AUDIOMETRY IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC PATIENTS OF THE AGE GROUP 45 TO 65 YEARS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

ABSTRACTObjective: To compare the relationship between Type 2 diabetic patients and hearing loss in patients of age Group 45-65 years.Methods: The study was conducted on two groups of people: Diabetic and non-diabetic patients (n=25). The results of the pure-tone audiometry werecollected from the center and analyzed for statistical differences.Results: Statistically significant results were obtained. It indicated that diabetic patients had less hearing sensitivity compared to non-diabeticpatients.Conclusion: It was concluded that patients with longer duration of diabetics had less hearing sensitivity.Keywords: Diabetic, Pure tone audiometry, Frequency

An IOT based smart metering development for energy management system

The worldwide energy demand is increasing and hence necessity measures need to be taken to reduce the energy wastage with proper metering infrastructure in the buildings. A Smart meter can be used to monitor electricity consumption of customers in the smart grid technology. For allocating the available resources proper energy demand management is required. During the past years, various methods are being utilized for energy demand management to precisely calculate the requirements of energy that is yet to come. A large system presents a potential esteem to execute energy conservation as well as additional services linked to energy services, extended as a competent with end user is executed. The supervising system at the utilities determines the interface of devices with significant advantages, while the communication with the household is frequently proposing particular structures for appropriate buyer-oriented implementation of a smart meter network. Also, this paper concentrates on the estimation of vitality utilization. In this paper energy is measured in units and also product arrangement is given to create bill for energy consumption and implementing in LabVIEW software. An IOT based platform is created for remote monitoring of the metering infrastructure in the real time. The data visualization is also carried out in webpage and the data packet loss is investigated in the remote monitoring of the parameters

Tumors in von Hippel–Lindau Syndrome: From Head to Toe—Comprehensive State-of-the-Art Review

Von Hippel–Lindau syndrome (VHL) is an autosomal-dominant hereditary tumor disease that arises owing to germline mutations in the VHL gene, located on the short arm of chromosome 3. Patients with VHL may develop multiple benign and malignant tumors involving various organ systems, including retinal hemangioblastomas (HBs), central nervous system (CNS) HBs, endolymphatic sac tumors, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic cystadenomas, pancreatic cysts, clear cell renal cell carcinomas, renal cysts, pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, and epididymal and broad ligament cystadenomas. The VHL/hypoxia-inducible factor pathway is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of VHL-related tumors. The diagnosis of VHL can be made clinically when the characteristic clinical history and findings have manifested, such as the presence of two or more CNS HBs. Genetic testing for heterozygous germline VHL mutation may also be used to confirm the diagnosis of VHL. Imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and surveillance of patients with VHL. Familiarity with the clinical and imaging manifestations of the various VHL-related tumors is important for early detection and guiding appropriate management. The purpose of this article is to discuss the molecular cytogenetics and clinical manifestations of VHL, review the characteristic multimodality imaging features of the various VHL-related tumors affecting multiple organ systems, and discuss the latest advances in management of VHL, including current recommendations for surveillance and screening

Genetic algorithm based reactive power dispatch for voltage stability improvement,

a b s t r a c t Voltage stability assessment and control form the core function in a modern energy control centre. This paper presents an improved Genetic algorithm (GA) approach for voltage stability enhancement. The proposed technique is based on the minimization of the maximum of L-indices of load buses. Generator voltages, switchable VAR sources and transformer tap changers are used as optimization variables of this problem. The proposed approach permits the optimization variables to be represented in their natural form in the genetic population. For effective genetic processing, the crossover and mutation operators which can directly deal with the floating point numbers and integers are used. The proposed algorithm has been tested on IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 57-bus test systems and successful results have been obtained

Functional outcome of platelet rich plasma on lateral epicondylitis of elbow

Background: The study was conducted with the aim to explore the efficacy of platelet rich plasma in sixty patients who presented to us with lateral epicondylitis of elbow where conservative management has failed.Methods: Between 2013 and 2015, 60 patients (M: F- 20: 40) with lateral epicondylitis of elbow were included. All patients presented to us with lateral epicondylitis of elbow where conservative management has failed. All patients are treated with platelet rich plasma injection. Serial follow-up were done at 1, 6 and 12 month.Results: All sixty patients had significant improvement before and after platelet rich plasma injection. The mean VAS score and the Mayo score suggests significant improvement in pain and elbow function following platelet rich plasma treatment. Conclusions: Platelet rich plasma improves pain and elbow function in patients suffering from lateral epicondylitis where conservative management has failed. Platelet rich plasma treatment may decrease the overall time for healing, and thereby decreasing the overall need for surgical intervention

Seasonal incidence, population dynamics and morphometric traits of exotic coconut whiteflies in southern Tamil Nadu

Survey was conducted at fortnightly intervals to assess the intensity of damage caused by the invasive whiteflies in coconut in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu viz., Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari from December 2020 to August 2021. Among the four districts, Kanyakumari recorded the highest whitefly incidence (56.30%), whereas, Tenkasi showed the lowest infestation (48.83%). Two whitefly species viz., rugose spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin and bondars nesting whitefly (BNW), Paraleyrodes bondari Peracchi were observed in all the surveyed districts. The rugose spiralling whitefly nymphs and adult populations were found to be highest in Kanyakumari (49.46 nymphs/leaflet; 36.99 adults/leaflet) and lowest in Tenkasi (32.76 nymphs/leaflet; 26.71 adults/leaflet). Similarly, the population of bondars nesting whitefly nymphs and adults were highest in Kanyakumari (35.31 nymphs/leaflet; 34.84 adults/leaflet), whereas, the lowest nymphal population was observed in Tenkasi (22.79 nymphs/leaflet) and adult population in Thoothukudi (24.19 adults/leaflet). In morphometric analysis, length and breadth of egg (0.24 ± 0.03 mm and 0.13± 0.02 mm), nymphal (0.83 ± 0.08 mm and 0.38 ± 0.04 mm), pupal (1.08 ± 0.09 mm and 0.70 ± 0.09 mm), adult (female: 2.59 ± 0.09mm, 1.71 ± 0.14 mm; male: 2.27 ± 0.21 mm, 1.30 ± 0.05 mm) was recorded for A. rugioperculatus and egg (0.15 ± 0.02 mm and 0.08 ± 0.01 mm), nymphal (0.46 ± 0.02 mm and 0.36 ± 0.02 mm), pupal (0.59 ± 0.16 mm and 0.41 ± 0.09 mm), adult (1.09 ± 0.08 mm and 0.73 ± 0.07 mm) for P. bondari

A brackishwater isolate of Pseudomonas PS-102, a potential antagonistic bacterium against pathogenic vibrios in penaeid and non-penaeid rearing systems

A Pseudomonas sp PS-102 recovered from Muttukkadu brackish water lagoon, situated south of Chennai, showed significant activity against a number of shrimp pathogenic vibrios. Out of the 112 isolates of bacterial pathogens comprising Vibrio harveyi, V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, V. fluvialis, and Aeromonas spp, 73% were inhibited in vitro by the cell-free culture supernatant of Pseudomonas sp PS-102 isolate. The organism produced yellowish fluorescent pigment on King's B medium, hydrolysed starch and protein, and produced 36.4% siderophore units by CAS assay and 32 μM of catechol siderophores as estimated by Arnow's assay. The PS-102 isolate showed wide ranging environmental tolerance with, temperatures from 25 to 40 °C, pH from 6 to 8, salinity from 0 to 36 ppt, while the antagonistic activity peaked in cultures grown at 30 °C, pH 8.0 and at 5 ppt saline conditions. The antagonistic activity of the culture supernatant was evident even at 30% v / v dilution against V. harveyi. The preliminary studies on the nature of the antibacterial action indicated that the antagonistic principle as heat stable and resistant to proteolytic, lipolytic and amylolytic enzymes. Pseudomonas sp PS 102 was found to be safe to shrimp when PL-9 stage were challenged at 107 CFU ml− 1 and by intramuscular injection into of 5 g sub-adults shrimp at 105 to 108 CFU. Further, its safety in a mammalian system, tested by its pathogenicity to mice, was also determined and its LD50 to BALB/c mice was found to be 109 CFU. The results of this study indicated that the organism Pseudomonas sp PS 102 could be employed as a potential probiont in shrimp and prawn aquaculture systems for management and control of bacterial infections

Quasi-deterministic Localization of Er Emitters in Thin Film TiO2_2 through Submicron-scale Crystalline Phase Control

With their shielded 4f orbitals, rare-earth ions (REIs) offer optical and electron spin transitions with good coherence properties even when embedded in a host crystal matrix, highlighting their utility as promising quantum emitters and memories for quantum information processing. Among REIs, trivalent erbium (Er$^{3+}$) uniquely has an optical transition in the telecom C-band, ideal for transmission over optical fibers, and making it well-suited for applications in quantum communication. The deployment of Er$^{3+}$ emitters into a thin film TiO$_2$ platform has been a promising step towards scalable integration; however, like many solid-state systems, the deterministic spatial placement of quantum emitters remains an open challenge. We investigate laser annealing as a means to locally tune the optical resonance of Er$^{3+}$ emitters in TiO$_2$ thin films on Si. Using both nanoscale X-ray diffraction measurements and cryogenic photoluminescence spectroscopy, we show that tightly focused below-gap laser annealing can induce anatase to rutile phase transitions in a nearly diffraction-limited area of the films and improve local crystallinity through grain growth. As a percentage of the Er:TiO$_2$ is converted to rutile, the Er$^{3+}$ optical transition blueshifts by 13 nm. We explore the effects of changing laser annealing time and show that the amount of optically active Er:rutile increases linearly with laser power. We additionally demonstrate local phase conversion on microfabricated Si structures, which holds significance for quantum photonics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Serum amyloid A and inflammasome activation : a link to breast cancer progression?

CITATION: Fourie, C. et al. 2021.Serum amyloid A and inflammasome activation: A link to breast cancer progression? Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews, 59:62-70. doi:10.1016/j.cytogfr.2020.10.006The original publication is available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/cytokine-and-growth-factor-reviewsBreast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women globally. Although there have been many significant advances made in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, numerous unresolved challenges remain, which include prevention, early diagnosis, metastasis and recurrence. The role of inflammation in cancer development is well established and is believed to be one of the leading hallmarks of cancer progression. Recently, the role of the inflammasome, a cytosolic multiprotein complex, has received attention in different cancers. By contributing to the activation of inflammatory cytokines the inflammasome intensifies the inflammatory cascade. The inflammasome can be activated through several pathways, which include the binding of pattern associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) to toll-like receptors (TLRs). Serum amyloid A (SAA), a non-specific acute-phase protein, can function as an endogenous DAMP by binding to pattern recognition receptors like TLRs on both breast cancer cells and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). SAA can thus stimulate the production of IL-1β, thereby creating a favourable inflammatory environment to support tumour growth. The aim of this review is to highlight the possible role of SAA as an endogenous DAMP in the tumour microenvironment (TME) thereby promoting breast cancer growth through the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359610120302203?via%3DihubPublishers versio