EQUILIBRIUM AND KINETIC STUDY OF ADSORPTION OF NICKEL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION ONTO BAEL TREE LEAF POWDER

The ability of bael tree (BT) leaf powder to adsorb nickel, Ni2+, from aqueous solutions has been investigated through batch experiments. The Ni2+ adsorption was found to be dependent on adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and contact time. All batch experiments were carried out at natural solution pH and at a constant temperature of 30°C using wrist-action shaker that operated at 120 rpm. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin equations. The monolayer adsorption capacity is 1.527 mg Ni per g BT leaf powder. The experiments showed that highest removal rate was 60.21% for Ni2+ under optimal conditions. The kinetic processes of Ni2+ adsorption on BT leaf powder were described by applying pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order rate equations. The kinetic data for the adsorption process obeyed pseudo-second-order rate equations. The BT leaf powder investigated in this study exhibited a high potential for the removal of Ni2+ from aqueous solution

A study to correlate elevated creatinine phosphokinase with snake bite and acute kidney injury

There are significant indicators in snake bite to detect early changes in AKI, one of them would be CPK. And that alkalinization of urine would lower the incidence of AKI and the subsequent need for dialysis support. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE : To establish the correlation between creatinine phosphokinase elevation with incidence of acute kidney injury in hemotoxic snake bite patients and to prove that soda bicarbonate infusion can reduce the need for hemodialysis in those patients MATERIALS AND METHODS: STUDY POPULATION: Patients with history of snake bite who fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria getting admitted in General Medicine wards of Govt. Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, during the period of January 2016 to June 2016. INCLUSION CRITERIA: All patients with history of snake bite with signs of envenomation aged 15 to 60 years of both sexes admitted in general medicine wards of Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai. Exclusion Criteria: Patients with pre existing renal diseases and ischemic heart diseases with present history of snake bite. Patients with the risk of developing renal diseases due to underlying diseases like hypertension, diabetes, connective tissue diseases and chronic infection. Patients with history of medications (steroids, nephrotoxic drugs) within last 10 days, before the snake bite.Neurotoxic snake bites were not included Patients referred after 3 days of snake bite. DATA COLLECTION: Data will be collected using a pretested proforma meeting the objectives of the study. Detailed history, physical examination, and necessary investigations will be undertaken. The purpose of the study will be explained to the patient and informed consent obtained. Using noninvasive methods acute kidney injury in snake bite patients who fulfill the inclusion criteria is assessed. The analysis of the data will be Done Using Appropriate Statistical Methods. Laboratory Investigations: Complete haemogram, Whole blood clotting time, Bleeding time, Blood urea and serum creatinine, CREATINE PHOSPHO KINASE (CPK), USG abdomen and pelvis, Prothrombin time. Design Of Study: Randomized control study. Participants: Patients admitted with history of snake bite with signs of envenomation in General Medicine wards of Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai from January 2016 to May 2016. METHOD: Around 250 patients admitted to medicine department with history of snake bite with features of hemotoxicity was tested for serum CPK levels, routine blood investigations and USG abdomen and pelvis was also done to rule out chronic kidney disease. First and third day creatinine values were measured and the patients were divided into cases and controls for intervention with sodium bicarbonate (1 ampoule in 500 ml NS over 1 hour) with serial monitoring for hypokalemia. The patients were later followed up with repeat renal function tests to assess the need for hemodialysis. OBSERVATION AND RESULTS: Around 250 patients 85% were males and 15% were females with most of the males within 35-45 working population. Around 15% are less than or equal to 25 years, 27% are between 25-35 years of age, 31% between 35-45 years and 27 % are 45 and above years. More than 90% patients with cellulitis or with history of hemotoxicity developed CPK elevations of more than 150 which was significant First day creatinine values were higher in the non intervention group than in the intervention groups by around 45% .Third day creatinine values were also greater in the non intervention than post soda bicarbonate infusion group. And 28% were requiring hemodialysis in the non-intervention group. But around 12% in the intervention group were requiring hemodialysis. CONCLUSION: This study correlates one of the factors in the prevention of AKI, but there are more than 10 mechanims attributed to the cause of renal failure in snake bite patients. So this intervention may be in addition to the other treatment with IVF, anti-venom, antibiotics and prevention of dehydration. The CPK values tend to correlate with the incidence of renal failure and it can be prevented with soda bicarbonate infusion. Other factors like NGAL levels were not measured to asses for the incidence of renal failure. So all these is to be considered in treating a patient with hemotoxicc snake bite with elevated CPK values

IS MULLIGAN'S SUSTAINED NATURAL APOPHYSEAL GLIDES (SNAGS) OR MUSCLE ENERGY TECHNIQUE IS EFFECTIVE IN THE NON-SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF CERVICOGENIC HEADACHE? A TWO-GROUP PRETEST-POSTTEST RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of Mulligan's Glides like sustained natural apophyseal glides and muscle energy technique (MET) in the management of individual with cervicogenic headache (ICH).Methods: A total of 30 ICH were recruited by the simple random sampling to participate in this two-group pretest-posttest, single-blinded randomized clinical study. Recruited ICH was randomly allocated into two groups, Group A and Group B. ICH in Group A was provided with Mulligan's SNAGs of 3 glides/session/day×5 days/week×4-week duration, while in Group B, ICH received MET for suboccipital muscles for 6 times/session/day×5 days/ week×4 weeks. Both the groups received the common intervention of stretching and strengthening for cervical muscles for 4 weeks. Pain scores (visual analog score [VAS]), disability (headache disability index [HD]), and cervical extension range of motion (ROM) were documented at baseline and 4th week after intervention and analyzed.Results: Group B demonstrated significance difference (p<0.05) in HDI, VAS, and cervical extension ROM when compared to Group A.Conclusion: 4 week MET has the sufficient potential to decrease neck pain, disability, and increase cervical mobility among ICH as a non-surgical management

Potential pathway for recycling of the paper mill sludge compost for brick making

This study's focus was to develop a potential pathway for recycling of the paper mill sludge compost (PMSC) in brick making. Composting reduces the paper mill sludge (PMS) moisture content considerably and shredding becomes easier. The addition of PMSC leads to an increase of porosities in bricks and makes them lighter, besides delivering energy to the firing process from burning organics. Lighter construction materials help minimize construction outlay by reducing labour and transportation costs and lesser expense on foundation construction. The variability in the experimental data and the brick properties were investigated for two types of soils, typical in the brick industry of India (alluvial and laterite soil), blended with PMSC in five mix ratios (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%). The samples of oven-dried bricks were fired at two different temperatures (850 and 900 ˚C) in an electrically operated muffle furnace representing typical conditions of a brick kiln. Various properties of bricks were analyzed which included linear shrinkage, bulk density, water absorption and compressive strength. Conclusions were drawn based on these properties. It was found that the addition of PMSC to the alluvial and laterite soil by up to 10% weight yield mechanical properties of fired bricks compliant with the relevant Indian and ASTM codes. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests showed that PMSC incorporated fired bricks are safe to use in regular applications as non-load-bearing and infill walls. This study is timely in light of the European Green Deal putting focus on circular economy. Besides, it fulfils the objective of UN sustainable development goals (SDG)

Harnessing Transcriptionally driven chromosomal instability adaptation to target therapy-refractory lethal prostate cancer.

Metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) inevitably acquires resistance to standard therapy preceding lethality. Here, we unveil a chromosomal instability (CIN) tolerance mechanism as a therapeutic vulnerability of therapy-refractory lethal PCa. Through genomic and transcriptomic analysis of patient datasets, we find that castration and chemotherapy-resistant tumors display the highest CIN and mitotic kinase levels. Functional genomics screening coupled with quantitative phosphoproteomics identify MASTL kinase as a survival vulnerability specific of chemotherapy-resistant PCa cells. Mechanistically, MASTL upregulation is driven by transcriptional rewiring mechanisms involving the non-canonical transcription factors androgen receptor splice variant 7 and E2F7 in a circuitry that restrains deleterious CIN and prevents cell death selectively in metastatic therapy-resistant PCa cells. Notably, MASTL pharmacological inhibition re-sensitizes tumors to standard therapy and improves survival of pre-clinical models. These results uncover a targetable mechanism promoting high CIN adaptation and survival of lethal PCa

Bael Tree Leaves as a Natural Adsorbent for the Removal of Zinc(II) Ions from Industrial Effluents

The removal of heavy metal ions from water and wastewater has received a great deal of attention. Although adsorption methods are those most frequently used for the treatment of polluted water, such methods generally employ high-cost adsorbents such as activated carbon. The purpose of the present study was the exploration of the use of natural materials as a low-cost adsorbent in such technological applications. Thus, experiments have been conducted to test the efficiency of bael tree leaves in removing heavy metal ions, viz. Zn(II) ions, from wastewater derived from the electroplating industry. The percentage removal of Zn(II) ions was evaluated under varying experimental conditions, i.e. adsorbent dosage, initial metal ion concentration and contact time. To this effect, batch adsorption experiments were undertaken employing 2 g of 40–50 mesh bael tree leaves as an adsorbent in 100 mℓ of synthetic wastewater containing ca. 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/ℓ of Zn(II) ions. The initial pH of the synthetic wastewater was ca. 5. The experiments showed that the highest removal rate for Zn(II) ions was 88.58% under optimal conditions. Such Zn(II) ion adsorption followed reversible first-order rate kinetics. Thus, the tree leaves investigated in this study showed a good potential for the removal of Zn(II) ions from synthetic wastewater. The ultimate goal of the work described is the development of inexpensive, readily available, effective metal ion adsorbents from natural waste products as an alternative to existing commercial adsorbents

Removal of Hexavalent Chromium Ions from Aqueous Solutions by an Anion-Exchange Resin

The removal of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), from aqueous solutions under different conditions using an anion-exchange resin (AXR) as an adsorbent was investigated under batch conditions. Such studies indicated that the percentage adsorption decreased with increasing initial Cr(VI) concentration, with the maximum removal of such ions occurred at a pH value of ca. 2.0. Both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were capable of reproducing the isotherms obtained experimentally. The sorption process was rapid during the first 20 min with equilibrium being attained within 30 min. The process followed first-order kinetics. The results demonstrate that such anion-exchange resins can be used for the efficient removal of Cr(VI) ions from water and wastewater

Efficacy of progressive relaxation technique and yoga in patients with stress-induced asthma: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway. In susceptible individuals, this inflammation causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, and coughing. Various physiotherapy techniques help in the reduction of symptoms associated with asthma which includes deep breathing exercises and relaxation postures. Progressive relaxation technique (PRT) is useful in reducing the respiratory symptoms and stress in asthma. Yoga techniques have shown clinically relevant improvements in their quality of life and effective reduction in the frequency of attacks and degree of stress. Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the effect of PRT and yoga in patients with stress-induced asthma (SIA) so that better treatment program can be adopted in the reduction of symptoms in participants with SIA. Methodology: Thirty participants with asthma were recruited for the study and were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 15) was treated with PRT and Group B (n = 15) was treated with yoga technique for a duration of 3 months. Outcome Measures: Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQOL) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were used. Results: Group B (yoga group) showed a significant difference, P 0.05). Postyoga intervention, the patients with SIA demonstrated decrease in the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and increased quality of life. Conclusion: Three-month duration of yoga is more effective than PRT in patients with SIA in reducing asthmatic symptoms and improving quality of life