Comparative analysis of quantitative dermatoglyphic markers in schizophrenia patients and controls attending a superspeciality hospital in West Bengal

Background: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder encompassing multiple etiological variables. Association of dermatoglyphic traits with schizophrenia has been observed and reported. This study was undertaken to evaluate epidermal ridge patterns in patients of schizophrenia as compared to healthy controls attending a superspeciality hospital in West Bengal. Establishing dermatoglyphic parameters as biomarkers for early diagnosis will ensure prompt intervention and a greater scope of recovery in schizophrenia and thus promote a better quality of life for the individual as well as lower the burden of disease for the society.Methods: Quantitative dermatoglyphic parameters namely, total finger ridge count (TFRC), total A-B ridge count (TABRC) and ATD angle of 50 schizophrenia patients were compared to 50 age and gender matched healthy controls.Results: TFRC and TABRC were found to be decreased in schizophrenia, while ATD angle was increased in schizophrenia as compared to the control group.Conclusions: This study found a significant association between dermatoglyphic pattern anomalies and the development of schizophrenia. This may offer a scope of primordial prevention of schizophrenia in future, utilising dermatoglyphics as an investigative tool

Three-year review of a capacity building pilot for a sustainable regional network on food, nutrition and health systems education in India.

BACKGROUND: In Kolkata (India), there are high rates of malnourished children (45.9%) under the age of three, impacting growth, organ development, function, and cognition. Mothers have a major role to play during this crucial development stage, with research showing nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of mothers are important determinants of childhood malnutrition. AIMS: To document 3 years of capacity building towards a sustainable nutrition education network in Kolkata, India, while assessing the ability to perform data collection in the form of needs assessments, impact assessments and capacity reviews. METHODS: Descriptive review and analysis of engagement and impact from 3 years of work by the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, initiating locally led nutrition education interventions. Mapping to the Indian National Nutrition Strategy was also performed to review adherence to nationwide priorities surrounding nutrition and determine the wider application potential of the network. RESULTS: Two simultaneous projects were taken forward by a team of local healthcare professionals and student champions. Project 1-medical college workshops for medical student nutrition education with added focus on underserved populations, Project 2-preparation for a 'Mobile Teaching Kitchen' (MTK) in marginalised communities to empower local women as nutrition educators.Data collection methods used for analysing markers of impact and sustainability were semi-structured interviews of the community members, and KAP questionnaires to assess response to educational sessions. CONCLUSION: With local support it is possible to create and sustain fieldwork for an extended period with meaningful outputs and impact. This initiative demonstrates that it is possible to use healthcare professionals, students and volunteers with low-intensity training and a low-cost approach to produce action research with considerable impact and results in rapid, reliable and robust manner

Control Scheme of a Designed Step Climbing Wheeled Robot

This following article presents a control scheme of a step climbing wheeled robot which can traverse through uneven terrain. The main thrust of this article is on developing the control idea of a simple step climbing wheeled robot with simple micro-switch, which is used as sensor. The controller of the designed robot is programmed with microcontroller

Design and Development of a Step Climbing Wheeled Robot

This paper presents a design of Step Climbing Robot that can move in uneven environment and traverse a slope or staircase. The condition imposed on this new system of robot is that it will move only in linear fashion, which will reduce the demands on the physical complexity of the robot unit. A summary of the current state of research in the field of mobile robots as it relates to robot stair climbing and moving in uneven surfaces. The architecture of the robot is developed and compared with the previous design

Dynamic Modeling of Step Climbing Wheeled Robot

This following article presents the dynamic modeling of the developed step-climbing robot. The main idea is to develop the mathematical representation of the developed model. In this article the inverse arm model of a Newton-Euler analysis of free body motion is shown. The purpose of this model is to allow to compute the motor voltage required to produce given accelerations when the current is known and state of the arm and all of its parameters

<span style="mso-bidi-language:HI">Rhizobial lipopolysaccharide as the receptor in lectin<i>-Rhizobium </i>interaction </span>

89-95Rhizobial specificity was examined on the basis of interaction between legume lectins (peanut, pea and soybean) and different rhizobial species (various bradyrhizobia specific for peanut, P 14-93 and SB16). Legume lectins showed higher affinity towards host-specific Rhizobium and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) isolated from those particular rhizobia. Two LPS mutants of peanut-specific Bradyrhizobium sp. (Arachis) strain GN17 were isolated by Tn5 mutagenesis. These mutants (GN17MI and GNI7M2) were characterized by their higher hydrophobicity with respect to the parent cells. The hexose content in exopolysaccharides. (EPS) and LPS of the mutants was found reduced significantly, whereas 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid (Kdo) and uronic acid in LPS were less by 20-times and thrice, respectively in the mutants. Glucose was the major sugar in LPS from all the strains. However, glucosamine appeared only in the mutants. Spectrofluorimetric analysis showed that LPS from GN17Ml mutant interacted most significantly with peanut root agglutinin or lectin (PRA II). The results indicate that LPS on the surface of rhizobial cells is the possible receptor for lectin. </span

Variations in Sleep Architecture among Different Subtypes of Schizophrenia: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterised by positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, as well as negative symptoms including anhedonia, asociality, avolition, and affective blunting. It may also be associated with cognitive deficits. Sleep disturbances are commonly encountered in schizophrenia, and there may be variations in sleep patterns among its different subtypes. These differences in sleep patterns could have prognostic implications for the various subtypes of schizophrenia. Effective management of sleep disturbances could contribute to the recovery and wellbeing of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Aim: To compare the differences in sleep architecture between the various subtypes of schizophrenia and to compare them with socio-demographically matched healthy volunteers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry-Centre of Excellence, Kolkata, West Bengal, India over a duration of one year (May 2016 to June 2017). The study included 60 medication-naïve patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 criteria, and a control group of 30 demographically matched healthy volunteers. All study participants were aged between 18 and 60 years and free from any co-morbid illnesses. Patients with schizophrenia were further classified into four groups based on the ICD-10 subtypes: paranoid, hebephrenic, catatonic, and undifferentiated. Overnight polysomnography was performed to assess sleep parameters, including total record time, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, Rapid Eye Movement (REM), sleep latency, sleep efficiency, durations of Total Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep, Total REM sleep, and the different phases of NREM sleep. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Chi-square, and t-test were used as applicable, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed a decrease in sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and shorter duration of mean N1, N2, and N3 sleep in schizophrenia patients compared to the control group. There was a significant difference in N3 sleep duration, reduced duration of total NREM and REM sleep, reduced REM latency, increased sleep onset latency, and the number of awakenings during sleep in schizophrenia patients. Statistically significant differences (p-values <0.05) were also noted in some sleep parameters among the various subtypes of schizophrenia. The paranoid subtype had the shortest REM latency, while the catatonic subtype had the longest. The hebephrenic subtype had the lowest percentage of REM sleep and sleep efficiency, while the catatonic subtype had the highest. The duration of Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) was lowest in the undifferentiated subtype and highest in the catatonic subtype. Conclusion: This study reveals significant differences in sleep patterns between patients with schizophrenia and the control group, as well as among the various subtypes of schizophrenia. These distinctions provide insight into the relationship between schizophrenia subtypes, sleep irregularities, and clinical consequences. Further investigation is necessary to explore differences in sleep architecture among the various subtypes of schizophrenia and yield clinically meaningful results

Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species by a Carbon-Dot–Ascorbic Acid Hydrogel

Detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is important in varied biological processes, disease diagnostics, and chemotherapeutic drug screening. We constructed a ROS sensor comprising an ascorbic-acid-based hydrogel encapsulating luminescent amphiphilic carbon-dots (C-dots). The sensing mechanism is based upon ROS-induced oxidation of the ascorbic acid units within the hydrogel scaffold; as a consequence, the hydrogel framework collapses resulting in aggregation of the C-dots and quenching of their luminescence. The C-dot–hydrogel platform exhibits high sensitivity and detected ROS generated chemically in solution and in actual cell environments. We demonstrate application of the C-dot–hydrogel for evaluating the efficacy of a chemotherapeutic substance, underscoring the potential of the system for drug screening applications