Strain specific effects of low level lead exposure on associative learning and memory in rats.

Exposure to lead (Pb) remains a significant public health concern. Lead exposure in early life impairs the normal development of numerous cognitive and neurobehavioral processes. Previous work has shown that the effects of developmental Pb exposure on gene expression patterns in the brain are modulated by various factors including the developmental timing of the exposure, level of exposure, sex, and genetic background. Using gene microarray profiling, we previously reported a significant strain-specific effect of Pb exposure on the hippocampal transcriptome, with the greatest number of differentially expressed transcripts in Long Evans (LE) rats and the fewest in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The present study examined the extent to which this differential effect of Pb on hippocampal gene expression might influence behavior. Animals (males and females) were tested in a trace fear conditioning paradigm to evaluate effects of Pb exposures (perinatal (PERI; gestation to postnatal day 21) or early postnatal (EPN; postnatal day 1 to day 21)) on associative learning and memory. All animals (Pb-exposed and non-Pb-exposed controls) showed normal acquisition of the conditioned stimulus (tone)-unconditioned stimulus (footshock) association. Long Evans rats showed a significant deficit in short- and long-term recall, influenced by sex and the timing of Pb exposure (PERI or EPN). In contrast, Pb exposure had no significant effect on memory consolidation or recall in any SD rats. These results further demonstrate the important influence of genetic background to the functional outcomes from developmental Pb exposure

A case report of Kounis syndrome: acute myocardial injury caused by multiple bee stings

Kounis syndrome, also known as “allergic angina syndrome” or “allergic myocardial infarction”, refers to acute coronary syndrome secondary to hypersensitivity reaction as a result of exposure to various allergens. Signs and symptoms may include chest pain, with or without raised troponins and cardiac enzymes, vomiting, syncope, hypotension or acute renal failure. A 60-year-old male, farmer by occupation, was bitten by multiple bees over head, neck region and bilateral upper limbs in the afternoon on 04/03/2022. On presentation, vitals were stable. After 2 hours, patient developed severe chest pain, palpitations, and dizziness. ECG showed inferior wall ST elevation MI. Subsequently CPK, CK-MB, troponin I were done, which were found to be elevated. Echocardiography was done, which showed regional wall motion abnormality in the inferior wall. Patient was treated with anticoagulants and antiplatelets. CT coronary angiography showed healthy coronaries. In literature, we had few cases of myocardial infarction following bee sting. In acute myocardial infarction after bee stings, it has been suggested that vasoconstriction secondary to mediators released after the sting, aggravated by exogenous adrenaline and platelet aggregation contributes to myocardial ischemia. Cardiac complications can accompany bee sting. Intensive supportive treatment in intensive or coronary care facilities with administration of drugs to treat complications early in the course of the illness will improve the outcome

Study of profile of poisoning cases reported to district hospital, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India

Background: Poisoning is a major public health problem worldwide, with thousands of deaths occurring every year, mainly in the developing countries. India, holding 70% of agricultural land, accounts for one third of pesticide poisoning cases in the third world, the farm workers being the worst affected. Most of the poisonings occur due to deliberate self-ingestion of the poison. Organo-phosphorus (OP) compounds occupy the greatest burden of poisoning related morbidity and mortality. The present study was aimed to know the profile of various poisoning cases admitted to emergency department in district hospital, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India. The main objectives of this study were to determine the profile of poisoning cases reported to district hospital, Chamarajanagar and to assess their pattern and outcome.Methods: A record based retrospective study for the year 2012 i.e. from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2012 was conducted in district hospital, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India and the data regarding age, gender, residence, time elapsed after intake, type of poison, manner and route of poisoning, duration of hospitalization and outcome were collected in a pre-structured proforma. The data was analyzed using standard statistical methods.Results: In present study, rural hindu males were among the highest reported cases, with maximum number of cases reported during the month of March and during the 12:01 to 18:00 hours of the day. Irritant poisons accounts to the highest incidence (68%) among poisoning in present study. Pesticides, organophosphorus compound in particular form the major type of poisons among irritants followed by snake bite, rat poison and honey bee bite (sting). Conclusions: This study highlights the profile of poisoning cases admitted to the Chamarajanagar District, Karnataka, India which clearly indicates the high risk population involved and the common poisons encountered in these region

Towards greater transparency in neurodevelopmental disorders research: use of a proposed workflow and propensity scores to facilitate selection of matched groups

Background Matching is one commonly utilized method in quasi-experimental designs involving individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). This method ensures two or more groups (e.g., individuals with an NDD versus neurotypical individuals) are balanced on pre-existing covariates (e.g., IQ), enabling researchers to interpret performance on outcome measures as being attributed to group membership. While much attention has been paid to the statistical criteria of how to assess whether groups are well-matched, relatively little attention has been given to a crucial prior step: the selection of the individuals that are included in matched groups. The selection of individuals is often an undocumented process, which can invite unintentional, arbitrary, and biased decision-making. Limited documentation can result in findings that have limited reproducibility and replicability and thereby have poor potential for generalization to the broader population. Especially given the heterogeneity of individuals with NDDs, interpretation of research findings depends on minimizing bias at all stages of data collection and analysis. Results In the spirit of open science, this tutorial demonstrates how a workflow can be used to provide a transparent, reproducible, and replicable process to select individuals for matched groups. Our workflow includes the following key steps: Assess data, Select covariates, Conduct matching, and Diagnose matching. Our sample dataset is from children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 25) and typically developing children (n = 43) but can be adapted to comparisons of any two groups in quasi-experimental designs. We work through this method to conduct and document matching using propensity scores implemented with the R package MatchIt. Data and code are publicly available, and a template for this workflow is provided in the Additional file 1 as well as on a public repository. Conclusions It is important to provide clear documentation regarding the selection process to establish matched groups. This documentation ensures better transparency in participant selection and data analysis in NDD research. We hope the adoption of such a workflow will ultimately advance our ability to replicate findings and help improve the lives of individuals with NDDs

Compressive Study on Wireless 3d Printer Using Lua Code

3-D printing is a unique technology in the realm of CNC. Often this technology is referred to as Rapid Prototyping as its functional use is often one of (relatively) quickly producing a physical object from a CAD design model. This object can be used to test form, fit, and function prior to building the object in its real material, which likely costs more in time and material stock to produce. As a prototype, this object is fully (exceptions below) workable and functions to test both visual and engineering specifications, as well as completeness, correctness, and overall design integrity. Wireless 3D Printers are machines that produce physical 3D models from digital data by printing layer by layer using Lua code. It can make physical models of objects either designed with a CAD program or scanned with a 3D Scanner. It is used in a variety of industries including jewelry, footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction, automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education and consumer products. Wireless 3D printer uses LUA code for transfer the data to the Wi-Fi model which sends information to the 3d printer

Secret Key Generation Schemes for Physical Layer Security

Physical layer security (PLS) has evolved to be a pivotal technique in ensuring secure wireless communication. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the recent developments in physical layer secret key generation (PLSKG). The principle, procedure, techniques and performance metricesare investigated for PLSKG between a pair of users (PSKG) and for a group of users (GSKG). In this paper, a detailed comparison of the various parameters and techniques employed in different stages of key generation such as, channel probing, quantisation, encoding, information reconciliation (IR) and privacy amplification (PA) are provided. Apart from this, a comparison of bit disagreement rate, bit generation rate and approximate entropy is also presented. The work identifies PSKG and GSKG schemes which are practically realizable and also provides a discussion on the test bed employed for realising various PLSKG schemes. Moreover, a discussion on the research challenges in the area of PLSKG is also provided for future research