Prescribing patterns of cardiovascular drugs in cardiology outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital in Western Odisha

Background: Cardiovascular morbidity plays a villainous role globally as well as countries like India. Additionally, irrational prescription incurs greater damage to health and wellbeing. Drug utilization studies scrutinize the appropriateness of treatment and provide favorable feedbacks to strengthen clinical practices. The objective of the study was to describe treatment practices in cardiology outpatient and drug utilization pattern using core prescribing indicators by World Health Organization (WHO).Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study of 4-month duration was undertaken for cardiology Outdoor patients at a tertiary care hospital. 615 prescriptions were screened and analyzed.Results: Males (59.84%) were more in number than females (40.16%). Average number of the prescribed drugs per patient were 4.32±2.7 and (3.73±1.1 for cardiovascular drugs). Generic prescription was 60.98%. Percentage encounters with antibiotics 4.11, injectables 2.92%, fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) (11.8%) were documented. Drugs from the National List of Essential Medicines were 75.89%. The most common diagnosis was ischemic heart disease (68.29%). Hypolipidemics (78.25%) followed by antiplatelets (71.14%) were toppers in cardiovascular drug. Antiulcer drugs (PPI/Antacids) comprised 58.54% of total prescriptions.Conclusions: Less adherence to EDL, less generic prescriptions, use of FDC are major shortcomings. Areas to further rationalization like optimal use of evidence based medication like beta-blockers, newer anticoagulants/anti-platelet agents and newer anti-anginal agents are identified

Amino acids through developmental stages of sunflower leaves

The PICO-TAGanalysis of proteins revealed that 17 protein-bound and 18 free amino acids were present throughout the developmental stages of sunflower leaves. The total protein-bound amino acid content was much higher than total free amino acid content throughout the development of sunflower leaves. The contents of protein-bound and free amino acids as well as essential and non-essential ones displayed different patterns with leaf maturation, suggesting that total protein levels are poor predictors of the nutritive status of leaves

Plant growth promotion and antifungal activities of the mango phyllosphere bacterial consortium for the management of Fusarium wilt disease in pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Root rot caused by the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum is the number one cause of pea plant (P. sativum L.) death. There are many potential advantages to using rhizobacteria, endophytic bacteria and phyllospheric bacteria for managing plant diseases and promoting plant growth. This study investigated the potentiality of consortium species of bacteria to suppress root rot disease and their ability to promote the growth of pea plants compared with their individual and control plants. A total of 55 phyllospheric bacteria were isolated from mango flower and Bacillus sp. LBF- 02, Bacillus sp. LBF- 03 and Bacillus sp. LBF- 05 showed the most potent antimicrobial activity against root rot pathogens in a dual culture assay. Identification of phyllobacterial strain LBF- 01, LBF- 03 and LBF-05 were done by 16S rDNA sequence analysis using 704f forward primer (50-AGATTTTCCGACGGCAGGTT-30) and 907r reverse primer (50-CCGTCAATTCMTTTRAGTTT-30) with the PCR conditions. Their ability to solubilize phosphate, produce ammonia, siderophore and indole acetic acid, as well as produce extracellular enzymes in vitro was excellent. The results of a greenhouse study found that pea seed treated with consortium isolate significantly increased high germination rates and vigour indexes, as well as shoot and root length, fresh and dry weights, as compared with seed treated with single isolate and control. The defense enzyme activities in consortium treated pots were higher than those in individual and control pots. The plants treated with consortium exhibited higher levels of chlorophyll and carotenoids content in their leaves compared to the untreated control and single treated plants. A significant variation in the chemical profile of pea plants was found (F7,16 ? 2.598; P ? 0.048) resulting from different treatments (T1-T8). After evaluating a variety of growth and microbiological parameters, it was concluded that inoculation with the microbial consortium contributed to raising healthy and vigorously growing pea seedlings in greenhouse conditions, which is applicable in the field in future for sustainable farming

Utilization trends of drugs in patients admitted with ischemic heart disease in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) takes the highest toll of lives across the world as well as India. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment is lifesaving. Drug utilization studies scrutinize the appropriateness of treatment and provide favourable feedbacks to strengthen clinical practices. Several other studies have reported underuse of four evidence-based medicines namely aspirin, β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), and statins in patients with CAD. Polypharmacy, injection overuse is some of the shortcomings. The objectives of this study was to describe treatment practices in terms of different disease spectrum and drug utilization (group-wise and individually) for inpatients with CAD using core prescription indicators by WHO.Methods: A cross-sectional study of 4-month duration was undertaken for patients with CAD admitted to cardiology indoor of a tertiary care hospital. A total no of 143 prescriptions was screened and analyzed.Results: Males (67.13%) were more in number than females (32.87%). Age group from (57-66) topped in frequency (61.05%) ahead of (67 to 76) group (38.46%). Average no of drugs per patient were 8.056±1.97 and 5.86±0.14 for cardiovascular drugs. Prescription in generics (45.49%), antibiotics (0.61%), fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) (0.52%) and injectables (28.47%) were noted. The most common categories of CAD were ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (69.23%) followed by chronic stable angina (17.48%). Antiplatelets (100%), hypolipidemics (99.3%), antianginals (60.14%), β-blockers (37.06%) and ACE-I/ARBs (27.97%) were utilized. Drugs from the national list of essential medicines were 66.49%.Conclusions: Among four evidence-based drugs, use of β-blockers and ACE-I/ARBs were inappropriately low. Polypharmacy and overuse of Injectable drugs are noted

Association of vitamin D3 with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis-an observational study

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the association between 25 (OH) vit D3 level and psoriasis, in our city with long sunny weather, in an attempt to clarify the controversies. Methods: The 100 patients with psoriasis including 29 with psoriatic arthritis were taken randomly as cases from medicine outpatient department of KPCMCH. Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) was calculated for all patients with psoriasis and disease activity score (DAS28-CRP) in all arthritis patients. The control group had 150 age and sex-matched participants without any symptoms related to psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. The 25 (OH) vit D3 serum level was estimated for both groups. This is an observational, cross-sectional study. Results: Out of total 100 patients, 55% were male and 45% female, with mean age and disease duration 49.7±6.7 years and 11.4±3.5 years, respectively. The control group had 150 subjects (86 males, 64 females). The 25 (OH) vit D3 levels of both patients and controls were 19.2±8.5 ng/ml and 29.9±6.7 ng/ml, respectively and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The 25(OH) vit D3 levels were 21.9±4.1 ng/ml in patients with disease duration <10 years, and 15.9±4.2 ng/ml in patients with disease duration ≥ 10 years and difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). It was 18.9±7.8 ng/ml and 20.1±8.4 ng/ml respectively in psoriasis patients with and without arthritis but the difference was statistically not significant (p>0.05). The 25(OH) vit D3 level was lower in psoriasis with high PASI compared to psoriasis with low-moderate PASI and lower in psoriatic arthritis with high disease activity compared to arthritis with low-moderate disease activity. Conclusions: Both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients had lower 25 (OH) vit D3 levels. The disease durations were directly related to 25 (OH) vit D3 insufficiency. Lower levels were associated with higher active diseases

The Impact of Variation in Foliar Constituents of Sunflower on Development and Reproduction of Diacrisia casignetum Kollar (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)

Effects of feeding on young, mature, and senescent sunflower leaves were studied under laboratory conditions (27 ± 0.5°C, 12L : 12D, 65±5% RH) to evaluate the impact of variation of nutrients on larval food utilization efficiency, larval and pupal development and survival, longevity, and fecundity of Diacrisia casignetum Kollar. The growth rate, which is the ratio between the dry weight gain of insect and duration of experimental period, of D. casignetum was in the order of mature leaf > young leaf > senescent leaf of sunflower. This was correlated with nutrient constituents of three kinds of sunflower leaves, which was measured by various biochemical analyses described elsewhere in the text. Total carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nitrogen, amino acids, and water content are in greater amount in mature leaves when compared to young and senescent leaves, whereas phenol content was highest in young leaves than mature leaves. Hence, higher amount of total carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nitrogen, amino acids including water and lower amount of total phenol content in mature leaves have influenced higher growth rate, less developmental time, and higher fecundity of D. casignetum

Polymeric Nanocomposite Membranes for Next Generation Pervaporation Process: Strategies, Challenges and Future Prospects

Pervaporation (PV) has been considered as one of the most active and promising areas in membrane technologies in separating close boiling or azeotropic liquid mixtures, heat sensitive biomaterials, water or organics from its mixtures that are indispensable constituents for various important chemical and bio-separations. In the PV process, the membrane plays the most pivotal role and is of paramount importance in governing the overall efficiency. This article evaluates and collaborates the current research towards the development of next generation nanomaterials (NMs) and embedded polymeric membranes with regard to its synthesis, fabrication and application strategies, challenges and future prospects

Effect of annealing on the growth dynamics of ZnPc LB thin film and its surface morphology

The ZnPc molecules in the thin film prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) process in asdeposited state has been found to have an edge on orientation with average tilt angle of 64.3 ° as confirmed from the Pressure-Area (π-A) isotherm and X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. The ZnPc LB thin film has been observed to have abnormal growth mode at higher annealing temperature and it is mainly driven by minimization of surface free energy which lead to large increase in crystallinity of the film. Kinetically favored orientational and structural transitions of ZnPc thin film during annealing and their effect on the surface morphology of the thin film has been studied using scaling concepts. The scaling exponents 1) root mean square (RMS) roughness σ, 2) roughness exponent α and, 3) in plane correlation length ξ are calculated from the HDCF g(r) and ACF C(r). The RMS surface roughness σ is found to be dependent on the as defined short wavelength undulations (ρ) and long wavelength undulations (χ). Both ρ and χ are the function of all the three scaling exponents. σ has been observed to be maximum for the ZnPc thin film annealed at 290 °C, since the χ shoot to maximum value at this temperature due to the formation of small domains of ZnPc nanorods. The self affinity of the ZnPc thin film is found to decrease on annealing as obtained from both power spectral density (PSD) and HDCF g(R) & ACF C(R) study, which confirms that the dimension of surface morphology of the ZnPc LB thin film transform towards 2D with increase in annealing temperature

Photophysics of a coumarin based Schiff base in solvents of varying polarities

The present work reports detailed photophysics of a coumarin based Schiff base, namely, (E)-7-(((8-hydroxyquinolin-2-yl)methylene)amino)-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (HMC) in different solvents of varying polarity exploiting steady state absorption, fluorescence and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The dominant photophysical features of HMC are discussed in terms of emission from an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) excited state. Molecular orbital (MO) diagrams as obtained from DFT based computational analysis confirms the occurrence of charge transfer from 8′-hydroxy quinoline moiety of the molecule to the coumarin part. The notable difference in the photophysical response of HMC from its analogous coumarin (C480) lies in a lower magnitude of fluorescence quantum yield of the former, particularly in the solvents of low polarity, which is rationalized by considering the higher rate of non-radiative decay of HMC in apolar solvents. Phosphorescence emission as well as phosphorescence lifetime of HMC has also been reported in 77 K frozen matrix

Unnotched fatigue behavior of an austenitic Ni-Ti shape memory alloy

Constant stress amplitude fatigue life of an austenitic Ni (55.88 wt.%)-Ti shape memory alloy (SMA) within the stress amplitude range of 180-450 MPa was evaluated. The stress-strain hysteresis loops were monitored throughout the fatigue loading. They reveal that with the increasing number of fatigue cycles, the critical stress required for the stress-induced martensitic transformation, width of the hysteresis loop, recoverable and frictional energies of each cycle, all decrease while accumulated plastic strain increases. Post-mortem characterization of the fatigued specimens by employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and fractography were carried out, in order to understand the fatigue micromechanisms. Results indicate that the progressive accumulation of stress-induced martensite in the alloy is the source for the fatigue failure. Implications of these observations are discussed within the context of fatigue performance of SMAs and other materials that undergo stress-induced transformations. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved