Assessment of serum nitrate-nitrite ratio vis-a-vis insulin sensitivity and resistance in type 2 diabetics in a tertiary hospital in Eastern India

Background: Insulin Resistance is of paramount importance in the pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus along with endothelial dysfunction is mediated by Nitric Oxide (NO). Central to this endothelial dysfunction is the action of Insulin on the Nitric oxide synthase enzyme. Since NO cannot be measured because of its short half-life, metabolites of NO (namely nitrite and nitrate) are measured towards assessing their relationship along with different direct and surrogate markers of insulin resistance in patients of Diabetes Mellitus attending a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. Aim of the study was to assess the level of Insulin resistance with the direct and surrogate markers of insulin resistance in patients of Diabetes Mellitus attending a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India.Methods: Blood samples from newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic patients were assayed for fasting and postprandial sugar and insulin, lipid profile and serum nitrate and nitrite and different anthropological parameters were measured. After that, HOMA-IR and QUICKI’ index were measured.Results: Values of anthropological parameters and the direct and surrogate markers of insulin resistance showed statistically significant difference between cases and controls. Bivariate analysis of post-prandial blood glucose showed strong co-relation with HOMA-IR while serum total nitrate-nitrite ratio showed a strong co-relation with QUICKI.Conclusions: Serum nitrate-nitrite ratio showed a strong co-relation with HOMA-IR and QUICKI. The significance of this study lies in the fact that measurement of the serum nitrate-nitrite may give an idea of the level of insulin resistance of a diabetic patient

Fasting during Ramadan and subsequent long term impact on health of children: Comparing the Foetal Origin and Predictive Adaptive Response Hypotheses

The Foetal Origin Hypothesis (FOH) states that exposure to nutrition deficiency at the foetal stage results in poor anthropometric growth and a pre-disposition to have cardiac diseases, nephrological problems and diabetes at early middle age. While this hypothesis made us aware of the possibilities that health can be pre-programmed during the foetal stage, methodological problems implied that the hypothesis could not be accepted with certainty. This study is based on a primary survey of Muslim women and their children, and examines the impact of nutritional shock to the foetus in teh form of Ramadan fasting. The survey was undertaken in Basanti block, in South 24 Parganas. Lying in the Sunderban areas, this block is a chronically under-deprived area where nutrition deficiency is a common feature of life. The programming received through exposure to nutrition deficiency at the foetal stage, therefore, prepares the organism for its later life environment through its plasticity. This is called Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR). The primary survey, undertaken in 2013-2014, covered Muslim youth aged 18-22 years. The impact of foetal starvation was measured through anthropometric measurements. In all 27 indicators were studied. Simultaneously, the mothers of the respondents were surveyed. We collected information about education levels of the parents, the past occupation and standard of living, current occupation and standard of living, and information regarding the conceptions. After ascertaining using old Muslim calendars whether the foetal stage coincided with Ramadan, we also clarified whether the mother had fasted during Ramadan. This enabled us to successfully distinguish between the study and control group. Analysis of the data using multivariate regressions showed that the difference in measurements for most indicators was not statistically significant. In those cases, where the difference was found to be significant, it was those exposed to Ramadan fasting at the foetal stage who were found to be “fitter”. This is taken as preliminary evidence in support of PAR. Further testing provides evidence in support of Predictive Adaptive Response

Fasting during Ramadan and subsequent long term impact on health of children: Comparing the Foetal Origin and Predictive Adaptive Response Hypotheses

The Foetal Origin Hypothesis (FOH) states that exposure to nutrition deficiency at the foetal stage results in poor anthropometric growth and a pre-disposition to have cardiac diseases, nephrological problems and diabetes at early middle age. While this hypothesis made us aware of the possibilities that health can be pre-programmed during the foetal stage, methodological problems implied that the hypothesis could not be accepted with certainty. This study is based on a primary survey of Muslim women and their children, and examines the impact of nutritional shock to the foetus in teh form of Ramadan fasting. The survey was undertaken in Basanti block, in South 24 Parganas. Lying in the Sunderban areas, this block is a chronically under-deprived area where nutrition deficiency is a common feature of life. The programming received through exposure to nutrition deficiency at the foetal stage, therefore, prepares the organism for its later life environment through its plasticity. This is called Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR). The primary survey, undertaken in 2013-2014, covered Muslim youth aged 18-22 years. The impact of foetal starvation was measured through anthropometric measurements. In all 27 indicators were studied. Simultaneously, the mothers of the respondents were surveyed. We collected information about education levels of the parents, the past occupation and standard of living, current occupation and standard of living, and information regarding the conceptions. After ascertaining using old Muslim calendars whether the foetal stage coincided with Ramadan, we also clarified whether the mother had fasted during Ramadan. This enabled us to successfully distinguish between the study and control group. Analysis of the data using multivariate regressions showed that the difference in measurements for most indicators was not statistically significant. In those cases, where the difference was found to be significant, it was those exposed to Ramadan fasting at the foetal stage who were found to be “fitter”. This is taken as preliminary evidence in support of PAR. Further testing provides evidence in support of Predictive Adaptive Response

Lane departure avoidance system

Traffic accidents cause millions of injuries and tens of thousands of fatalities per year worldwide. This thesis briefly reviews different types of active safety systems designed to reduce the number of accidents. Focusing on lane departure, a leading cause of crashes involving fatalities, we examine a lane-keeping system proposed by Minoiu Enache et al. They proposed a switched linear feedback (LMI) controller and provided two switching laws, which limit driver torque and displacement of the front wheels from the center of the lane. In this thesis, a state feedback (LQR) controller has been designed. Also, a new switching logic has been proposed which is based on driver\u27s torque, lateral offset of the vehicle from the center of the lane and relative yaw angle. The controller activates assistance torque when the driver is deemed inattentive. It is deactivated when the driver regains control. Matlab/Simulink modeling and simulation environment is used to verify the results of the controller. In comparison to the earlier switching strategies, the maximum values of the state variables lie very close to the set of bounds for normal driving zone. Also, analysis of the controller\u27s root locus shows an improvement in the damping factor, implying better system response

Assessment of serum nitrate-nitrite ratio vis-a-vis insulin sensitivity and resistance in type 2 diabetics in a tertiary hospital in Eastern India

Background: Insulin Resistance is of paramount importance in the pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus along with endothelial dysfunction is mediated by Nitric Oxide (NO). Central to this endothelial dysfunction is the action of Insulin on the Nitric oxide synthase enzyme. Since NO cannot be measured because of its short half-life, metabolites of NO (namely nitrite and nitrate) are measured towards assessing their relationship along with different direct and surrogate markers of insulin resistance in patients of Diabetes Mellitus attending a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. Aim of the study was to assess the level of Insulin resistance with the direct and surrogate markers of insulin resistance in patients of Diabetes Mellitus attending a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India.Methods: Blood samples from newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic patients were assayed for fasting and postprandial sugar and insulin, lipid profile and serum nitrate and nitrite and different anthropological parameters were measured. After that, HOMA-IR and QUICKI’ index were measured.Results: Values of anthropological parameters and the direct and surrogate markers of insulin resistance showed statistically significant difference between cases and controls. Bivariate analysis of post-prandial blood glucose showed strong co-relation with HOMA-IR while serum total nitrate-nitrite ratio showed a strong co-relation with QUICKI.Conclusions: Serum nitrate-nitrite ratio showed a strong co-relation with HOMA-IR and QUICKI. The significance of this study lies in the fact that measurement of the serum nitrate-nitrite may give an idea of the level of insulin resistance of a diabetic patient

Sigma Metrics in Thyroid Testing: Striving for Perfection- An Observational, Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Six Sigma is a potent tool for evaluating the quality of the analytical phase by combining bias, imprecision, and Total Allowable Error (TEa). Considering the variation in TEa values from different sources, analysis on the sigma scale needs to be carefully monitored. Aim: To assess the performance of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and free Thyroxine (fT4) on the Sigma scale. Materials and Methods: The present observational, cross-sectional study Immunoassay laboratory at the Department of Biochemistry, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, India, from February 2021 to January 2022. The study involves 12 months of tri-level (L1, L2, L3) Internal Quality (IQ) control data and External Quality Assessment (EQAS) data. The bias percentage was obtained from EQAS, and the Coefficient of Variation (CV%) was obtained from IQ Control (IQC) data run on Advia Centaur CP (CLIA) each month. Sigma (σ) was calculated applying TEa from the desirable biological variation database. Sigma values of L1, L2, L3 of TSH and fT4 have been calculated using Microsoft spreadsheet software version 2010, applying the formula σ=(TEa-bias)/CV. Results: The CV% and bias% were found to be within an acceptable range, always less than the cut-off percentage of imprecision (I%) and inaccuracy (B%) for TSH and fT4 in the desirable specifications for imprecision and inaccuracy (updated 2014). However, sigma levels are near the satisfactory mark, found to be 5σ) in tri-level IQ for TSH with a higher numeric TEa% value (23.7%) were obtained in more months, whereas for fT4 with a lower TEa% value (8%), better sigma values (>5σ) were obtained in a lesser number of months. Conclusion: The present study establishes that Sigma values are affected by the numeric values of TEa% of a particular parameter taken from the source. Sigma values showed average performance despite satisfactory CV% and bias% for fT4 and TSH, creating chaos in the laboratory’s operational routine. The Sigma matrix is a good indicator, but it is difficult to maintain a good sigma value for parameters that have low TEa%. It becomes crucial to choose appropriate TEa to plan a quality control strategy for thyroid hormones

Characterization of the clonal profile of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients with early post-operative orthopedic implant based infections

Abstract Background To analyze the molecular epidemiology and to compare between the major methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus biotypes for association with patient characteristics who had an implant for closed fracture and developed early post-operative wound infections (POWI) in a tertiary care hospital of India. Methods Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), antimicrobial resistance, accessory gene regulator (agr) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types, Paton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene, toxin gene profiling, biofilm formation and patient demographics were correlated with MLST clonal complexes (CC). Findings Overall eight different sequence types (STs) were detected with a predominance of ST239 (66%), ST22 (18%) and some minor types ST772, ST30 (4% each) ST1, ST642, ST6, ST107 (2% each). All ST239 isolates belong to CC239 and SCCmec III whereas ST22 isolates belong to CC22 and SCCmec IV. The isolates varied in the distribution of various toxin genes. With 63.63% biofilm formers ST239 were all multidrug resistant with frequent resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, gentamicin, cefuroxime, amoxyclav and ciprofloxacin indicating doxycycline, amikacin, vancomycin and linezolid can be the drug of choice. Conclusion This study shows that ST239 MRSA is still most prevalent strain with new emergence of ST642 and ST107 isolates in association with orthopedic implant based POWI. As compare to other ST types ST239 strain was associated with adverse treatment outcomes. This highlights the importance of improving nosocomial infection control measures in this unit

Viper and cobra venom neutralization by alginate coated multicomponent polyvalent antivenom administered by the oral route.

BACKGROUND:Snake bite causes greater mortality than most of the other neglected tropical diseases. Snake antivenom, although effective in minimizing mortality in developed countries, is not equally so in developing countries due to its poor availability in remote snake infested areas as, and when, required. An alternative approach in this direction could be taken by making orally deliverable polyvalent antivenom formulation, preferably under a globally integrated strategy, for using it as a first aid during transit time from remote trauma sites to hospitals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:To address this problem, multiple components of polyvalent antivenom were entrapped in alginate. Structural analysis, scanning electron microscopy, entrapment efficiency, loading capacity, swelling study, in vitro pH sensitive release, acid digestion, mucoadhesive property and venom neutralization were studied in in vitro and in vivo models. Results showed that alginate retained its mucoadhesive, acid protective and pH sensitive swelling property after entrapping antivenom. After pH dependent release from alginate beads, antivenom (ASVS) significantly neutralized phospholipaseA2 activity, hemolysis, lactate dehydrogenase activity and lethality of venom. In ex vivo mice intestinal preparation, ASVS was absorbed significantly through the intestine and it inhibited venom lethality which indicated that all the components of antivenom required for neutralization of venom lethality were retained despite absorption across the intestinal layer. Results from in vivo studies indicated that orally delivered ASVS can significantly neutralize venom effects, depicted by protection against lethality, decreased hemotoxicity and renal toxicity caused by russell viper venom. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Alginate was effective in entrapping all the structural components of ASVS, which on release and intestinal absorption effectively reconstituted the function of antivenom in neutralizing viper and cobra venom. Further research in this direction can strategize to counter such dilemma in snake bite management by promoting control release and oral antivenom rendered as a first aid

Selective hydrogenation of Dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether over highly active monodisperse Ru/γ-Al2O3 nanocatalyst

Ru/γ-Al2O3 nanocatalyst with different metal loading was synthesized by microwave irradiated sol-vothermal technique. Synthesized nanocatalyst (4-14 nm of metal particle size)was then successfully implemented for the hydrogenation of Dibenzocrown-18-crown-6 ether (DB18C6) at 9 MPa, 393 K tem-perature and 3.5 h. It was observed that the metallic small nanoclusters produced at 4 wt% metal con-centration exhibited higher catalytic activity and resulted 96.7% conversion with 100% selectivity to-wards cis-syn-cis-dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 ether (CSC DCH18C6). © 2015 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reservedReceived: 18th July 2014; Revised: 10th September 2014; Accepted: 10th September 2014How to Cite: Suryawanshi, Y.R., Chakraborty, M., Jauhari, S., Mukhopadhyay, S., Shenoy, K.T., Sen, D. (2015). Selective Hydrogenation of Dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether over Highly Active Monodisperse Ru/γ-Al2O3 Nanocatalyst. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering &amp; Catalysis, 10 (1): 23-29. (doi:10.9767/bcrec.10.1.7141.23-29)Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.10.1.7141.23-29</p

A New Functional Composite for Photovoltaic and Sensor Applications

As a preliminary drive to eventually develop dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)-powered gas sensors, many oxide-based systems have been explored to fabricate sensors that can show response at room temperature for any analyte gas. As an outcome of recent work in this endeavor, a composite nanorod of anatase TiO2 with Na0.23TiO2 is found to exhibit both photovoltaic performance and gas sensing at room temperature as demonstrated here. An interesting morphology change along with a phase change from nanoparticle to nanorod is observed during the hydrothermal synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with sodium hydroxide under a highly basic condition. In order to understand the effect of the minor phase Na0.23TiO2 on the inherent properties of anatase TiO2, the application of nanorod composite in two unique potential application areas, DSSC and acetone sensings is investigated. The composite material exhibits an enhanced efficiency of 7.85% for a DSSC. Surprisingly, a resistive sensor fabricated with the synthesized composite material exhibits room temperature p-type sensing behavior toward different concentrations of acetone (10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 ppm) with high selectivity