Thyroid disorders in pregnancy: prevalence and its fetomaternal outcome in a tertiary hospital of Delhi, India

Background: This study was conducted to determine the feto maternal outcome in pregnant women with thyroid disorders. The prevalence of thyroid disorders in present study was 15.75%.Methods: This was a prospective observational study carried out in all pregnant women irrespective of their parity, who attended ANC clinic in department of obstetrics and gynaecology in a tertiary care hospital over a period of 2 years. After registering, the patients were followed up with routine antenatal visits up to delivery and records were reviewed for development of abortion, PIH, preterm delivery, GDM, anemia, placental abruption, still birth, anomalies, fetal distress, meconium stained liquor, low birth weight and neonatal outcome by neonate Apgar score and TSH value.Results: Mean age group in our study was 27.61±3.14. Family history was present in 8% of study group versus 0% in control group which was statistically significant (p=0.028). Eighteen percent of preeclampsia was diagnosed in study group as compared to 4% in control group which was statistically significant (p-value= 0.005). Fourteen percent patients had preterm labour in study group as compared to 6.7% in control group which was statistically significant (p value= 0.047). Increased neonatal TSH was found in study group (61.3%) as compared to control group (32%), this difference was statistically significant (p-value <0.001). There was increased importance of measuring TSH in first trimester as it was statistically significant in study group (p-value <0.001).Conclusions: All pregnant women should be screened for hypothyroidism as early as possible or before conception to prevent any fetomaternal complications

Formal Methods for the Verification of Safety Critical Applications using SPIN Model Checker

Security over the years has been a major concern for the organizations and companies.With the emergence of smart cards, industry has become more interested in methodologies which are used to establish the correctness and security of the applications developed with the acceptance of the use of smart cards in such domains.This paper provides a general introduction to the state-of-the-art of formal methods for the development of safety-critical systems. The idea is to combine two program verification approaches: the functional verification at the source code level and the verification of high level properties on a formal model built from the program and its specification. One of the important security systems in building security is door access control. The door access control is a physical security that assures the security of a building by limiting access to the building to specific people and by keeping records of such entries.In thispaper we employ a model checking method to verify the functional aspects of the smartcard operated door lock system which authenticates each person entering the building.PROMELA model for the proposed system Is presented. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.150710

Smart Urbanization – Key to Sustainable Cities

Urbanisation is a major change taking place globally. It is estimated that 500 million people will be urbanised by 2030 which is around 60% of the world’s population will be living in cities. Cities fuel economic development through mobilizing capital, work force, knowledge/information and technology and offer better chances of wealth generation, better health facilities, education and a good quality of life with better services and facilities. This has led to the increase in “megacities” (urban areas with a population of 10 million or more) and primate cities (leading cities in the region disproportionately larger than others in the urban hierarchy) across the globe. Urbanization propelled by economic reforms are putting cities under perpetual pressure of population concentration and energy intensive growth model. The cities are often confronted with a multitude of key problems like high urban densities, traffic congestion, energy inadequacy, unplanned development and lack of basic services. Due to high land values, migrants often have no choice but to settle in shantytowns and slums, where they lack access to decent housing and sanitation, health care and education thus adding to urban poverty. Urbanisation is also contributing significantly to climate change as 20 largest cities consume 80% of the world’s energy and urban areas generate 80% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The challenges of rapid urbanisation are to deal with the social, economic and environment development through more effective and comprehensive land administration functions, supported by efficient per capita infrastructure supply , resolving issues such as climate change, disaster management, insecurity, energy scarcity, environmental pollution, and extreme poverty. Urbanization must be able to support urban planning to achieve sustainable development in order to meet the growing energy and housing demands, reliable public transportation systems and be able to meet essential urban services without putting pressure on resources. Therefore it needs to support innovative urban planning policies and strategies beyond traditional urban planning paradigms. Urbanisation on the positive side provides an unparalleled urban planning opportunity to pre-address social and environmental problems, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions combined with the retrofitting and upgrading of facilities and networks in existing urban centres, as well as smart urban planning of cities can provide better education, healthcare and high-quality energy services more efficiently and with less emissions because of their advantages of scale, proximity and lower geographic footprints. Thus “Smart Urbanisation” is the key to safer cities of tomorrow. Building cities sustainably using smart growth principles, compact development planning form, using eco-city concepts, concept of low carbon electricity ecosystem etc, provides an opportunity to avoid future sources of greenhouse emissions, while developing more liveable and efficient urban centres. It could also alleviate population pressure on natural habitats and biodiversity thus reducing the risks to natural disasters. High-level integration of existing technologies to deliver a smart energy network, enhanced electricity transmission, energy efficient transportation, and low carbon building footprints, will make it easier to manage the unfolding urbanisation, and could have much positive impact on energy use and consumption. Policy interventions and government investments are important determining tools to its success. This paper attempts to discuss the principles of “smart urbanisation” in light of sustainable cities of tomorrow

Field Applications of the Fast Marching Method on Shale Gas Reservoirs

Unconventional resources derive their name based on the unconventional evaluation, extraction and production requirements associated with them. Unconventional reservoirs have moved from emerging resources a decade ago to major interests of many operating companies. The remarkable increase in the stakes of these reservoirs and the growth of associated risk has pushed the industry to update and upgrade evaluation techniques of such reservoirs. Current industry practice for characterization and assessment of unconventional reservoirs mostly utilizes empirical decline curve analysis or analytic rate and pressure transient analysis. Analytical techniques are not capable to include the flow dynamics of a full field numerical simulation model for its capabilities to capture field geology, reservoir geometry and property distribution. Whereas, a reservoir simulation model requires detailed information input set and is computationally expensive. Fast marching method has been introduced as an intermediate approach to overcome the limitations of analytical techniques and as a complimentary tool to numerical simulation. This approach is based on a high frequency asymptotic solution of the diffusivity equation in heterogeneous reservoirs. This leads to Eikonal equation which can be solved for ‘diffusive time of flight’, governing pressure front propagation in the reservoir. The Eikonal equation is solved using fast marching method giving the speed to the solution. Diffusive time of flight can be a useful tool for drainage volume visualization and well performance prediction. It can further be used as spatial coordinates to reduce 3-D diffusivity equation into a 1-D equation thereby making it a comprehensive simulator. The speed and versatility of our proposed method makes it ideally suited for high resolution reservoir characterization through integration of static and dynamic data. The major advantages of the approach are its simplicity, intuitive appeal and computational efficiency. This work demonstrates power and utility of our method using a field example that involves history matching, uncertainty analysis and performance assessment of a shale gas reservoir located in East Texas. A sensitivity study is first carried out to systematically identify the ‘heavy hitters’ impacting the well performance. This is followed by a history matching and uncertainty analysis to identify the fracture parameters and the stimulated reservoir volume. A comparison of model predictions with the actual well performance shows that our approach is able to reliably predict the pressure depletion and rate decline

PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATION AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE STEMS OF JASMINUM SAMBAC LINN.

Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton (Family: Oleaceae), an ornamental plant extensively used in perfumery and religious purposes, is a herb which shows shrub-like appearance after two years. It is locally known as ‘Motia’ and produces white flowers with a very pleasant fragrance. Traditionally Jasminum species has been used to treat dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea, ringworm, leprosy, skin diseases and also as an analgesic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, sedative, expectorant. The aim of the present studies was to establish standardization parameters for the authentication and quality control of the stems of Jasminum sambac linn. So the pharmacognostical study and parameters related to physico-chemical properties have been evaluated as per WHO guidelines. Preliminary phytochemical screening in different solvents showed the presence of carbohydrates, starch, glycosides and steroids. Total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, ethanol soluble extractive and water soluble extractive values were found to be 6%, 1%, 4%, 5.6% and 12.8% w/w respectively. Microscopic studies of transverse section of stem of Jasminum sambac stems showed the presence of covering and glandular trichomes, cortex, sclerenchymatous cells, phloem, lignified xylem, medullary rays, pith parenchymatous cells and lignified fibre cellular bundles. Powder microscopy of Jasminum sambac Linn. stem showed the presence of parenchymatous cells, trichomes, stomata, pitted vessels, lignified fibre cells, lignified fibre bundles. The results of the study can serve as a valuable source of information by providing suitable standards for identification of this plant material and can also be useful in setting some diagnostic indices for the identification and preparation of a monograph of the plant

Prenatal diagnosis of fetal cholelithiasis: a rare case

Fetal gallstones are a rare ultrasonography finding. Authors came across a similar case of fetal gallstones detected in routine third trimester scan. Patient had Rh negative blood group which might be the cause of fetal gallstone in this case however in most cases, the cause is undefined. Case was confirmed to have gallstones in postnatal scan which eventually resolved spontaneously within 1 month. The presence of gallstones in the fetus does not alter the fetal prognosis or obstetrical management since complete resolution is seen in most of the cases in late third trimester or neonatal period which may be due to either spontaneous passage of gallstones during early neonatal period or dilution of cholesterol crystals with postnatal hydration

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital megalourethra: a rare anomaly

Congenital megalourethra is a rare urogenital malformation characterised by pathological elongation and dilatation of penile urethra. It is a form of functional obstructive uropathy which is associated with significant urological and sexual dysfunction secondary to hypoplasia or absence of corpora cavernosa and spongiosa. We report a case of megalourethra in one of the dichorionic diamniotic twin diagnosed prenatally in a young primigravida. Initial ultrasound report suggested two different diagnoses i.e. omphalocoele and gastroschisis. Later, diagnosis of congenital megalourethra was made on detailed ultrasound examination by our fetal medicine consultant. Postnatal gross and ultrasonographic examination confirmed the prenatal diagnosis. In the present case report, we have emphasized proper perineal anatomical ultrasound examination which revealed a megalourethra. Although this anomaly is not lethal in isolation, but it has worse prognosis in presence of other associated structural anomalies. This anomaly also raises the controversy regarding disclosure of sex of foetus in countries like India where sex disclosure is prohibited by law. As this condition typically affects male foetuses and significantly affects sexual function, it may be necessary to reveal fetal sex for appropriate counselling and prognostication to prospective parents. Ethical dilemma arises for practising clinicians while dealing with isolated forms of megalourethra whether to offer termination of pregnancy on the grounds of having significant impact on sexual life due to erectile dysfunction. Anorectal malformation is often associated with megalourethra, although suspected in the present case, can be difficult to identify antenatally prior to 20 weeks (the time limit up to which legal termination can be performed in India). These issues have been highlighted in the present report

Outbreak of Salmonella Typhi enteric fever in sub-urban area of North India: A public health perspective

AbstractOutbreaks of enteric fever are a major health concern not only due to significant human morbidity and mortality but also fear of spread of multidrug resistant strains. We report an outbreak of enteric fever caused by Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi in a suburban area, in city Chandigarh of North India. Twenty-seven strains of S. typhi were isolated from blood cultures over a period of two weeks with 18 of these 27 patients residing in the same area. Maximum cases were in the age group 5-14 years (10 patients, 55.5%) while 4 (22.2%) cases were children under 5 years. All the strains showed similar resistogram being resistant to ampicillin and nalidixic acid, intermediate to ciprofloxacin and sensitive to chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, cotrimoxazole and azithromycin on disc diffusion testing. Minimum inhibitory concentration of ciprofloxacin was determined by agar dilution method and was found to be raised (⩾ 2 μ g/mL). This nalidixic acid resistant S. typhi outbreak report warrants the necessity of implementing stringent sanitation practices in public health interest

Rare Occurrence of Single Rooted Mandibular Left First and Third Permanent Mandibular Molar: A Case Report

For any practicing clinician, successful endodontic therapy is highly dependent upon complete knowledge of the anatomy and the variations present in the human dentition. There are variances in anatomical configurations in teeth seen across the globe and might needs specialized treatment techniques. The tendency of Asians to show a C- shaped canal morphology has been documented in the literature, however, in contrast to those findings, we report a unique and a rare case of&nbsp; left mandibular first and third molar