Preferences for Exposure Control of Power-Frequency Fields among Lay Opinion Leaders

The authors report on surveys, differing according to focus on remedial costs, of Pittsburgh-area adults indicating beliefs about possible health effects of electromagnetic fields and the acceptability of options for reducing or eliminating the potential impact

Standardization of NPK Requirement in Banana Cv. "Njalipoovan" (Musa AB Group) in Onattukara Soil of South Kerala

Banana cv. "Njalipoovan" (Musa AB group, Syn. Ney Poovan) is one of the popular varieties cultivated in the homesteads of Kerala. This variety has high export potential due to its edible and keeping quality. Eventhough fertilizer requirement was worked out for different varieties; no attempt has been made to standardize the nutrient requirement of banana cv. "Njalippovan", especially in the loamy sand soils of Onattukara. Field experiments were conducted for two years (1998-2000) at Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam to study the influence of three levels each of N (100, 200 and 300 g plant-1), P2O5 (100, 200 and 300 g plant-1) and K2O (200,400 and 600 g plant-1) with one absolute control (nopoko) on growth, yield, quality and economics of cultivation. Increasing the rate of application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium improved the growth and yield. Total soluble solids (TSS), total sugars and reducing sugars increased with increasing levels of nitrogen and potassium. Fruit acidity decreased at higher rate of N and K2O. Applied phosphorus had no effect on quality of fruits. Application of N, P2O5 and K2O at 200:200:400 g plant-1 proved to be ideal for maintaining higher yield and benefit: cost ratio

The challenges of exploring the impact of genogram construction on an Appalachian family\u27s health consciousness

Abstract Purpose Appalachians exhibit high rates of chronic disease-related behaviors which might improve with heightened health consciousness. Knowing one\u27s family history can be an important health maintenance tool. Appalachians\u27 health attitudes are shaped in large, closely knit extended families in which matriarchs play central roles. We sought assistance from West Virginian grandmothers in a family medicine practice in engaging their extended families with their genogram to assess the impact on family members\u27 level of health consciousness. Methods The family physician identified West Virginian grandmothers in his practice. We sent each of them invitations to participate, along with their extended family, in constructing a genogram,. However, none of the thirty-four women contacted agreed to participate. We explored the reasons for their non-participation. We mailed a follow-up survey to all the potential participants. We made follow-up phone calls after sending a reminder letter. Twenty-seven women responded. We collated and arranged in order of frequency their reasons for non-participation. Results The most frequently cited reason for non-participation was that the respondent perceived her extended family to be too busy or to live too far from one another to participate. Her own sense of not feeling up to what was being asked of her was the second most frequently expressed reason, almost as often as the first. Conclusions The hypothesis that family physicians might improve health consciousness of Appalachian extended families by engaging them with their genogram remains untested. Testing it will require being mindful of several methodological lessons regarding recruitment of subjects, use of written materials and inclusion criteria. The researcher will be wise to adopt a collaborative, collegial approach such as employed in participatory research

Reproductive biology of Chela fasciata Silas – an endemic ornamental barb of the of Western Ghats of India

Reproductive biology of Chela fasciata, an ornamental cyprinid fish endemic to the Western Ghats of Kerala, was studied from144 specimens (94 females and 50 males) ranging in size from 26.0 to 82.0 mm. The ovaries showed asynchronous oocyte development. The first mature female appeared at 40–45 mm total length (TL) and male at 25–30 mm TL. The size at first maturity estimated was 45.75 and 36.25 mm for females and males respectively. All females were mature at 60 mm TL and males at 45 mm TL. C. fasciata was found to be a multiple spawner with a protracted spawning season; the individuals spawn intermittently. Absolute fecundity ranged from 2669 to 4437 in fishes of size range 49.5 to 82 mm TL. The number and size of eggs were found to be directly proportional to the size and age of the fish. Fecundity showed a positive linear relationship (p<0.05) with the length and weight of both the fish and ovary

In vitro regeneration of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri (Linn.) Pennell) - an important medicinal herb through nodal segment culture

An efficient and cost effective in vitro plant regeneration protocol through nodalsegment culture was achieved in the medicinally important herb Bacopa monnieri (L.)Pennell, the Memory Plus plant through axillary shoot proliferation in Murashige and Skooge medium augmented with varying concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP)1 - 5 mg/l. BAP at 2 mg/l was the most effective in multiple shoot induction and mean number of leaves, which gave an average of 17 shoots and 31.11 leaves, compared toother concentrations of the hormone tried in 35 days of culture. Regarding mean shoot length and number of nodes, basal MS giving 2.66 cm long shoots with 7.44 nodes is thebest. MS basal medium, even though not promoting shoot multiplication, gave highershoot length with elongated internodes. Healthy rooting of the in vitro developed shootswas achieved in half and full strength MS basal solid medium without the addition ofany hormones. The healthy and vigorous in vitro regenerated micro shoots wereseparated out and were hardened on transfer to plastic cups with sterile soil and sandand were successfully acclimatized ex vitro in pots with potting mixture under greenhouse conditions for 3 weeks. The survival rate was 100% and the plants establishedwell in green house resembled the mother plants in habitat without any morphological variations. The very simple and cost effective protocol developed can be used to produceelite stable clones for en masse propagation for the large-scale cultivation of this very important medicinal herb

In vitro propagation of Lesser Galangal (Alpinia calcarata Rosc.) - a commercially important medicinal plant through rhizome bud culture

An efficient protocol has been established for clonal propagation of Alpinia calcarata, a commercially important medicinal plant on Murashige and Skooge medium usingrhizome bud explants. Of the different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) andBAP in combination with different levels of kinetin, the best response of axillary shootproliferation was achieved in a combination of 1.5 mg/l of kinetin in combination with 0.5mg/l of BAP producing 13.6 shoots per explant in 6-8 weeks of culture followed by 2 mg/lkinetin and 0.5 mg/l BAP with an average of 6.2 shoot buds from each of the explants.Rooting of the shoots also occurred in the same medium in 3 weeks of subculture. Shootstransferred to half strength MS medium with 0.5 mg/l IBA was optimum for healthyrooting. The healthy in vitro rooted plants were hardened on plastic cups in sterile sand andwere transferred to pots containing potting mixture under green house conditions for 3-4weeks for acclimatization. The survival rate was 87-90% and the plants established well inthe field and developed rhizomes after 4-6 weeks of growth under shade house. Thisprotocol proves its utility for rapid propagation of A. calcarata, which can be exploited forpharmaceutical and commercial purpose

Characterization of non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin of non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 and its relevance to disease

The non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin which causes dramatic cell rounding of cultured HeLa cells was purified to homogeneity from a clinical strain (WO5) of non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 Inaba belonging to the El Tor biotype. The purified protein has a denatured molecular weight of 35 kDa and a native molecular weight of approximately 37 kDa indicating the monomeric nature of the protein. The 15 N-terminal amino acid sequence of non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin showed complete homology to the hemagglutinin protease previously purified and characterized from V. cholerae O1. Purified non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin from V. cholerae O1 was immunologically and biochemically identical to that previously purified from V. cholerae O26. Non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin was found to be enterotoxic in rabbit ileal loop assay inducing accumulation of non-hemorrhagic fluid at 100 μg and elicited a concentration dependent increase in short circuit current and tissue conductance of rabbit ileal mucosa mounted on Ussing chambers. A significant serum immunoglobulin G response against non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin was elicited by patients infected with V. cholerae O139 but not with V. cholerae O1. These properties make non-membrane-damaging cytotoxin a potential virulence factor of V. cholerae which should be taken into consideration while making live, attenuated recombinant vaccine strains against cholera

Aspirin Inhibits Colon Cancer Cell and Tumor Growth and Downregulates Specificity Protein (Sp) Transcription Factors

Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is highly effective for treating colon cancer patients postdiagnosis; however, the mechanisms of action of aspirin in colon cancer are not well defined. Aspirin and its major metabolite sodium salicylate induced apoptosis and decreased colon cancer cell growth and the sodium salt of aspirin also inhibited tumor growth in an athymic nude mouse xenograft model. Colon cancer cell growth inhibition was accompanied by downregulation of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 proteins and decreased expression of Sp-regulated gene products including bcl-2, survivin, VEGF, VEGFR1, cyclin D1, c-MET and p65 (NFκB). Moreover, we also showed by RNA interference that β-catenin, an important target of aspirin in some studies, is an Sp-regulated gene. Aspirin induced nuclear caspase-dependent cleavage of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 proteins and this response was related to sequestration of zinc ions since addition of zinc sulfate blocked aspirin-mediated apoptosis and repression of Sp proteins. The results demonstrate an important underlying mechanism of action of aspirin as an anticancer agent and, based on the rapid metabolism of aspirin to salicylate in humans and the high salicylate/aspirin ratios in serum, it is likely that the anticancer activity of aspirin is also due to the salicylate metabolite

The Impact of Sociodemographic Factors, Comorbidities and Physiologic Response on 30-day Mortality in COVID-19 Patients in Metropolitan Detroit

BACKGROUND: The relationship of health disparities and comorbidities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related outcomes are an ongoing area of interest. This report assesses risk factors associated with mortality in patients presenting with Covid-19 infection and healthcare disparities. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients presenting to emergency departments within an integrated health system who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 7 and April 30, 2020 in Metropolitan Detroit. The primary outcomes were hospitalization and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 3,633 patients with mean age of 58 years were included. The majority were female and black non-Hispanic. Sixty-four percent required hospitalization, 56% of whom were black. Hospitalized patients were older, more likely to reside in a low-income area, and had a higher burden of comorbidities. By 30-days, 433 (18.7%) hospitalized patients died. In adjusted analyses, the presence of comorbidities, age \u3e60 years and more severe physiological disturbance were associated with 30-day mortality. Residence in low income areas (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval 0.76 - 1.36), and public insurance (odds ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval 0.76 - 2.01) were not independently associated with higher risk of mortality. Black female patients had a lower adjusted risk of mortality (odds ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.27 to 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort of COVID-19 patients, those with comorbidities, advanced age, and physiological abnormalities on presentation had higher odds of death. Disparities in income or source of health insurance were not associated with outcomes. Black women had a lower risk of dying