CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ZnO NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY CO PRECIPITATION METHOD

Objective: In the present study the antibacterial activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles was investigated against gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans) organisms.Methods: The synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles was carried out by co-precipitation method using zinc sulfate and sodium hydroxide as precursors. These nanoparticles were characterized by XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation), UV-Visible spectroscopy and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) with EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis). As well as antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of the nanoparticles were carried out by agar well diffusion method and broth dilution method respectively against gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans) bacteria.Results: The average crystallite size of ZnO nanoparticles was found to be 35 nm by X-ray diffraction. The vibration bands at 450 and 603 cm-1 which were assigned for ZnO stretching vibration were observed in FTIR spectrum. The optical absorption band at 383 nm was obtained from UV-Visible spectrum. Spherical shape morphology was observed in SEM studies. The antibacterial assay clearly expressed that E. coli showed a maximum zone of inhibition (32±0.20 mm) followed by Proteus vulgaris (30±0.45 nm) at 50 mg/ml concentration of ZnO nanoparticles.Conclusion: Zinc oxide nanoparticles have exhibited good antibacterial activity with gram negative bacteria when compared to gram positive bacteria

The site of action of the antiterminator protein N from the lambdoid phage H-19B

Transcription antitermination by N proteins of lambdoid phages involves specific interactions of the C-terminal domain of N with the Elongation Complex (EC). The interacting surface of N on the EC is unknown, knowledge of which is essential to understand the mechanism of antitermination. Specific cleavage patterns were generated near the active site Mg2+ of the RNA polymerase of an N-modified stalled EC using iron-(S)-1-(p-bromoacetamidobenzyl)ethylenediaminetetraacetate conjugated to the only cysteine residue in the C-terminal domain of N from a lambdoid phage H-19B. Modification of EC by N also induced conformational changes around the same region as revealed from the limited trypsin digestion and in situ Fe-dithiothreitol cleavage pattern of the same EC. These data, together with the previously obtained H-19B N-specific mutations in RNA polymerase, β (G1045D) and β′ (P251S, P254L, G336S and R270C) subunits, suggest that the active center cleft of the EC could be the site of action of this antiterminator. H-19B N induced altered interactions in this region of EC, prevented the backtracking of the stalled EC at the ops pause site and destabilized RNA hairpin-β subunit flap domain interactions at the his pause site. We propose that the physical proximity of the C-terminal domain of H-19B N to the active center cleft of the EC is required for the process of transcription antitermination and that it involves both stabilization of the weak RNA-DNA hybrid at a terminator and destabilization of the interactions of terminator hairpin in the RNA exit channel

A review of topical corticosteroid sprays for the treatment of inflammatory dermatoses

Background: Topical corticosteroids are available in many vehicles. However, patients' preference for vehicles are variable and could be tailored to maximize patient adherence. Spray vehicles may offer, convenience, and strong efficacy. Methods: A literature review was conducted using keywords: clobetasol, desoximetasone, betamethasone, triamcinolone, corticosteroid, topical, spray, vehicles, treatment, and clinical trial. Results: For moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, 87% of subjects achieved an Overall Disease Severity (ODS) Score ≤2 at week two and 78% achieved an ODS ≤1 after four weeks with clobetasol propionate (CP) 0.05% spray compared to 17% and 3% in the control group, respectively (P<0.001). For desoximetasone 0.25% spray, 31%-53% with moderate-to-severe psoriasis achieve Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) score ≤1 at day 28 versus 5%-18% in the vehicle spray group (P<0.01). For betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% spray, 19% with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis achieved an Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score ≤1 or a 2-grade reduction in IGA versus 2.3% in vehicle group (P≤0.001). For mild-to-severe steroid responsive inflammatory dermatoses, 64% using triamcinolone acetonide 0.2% spray achieved clear or almost clear skin at day 14 (no P value reported). Adverse events including burning, irritation, and dryness were similar across all corticosteroids

Diagnostic Medical Errors: Patient\u27s Perspectives on a Pervasive Problem

Introduction. The Institute of Medicine defines diagnostic error as the failure to establish an accurate or timely explanation for the patient\u27s health problem(s), or effectively communicate the explanation to the patient. To our knowledge, no studies exist characterizing diagnostic error from patient perspectives using this definition. Objective. We sought to characterize diagnostic errors experienced by patients and describe patient perspectives on causes, impacts, and prevention strategies. Methods. We screened 77 adult inpatients at University of Vermont Medical Center and conducted 27 structured interviews with patients who experienced diagnostic error in the past five years. We performed qualitative analysis using Grounded Theory. Results. In the past five years, 39% of interviewed patients experienced diagnostic error. The errors mapped to the following categories: accuracy (30%), communication (34%) and timeliness (36%). Poor communication (13 responses) and inadequate time with doctors (7) were the most identified causes of errors. Impacts of errors included emotional distress (17 responses), adverse health outcomes (7) and impaired activities of daily living (6). Patients suggested improved communication (11 responses), clinical management (7) and access to doctors (5) as prevention strategies. For communication, patients rated talk to your doctor highest (mean 8.4, on 1-10 Likert scale) and text message lowest (4.8). Conclusions/Recommendations. Diagnostic errors are common and have dramatic impact on patients\u27 well-being. We suggest routine surveillance to identify errors, support for patients who have experienced errors, and implementation of patient and provider checklists to enhance communication. Future studies should investigate strategies to allow care providers adequate time with patients.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1246/thumbnail.jp

Studies of concentration and temperature dependencies of precipitation kinetics in iron-copper alloys using kinetic monte carlo and stochastic statistical simulations

The earlier-developed ab initio model and the kinetic Monte Carlo method (KMCM) are used to simulate precipitation in a number of iron-copper alloys with different copper concentrations x and temperatures T. The same simulations are also made using the improved version of the earlier-suggested stochastic statistical method (SSM). The results obtained enable us to make a number of general conclusions about the dependencies of the decomposition kinetics in Fe-Cu alloys on x and T. We also show that the SSM describes the precipitation kinetics in a fair agreement with the KMCM, and employing the SSM in conjunction with the KMCM enables us to extend the KMC simulations to the longer evolution times. The results of simulations seem to agree with available experimental data for Fe-Cu alloys within statistical errors of simulations and the scatter of experimental results. Comparison of results of simulations to experiments for some multicomponent Fe-Cu-based alloys enables us to make certain conclusions about the influence of alloying elements in these alloys on the precipitation kinetics at different stages of evolution.Comment: 18 pages, 17 postscript figures, LaTe

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF VILDAGLIPTIN SUSTAINED RELEASE MATRIX TABLETS

Vildagliptin belongs to a class of orally active anti-diabetic drug which inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase-4(DPP-4) and to potentiate the secretion of insulin in the β-cells, there by decreasing blood glucose level. Vildagliptin is a short half life drug so it needs to formulate into sustained release dosage form to reduce dose frequency for patient compliance. Among various techniques, formulation of matrix tablets using matrix formers is a simple and industrially useful technique in the design of sustained release drug delivery systems. In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop sustained release matrix tablets of Vildagliptin using hydrophilic polymers like HPMC (k15M, K100M) and Carbapol by using wet granulation method. Dissolution study was done by using type-II dissolution apparatus gave good results with combination of HPMC K100 M and Carbapol. Drug release from the formulation follows zero order, first order, Higuchi's equation, and korsemeyer's equation

Prospective Phase II trial of drug-eluting bead chemoembolization for liver transplant candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma and marginal hepatic reserve.

Purpose: To determine whether chemoembolization using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) is safe and effective for liver transplantation candidates with liver-limited hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without vascular invasion and baseline hepatic dysfunction. Materials and methods: Seventeen adult liver transplantation candidates (median age 66 years, range 58-73 years; 13 men) with HCC were treated with DEB-TACE as a part of Stage 1 of a prospective single-institution Phase II trial. All patients had marginal hepatic reserve based on at least one of the following criteria: ascites (n=14), bilirubin between 3 and 6 mg/dL (n=5), AST 5-10 times upper normal limit (n=1), INR between 1.6 and 2.5 (n=4), portal vein thrombosis (n=2), and/or portosystemic shunt (n=2). Primary study objectives were safety and best observed radiographic response. Results: Thirty-seven DEB-TACE procedures were performed. Objective response rate and disease control rate were 63% and 88%, respectively. HCC progression was observed in 12 patients. Median time to progression was 5.6 months (range 0.9-13.6 months). Within 1 month following DEB-TACE, 13 patients (76%) developed grade 3 or 4 AE attributable to the procedure. Four patients (all within Milan Criteria) were transplanted (2.7-6.9 months after DEB-TACE), and 12 patients died (1.8-32 months after DEB-TACE). All deaths were due to liver failure that was either unrelated to HCC (n=5), in the setting of metastatic HCC (n=5), or in the setting of locally advanced HCC (n=2). Mortality rate at 1 month was 0%. Conclusions: DEB-TACE achieves tumor responses but carries a high risk of hepatotoxicity for liver transplant candidates with HCC and marginal hepatic reserve

Scaling up index insurance for smallholder farmers: Recent evidence and insights

This report explores evidence and insights from five case studies that have made significant recent progress in addressing the challenge of insuring poor smallholder farmers and pastoralists in the developing world. In India, national index insurance programmes have reached over 30 million farmers through a mandatory link with agricultural credit and strong government support. In East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania), the Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE) has recently scaled to reach nearly 200,000 farmers, bundling index insurance with agricultural credit and farm inputs. ACRE has built on strong partnerships with regional initiatives such as M-PESA mobile banking. In Ethiopia and Senegal, the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative has scaled unsubsidized index insurance to over 20,000 poor smallholder farmers who were previously considered uninsurable, using insurance as an integral part of a comprehensive risk management portfolio. With strong public and private sector support, the Mongolia Index-Based Livestock Insurance Project (IBLIP) insures more than 15,000 nomadic herders and links commercial insurance with a government disaster safety net. Finally, the Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) project in Kenya and Ethiopia demonstrates innovative approaches to insuring poor nomadic pastoralists in challenging circumstances. A few common features appear to have contributed to recent progress within these case studies: explicitly targeting obstacles to improving farmer income; integration of insurance with other development interventions; giving farmers a voice in the design of products; investing in local capacity; and investing in science-based index development. Evidence from these case studies can inform the ongoing debate about the viability of scaling up index-based insurance for vulnerable smallholder farmers in the developing world. The rapid progress observed in recent years suggests that index insurance has the potential to benefit smallholder farmers at a meaningful scale, and suggests the need to reassess arguments that lack of demand and practical implementation challenges prevent index-based insurance from being a useful tool to reduce rural poverty

Crop type identification and spatial mapping using Sentinel-2 satellite data with focus on field-level information

Accurate monitoring of croplands helps in making decisions (for insurance claims, crop management and contingency plans) at the macro-level, especially in drylands where variability in cropping is very high owing to erratic weather conditions. Dryland cereals and grain legumes are key to ensuring the food and nutritional security of a large number of vulnerable populations living in the drylands. Reliable information on area cultivated to such crops forms part of the national accounting of food production and supply in many Asian countries, many of which are employing remote sensing tools to improve the accuracy of assessments of cultivated areas. This paper assesses the capabilities and limitations of mapping cultivated areas in the Rabi (winter) season and corresponding cropping patterns in three districts characterized by small-plot agriculture. The study used Sentinel-2 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 15-day time-series at 10m resolution by employing a Spectral Matching Technique (SMT) approach. The use of SMT is based on the well-studied relationship between temporal NDVI signatures and crop phenology. The rabi season in India, dominated by non-rainy days, is best suited for the application of this method, as persistent cloud cover will hamper the availability of images necessary to generate clearly differentiating temporal signatures. Our study showed that the temporal signatures of wheat, chickpea and mustard are easily distinguishable, enabling an overall accuracy of 84%, with wheat and mustard achieving 86% and 94% accuracies, respectively. The most significant misclassifications were in irrigated areas for mustard and wheat, in small-plot mustard fields covered by trees and in fragmented chickpea areas. A comparison of district-wise national crop statistics and those obtained from this study revealed a correlation of 96%