Exposure to stress minimizes the zone of antimicrobial action: a phenotypic demonstration with six Acinetobacter baumannii strains

Aim: To phenotypically study the role of domestic environmental stress in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii. Materials and Methods: Six strains of A. baumannii were initially subjected to AST and then were exposed to various stresses (temperature, pH and random combinations). Stressed cells were subcultured and then subjected for AST. The ZOIs before and after exposure to stress were compared. Statistical analysis was done using Student t-test at p < 0.10. Results: Exposure to stresses and combination of stresses resulted in substantial reduction in the ZOIs. Stress hardening was associated with further reduction in ZOIs. Conclusion: Exposure to domestic environmental stress imparted a significant and substantial reduction in the susceptibility of A. baumannii strains to antibiotics. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.118415

Swim exercise training and adaptations in the antioxidant defense system of myocardium of old rats: Relationship to swim intensity and duration

We examined a suitable swim program of different intensities and durations that could evoke changes in the myocardial antioxidant capacity in 22-month-old rats. Male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were assigned to either a sedentary control (SE-C) group or one of six trainee groups. Animals were swim-exercised for 4 weeks with either 20 min or 40 min/day, and three intensities, low, moderate and high. Low-intensity at 20 min/day elicited maximum swim velocity (S v) and endurance capacity (P<0.05). While serum total cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels were significantly reduced, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) showed an increase (P<0.05) in low-intensity trained rats (20 min/day) over SE-C. Notable reduction in blood lactate was also evident. Exercise training significantly increased superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), decreased lipid peroxidation products, malondialdehyde and lipofuscin in the left and right ventricles. Increased Mn-SOD with concomitant decrease in lipofuscin in left ventricle was significantly greater than in right ventricle. Moderate- to high-intensity exercise was not effective in either reducing lipid peroxidation products or elevating Mn-SOD activity. These data suggest that swim training at low-intensity of 20 min/day is beneficial as a major protective adaptation against oxidative stress in old myocardium. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

The clinical pattern of HER-2/neu oncogene overexpressing breast cancer in Pakistani patients at initial presentation: an analysis of HER-2/neu positive versus negative disease--a preliminary report

Background: HER 2/new oncogene is an important prognostic marker in Breast Cancer and has implications in therapy planning.Objective: To describe the clinical features of HER 2/new positive and negative Breast Cancer in the Pakistani patient population and note clinical differences between the two groups if any.Design: A retrospective analysis of Breast Cancer cases at the Aga Khan University, Hospital.METHOD: Immunochemical staining on formation fixed paraffin embedded tissue using oxidase antiperoxidase method. A total of 152 Breast cancer tissue samples were tested for HER-2/neu gene presence. Of these 43 (39%) samples tested positive and 109 (61%) tested negative. A comparison of the two groups revealed that only a few factors tested for either significance or borderline statistical significance between the two groups. These factors included the estrogen receptor status and the number of lymph nodes involved in the axilla. The progesterone receptor status was of borderline significance.CONCLUSION: Given the large number of factors tested it appears that there is no consistent defining feature which helps to separate HER-2/neu positive versus HER-2/neu negative cases with Breast Cancer

Effectiveness of C6T and W5H in Lean documentation

In the Evaluation of software development, Lean is oldest organizational methodology. To improve the performance Lean is having various versions. Documentation plays key role in estimating the performance of project. It is also having features like reorganization of development system. This paper focuses on drawbacks of documentation regarding lean methodology. Documentation will give clear vision and goals of product. To enhance the features of documentation C6T and W5H principles are applied

Barriers to Sustainable Waste Management in Mountain Tourism: Evidence from India

Goal 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for efforts to protect fragile mountain ecosystems. Waste generated due to mountain tourism leads to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and poses a significant challenge to achieving this goal. Mountains which are characterized by uninhabitable terrain and remoteness, coupled with current tourism practices compound this challenge. The paper resolves this challenge by understanding barriers to sustainably manage waste using th Classical DEMATEL method. Based on data from 36 experts in India’s mountain tourism industry, barriers to sustainable management of non-biodegradable waste are analyzed. Results suggest that enforcement of regulations, waste collection infrastructure, and lack of transportation for waste transfer are the most prominent barriers that can be mitigated by collectively leveraging four tangible barriers: tourists’ motivation or achievement mentality, local government’s initiative, economic value of waste, and tourists’ lack of environmental awareness. Based on this, a policy intervention mandating certification standards for tourists is suggested before they embark on mountain tourism

Prevalence of cricket-related musculoskeletal pain among Indian junior club cricketers

Background: Cricket is the most commonly played sport in India. The number of children playing cricket are increasing. There is growing evidence that injury rates in junior cricketers are higher than professional cricketers. In India at the community level, there are no standardized specific cricket injury prevention programmes (CIPP) which reduce injury risk. Minimal data is available from Asian countries, especially on junior cricketers. Our study is an attempt to focus on junior club cricketer injuries, plan safety precautions and emphasize role of CIPP.Methods: It was an observational study conducted on male junior club cricketers in the age group of 8-16 years. Based on a self-reported questionnaire, player’s physical status, training, injuries and their nature are assessed over a period of 12 months.Results: Over the study period 36 of 50 cricketers were symptomatic. The lower limb is the most frequently injured. Most common etiology is overuse. We found that the players are not following pre-training warm-up and post-training cool-down.Conclusions: CIPP should be implemented and strictly followed from the early stages of sports life. Pre-training warm-up and post-training cool-down should be included in their routine training. Overuse i.e. playing overtime and ignoring the pain during practice or match should be avoided. A supervised training and regular screening of players by orthopaedician or sports physician will keep them fit to play with full potential

Emergency Detection and Monitoring Daily Routine of a Cattle using IOT

The main aim of this system is to smarten the infrastructure of cattle farming and to track the biological and physiological activities of cattle by implementing a noninvasive wearable by using IOT. In these, we come into picture the lightning sensor depend upon the climate it will turn on and off, temperature sensor will depend upon room temperature of cattle farm; methane sensor is used to check methane level in the farm; fire sensor depend upon any fire emergency and is responsible for smart lighting and also smart ventilation, it is also responsible for sprinkler actuation to make the infrastructure safer and smarter. We are also implementing automatic food releasing mechanism. We can identify the single cattle count with the help of the IR sensor