Studies on the spermatogenesis of two Indian freshwater brachyurans

The events of spermatogenesis in two species of brachyuran crabs (Barytelphusa jacquemonti (Rathbun) and Oziotelphusa senex (Fabricius) were studied by light microscopy. Four different cell types were categorised in the testis, namely 1. Spermatogonia, 2. Spermatocytes, 3. Spermatids and 4. Spermatozoa. Each cell type has been studied in detail, for its structure, morphometry and the process of transformation into the next stage. Comparisons are drawn with the observations on the spermatogenesis of other decapods

Public Attitude towards Mental Illness in Bangalore: An Exploratory Study

The aim of the present study was to examine the attitudes towards people with mental illness in the city of Bangalore. The sample consisted of 400 people living in different parts of the city. They were assessed on socio-demographic data sheet, Orientation to Mental Illness Scale, Exposure, Knowledge and Social Distance Scale and Attitudes towards Mental Illness Scale. The Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Student t-test, ANOVA, ANCOVA, Pearson’s correlation and Step-wise Multiple Regression Analysis. The study reveals that the common man had neutral orientation to mental illness and is moderate in their attitudes to mental illness. However, many were not informed regarding legal provisions available for the mentally ill and rehabilitation services existing in the community. Although the public was fairly low on social distance, this did not apply to intimate relationships such as sharing a room or marriage. Socio-demographic factors, especially like that of education, had an impact on the attitudes of many to mental illness, with the higher educated being better aware and more positive towards the mentally ill. The study brings out the need for programmes to raise the awareness among the ordinary citizen on various aspects of mental illness including existing legal provisions for the mentally ill in the community and rehabilitation services

Optimization and Development of Swellable Controlled Porosity Osmotic Pump Tablet for Theophylline

Purpose: To develop swellable controlled porosity osmotic pump tablet of theophylline and to define the formulation and process variables responsible for drug release by applying statistical optimizationtechnique.Methods: Formulations were prepared based on Taguchi Orthogonal Array design and Fraction Factorial design for core and coating, respectively. The tablets were prepared by direct compression and wet granulation methods; spray coated with ethyl cellulose solution containing varying amounts ofPEG 400 and plasdone. Drug release from the osmotic drug delivery system was studied using USP Type I paddle type apparatus. The membrane morphology of the delivery system was determined byscanning electron microscopy (SEM).Results: Optimization results indicated that the release rate of theophylline from the swellable controlled porosity osmotic pump tablet is directly proportional to the levels of osmotic agent, solubilizing agent andpore former in the tablet core and the membrane, respectively. SEM showed the formation of pores in the membrane through which drug release occurred. The best formulation showed 98.2 % drug releaseand complied with USP requirements.Conclusion: The results confirmed that the factors responsible for drug release were osmotic agents (core) and pore former (membrane). Also, the preparation of swellable controlled porosity osmotic pumptablet was facilitated by coating the core tablet with pore forming agent, thus eliminating the need for the more expensive laser drilling

Clinical determinants of thirty-day mortality in a cohort of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis

Background: Aim and objectives was to study clinical profile of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) and evaluate clinical factors associated with short term (30-day) mortality.Methods: This is a prospective study conducted from January 2016 to January 2017 at Liver Care Unit, Osmania General Hospital. This study was approved by ethics committee of the hospital and written informed consent was obtained from all subjects included in the study. Patients with clinical alcoholic hepatitis with serum bilirubin >5mg/dl, aspartate amino transferase (AST)/ alanine amino transferase (ALT) ratio >2 with an AST level >45 but <500U/L, Maddrey’s Discriminant function (MDF) ≥32 were included in the study.Results: The 30-day mortality of severe AH in the current study was 40%. Alcoholic hepatitis was most common in males between 40-50 years with a median age of 46.9±7.7 (31-60) years. The clinical complications consisted of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in 40%, hepato renal syndrome (HRS) and renal failure in 18.2% and infections in 40%. HRS, bilirubin, ALT, AST, urea, creatinine, Na+ and all prognostic scores showed significant association with in hospital mortality at 30days on univariate analysis while United Kingdom end liver disease (UKELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores showed most significance on multivariate regression analysis.Conclusions: The 30-day mortality of severe AH in the current study was 40%. High UKELD, CTP scores and presence of HRS/Renal dysfunction at time of admission are associated with high 30-day mortality. Patients with advanced age, decompensated cirrhosis, coagulopathy, renal injury, malnourished status and low sodium respond poorly to therapy

Heat Treatment of Metastable Beta Titanium Alloys

Heat treatment of metastable beta titanium alloys involves essentially two steps—solution treatment in beta or alpha+beta phase field and aging at appropriate lower temperatures. High strength in beta titanium alloys can be developed via solution treatment followed by aging by precipitating fine alpha (α) particles in a beta (β) matrix. Volume fraction and morphology of α determine the strength whereas ductility is dependent on the β grain size. Solution treatment in (α + β) range can give rise to a better combination of mechanical properties, compared to solution treatment in the β range. However, aging at some temperatures may lead to a low/nil-ductility situation and this has to be taken into account while designing the aging step. Heating rate to aging temperature also has a significant effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties obtained after aging. In addition to α, formation of intermediate phases such as omega, beta prime during decomposition of beta phase has been a subject of detailed studies. In addition to covering these issues, the review pays special attention to heat treatment of beta titanium alloys for biomedical applications, in view of the growing interest this class of alloys have been receiving

Processing of Beta Titanium Alloys for Aerospace and Biomedical Applications

The unique combination of attributes—high strength to weight ratio, excellent heat treatability, a high degree of hardenability, and a remarkable hot and cold workability—has made beta titanium alloys an attractive group of materials for several aerospace applications. Titanium alloys, in general, possess a high degree of resistance to biofluid environments; beta titanium alloys with high molybdenum equivalent have low elastic modulus coming close to that of human bone, making them particularly attractive for biomedical applications. Bulk processing of the alloys for aerospace applications is carried out by double vacuum melting followed by hot working. There have been many studies with reference to super-solvus and sub-solvus forging of beta titanium alloys. For alloys with low to medium level of molybdenum equivalent, sub-solvus forging was demonstrated to result in a superior combination of mechanical properties. A number of studies have been carried out in the area of heat treatment of beta titanium alloys. Studies have also been devoted to surface modification of beta titanium alloys. The chapter attempts to review these studies, with emphasis on aerospace and biomedical applications

Sclerosing PEComa: A Histologic Surprise

PEComa represents a group of mesenchymal tumors consisting of perivascular epithelioid cells. We present a 50-year old female patient with a rare distinctive variant, sclerosing PEComa, characterized by extensive stromal hyalinization and a predilection for the pararenal retroperitoneum.Key Words: PEComa, Sclerosing PECom