A study on disease burden and treatment among patients attending teleconsultation during lockdown period

Background: Covid-19 has been announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. To maintain social distancing effectively, the Government of India announced a complete lockdown on March 25th, 2020. As there are no proper transport facilities for patients who need health care services, the Government of Andhra Pradesh started 104 sevakendram as a helpline. Medical services were also provided by this 104 sevakendram through teleconsultation with doctors. The aim and objectives of the study were to study the disease pattern and treatment given to patients attending teleconsultations, to analyze the disease burden among the patients attending teleconsultation, to study the treatment given to the patients attending teleconsultation.Methods: It is a retrospective, observational, and analytical study. After prior IEC clearance and permission from teleconsultation authority, we did the study at Dr.YSR Aarogyasri health care trust, Guntur. Data regarding all calls connected to 104 was collected. Detailed information of the calls related to the Medical officer about the age, gender, disease pattern, and treatment given to the patient was collected. Statistical analysis was done using MS excel software.Results: On average, 104 sevakendram received two hundred valid teleconsultations per day. Most of the calls are related to anxiety and these calls constitute twenty four percent. Treatment given was according to probable diagnosis, mostly symptomatic and continuation of the same treatment.Conclusions: 104 sevakendram has played a vital role in meeting the medical and health requirements of the people suffering from different diseases during the lockdown period.

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF PARACETAMOL SUSPENSION BY USING NATURAL SUSPENDING AGENT EXTRACTED FROM BANANA PEELS

The present work was aimed to formulate and evaluate a new, cheap and effective natural suspending agent that can be used as an effective alternative for traditional suspending agent. The study procedure involved extraction of suspending agent from the Musa paradisica (Banana) fruit peels, determination of swelling index, phytochemical testing, Micromeritic properties of mucilage like Bulk density, Tapped density, Carr’s index, Hausner’s ratio, Angle of repose, Calibration of paracetamol, preparation of paracetamol suspensions and evaluated for pH determination, determination of sedimentation volume, redispersibility, determination of flow rate, measurement of viscosity, effect of temperature, drug content, particle size determination and In-vitro dissolution studies. The study showed that the extraction of suspending agent from banana fruit peels. The swelling index was found to be 40%. The photochemical test showed contains carbohydrates. As the concentration of suspending agent increases therefore viscosity of suspension increases which ultimately reduces the sedimentation of suspension

Risk factors of acute respiratory distress syndrome in Scrub typhus

Background: Scrub typhus is a common tropical infection presenting as acute febrile illness. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a serious complication of scrub typhus and is often associated with high mortality. This study was aimed to analyse risk factors of ARDS in Scrub typhus patients.Methods: This study was a prospective observational case control study conducted from June 2012 to June 2015 in Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Karnataka, India. ARDS was diagnosed as per Berlin criteria.Results: During the study period, a total of 320 patients were diagnosed to have scrub typhus as per our criteria. All the patients were from state of Karnataka except for 1 patient, who was from state of Kerala. A total of 20 (6.25%) patients (cases) were diagnosed to have ARDS and 300 (93.75%) patients (controls) did not have ARDS. After multivariate analysis of the risk factors only two risk factors had significant association with development of ARDS: sepsis (OR 4.34,95% CI 0.51,36.76) and septic shock (OR 16.57 95% CI 1.64,166.76).Conclusions: ARDS is a common and serious complication of scrub typhus. It often occurs along with other complications. Presence of dyspnoea, sepsis, septic shock, hypoalbuminemia should alert clinicians about ARDS. ARDS due to scrub typhus is associated with high mortality. Early recognition and prompt therapy can reduce mortality

Formulation and in-vitro evaluation of ciprofloxacin HCl floating matrix tablets

Oral drug delivery is the most widely utilized route of administration among all the routes that have been explored for systemic delivery of drugs via pharmaceutical products of different dosage form. Oral route is considered most natural, uncomplicated, convenient and safe due to its ease of administration, patient acceptance and cost-effective manufacturing process. Gastroretentive drug delivery system was developed in pharmacy field and drug retention for a prolonged time has been achieved. The goal of this study was to formulate and in-vitro evaluate Ciprofloxacin HCl controlled release matrix floating tablets. Ciprofloxacin HCl floating matrix tablets were prepared by wet granulation method using two polymers such as HPMC K100M (hydrophilic polymer) and HPMC K15M. All the Evaluation parameters were within the acceptable limits. FTIR spectral analysis showed that there was no interaction between the drug and polymers. In-vitro dissolution study was carried out using USP dissolution test apparatus (paddle type) at 50 rpm. The test was carried out at 37 ± 0.5 0C in 900ml of the 0.1 N HCl buffer as the medium for eight hours. HPMC K100M shows a prolonged release when compared to HPMC K15M. These findings indicated that HPMC K100M can be used to develop novel gastroretentive controlled release drug delivery systems with the double advantage of controlled drug release at GIT pH. On comparing the major criteria in evaluation such as preformulation and in vitro drug release characteristics, the formulation F8 was selected as the best formulation, as it showed the drug content as 99±0.4% and swelling index ratio was 107.14, and in-vitro drug released 61.31±0.65% up to 8 hours. Results indicated that controlled Ciprofloxacin HCl release was directly proportional to the concentration of HPMC K100M and the release of drug followed non-Fickian diffusion. Based on all the above evaluation parameters it was concluded that the formulation batch F8 was found to be best formulation among the formulations F1 to F8 were prepared

A Secure Communication through Quantum Key Distribution Protocols

Quantum cryptography is a new method of communication offering the security of the inviolability by using Law of Nature.Quantum Cryptography uses different secure communication by applying the phenomena of quantum physics. Unlike traditional classical cryptography, which uses mathematical techniques to restrict eavesdroppers, quantum cryptography is focused on the properties of physics of light for information. Quantum cryptography depends only on the validity of quantum theory, i.e., it is guarantied directly by the laws of physics. This is a different from any classical cryptographic techniques. This paper summarizes the current state of quantum cryptography and provides potential extensions of its feasibility as a mechanism for securing existing communication systems

Controlling of Home Appliances Using Internet of Things

In this new millennium of modern technology, everything is getting automated. Manual work is replaced by machines which reduced the burden on human beings. Nowadays humans have made internet an integral part of their everyday life without which they are helpless. Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of networks in which each object is identified by a unique identity that allows devices to connect, sensed and controlled remotely across a network infrastructure. In this paper we focus on controlling of home appliances by using internet of things. The devices connected to the cloud server are controlled by admin by giving commands. The controlling can be done by using Arduino. This whole system using Internet of Things (IoT) will be used to control home appliances from anywhere in the world by using internet connection. The system designed is economical and can be expanded as it allows connection and controlling of a number of different devices. Internet of Things (IoT) is an emergingtechnology that is making our world a global village. An IoT based Home automation is also one of such examples. In IoT based home automation various things such as lighting, home appliances, computers etc., all are connected to the Internet and allowing user to monitor and control things regardless of time and location constraint. This paper uses ThingSpeak IoT Platform for controlling home appliances through internet. The proposed system presented in this paper is used for controlling of home appliances through Internet of Things(IoT)

Comprehensive comparison of molecular portraits between cell lines and tumors in breast cancer

Background: Proper cell models for breast cancer primary tumors have long been the focal point in the cancer’s research. The genomic comparison between cell lines and tumors can investigate the similarity and dissimilarity and help to select right cell model to mimic tumor tissues to properly evaluate the drug reaction in vitro. In this paper, a comprehensive comparison in copy number variation (CNV), mutation, mRNA expression and protein expression between 68 breast cancer cell lines and 1375 primary breast tumors is conducted and presented. Results: Using whole genome expression arrays, strong correlations were observed between cells and tumors. PAM50 gene expression differentiated them into four major breast cancer subtypes: Luminal A and B, HER2amp, and Basal-like in both cells and tumors partially. Genomic CNVs patterns were observed between tumors and cells across chromosomes in general. High C > T and C > G trans-version rates were observed in both cells and tumors, while the cells had slightly higher somatic mutation rates than tumors. Clustering analysis on protein expression data can reasonably recover the breast cancer subtypes in cell lines and tumors. Although the drug-targeted proteins ER/PR and interesting mTOR/GSK3/TS2/PDK1/ER_P118 cluster had shown the consistent patterns between cells and tumor, low protein-based correlations were observed between cells and tumors. The expression consistency of mRNA verse protein between cell line and tumors reaches 0.7076. These important drug targets in breast cancer, ESR1, PGR, HER2, EGFR and AR have a high similarity in mRNA and protein variation in both tumors and cell lines. GATA3 and RP56KB1 are two promising drug targets for breast cancer. A total score developed from the four correlations among four molecular profiles suggests that cell lines, BT483, T47D and MDAMB453 have the highest similarity with tumors. Conclusions: The integrated data from across these multiple platforms demonstrates the existence of the similarity and dissimilarity of molecular features between breast cancer tumors and cell lines. The cell lines only mirror some but not all of the molecular properties of primary tumors. The study results add more evidence in selecting cell line models for breast cancer research

Functionalized Graphene-Incorporated Cupric Oxide Charge-Transport Layer for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance and Hydrogen Evolution

The production of hydrogen (H2) through photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) using renewable energy sources, particularly solar light, has been considered a promising solution for global energy and environmental challenges. In the field of hydrogen-scarce regions, metal oxide semiconductors have been extensively researched as photocathodes. For UV-visible light-driven PEC-WS, cupric oxide (CuO) has emerged as a suitable photocathode. However, the stability of the photocathode (CuO) against photo-corrosion is crucial in developing CuO-based PEC cells. This study reports a stable and effective CuO and graphene-incorporated (Gra-COOH) CuO nanocomposite photocathode through a sol-gel solution-based technique via spin coating. Incorporating graphene into the CuO nanocomposite photocathode resulted in higher stability and an increase in photocurrent compared to bare CuO photocathode electrodes. Compared to cuprous oxide (Cu2O), the CuO photocathode was more identical and thermally stable during PEC-WS due to its high oxidation number. Additionally, the CuO:Gra-COOH nanocomposite photocathode exhibited a H2 evolution of approximately 9.3 µmol, indicating its potential as a stable and effective photocathode for PEC-WS. The enhanced electrical properties of the CuO:Gra-COOH nanocomposite exemplify its potential for use as a charge-transport layer

Obstacle Avoidance and Line Following 2WD Robot

We use autonomous line-following robots in various industrial environments, surveillance applications, and construction and mining industries for object transportation tasks where rail, conveyer, and gantry solutions are unavailable. They help us reduce the work process and improve efficiency. In this report, we will illustrate how a 2WD robot can move on a predefined path and detect obstacles along the way. In this project, we have used a proximity sensor to detect the obstacle in the path and turn the robot from the obstacle. Also, we used an IR sensor so that robot could follow along the predefined path. The used in the project sensors were connected to Arduino UNO, which was programmed to control the robot's movements and decisions. By employing these two techniques, we can efficiently use such robots in various scenarios. For example, in the current Covid scenario, physical contact has become minimal, so if we use this line-following robot to deliver medicines to the patient, the physical contact between people can be reduced. The obstacle avoidance robot technique can be used in cars to improve safety. If an obstacle is detected in the path of the car and the driver does not apply the brakes, this type of technique can be used to bring the car to a stop by applying breaks. Using the proposed robotic techniques we can save time and work efficiently with minimal physical touch. Overall, the project achieved its primary goal of moving the robot on a predefined path and detecting obstacles on the pat