Nutritional assessment of rural children (6–12 years) of north bihar: A cross-sectional study

Objective: Malnutrition is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescent throughout the world. The present study was undertaken to assess the nutritional status in terms of the prevalence of stunting and thinness among rural children of North Bihar. Methods: The present community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 1263 rural children (674 male and 589 female) with the age group of 6–12 years, during the period from January 2018 to March 2018. Age was recorded in completed year; height and weight were measured in centimeter and kilogram, respectively. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using standard equation. Results: The nutritional status in terms of the prevalence of stunting and thinness was found to be 18.2% and 23.8%, respectively, among studied children. Stunting was significantly higher among girls (23.1%) in comparison to boys (13.9%). BMI was significantly associated with age, socioeconomic status and mother’s literacy. Conclusions: Anthropometric assessment indicates that the malnutrition is still a major problem among children (6–12 years) of North Bihar. The major factors identified for this problem is illiteracy of mother and socioeconomic status of the family

A prospective study on the role of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on surgical outcome in resectable oesophageal carcinoma

Background: Initial results of the chemo-radiotherapy for oesophageal cancer followed by surgery study (CROSS) comparing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) plus surgery versus surgery alone in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus or oesophagogastric junction showed a significant increase in 5-year overall survival in favour of the NACRT plus surgery group after a median of 45 months' follow-up. In this study we will interpret the short-term results of NACRT on resectable, locally advanced oesophageal carcinoma.Methods: Patients with clinically resectable, locally advanced cancer of the oesophagus or oesophagogastric junction (clinical stage T1N1M0 or T2-3N0-1M0, according to the AJCC, 8th  edition) were assigned to receive weekly administration of four cycles of NACRT (intravenous carboplatin [AUC 2 mg/mL per min] and intravenous paclitaxel [50 mg/m 2 of body-surface area] for 23 days) with concurrent radiotherapy (41·4 Gy, given in 23 fractions of 1·8 Gy on 5 days per week) followed by McKeown’s oesophagectomy from 01 January, 2020 to 31 May, 2021.Results: It was observed in our study that 38.46% patients had achieved a CPR after the administration of NACRT as per the CROSS-trial protocol which is comparable to PCR achieved in CROSS trial (29%). All the patients underwent an R0 resection during surgery (100%) which is comparable to CROSS trial (92%).12Conclusions: In our study which had collected data over a period of 17 months we learnt that the administration of NACRT in locally advanced oesophageal cancer was effective in reducing the tumor burden and achieving a satisfactory CPR of 38.46%

Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza in Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants: Prospects for Phytoremidiation

Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) is an obligate biotroph, which mainly improves phosphorus nutrition, ability to withstand water stress and offers a natural potential for biological control of root pathogen. They are also reported to be present on the roots of plants growing on metal-contaminated soils and play an important role in metal tolerance and accumulation. Isolation of the heavy metal tolerant AM fungi can be a potential biotechnological tool for inoculation of plants for successful phytoremediation. AM fungi provide an attractive system to advance plant-based environmental clean-up. During symbiotic interaction the hyphal network functionally extends the root system of their hosts. Thus, plants in symbiosis with AM fungi have the potential to take up heavy metal (HM) from an enlarged soil volume. This review throws light on the potential and the prospects of AM fungi in heavy metal tolerance of plant and its utilization for enhancing phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils.Key words: Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM), Heavy metal, Phytoremediation Hrishikesh Upadhyaya et al. Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza in Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants: Prospects for Phytoremidiation. J Phytol 2/7 (2010) 16-27

Implementation of GPS System using Blackfin Processor BF527

ABSTRACT In today's world, human beings want to stay connected with each other and their surroundings. Global Positioning System (GPS) is one of the technologies which is used to determine the exact position of various objects. It is more widely used for military purposes. Various equipments like GPS are increasingly driven by embedded processors, also entering the picture are embedded design needs that include securing intellectual property, lowering power dissipation, minimizing cost, and cutting development time. Blackfin is one such type of processors. In this paper we implement GPS system using BF527. The Software implementation is done using VDK++

Single vs Serial Dilatation of Access Tract in Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Randomised Control Study on Its Feasibility and Effects in Management of Renal Calculi

Introduction: Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the recommended treatment for renal calculi. The tract dilatation method has a significant effect on the surgical outcome. Oneshot Dilatation (OSD) involves dilatation using the dilator and Amplatz of desired size, while Serial Dilatation (SD) involves increasing the dilator size progressively up to the desired size. Aim: To compare the success and complication rates of SD techniques and OSD technique using Amplatz dilators. Materials and Methods: This was a randomised control study, conducted in a Tertiary Care Centre, of Bharati Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India, from March 2020 to December 2021. A non-probability sampling technique was followed and hundred consecutive patients of renal calculus were included in the study. The patients were then randomly allocated using random number table to undergo PCNL via a One-shot Dilatation (OSD-group I) or Serial Dilatation (SD-group II) of access tract. After the initial work up, the patients underwent PCNL, tract dilated as per the group enrolled. The two groups were then compared for patient demographics, stone characteristics (size, number, location), dilatation type, access time, tract size, access quality, bleeding at entry, operative time, radiation time, postoperative analgesic requirement, tube or tubeless procedure, time for removal of the nephrostomy tube and double ‘J’ stent placement. The statistical inference was obtained by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) , Kruskall- Wallis t-test, Fisher’s exact test or Chi-square test. Significance was termed as a p-value<0.05. The analysis was performed on Pvalue.io. Results: In the patients from group I, there was lesser blood loss (Haemoglobin drop 0.9 vs 1.3 gm/dL), clot at entry( 6% vs 28%), and radiation exposure ( 60.9 sec vs 94.1 sec) as compared to group II patients. This was also reflected in reduced mean operative time (46.2 min vs 57.1 min) and lesser duration of hospital stay (3 vs 4 days) among group I patients. Conclusion: The OSD was found to be superior to SD using Amplatz dilatation in PCNL in terms of having reduced blood loss and reduced exposure to radiation for the patient

Utility of Panoramic Radiographs in the Screening of Individuals with Edentulous Arches: A Need-Analysis Study

Objective: To evaluate the utility of panoramic radiographs in pre-prosthetic screening of edentulous arches. Material and Methods: Panoramic radiographs taken for three years were retrospectively analyzed. Observations from the radiographs shall be categorized and classified into either of the two categories, namely: \u27findings with minimal impact on denture fabrication\u27 and \u27findings which affect denture fabrication and require further evaluation.\u27 Anatomic variations, jaw pathologies, and residual ridge resorption patterns were assessed. Results: This study included the initial screening of 23,020 panoramic radiographs, out of which 505 (showing either one or both edentulous arches) were included for the study purpose. The age range of the subjects was from 21 to 94 years. 52.6% of the radiographs showed positive findings. More than half of the radiographs belonged to the males (52.5%). Hyperpneumatization of the maxillary sinus, crestal position of the mental foramen, and retained root fragments were the most common entities noted in the radiographs. Changes in the mental foramen were significantly higher in males than females (p=0.002). Conclusion: Observations from this study showed that panoramic radiographs have high utility for screening edentulous arches, and they should be used in routine clinical practice before denture fabrication

Biomass Gasification and Applied Intelligent Retrieval in Modeling

Gasification technology often requires the use of modeling approaches to incorporate several intermediate reactions in a complex nature. These traditional models are occasionally impractical and often challenging to bring reliable relations between performing parameters. Hence, this study outlined the solutions to overcome the challenges in modeling approaches. The use of machine learning (ML) methods is essential and a promising integration to add intelligent retrieval to traditional modeling approaches of gasification technology. Regarding this, this study charted applied ML-based artificial intelligence in the field of gasification research. This study includes a summary of applied ML algorithms, including neural network, support vector, decision tree, random forest, and gradient boosting, and their performance evaluations for gasification technologies

EXPLORING FISH MISCELLANY FROM BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT REGION OF NORTHEAST INDIA THROUGH CHROMOSOME PROFILING

Sjeveroistočne države Indije obiluju ekstenzivnim ekoklimatskim uvjetima te sadrže veliki dio indijske endemske flore i faune. Ova regija obiluje ribljom raznolikošću s mnoštvom vrsta akvarijskih riba, uključujući zebricu. Među potencijalnim ukrasnim ribama, Ctenops nobilis označena je kao gotovo ugrožena, a Danio dangila uključena je na popis najmanje zabrinutosti IUCN-a. Ovdje je poduzeto citogenetsko profiliranje kako bi se osigurali komplementarni podaci za preciznu identifikaciju vrsta i proučavanje genetskog nasljeđa, organizacije genoma i evolucije vrste. Citogenetskim analizama utvrđen je diploidni broj kromosoma 44 i 50 s formulom kariotipa 8m+20sm+10st+6t (FN=72) odnosno 20m+24sm+6st (FN=94) u C. nobilis i D. dangila. Bojanje nukleolarnih regija otkrilo je prisutnost Ag-NORs, CMA3 mjesta i signala gena 18S rDNA na jednom paru subtelocentričnog kromosoma i jednom paru submetacentričnog kromosoma u C. nobilis i D. dangila. Ovi biomarkeri važan su izvor za molekularnu taksonomiju, evolucijske/filogenetske studije i genetiku očuvanja C. nobilis i D. dangila.North Eastern states of India are blessed with extensive ecoclimatic conditions and much of India’s endemic flora and fauna. This region is rich in fish diversity with plenty of species of ornamental importance, including model species zebrafish. Among the potential ornamental fishes, Ctenops nobilis is designated as Near Threatened and Danio dangila is included in the Least Concern list by IUCN. Cytogenetic profiling was undertaken here to provide complementary data for precise species identification and to study genetic inheritance, genome organization and evolution of the species. The cytogenetic analyses revealed diploid chromosome numbers 44 and 50 with karyotype formula 8m+20sm+10st+6t (FN=72) and 20m+24sm+6st (FN=94), respectively, in C. nobilis and D. dangila. The staining of nucleolar organizer regions revealed the presence of Ag-NORs, CMA3 sites and 18S rDNA probe signals on one pair sub-telocentric chromosome and one pair sub-metacentric chromosome in C. nobilis and D. dangila, respectively. These biomarkers are an important resource for molecular taxonomy, evolutionary/phylogenetic studies and conservation genetics of C. nobilis and D. dangila

Abnormal Blink Reflex and Intermuscular Coherence in Writer's Cramp

Background: Writer's cramp (WC) is a task-specific focal hand dystonia presenting with pain, stiffness and/or tremor while writing. We explored the involvement of cortical and brainstem circuits by measuring intermuscular coherence (IMC) and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) of the blink reflex.Methods: IMC was measured in 10 healthy controls and 20 WC patients (10 with associated tremor) while they performed a precision grip task at different force levels. Blink responses were evaluated in 9 healthy controls and 10 WC patients by stimulating the right supraorbital nerve and recording surface EMG from the orbicularis oculi muscles bilaterally. PPI involved conditioning this stimulation with a prior shock to the right median nerve (100 ms interval), and measuring the reduction in the R2 component of the blink reflex.Results: Significant IMC at 3–7 Hz was present in WC patients, but not in healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, in WC patients the R2 component of the blink reflex showed significantly less PPI. IMC at 3–7 Hz could reliably discriminate WC patients from healthy controls.Conclusion: Cortical or sub-cortical circuits generating theta (3–7 Hz) oscillations might play an important role in the pathogenesis of WC. Moreover, the lack of PPI implicates abnormalities in brainstem inhibition in the emergence of WC. IMC may merit further development as an electrodiagnostic test for focal dystonia