Organic matter depositional microenvironment in deltaic channel deposits of Mahanadi river, Andhra Pradesh

Quantitative and qualitative variations in microscopic plant organic matter assemblages and its preservation state in deltaic channel deposits of Mahanadi River was correlated with the depositional environment in the ecosystem in order to prepare a modern analogue for use in palaeoenvironment studies. For this, palynological and palynofacies study was carried out in 57 surface sediment samples from Birupa river System, Kathjodi-Debi River system and Kuakhai River System constituting Upper, Middle and Lower Deltaic part of Mahanadi river. Theapex of the delta shows dominance of Spirogyra algae indicating high nutrient, low energy shallow ecosystem during most of the year and recharged only during monsoons. The depositional environment is anoxic to dysoxic in the central and south-eastern part of the Middle Deltaic Plain (MDP) and Lower Deltaic Plain (LDP) indicated by high percentage of nearby palynomorphs, Particulate Organic Matter (POM) and algal or fungal spores. The northern part of the delta show high POM preservation only in the estuarine area in LDP but high Amorphous Organic Matter (MOA) in MDP. The sediment here is deposited under dysoxic to oxic fluvial conditions. Thus, the monsoon intensity, direction of fluvial discharge, and the landward extent of sea water incursion through river mouths inducing bottom water salinity play an important role in defining the magnitude of POM and its preservation in the shallow Mahanadi deltaic ecosystem

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) in dentistry: a review

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological method which is widely used by medical and paramedical professionals for the management of acute and chronic pain in a variety of conditions. Similarly, it can be utilized for the management of pain during various dental procedures as well as pain due to various conditions affecting maxillofacial region. This review aims to provide an insight into clinical research evidence available for the analgesic and non analgesic uses of TENS in pediatric as well as adult patients related to the field of dentistry. Also, an attempt is made to briefly discuss history of therapeutic electricity, mechanism of action of TENS, components of TENs equipment, types, techniques of administration, advantages and contradictions of TENS. With this we hope to raise awareness among dental fraternity regarding its dental applications thereby increasing its use in dentistry

Pattern of injury in fatal road traffic accidents in a rural area of western Maharashtra, India

BackgroundFatal road traffic accidents (RTA) are a major cause of concern all over the world. The outcome of injuries sustained in an RTA depends on various factors including but not limited to: the location of the event, type of vehicle involved, nature of the roads, the time of accident, etc. AimsThis study aims to investigate and evaluate prospectively the socio-demographic profile and pattern of injuries in victims of  RTA in the rural area of district Ahmedanagar of Maharashtra state. MethodThis prospective study included all victims of road traffic accidents that presented to our emergency room from 1st June 2007 through 31st May 2009 and were either found dead on arrival or died during the treatment. All the included victims were autopsied at the post-mortem centre of Rural Medical College, Loni. ResultsNinety-eight victims of RTA were studied during the period. The most commonly affected age group was 20-39 years. Men died in RTA more than women. Fatal RTAs were more prevalent on the secondary road system (47.97 per cent) and especially involved pedestrian and two wheeler vehicle users. Large numbers (n=63, 64.28%) of victims either died on the scene or during transportation. Numbers of skeletal injuries (199) and internal organ injuries (202) exceeded the total number of victims (98) clearly indicating the multiplicity of injuries. The majority of RTA victims (n=46, 46.93%) died due to head injury. The study showed that most of the deaths in road traffic accidents, brought to a tertiary care rural hospital, took place either on the spot or within 24 hours of injury which is very alarming and highlights the need for taking urgent steps for establishing good pre-hospital care and provision of trauma services at site.ConclusionThere is an urgent nationwide need of computerized trauma registry to bring out the risk factors, circumstances, chain of events leading to the accidents and will be extremely helpful in policy making and health management at the national level in India

Schwannoma of floor of mouth: A case report

Schwannoma (neurilemmoma) is a benign nerve sheath tumor that is composed entirely of well-differentiated Schwann cells. It is important to highlight that schwannoma is usually found in the head and neck and rarely in the oral cavity. Schwannoma is a benign tumor that originates from the Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves. They are usually asymptomatic, do not recur, and malignant transformation is rare. Here, we report a case of neurilemmoma that was located at an unusual location, i.e., floor of the mouth

Bloom of the diatom, Biddulphia sp and ecology of Pulicat lagoon, Southeast India in the aftermath of the 2015 north east monsoonal rainfall

Pulicat lagoon in the south-east coast of India is recharged with the highest fresh water influx annually during north-east winter monsoon. An abrupt heavy rainfall in November-December 2015 was a flood calamity in the region that inundated the lagoon. We investigated the physico-chemical characteristics and palynological profile of the surface sediments from the lagoon at water depth between 0.5 and 2m to understand the impact of the 2015 event. On the basis of a marine index', three zones were demarcated, the LC zone' (Araniar river-lagoon confluence, south), the LM zone' and the LL zone' (Kalangi river confluence, north) showing values of 4.55, 1.25 and 0.25, respectively, indicating the extent of tidal influence. The dissolved oxygen, pH and salinity ranged between 6.4 and 9.6mg/L, 7.96-9.23 and average 12.3ppt at different sites, respectively. The highest salinity (31 and 31.8ppt) was in the LC zone along with the highest dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations (275-288mmol/m(3)) too. The dissolved inorganic phosphates (DIP) ranged between 8.5 and 29.5mmol/m(3), which was relatively high. Sandy sediment, high sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) ions too indicate the landward extension of seawater influx. Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) and beta-uranophane (Ca(UO2)SiO3(OH)](2).(H2O) minerals show higher values with the dominance of olivine (MgFe)(2)SiO4) and quartz (SiO2) in this zone indicating magnitude of fresh water influx too through Araniar river. The highest calcium, magnesium and potassium ions were also observed in LC zone. Fe-rich goethite, calcite and aragonite were recorded at all sites but with dominance of illite in LL zone. Halite, an evaporite recorded from all sites shows inundation of the entire lagoon during flooding event. Results show a bloom of Biddulphia pulchella, B. biddulphiana and B. laevis in association with Cladophora in LC zone which serves as potential indicators of physico-chemical characteristics of the lagoon showing intense response to catastrophic events of floods due to above normal monsoon variability

Early-Holocene to present palaeoenvironmental shifts and short climate events from the tropical wetland and lake sediments, Kukkal Lake, Southern India: Geochemistry and palynology

The Kukkal basin, Tamil Nadu, India, receives most of its rain from the southwest monsoon (SWM). A sediment core from Kukkal Lake preserves a continuous sediment record from the early-Holocene to present (9000 yr BP to present). The present lake is situated at an elevation of similar to 1887m a.s.l., in a small basin that appears to have alternated between a and wetland depositional environment. Climate proxies, including sediment texture, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N, pollen and geochemical composition indicate a steady progression to wetter conditions, with two stepwise changes at about 8000, and between 3200 and 1800 yr BP. The change at 8000 yr BP appears to correspond to a brief (100-150years) dry spell recorded elsewhere in India. The change at 3200-1800 yr BP consisted in a rapid intensification of the SWM, and may correlate with the initiation of the Roman Warm Period'. There is no clear evidence of changes at the times of the Medieval Warm Period' (MWP') and the Little Ice Age' (LIA'). The C/N ratio of the sediments ranges from 14.02 to 8.31, indicating that the organic matter originated from a mixture of lacustrine algae, vascular and terrestrial plants. Chemical weathering indices (Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW), and Plagioclase Index of Alteration (PIA)) are consistent with extreme silicate weathering. Pollen data show a development from savanna vegetation prior to about 8000 yr BP, followed by grassland with palms, the appearance of ferns just prior to 3200 yr BP and the establishment of the tropical humid forest between 3200 and about 1800 yr BP.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Evolution of Iskapalli lagoon in Penner delta region, east coast of India—A sedimentological and palynological approach

267-273The Holocene evolution of the Iskapalli lagoon has been reconstructed through landform mapping, vibracore lithology and foraminiferal analysis, supplemented by radiocarbon dating. The characteristics: texture, boundary surfaces and the palynological assemblages of the lagoon sediments obtained from two cores indicate three distinct sediment units. The lower part of the core (Unit I) consisting of highly (>85%) oxidized coarse sand mixed with shells, moderate bioturbation, high concentration of Spiniferites, Casuarina, fungal spores and algal cysts together with terrestrial herbaceous taxa and sub-parallel laminations suggests deposition in a sandy river mouth bar environment under strong wave influence. The middle part of the core (Unit II) comprising high silty to sandy mud, and parallel laminations together with Protoperidinium sp., Rhizophora and Avicennia indicated low energy lagoonal environment analogous to the modern lagoonal conditions. The upper part of the cores (Unit III) consisting of well sorted fine sands with abundant terrestrial taxa are considered to be wind blown sands. The oxidized condition of the distributary mouth bar sediments of Unit I and the occurrence of fine sediments of Unit II suggest the lagoon had witnessed at least one cycle of sea level fall and rise during the Late Holocene between 2000 yr BP and 1500 yr BP. </b

Pollen-vegetation relationship in surface sediments, Coringa mangrove ecosystem, India: palaeoecological applications

<p>Pollen in the surface sediment collected in a transect from sea to land in the Coringa mangrove wetland was analysed to determine the spatial and quantitative composition of the pollen record for palaeoecological interpretation. Autochthonous pollen preservation of the existing mangrove species was predominant in the sediments and serves as a potential indicator of coastal wetlands. The low quantity of allochthonous and parautochthonous pollen in the sediment reflects the regional plant community. Statistical analysis of the palynological data shows a high association between pollen from <i>Avicennia marina</i> and <i>Clerodendrum inerme</i> and their vegetation. <i>Aegiceras corniculatum</i>, <i>Sonneratia</i>, <i>Ceriops decandra</i>, <i>Xylocarpus mekongenesis</i>, <i>Cocos nucifera</i>, <i>Azadirachta indica</i>, <i>Syzygium</i>, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae and Cyperaceae show overrepresentation. Ordination techniques for individual species using fidelity and dispersibility indices and regression analyses suggest four different floristic groups, of (i) high dispersibility-moderate fidelity taxa; (ii) high dispersibility-low fidelity taxa; (iii) moderate dispersibility-low fidelity taxa; and (iv) low dispersibility-high fidelity taxa. Species with high fidelity and moderate-low dispersibility indices could be used to identify the vegetation types in sedimentary sequences. The presence of discriminatory taxa (<i>Avicennia marina</i>, <i>Sonneratia</i> sp.), even in small quantities, helps in accurate identification of the local vegetation. Results indicate that while mangrove pollen is transported over short distances, non-mangrove pollen and spores are transported from longer distances. Thus, the status of mangrove and non-mangrove pollen in the sediments provides a clue to the (palaeo)coastal ecology and the (palaeo)climatic conditions.</p

Dental implants in type 2 diabetic patients: A review

India has the second largest number of people living with diabetes worldwide, after China. As periodontal disease is the sixth major complication of diabetes, these patients are at increased risk for teeth loss. Dental implants have been recognized as an acceptable treatment method for the replacement of missing teeth, but diabetes mellitus is considered a relative contraindication for dental implant therapy. Due to this, these patients may be denied the benefit of dental implants. Hence, this review was done with the aim of reporting findings of various implant studies conducted in diabetic humans so as to improve the understanding of the possibilities for implant therapy in patients with diabetes