Winter aerosol and trace gas characteristics over a high-altitude station in the Western Ghats, India

This paper presents spectral distribution of aerosol optical depth (and derived size distribution), water vapor and ozone in total atmospheric column; in conjunction with particulate mass concentration in the size range from 0.3 to 20 μm and black carbon mass concentration at the surface-level during four different campaigns, conducted in months of December-January-2006-2007 (Campaign I), February-2007 (Campaign II), January-2008 (Campaign III) and November-2008 (Campaign IV) at a high-altitude station, Sinhgad (18°22'N, 73°45'E, 1450 m AMSL) in the Western Ghats of Indian Peninsula. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) measured within the spectral range 440-1020 nm is found lower as compared to that measured over a nearby urban station, Pune; but relatively higher than that over other remote high-altitude stations in India. The columnar Angstrom exponent derived within the 440-870 nm spectral range showed maximum values close to 1 indicating relatively higher contribution from fine-mode particles to aerosol size spectrum. Interestingly, this parameter shows lower values when the total aerosol mass concentration exhibits higher values during afternoon hours. Both columnar water vapor (CWV) and ozone (TCO) exhibit lower values in the morning hours and higher in the afternoon hours. The mass concentration of black carbon shows an association with AOD during the study period over the station. The measured surface aerosol particle number concentrations are used to reconstruct AOD spectra using the Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) software package and compared with simultaneously available columnar AOD spectra

Western Indian Ocean marine and terrestrial records of climate variability: a review and new concepts on land-ocean interactions since AD 1660

We examine the relationship between three tropical and two subtropical western Indian Ocean coral oxygen isotope time series to surface air temperatures (SAT) and rainfall over India, tropical East Africa and southeast Africa. We review established relationships, provide new concepts with regard to distinct rainfall seasons, and mean annual temperatures. Tropical corals are coherent with SAT over western India and East Africa at interannual and multidecadal periodicities. The subtropical corals correlate with Southeast African SAT at periodicities of 16–30 years. The relationship between the coral records and land rainfall is more complex. Running correlations suggest varying strength of interannual teleconnections between the tropical coral oxygen isotope records and rainfall over equatorial East Africa. The relationship with rainfall over India changed in the 1970s. The subtropical oxygen isotope records are coherent with South African rainfall at interdecadal periodicities. Paleoclimatological reconstructions of land rainfall and SAT reveal that the inferred relationships generally hold during the last 350 years. Thus, the Indian Ocean corals prove invaluable for investigating land–ocean interactions during past centuries

Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system vs. usual medical treatment for menorrhagia: An economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial

Objective: To undertake an economic evaluation alongside the largest randomised controlled trial comparing Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device ('LNG-IUS') and usual medical treatment for women with menorrhagia in primary care; and compare the cost-effectiveness findings using two alternative measures of quality of life. Methods: 571 women with menorrhagia from 63 UK centres were randomised between February 2005 and July 2009. Women were randomised to having a LNG-IUS fitted, or usual medical treatment, after discussing with their general practitioner their contraceptive needs or desire to avoid hormonal treatment. The treatment was specified prior to randomisation. For the economic evaluation we developed a state transition (Markov) model with a 24 month follow-up. The model structure was informed by the trial women's pathway and clinical experts. The economic evaluation adopted a UK National Health Service perspective and was based on an outcome of incremental cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) estimated using both EQ-5D and SF-6D. Results: Using EQ-5D, LNG-IUS was the most cost-effective treatment for menorrhagia. LNG-IUS costs £100 more than usual medical treatment but generated 0.07 more QALYs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for LNG-IUS compared to usual medical treatment was £1600 per additional QALY. Using SF-6D, usual medical treatment was the most cost-effective treatment. Usual medical treatment was both less costly (£100) and generated 0.002 more QALYs. Conclusion: Impact on quality of life is the primary indicator of treatment success in menorrhagia. However, the most costeffective treatment differs depending on the quality of life measure used to estimate the QALY. Under UK guidelines LNG-IUS would be the recommended treatment for menorrhagia. This study demonstrates that the appropriate valuation of outcomes in menorrhagia is crucial. Copyright: © 2014 Sanghera et al

Simultaneous quantification of 12 different nucleotides and nucleosides released from renal epithelium and in human urine samples using ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC

Nucleotides and nucleosides are not only involved in cellular metabolism but also act extracellularly via P1 and P2 receptors, to elicit a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological responses through paracrine and autocrine signalling pathways. For the first time, we have used an ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet (UV)-coupled method to rapidly and simultaneously quantify 12 different nucleotides and nucleosides (adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, adenosine monophosphate, adenosine, uridine triphosphate, uridine diphosphate, uridine monophosphate, uridine, guanosine triphosphate, guanosine diphosphate, guanosine monophosphate, guanosine): (1) released from a mouse renal cell line (M1 cortical collecting duct) and (2) in human biological samples (i.e., urine). To facilitate analysis of urine samples, a solid-phase extraction step was incorporated (overall recovery rate ? 98 %). All samples were analyzed following injection (100 ?l) into a Synergi Polar-RP 80 Å (250 × 4.6 mm) reversed-phase column with a particle size of 10 ?m, protected with a guard column. A gradient elution profile was run with a mobile phase (phosphate buffer plus ion-pairing agent tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate; pH 6) in 2-30 % acetonitrile (v/v) for 35 min (including equilibration time) at 1 ml min(-1) flow rate. Eluted compounds were detected by UV absorbance at 254 nm and quantified using standard curves for nucleotide and nucleoside mixtures of known concentration. Following validation (specificity, linearity, limits of detection and quantitation, system precision, accuracy, and intermediate precision parameters), this protocol was successfully and reproducibly used to quantify picomolar to nanomolar concentrations of nucleosides and nucleotides in isotonic and hypotonic cell buffers that transiently bathed M1 cells, and urine samples from normal subjects and overactive bladder patients

Phylogeography of Japanese encephalitis virus:genotype is associated with climate

The circulation of vector-borne zoonotic viruses is largely determined by the overlap in the geographical distributions of virus-competent vectors and reservoir hosts. What is less clear are the factors influencing the distribution of virus-specific lineages. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the most important etiologic agent of epidemic encephalitis worldwide, and is primarily maintained between vertebrate reservoir hosts (avian and swine) and culicine mosquitoes. There are five genotypes of JEV: GI-V. In recent years, GI has displaced GIII as the dominant JEV genotype and GV has re-emerged after almost 60 years of undetected virus circulation. JEV is found throughout most of Asia, extending from maritime Siberia in the north to Australia in the south, and as far as Pakistan to the west and Saipan to the east. Transmission of JEV in temperate zones is epidemic with the majority of cases occurring in summer months, while transmission in tropical zones is endemic and occurs year-round at lower rates. To test the hypothesis that viruses circulating in these two geographical zones are genetically distinct, we applied Bayesian phylogeographic, categorical data analysis and phylogeny-trait association test techniques to the largest JEV dataset compiled to date, representing the envelope (E) gene of 487 isolates collected from 12 countries over 75 years. We demonstrated that GIII and the recently emerged GI-b are temperate genotypes likely maintained year-round in northern latitudes, while GI-a and GII are tropical genotypes likely maintained primarily through mosquito-avian and mosquito-swine transmission cycles. This study represents a new paradigm directly linking viral molecular evolution and climate

Effect of co-administration of voglibose and vildagliptin on diabetic albino rats

Background: The progressive nature of type 2 diabetes usually requires a combination of two or more oral agents in long term. Studies have been done to support its relevance. This study was made to observe the possible additive or supra-additive effect of the co-administration of voglibose and vildagliptin expecting it to be beneficial by enhancing the peptide GLP-1 activity which in turn increases insulin secretion while decreasing that of glucagon in response to rise in plasma glucose.Methods: Healthy male wistar rats weighing 150-250 grams were taken for this study. The animals were divided into five groups, six animals in each group. These groups were normal control, diabetic control, vildagliptin treated, voglibose treated and by vildagliptin and voglibose (co-administered) treated group diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by freshly prepared nicotinamide followed by streptozotocin intraperitoneal injection. The fasting blood samples were determined by glucose oxidase method. One way ANOVA test was used to compare the effect of drugs on different group.Results: Fasting blood glucose in normal control was found static. Diabetic rats fasting blood glucose level subsequently increased in different weeks. The animal treated by vildagliptin and voglibose orally has a better control of FBS in comparison to diabetic control group. The animal treated by co-administration of vildagliptin and voglibose had a better effect than vildagliptin treated group and voglibose treated animal.Conclusions: Vildagliptin and voglibose are effective in lowering blood glucose level in albino diabetic rats but their combination has potentiating effect

A model for reactive porous transport during re-wetting of hardened concrete

A mathematical model is developed that captures the transport of liquid water in hardened concrete, as well as the chemical reactions that occur between the imbibed water and the residual calcium silicate compounds residing in the porous concrete matrix. The main hypothesis in this model is that the reaction product -- calcium silicate hydrate gel -- clogs the pores within the concrete thereby hindering water transport. Numerical simulations are employed to determine the sensitivity of the model solution to changes in various physical parameters, and compare to experimental results available in the literature.Comment: 30 page

Cerebellar ataxia and sensory ganglionopathy associated with light-chain myeloma.

BACKGROUND: Cerebellar ataxia with sensory ganglionopathy is a rare neurological combination that can occur in some hereditary ataxias including mitochondrial diseases and in gluten sensitivity. Individually each condition can be a classic paraneoplastic neurological syndrome. We report a patient with this combination who was diagnosed with light-chain myeloma ten years after initial presentation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old Caucasian lady was referred to our Ataxia Clinic because of a 6-year history of progressive unsteadiness and a 2-year history of slurred speech. Past medical history included arterial hypertension. The patient was a non-smoker was not consuming alcohol excessively. There was no family history of ataxia. Neurological examination revealed prominent gaze-evoked nystagmus, heel to shin ataxia, gait ataxia, reduced reflexes and loss of vibration sensation in the legs. Cerebellar ataxia was confirmed using magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the cerebellum and sensory ganglionopathy using neurophysiological assessments including blink reflex study. A muscle biopsy that was arranged to explore the possibility of mitochondrial disease revealed amyloidosis. Urinalysis confirmed the presence of light chains. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of light chain multiple myeloma. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst it could be argued that this could simply be a coincidence, the rarity of these conditions and the absence of an alternative aetiology for the neurological dysfunction argue in favour of a paraneoplastic phenomenon

Treacher-Collins syndrome

INTRODUCTION- Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare syndrome inherited as autosomal dominant. The affected children may vary in severity ranging from minimal features as slanting of palpebral fissures to major features of craniofacial development such as hypertelorism, micrognathia, maxillary hypoplasia, high arched palate, conductive hearing loss, external ear abnormalities and narrow nostrils. We report a case of Treacher Collins syndrome with term gestation with polyhydramnios and fetus with micrognathia on ultrasound examination with previous two babies and father having the same disorder. Case Report- A 30year old ,unbooked G3 P2 L1D1, postcesaerean pregnancy, term gestation with polyhydramnios with breech presentation with features of TCS admitted for institutional delivery at Government General Hospital, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her scan on admission revealed single fetus in breech presentation with micrognathia and AFI 25cm. she delivered a live male baby weighing 2.2kg with features of TCS through ceserean section and inspite of airway support the baby died on first postnatal day. Conclusion- This case report confirms the need to identify the antenatal women with physical malformations and early ultrasound scan in women with previous H/O anomalous children, and polyhydramnios so that termination can be planned early

The 9p21.3 risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is explained by a rare high-impact variant in CDKN2A

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have provided strong evidence for inherited predisposition to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) identifying a number of risk loci. We have previously shown common SNPs at 9p21.3 influence ALL risk. These SNP associations are generally not themselves candidates for causality, but simply act as markers for functional variants. By means of imputation of GWAS data and subsequent validation SNP genotyping totalling 2,177 ALL cases and 8,240 controls, we have shown that the 9p21.3 association can be ascribed to the rare highimpact CDKN2A p.Ala148Thr variant (rs3731249; Odds ratio=2.42, P=3.45×10−19). The association between rs3731249 genotype and risk was not specific to particular subtype of B-cell ALL. The rs3731249 variant is associated with predominant nuclear localisation of the CDKN2A transcript suggesting the functional effect of p.Ala148Thr on ALL risk may be through compromised ability to inhibit cyclin D within the cytoplasm