A radiological study of ossification at the lower end of humerus for age estimation among boys in Central Karnataka, India

Background: The earlier studies which were conducted across the world on long bones to know the age reveal that there is no uniform sequence for the epiphyseal union of long bones in different countries or different places in the same country. To ascertain this in Central Karnataka, India present study was done.Methods: A radiological study of lower end of Humerus was conducted on total 100 boys of age group 11–20 years from different schools and colleges of Chitradurga district of central Karnataka, India. The radiographs were studied in detail and the findings were recorded.Results: Fusion of epiphyseal centre of lateral epicondyle with that of Capitulum was seen between 12–15 years. Fusion of epiphyseal centre of Capitulum with that of Trochlea was seen between 12–15 years. Fusion of conjoint epiphysis with the shaft was seen between 12–16 years. Fusion of epiphyseal centre of medial epicondyle with shaft was seen between 14-17 years.Conclusions: In general, fusion of epiphysis occurs around 12-17 years

A cadaveric study on anatomical variations of kidney and ureter in India

Background: The kidneys are a pair of bean - shaped organ located in the back of the abdomen between the 12th thoracic and 3rd lumbar vertebrae. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long - about the size of a fist. The objective of this study was to study the major anatomical variations of kidney and urinary tract.Methods: The study was conducted during routine dissections of 32 cadavers over a period of 5 years. All specimens included in the study was adult cadavers of which 20 were males and 12 were females.Results: Out of 32 cadavers, 1 cadaver showed bilateral and 2 showed unilateral (2 L) lobulated kidney, 2 cadavers showed unilateral (1 L,1 R) and 1 showed bilateral accessory renal artery. 2 cadavers showed unilateral (1 L,1 R) incomplete double ureter.Conclusions: 12.5% of the cadavers showed anatomical variations in kidney and 6.25% showed bifid ureter. The knowledge of anatomical variations of kidney and ureter is of great importance for surgical, radiological and academic perspective. Hence, the early detection may be helpful in better management and increased survival rates

UTILIZATION OF SAMANYA SHODHANA IN THE PURIFICATION OF EXCESS MERCURY OBTAINED FROM DENTAL OPERATORY- A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Background: Concerns about toxicity of mercury and disposal of excessive mercury has led to decreased usage of mercury in dental profession but still tooth colored restorative materials are not affordable by all the classes of any society. The disposal of excess mercury has always been a matter of concern. Thus, in the present study, we attempted to evaluate a simple procedure from Rasa Shastra using lime powder, garlic and rock salt for recycling of excess mercury obtained from dental operatory.Materials and methods: The excess mercury was recycled by the standard procedure explained in Ayurveda texts (Samanya shodhana) using Sudha churna (lime powder), Lashuna kalka (paste of Allium sativum L.) and Saindhava lavanaa (rock salt). The commercially available mercury and recycled mercury was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the detection of elements in ppm level.Results: It was found that the excess impure mercury contained 5138 ppm, 2866.1 ppm and 0.371 ppm of Silver, Copper and Tin respectively. After Shodhana, the level of silver, tin and copper were markedly reduced. Purified mercury showed a level of 119.5ppm silver, 0.5324 ppm copper and 0.3233 ppm tin.Conclusion: Samanya shodhana is a simple promising procedure which can be used for mercury recycling. The procedure doesnot require sophisticated equipments and maneuver. Further, the materials used in the procedure are easily available and affordable at low cost

Factor Analysis for Technology Management and Its Effectiveness in Indian Opencast Coal Mining

Coal holds utmost significance as a natural energy source propelling a nation’s industrial sector growth. Besides refining coal quality through adept mine technology management, contemporary mining grapples with multifaceted challenges encompassing human resettlement, land reclamation, forest preservation, pollution abatement, and efficient logistics. The coal mining sector serves as a tangible example where technology management assumes real-world importance. Despite adopting state-of-the-art methodologies, open-pit coal mining trails global standards. India’s coal industry faces persistent struggles in accessing suitable domestic coal, relying on imports despite considerable technological strides. Beyond augmenting production capacity or product innovation, technology innovation concepts empower Indian enterprises to reshape their industries. Technology management research within mining remains in its infancy, necessitating a comprehensive grasp of its implications on internal operations and strategic alignment for global competitiveness and effective technology leadership. This study aims to dissect the integral facets imperative for proficient technology management within opencast coal mining domains

A multi-targeted approach to suppress tumor-promoting inflammation

Cancers harbor significant genetic heterogeneity and patterns of relapse following many therapies are due to evolved resistance to treatment. While efforts have been made to combine targeted therapies, significant levels of toxicity have stymied efforts to effectively treat cancer with multi-drug combinations using currently approved therapeutics. We discuss the relationship between tumor-promoting inflammation and cancer as part of a larger effort to develop a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach aimed at a wide range of targets to address this heterogeneity. Specifically, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, cyclooxygenase-2, transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase, protein kinase B, and CXC chemokines are reviewed as important antiinflammatory targets while curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, lycopene, and anthocyanins are reviewed as low-cost, low toxicity means by which these targets might all be reached simultaneously. Future translational work will need to assess the resulting synergies of rationally designed antiinflammatory mixtures (employing low-toxicity constituents), and then combine this with similar approaches targeting the most important pathways across the range of cancer hallmark phenotypes

Constraints on the cosmic expansion history from GWTC-3

We use 47 gravitational-wave sources from the Third LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) to estimate the Hubble parameter $H(z)$, including its current value, the Hubble constant $H_0$. Each gravitational-wave (GW) signal provides the luminosity distance to the source and we estimate the corresponding redshift using two methods: the redshifted masses and a galaxy catalog. Using the binary black hole (BBH) redshifted masses, we simultaneously infer the source mass distribution and $H(z)$. The source mass distribution displays a peak around $34\, {\rm M_\odot}$, followed by a drop-off. Assuming this mass scale does not evolve with redshift results in a $H(z)$ measurement, yielding $H_0=68^{+12}_{-7} {\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ ($68\%$ credible interval) when combined with the $H_0$ measurement from GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart. This represents an improvement of 17% with respect to the $H_0$ estimate from GWTC-1. The second method associates each GW event with its probable host galaxy in the catalog GLADE+, statistically marginalizing over the redshifts of each event's potential hosts. Assuming a fixed BBH population, we estimate a value of $H_0=68^{+8}_{-6} {\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ with the galaxy catalog method, an improvement of 42% with respect to our GWTC-1 result and 20% with respect to recent $H_0$ studies using GWTC-2 events. However, we show that this result is strongly impacted by assumptions about the BBH source mass distribution; the only event which is not strongly impacted by such assumptions (and is thus informative about $H_0$) is the well-localized event GW190814