A study to assess the effectiveness of clinical teaching on the level of knowledge regarding nursing care bundle to prevent ventilator associated pneumonia among ICU nursing officers at AIIMS Bhopal

Background: Healthcare is a professional area bound to the ethical foundation of “do no harm.”, But in the current scenario, a rush to promote the curative scenario has led to the total downplay of the preventive aspect of care. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge regarding nursing care bundle for the prevention of VAP among nursing officers before and after clinical teaching and to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical teaching. Methods: This pretest-post-test study was conducted on nursing officers working in the ICU of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. 100 nursing officers were enrolled in the study via convenience sampling technique. The self-structured tool was validated by 10 experts with a mean CVI value of 0.94. The reliability of the self-structured knowledge questionnaire was determined by the test-retest method and found to be 0.87. The collected data was analysed for frequency, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and association. Results: Findings showed that the mean knowledge score was 18.46±3.543 before intervention. After the intervention of video-assisted clinical teaching, a post-test was conducted, and the mean post-test knowledge scores was 25.07±2.801 at the p value <0.01. Knowledge of subjects about nursing care bundle for prevention of VAP was found to have a significant association with only educational qualification. Conclusions: This study's findings concluded that educational interventions are necessary for the enhancement of knowledge and better compliance of nursing officers with guidelines regarding the bundle of care for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia

Sirtuin inhibition induces apoptosis-like changes in platelets and thrombocytopenia

Sirtuins are evolutionarily conserved NAD+-dependent acetyl-lysine deacetylases that belong to class III type of histone deacetylases. In humans, seven sirtuin isoforms (Sirt1 to Sirt7) have been identified. Sirtinol, a cell permeable lactone ring derived from naphthol, is a dual Sirt1/Sirt2 inhibitor of low potency whereas EX-527 is a potent and selective Sirt1 inhibitor. Here we have demonstrated that Sirt1, Sirt2 and Sirt3 are expressed in enucleate platelets. Both sirtinol or EX-527 induced apoptosis-like changes in platelets as revealed from enhanced annexin V binding, ROS production and drop in mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Above changes were associated with increased phagocytic clearance of the platelets by macrophages. Expression of acetylated p53 and the conformationally active form of Bax were found to be significantly higher in both sirtinol- as well as EX-527-treated platelets, thus implicating p53-Bax axis in apoptosis induced by sirtuin inhibitors. Administration of either sirtinol or EX-527 in mice led to reduction in both platelet count and number of reticulated platelets. Our results, for the first time, implicate sirtuins as a central player in determination of platelet aging. Since sirtuin inhibitors are being evaluated for their anti-tumor activity, this study rekindles attention to potential side effect of sirtuin inhibition in delimiting platelet life span and management of thrombosis

Condensed -heterocyclics: Part XXVIII - Synthesis of substituted naphtho[1,2-b]thiapyrano[3,4-b]quinoxaline and its 8-aza analogues

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Regulation of β-catenin stabilization in human platelets

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway controls developmental processes and homeostasis; however, abnormal activation of this pathway has been linked to several human diseases. Recent reports have demonstrated regulation of platelet function by canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling. Platelet aggregation plays a crucial role in haemostasis and thrombosis. Here we report for the first time that, induction of sustained aggregation of platelets by a strong agonist in the presence of calcium was associated with nearly complete proteolysis of β-catenin, which was abrogated upon depletion of calcium from platelet suspension. β-catenin cleavage was disallowed in absence of aggregation, thus implicating integrin α<SUB>IIb</SUB>β<SUB>3</SUB> engagement in β-catenin proteolysis. Degradation of β-catenin was blocked partially by inhibitors of either proteasome or calpain and completely when cells were exposed to both the inhibitors. Protein kinase C inhibition, too, abolished β-catenin degradation. Thus activities of proteasome, calpain and protein kinase C regulate stabilization of β-catenin in aggregated human platelets

Fly ash characterization, utilization and Government initiatives in India ΠA review

11-18Current annual production of fly ash, a by-product from coal based thermal power plants (TPPs), is 112 million tonnes (MT). Some of the problems associated with fly ash are large area of land required for disposal and toxicity associated with heavy metal leached to groundwater. This review presents different ways of using fly ash and policies of Govt of India regarding utilization and disposal of fly ash. Environmental and occupational health hazards associated with fly ash are also discussed

Curcumin inhibits compound 48/80 induced systemic anaphylaxis

Curcumin, the active component of turmeric, is a polyphenolic phytochemical with anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-allergic properties. Mast cells participate in allergic inflammation by virtue of their ability of being activated to allergens and lead to the release of number of biologically active mediators including histamine, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, various cytokines etc. In this report, we have investigated effects of curcumin on non-immunological stimulations like Compound 48/80 induced systemic anaphylaxis. In vitro experiments have confirmed non-toxicity of curcumin (50µM) as assessed by MTT test but 100µM dose was found toxic. Curcumin (50µM) inhibited Compound 48/80 induced mouse peritoneal mast cell (MPMC) degranulation and histamine release in dose-dependent manner. Therefore, it is worth to study effect of curcumin on non-immunological stimulations as most often it occurs without IgE involvement. Whether it has mast cell membrane stabilizing activity or some other signaling mechanisms are involved underlying its potential could be explored further

Anti-apoptotic role of sonic hedgehog on blood platelets

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is an essential morphogen involved in vertebrate organogenesis. Perturbation of Hh signaling is associated with pathological consequences like tumor formation and chronic lung fibrosis. Platelets are highly sensitive circulating blood cells responsible for hemostasis, while hyperactivity of these cells lead to morbidities like ischemic heart diseases and stroke. Despite being terminally differentiated cells with life span of 10-12 days, platelets have recently been shown to respond to Wnt ligand, another developmental signal similar to Shh. In this study, we demonstrate that components of Shh signaling, Patched and Gli3, are expressed in human platelets consistent with existence of functional Hedgehog signaling in these cells. Shh had potent inhibitory effect on platelet apoptosis induced by ABT-737 or thrombin through attenuation of caspase-3 activity. The Shh-mediated pathway may thus represent a novel endogenous mechanism for regulating platelet activity and life span

Seed Morphometry and Different Pre-sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Spondias pinnata Linn. under Nursery Condition

The present investigation was carried out during 2018–19 to evaluate the variation in seed dimension and most promising seed pre-treatments for accelerating germination of Spondias pinnata Linn. The various pre-sowing treatments were the Control (no treatment); soaking in cold water for 24 hours; soaking in cold water for 48 h; soaking in cold water for 72 h; soaking in 100 ppm thiourea for 24 h; soaking in 200 ppm thiourea for 24 h; soaking in 400 ppm thiourea for 24 h; soaking in 800ppm thiourea for 24 h; soaking in 1000 ppm thiourea for 24 h; soaking in 100 ppm KNO3 for 12 h; soaking in 200 ppm KNO3 for 12 h; soaking in 400 ppm KNO3 for 12 h; soaking in 800 ppm KNO3 for 12 h and soaking in 1000 ppm KNO3 for 12 h. The experiment was laid out in randomised block design with 13 pre-sowing treatments and the control with three replications of 100 seeds. The highest (54.33%) germination percentage was observed from cold-water for 48 hrs followed by thiourea 1000 ppm for 24 hrs (50.00%) and potassium nitrate 200 ppm for 12 hrs (48.67%). Parameters like germination value, mean germination time, root length, shoot length and seedling vigour index were significantly different among all the pre-treatments

Nanodiamonds activate blood platelets and induce thromboembolism

Aim: Nanodiamonds (NDs) have been evaluated for a wide range of biomedical applications. Thus, thorough investigation of the biocompatibility of NDs has become a research priority. Platelets are highly sensitive and are one of the most abundant cell types found in blood. They have a central role in hemostasis and arterial thrombosis. In this study, we aim to investigate the direct and acute effects of carboxylated NDs on platelet function. Methods: In this study, pro-coagulant parameters such as platelet aggregability, intracellular Ca2+ flux, mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm), generation of reactive oxygen species, surface exposure of phosphatidylserine, electron microscopy, cell viability assay and in vivo thromboembolism were analyzed in great detail. Results: Carboxylated NDs evoked significant activation of human platelets. When administered intravenously in mice, NDs were found to induce widespread pulmonary thromboembolism, indicating the remarkable thrombogenic potential of this nanomaterial. Conclusion: Our findings raise concerns regarding the putative biomedical applications of NDs pertaining to diagnostics and therapeutics, and their toxicity and prothrombotic properties should be critically evaluated