A study on seroprevalence of hepatotropic viruses among HIV-positive individuals attending the integrated counselling and testing centre (ICTC) in Mayo hospital of Nagpur city, Maharashtra, India

Background: Infection with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 and its end stage, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is the major public health challenge of modern time. A variety of exogenously acquired infectious agents appear to influence the pace of HIV replication, the destruction of CD4+ T cells, and HIV transmission to infants and sexual partners. More persistent elevations in plasma HIV levels have been seen in patients with chronic infections (such as those with tuberculosis and herpes and hepatitis viruses), and such co-infected patients have a more rapid loss of CD4+ T cells and an increased rate of progression to AIDS and death. Within India, variable co-infection rates have been reported from region to region. With the above background, the present study was undertaken to study the seroprevalence of hepatotropic viruses (Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus) in HIV-positive individuals attending the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) in Mayo hospital of Nagpur city, Maharashtra, India.  Methods: The current prospective study was conducted in the department of microbiology, Indira Gandhi government medical college and Mayo general hospital, Nagpur (Maharashtra) from August 2005 to August 2007. All the patients attending ICTC were included in the study. 300 HIV negative matched controls were also included in the study. All the individuals who were positive for HIV infection were selected for this study and further tested for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies. Data was compiled in MS excel. Then it was analyzed using online statistical calculator and chi square test were applied with value of P <0.05 was considered statistically significant for interpretation of finding.  Results: Maximum numbers of HIV positive patients (38.8%) were in age group of 31-40 years. Present study showed male preponderance in HIV positive patients. Males showed a slightly high seroprevalence of HBsAg (9.21%) compared to females (7.57%) among HIV positive patients. The difference in positivity of two viral agents studied in HIV positive patients was highly significant as compared to HIV-negative individuals (P <0.001).  Conclusion: On the basis of the findings that the co-infection of hepatotropic viruses (HBV and HCV) were significantly higher in HIV positive cases than controls, the study concludes that the chronic viral hepatitis is a serious concern in HIV-infected patients. Thus, there is an urgent need to ensure the screening of the same in HIV-infected patients.

Development and implementation of Water Safety Plan at peri-urban village in India: A case study

Water Safety Plan is a risk based approach to reliably deliver safe drinking water to end-client. The approach emphasizes on system assessment, identification of hazards, use of simple indicators to monitor control points and periodic verification. A WSP was developed for a peri-urban village Bhendala. This study discusses the step-by-step tasks undertaken to promote improvement in water quality, quantity and awareness among community and suggest appropriate actions required to safeguard public health from contaminated water-related risks. Be the risks identified, this study suggests there is need to give continuous assistance to the local water management team for the maintainability of the WSP

Performance Analysis of Two Receiver Arrangements for Wireless Battery Charging System

Two different arrangements for Wireless Battery Charging Systems (WBCSs) with a series-parallel resonant topology have been analyzed in this paper. The first arrangement charges the battery by controlling the receiver-side rectifier current and voltage without a chopper, while the second arrangement charges it with a chopper while keeping the chopper input voltage constant. The comparison of these two arrangements is made based on their performance on various figures of merit, such as the sizing factor of both the supply voltage source and receiver coil, overall system efficiency, power-transfer ratio, receiver efficiency, and cost estimation. Later, the simulated study is verified by the experimental setup designed to charge the electric vehicle

Monitoring industrial effluents discharge along Gujarat coast by bio assay test and physico chemical parameters

GFASRI In consultation with Gujarat Pollution Control Board and on Its own undertook studies on chemical parameters of effluents of a few factories in the Saurashtra region and their effects on fish through bio-assay tests. In the case of M/s Tata Chemicals, LC-50 value ranges 0 4 to 5% cone vol; temperature 86.0 to 91.0°F; Ammonia 21.84 to 48 98 ppm and total solids from 184 to 234 g/litre. In the case of M/s Saurashtra Chemicals. Porbandar, LC-60 value varied 2-100%. In the case of M/s Indian Rayon, Veraval, pH was between 2 to 10.5 and LCeo value was from 20% to 100% conc/vol. For Billsshwar Sugar Factory, Kodinar pH was between 4.0 - 5.5, BOO was 450 to 1800 ppm and LC-50 value was 0.5 to 7

Isoniazid hair concentrations in children with tuberculosis: a proof of concept study

Assessing treatment adherence and quantifying tuberculosis drug exposure among children is challenging. We undertook a “proof of concept” study to assess the drug concentrations of isoniazid in hair as a therapeutic drug monitoring tool. Children <12 years of age initiated on thrice-weekly treatment including isoniazid (10 mg/kg) for newly diagnosed tuberculosis were enrolled. Isoniazid concentrations in hair were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at 1, 2, 4 and 6 months after tuberculosis treatment initiation. We found that isoniazid hair concentrations in all children on thrice weekly isoniazid were detectable and displayed variability across a dynamic range

Smart E-Textiles: Overview of Components and Outlook

Smart textiles have gained great interest from academia and industries alike, spanning interdisciplinary efforts from materials science, electrical engineering, art, design, and computer science. While recent innovation has been promising, unmet needs between the commercial and academic sectors are pronounced in this field, especially for electronic-based textiles, or e-textiles. In this review, we aim to address the gap by (i) holistically investigating e-textiles’ constituents and their evolution, (ii) identifying the needs and roles of each discipline and sector, and (iii) addressing the gaps between them. The components of e-textiles—base fabrics, interconnects, sensors, actuators, computers, and power storage/generation—can be made at multiscale levels of textile, e.g., fiber, yarn, fabric, coatings, and embellishments. The applications, current state, and sustainable future directions for e-textile fields are discussed, which encompasses health monitoring, soft robotics, education, and fashion applications

<span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#231F20;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN-US">Utilization of seaweeds in enhancing productivity and quality of black gram [<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN-US">Vigna </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#231F20;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN-US">mungo </span></i><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#231F20;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA" lang="EN-US">(L.)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>Hepper] for sustainable agriculture</span></span>

16-22Seaweed and seaweed-derived products have been widely used as biostimulants for crop production, however, the biostimulatory potential of many seaweed’s extract has not been fully exploited due to the lack of scientific data on field experiments. In present investigation, a field experiment was carried to study the corollary of foliar application of seaweed extract on black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] under rainfed condition during rainy (kharif) season of 2010. Seaweed extracts (prepared from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis) were applied to the foliage at diverse concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 15%) twice during the crop period. It was found that both the extracts were very effective and enhanced the yield, growth and improved the quality of the produce. The yield of seed had increased by 47.52% and 42.52% with the application of K. alvarezii and G. edulis extracts, respectively when applied at 10% conc. Not only this, but other yield attributing characters, viz. number of pods/plant, pod weight, seed weight/plant and test weight of seed also have been augmented. The quality of seeds was also improved under the influence of the seaweed extract treatments. The foliar application of seaweed extracts to black gram crop has significantly increased uptake of almost all the nutrients. Thus, foliar applications of seaweed extracts could be a promising option for yield enhancement and sustainable agriculture

Utilization of seaweeds in enhancing productivity and quality of black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] for sustainable agriculture

Seaweed and seaweed-derived products have been widely used as biostimulants for crop production, however, the biostimulatory potential of many seaweed’s extract has not been fully exploited due to the lack of scientific data on field experiments. In present investigation, a field experiment was carried to study the corollary of foliar application of seaweed extract on black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] under rainfed condition during rainy (kharif) season of 2010. Seaweed extracts (prepared from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis) were applied to the foliage at diverse concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 15%) twice during the crop period. It was found that both the extracts were very effective and enhanced the yield, growth and improved the quality of the produce. The yield of seed had increased by 47.52% and 42.52% with the application of K. alvarezii and G. edulis extracts, respectively when applied at 10% conc. Not only this, but other yield attributing characters, viz. number of pods/plant, pod weight, seed weight/plant and test weight of seed also have been augmented. The quality of seeds was also improved under the influence of the seaweed extract treatments. The foliar application of seaweed extracts to black gram crop has significantly increased uptake of almost all the nutrients. Thus, foliar applications of seaweed extracts could be a promising option for yield enhancement and sustainable agriculture

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