Retrospective analysis of plagiaristic practices within a cinematic industry in india – a tip in the ocean of icebergs

Music plagiarism is defined as using tune, or melody that would closely imitate with another author’s music without proper attributions. It may occur either by stealing a musical idea (a melody or motif) or sampling (a portion of one sound, or tune is copied into a different song). Unlike the traditional music, the Indian cinematic music is extremely popular amongst the public. Since the expectations of the public for songs that are enjoyable are high, many music directors are seeking elsewhere to “borrow” tunes. Whilst a vast majority of Indian cinemagoers may not have noticed these plagiarised tunes, some journalists and vigilant music lovers have noticed these activities. This study has taken the initiative to investigate the extent of plagiaristic activities within one Indian cinematic music industry. A list of plagiarised songs was produced by using YouTube® searches for “comparative videos” made by the vigilant music lovers about accused/detected music plagiarism. Some of these individuals were also interviewed to understand their views on this. During the investigation, it was possible to identify a vast number of plagiarised tunes, snippets, or even the full songs. In fact, some of these examples’ dates to 1954, during the era when no one would have noticed plagiarism. The paper would highlight the similarities of these music files. It will also show some examples of the excuses/denial given by the composers and would try to highlight the attitudes of general public towards these types of activities.N/

IMPACT OF PHARMACIST LED INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING MEDICATION KNOWLEDGE AMONG CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-led medication management clinics in improving medication knowledge among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study using a convenient sampling method. All CKD patients age 18 y above with complete pre and post knowledge assessment record were included. The pre-knowledge assessment was done at baseline while the post-assessment was done after a few sessions of medication knowledge teaching done by the clinical pharmacist using medication knowledge assessment form. Demographics data and pre-post knowledge scores were retrieved from patient’s electronic medical record system. All data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Results: The study shows a total of 13 patients, with the majority being Malay, male with a median age of 60. 84.6% of the patients were consuming more than 5 medications. While 53.9% of patients fall into CKD stage 4 and 5. Patient’s knowledge towards medications improved significantly with an increase in the median pre-knowledge score of 13 to post knowledge score of 18 (p<0.05) after completion of the session. Conclusion: From this preliminary evaluation, pharmacist-led medication management clinic resulted in significant improvement of medication knowledge which is further expected to improve medication adherence and delay the disease progressio

Y-organectomy in the crab, Scylla serrata

Gabe (1953, 1956) first described the Y-organ in 58 species of Malacostraca. The Y-organ is a glandular structure of epidermal origin. It is located in the antennary/maxillary segments. The Y-organ varies in gross morphology and location in different species of crustacean

Analysis of risk factors and treatment outcome following methotrexate therapy in ectopic pregnancy

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in first trimester of pregnancy. Awareness regarding risk factors for ectopic pregnancy aids in early diagnosis and timely medical intervention before tubal rupture occurs. This study was undertaken to analyze the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy and to study the treatment outcome following methotrexate therapy.Methods: In this prospective study, 34 women with unruptured ectopic pregnancy selected for medical therapy were enrolled women with ectopic pregnancy who were hemodynamically stable with initial beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β hCG) values of <5000 mIU/l, ectopic gestation mass size <5 cm and with no contraindication for methotrexate use were included in the study. Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy were studied and treatment outcome following single dose or 2 dose methotrexate regimen were analyzed.Results: The mean age of the study group was 26.88±4.5 years. Highest incidence of ectopic pregnancy was noted in 26-30 years and in second gravidas. Successful treatment outcome was observed in 61.8% with single dose methotrexate (MTX) and in 23.5% with 2 doses. Overall success rate of MTX therapy was 85.3%. Surgical intervention was instituted in 14.7% when pretreatment β hCG levels were <1500 mIU/ml. Single dose MTX was successful in 91.7% and with 2 doses it was 100%. None developed any major side effects to methotrexate therapy.Conclusions: MTX therapy is safe and effective in carefully selected women with ectopic pregnancy. Success rate of MTX therapy was 85.3%. MTX was most effective when pretreatment β hCG levels were less than 1500 mIU/ml

Risk factors of asymptomatic bacteriuria and fetomaternal outcome following treatment in early versus late gestation

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) has higher incidence in pregnant than in non-pregnant women and is difficult to diagnose. It is associated with fetomaternal complications like prelabour rupture of membranes, preterm labour, low birth weight and increased perinatal mortality. The aim of this study is to analyse various risk factors and the maternal and fetal outcome following treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in early versus late gestation.Methods: This prospective study was conducted in Thanjavur Medical college and Hospital in 2019. The study population comprises all pregnant women attending antenatal clinic for their 1st antenatal visit.Results: Total of 800 antenatal women were enrolled in 2 groups based on gestational age &lt;20 weeks (n=394) and between 28 to 32 weeks (n=406) at the time of their 1st antenatal visit. Incidence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 13.6% and 84.4% were in the age group of 21-30 years. High prevalence was noted in primigravidae (47.7%) and in lower socioeconomic class (70.9%). Commonest organism isolated was E. coli (42.2%) and most of the organisms were sensitive to gentamycin (89.9%) and cefotaxime (84.4%). Despite treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria, complications like anaemia, gestational hypertension &amp; preterm labour were higher in late detection group than in early detection group.Conclusions: This study shows high prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women. The chances of developing maternal complications were significantly reduced after antibiotic therapy of asymptomatic bacteriuria. Hence, early screening and treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria needs to be incorporated in routine antenatal care

Fetomaternal outcome in morbidly adherent placenta in a tertiary referral hospital

Background: Morbidly adherent placenta is often associated with major pregnancy complications requiring massive blood transfusions, peripartum hysterectomy, etc. The prior number of caesarean sections and placenta previa are the critical risk factors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the fetomaternal outcome in women with morbidly adherent placenta and to quantify the risk factors predisposing to it.Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. The study population comprises women, who had C-section for placenta accreta, increta and percreta at Government Raja Mirasudhar Hospital, Thanjavur from May 2016 to September 2017.Results: Eighteen women out of 21,083 who delivered during the study period had morbidly adherent placenta with an incidence of 0.085%. The mean gestational age at the time of C-section was 32.4 weeks. Twelve (66.66%) out of eighteen women had prior one C-section, two (11.11%) women had prior 2 C-section and two (11.11%) women had prior 3 C-section.10 cases were diagnosed antenatally by radiological imaging. Seventeen out of eighteen women underwent caesarean hysterectomy (94.44%). Average blood loss was 1.8 litres. The mean intraoperative blood transfusions were 3 units of PRBC, 3 units of FFP and 1.4 units of platelet. There was no maternal mortality. The average total hospital stay was 20.46 days. 11 neonates were preterm (61%) and 5 neonates were term (27.74%). FGR was seen in 2 preterm neonates (12.5%). The NICU admission rate was 81% (n=13). The perinatal mortality rate was 31.25% (n=5).Conclusions: As most of the women ended up in caesarean hysterectomy, early diagnosis will enable appropriate planning for blood components, anaesthetic and surgical resources, thereby reducing adverse fetomaternal outcomes. This will also allow adequate preoperative counselling of the women involved

Evaluating the Influence of Cetane Improver Additives on the Outcomes of a Diesel Engine Characteristics Fueled with Peppermint Oil Diesel Blend

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of cetane improvers on the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine fueled with a 20% peppermint bio-oil/diesel blend (P20). It is hypothesized that the low viscosity and boiling point of peppermint oil could improve the atomization characteristics of the fuel. However, the usage of peppermint oil is restricted due to its low cetane index. To improve this, Diethyl Ether (DEE) and Di-tertiary Butyl Peroxide (DTBP) are added to the P20 blend. The tests are performed in a single-cylinder naturally aspirated water-cooled diesel engine and results indicate that NOx emission for P20 + DEE and P20 + DTBP is decreased by 10.4% and 9.8%, respectively, when compared to P20 at full load condition. Among these two cetane improvers, DTBP is more effective in reducing the CO, HC and smoke emission and the performance of the engine was reported to be higher for P20 + DTBP blends.© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Balancing public health with economic gains

In light of the recent decision by the government to remove nicotine used in ecigarettes and other vaping products from the Poisons List of controlled substances, several precautionary measures can be taken to prevent inappropriate consumption and reduce the potential harm of using these products

Performance characteristics of an instrument-free point-of-care CD4 test (VISITECTVR CD4) for use in resource-limited settings

Objective: CD4þ T lymphocyte count remains the most common biomarker of immune status and disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals. VISITECTVR CD4 is an instrument-free, low-cost point-of-care CD4 test with a cut-off of 350 CD4 cells/lL. This study aimed to evaluate VISITECTVR CD4 test’s diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Two hundred HIV-positive patients attending a tertiary HIV centre in South India were recruited. Patients provided venous blood for reference and VISITECTVR CD4 tests. An additional finger-prick blood sample was obtained for VISITECTVR CD4. VISITECTVR CD4’s diagnostic performance in identifying individuals with CD4 counts 350 cells/lL was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) taking flow cytometry as the reference. Results: The overall agreement between VISITECTVR CD4 and flow cytometry was 89.5% using venous blood and 81.5% using finger-prick blood. VISITECTVR CD4 showed better performance using venous blood [sensitivity: 96.6% (95% confidence interval: 92.1%–98.9%), specificity: 70.9% (57.1%–82.4%), PPV: 89.7% (83.9%–94.0%) and NPV: 88.6% (75.4%–96.2%)] than using fingerprick blood [sensitivity: 84.8% (77.9%–90.2%), specificity: 72.7% (59.0%–83.9%), PPV: 89.1% (82.7%–93.8%) and NPV: 64.5% (51.3%–76.3%)]. Conclusion: VISITECTVR CD4 performed well using venous blood, demonstrating its potential utility in decentralization of CD4 testing services in resource-constrained settings

Magnetic nanoparticles are highly toxic to chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum, dengue virus (DEN-2), and their mosquito vectors

SURESH KUMAR SUBBIAH (A04156) / / / Kadarkarai Murugan,Jiang Wei,Mohamad Saleh Alsalhi,Marcello Nicoletti,Manickam Paulpandi,Christina Mary Samidoss,Devakumar Dinesh,Balamurugan Chandramohan,Chellasamy Paneerselvam,Jayapal Subramaniam,Chithravel Vadiva