Surveillance data on micro-organisms in respiratory tract infections at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Background: Respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of infections and associated hospitalizations in India. Generally, there is little control on the use of antibiotics. Community awareness of the issues involved in antibiotic therapy is poor and this is compounded by over-the-counter availability. The main aim was to compare the resistance developed by respiratory microbes.Methods: A retrospective and prospective study was designed and conducted to compare the pattern of resistance developed by microorganisms affecting the respiratory tract.Results: The sensitivity of K. pneumoniae to cefepime/tazobactum has decreased from 91.9% to 47.6% and S. aureus to Linezolid has decreased from 93.4% to 80% and S. pyogenes to azithromycin from 51.4% to 24.8%. Whereas sensitivity pattern of S. pneumoniae to amoxicillin/clavulanate is increased from 65.6% to 82.3%. The prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae was increased 19% to 25.2% whereas the prevalence of S. pneumoniae was decreased from 66.8% to 65.2%. Our study suggests that all microorganisms isolated are susceptible to carbapenems and cefepime/tazobactum in the cephalosporin class.Conclusions: There is major shift in the sensitivity pattern of microorganisms towards antibiotics. Therefore, these results must be kept in mind by the practitioners in the study site, prior to making decisions over a medication regimen empirically for patients and also to maximize the output of medications by rational prescribing and dosing.

Experimental investigation of effect of specimen thickness on fracture toughness of Al-TiC composites

In this paper, the macro and micro-mechanical fracture behavior was studied for aluminum (Al6061) alloy matrix, reinforced with various proportions of TiC particles such as 3wt%, 5wt% and 7wt%. The Al6061-TiC metal matrix composites were produced by stir casting method to ensure uniform distribution of the TiC particulates in the Al matrix. The compact tension (CT) specimens were machined according to ASTM E399 specifications to evaluate the fracture toughness for Al6061-TiC metal matrix composites. The CT specimens were machined for crack to width (a/W) ratio of 0.5 and thickness to width (B/W) ratios of 0.2 to 0.7 with an increment of 0.1. Load versus crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) data was plotted to estimate stress intensity factor KQ for various thicknesses of the specimen. The fracture toughness KIC was obtained by plotting stress intensity factor versus thickness to width ratios of specimen data. The fracture toughness of these composites varied between 16.4-19.2 MPa?m. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) studies was made on the fractured surface of the specimens to understand the micro-mechanisms of failure involved in these composites. Void initiation is more significant in the matrix near the interface. The micro-cracks grow from these micro-voids and crack propagates by linking these micro cracks locating the crack path preferentially in the matrix adjacent to the interface indicating ductile fracture

Energy-efficient and Secured Data Gathering in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

ABSTRACT: A Wireless Multimedia Sensor Network (WMSN) is often partitioned into a set of spatial clusters to save energy for data collection. Each cluster includes sensor nodes with similar sensing data, and only a few sensor nodes (samplers) report their sensing data to a base node. Then the base node may predict the missed data of nonsamplers using the spatial correlation between sensor nodes. The problem is that the WMSN is vulnerable to internal security threat such as node compromise. If the samplers are compromised and report incorrect data intentionally, then the WMSN should be contaminated rapidly due to the process of missed data prediction at the base node. In this paper, we propose Energy-Efficient Secure Routing algorithm to detect compromised nodes for secure data collection in the WMSN. Experiment results indicate that the proposed algorithm can detect compromised nodes with a high accuracy and an energy-efficient manner

Wound healing potency of Hemigraphis alternata (Burm.f) T. Anderson leaf extract (HALE) with molecular evidence

Hemigraphis alternata (Burm.f) T. Anderson, commonly called as Red Ivy or Purple waffle plant and locally, Murikootti (Malayalam), is well known traditionally for its therapeutic effect in wound healing. Besides the analytical and biochemical evidence, more investigations at molecular level is inevitable for highlighting the healing effect of the herbal drug. In the present study, we have demonstrated the wound healing effect of H. alternata by in vitro cell line and animal model experiments using the Hemigraphis alternata leaf extract (HALE). The cell survival ability, cell proliferation and migration of cells in scratch wounds leading to wound closure were evident from the data by HALE treatment. Based on the wound closure observed in scratch wounds, the marker genes of wound healing PAI-1 and TGF-β1were analyzed by qPCR. The concentration and the expression fold were determined in 3T3-L1 and L6 cell lines treated with HALE. The concentration of marker gene of wound healing PAI-1 and TGF-β1showed significant increase in cell line cultures of 3T3-L1 and L6 cells treated with different concentrations of HALE (P <0.05). Similarly, the expression fold of both the genes was found higher in cells treated with HALE than the control. The molecular data showing the concentration and the expression of marker genes during wound healing in scratch wounds provide strong support for using HALE as a herbal medicine with the anti-inflammatory property and the antioxidant activity

Wound healing potency of Hemigraphis alternata (Burm.f) T. Anderson leaf extract (HALE) with molecular evidence

236-245Hemigraphis alternata (Burm.f) T. Anderson, commonly called as Red Ivy or Purple waffle plant and locally, Murikootti (Malayalam), is well known traditionally for its therapeutic effect in wound healing. Besides the analytical and biochemical evidence, more investigations at molecular level is inevitable for highlighting the healing effect of the herbal drug. In the present study, we have demonstrated the wound healing effect of H. alternata by in vitro cell line and animal model experiments using the Hemigraphis alternata leaf extract (HALE). The cell survival ability, cell proliferation and migration of cells in scratch wounds leading to wound closure were evident from the data by HALE treatment. Based on the wound closure observed in scratch wounds, the marker genes of wound healing PAI-1 and TGF-β1were analyzed by qPCR. The concentration and the expression fold were determined in 3T3-L1 and L6 cell lines treated with HALE. The concentration of marker gene of wound healing PAI-1 and TGF-β1showed significant increase in cell line cultures of 3T3-L1 and L6 cells treated with different concentrations of HALE (P <0.05). Similarly, the expression fold of both the genes was found higher in cells treated with HALE than the control. The molecular data showing the concentration and the expression of marker genes during wound healing in scratch wounds provide strong support for using HALE as a herbal medicine with the anti-inflammatory property and the antioxidant activity

ENGINEERING CONCEPTS IN ANALYSING LUMBOSACRAL LOAD IN POST-OPERATIVE SCOLIOTIC PATIENTS

Lumbosacral alignment plays a major role in the mechanical low back pain in normal population. Malalignment causes increased strain to the muscles and ligaments around it which eventually leads to mechanical low back pain and discomfort. The level of strain a ligament receives in the lumbosacral junction depends upon the lumbosacral angle and the load exerted on it. If there is an easy way to find the load exerted at the lumbosacral junction, then it would be trouble free for the physicians to examine. Hence, the treatment can be planned accordingly. This study analysis the angle, net force produced and stress faced by the ligaments around the lumbosacral joint in postoperative scoliosis patients using radiographic images. Study design was analytical, observational cross sectional study. Radiographs of 30 patients were collected and one sample ‘t ’test was used for data analysis with ‘p ’value set as 0.05 as level of significance .The mean lumbosacral angle of the postoperative scoliotic patients was found to be 45.56 degrees and the standard deviation was ± 8.7156. The results suggest that patients who underwent scoliosis correction surgery did not have an optimal lumbosacral angle of 30 degrees

Parasitoid complex of legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on different pulses

The spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius is an important herbivore of major pulses and vegetable legumes in India and the chemical pesticides are major contributors for its management. In order to have an idea on other alternative management tools, the present studies were carried out on the availability of parasitoids and its genetic variation. Totally, four larval parasitoids viz., Bassus sp., Trathala flavoorbitalis Cameron, Phanerotoma hendecasisella Cameron and an undetermined Braconid wasp were recorded on M. vitrata larva. The occurrence of P. hendecasisella was reported for the first time from Tamil Nadu, India. The Bassus sp. was found to be dominant with the parasitism of 3.0 to 12.7% in different pulses and total parasitism of four parasitoids was maximum in pigeonpea (16.1 %). Total parasitism had a positive relationship with number of webbings on cowpea. The larval parasitoids Bassus sp. and braconid wasp (undetermined) yielded specific fragments (~800 bp) with mitochondrial COI primer. Presence of Wolbachia was confirmed in all four larval parasitoids with the amplicons size between 600 and 650 bp. Present study clearly indicated the close proximity of Bassus sp. on M. vitrata than other parasitoids studied. Hence, it gives way for further insights on suitability, mass culturing and development for sustainable management of this insect pest

Genetic variability of the bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, occurring on different host plants

The bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest of worldwide occurrence inflicting annual crop damage in India worth US$ 1billion. In India this insect occurs as a major pest in many economically important crops, including cotton, pigeonpea, chickpea, tomato, okra, and blackgram. Understanding the genetic variation among the H. armigera populations occurring on host plants has become essential to understand the variation in their susceptibility to different insecticides, including Bacillus thuringiensis. This preliminary study uses 10 microsatellite simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, to provide insight into the genetic variability of H. armigera populations from six different host plants. Nine of the SSR primers indicated high variability across the different host associated populations with polymorphism ranging from 75 to 100 per cent. Using the un-weighted pair-group method analysis, H. armigera collected and reared from cotton stood out as unique in one cluster while the insects collected and reared on all other hosts grouped separately

The effects of aging and dual task performance on language production

This is an electronic version of an article published in Kemper, S., Schmalzried, R., Herman, R., Leedahl, S., & Mohankumar, D. (2009). The effects of aging and dual task performance on language production. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 16, 241-259. PM#2674132. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition is available online at www.taylorandfrancis.comA digital pursuit rotor task was used to measure dual task costs of language production by young and older adults. After training on the pursuit rotor, participants were asked to track the moving target while providing a language sample. When simultaneously engaged, young adults experienced greater dual task costs to tracking, fluency, and grammatical complexity than older adults. Older adults were able to preserve their tracking performance by speaking more slowly. Individual differences in working memory, processing speed, and Stroop interference affected vulnerability to dual task costs. These results demonstrate the utility of using a digital pursuit rotor to study the effects of aging and dual task demands on language production and confirm prior findings that young and older adults use different strategies to accommodate to dual task demands

Structural and properties of Zn-Al2O3-SiC nano-composite coatings by direct electrolytic process

In this paper, Zn-SiC and Zn-Al2O3-SiC composite coating were fabricated by electrodeposition technique from sulfates bath. The resulting composite coating was carried out by adding Al2O3/SiC particulate to a zinc-containing bath. The properties of the composite coating were investigated by SEM equipped with EDS, XRD, and AFM. The electrochemical behavior of the coating alloy was evaluated in 3.65 % NaCl with linear polarization technique and mechanically examined by durascan microhardness tester. The morphology of the thermal treated coatings at 400 °C in 6 h was viewed with high optical microscope (OPM). The results show hardness, thermal stability, and anti-corrosion properties of Zn-Al2O3-SiC were improved significantly as against Zn- SiC coating matrixes. This was attributed to dispersive strengthening effect and grain induced effort of Al2O3/SiC particulate. The decrease in corrosion and thermal stability at 15 g/L of SiC concentration may be as a result of agglomeration and the superimposed particle in the plating bath