Air Pollution during Phase-I and Phase-II of Odd-Even scheme in Delhi

35-41The latest WMO estimate shows that 13 of 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India, including the worst ranked city, Delhi. For the past couple of years, the level of pollutants in this city has been 3-4 times above the safe standards. The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has directed the policy makers to take suitable steps to bring down the level of pollution to the safe standard. For reducing the pollution level, the Government of Delhi has taken several steps; one was vehicle rationing for the period 1-15 January 2016 and 15-30 April 2016. In this program, vehicles whose number end in odd like 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 were allowed to ply on odd days, i.e 1, 3 January etc. and vehicles whose numbers end in even like 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 were allowed to ply on even days, i.e 2, 4 January etc. Sundays were exempted. In this short communication, we are reporting the pollution level of Delhi during these two periods. The average values of PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter) during these periods were 205 µg/m3 and 326 µg/m3, respectively, during 1-15 January and 96 µg/m3 and 179 µg/m3 during 15-30 April which were much higher than the safe limit 60 and 100 µg/m3. There was an increase in the pollution level during the event fortnight compared to the pervious fortnight which decreased in the next fortnight. The average values of surface ozone during phase-I and phase-II were 24 ppb (parts per billion by volume) and 46 ppb against the safe limit of 180 ppb. During phase-I, PM2.5, PM10 and O3 showed a decreasing trend and during phase-II they show an increasing trend. We have also examined the effect of wind, humidity and temperature on pollution level. Pollutants do not appear to have been much affected by temperature and humidity, but their trend is in phase with the wind speed. Results are presented here.</span

A Study of The Bacteriological Profile of Chronic Osteomyelitis in A Tertiary Care Referral Centre: A Contemporary Study

Chronic osteomyelitis is a huge burden on healthcare, especially in developing and poorer countries. With emerging antibiotic resistance patterns and increase in the incidence of Multi drug resistant (MDR) organisms, this challenge has gotten bigger. The notion that previous patterns would remain is being challenged now. We wanted to examine the trends in chronic osteomyelitis causing organisms in the contemporary era.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Materials and Methods: The study included 76 chronic osteomyelitis patients who were&nbsp;admitted to the hospital during the course of the study period. During surgery, a deep culture was obtained intra-operatively&nbsp;then submitted for bacteriological examination. Results: Males made up 81% of the instances examined in our study, while females made up 19%. With 84.21% of the cases, the lower limb was more often affected. In 44.73% of the cases, the femur was the most commonly impacted bone; the tibia (35.52%), humerus (11.29%), and radius (3.94%) were the next most common affected bones. In 71.05% of the cases, the culture was affirmative with mono-microbial proliferation; in 5.26% of the cases, polymicrobial growth was seen; while in 23.68% of the cases, the culture was sterile. In haematogenous osteomyelitis (HOM), which accounted for 65.21% of cases, Staphylococcus aureus was more prevalent than in implant- or trauma-related infections (26.41%). Younger age groups have higher rates of HOM. 40.32% of isolates were Gram-negative bacteria, while 59.67% were Gram-positive bacteria. Escherichia coli dominated the group of isolates that were Gram-negative (9.67%). Gram-negative organisms were uncommon in HOM cases and abundant in those with a history of trauma or implant in situ. The most frequent predisposing factor was a history of prior orthopaedic surgery with implant in situ (74.19%), and in 37.09% of the cases, hemorrhagic infection was discovered. Conclusion:&nbsp;The most frequent predisposing factor (74.19%) overall in our analysis of chronic osteomyelitis was a history of previous orthopaedic surgery with implant in situ, while 37.09% of the cases had a haematogenous infection. Gram-negative organisms were frequently linked to cases with a history of trauma. But Staphylococcus aureus (46.77%) continues to be the most prevalent agent, followed by Psuedomonas aueroginosa (8.06%), Escherichia coli (9.67%), and Enterobacter cloacae complex (8.06%). 58.62% of the isolates of Staphylococcus auerus were resistant to methicillin. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent cause of HOM, accounting for 65% of cases. Gram-positive bacteria remain more prevalent than Gram-negative bacteria, despite the rise in the prevalence of the latter. Of the cultures, 59.67% showed Gram positivity, whereas 40.32% contained Gram-negative organisms

Surface ozone scenario at Pune and Delhi during the decade of 1990s

Data on surface ozone concentration compiled for a 10-year period from 1990 to 1999 for Pune and Delhi are analyzed in terms of its frequency distribution, annual trend, diurnal variation and its relation with various meteorological and chemical parameters. It is found that the surface ozone concentration range showing highest frequency of occurrence at Pune is 0-5 ppb during winter and post-monsoon seasons and 15-20 ppb and 5-10 ppb during summer and monsoon seasons, respectively. It is 0-5 ppb at Delhi during all the seasons. The surface ozone concentration has shown a decreasing trend at Pune during the observational period with an average rate of decrease of 1.54 ppb/year. On the other hand, there is no trend whatsoever in the variation of surface ozone concentration at Delhi. Minimum value of surface ozone occurs before sunrise and maximum in the afternoon hours. Regression analyses of surface ozone with maximum temperature (r = 0.46 for Pune and 0.51 for Delhi, significant at more than 0.1) and NO 2 at respective locations indicate that surface ozone at these locations is mainly produced by photochemistry. Transport mechanism is also understood to have contributed significantly to the total concentration of ozone. Inverse relationship obtained between surface ozone concentration and relative humidity indicates that major photochemical paths for removal of ozone become effective when humidity increases at these locations

Wide resection and stabilization of ulnar stump by extensor carpi ulnaris for giant cell tumor of distal ulna: two case reports

The distal end of ulna is an extremely uncommon site for primary bone tumors in general and giant cell tumor in particular. Wide resection is usually indicated in such cases and at times it may be necessary to remove of a long segment of the distal ulna. Any ulnar resection proximal to the insertion of pronator quadratus can lead to instability in the form of radio-ulnar convergence and dorsal displacement (winging) of the ulnar stump. This can result in diminution of forearm rotation and weakness with grasp. Stabilization of the ulnar stump after resection for a giant cell tumor was described by Kayias & Drosos. We are adding two more cases to the literature. Both patients had excellent functional outcome and there were no instances of recurrence at three years of follow-up

First time observation of latitudinal and vertical distribution of infra-red radiative flux using radiometer sonde over Indian Ocean during the INDOEX IFP-1999 and its comparison with other Indian stations

Latitudinal distribution of radiative flux at different layers has been measured for the first time over the Indian Ocean from 15&#176;N to 20&#176;S during intensive field phase of INDOEX 1999. Simultaneously measurements have been made over three Indian ground stations, viz. Delhi, Pune and Trivandrum. The basic feature of radiative flux over the Indian Ocean, Delhi, Pune and Trivandrum is similar, i.e. the radiative flux increases with altitude and reaches a maximum value at 15 km and after that the increasing rate slows down. The most striking feature of this observation is the existence of radiative flux between 12 and 15 km of height near the equator (1.75&#176;N, 62.98&#176;E) which may be due to the combined effect of partly cloudy sky, presence of aerosol and ozone. In addition, at 13.3&#176;N, 60.5&#176;E a similar feature has been observed at a height of 14–15 km, which may be due to the increment of ozone by 25 Dobson Unit (D.U.) during the onward journey since no aerosol was observed. During the return journey, at 12&#176;S, 60.4&#176;E global warming is also observed at a height of 13–15 km, which may also be due to the combined effect of partly cloudy sky and the presence of aerosol and increment of ozone

Jaw Osteonecrosis in Patients Receiving Oral Bisphosphonates Therapy

Abstract We describe the cases of three patients, under the care of the rheumatology service, who presented with osteonecrosis of the jaw whist on oral bisphosphonate therapy. The first case is of a 74-year-old woman with a 12 year history of sero-negative inflammatory arthritis, having been on oral steroids for 11 years, Methotrexate for the preceding 6 years, and oral bisphosphonates for 9 years. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed extensive jaw necrosis. The second patient was a 72-year-old woman with temporal arteritis, on long term oral steroids, and oral bisphosphonates presenting with jaw osteonecrosis. The third case is of an 81-year-old lady with a diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica on reducing dose of prednisolone along with calcium and vitamin D3 and oral bisphosphonate therapy as part of steroid induced prophylaxis guidelines. On reviewing the literature regarding bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw, there is indeed recognition of this occurring with oral bisphosphonates. However, this is far less common than with intravenous preparations. Reports to the UK MHRA regarding adverse reactions have shown 53 cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with oral bisphosphonates, but this is thought to represent under-reporting. We suggest consideration of patient counselling and consent, and preventive dental work prior to initiation of oral bisphosphonate therapy

Antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of new sphingolipids and other constituents isolated from Cissus incisa leaves

Cissus incisa is used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat certain ailments, infectious or cancerous diseases. Excepting for our previous research, this species had no scientific reports validating its traditional use. In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of the sphingolipids and others phytocompounds isolated from C. incisa leaves to increase the scientific knowledge of the Mexican flora. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by the Microdilution method. Meanwhile, the cytotoxic potential was determined on six human cancer cells: PC3, Hep3B, HepG2, MCF7, A549, and HeLa; using an aqueous solution cell proliferation assay kit. A cell line of immortalized human hepatocytes (IHH) was included as a control of non-cancerous cells. Selectivity index (SI) was determined only against the hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. The phytochemical investigation of C. incisa leaves resulted in the isolation and characterization of five compounds: 2-(20-hydroxydecanoyl amino)-1,3,4-hexadecanotriol-8-ene (1), 2,3-dihydroxypropyl tetracosanoate (2), β-sitosterol-D-glucopyranoside (3), α-amyrin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), and a mixture of cerebrosides (5). Until now, this is the first report of the sphingolipids (1), (5-IV) and (5-V). Only the compound (4) and cerebrosides (5) exhibited antibacterial activity reaching a MIC value of 100 μg/mL against Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems. While, the acetylated derivate of (3), compound (3Ac) showed the best cytotoxic result against PC3 (IC50 ¼ 43 � 4 μg/mL) and Hep3B (IC50 ¼ 49.0 � 4 μg/mL) cancer cell lines. Likewise, (3Ac) achieved better SI values on HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines. This research reveals the importance of study medicinal plants, to identify bioactive molecules as sources of potential drugs. The presence of these compounds allows us to justify the use of this plant in traditional Mexican medicine

Coupled Information Diffusion–Pest Dynamics Models Predict Delayed Benefits of Farmer Cooperation in Pest Management Programs

Worldwide, the theory and practice of agricultural extension system have been dominated for almost half a century by Rogers' “diffusion of innovation theory”. In particular, the success of integrated pest management (IPM) extension programs depends on the effectiveness of IPM information diffusion from trained farmers to other farmers, an important assumption which underpins funding from development organizations. Here we developed an innovative approach through an agent-based model (ABM) combining social (diffusion theory) and biological (pest population dynamics) models to study the role of cooperation among small-scale farmers to share IPM information for controlling an invasive pest. The model was implemented with field data, including learning processes and control efficiency, from large scale surveys in the Ecuadorian Andes. Our results predict that although cooperation had short-term costs for individual farmers, it paid in the long run as it decreased pest infestation at the community scale. However, the slow learning process placed restrictions on the knowledge that could be generated within farmer communities over time, giving rise to natural lags in IPM diffusion and applications. We further showed that if individuals learn from others about the benefits of early prevention of new pests, then educational effort may have a sustainable long-run impact. Consistent with models of information diffusion theory, our results demonstrate how an integrated approach combining ecological and social systems would help better predict the success of IPM programs. This approach has potential beyond pest management as it could be applied to any resource management program seeking to spread innovations across populations