Role of probiotics in lower reproductive tract infection in women of age group 18 to 45 years

Background: This study has been designed to assess the effectiveness of the probiotic strains having Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 in the management of lower genital infections (bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis) as an integral therapy with antibiotics.Methods: Double blind, randomized placebo controlled study in women between 18-45 years attending Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital (SATH), Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India with symptoms of bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis. Women giving consent were given probiotics along with conventional antibiotics and were followed up over a period of two months. Outcome is measured as percentage of women showing a score of less than 4 at the end of thirty days of treatment, and sixty days of treatment in the test and control group in the case of bacterial vaginosis and no discharge and absence of hyphae and pseudohyphae in wet smear and gram stain in case of candidiasis.Results: Out of 42 women studied, 32 had bacterial vaginosis and 10 had vulvovaginal candidiasis. 81.3% women with BV had a normal vaginal picture after sixty days of treatment as compared to placebo which was only 31.3%. The p value is 0.004 which is significant. In the treatment of VC, the percentage of women cured was the same in both probiotic and placebo group.Conclusions: In the treatment of bacterial vaginosis, addition of probiotics to the conventional antibiotics can improve the cure rate of bacterial vaginosis and reduce the rate of recurrences. In the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis, addition of probiotics to the conventional antifungal did not have a significant improvement

Effectiveness of drumstick leaves tea among hypertensive clients in Thandalam village at Kanchipuram District

Effectiveness of drumstick leaves tea among hypertensive clients in thandalam village at kanchipuram district. OBJECTIVES:To assess the health condition of hypertensive clients.To evaluate the effectiveness of drumstick leaves tea among hypertensive clients.To find-out association between selected demographic variables with effectiveness of drumstick leaves tea among hypertensive clients. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS: EFFECTIVENESS: The degree to which objectives are achieved and the extent to which targeted problems are solved. DRUMSTICK LEAVES TEA A juice prepared from eight to ten minutes boiled drumstick leaves powder (8gms) in water(200ml) is known as Drumstick Leaves Tea. 24 HYPERTENSIVE CLIENTS: The person, who has a higher blood pressure of 140/90mmHg to 160/100mmHg between the age group of 30-65 years, who are under treatment or not. ASSUMPTION: Specific and appropriate adjuvant therapies may reduce hypertension. There is a significant association between effectiveness of drumstick leaves tea with selected demographic variables. LIMITATION: 1. Data collection period was limited to six weeks. 2. The study was limited to patients in Thandalam village, Kanchipuram district. 3. The age group of the participants was 30-64 years. PROJECTED OUTCOME: This study would help to evaluate the effectiveness of drumstick leaves tea among hypertensive clients. The findings of the study will help the patients with hypertension in the community to practice the intake of drumstick leaves tea in reducing high blood pressure

Catalytic transformation of (+)-limonene oxide over binary oxide catalysts of alumina-rare earths

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A Cadaveric study on variations in brachial artery – An Anatomical perspective

Introduction: Brachial artery being the direct continuation of axillary artery at the lower border of Teres major is the vital feeder vessel of the upper limb. Deviations in the normal course & branching pattern of the brachial artery were observed during routine undergraduate curricular cadaveric dissection. Aims& Objectives: The present study was done to evaluate the incidence of brachial artery anatomical variations & enumerate its impact on clinical implications. Materials and Methods : In the present study, a total of 50 adult upper limbs of 25 cadavers were studied. The upper limbs were dissected & observed using standard procedures during routine undergraduate curricular cadaveric dissection in Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences – Karimnagar. Results :Deviations in anatomical course with high branching pattern were observed in two specimens. An unusual branch of brachial artery was observed in one more specimen. Conclusion :High division of the brachial artery has profund clinical importance varying across the spectrum, from a simple procedure of recording blood pressure using auscultatory method to advanced radiovascular procedures and nevertheless vascular surgeries. These variations are to be considered before proceeding on to any vascular surgeries and interpretation of arteriograms involving these vessels. An unusual superficial ulnar branch of brachial artery is vulnerable to injury and accidental arterial injections. Therefore, sound knowledge of such unusual variations or deviations in brachial artery is important for both Radiologists and Surgeons to reduce diagnostic & therapeutic errors

Mineralogical and Electron Microprobe Studies on the Cobalt Sample from Kalyadi Copper Deposit, Hassan District, Karnataka

The copper-cobalt deposit from Kalyadi, Hassan district is located between Sigegudda and Nuggihalli greenstone belts of Karnataka Craton. The cobalt mineralisation is mostly in banded, cherty and feldspathoid quartzite. The cobalt sample under investigation has been characterized by a variety of techniques including electron microprobe studies. The microprobe studies on sulphide grains were done to study the chemistry and elemental replacement in their lattice structure. The cobalt is present up to 3.21 wt% in pyrite grains whereas it is not present in chalco-pyrite and arsenopyrite. Cobalt has preferably replaced iron in pyrite, which is of volcanic - exhalative origin

Visakhapatnam Regional Centre: A Profile

The Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of ICAR - CMFRI had its beginning in 1947 as a Survey Unit, which was housed in the premises of the Department of Fisheries, Government of Andhra Pradesh. The main function of the Survey Unit was to collect the fish landing data. The Survey Unit was upgraded as a Research Unit and research activities were initiated in the year 1955 in the premises of Department of Zoology, Andhra University. Later, the Calcutta Research Unit of CMFRI was merged with the Visakhapatnam Research Unit of CMFRI in 1962. During 1970, the Research Unit housed within the premises of Department of Zoology, Andhra University was elevated to a Sub-station and subsequently as a Research Centre in 1976. The Research Centre moved into its own building in 1995, and was further upgraded as the Regional Centre on 17th October, 2001. The Kakinada Research Centre of CMFRI was merged with the Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of CMFRI on 15th February, 200

Development of innovative automated solutions for the assembly of multifunctional thermoplastic composite fuselage

In this study, the development of innovative tooling and end-effector systems for the assembly of a multifunctional thermoplastic fuselage is presented. The increasing demand for cleaner and new aircraft requires utilising novel materials and technologies. Advanced thermoplastic composites provide an excellent material option thanks to their weldability, low density, low overall production cost, improved fracture toughness and recyclability. However, to fully appreciate their potentials, new manufacturing approaches and techniques are needed. Hence, this project develops three end-effector solutions to demonstrate the feasibility of assembling a full-scale multifunctional-integrated thermoplastic lower fuselage shell, including the integration of a fully equipped floor and cargo structure. The developed assembly solution comprises three individual yet well-integrated tooling systems that allow housing the skin and assembly; picking, placing and welding of the assembly parts, i.e. clips and stringers; and welding of frames and floor beam sub-assemblies. The process of developing these systems including the end-user requirements, technical challenges, tooling and end-effectors design and manufacturing process are detailed in this paper.This study is part of the TCTool project, which has received funding from the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 865131. Project partners: GKN-Fokker Aerospace (Topic Manager), TWI Ltd., Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development – Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies, Brunel University London (Brunel Composites Centre), London South Bank University, Acroflight Ltd., and Smart Advanced Manufacturing XL (SAM|XL)

Violence against female sex workers in Karnataka state, south India: impact on health, and reductions in violence following an intervention program

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Violence against female sex workers (FSWs) can impede HIV prevention efforts and contravenes their human rights. We developed a multi-layered violence intervention targeting policy makers, secondary stakeholders (police, lawyers, media), and primary stakeholders (FSWs), as part of wider HIV prevention programming involving >60,000 FSWs in Karnataka state. This study examined if violence against FSWs is associated with reduced condom use and increased STI/HIV risk, and if addressing violence against FSWs within a large-scale HIV prevention program can reduce levels of violence against them.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>FSWs were randomly selected to participate in polling booth surveys (PBS 2006-2008; short behavioural questionnaires administered anonymously) and integrated behavioural-biological assessments (IBBAs 2005-2009; administered face-to-face).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>3,852 FSWs participated in the IBBAs and 7,638 FSWs participated in the PBS. Overall, 11.0% of FSWs in the IBBAs and 26.4% of FSWs in the PBS reported being beaten or raped in the past year. FSWs who reported violence in the past year were significantly less likely to report condom use with clients (zero unprotected sex acts in previous month, 55.4% vs. 75.5%, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3 to 0.5, p < 0.001); to have accessed the HIV intervention program (ever contacted by peer educator, 84.9% vs. 89.6%, AOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.0, p = 0.04); or to have ever visited the project sexual health clinic (59.0% vs. 68.1%, AOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6 to 1.0, p = 0.02); and were significantly more likely to be infected with gonorrhea (5.0% vs. 2.6%, AOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.3, p = 0.02). By the follow-up surveys, significant reductions were seen in the proportions of FSWs reporting violence compared with baseline (IBBA 13.0% vs. 9.0%, AOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.9 p = 0.01; PBS 27.3% vs. 18.9%, crude OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.5, p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This program demonstrates that a structural approach to addressing violence can be effectively delivered at scale. Addressing violence against FSWs is important for the success of HIV prevention programs, and for protecting their basic human rights.</p

Multiscale multifactorial approaches for engineering tendon substitutes

The physiology of tendons and the continuous strains experienced daily make tendons very prone to injury. Excessive and prolonged loading forces and aging also contribute to the onset and progression of tendon injuries, and conventional treatments have limited efficacy in restoring tendon biomechanics. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) approaches hold the promise to provide therapeutic solutions for injured or damaged tendons despite the challenging cues of tendon niche and the lack of tendon-specific factors to guide cellular responses and tackle regeneration. The roots of engineering tendon substitutes lay in multifactorial approaches from adequate stem cells sources and environmental stimuli to the construction of multiscale 3D scaffolding systems. To achieve such advanced tendon substitutes, incremental strategies have been pursued to more closely recreate the native tendon requirements providing structural as well as physical and chemical cues combined with biochemical and mechanical stimuli to instruct cell behavior in 3D architectures, pursuing mechanically competent constructs with adequate maturation before implantation.Authors acknowledge the project “Accelerating tissue engineering and personalized medicine discoveries by the integration of key enabling nanotechnologies, marinederived biomaterials and stem cells,” supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Authors acknowledge the H2020 Achilles Twinning Project No. 810850, and also the European Research Council CoG MagTendon No. 772817, and the FCT Project MagTT PTDC/CTM-CTM/ 29930/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-29930