Observational study to assess prescription cost and its relation to the socioeconomic status of the patients in psychiatry outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital

Background: To analyse the cost of prescriptions and to determine the relationship between socioeconomic status of the patients and the cost of prescriptions.Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted in psychiatry OPD of a tertiary care hospital from August 2007 to January 2008. 300 patients of either sex and irrespective of age suffering from mental disorders were included. Information about the socioeconomic status of the patient was analysed on the basis of Kuppuswami’s socioeconomic status scale (updated for 2007). Cost analysis (calculated for 30 days) was done by calculating (a) average cost of the prescription borne by the hospital (b) average cost of the prescription borne by the patient and (c) average total cost of the prescription. The correlation between the socioeconomic score of the patients with the above three cost parameters was carried out using the Spearman rank correlation.Results: In a cohort of 300 patients, 61.3% patients belong to upper lower class. Cost analysis showed that the average total cost of the prescription was 121.97 INR of which average cost of the prescription borne by the hospital and the patients was 18.43 INR and 103.54 INR respectively. The total cost of the prescription and cost of prescription borne by the patient had a positive correlation with the socioeconomic score of the patient, while the cost of prescription borne by the hospital was inversely correlated with the socioeconomic score of the patient.Conclusions: It seems that the prescribing decision was influenced by the socioeconomic status of the patients.

Brief Review of literature on Puti Lohas

Rasashastra is a science which deals with the pharmaceuticals of medicines out of mercury, minerals, metals, gem stones and animal products etc. Loha and Dhatu are consider as one and the same. Puti Lohas are those drugs which emits bad smell while they are melting. Many references of Puti Lohas is available in Ayurvedic classics since Vedakala to modern texts. Puti Lohas cannot be degraded since they are having their own identity in mineralogy and clinical practice of Ayurveda

Effects of chemical preservation on bulk and amino acid isotope ratios of zooplankton, fish, and squid tissues.

RationaleIt is imperative to understand how chemical preservation alters tissue isotopic compositions before using historical samples in ecological studies. Specifically, although compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) is becoming a widely used tool, there is little information on how preservation techniques affect amino acid δ15 N values.MethodsWe evaluated the effects of chemical preservatives on bulk tissue δ13 C and δ15 N and amino acid δ15 N values, measured by gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS), of (a) tuna (Thunnus albacares) and squid (Dosidicus gigas) muscle tissues that were fixed in formaldehyde and stored in ethanol for 2 years and (b) two copepod species, Calanus pacificus and Eucalanus californicus, which were preserved in formaldehyde for 24-25 years.ResultsTissues in formaldehyde-ethanol had higher bulk δ15 N values (+1.4, D. gigas; +1.6‰, T. albacares), higher δ13 C values for D. gigas (+0.5‰), and lower δ13 C values for T. albacares (-0.8‰) than frozen samples. The bulk δ15 N values from copepods were not different those from frozen samples, although the δ13 C values from both species were lower (-1.0‰ for E. californicus and -2.2‰ for C. pacificus) than those from frozen samples. The mean amino acid δ15 N values from chemically preserved tissues were largely within 1‰ of those of frozen tissues, but the phenylalanine δ15 N values were altered to a larger extent (range: 0.5-4.5‰).ConclusionsThe effects of preservation on bulk δ13 C values were variable, where the direction and magnitude of change varied among taxa. The changes in bulk δ15 N values associated with chemical preservation were mostly minimal, suggesting that storage in formaldehyde or ethanol will not affect the interpretation of δ15 N values used in ecological studies. The preservation effects on amino acid δ15 N values were also mostly minimal, mirroring bulk δ15 N trends, which is promising for future CSIA-AA studies of archived specimens. However, there were substantial differences in phenylalanine and valine δ15 N values, which we speculate resulted from interference in the chromatographic resolution of unknown compounds rather than alteration of tissue isotopic composition due to chemical preservation

Pharmaceutico-Analytical Study of Chandrahasa Rasa - A Unique Formulation

Ayurveda is one of the oldest systems of medicine, is momentous in audience of worldwide on virtue of its holistic approach of life. Rasaushadhis in Ayurveda have a wide range of therapeutic utility due to their prolonged shelf life, finer particles size, being tasteless, odourless, minimum dose, quick action, makes them more effective and unique. With proper anupana, herbo-mineral formulations act effectively in a variety of pathological conditions. Jwara is considered as Rogadhipati i.e., most serious and king of all diseases in which the mind, sense organs and the body all are affected (Dehendriya mana santapakara). Chandrahasa Rasa (CR) is an unique herbo mineral Kharaliya Rasayana mentioned in Vaidya Chintamani of 16thAD constituting 14 ingredients with 5 bhavana dravyas which is solely indicated in Ashta vidha Jwara and 13 Sannipataja Jwara. Physical test shows CR is Greenish Brown in colour with pH 4.56±0.10 and Mean particle size of CR is 639.8 nm. XRD study compared with 2? angle and JCPDF standards and confirms that CR is a compound of Metacinnabar in cubic crystal system, Sulphur in Orthorhombic crystal system, Arsenic di sulphide and Sodium hydroxide borate hydrate are Monoclinic crystal system. Elements present in CR as confirmed by the EDS study are C, O, Na, S, Cl, K, As, and Hg in the Weight percentage of 49.95, 26.45, 0.76,10.38,0.29,4.38,2.64 and 5.15 respectively

Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective.

Evaluating long-term drivers of foraging ecology and population productivity is crucial for providing ecological baselines and forecasting species responses to future environmental conditions. Here, we examine the trophic ecology and habitat use of North Atlantic leatherback turtles (St. Croix nesting population) and investigate the effects of large-scale oceanographic conditions on leatherback foraging dynamics. We used bulk and compound-specific nitrogen isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to estimate leatherback trophic position (TP) over an 18-year period, compare these estimates with TP estimates from a Pacific leatherback population, and elucidate the pre-nesting habitat use patterns of leatherbacks. Our secondary objective was to use oceanographic indices and nesting information from St. Croix leatherbacks to evaluate relationships between trophic ecology, nesting parameters, and regional environmental conditions measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. We found no change in leatherback TP over time and no difference in TP between Atlantic and Pacific leatherbacks, indicating that differences in trophic ecology between populations are an unlikely driver of the population dichotomy between Pacific and Atlantic leatherbacks. Isotope data suggested that St. Croix leatherbacks inhabit multiple oceanic regions prior to nesting, although, like their conspecifics in the Pacific, individuals exhibit fidelity to specific foraging regions. Leatherback nesting parameters were weakly related to the NAO, which may suggest that positive NAO phases benefit St. Croix leatherbacks, potentially through increases in resource availability in their foraging areas. Our data contribute to the understanding of leatherback turtle ecology and potential mechanistic drivers of the dichotomy between populations of this protected species

Association mapping and genomic prediction for resistance to sudden death syndrome in early maturing soybean germplasm

Sudden death syndrome (SDS), caused by Fusarium virguliforme, has spread to northern soybean growing regions in the US causing significant yield losses. The objectives of this study were to identify loci underlying variation in plant responses to SDS through association mapping (AM) and to assess prediction accuracy of genomic selection (GS) in a panel of early maturing soybean germplasm. A set of 282 soybean breeding lines was selected from the University of Minnesota soybean breeding program and then genotyped using a genome-wide panel of 1536 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. Four resistance traits, root lesion severity (RLS), foliar symptom severity (FSS), root retention (RR), and dry matter reduction (DMR), were evaluated using soil inoculation in the greenhouse. AM identified significant peaks in genomic regions of known SDS resistance quantitative trait loci cqSDS001, cqRfs4, and SDS11-2. Additionally, two novel loci, one on chromosome 3 and another on chromosome 18, were tentatively identified. A ninefold cross-validation scheme was used to assess the prediction accuracy of GS for SDS resistance. The prediction accuracy of single-trait GS (ST-GS) was 0.64 for RLS, but less than 0.30 for RR, DMR, and FSS. Compared to ST-GS, none of multi-trait GS (MT-GS) models significantly improved the prediction accuracy due to weak correlations between the four traits. This study suggests both AM and GS hold promise for implementation in genetic improvement of SDS resistance in existing soybean breeding programs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11032-015-0324-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Malam puisi Riong buka tirai di UMP

MALAM Puisi Riong membuka tirai pertamanya tahun ini di Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) dan menjadikan masalah pembuangan dan pembunuhan, fenomena membimbangkan mutakhir ini sebagai tema

Effects of demineralization on the stable isotope analysis of bone samples

Rationale: The sampling of sequential, annually formed bone growth layers for stable carbon (δ¹³C values) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N values) isotope analysis (SIA) can provide a time series of foraging ecology data. To date, no standard protocol exists for the pre-SIA treatment of cortical samples taken from fresh, modern, bones. Methods: Based on the SIA of historical bone, it is assumed that fresh bone samples must be pre-treated with acid prior to SIA. Using an elemental analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer to measure stable carbon and nitrogen ratios, we tested the need to acidify cortical bone powder with 0.25 M HCl prior to SIA to isolate bone collagen for the determination of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵ values. We also examined the need for lipid extraction to remove potential biases related to δ¹³C analysis, based on a C:N ratio threshold of 3.5. Results: It was found that acidification of micromilled cortical bone samples from marine turtles does not affect their δ¹⁵N values, and the small effect acidification has on δ¹³C values can be mathematically corrected for, thus eliminating the need for pre-SIA acidification of cortical bone. The lipid content of the cortical bone samples was low, as measured by their C:N ratios, indicating that lipid extracting cortical bone samples from modern marine turtles is unnecessary. Conclusions: We present a standard protocol for testing fresh, modern cortical bone samples prior to SIA, facilitating direct comparison of future studies. Based on the results obtained from marine turtle bones, pre-acidification and lipid removal of cortical bone are not recommended. This is especially useful as there is frequently not enough bone material removed via micromilling of sequential growth layers to accommodate both acid treatment and SIA

Trophic Shifts of a Generalist Consumer in Response to Resource Pulses

Trophic shifts of generalist consumers can have broad food-web and biodiversity consequences through altered trophic flows and vertical diversity. Previous studies have used trophic shifts as indicators of food-web responses to perturbations, such as species invasion, and spatial or temporal subsidies. Resource pulses, as a form of temporal subsidies, have been found to be quite common among various ecosystems, affecting organisms at multiple trophic levels. Although diet switching of generalist consumers in response to resource pulses is well documented, few studies have examined if the switch involves trophic shifts, and if so, the directions and magnitudes of the shifts. In this study, we used stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes with a Bayesian multi-source mixing model to estimate proportional contributions of three trophic groups (i.e. producer, consumer, and fungus-detritivore) to the diets of the White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) receiving an artificial seed pulse or a naturally-occurring cicadas pulse. Our results demonstrated that resource pulses can drive trophic shifts in the mice. Specifically, the producer contribution to the mouse diets was increased by 32% with the seed pulse at both sites examined. The consumer contribution to the mouse diets was also increased by 29% with the cicadas pulse in one of the two grids examined. However, the pattern was reversed in the second grid, with a 13% decrease in the consumer contribution with the cicadas pulse. These findings suggest that generalist consumers may play different functional roles in food webs under perturbations of resource pulses. This study provides one of the few highly quantitative descriptions on dietary and trophic shifts of a key consumer in forest food webs, which may help future studies to form specific predictions on changes in trophic interactions following resource pulses