Impact of Training on Perceived Stress of Parents with Intellectually Disabled Children

The present study focuses on the perceived stress in 353 parents, whose Children with Intellectual disability underwent training in special education schools of (Bavitha Readiness Centres), Chittoor dist., Andhra Pradesh. The overall perceived stress (scale) score was measured through family assessment scheduled (FAS) developed by NIMHANS. The concerned mean scores were computed and compared at two stages of special training given to children i.e., at the time of joining and after two years of training with a paired t-test of significance. The overall findings reveal that the overall score, as well as its four sub–scales score of parent’s perceived stress, have been reduced after providing 2 years of special training to their Children with Intellectual disability as compared to joining the school (training)

A study on the left ventricular hypertrophy among the patients of chronic kidney disease stage third to five

Background: In Chronic kidney Disease (CKD) a significant risk factor for mortality is Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor is left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Anemia, hypertension and volume overload are risk factors for LVH in CKD. So, the present was aimed at comparing the risk factors between CKD with and without LVH.Methods: A cross sectional study carried out over a 2 year period in Department Nephrology and General Medicine OPD, MIMS, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. A total of 120 patients are included in this study and divided in to CKD stage III to V based on estimated GFR. Based on 2D echocardiography data CKD cases are further divided in to CKD with LVH and CKD without LVH.Results: The Left ventricular mass index was significant higher in CKD with LVH (128.89±19.28) when compared with CKD without LVH (108.20±10.28). The left ventricular mass index was noted in more number in stage V of CKD. It is also observed that the left ventricular mass index was negatively correlated with haemoglobin and eGFR and was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure and serum NT-proBNP.Conclusions: Present study finding suggested that the incidence of LVH is higher in CKD patients. LVH was positively correlated with hypertension and NT-proBNP and negatively correlated with anemia and estimated GFR

Development of a fast and flexible generic process for the reduction of nitro compounds

The hydrogenation of aromatic nitro substrates is a frequently used reaction in the multi-step fabrication of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Today most pharmaceutical production processes are performed in batch mode. In the frame of the C2-campaign speed is an important factor during the production of a multitude of possible API’s. A generic reactor set-up able to be adapted for the transformation of a specific substrate would reduce the development time and thereby the campaign time significantly. In the frame of the EU-project F3-Factory such a flexible and continuous reaction system for this important reaction class able to produce 1-5 kg API is being developed. To allow for an easy and fast adaptation of this process for a range of nitro substrates a substrates adoption methodology (SAM) is also being developed. A literature study of the nature of different reduction methods (H2 gas, H-Donor, CO gas, etc.) led to the conclusion that the liquid phase reduction of aromatic nitro substrates by either hydrogen gas or an H-donor is the most selective method. Following the requirements of that reaction type a flexible and modular reactor for the liquid phase reduction with a heterogeneous slurry catalyst was designed that can be adapted for reduction of a range of nitro compounds. The generic process provides the possibilities of swapping out a reactor or work up technology as required. The equipments of the generic process should be also able to operate at wider range of operational variables making it suitable for a range of substrates. The SAM identifies the necessary changes to a generic process and plant in order to adapt it for a given substrate. The objectives of this presentation is to highlight the design of a generic nitro reduction process and to demonstrate the application of this generic process on a pharmaceutical manufacturing case study involving the nitro reduction of 6-Nitroquinoline

Magnetization switching in ferromagnets by adsorbed chiral molecules without current or external magnetic field

Ferromagnets are commonly magnetized by either external magnetic fields or spin polarized currents. The manipulation of magnetization by spin-current occurs through the spin-transfer-torque effect, which is applied, for example, in modern magnetoresistive random access memory. However, the current density required for the spin-transfer torque is of the order of 1 × 106 A·cm−2, or about 1 × 1025 electrons s−1 cm−2. This relatively high current density significantly affects the devices’ structure and performance. Here we demonstrate magnetization switching of ferromagnetic thin layers that is induced solely by adsorption of chiral molecules. In this case, about 1013 electrons per cm2 are sufficient to induce magnetization reversal. The direction of the magnetization depends on the handedness of the adsorbed chiral molecules. Local magnetization switching is achieved by adsorbing a chiral self-assembled molecular monolayer on a gold-coated ferromagnetic layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. These results present a simple low-power magnetization mechanism when operating at ambient conditions

Hierarchical urchin-shaped alpha-MnO2 on graphene-coated carbon microfibers: a binder-free electrode for rechargeable aqueous Na-air battery

With the increasing demand of cost-effective and high-energy devices, sodium-air (Na-air) batteries have attracted immense interest due to the natural abundance of sodium in contrast to lithium. In particular, an aqueous Na-air battery has fundamental advantage over non-aqueous batteries due to the formation of highly water-soluble discharge product, which improve the overall performance of the system in terms of energy density, cyclic stability and round-trip efficiency. Despite these advantages, the rechargeability of aqueous Na-air batteries has not yet been demonstrated when using non-precious metal catalysts. In this work, we rationally synthesized a binder-free and robust electrode by directly growing urchin-shaped MnO2 nanowires on porous reduced graphene oxide-coated carbon microfiber (MGC) mats and fabricated an aqueous Na-air cell using the MGC as an air electrode to demonstrate the rechargeability of an aqueous Na-air battery. The fabricated aqueous Na-air cell exhibited excellent rechargeability and rate capability with a low overpotential gap (0.7 V) and high round-trip efficiency (81%). We believe that our approach opens a new avenue for synthesizing robust and binder-free electrodes that can be utilized to build not only metal-air batteries but also other energy systems such as supercapacitors, metal-ion batteries and fuel cells.ope

Assessment of the correlation of CD4 cell counts to C-reactive protein and lipoproteins in subjects with HIV infection: A clinical study

Aims-The present study was conducted to assess any correlation existing between changes in C - reactive protein and lipoproteins with CD4 cell counts in HIV Positive patients. Materials and methods- The study was conducted on 102 HIV-positive subjects. C-reactive protein, Lipid profiles, CD4 cell counts were assessed for all subjects. The collected data were subjected to evaluation and results were formulated. Results- 102 HIV positive subjects were grouped based on CD4 cell counts in four groups, the group I CD4 count <200/μL, group II CD4 count 201-350/μL, group III CD4 count 351-500/μL, and group IV has CD4 count>500/μL. In the majority of subjects with decreased CD4 count increased CRP levels were seen with a significant inverse correlation between CRP and CD4 count. It indicates that CRP level increases with increased HIV infection severity, and with decreased CD4 count. HDL decreased in HIV-positive patients and VLDL was increased with decreased CD4 cell count. No significant association was seen in serum Triglycerides and LDL with CD4 cell count. Conclusion- The present study concludes that C-reactive protein and lipid profiles are affected in HIV-positive subjects with decreased CD4 count. Hence, regular assessment of C-reactive protein and lipid profile help in assessing disease progression, forming a treatment plan, and decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease in HIV-positive subjects, when CD4 cell counts cannot be assessed

Thiamin Diphosphate Activation in 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-Phosphate Synthase: Insights into the Mechanism and Underlying Intermolecular Interactions

1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) is a thiamin diphosphate (TDP) dependent enzyme that marks the beginning of the methylerythritol 4-phosphate isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway. The mechanism of action for DXS is still poorly understood and begins with the formation of a thiazolium ylide. This TDP activation step is thought to proceed through an intramolecular deprotonation by the 4′-aminopyrimidine ring of TDP; however, this step would occur only after an initial deprotonation of its own 4′-amino group. The mechanism of the initial deprotonation has been hypothesized, by analogy to transketolases, to occur via a histidine or an active site water molecule. Results from hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) reaction path calculations reveal an ∼10 kcal/mol difference in transition state energies, favoring a water mediated mechanism over direct deprotonation by histidine. This difference was determined to be largely governed by electrostatic changes induced by conformational variations in the active site. Additionally, mutagenesis studies reveal DXS to be an evolutionarily resilient enzyme. Particularly, we hypothesize that residues H82 and H304 may act in a compensatory fashion if the other is lost due to mutation. Further, nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICSs) and aromatic stabilization energy (ASE) calculations suggest that reduction in TDP aromaticity also serves as a factor for regulating ylide formation and controlling reactivity

Identification and Characterization of Noncovalent Interactions That Drive Binding and Specificity in DD-Peptidases and β‑Lactamases

Bacterial resistance to standard (i.e., β-lactam-based) antibiotics has become a global pandemic. Simultaneously, research into the underlying causes of resistance has slowed substantially, although its importance is universally recognized. Key to unraveling critical details is characterization of the noncovalent interactions that govern binding and specificity (DD-peptidases, antibiotic targets, versus β-lactamases, the evolutionarily derived enzymes that play a major role in resistance) and ultimately resistance as a whole. Herein, we describe a detailed investigation that elicits new chemical insights into these underlying intermolecular interactions. Benzylpenicillin and a novel β-lactam peptidomimetic complexed to the Stremptomyces R61 peptidase are examined using an arsenal of computational techniques: MD simulations, QM/MM calculations, charge perturbation analysis, QM/MM orbital analysis, bioinformatics, flexible receptor/flexible ligand docking, and computational ADME predictions. Several key molecular level interactions are identified that not only shed light onto fundamental resistance mechanisms, but also offer explanations for observed specificity. Specifically, an extended π–π network is elucidated that suggests antibacterial resistance has evolved, in part, due to stabilizing aromatic interactions. Additionally, interactions between the protein and peptidomimetic substrate are identified and characterized. Of particular interest is a water-mediated salt bridge between Asp217 and the positively charged N-terminus of the peptidomimetic, revealing an interaction that may significantly contribute to β-lactam specificity. Finally, interaction information is used to suggest modifications to current β-lactam compounds that should both improve binding and specificity in DD-peptidases and their physiochemical properties