pantaprazole as a part of management.Results: Among 118 patients of peptic ulcer disease, 7 patients had rebleed and 111 patients had no rebleed.3 patients among 59 patients who received continuous regimen and 4 patients among 59 patients who received intermittent regimen had rebleed with a total of 7 patients among 118 patients. Among 118 patients only 2 patients of the total had need for surgery for stabilization. Among 59 patients who received continuous regimen 2 patients needed surgery while none of the 59 patients who received intermittent regimen needed for surgery. Of the 118 patients 10 patients had mortality at the end of 30 day period. In both the regimes 5 patients died.Conclusions: The difference between Rockall score of the intermittent and continuous regimen group was statistically insignificant. The incidence of rebleed was 5.1 % for continuous and 6.7% for intermittent regimen which was statiscally insignificant. The incidence of mortality was similar 8.5%in both regimen

A Useful Metaheuristic for Dynamic Channel Assignment in Mobile Cellular Systems

The prime objective of a Channel Assignment Problem (CAP) is to assign appropriate number of required channels to each cell in a way to achieve both efficient frequency spectrum utilization and minimization of interference effects (by satisfying a number of channel reuse constraints). Dynamic Channel Assignment (DCA) assigns the channels to the cells dynamically according to traffic demand, and hence, can provide higher capacity (or lower call blocking probability), fidelity and quality of service than the fixed assignment schemes. Channel assignment algorithms are formulated as combinatorial optimization problems and are NP-hard. Devising a DCA, that is practical, efficient, and which can generate high quality assignments, is challenging. Though Metaheuristic Search techniques like Evolutionary Algorithms, Differential Evolution, Particle Swarm Optimization prove effective in the solution of Fixed Channel Assignment (FCA) problems but they still require high computational time and therefore may be inefficient for DCA. A number of approaches have been proposed for the solution of DCA problem but the high complexity of these proposed approaches makes them unsuitable/less efficient for practical use. Therefore, this paper presents an effective and efficient Hybrid Discrete Binary Differential Evolution Algorithm (HDB-DE) for the solution of DCA Proble

Gender preferences among antenatal women: a cross-sectional study from coastal South India

Background: A balanced sex ratio is essential for a stable society.Objective: The main objective of the present research was to study the perceptions of women attending the antenatal care (ANC) facility regarding their gender preferences and family composition.Method: In this cross-sectional study 132 antenatal women were interviewed in their preferred language using a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire. The collected information was analyzed using SPSS version 11.5.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27.2 ± 4.1 years. The majority of the antenatal women (60.6%, n=80) did not have any gender preferences. Among those who had a gender preference (39.4%, n=52), male and female preference was reported by 55.7% (n=29) and 44.3% (n=23) of the participants respectively. The overall son preference index was observed to be 1.3. No consistent relationship could be established between the socio-demographic factors and the preference for gender. The mean preferred family size in our study was 1.85±0.531 and more than half of the participants had a balanced gender preference. The majority of the participants were aware that the adverse sex ratio can lead to fall in the number of brides and that it would bring about a social imbalance.Conclusion: As a developed society we need to ensure that both the genders get equal respect and are free from any sort of preferences and prejudices. To achieve this, more and more people need to be made aware of the consequences of gender imbalance and adverse sex ratio in a society.Keywords: Gender preferences; family composition; antenatal women; coastal South Indi