Assessment of Physicochemical parameters and Water Quality Index of Vishwamitri River, Gujarat, India

Development and industrialisation exert pressure on the riverine system deteriorating the serenity of the rivers. The present study was carried out in Small River flowing through Vadodara city viz., Vishwamitri River. The study revealed better water quality before its entry into the urban area. Despite of presence of STPs, there is poor water quality affecting the aquatic life and ecology. The paper throws light on pollution aspect and need to develop decentralised treatment system to tackle the river pollution problem

A study of assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotic stewardship among healthcare providers in a tertiary care hospital of Sangli

Background: Antimicrobials are routinely used for variety of clinical conditions but are also misused leading to drug resistance bacteria in clinical practice. Consultants can gain the knowledge about it and can also have the depth of problem faced, their prescribing behavior mainly depends on their attitude and understanding of condition. Our aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and beliefs about antibiotics prescribing among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital of Sangli. Methods: Our present study was conducted in the Bharati hospital, BV (DU) medical college and hospital, Sangli. Ethical clearance from the institutional ethics committee was obtained and it was, cross-sectional questionnaire-based study carried out in the form of a survey in which a pretested, semi-structured, validated questionnaire was provided to junior residents, senior residents and faculty of different specialties and responses were recorded. Questionnaire comprises of 9 in knowledge, 10 in attitude and 10 in practice section. Results: Out of all participants 84.5% believed that no need of antibiotics for running and blocked nose. Majority 89.6% were expressed that sample culture should be sent before starting antibiotics. 90.4% participants believed that education of patients will help. Only 76.8% strictly adhere to the antibiotic policy of our hospital. Conclusions: The present study on antibiotic usage gives useful information about the knowledge, attitudes and practices of prescribers and help plan suitable educational modifications that aim at improving the antimicrobial prescribing and minimizing the development of drug resistance in our developing country

Are textbook lungs really normal? A cadaveric study on the anatomical and clinical importance of variations in the major lung fissures, and the incomplete right horizontal fissure.

INTRODUCTION: The lungs have three main fissures: the right oblique fissure (ROF), right horizontal fissure (RHF), and left oblique fissure (LOF). These can be complete, incomplete or absent; quantifying the degree of completeness of these fissures is novel. Standard textbooks often refer to the fissures as complete, but awareness of variation is essential in thoracic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fissures in 81 pairs of cadaveric lungs were classified. Oblique fissures were measured from lung hila posteriorly to the lung hila anteriorly; and the RHF measured from the ROF to the anteromedial lung edge. The degree of completeness of fissures was expressed as a percentage of the total projected length were they to be complete. The frequency and location of accessory fissures was noted. RESULTS: LOF were complete in 66/81 (81.5%), incomplete in 13/81 (16.0%) and absent in 2/81 (2.47%); ROF were complete in 52/81 (64.2%), incomplete in 29/81 (35.8%) and never absent; RHF were more variable, complete in 18/81 (22.2%), incomplete in 54/81 (66.7%) and absent in 9/81 (11.1%). LOF and ROF were on average 97.1% and 91.6% complete, respectively, being deficient posteriorly at the lung hila. The RHF on average 69.4% complete, being deficient anteromedially. There were accessory fissures in 10 left and 19 right lungs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a projection of the anatomy thoracic surgeons may encounter at operation, in particular the variable RHF. This knowledge is essential for optimal outcomes in both benign and oncological procedures influenced by the fissures

Live cell screening identifies glycosides as enhancers of cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity

Promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation is a promising strategy to regenerate the heart. Yet, so far, it is poorly understood how cardiomyocyte proliferation is regulated, and no factor identified to promote mammalian cardiomyocyte proliferation has been translated into medical practice. Therefore, finding a novel factor will be vital. Here, we established a live cell screening based on mouse embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes expressing a non-functional human geminin deletion mutant fused to Azami Green (CM7/1-hgem-derived cardiomyocytes). We screened for a subset of compounds of the small molecule library Spectrum Collection and identified 19 potential inducers of stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte proliferation. Furthermore, the pro-proliferative potential of identified candidate compounds was validated in neonatal and adult rat cardiomyocytes as well as human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. 18 of these compounds promoted mitosis and cytokinesis in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Among the top four candidates were two cardiac glycosides, peruvoside and convallatoxin, the flavonoid osajin, and the selective alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist and imidazoline I1 receptor ligand efaroxan hydrochloride. Inhibition of PTEN and GSK-3 beta enhanced cell cycle re-entry and progression upon stimulation with cardiac glycosides and osajin, while inhibition of IP3 receptors inhibited the cell cycle-promoting effect of cardiac glycosides. Collectively, we established a screening system and identified potential compounds to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation. Our data suggest that modulation of calcium handling and metabolism promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation, and cardiac glycosides might, besides increasing myocardial contraction force, contribute to cardiac repair by inducing cardiomyocyte proliferation