Impact of urbanisation on the quality of ground water in the Ramnadi basin, Pune

Water is an essential and valuable natural resource for entire living community. Hence its quality and quantity are of prime importance. The importance of quality and quantity of natural resources of water, that is ground water and surface water is significantly increasing since last two decades in India. This is because of uncertainties of water resources and challenges of quality of surface water as well as ground water due to reckless human activities under the name of development. Increasing population growth, urbanisation and industrial development, excess use of fertilizers, etc., has added to the degradation of the natural resources of water. Ground water which acts as reservoir changes qualitatively due to the pollution and indiscriminate disposal of industrial waste, human and agricultural water. This has created a threat not only to the quality of ground as well as surface water resources in the many regions, to the hydrological ecosystem as a whole. In view of this, the paper evaluates the impact of urbanisation on the quality of the water resources around the Ramnadi basin. © 2006 - Kalpana Corporation

Markov chain models for pre-monsoon season thunderstorms over Pune

The probabilistic distribution of the thunderstorm phenomenon during the pre-monsoon season (1 March to 18 June) over Pune, a tropical Indian station, has been examined with the help of Markov chain models using daily thunderstorm data for a period of 11 years (1970-80). The data have also been tested using Akaike's information criterion. This test has clearly indicated that the first-order Markov chain model is the best fit model for thunderstorm forecasting, which has described the appropriate period (8 days) of occurrence of thunderstorm phenomenon over Pune. Further, the steady-state probabilities and mean recurrence time of thunderstorm days and non-thunderstorm days have also been calculated for the first- and second-order Markov chain models. These computations have revealed that the observed and theoretical values of steady-state probabilities are realistically matched

Study of thunderstorm and rainfall activity over the Indian region

Thirty years (1951-1980) of mean monthly thunderstorms days (TS) and rainfall (RF) amounts for 260 Indian observatories spread uniformly over the country were used to obtain their monthly, seasonal and zonal percentage of occurrence from all India totals. The study has revealed that there is a time lag of one month in the occurrence of peak activity of TS and RF. Seasonal analysis of these two parameters suggest that rainfall yield associated with postmonsoon season TS seems to be higher than the premonsoon season. Six zone analysis of TS and RF has suggested that there exists a wide range of variation in both parameters month after month in that zones, but the 30 year mean percentage of occurrence seems to be more or less equal in magnitude in each zone

Structure of ethyl 2-​(2-​amino-​3-​ethoxycarbonyl-​4H-​chromen-​4-​yl)​-​2-​cyanoacetate

The title compd. is monoclinic, space group P21/n, with a 21.335(2)​, b 8.516(1)​, c 9.273(1) Å, and β 93.645(1)​°, Z = 4, dm = 1.330, dc = 1.305, T = 300 K, final R = 0.059 for 3184 reflections. At. coordinates are given. The dihydropyran ring makes a dihedral angle of 14.6(3)​° with the benzene ring and is puckered. The ethoxycarbonyl group attached to C(3) makes a dihedral angle of 13.9(3)​° with the chromene ring but the 4-​(1-​ethoxycarbonyl) group is rotated about C(4) by 81.1(4)​°. The C-​C≡N chain is almost linear and makes a dihedral angle of 48.4(3)​° with the C(4) ethoxycarbonyl group. The mol. exhibits intramol. H bonding between the amino group at C(2) and the carbonyl O atom of the C(3) ethoxycarbonyl group. Intermol. N-​H...O bonds link the mols. across the center of symmetry

Effect of combination treatment of S–amlodipine with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists on metabolic and cardiovascular parameters in Zucker fa/fa rats

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance associated with dyslipidemia and hypertension. The available drugs are not sufficiently efficacious in reducing cardiovascular risk and restoring normal glucose metabolism associated with type 2 diabetes as a mono- or a combination therapy. The present study examined the combined effects of an antihypertensive (S-Amlodipine) and an insulin-sensitizing agent, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists (Pioglitazone and Ragaglitazar), on cardiovascular risk factors in aged diabetic and insulin-resistant Zucker fa/fa rats. METHODS: Following combination treatment for 14 days, blood pressure (BP), serum glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides were measured. Aortic ring study was conducted to determine the effect of combination treatments on phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction and acetylcholine (Ach)-induced vasorelaxation. RESULTS: In combination, S-Amlodipine and Pioglitazone significantly reduced blood glucose (115.1 ± 6.6 vs. 81.7 ± 4.2), BP (184.4 ± 5.0 vs. 155.1 ± 5.0), serum triglycerides (362.5 ± 47.5 vs. 211.1 ± 23.7) and glucose intolerance when compared with vehicle treated Zucker fa/fa rats. Similar results were observed with the combination of S-Amlodipine and Ragaglitazar (Triglycerides, 362.5 ± 47.5 vs. 252.34 ± 27.86; BP, 184.4 ± 5.0 vs. 159.0 ± 8.0) except for serum glucose. ACh-induced vasorelaxation in aortic rings was also superior with both of the combinations compared to individual treatment. Furthermore, there was less body weight gain and food intake with S-Amlodipine and Pioglitazone combination in Zucker fa/fa rats. S-Amlodipine itself caused significant reduction in glucose (115.1 ± 6.6 vs. 89.7 ± 2.7) and BP (184.4 ± 5.0 vs. 156.1 ± 4.0) with improvement in insulin sensitivity observed through oral glucose tolerance test. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a combination of PPAR agonists and S-Amlodipine has partial benefits in improving the cardiovascular risk factors such as reduction in triglyceride levels, associated with chronic type 2 diabetes, and therefore may be utilized as an approach for addressing some of these devastating metabolic syndrome complications

Estimating body mass and composition from proximal femur dimensions using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry

Body mass prediction from the skeleton most commonly employs femoral head diameter (FHD). However, theoretical predictions and empirical data suggest the relationship between mass and FHD is strongest in young adults; that bone dimensions reflect lean mass better than body or fat mass; and that other femoral measurements may be superior. Here we generate prediction equations for body mass and its components using femoral head, neck and proximal shaft diameters and body composition data derived from dual energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of young adults (n = 155, 77 females and 78 males, mean age 22.7 ± 1.3 years) from the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study, Hyderabad, India. Sex-specific regression of log-transformed data on femoral measurements predicted lean mass with smaller standard errors of estimate (SEEs) than body mass (12-14 % and 16-17 % respectively), while none of the femoral measurements were significant predictors of fat mass. Subtrochanteric medio-lateral shaft diameter gave lower SEEs for lean mass in both sexes and for body mass in males than FHD, while FHD was a better predictor of body mass in women. Our results provide further evidence that lean mass is more closely related to proximal femur dimensions than body or fat mass, and that proximal shaft diameter is a better predictor than FHD of lean but not always body mass. The mechanisms underlying these relationships have implications for selecting the most appropriate measurement and reference sample for estimating body or lean mass, which also depend on the question under investigation

Genome wide analysis of gene expression changes in skin from patients with type 2 diabetes

Non-healing chronic ulcers are a serious complication of diabetes and are a major healthcare problem. While a host of treatments have been explored to heal or prevent these ulcers from forming, these treatments have not been found to be consistently effective in clinical trials. An understanding of the changes in gene expression in the skin of diabetic patients may provide insight into the processes and mechanisms that precede the formation of non-healing ulcers. In this study, we investigated genome wide changes in gene expression in skin between patients with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic patients using next generation sequencing. We compared the gene expression in skin samples taken from 27 patients (13 with type 2 diabetes and 14 non-diabetic). This information may be useful in identifying the causal factors and potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of diabetic related diseases

Antidepressants during and after Menopausal Transition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To assess the therapeutic benefits of antidepressants in depressive women during and after menopausal transition, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Science Direct were systematically searched from inception to February 1, 2020 for randomized controlled trials examining antidepressants compared to placebo. Primary outcome was change in depressive symptom severity, while secondary outcomes were rates of response/remission rates and dropout/discontinuation due to adverse events. Seven trials involving 1,676 participants (mean age = 52.6 years) showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms (k = 7, Hedges’ g = 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 to 0.57, p < 0.001) relative to that in controls. Furthermore, response (k = 3, odds ratio (OR) = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.24 to 5.15, p = 0.01) and remission (k = 3, OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.57, p < 0.001) rates were significantly higher in antidepressant-treated groups compared to those with controls. Although dropout rates did not differ between antidepressant and control groups (k = 6, OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.26, p = 0.68), the rate of discontinuation due to adverse events was significantly higher in antidepressant-treated groups (k = 6, OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.86, p = 0.01). Subgroup analysis indicated that antidepressants were also efficacious for depressive symptoms in those without diagnosis of MDD. The results demonstrated that antidepressants were efficacious for women with depressive syndromes during and after menopausal transition but associated with a higher risk of discontinuation due to adverse events

Genes implicated in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis from consilience of genotyping and expression profiles in relapse and remission

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although the pathogenesis of MS remains unknown, it is widely regarded as an autoimmune disease mediated by T-lymphocytes directed against myelin proteins and/or other oligodendrocyte epitopes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study we investigated the gene expression profiles of peripheral blood cells from patients with RRMS during the relapse and the remission phases utilizing gene microarray technology. Dysregulated genes encoded in regions associated with MS susceptibility from genomic screens or previous trancriptomic studies were identified. The proximal promoter region polymorphisms of two genes were tested for association with disease and expression level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Distinct sets of dysregulated genes during the relapse and remission phases were identified including genes involved in apoptosis and inflammation. Three of these dysregulated genes have been previously implicated with MS susceptibility in genomic screens: TGFβ1, CD58 and DBC1. TGFβ1 has one common SNP in the proximal promoter: -508 T>C (rs1800469). Genotyping two Australian trio sets (total 620 families) found a trend for over-transmission of the T allele in MS in females (p < 0.13). Upregulation of CD58 and DBC1 in remission is consistent with their putative roles in promoting regulatory T cells and reducing cell proliferation, respectively. A fourth gene, ALOX5, is consistently found over-expressed in MS. Two common genetic variants were confirmed in the ALOX5 putatve promoter: -557 T>C (rs12762303) and a 6 bp tandem repeat polymorphism (GGGCGG) between position -147 and -176; but no evidence for transmission distortion found.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The dysregulation of these genes tags their metabolic pathways for further investigation for potential therapeutic intervention.</p