Role of Raktamokshana (Bloodletting therapy) in Sandhigata Vata w.s.r. to Lumbar Spondylosis

Low back pain is a commonest clinical presentation in musculoskeletal disorder due to spinal pathology. Change of life style in developing countries has created several disharmonies in biological system. The terms, lumbar osteoarthritis, disc degeneration, degenerative disc disease and spondylosis are being used in literature to describe anatomical changes of lumbar spine including vertebrae and inter-vertebral disc. Basing upon the patho-physiology and symptoms, Sandhigata Vata is equated with lumbar Spondylosis. Sandhigata Vata is a clinical condition develops when the vitiated Vayu becomes localized in Kati Pradesha. During the process of pathogenesis Kaphavrita Vyana Vayu obstructs the circulation of Rasa, Rakta Dhatu and gradually structural changes seen in Kati Pradesha. The symptoms like Shoola, Shopha, Stambha are developed later on. Raktamokshana is an important Para-surgical procedure recommended by Acharyas for treatment of Snayu Sandhigata Vata. It helps to enhance fresh blood supply to the affected lumbar region. It promotes detoxification, purification of nutrition path way by removing Doshas, lodged in inter-vertebral joint spaces. In this way the Raktamokshana process helps to regain the normal function in degenerative joint disorders

SSSDET: Simple Short and Shallow Network for Resource Efficient Vehicle Detection in Aerial Scenes

Detection of small-sized targets is of paramount importance in many aerial vision-based applications. The commonly deployed low cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial scene analysis are highly resource constrained in nature. In this paper we propose a simple short and shallow network (SSSDet) to robustly detect and classify small-sized vehicles in aerial scenes. The proposed SSSDet is up to 4x faster, requires 4.4x less FLOPs, has 30x less parameters, requires 31x less memory space and provides better accuracy in comparison to existing state-of-the-art detectors. Thus, it is more suitable for hardware implementation in real-time applications. We also created a new airborne image dataset (ABD) by annotating 1396 new objects in 79 aerial images for our experiments. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated on the existing VEDAI, DLR-3K, DOTA and Combined dataset. The SSSDet outperforms state-of-the-art detectors in term of accuracy, speed, compute and memory efficiency.Comment: International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) 2019, Taipei, Taiwa

Performance of Apple ber on different training systems in hot arid condition

Ber is an indigenous and common fruit of India. It is commercially grown under wide climatic and soil conditions. Apple ber (Zizyphus jujube Mill) cultivar is gaining momentum in sub-tropical and tropical climatic conditions of West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and in several northern parts of India. It is precocious in bearing habit with bold and crispy fruits. Many factors including training practices affect vegetative and fruit quality parameters. Due to bolder and heavier fruits, the cultivar is prone for limbs breakage or complete tilting of plants which results in uneven fruiting, reduced fruit set, and higher fruit drop. Considering its appealing fruit taste and quality and to address the above mentioned issues, different training systems were evaluated to see its performance on three to four years old apple ber orchards. Plants were trained on different training systems viz. Y-Shape, Espalier training system and control. Observations were recorded on vegetative and fruit quality parameters. Training systems significantly influenced various vegetative, yield and fruit quality parameters. Vegetative parameters such as leaf area, physical and quality attributes viz., fruit weight and size, TSS, ascorbic acid, yield, and B: C ratio were better in Y-Shape training system. Hence, Y- Shape training system can be adopted to improve yield and fruit quality parameters in Apple ber

Reducing Recurrence in Campanacci Type Three Giant Cell Tumor of Bone: Outcomes from an 82-Case Study Evaluating Psuedocapsule Excision with Extended Curettage

Background & Objective: In Campanacci type 3 giant cell tumor of bone (GCT), soft tissue expansion of the tumor has been considered the most important factor for recurrence. We report the outcomes in 82 consecutive patients with GCT of the extremities treated with the excision of pseudocapsule along with extended curettage in terms of recurrence and functional results. Material and Methods: We treated 82 cases with histologically proven, radiological grade 3 GCT of the extremities, which had at least two cortices intact. We performed soft tissue expansion excision along with extended curettage using a high-speed burr, phenol, hydrogen peroxide, and electrocautery. Reconstruction was done with bone cement or bone graft, and internal fixation was performed in all cases. Cases were followed up for a minimum of two years. Results: The highest incidence of GCT was found in the distal femur (28 , 34.1%), followed by the proximal tibia (18, 21.9%), with the third most common sites being in the upper limb, where the distal radius and proximal humerus each had an equal incidence of 12 cases (14.6%). Eight patients had preoperative pathological fractures. Reconstruction with bone cement was done in 65 cases, and bone grafting was done in 17 cases. Recurrence of GCT was not observed in study population. Post-operative infections were seen in 2 patients. Conclusion: Soft tissue expansion and pseudocapsule excision along with extended curettage are effective methods for decreasing the rate of recurrence in giant cell tumors of bone

Rapeseed-Mustard Breeding in India: Scenario, Achievements and Research Needs

Brassica spp., commonly known as rapeseed-mustard, plays a significant role in the Indian economy by providing edible oils, vegetables, condiments and animal feed. Globally, India holds second and third position in rapeseed-mustard area under cultivation and production, respectively. However, anthropogenically accelerated climate change thwarts yield potential of rapeseed-mustard by employing abiotic (drought, flood, temperature variation and salinity) and biotic (disease and insects) stresses. Various approaches such as molecular breeding, pre-breeding, −omics and biotechnological interventions have been used to develop varieties for improved yield and oil quality, climate resilient and resistance or tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this context, this chapter highlighted the different cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) sources and their potential use for hybrid development. At the end, this chapter also enlisted salient achievement by the government and non-government institutes and briefly described the future perspective for improvement of rapeseed-mustard in India

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

Obeticholic acid for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: interim analysis from a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial

Background Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common type of chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis. Obeticholic acid, a farnesoid X receptor agonist, has been shown to improve the histological features of NASH. Here we report results from a planned interim analysis of an ongoing, phase 3 study of obeticholic acid for NASH. Methods In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, adult patients with definite NASH,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score of at least 4, and fibrosis stages F2–F3, or F1 with at least oneaccompanying comorbidity, were randomly assigned using an interactive web response system in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive oral placebo, obeticholic acid 10 mg, or obeticholic acid 25 mg daily. Patients were excluded if cirrhosis, other chronic liver disease, elevated alcohol consumption, or confounding conditions were present. The primary endpointsfor the month-18 interim analysis were fibrosis improvement (≥1 stage) with no worsening of NASH, or NASH resolution with no worsening of fibrosis, with the study considered successful if either primary endpoint was met. Primary analyses were done by intention to treat, in patients with fibrosis stage F2–F3 who received at least one dose of treatment and reached, or would have reached, the month 18 visit by the prespecified interim analysis cutoff date. The study also evaluated other histological and biochemical markers of NASH and fibrosis, and safety. This study is ongoing, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02548351, and EudraCT, 20150-025601-6. Findings Between Dec 9, 2015, and Oct 26, 2018, 1968 patients with stage F1–F3 fibrosis were enrolled and received at least one dose of study treatment; 931 patients with stage F2–F3 fibrosis were included in the primary analysis (311 in the placebo group, 312 in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 308 in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). The fibrosis improvement endpoint was achieved by 37 (12%) patients in the placebo group, 55 (18%) in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group (p=0·045), and 71 (23%) in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group (p=0·0002). The NASH resolution endpoint was not met (25 [8%] patients in the placebo group, 35 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group [p=0·18], and 36 [12%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group [p=0·13]). In the safety population (1968 patients with fibrosis stages F1–F3), the most common adverse event was pruritus (123 [19%] in the placebo group, 183 [28%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 336 [51%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group); incidence was generally mild to moderate in severity. The overall safety profile was similar to that in previous studies, and incidence of serious adverse events was similar across treatment groups (75 [11%] patients in the placebo group, 72 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 93 [14%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). Interpretation Obeticholic acid 25 mg significantly improved fibrosis and key components of NASH disease activity among patients with NASH. The results from this planned interim analysis show clinically significant histological improvement that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. This study is ongoing to assess clinical outcomes