AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF BACTERIOLOGICAL AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PROFILE OF URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY HEALTH CENTRE.

Background Considering the compromised immunity and increased virulence of the pathogenic microorganisms in diabetics, they are more susceptible to infections. Especially, urinary tract infections affect the renal functioning of diabetics. Methods This was an observational comparative study conducted for 26 months. The people with positive urinary cultures with diabetes and without diabetes were recruited for the study. The haematological analysis was done along with fasting sugar, postprandial sugar, and glycosylated haemoglobin. The demography of the participants was recorded. Patients who had positive urine cultures underwent X-rays and ultrasounds to confirm the presence of infection. The susceptibilities of the microorganisms were studied. The data obtained was compared statistically. Results Out of the 181 patients, 117 were found to have E. coli. The predisposing factor for males was benign prostrate hypertrophy; for females, it was an indwelling catheter. Patients with HbA1c levels less than 6.5% become more vulnerable to urinary tract infections. E. coli was found to be susceptible to ampicillin, norfloxacin, cotrimoxazole, and cephalosporin. Fever was the most common symptom among diabetics with a UTI. Conclusion The host factors found to be associated with UTI are female sex, the presence of diabetes, poor glycaemic control, and the presence of fever. An elevated HbA1C correlates with the occurrence of UTI. The most common uropathogenic was E. coli. Recommendation Diabetics should be routinely and thoroughly monitored for the presence of urinary tract infections. Especially if HbA1c is less than 6.5%

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis: another masquerader!

Euglycemic ketoacidosis is defined by the triad of euglycemia, metabolic acidosis and ketonemia or ketonuria. In the current era of diabetic management, it is a serious concern with the usage of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors potentiated by a number of precipitating agents. Empagliflozin though a novel oral hypoglycemic agent in this category may also lead to this potential complication. Here we report a 59 year old male, type 2 diabetic who was on empagliflozin and presented with euglycemic ketoacidosis after a binge of alcohol.

A Note on Implementing Recurrence Quantification Analysis for Network Anomaly Detection

This paper deal with the network anomaly detection, based on the analysis of non-stationary properties that occur in the aggregated IP traffic flows. We use recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), a mathematical nonlinear technique to achieve this task. The objective is to model the standard network traffic and report any deviation from it. We create a baseline from which we derive the RQA parameters. Using these parameters we explore the hidden recurrence patterns in the network traffic. Further, the detection is analysed using the support vector machine to classify the deviations from the regular traffic. Experiments are conducted on Vellore Institute of Technology University campus network traffic data to validate the model.Defence Science Journal, 2012, 62(2), pp.112-116, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.62.117

Genetic divergence studies for yield and quality traits in high protein landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The present study was undertaken to study the extent of genetic diversity in high protein rice landraces with respect to yield, yield components and quality characters. In this direction, 30 high protein rice landraces, collected from different parts of country by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad along with the high protein check, CR DHAN 310 were evaluated during Kharif 2021 at ICAR-IIRR farm located at International Crops Research Institute of Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad. The study examined the genetic divergence of high protein rice cultures for yield, quality and nutritional parameters. Multivariate analysis techniques of Mahalanobis D2 and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to estimate the genetic diversity in the experimental material. In Mahalanobis D2, the 31 high protein rice cultures were divided into six clusters. Cluster I had highest number of rice cultures (19), followed by Cluster III and V with five, four cultures, respectively. The clusters, II, IV, VI were mono-genotypic. It was discovered that grouping of these cultures into several clusters was random and was not related to geographical diversity. Inter-cluster distances between clusters V and VI were maximum. Cluster V had also exhibited higher intra-cluster distance. Further, Cluster VI had showed maximum yield plant-1, grains per panicle-1, zinc content and test weight, while, Cluster V had recorded high protein content. The greatest contribution to genetic divergence was recorded by yield plant-1 (21.60%), followed by iron (10.54%) and zinc content (9.54%). In Principal Component Analysis, the first five Principal Components (PCs) with eigen values >1 accounted for cumulative contribution of 67.69% to the total variability. The three traits, yield plant-1, iron content, and amylose content contributed the most to variability. The 2D scatter diagram exhibited 18 different clusters, out of which 11 clusters were mono-genotypic. Mahalanobis D2 Statistic and PCA concluded maximum genetic diversity between the landraces, JAK 248-3 and JAK 638 with JAK 611

UV SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION FOR THE QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF SOLIFENACIN SUCCINATE IN TABLETS

Objective: To develop a simple and cheap UV spectrophotometric method for the quantitative estimation of Solifenacin succinate (5mg) in tablets and validate as per ICH guidelines. Methods: The optimized method uses a solvent 100% triethylammonium phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) for the estimation of assay of Solifenacin succinate in tablets at a detection wavelength of 215 nm. Results: The developed method resulted in Solifenacin succinate exhibiting linearity in the range 5-15μg/ml. The precision is exemplified by relative standard deviation of 1.27%. Percentage Mean recovery was found to be in the range of 98â€102, during accuracy studies. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitiation (LOQ) were found to be 1.106mg/ml and 3.35mg/ml respectively. Conclusion: A simple and a cheap UV spectrophotometric method was developed and validated for the quantitative estimation of Solifenacin succinate in tablets as per ICH guidelines and hence it can be used for the routine analysis in various pharmaceutical industries

LC/MS:AN ESSENTIAL TOOL IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT

The combination of high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has had a sign cant impact on drug development over the past decade. Continual improvements in LC/MS interface technologies combined with powerful features for structure analysis, qualitative and quantitative,have resulted in a widened scope of application. These improvements coincided with breakthroughs in combinatorial chemistry, molecular biology, and an overall industry trend of accelerated development.The use of high-performance liquid chromatographycombined with mass spectrometry (HPLC MS) or tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC MS MS) has proven to be the analytical technique of choice for most assays used in various stages of new drug discovery. Asummary of the key components of HPLC MS systems, as well as an overview of major application areas that use this technique as part of the drug discovery process, will be described here. This review will also provide an introduction into the various types of mass spectrometers that can be selected for the multiple tasks that can be performed using LC MS as the analytical tool. The strategies for optimizing the use of this technique and also the potential problems and how to avoid them will be highlighted

Anticancer activity of curcumin alone and in combination with piperine in Dalton lymphoma ascites bearing mice

181-189Curcumin has been reported for its anticancer activity, but clinically it suffers from low bioavailability. In this context, we explored the potential of a natural bioavailability enhancing agent piperine in the present study. Piperine too has anticancer activity, and thereby combination of these two natural ingredients were tested for better therapeutic use. Curcumin (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg), piperine (10 mg/kg) alone and in combination was evaluated in Dalton lymphoma ascites (DLA) bearing mice by assessing various biochemical and histopathological parameters. Treatment with the curcumin at two different concentrations and piperine alone has shown some therapeutic benefit in reducing the tumors and increased the lifespan of the tested animals (%ILS). The treatment groups have shown significant therapeutic benefits in restoration of hematological and biochemical parameters, particularly in combination treatment groups. Precisely, curcumin and piperine in combination have shown more significant influence in the restoration of various hematological and biochemical parameters. Histopathological observations also revealed that combination of curcumin and piperine improves repairing of the tissue damage due to inoculation of lymphoma significantly

NANOPARTICLE FORMULATION OF BIOFLAVONOIDS FOR ENHANCED ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY

Among the natural sources, plant origin drugs constitute around 25% which includes various secondary metabolites such as bioflavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, saponins, glucosides, and lignans. The bioflavonoids belonging to the polyphenol group shows many beneficial effects like hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. The main objective of this article is to collectively present the research data published worldwide about the anticancer activity of bioflavonoids by loading them in novel formulations. Thus, the present review explored the novel formulations of the bioflavonoids with improved pharmacokinetic properties along with the enhanced anticancer activity. The major drawback with bioflavonoids is its poor solubility and bioavailability, which restricts the usage of bioflavonoids in the treatment of cancer in the market worldwide. Novel drug delivery system seems to possess many benefits like site-specific drug delivery along with minimal side effects and improves pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties of drugs compared to a conventional dosage form of bioflavonoids. The scope for improvement of anticancer activity of bioflavonoids by incorporating in novel pharmaceutical formulations like nanoparticles is very high, and it has to be considered as a potential area of research

Impact of mothers’ knowledge and support for sustaining exclusive breastfeeding

Background: Breast milk is the best milk for the baby. It is beneficial for the baby as well as the mother, family, and nation. In spite of an established fact, still, a very low percentage (44.2%) is implementing it. Objective: The objective of this study was to find out the knowledge, concerns, and difficulties in breastfeeding and the obstacles in the practicing breastfeeding. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done at pediatric clinics in Warangal. A total of 1010 lactating mothers who were presenting for regular check-ups were enrolled. After taking oral consent, mothers were interviewed through a predesigned questionnaire containing 50 questions on pre- and post-natal counseling received, and knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding, importance of skin-to-skin contact (SSC), and their educational status and hygiene. The entire session of interview was carried out in the optimum privacy to create a favorable environment of acquiring the data. Results: Of 1010 mothers enrolled, only 25.4% had received antenatal counseling, 15.8% had received postnatal counseling regarding exclusive breastfeeding, 56.4% followed exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), and SSC was maintained by only 2%, after delivery which played an important role in breastfeeding, p=0.000003 for antenatal counseling and EBF. Conclusion: More attention should be given in educating mothers when they conceive, regarding breastfeeding, its problems and skills, during their first visit to health-care professionals

Nurturing Agribusiness: A Sustainable Farming System for Tomato Crop Management Leveraging Machine Learning

The agriculture industry is undergoing a transformative shift with the introduction of IoT technology, enabling global connectivity for farmers. This technology offers a plethora of advantages, ranging from precise seed selection based on soil analysis to efficient crop maintenance, water management, and enhanced marketing support for improved profitability. To further enhance tomato farming practices, we propose the implementation of a smart farmer marketing assistant that streamlines the process of segregating yield based on its growth stage, reducing labor and time requirements.Further, the frame work is capable of early-disease management system that can detect  diseases like early blight,light blight, buck eye rot and anthranose and suggest remedy.  By adopting this innovative approach, financial losses associated with traditional methods are minimized.The traditional practice of combining all categories of vegetables (ripened, unripened, and partially rotten) in a single container often results in reduced shelf life for the produce. In our framework, we employ color sorting to categorize the vegetables, ensuring proper packing into their respective bins. This valuable data is made accessible through a cloud environment, providing potential buyers with comprehensive information about the yield, its category, and pricing. This increased visibility empowers farmers to reach a global market and sell their produce at competitive prices. In this context, we present a case study focused on the tomato crop, where we have successfully developed a prototype utilizing ESP32, a color sensor, and Google Firebase. This comprehensive framework effectively harnesses the power of IoT, Machine Learning, and potential marketing strategies, transforming the way farmers manage their crops and connect with buyers on a global scale with highly accurate 87.9% experimental results