EVALUATION OF ACUTE AND SUB-ACUTE TOXICITY OF A STANDARDIZED POLYHERBAL FORMULATION (HC9): AN IN VIVO STUDY

Objective: In the present study, we have performed the acute and sub-acute toxicity of a standardized polyherbal formulation (HC9) in Swiss albino mice. Methods: In acute toxicity study, the mice were orally administered with different doses (1750 and 2000 mg/kg) of HC9 and monitored for 14 d. In the sub-acute toxicity study, animals received HC9 extract by oral gavage at the doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day (????=5/group/sex) for 28 d. At the end of the study, the animals were sacrificed and evaluated for effect of HC9 on biochemical, hematological and histopathological parameters. Results: HC9 did not produce any adverse effects in biochemical, hematological, urine and histopathological parameters in mice. HC9 did not induce any adverse effects in terms of mortality and clinical signs in the acute toxicity study. It was well-tolerated by mice up to 2000 mg/kg/body weight. In sub-acute toxicity study, no treatment-related adverse effects were found in the mice upto 1000 mg/kg/day dose. No significant changes were observed in biochemical and hematological parameters as well as histopathology of tissues (liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lung, thymus, adrenal gland, epididymis and testis/ovary) among mice of either sex. Conclusion: Our results showed that HC9 did not induce any acute and sub-acute toxicity in male and female mice, thereby, suggesting its safety for future clinical application

Precision Agriculture System

The purpose of this project is Agricultural Land Suitability Evaluation for crop production. According to the weather condition and type of soil this system will predict whether crop is suitable for their land or not. Normally, when soil testing is performed that time farmers only get to know about land properties and what kind of fertilizers they have to use to increase their crop production. So they do not get to know is the crop they are going to produce in their land is suitable or not. Our system will tell them their land suitability level with respect to environmental factors and crop type. It is data mining software which will analyze all data which consist land properties and environmental properties for crops. And after applying data mining algorithm on that data user will get the land suitability level for that crop which farmer want to produce in his land. Our project is user friendly interface so user can easily use it and it is cost efficient.

Recent Advances in Non-Conventional Antimicrobial Approaches for Chronic Wound Biofilms: Have We Found the ‘Chink in the Armor’?

Chronic wounds are a major healthcare burden, with huge public health and economic impact. Microbial infections are the single most important cause of chronic, non-healing wounds. Chronic wound infections typically form biofilms, which are notoriously recalcitrant to conventional antibiotics. This prompts the need for alternative or adjunct ‘anti-biofilm’ approaches, notably those that account for the unique chronic wound biofilm microenvironment. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in non-conventional antimicrobial approaches for chronic wound biofilms, looking beyond standard antibiotic therapies. These non-conventional strategies are discussed under three groups. The first group focuses on treatment approaches that directly kill or inhibit microbes in chronic wound biofilms, using mechanisms or delivery strategies distinct from antibiotics. The second group discusses antimicrobial approaches that modify the biological, chemical or biophysical parameters in the chronic wound microenvironment, which in turn enables the disruption and removal of biofilms. Finally, therapeutic approaches that affect both, biofilm bacteria and microenvironment factors, are discussed. Understanding the advantages and limitations of these recent approaches, their stage of development and role in biofilm management, could lead to new treatment paradigms for chronic wound infections. Towards this end, we discuss the possibility that non-conventional antimicrobial therapeutics and targets could expose the ‘chink in the armor’ of chronic wound biofilms, thereby providing much-needed alternative or adjunct strategies for wound infection management

Talk to a scientist

Talk to a Scientist is a unique science outreach platform in India that uses an interactive webinar format to share science with children (6-16 years). Founded by two scientists, Dr. Karishma S Kaushik and Snehal Kadam, these ongoing weekly sessions cover a range of science topics with content curated by the scientist-founders themselves, and also include guest scientists and hands-on sessions. Funded by the first IndiaBioscience Outreach Grant, the platform aims to make science accessible and engaging to children across India, and build Indian science role models

Talk To A Scientist: a Framework for a Webinar-Based Outreach Program for Scientists to Engage with K–12 Students

ABSTRACT Science outreach programs that enable real-time interactions between scientists and school-aged children are known to positively impact learning gains and students’ perceptions of scientists. To expand K–12 outreach by scientists, it is important to build structured outreach programs which offer scientists well-defined opportunities, while providing school students regular and diverse interactions. We describe Talk To A Scientist, a science outreach platform in India, where scientists use a webinar-based approach to share their research with K–12 students (6 to 16 years). Running weekly for nearly 3 years, Talk To A Scientist has hosted over 100 live interactions, with a wide reach to participants across the country. Here, we outline the framework used to build Talk To A Scientist and discuss key gains, considerations, and challenges in the development of the program. We also suggest potential adaptations with which this framework can serve as a guideline for the implementation of similar K–12 outreach programs across diverse country- and context-specific settings

Recent Advances in Non-Conventional Antimicrobial Approaches for Chronic Wound Biofilms: Have We Found the ‘Chink in the Armor’?

Chronic wounds are a major healthcare burden, with huge public health and economic impact. Microbial infections are the single most important cause of chronic, non-healing wounds. Chronic wound infections typically form biofilms, which are notoriously recalcitrant to conventional antibiotics. This prompts the need for alternative or adjunct ‘anti-biofilm’ approaches, notably those that account for the unique chronic wound biofilm microenvironment. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in non-conventional antimicrobial approaches for chronic wound biofilms, looking beyond standard antibiotic therapies. These non-conventional strategies are discussed under three groups. The first group focuses on treatment approaches that directly kill or inhibit microbes in chronic wound biofilms, using mechanisms or delivery strategies distinct from antibiotics. The second group discusses antimicrobial approaches that modify the biological, chemical or biophysical parameters in the chronic wound microenvironment, which in turn enables the disruption and removal of biofilms. Finally, therapeutic approaches that affect both, biofilm bacteria and microenvironment factors, are discussed. Understanding the advantages and limitations of these recent approaches, their stage of development and role in biofilm management, could lead to new treatment paradigms for chronic wound infections. Towards this end, we discuss the possibility that non-conventional antimicrobial therapeutics and targets could expose the ‘chink in the armor’ of chronic wound biofilms, thereby providing much-needed alternative or adjunct strategies for wound infection management

Converting a conventional wired-halogen illuminated indirect ophthalmoscope to a wireless-light emitting diode illuminated indirect ophthalmoscope in less than 1000/- rupees

Aim: To report the "do it yourself" method of converting an existing wired-halogen indirect ophthalmoscope (IO) to a wireless-light emitting diode (LED) IO and report the preferences of the patients and the ophthalmologists. Subjects and Methods: In this prospective observational study, a conventional IO was converted to wireless-LED IO using easily available, affordable electrical components. Conventional and the converted IO were then used to perform photo-stress test and take the feedback of subjects and the ophthalmologists regarding its handling and illumination characteristics. Results: The cost of conversion to wireless-LED was 815/- rupees. Twenty-nine subjects, mean age 34.3 ΁ 10 years with normal eyes were recruited in the study. Between the two illumination systems, there was no statistical difference in the magnitude of the visual acuity loss and the time to recovery of acuity and the bleached vision on photo-stress test, although the visual recovery was clinically faster with LED illumination. The heat sensation was more with halogen illumination than the LED (P = 0.009). The ophthalmologists rated wireless-LED IO higher than wired-halogen IO on the handling, examination comfort, patient′s visual comfort and quality of the image. Twenty-two (81%) ophthalmologists wanted to change over to wireless-LED IO. Conclusions: Converting to wireless-LED IO is easy, cost-effective and preferred over a wired-halogen indirect ophthalmoscope

Effect of dexmeditomidine on postoperative junctional ectopic tachycardia after complete surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot: A prospective randomized controlled study

Introduction: Incidence of junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) after repair of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is 5.6-14%. Dexmeditomidine is a a-2 adrenoceptor agonist modulates the release of catecholamine, resulting in bradycardia and hypotension. These effects are being explored as a therapeutic option for the prevention of perioperative tachyarrhythmia. We undertook this study to examine possible preventive effects of dexmedetomidine on postoperative JET and its impact on the duration of ventilation time and length of Intensive Care Unit stay. Methods: After obtaining approval from the hospitals ethics committee and written informed consent from parents, this quasi-randomized trial was initiated. Of 94 patients, 47 patients received dexmedetomidine (dexmedetomidine group) and 47 patients did not receive the drug (control group). Results: Dexmedetomidine group had more number of complex variants like TOF with an absent pulmonary valve or pulmonary atresia (P = 0.041). Hematocrit on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), heart rate while coming off from CPB and inotrope score was significantly low in the dexmedetomidine group compared to control group. The incidence of JET was significantly low in dexmedetomidine group (P = 0.040) compared to control group. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine may have a potential benefit of preventing perioperative JET

Review paper of Vehicle control system using CAN protocol

Nowadays economical automobiles are developed by more of electro mechanical parts with analog interface for efficient & cost-effective operation. Generally, a vehicle is built with an analog driver-vehicle interface for indicating various vehicle statuses like speed, fuel level, engine temperature etc. This paper presents a design & development of cost-effective solution for digital driving interface with a semi-autonomous vehicle improving the driver-vehicle interaction with increase in safety. Our designed system uses sensors to digital format and visualize them to the vehicle driver through a LCD display. The communication module used here is an embedded network bus CAN, which has efficient data transfer