Quality aspects of some exportable dried fishery products of Bangladesh

A study was conducted to evaluate the quality aspects of eight exportable dried fishery products of Bangladesh. The products were evaluated by examining organoleptic properties, water reconstitution behavior, microbiological and biochemical aspects. The water reconstitution rate was faster in ribbon fish and Bombay duck, and slower in other fishes and air bladder and shark fin products. Organoleptic and physical characteristics in respect of color, odor, texture, insect infestation and broken pieces of the products revealed that all of the products were either in excellent or acceptable condition. Total viable bacterial load ranged from 0.95 x 104 CFU/g to 1.8 x 104 CFU/g in dried products. Coliform bacteria was absent in all the dried fishery products. The results of moisture, crude protein, lipid and ash content of the products ranged from 16.20 to 23.51%, 58.37 to 82.86%, 0.17 to 14.44% and 0.58 to 9.23%, respectively. Non-protein nitrogen (NPN) contents were in the range of 0.104 to 2.372% and the pepsin digestibility values were of 88.41 to 94.23%. The results of the study suggested that the exportable dried products were of good quality and hygienically safe

SERUM VITAMIN E, C AND A LEVEL IN LUNG CANCER: A CASE CONTROL STUDY

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, causing approximately 1.2 million deaths per year. Lung cancer is prevalent in smokers. It is documented that smoking induces oxidative stress, which is thought to be associated with the aetiology of carcinogenesis. A case control cross sectional study was conducted on sixty lung cancer patients and sixty smokers as cohort control. Serum levels of antioxidant vitamin E, C and A among the case and control subjects were estimated. It was observed that vitamin E value among the study population did not alter (15.67±3.67μmol/L vs. 14.66±3.88μmol/L). It was within normal range. Conversely, there was significantly high serum concentrations of vitamin C and A in the lung cancer patients as compared to those in the smoker controls (48.26±6.81versus 16.65±4.46μmol/L; 2.76±0.32 versus 1.60±0.35μmol/L respectively)

Clinical and Genetic Features of Choroideremia in Childhood.

PURPOSE: To review the functional and anatomic characteristics of choroideremia in the pediatric population, aiming to describe the earliest features of the disease and to identify biomarkers useful for monitoring disease progression. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: Children diagnosed with choroideremia at a single institution. METHODS: Patients were identified using an electronic patient record system. Case notes and retinal imaging (color fundus photography [CFP], spectral-domain [SD] optical coherence tomography [OCT], and fundus autofluorescence [FAF]) then were reviewed. The results of genetic testing also were recorded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presenting symptoms, visual acuity, fundus changes (CFP, SD OCT, FAF), and CHM sequencing results. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were identified with a mean age at referral of 9 years (range, 3-16 years). CHM mutations were identified in 15 of 19 patients tested. Nyctalopia was the predominant symptom (66%). Five of 29 patients were asymptomatic at presentation. At the final follow-up visit (mean age, 16 years; range, 7-26 years), most maintained excellent visual acuity (mean, 0.98±0.13 decimalized Snellen acuity). The first sign of retinopathy was widespread pigment clumping at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). This later evolved to chorioretinal atrophy, most marked in the mid-peripheral retina. Peripapillary atrophy also was an early feature and was progressive in nature. Three different zones of FAF change were visible. Persistence of the inner retinal layers, detected by SD OCT, was visible at presentation in 15 of 27 patients. Subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased with age, whereas central retinal thickness increased over a similar interval. Four patients in whom visual acuity decreased over the follow-up period recorded a reduction in central retinal thickness. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive structural changes occur at a time when central visual function is maintained. Pigmentary changes at the level of the RPE occur early in the disease course. Peripapillary chorioretinal atrophy, central retinal thickness, and subfoveal choroidal thickness are likely to be valuable in monitoring disease progression and should be considered as potential biomarkers in future therapeutic trials

A review of human error in marine engine maintenance

Maritime safety involves minimizing error in all aspects of the marine system. Human error hasreceived much importance, being responsible for about 80% of the maritime accident worldwide. Currently,more attention has been focused to reduce human error in marine engine maintenance. On-board marineengine maintenance activities are often complex, where seafarers conduct maintenance activities in variousmarine environmental (i.e. extreme weather, ship motions, noise, and vibration) and operational (i.e. workoverload and stress) conditions. These environmental and operational conditions, in combination with generichuman error tendencies, results in innumerable forms of error. There are numerous accidents that happeneddue to the human error during the maintenance activities of a marine engine. The most severe human errorresults in accidents due to is a loss of life. Moreover, there are other consequences too such as delaying theproductivity of marine operations which results in the financial loss. This study reviews methods that arecurrently available for identifying, reporting and managing human error in marine engine maintenance. As abasis for this discussion, authors provide an overview of approaches for investigating human error, and adescription of marine engine maintenance activities and environmental and operational characteristics

2-{2-[(2,6-Dichloro­phen­yl)amino]­phen­yl}ethanol

In the title compound, C14H13Cl2NO, the 2,6-dichloro­anilino unit is roughly planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0298 Å) and makes a dihedral angle of 67.71 (4)° with the benzene ring containing the ethanol group. The C–C–O fragment is oriented at a dihedral angle of 64.94 (9)° with respect to its parent benzene ring. The molecular conformation is stabilised by a bifurcated N—H⋯(O,Cl) hydrogen bond. C—H⋯π, O—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.5706 (11) Å] stabilize the crystal structure

Diabetic ketoacidosis in a hospital based population in Pakistan

Sixty-two consecutive episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) were studied at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Forty-four (71%) were type I and 18 (29%) type II diabetics. Mean age was 28.1 years and mean duration of diabetes 4.1 years. Infections were the most common precipitating factor accounting for 28 episodes (45.2%). Twenty-two patients (35.5%) had hyperosmolality (serum osmolality \u3e 320 mosmol/L). Mean serum Na+ was 131.7 mmol/L and K+ 4.6 mmol/L. Twenty-three (37.1%) were hyperkalemic at presentation with seven patients (11.3%) being comatosed and 35 (56.5%) alert. Mean random blood glucose (RBG) was 624 mg/dl, mean pN 7.09, osmolality 316 mosmol/L and the neurological status correlated statistically significantly with mean RBG, pH and osmolality. A leukemoid response was seen in 83.9% episodes. Mortality rate was 8.0% in patients with DKA managed in this hospital