Comparison of safety pattern of drugs used in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: As per GOLD (Global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease) guidelines bronchodilators are required for symptomatic treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Currently there is no evidence to say about the safety of fixed dose combinations used in COPD patients. Since the drugs are to be taken for longer period, it is essential to know the safety aspects of these drugs. Moreover we don’t have adequate studies and documentation to say that a particular drug combination is better and safer for COPD patients.Methods: Prospective, open labelled, randomized, comparative, interventional clinical study conducted by the Departments of Pharmacology and Pulmonary Medicine of Basaveshwara Medical College and Hospital, Chitradurga in 40 COPD patients.Results: The fixed dose combinations of drugs used in both the treatment groups i.e. salmeterol/fluticasone and tiotropium/formoterol were equally safer and well tolerated. Some side effects noticed during the course of treatment were statistically significant when compared between the 2 groups, however they were milder and predictable adverse drug reactions.Conclusions: Systemic and severe adverse drug reactions were not observed during 8 week treatment period and the local side effects observed were mild in both the treatment groups. Hence the fixed dose combinations of salmeterol or fluticasone and tiotropium or formoterol are found to be safer for maintenance therapy in COPD patients

Biochemical & Hematological parameters to predict severity and mortality in COVID 19 patients – a retrospective study

Introduction: Coronavirus diseases (COVID-19), the global pandemic has posed a serious threat to the health of individuals across the world and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Several biochemical and hematological parameters are found to be altered in these patients and there is a need to identify a suitable biomarker that can help in better risk stratification of these patients. Hence in this study, we intend to evaluate the clinical utility of these parameters to predict severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Material & Methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital involving Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) positive COVID-19 patients (n-322). Data about patient\u27s age, gender, co-morbidities, duration of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay, need for mechanical ventilation and laboratory investigations were obtained from the Hospital Information System (HIS). Results: The average duration of hospital stay was 10 days, and the ICU stay of these patients was 6.5 days.[M1] [DSS2] There was a statistically significant increase in C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), neutrophils, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lower mean lymphocytic count (p=0.05), in patients who required ICU admission when compared to those who didn’t and[M3] [DSS4] also among non-survivors compared to survivors. Conclusion: Among the various biochemical & hematological markers, CRP, ferritin, LDH AST, and NLR were found to be better predictors of severity and mortality in COVID 19 patients. Timely monitoring of these markers would therefore help in better management and improved outcome for these patients

Online prediction of DGA results for intelligent condition monitoring of power transformers

Transformers form a major part of a power system in transmission as well as distribution of power. Considering the criticality, finance, and time involved in repair, periodic condition monitoring and maintenance of transformers are the key to ensure electrical safety as well as stable operation of the large interconnected power system. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) is an established tool used to determine the incipient faults within the transformer by analyzing the concentration of different gases in the transformer oil and giving early warnings and diagnoses. Currently, transformers worldwide utilise online sensors to monitor dissolved gases and moisture content in oil. The online DGA sensor uses a small amount of oil from transformer to perform real-time DGA analysis and gives the ppm content of dissolved gases for further course of action. Considering the large quantity of assets and the huge amount of data produced, it is imperative to develop a tool to aid the operators in assimilating the available data for diagnosis and proactive decision making. The present study improvises AI techniques to predict future dissolved gas concentrations using real time DGA data collected from the transmission utility of the country. The prediction helps to forecast the trend of development of incipient faults in the transformer. The complete project scope is to develop a highly reliable diagnostic tool to emulate the decision-making ability of a human expert in transformer DGA analysis to enhance transformer life. In the present paper, models based on Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Vector Auto Regression (VAR) are implemented to predict DGA data of three in-service transformers. DGA data is forecasted for up to 8 monthly samples in the future, and the accuracy of results is compared with each other. The LSTM-VAR combined model is seen to provide the best results among them

Phosphorus Mobilizers from Mangrove Ecosystem and their Role in Desalination of Agricultural Lands

Globally the agricultural activities are having shrinkage in terms of area and salinization of agricultural lands is one of the most serious environmental problems. Nationally our land is affected by salinity and alkalinity, and thus results in decreased production. Phosphorus being one of the essential mineral nutrients limits the plant growth and is unavailable to plants due to its low solubility and high fixation in the soil. Hence, this is rectified with additional supply of as phosphatic fertilizers. However, major portion of soluble inorganic phosphate in form of chemical fertilizer applied to soil is immobilized rapidly and occurs in oxidised form as phosphates bounded to aluminium, calcium or iron and becomes unavailable to plants. Hence, the use of phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria can provide a solution to the problem of limited phosphorus availability in salt-affected soils. The application of phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria as biofertilizer can not only improves the growth and quality of produce, but also drastically reduces the usage of chemical fertilizers. Hence, phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria can be used as environment friendly bio-fertilizers help to reduce the requirement of phosphatic fertilizer

Pair trawl fishery for oil Sardine in Palk Bay

Landings of Indian oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps were investigated at Rameswaram during November, 2015 – January 2016 period. It was exploited mainly by pair trawlers, which operate a trawl net, locally known as Rettaimadi. The oil sardine fishery by pair trawlers initiated was long back (Marichamy et al., 1992, Mar. Fish. Infor. Serv. T & E Ser., 17:18-19) but lack of transportation and absence of marketing avenues for oil sardine did not encourage adoption of this fishing method. However the current trend of neighbouring states to access these landings, encouraged the fishers to operate about 200 pair trawlers during the fishing season of 2015 -16. There were about 12- 13 fishing days in a month as per the government records. The fish merchants and agents from Kerala and Karnataka came to the landing centres with ice and lorries for transporting and marketing oil sardine, both fresh as well as spoiled ones for fishmeal plants. The estimated catch of oil sardine from Palk Bay Rameswaram for the season was 1,03,200 t. The Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) varied from 5 to 20 tonnes (t)

Prospective nutritional, therapeutic, and dietary benefits of camel milk making it a viable option for human consumption: Current state of scientific knowledge

For over five thousand years, people in Asia and Africa have known about the health benefits of camel milk. Thus, it is used not only as a food source but also as a medicine. The similarities between camel milk and human milk have been scientifically proven. Camel milk is unique among ruminant milk because it is high in vitamins C and E and low in sugar and cholesterol. Still, it contains a wide variety of beneficial minerals (including sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium), besides being rich in several nutrients, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, serum albumin, lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, lysozyme and the hormone insulin. Because of these components, many medical professionals now recommend camel milk as a treatment for various human ailments. It has been demonstrated to be effective in treating gastrointestinal issues, Type 1 diabetes, and food allergies. As a bonus, camel milk has been utilized to cure autism, lower cholesterol, prevent psoriasis, heal inflammation, aid tuberculosis patients, boost the body's natural defences, and impede the spread of cancer cells. Those who have problems digesting lactose may still be able to tolerate it. Conversely, camel milk can also help reduce an excessively high bilirubin, globulin, and granulocyte count. Drinking camel milk does not affect the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin concentration, and leukocyte count. The proteins in camel milk have an adequate ratio of critical amino acids. Immunoglobulins, which fight disease, are contained inside, and their small size allows antigens to penetrate and boosts the immune system's efficacy. This article highlights the health benefits and medicinal uses of camel milk

Cinnamon as a Potential Feed Additive: Beneficial Effects on Poultry Health and Production Performances – An Update

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, global poultry output increased from approximately 115 million tons in 2016 to around 136 million tons in 2023. Poultry production has increased significantly with the dramatic uptick in meat and egg demand. Feed accounts for between 65 and 70 percent of total production costs, making it the largest chicken industry expense. This is why it's important to maximize the transformation of poultry feed into feed with a high biological value while taking as many steps as possible to protect feed quality and reduce feed costs. The use of feed additives in poultry feed has recently gained popularity and has been essential to increase feed efficiency and growth rate, which typically leads to reduced costs. The meat's texture, consistency, and nutritional content are all improved, and its shelf life is lengthened as a bonus. Feed additives are a fantastic tool for boosting a poultry farm's bottom line. For example, cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is often used as a traditional feed supplement. Rather than antibiotics, the poultry industry could benefit from using cinnamon as a natural antibiotic replacement, which would benefit animal welfare, consumer health, and the bottom line. The performance index, feed intake, FCE performance, and weight growth of poultry can all be improved by including cinnamon in the feed at varied concentrations. The digestive health and intestinal microbial population of hens are enhanced by a diet containing bioactive components of cinnamon. Cinnamon essential oils' popularity stems from their many valuable features, such as their ability to increase gastric enzyme synthesis and other biofunctional benefits. This review focuses on the possible advantages of cinnamon as a natural feed supplement for chickens, particularly about their intestinal microbiota, blood chemistry, nutrient absorption, gene expression, and immunology

Type Ia Supernova Rate Measurements To Redshift 2.5 From CANDELS: Searching For Prompt Explosions In The Early Universe

dThe Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) was a multi-cycle treasury program on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that surveyed a total area of -0.25 deg2 with -900 HST orbits spread across five fields over three years. Within these survey images we discovered 65 supernovae (SNe) of all types, out to z 2.5. We classify -24 of these as Type Ia SNe (SNe Ia) based on host galaxy redshifts and SN photometry (supplemented by grism spectroscopy of six SNe). Here we present a measurement of the volumetric SN Ia rate as a function of redshift, reaching for the first time beyond z =- 2 and putting new constraints on SN Ia progenitor models. Our highest redshift bin includes detections of SNe that exploded when the universe was only -3 Gyr old and near the peak of the cosmic star formation history. This gives the CANDELS high redshift sample unique leverage for evaluating the fraction of SNe Ia that explode promptly after formation ( 40 Myr. However, mild tension is apparent between ground-based low-z surveys and space-based high-z surveys. In both CANDELS and the sister HST program CLASH (Cluster Lensing And Supernova Survey with Hubble), we find a low rate of SNe Ia at z > 1. This could be a hint that prompt progenitors are in fact relatively rare, accounting for only 20% of all SN Ia explosions-though further analysis and larger samples will be needed to examine that suggestion. Key words: infrared: general - supernovae:Astronom

Constraints on the architecture of the HD 95086 planetary system with the Gemini Planet Imager

We present astrometric monitoring of the young exoplanet HD 95086 b obtained with the Gemini Planet Imager between 2013 and 2016. A small but significant position angle change is detected at constant separation; the orbital motion is confirmed with literature measurements. Efficient Monte Carlo techniques place preliminary constraints on the orbital parameters of HD 95086 b. With 68% confidence, a semimajor axis of 61.7^{+20.7}_{-8.4} au and an inclination of 153.0^{+9.7}_{-13.5} deg are favored, with eccentricity less than 0.21. Under the assumption of a co-planar planet-disk system, the periastron of HD 95086 b is beyond 51 au with 68% confidence. Therefore HD 95086 b cannot carve the entire gap inferred from the measured infrared excess in the SED of HD 95086. We use our sensitivity to additional planets to discuss specific scenarios presented in the literature to explain the geometry of the debris belts. We suggest that either two planets on moderately eccentric orbits or three to four planets with inhomogeneous masses and orbital properties are possible. The sensitivity to additional planetary companions within the observations presented in this study can be used to help further constrain future dynamical simulations of the planet-disk system.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Peculiar Debris Disk of HD 111520 as Resolved by the Gemini Planet Imager

Using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), we have resolved the circumstellar debris disk around HD 111520 at a projected range of ~30-100 AU in both total and polarized $H$-band intensity. The disk is seen edge-on at a position angle of ~165$^{\circ}$ along the spine of emission. A slight inclination or asymmetric warping are covariant and alters the interpretation of the observed disk emission. We employ 3 point spread function (PSF) subtraction methods to reduce the stellar glare and instrumental artifacts to confirm that there is a roughly 2:1 brightness asymmetry between the NW and SE extension. This specific feature makes HD 111520 the most extreme examples of asymmetric debris disks observed in scattered light among similar highly inclined systems, such as HD 15115 and HD 106906. We further identify a tentative localized brightness enhancement and scale height enhancement associated with the disk at ~40 AU away from the star on the SE extension. We also find that the fractional polarization rises from 10 to 40% from 0.5" to 0.8" from the star. The combination of large brightness asymmetry and symmetric polarization fraction leads us to believe that an azimuthal dust density variation is causing the observed asymmetry.Comment: 9 pages, 8 Figures, 1 table, Accepted to Ap