Meldonium: drug which brought disrepute to sport

World of sports have been rocked by doping scandals every now and then and World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) has banned several offending drugs at different times to counter this menace. Meldonium is the recent addition to the long list of drugs banned by WADA to prevent its misuse among the athletes. Meldonium is a carnitine synthesis inhibitor and has been approved by some European countries for the management of cardiac diseases like angina pectoris and congestive cardiac failure. Apart from these, it has numerous other indications like bronchial asthma, bronchitis and retinopathies. It had also been used by athletes across the world because of its presumptive role in increasing the performance

Fabrication and Automation of Solvent less Packaging Machine

With the rapid technological advances in the automation technology, a need has been felt to incorporate these technological advancements in the packaging industry so that the accuracy of packaging is of the highest order, thereby reducing losses and improving efficiency. This research paper focuses on the technological advances in the automation technology which address the various problems plaguing the packaging machine. It involves the use of pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical and electrical devices along with the existing machinery to reduce the wastage of time due to the various faults that cause frequent stoppages of the machine. The purpose of the study is to reduce the manpower and time spent in identifying and clearing these faults. A Siemens S7-200 PLC along with Temperature and Analog modules is used to automate the system. After the successful programming of the PLC, it is found out that a considerable amount of time is saved during auto refilling and fault stoppages. The paper recommends automating the packaging machine using a PLC along with an HMI to save time and increase production

Reasons behind late presentation of cancer patients to radiotherapy department of a tertiary Hospital in Southern Odisha: a cross sectional study

Background: Prevalence of cancer is increasing worldwide. Early diagnosis with appropriate therapeutic interventions is essential for better treatment outcome. Identification and necessary modifications of factors responsible for delayed presentation might increase the life expectancy or quality of living. This study aims to identify the factors responsible for delayed presentation of cancer patients to radiotherapy department.Methods: This is a quantitative descriptive study, done with in a period from August 2018 to October 2019, among 120 cancer patients of different stages presenting to OPD of Radiotherapy department of M.K.C.G Medical College. Data were collected by using pretested semi-structured questionnaires, entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0.Results: A total of 120 cancer patients, 60 from each early and late stage had participated in the study. The mean age of presentation was 53.19 years. The number of male patients were 54 and female were 66. Maximum patients had addiction of chewing tobacco. When the time interval from appearance of symptoms to diagnosis were compared, 1 – 3 months were taken by 45% of early stage and 28.3% of late stage patients. Similarly, <1week time was taken from diagnosis to start of treatment in 25% and 13.3% in respective groups. Comparison of educational status (p=0.001), difference between primary and secondary delay (p<0.05), and socio-economic status (p=0.008) between both the groups were found to be statistically significant.Conclusions: Factors responsible for delayed presentation are related both to patient and system. Educating common people regarding early sign symptoms, emphasizing early detection at grass root level, proper referral and by upgrading existing oncology facilities, we can avoid adverse treatment outcome

Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on the breastfeeding, morbidity, and mortality of very low birth weight neonates: A prospective observational study

Objective: To compare the effect of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) versus conventional mother care (CMC) on growth, morbidity, mortality, and length of hospitalization in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. Study Design: A hospital based prospective observational study conducted in the pediatric department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Southern Odisha. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 VLBW neonates were included. The effect of KMC on growth, morbidity, breastfeeding, and length of hospitalization was studied. The KMC group (n=50) was subjected to KMC for at least 6 h/day. The neonates received kangaroo care during hospitalization and at home. The control group (n=50) received CMC. Results: The KMC babies had better average weight gain per day (15.9±4.5 vs. 10.6±4.5 g, p<0.0001). The weekly increments in head circumference (0.75 vs. 0.49 cm, p=0.001), length (0.99 vs. 0.7 cm, p=0.021), and chest circumference (0.73 vs. 0.45 cm, p=0.004) were higher in the KMC group. Significantly more neonates receiving CMC suffered from hypothermia (36% vs. 6%), apnea (16% vs. 2%), and other minor illnesses (44% vs. 16%) than those receiving KMC. There was earlier hospital discharge in KMC group (6 vs. 18 days). More neonates of KMC group were exclusively breastfed at the end of the study (86% vs. 42%). No mortality was noted in either group. Conclusions: KMC improves growth, reduces morbidities, improves breastfeeding rates, and reduces hospitalization in VLBW neonates

Effects of resveratrol on oxidative stress in high fat diet /streptozocin induced diabetic wistar albino rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a common chronic disease. One of the pathophysiology is found to be oxidative stress. This study aims to evaluate the effect of resveratrol on oxidative stress in high fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.Methods: Wistar albino rats, fed with HFD rendered diabetic with streptozotocin, were divided into 6 groups, namely the diabetic control treated with vehicle (DC), standard control which received metformin (SC), test groups treated with 5,10, and 20 mg/kg b.w. of resveratrol and combination of half dose of metformin and resveratrol (10 mg/kg)(TC). A group of six normal animals served as normal control (NC), another six as HFD control. Fasting blood glucose, lipid profile and serum MDA and SOD were measured one week after induction of diabetes. The animals were then treated orally for 2 weeks after which the same parameters were repeated. The in-vivo results were analysed by one way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test.Results: The DC group demonstrated a increase in the fasting blood glucose compared to NC, HFD control while a significant decrease in the fasting blood glucose was observed with SC, Test groups (p<0.05) as compared to the DC group. TC showed a significant improvement in dyslipidemia compared to their baseline values (p<0.05). There was significant change in the serum MDA level and SOD activity.Conclusions: Resveratrol improves oxidative stress in diabetic rats

Effect of resveratrol on diabetic neuropathy in wistar albino rats

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common chronic disease with increasing prevalence worldwide. Prolonged uncontrolled hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia are major risk factor for its complication like neuropathy. Since there is no definite treatment for diabetic neuropathy, this study aims to evaluate the effect of resveratrol on diabetic neuropathy in high fat diet with low dose streptozotocin induced type-2 DM model in wistar albino rats.Methods: First type 2 diabetic rat model was established. Wistar albino rats, fed with high-fat diet (HFD) rendered diabetic with streptozotocin, were divided into 6 groups, disease control (DC) treated with vehicle, standard control (SC) which received metformin, test groups treated with 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg b.w. of resveratrol and combination of half dose of metformin and resveratrol (10 mg/kg) (TC). A group of six normal animals served as normal control (NC), another six as HFD control. Fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile were measured one week after induction of diabetes. The animals were then treated orally for 2 weeks after which the same parameters were repeated. Behavioral biomarkers for neuropathy are measured in 4 weeks and 6 weeks of treatment. The in-vivo results were analyzed by one way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test for biochemical parameters and Kruskal Wallis test followed by Dun’s multiple comparison test for behavioral biomarkers.Results: Increase in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), deranged lipid profile, increased neuropathy in DC compared to NC, HFD control while a significant decrease in FBG, improved pain behavior with SC, test groups (p&lt;0.05) as compared to the DC group.Conclusions: Resveratrol prevents diabetic neuropathy

Follow-up assessment of pulmonary functions in mechanically ventilated children after discharge from pediatric intensive care unit: A developing country perspective

Background: There is a paucity of data on the pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in pediatric mechanically ventilated patients, especially in a developing country setting. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was carried out in the pediatric intensive care unit over 15 months. The PFTs were measured using spirometry at discharge, at 3 and 6 months. Results: Of 32 eligible children, 20 (mean age 9 ± 2.62 years) completed the 6-month follow-up. The most common indications for mechanical ventilation were respiratory (45%) and neurological (35%) causes. At the end of 6 months, 65% children had abnormal lung function (restrictive pattern). Patients with longer duration of ventilation, high peak pressures, and high fractional inhaled oxygen had a trend toward more abnormality in the lung function. Conclusions: Pediatric mechanically ventilated patients developed restrictive pulmonary defects after discharge that gradually improved over time. The majority was asymptomatic and reported no lifestyle limitations. There is a need for longer follow-up studies to assess the lung function and clinical condition postdischarge

Path tracking mobile robot using steppers

In control of mobile robots, precision plays a key role in path tracking. In this paper we have intended to use hybrid stepper motors for precise control of the two wheeled robot. A control algorithm was developed to control the robot along different trajectories. We have found that stepper motors are more accurate for path tracking than normal DC motors with wheel encoders and one can obtain the implicit coordinates of the robot in runtime more precisely. Getting the precise coordinates of the robot at runtime can be used in various SLAM and VSLAM techniques for more accurate 3D mapping of the environment

Encryption and Decryption of Images with Pixel Data Modification Using Hand Gesture Passcodes

To ensure data security and safeguard sensitive information in society, image encryption and decryption as well as pixel data modifications, are essential. To avoid misuse and preserve trust in our digital environment, it is crucial to use these technologies responsibly and ethically. So, to overcome some of the issues, the authors designed a way to modify pixel data that would hold the hidden information. The objective of this work is to change the pixel values in a way that can be used to store information about black and white image pixel data. Prior to encryption and decryption, by using Python we were able to construct a passcode with hand gestures in the air, then encrypt it without any data loss. It concentrates on keeping track of simply two pixel values. Thus, pixel values are slightly changed to ensure the masked image is not misleading. Considering that the RGB values are at their border values of 254, 255 the test cases of masking overcome issues with the corner values susceptibility