Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Contaminated Water by Using a Novel Adsorbent; Cerium Based Polyaniline

In this work extensive study has been carried out to understand the removal efficiency of chromium (VI) by a hybrid material, cerium based Polyaniline. Among the various techniques, adsorption is one of the most suitable methods which can be adopted to remove hazardous ions from water and waste water. The development of low cost adsorbent is essential for the benefit of the common people. The hybrid material cerium based polyaniline has been synthesized and characterized by XRD, SEM and AAS. Experiments were conducted in batch mode to know the removal efficiency of chromium (VI) by this material as a function of pH, adsorbent dose, temperature, initial concentration and time. The removal efficiency of the hybrid material was 91 % at pH-7, adsorbent dose of 0.08 g/10ml, contact time 50 minutes and temperature 50°C from the aqueous solution having initial Cr (VI) concentration of 10 mg/L. From this study it is infer that this material is having high potential to remove chromium (VI) and other toxic metal which require further study. Keywords: Hybrid material, ion-exchange, XRD, SEM, AAS

Free Flexural Vibration of Composite Beam by Spectral Element Method

The composite beam may be of the forms of uniform, non-uniform or tapered. Free vibration of uniform composite beam has been studied by researchers with different boundary conditions using various methods of analysis such as First Order Shear Deformation Theory(FSDT), Wittrick Williams algorithm, Trigonometric Shear Deformation Technique, Runge Kutta Nystran Method, Higher Order Beam Theory, Dynamic Finite Element Method(DFEM), Lagrange Multiplier Method etc., besides the conventional analytical methods and finite element methods. Rarely any literature is available on free vibration on composite stepped beam. The one employed by Lam and Sathiyamoorthy \cite{lam1996low} is based on Runge-Kutta-Nystran Method. They studied the behaviour of uniform composite beam and validated the result by Runge-Kutta-Nystran Method and extended it to the stepped composite beam. For the free vibration of composite tapered beam only few papers are available where methods like FSDT, higher order finite element method, complementary function method have been used. In this present work the Spectral Element Method (SEM) has been used for the free vibrations of composite uniform, stepped and tapered Timoshenko beam. The results obtained for all the above beams by Spectral Element Method (SEM) are more promising in accuracy compared to the other methods even for higher modes and with lesser degrees of freedom

Knowledge and attitude towards contraceptive use among Juang men: a particularly vulnerable tribal group in Odisha, India

Background: Empirical evidence on knowledge and attitude toward contraception among particularly vulnerable tribal groups is rare in India. This study unearths the knowledge and attitude towards contraceptive methods among the Juang men, a PVTG in Odisha, India. Methods: Data for the present study comes from a cross-sectional mixed-method study conducted in 2020-21, following a three-stage sampling design. The present analysis is based on the quantitative data of 100 men and the qualitative interviews (12 Focus group discussions and 12 Key informant interviews). The quantitative data were analyzed using Stata (V16), and we used NVivo (V12) to analyze the qualitative data. We calculated an attitude scale categorized into favorable, neutral, and unfavorable. Results: Knowledge of contraceptive methods was found inadequate- 43% knew any modern spacing methods & 65% knew any modern limiting methods. About two-fifths (44%) of the men had a less favourable attitude towards contraception, 32% had a moderately favourable attitude, and 24% had a highly favourable attitude towards family planning. A higher percentage of educated men, exposed to mass media, do not consume alcohol and tobacco, and married after 18 years had a favourable attitude towards contraception. Qualitative data reveal that contraception was never perceived as an essential issue, and male involvement in family planning is culturally discouraging. Conclusions: Contraceptive method knowledge is not universal among Juang men, and many have a negative attitude toward using family planning methods. Results indicate inadequate program outreach and suggest customized intervention for contraceptive knowledge and its benefits among Juang men

Prescribing activities at district health care centers of Western Odisha

Background: Currently, rational use of drugs is a major issue in public health care. Rational use of medicines is important for decreasing the cost of therapy, avoiding drug interactions or drug reactions, improving compliance, etc. Studies from different parts of the world have shown different results regarding the rational use of drugs. We conducted this study to know the pattern of prescription and rational use of drugs in rural areas of Odisha to create awareness and knowledge among health care providers, medical students, and public.Methods: This was a prospective study and conducted on 450 prescriptions collected from two district health care centers of Odisha state. These prescriptions collected randomly over 2-month period. Data analyzed according to prescribing indicators formulated by World Health Organization.Results: We found that average number of drugs per encounter was 2.9. 68% drugs were prescribed by generic name. Use of antibiotics (47.7% cases) and injections (8% cases) were frequent.Conclusion: Our finding shows deviation from the rational use of medicines in some aspect. We suggest that there should be strict regulatory guidelines and local policy for implementing rational drug use

Identifying Factors Associated with Maternal Deaths in Jharkhand, India: A Verbal Autopsy Study

Maternal mortality has been identified as a priority issue in health policy and research in India. The country, with an annual decrease of maternal mortality rate by 4.9% since 1990, now records 63,000 maternal deaths a year. India tops the list of countries with high maternal mortality. Based on a verbal autopsy study of 403 maternal deaths, conducted in 2008, this paper explores the missed opportunities to save maternal lives, besides probing into the socioeconomic factors contributing to maternal deaths in Jharkhand, India. This cross-sectional study was carried out in two phases, and a multistage sampling design was used in selecting deaths for verbal autopsy. Informed consent was taken into consideration before verbal autopsy. The analytical approach includes bivariate analysis using SPSS 15, besides triangulation of qualitative and quantitative findings. Most of the deceased were poor (89%), non-literates (85%), and housewives (74%). Again, 80% died in the community/at home, 28% died during pregnancy while another 26% died during delivery. Any antenatal care was received by merely 28% women, and only 20% of the deliveries were conducted by skilled birth attendants (doctors and midwives). Delays in decision-making, travel, and treatment compounded by ignorance of obstetric complications, inadequate use of maternal healthcare services, poor healthcare infrastructure, and harmful rituals are the major contributing factors of maternal deaths in India

EFFECT OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF PEEL OF CITRUS SINENSIS ON FROG'S HEART

Objectives: To evaluate the cardiotonic action of aqueous extract of the peel of Citrus sinensis and also to know the effect in the presence of propranolol,nifedipine, and verapamil.Methods: We studied the cardiotonic effect of citrus peel extracts on isolated frog heart perfusion technique alone and also with a continuous infusionwith calcium channel blockers and a beta blocker. The aqueous extract obtained by drying the peel of citrus and then adding the powder form indistilled water.Results: Aqueous extract produced positive ionotropic action on frog heart and its effect antagonized by propranolol but neither by nifedipine norverapamil.Conclusion: Aqueous extract of peels of C. sinensis has cardiotonic activity and the cardiotonic effect produced by citrus may be due to having betaadrenergic action.Keywords: Digoxin, Cardiac stimulant, Isolated frog's heart, Citrus sinensis

Abortion care-seeking and reproductive rights violation in health facilities: evidence from six states of India

Background: Unsafe abortion continues to draw the researcher's attention due to its close association with maternal morbidity and mortality. Empirical evidence on the role of health facilities in providing safe abortion care addressing the reproductive rights of Indian women is limited.Methods: Using data from the 2015 ‘unintended pregnancy and abortion in India’ study, the present paper aimed to understand the violation of the reproductive rights of abortion care seekers in health facilities (n=4001) in six states of India. The health facilities were sampled using a stratified random sampling strategy. Univariate and bivariate analysis was carried out using SPSS (V 25) on cleaned and weighted data.Results: A sizeable percentage of public and private health facilities across states found seeking the consent of the husband or family members before abortion provision, compel women to adopt contraception and turn away abortion seekers, commonly citing non-medical reasons. The provision of post-abortion complications services is usually not 24/7, even at the primary health centre level, hindering access to an urgent health care need.Conclusions: There is a need to improve access to facility-based abortion services, especially in underserved rural areas, by ensuring that all public-sector facilities have adequate equipment and supplies, including MMA drugs and trained providers. Sensitization of health care providers about the importance of ethical issues and women’s reproductive rights is urgently required to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care

Discontinuation of modern contraception methods due to side effects and method failure in India: an analysis using reproductive calendar data

Background: Contraceptive discontinuation for reasons other than the desire to get pregnant is a significant public health concern. This study aimed to understand the elaborated role of side effects and method failure behind modern reversible contraception method discontinuation among married women aged 15-49 years in India.Methods: The analysis was based on 142992 episodes of contraceptive use contributed by 90414 married women aged 15-49 years covered in the National family health survey-4 (2015-2016). Multivariate analyses, discontinuation rates using the multiple/single decrement life table and multi-level multinomial competing risk analyses were performed.Results: Discontinuation rate due to side effects within 12 months of use was highest for injectables (14.7%) and lowest for male condoms (3%) and due to method failure, it was highest for male condoms (3%) and lowest among IUD users (1.2%). Compared to women using IUD, those using pills had 2.3 times and 1.6 times the higher hazard of discontinuation due to method failure and side effects, respectively.Conclusions: The discontinuation rate of all selected methods was higher due to side effects than method failure. The high discontinuation rate of many contraceptive methods and the frequency of contraceptive failure suggest the need for strategies to promote improved contraceptive use following method selection. Improved quality of services through proper counselling of the potential contraceptive users would enhance informed choice, thus increasing modern contraception continuation among women in India

PROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF TRIDAX PROCUMBENS AND FICUS RELIGIOSA AGAINST ISONIAZID AND RIFAMPICIN INDUCED HEPATOCELLULAR DAMAGE IN RATS: A PRELIMINARY COMPARATIVE EVALUATION ON BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS

ABSTRACTObjective: There are limited therapies available for prevention and treatment of hepatitis following antitubercular therapy. Very few reports areavailable regarding the hepatoprotective activity of Tridax procumbens (Tridax daisy) and Ficus religiosa (Aswatha) against the hepatitis induced byantitubercular drugs. Hence, we studied the hepatoprotective activity of Tridax and Ficus in isoniazid- and rifampicin-induced hepatitis in rats.Methods: The rats were divided into five groups. Group 1 - Control, Group 2 - Toxic control received isoniazid + rifampicin (100 mg/kg intraperitonealeach), Group 3 - Received Tridax extract (200 mg/kg p.o.) along with isoniazid and rifampicin, Group 4 - Received Ficus extract (200 mg/kg p.o.)with isoniazid and rifampicin, Group 5 - Standard group receiving Liv-52 (10 mg/kg p.o.) along with isoniazid and rifampicin. After 21 days, alkalinephosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and bilirubin levels were estimated from the serum. One-way ANOVA was appliedto test for significance of biochemical data of the different groups. The significance is set at p≤0.05. As evident from our study, rats receiving Tridaxshows significant improvement in all liver function test (LFT) parameters.Results: There is a significant difference in all the LFT parameters between Tridax group and Liv-52 group (p=0.004 for total bilirubin, 0.001 for ALP).Between Liv-52 group and Ficus group only significant in total bilirubin (p=0.04).Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that methanolic extract of both Tridax and Ficus has got significant hepatoprotective effect.Keywords: Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Liver function tests, Hepatoprotective