Assessment of clinical and haematological profile in dengue fever

Introduction: Series of biochemical and haematological changes occur during the course of the illness. Physicians should be aware of the most common clinical as well as clinical and biochemical presentations which are important for the clinical management of patients and thus crucial for saving a life. Therefore, this study aimed to highlight the most common clinical features and biochemical findings of dengue cases.Methods: A total of 200 cases of suspected dengue fever were included in the study. The present is the prospective cohort study; samples were selected with sampling technique. A total of 200 cases of suspected dengue fever were included in the study. The frequency of various signs and symptoms and the values of laboratory tests were compared. The results were tabulated and correlated.Results: In our series in clinical manifestations, all cases presented with fever, myalgia was found in 156 patients, headache was found in 106 patients, rashes were present in 28 patients, others clinical features are nausea, pain abdomen was seen in 42 patients, loose motion was seen in 34 patients etc. None of our patient have visual complains. Retro-orbital pain was noted in 12 patients. Bleeding manifestations in any form was seen in 78 cases.Conclusions: Dengue needs to be suspected in any patient presenting with a short duration of fever and myalgia. Bleeding tendencies should be closely watched for. When features of plasma leakage such as pedal edema, pleural effusion, ascites, are present, patient should be closely watched for and should be immediately managed

Analyzing gold returns: Indian perspective

Investors are forever in need of an asset that adds value to the portfolio. Therefore, along with fixed income investments, stocks, gold and other assets are inevitable parts of a balanced portfolio. For Indian investors, gold is not only an investment asset but a commodity with a major importance in the social customs that makes it all the more interesting to study. As an investment asset, it is considered a diversifier asset and a hedging asset. Not only that, it is called a ‘safe-haven’ asset for times of economic distress, meaning that it retains its value when the stock market is giving low or negative returns. In this paper, we analyze the risk-return parameters of both the gold and Sensex for a period from 1992 to 2017 and find out how they perform along with each other. We also do detailed subperiod analysis in terms of Pearson’s correlation coefficient and see how it changes in pre-recession and post-recession period. We analyze whether gold is a diversifier asset, a hedge, a safe haven or all three for Indian investors. It is interesting to note how the exchange rate variability has a great impact on gold’s rate of return

Optimal modification of poly(Vinylidene fluoride) membrane surface by using surfacemodifying macromolecules for application in membrane distillation

The optimal engineering of the surface properties was performed for poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane with hydrophobic surface-modifying macromolecules (SMMs). For this aim, new hydrophobic SMM additives were synthesized using polyurethane chemistry and characterized for water contact angle, fluorine content and average molecular weight. Both modified PVDF/SMM and neat PVDF membranes were prepared through phase inversion method in a single casting step and characterized by means of scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and contact angle goniometry. The optimum preparation conditions were determined using response surface methodology. The effects of the main casting variables, such as PVDF concentration, SMM concentration and solvent evaporation time, on the surface properties of the synthesized membrane were identified and used to prepare optimal PVDF/SMM membrane. The prepared membranes were tested for permeation flux and salt rejection efficiency by membrane distillation process. The results indicate that the optimally modified membrane yields high permeate flux of around 17.5 kg/m2 h and total salt rejection efficiency of 99.9 % compared with pristine membranes. In particular, the hydrophobicity of the modified membrane significantly increases up to 108° at water contact angle, through presented surface modification procedure

Biotechnological production of γ-decalactone, a peach like aroma, by Yarrowia lipolytica

The request for new flavourings increases every year. Consumer perception that everything natural is better is causing an increase demand for natural aroma additives. Biotechnology has become a way to get natural products. γ-Decalactone is a peach-like aroma widely used in dairy products, beverages and others food industries. In more recent years, more and more studies and industrial processes were endorsed to cost-effect this compound production. One of the best-known methods to produce -decalactone is from ricinoleic acid catalyzed by Yarrowia lipolytica, a generally regarded as safe status yeast. As yet, several factors affecting -decalactone production remain to be fully understood and optimized. In this review, we focus on the aromatic compound -decalactone and its production by Y. lipolytica. The metabolic pathway of lactone production and degradation are addressed. Critical analysis of novel strategies of bioprocess engineering, metabolic and genetic engineering and other strategies for the enhancement of the aroma productivity are presented.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684)

Kinetics investigation of direct natural gas conversion by oxidative coupling of methane

Since 1982 there has been much research on the Oxidativecoupling of methane (OCM) process. The main obstacle for converting methane directly to more valuable products by heterogeneous catalysis is the low selectivity at high conversions; the products are more reactive than methane. The main goal of this work is to study the kinetics of OCM reaction and classifies them. We find that with considering almost all reaction steps of the other models, reaction network of Stanch et al. has the best accuracy in comparison with the other models

Reciclagem

O áudio aborda assuntos relacionados à reciclagem, tais como: os benefícios sociais e ambientais trazidos por ela, a economia de matéria prima e recursos energéticos como consequência desse processo, as cores das lixeiras correspondente a cada tipo de material e a importância da conscientizaçãoEnsino Fundamental Inicial::Meio Ambient

Synthesis and characterization of new quinazolines as potential antimicrobial agents

550-553Ethyl 4-[2-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo-3-hydroquinazolin-3yl]benzoate 1 which reacts with hydrazine hydrate in presence of methanol resulted into N-amino{4-[2-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo(3-hydroquinazolin-3-yl)phenyl}carboxamide 2. Compound 2 on treatment with aryl isothiocyanates in presence of acetone is converted into aryl-N-{[({4-[2- (2-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo(3-hydroquinazolin-3-yl)]phenyl}carbonylamino)amino]thioxo methyl}amides 3. Compound 3, in presence of sulphuric acid has yielded aryl-N-(5-{4-[2-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo(3-hydroquinazolin-3-yl)]phenyl}(1,3,4,thiadiazol-2-yl))amides 4a-l. Newly synthesized compounds 4a-l have been screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities on Eschericia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus pyogenes, C. albicans, A. niger and A. clavatus

Sammy Nguyen, Akash Moradia, and Stephanie Pace Marshall

Two members of the class of 2009, Sammy Nguyen and Akash Moradia, were roommates while at IMSA. Nguyen describes IMSA like a family because of the close relationships developed between students living on campus, and also the closeness of students and faculty. Moradia feels IMSA offers a unique opportunity, also because of the residential life aspect. He also describes the experience as both unique and chaotic, because so much is expected of students. Nguyen says academically one of the things that was really important was learning how to solve problems, and that the students were expected to solve them rather than being given the answers by teachers. Moradia says the teachers empowered the students to learn themselves. As examples, Nguyen refers to math problem sets, and Moradia to Dr. Victory\u27s classes where the students had to learn how to build websites from scratch, including writing and editing images. Asked what they think in retrospect about things they might not have agreed with while at IMSA, Moradia says that the internet shutting off at 1am was, on the whole, probably a good thing. Nguyen also said that the mandatory study hours, while they felt restrictive at the time, they were helpful in terms of getting work done. He says that when he got to college he felt he knew how to manage his time better than his peers. Moradia also says that IMSA made the transition to college easier. Both felt that IMSA gave them confidence going out in the world. IMSA also affected what they value in education, including self-discovery and the opportunities to explore and have fun. Duration: 15:48https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/oral_histories/1014/thumbnail.jp

First report on the isolation of melittin from Iranian honey bee venom and evaluation of its toxicity on gastric cancer AGS cells

Background: It has been previously reported that melittin, the main ingredient of honey bee venom, has anticancer properties. However, there appears to be no earlier study focusing on the isolation of melittin from Iranian honey bee venom (Apis mellifera meda), and evaluation of its effect on cancerous cells. Methods: We isolated melittin using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and its potential toxicity on gastric cancer AGS cells was determined with an MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. Furthermore, to ascertain whether melittin induces apoptosis or necrosis in these cells, morphological evaluation, DNA fragmentation assay, propidium podide and annexin-V-FITC dual staining, and flow cytometric analysis were also conducted. Results: The results of our study suggested that melittin inhibited the proliferation of AGS cells in a dose and time-dependent trend. All of the above four distinct assays indicated that melittin induces necrosis in AGS cells at concentrations of ≥ 1 μg/mL. Conclusion: The present study indicated that melittin has an anticancer effect on gastric cancer AGS cells and stimulates necrotic cell death in these cells