Distribution, Composition Profiles and Source Identification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Roadside Soil of Delhi, India

Distribution, composition profiles and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated in roadside soils from Delhi, India. PAH determination was made by Sonication extraction and chromatographic clean-up with final analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-diode array detector (HPLC-UV-DAD).The average concentration of ∑PAHs was 6838.6±3528.4 µg kg-1 and ranged between 81.6 to 45017.4 µg kg-1. Seven possible carcinogenic PAHs (7c-PAHs) accounted 67.4% to the total PAHs. Diagnostic ratios of individual PAHs and LMWPAHs to HMWPAHs ratio were calculated and applied to assess the possible sources of PAHs which, indicates the mixed pyrogenic activities such as petroleum, biomass and coal combustion are the main contributors. Although, concentrations of individual PAHs were lower than the guideline values but, the concentrations of some high molecular weight PAHs were higher at the locations in the vicinity of industrial areas and there is probable some risk to human health. Keywords: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), HPLC-UV, roadside soil, diagnostic ratio, Indi

Residues of Pesticides and Herbicides in Soils from Agriculture Areas of Delhi Region, India

This paper presents the residue levels of organochlorine, organophosphate pesticides and herbicides in agricultural soils from Delhi region. Among OCPs, HCH, DDT endosulphan and dieldrin ranged between <0.01-104.14 ng g-1, <0.01-15.79 ng g-1, <0.01-7.57 ng g-1 and <0.01-2.38 ng g-1, respectively. The concentration of OPPs ranged from <0.01-20.95 ng g-1, ND-3.92 ng g-1, ND-31.73 ng g-1, ND-6.46 ng g-1 and ND-6.46 ng g-1 for phosphomidon, monocrotophos, chlorpyriphos, quinolphos and ethion, respectively. Pendimethalin (0.27 ng g-1) was the dominant herbicides followed by butachlor (0.19 ng g-1), and fluchloralin (0.05 ng g-1). Data showed the region was contaminated by technical DDT and technical HCH mixture. The study reveals that the level of some organochlorine pesticides in agricultural soils is a matter of concern for future food chain accumulation and human health so; regular investigation of pesticide residues is recommended on soil health and contamination levels. Keywords: pesticides, herbicides, agricultural soil, Delhi, Indi

Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils from NCR, Delhi, India

ABSTRACT Twenty eight polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners including twelve dioxin-lik

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Correlation between central foveal thickness as measured by OCT andHbA1c level in diabetes retinopathy

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between Glycosylated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) level and central foveal thickness measured by Optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods:This was a retrospective single center study of 6 month duration including patients of pre-proliferative stage of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Clinically significant macular oedema (CSME) was diagnosed by using OCT. OCT examination by ‘RT optovue, Fremont, CA’ and HbA1c measured by specific high-pressure liquid chromatography methods. If patient have both eye macular oedema, eye with thicker macular oedema was used for statistical analysis. Exclusion of patients who received intraocular surgery, cataract surgery,pars plana vitrectomy, Severe vitreous haemorrhage,etc. Results:One hundred four eyes of 104 patients were included in this cross-sectional study. The mean Age ±SD was 62.3±8.1 years (range, 40–77 years). Mean value of HbA1c was 7.8%±1.4% (range, 5.1%–12.1%). Mean DM duration was 11.2±5.5 years (range, 1–30 years). Mean central retinal thickness was 257.1±79.3 μm (range, 151–526 μm). Univariate analysis was significant with HbA1C level (7 or over) (P=0.005). Not statistically significant with Sex (P=0.78), Right or left eye (P=0.59). Conclusion:Patients with HbA1c of 7% or above had an increase in macular thickness as measured by OCT in shorter DM duration (< 10 years). Its association with macular oedema is statistically significant. Good sugar control decreased the risk of diabetic macular oedema

Sexual dimorphism of foramen magnum between two different groups of Indian population: A cross-sectional cone-beam computed tomography study

The foramen magnum (FM), being a vital landmark at the base of the skull, includes interests to many fields of medicine. Many authors have recounted the usefulness of the FM in gender determination. The emphasis of this study is to evaluate the shape and dimensions of the FM among males and females and to establish its role in sexual dimorphism using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Furthermore, to evaluate the area and FM index (FMI) among males and females and finally to evaluate the differences in FM measurements if any in two different regions of an Indian population. One hundred and ten CBCT scans (55 males and 55 females; age range, 20–80 years) were selected for this study. The sagittal diameter, transverse diameter, area, FMI, and circumference of FM were measured, and data were subjected to discriminant analysis for the evaluation of sexual dimorphism. The area of FM was the best discriminant parameter which was used to study the sexual dimorphism with an overall accuracy of 90.9%. It can be concluded that the reconstructed CBCT image provides valuable measurements for the FM and could be used for gender determination

Prevalencia del consumo de psicofármacos, consumo de drogas y diagnóstico de enfermedad mental en el Centro Penitenciario de Soria

En el siguiente estudio se ha analizado la población reclusa del CP de Soria en tratamiento con psicofármacos. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo correlacional observacional transversal retrospectivo el cual ha permitido conocer aspectos de los reclusos como son la nacionalidad, rango de edad, tipo y cantidad de psicofármaco, consumo histórico de drogas y diagnóstico de enfermedad mental. La prevalencia del consumo de psicofármacos es de casi la mitad de la población reclusa con el 45,96%. La nacionalidad mayoritaria en tratamiento de este tipo era la española con más del 91% de los reclusos. Un 28,37% recibía algún tipo de psicofármaco, encontrándose por detrás de los internos en tratamiento con dos -36,48%- y tres -29,72%- modalidades de fármaco. Un 63,5% tenía prescritos ansiolíticos, un 50% antidepresivos y un 47,29% antipsicóticos. En cuanto a la totalidad de prescripciones diarias un 32,96% comprendían los ansiolíticos, un 24,02% antidepresivos y un 20,67% antipsicóticos. Casi un 96% de los reclusos había consumido algún tipo de droga a lo largo de su vida. Entre ellas las más consumidas eran el tabaco -75,67%- cocaína -74,32%- y heroína -70,27%-. El consumo de más de una droga (policonsumo) también es elevado: un 64,78% consumía tanto cocaína como heroína, un 39,40% consumía cocaína, heroína y cannabis y un 18,30% consumía cocaína, heroína, cannabis y alcohol. A lo que a enfermedad mental se refiere un 55,40% de los reclusos en tratamiento con psicofármacos había tenido diagnóstico de enfermedad mental. Los diagnósticos según el DSM-IV más dados fueron los trastornos de ansiedad, los trastornos de la personalidad y los trastornos por abuso de sustancias. También se encontraron casos de esquizofrenia u otros trastornos psicóticos en número considerable. La prevalencia del consumo de psicofármacos en el CP de Soria es más alta en comparación con otros estudios realizados en el estado y Europa. La población mayoritaria con este tipo de tratamiento es de nacionalidad española y de edades comprendidas entre los 31-50 años. El psicofármaco más utilizado son los ansiolíticos. Un alto porcentaje de reclusos en tratamiento de este tipo ha consumido drogas alguna vez siendo el policonsumo algo habitual. No todos los reclusos en tratamiento tienen diagnóstico de enfermedad mental.Grado en Enfermerí