Burden and quality of life in caregivers of obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study

Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia both are chronic and disabling mental illness which imposes considerable burden on caregivers. Many studies have also reported that both of them have a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) of both the patients and the caregivers living with the patients. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the burden of care and quality of life (QoL) in the care givers of patients with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Schizophrenia.Methods: The present study is a hospital based, cross-sectional and comparative study. 30 patients with schizophrenia and 30 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients and their caregivers attending the OPD and family ward of Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, Agra were selected through purposive sampling with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (BREF version), Burden Assessment Schedule, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) were used for assessment.Results: The findings of this study revealed remarkable burden in the caregivers of OCD and Schizophrenia patients along with considerable and comparable impairment of their quality of life. Caregivers of Schizophrenia patients experienced more burden and have poor quality of life than the caregivers of OCD patients.Conclusions: It is suggested to develop effective strategies for family intervention with the purpose of supporting the caregivers and improving their quality of life

An apparatus for quantification of light and temperature cutting ability of curtains

An apparatus has been designed and developed to measure the light cutting/absorbing ability of curtains and to provide useful information on their temperature cutting ability. The apparatus is provided with various light sources with light, temperature and humidity detectors. The reproducibility of results, and effect of intensity of light (MBTL light source) on light and temperature cutting ability of six different fabric samples have been studied. The light and temperature cutting ability of the knitted fabric is found to be lower than that of woven and black out curtain fabric samples

Development of fabric smoothness tester

An instrument has been designed and developed to measure the smoothness behavior of finished cotton fabrics. The instrument is based on pendulum principle. The weight (hang on string) comprises a frictionless wheel movable along arc shaped platform. The platform acts as a sample holder. When the weight is subjected to push, it swings back and forth in the platform. The amplitude of the swing reduces due to friction of the fabric. The amplitude is inversely proportional to the friction or roughness of the fabric. Various types of finished cotton fabrics are tested on the developed instrument. The results are compared with Kawabata system to verify the working of instrument. These results are also compared with the bending length and crease recovery behavior of the particular fabric sample. It is found that the lesser the bending length the more will be the smoothness. If the crease recovery angle is high, the fabric will be smoother. One way analysis of variance has been applied to find out effect of different processes on fabric surface smoothness property

Post-operative management of inflammation after orthopaedic surgeries using trypsin, bromelain and rutoside combination: a single-centre prospective observational study

Background: Post-operative management of inflammation plays an important role in orthopaedic surgeries, as delay in wound healing may lead to extended hospital stay. Proteases like trypsin and bromelain combined with the bioflavonoid rutoside are often used to reduce post-operative pain and swelling. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral administration of a fixed dose combination of trypsin-bromelain-rutoside in the post-operative management after orthopaedic surgeries.Methods: The study was a prospective, observational data collection exercise. Hundred subjects undergoing orthopaedic surgeries, who were administered trypsin-bromelain-rutoside combination, were observed over a period of 8 days post-surgery. Verbal rating scales were used for grading the pain intensity and extent of swelling, while a 5-point Likert scale was used to evaluate patient- and investigator-reported global assessment of improvement in pain and swelling. Scores at day 3 and day 8 were analysed using paired t test.Results: At day 3 and day 8, the mean scores of pain and swelling were significantly reduced from baseline (all p<0.0001). By day 8, 74% of the patients achieved complete resolution of pain, while 50% reported complete resolution of swelling. By day 8, 54% patients reported excellent/ very good global improvement in pain and swelling, while the investigator reported excellent/ very good global improvement in 81% of the patients. No adverse event was reported in any of the patients.Conclusions: The combination of trypsin-bromelain-rutoside was safe and effective in reducing the post-operative pain and swelling after orthopaedic surgeries. An 8-day treatment led to complete resolution of pain in three-fourths of the patients and complete resolution of swelling in half the patients. The use of this combination has the potential to reduce hospital stay and pill burden

Sex-specific effects of microbiome perturbations on cerebral Aβ amyloidosis and microglia phenotypes.

We demonstrated that an antibiotic cocktail (ABX)-perturbed gut microbiome is associated with reduced amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque pathology and astrogliosis in the male amyloid precursor protein (APP)SWE /presenilin 1 (PS1)ΔE9 transgenic model of Aβ amyloidosis. We now show that in an independent, aggressive APPSWE/PS1L166P (APPPS1-21) mouse model of Aβ amyloidosis, an ABX-perturbed gut microbiome is associated with a reduction in Aβ pathology and alterations in microglial morphology, thus establishing the generality of the phenomenon. Most importantly, these latter alterations occur only in brains of male mice, not in the brains of female mice. Furthermore, ABX treatment lead to alterations in levels of selected microglial expressed transcripts indicative of the "M0" homeostatic state in male but not in female mice. Finally, we found that transplants of fecal microbiota from age-matched APPPS1-21 male mice into ABX-treated APPPS1-21 male restores the gut microbiome and partially restores Aβ pathology and microglial morphology, thus demonstrating a causal role of the microbiome in the modulation of Aβ amyloidosis and microglial physiology in mouse models of Aβ amyloidosis

Development of fabric smoothness tester

190-196An instrument has been designed and developed to measure the smoothness behavior of finished cotton fabrics. The instrument is based on pendulum principle. The weight (hang on string) comprises a frictionless wheel movable along arc shaped platform. The platform acts as a sample holder. When the weight is subjected to push, it swings back and forth in the platform. The amplitude of the swing reduces due to friction of the fabric. The amplitude is inversely proportional to the friction or roughness of the fabric. Various types of finished cotton fabrics are tested on the developed instrument. The results are compared with Kawabata system to verify the working of instrument. These results are also compared with the bending length and crease recovery behavior of the particular fabric sample. It is found that the lesser the bending length the more will be the smoothness. If the crease recovery angle is high, the fabric will be smoother. One way analysis of variance has been applied to find out effect of different processes on fabric surface smoothness property

Plug-Based Microfluidics with Defined Surface Chemistry to Miniaturize and Control Aggregation of Amyloidogenic Peptides

Small with control: For miniaturization of protein aggregation experiments the interfacial chemistry must be controlled to avoid protein aggregation caused by interfacial adsorption. Plug-based microfluidics with defined surface chemistry (see schematic picture) can then be used to perform hundreds of aggregation experiments with volume-limited samples, such as cerebrospinal fluid from mice

Molecular signatures of neurodegeneration in the cortex of PS1/PS2 double knockout mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Familial Alzheimer's disease-linked variants of presenilin (PSEN1 and PSEN2) contribute to the pathophysiology of disease by both gain-of-function and loss-of-function mechanisms. Deletions of <it>PSEN1 </it>and <it>PSEN2 </it>in the mouse forebrain result in a strong and progressive neurodegenerative phenotype which is characterized by both anatomical and behavioral changes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To better understand the molecular changes associated with these morphological and behavioral phenotypes, we performed a DNA microarray transcriptome profiling of the hippocampus and the frontal cortex of the <it>PSEN1/PSEN2 </it>double knock-out mice and littermate controls at five different ages ranging from 2–8 months. Our data suggest that combined deficiencies of <it>PSEN1 </it>and <it>PSEN2 </it>results in a progressive, age-dependent transcriptome signature related to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. While these events may progress differently in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, the most critical expression signatures are common across the two brain regions, and involve a strong upregulation of <it>cathepsin </it>and <it>complement </it>system transcripts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The observed neuroinflammatory expression changes are likely to be causally linked to the neurodegenerative phenotype observed in mice with compound deletions of <it>PSEN1 </it>and <it>PSEN2</it>. Furthermore, our results suggest that the evaluation of inhibitors of PS/γ-secretase activity for treatment of Alzheimer's Disease must include close monitoring for signs of calpain-cathepsin system activation.</p

Modernizing Surveillance of Antituberculosis Drug Resistance: From Special Surveys to Routine Testing

Availability of new diagnostic tools and global commitment towards universal access to tuberculosis care will accelerate capacity of resource-limited countries to monitor anti-tuberculosis drug resistance. Special surveys will be replaced by routine surveillance of drug resistance linked to patient care