A health decision support system for rural india

In India and other developing nations, the bulk of the morbidity & mortality is due to commonly occurring communicable diseases & parasitic diseases coupled with malnutrition especially in rural areas. The effective decision making at the top level of any health services mostly depends on the availability of various resources such as human expertise, equipments, and medicine. People die from infectious and/or chronic diseases are the leading causes of death, especially in rural areas. By analyzing mortality, morbidity, and behavioral data, one can attempt to quantify health problems and the behavioral risk factors that contribute to them Hence in a country like India an effective multi disease surveillance system is essential for the General Health Care System to detect an outbreak, monitor the trend, prevent an epidemic & decrease the morbidity & mortality rate of India The proposed DSS is targeting to assist the top management of the State health service which will provide a practical, relatively inexpensive and replicable model of disease surveillance. The proposed system consists of application and management software that support clinical and operational data. The software is designed for multi-site use in individual medical facilities and health workers in remote villages. The disease surveillance data is collected and updated periodically by the health workers to the central database through SMS. This disease surveillance system through SMS will provide real time data and extract the statistical and customized information and even facilitate the prediction of the outbreak of epidemics and report emergencies. It also provides an automatic response messaging through SMS to people regarding basic preventive measures and cures. A smart phone application is built using J2ME which make data transmission error free and secured. The use of SMS as the mode of data transmission will help reduce bureaucratic delays and will automate the task of disease surveillance by providing an inexpensive replacement to the existing trend

Balance de la situación de derechos humanos 2010

Analiza cuál fue la tendencia en el cumplimiento de los derechos humanos en 2010, sintetizando: el inadecuado procesamiento de conflictos y su repercusión en los derechos humanos; las restrinciones en el procedimiento legislativo; el ejercicio del derecho de acceso a la justicia y a contar con recurso eficaz efectivo; así como las políticas públicas y su relación con los derechos humanos. Da a conocer la cifras relevantes del año 2010 en cuanto a la situación de los derechos por bloques constitucionales, hechos en noticias por bloques de derechos, resoluciones de la Defensoría del Pueblo por bloques de derechos, las normas aprobadas sobre derechos y organización del Estado, y su repercución por bloques de derechos, el tipo de garantías constitucionales interpuestas y los derechos demandados, por acción de protección; asuntos representados de manera gráfica

Balance de la situación de derechos humanos 2011

Presenta las tendencias del proceso de adecuación constitucional y la vigencia de los derechos en 2011, evidenciando la persistencia del manejo inadecuado de una creciente conflictividad; una producción legislativa limitada y una práctica democrática deficitaria en la tramitación de proyectos de ley en materia de derechos humanos; los límites en la actuación de la justicia, cuyo diseño constitucional fue alterado con las reformas introducidas luego de la consulta popular; la situación de los derechos colectivos y de la naturaleza en inminente riesgo ante el modelo extractivista de recursos naturales; el deterioro del derecho a la seguridad integral y la insuficiencia en las políticas públicas sobre derechos humanos. Plantea recomendaciones para lograr el ejercicio material de los derechos

Memorizing chromic response to pressure

Almost all appliances are prone to mechanical stress in one form or the other. An increasing dependence on machines in daily life calls for a need to increase their maintenance quality. Various materials, methods and configurations to observe mechanical pressure have been devised and this paper discusses one such technique. The use of gold nanoparticles in its one dimensional array causes plasmonic coupling between the nanoparticles, which when disrupted creates a plasmonic shift in its assembly. Such a film, when casted on a polymer with a known elastic limit, causes deformation by an application of stress. This forces the film to undergo plasmonic shift permanently and this is sensed with a change in colour. Because of plastic deformation, the colour remains intact even after the removal of pressure. Analysis of extinction profiles of nanoparticles have been carried out which demonstrates the proof of concept under a wide range of stresses. The colour change depends on the duration of application of stress and the value of stress itself. This is one of the earliest attempts to develop a colorimetric pressure-responsive film which memorizes the colour change by using gold nanoparticles. In this thesis, an attempt is made to investigate the feasibility of using silver nanoparticles in such sensors

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF STABILITY INDICATING HPTLC METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF SWERTIAMARIN IN BULK AND DOSAGE FORM

Objective: In the present study a novel stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for quantitative determination of Swertiamarin (SW) in bulk drug and formulation has been developed and validated as per ICH guideline Q2 (R1) for global acceptance of standardized herbal formulations. Methods: HPTLC method is developed and validated using solvent ethyl acetate: ethanol: chloroform (3:2.5:4.5 v/v/v) (Rf of SW 0.65±0.04) in the absorbance mode at 243 nm. Various forced degradation conditions were used to check degradation of drug. Results: The method showed a good linear relationship (r2 = 0.9990) in the concentration range 200-700 ng per spot. It was found to be linear, accurate, precise and specific. Conclusion: It can be applied for quality control as well as for stability testing of different dosage forms containing swertiamarin. The developed method is validated as per ICH guideline Q2(R1) for global acceptance of standardized herbal formulations

Ex Situ Conservation Method for Clerodendrum inerme: A medicinal plant of India

Clerodendrum inerme L. (Verbenaceae), commonly known as vanajai or garden quinine is a perennial shrub. Leaves and roots of the plant are used in rheumatism and skin diseases. In Indian classical literature the plant is also reported as a substitute of quinine. Since root of the plant is used as drug, whole plant has to be destroyed; this has resulted in the depletion of the plant population. Present investigation was taken up to establish a protocol for mass production of better quality plant material, using axillary bud multiplication. The protocol will help in ex situ conservation of the plant. Maximum number of multiplied axillary bud was observed in 16 M 6-benzyladenine (BA) with 3% sucrose. After elongation, regenerated micro-shoots were rooted in MS medium in absence of plant growth regulators (PGR). The rooted plantlets showed 100% field survival. The regenerated plants showed similar phytochemical profile as mother plant when compared.Keywords: Clerodendrum inerme, finger print profile, micropropogatio

Andrographolide: A New Plant-Derived Antineoplastic Entity on Horizon

Plant-derived natural products occupy an important position in the area of cancer chemotherapy. Molecules such as vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel, camptothecin derivatives, epipodophyllotoxin, and so forth, are invaluable contributions of nature to modern medicine. However, the quest to find out novel therapeutic compounds for cancer treatment and management is a never-ending venture; and diverse plant species are persistently being studied for identification of prospective anticancer agents. In this regard, Andrographis paniculata Nees, a well-known plant of Indian and Chinese traditional system of medicines, has drawn attention of researchers in recent times. Andrographolide, the principal bioactive chemical constituent of the plant has shown credible anticancer potential in various investigations around the globe. In vitro studies demonstrate the capability of the compound of inducing cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells at different concentrations. Andrographolide also shows potent immunomodulatory and anti-angiogenic activities in tumorous tissues. Synthetic analogues of the compound have also been created and analyzed, which have also shown similar activities. Although it is too early to predict its future in cancer chemotherapy, the prologue strongly recommends further research on this molecule to assess its potential as a prospective anticancer agent

Topical ascorbic acid on photoaged skin. Clinical, topographical and ultrastructural evaluation: double-blind study vs. placebo.

peer reviewedaudience: researcherVitamin C is known for its antioxidant potential and activity in the collagen biosynthetic pathway. Photoprotective properties of topically applied vitamin C have also been demonstrated, placing this molecule as a potential candidate for use in the prevention and treatment of skin ageing. A topically applied cream containing 5% vitamin C and its excipient were tested on healthy female volunteers presenting with photoaged skin on their low-neck and arms in view to evaluate efficacy and safety of such treatment. A double-blind, randomized trial was performed over a 6-month period, comparing the action of the vitamin C cream vs. excipient on photoaged skin. Clinical assessments included evaluation at the beginning and after 3 and 6 months of daily treatment. They were performed by the investigator and compared with the volunteer self assessment. Skin relief parameters were determined on silicone rubber replicas performed at the same time-points. Cutaneous biopsies were obtained at the end of the trial and investigated using immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Clinical examination by a dermatologist as well as self-assessment by the volunteers disclosed a significant improvement, in terms of the 'global score', on the vitamin C-treated side compared with the control. A highly significant increase in the density of skin microrelief and a decrease of the deep furrows were demonstrated. Ultrastructural evidence of the elastic tissue repair was also obtained and well corroborated the favorable results of the clinical and skin surface examinations. Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream was an effective and well-tolerated treatment. It led to a clinically apparent improvement of the photodamaged skin and induced modifications of skin relief and ultrastructure, suggesting a positive influence of topical vitamin C on parameters characteristic for sun-induced skin ageing