Correlation between abscess size and liver function tests in cases of liver abscess

Background: Liver abscess has shown a major change in demographics, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment over the past 100 years. The modern diagnostics like ultrasound and computed tomography to locate and drain the abscess have reduced the mortality to 2-12%. However, due to the complications of liver abscess especially the amebic ones the morbidity is still high. This study aims to study the correlation of various LFT parameters with abscess volume for early detection of high risk patients and early treatment thus reducing morbidity.Methods: The study was conducted over a period of 6 months on 50 patients of liver abscess. History and physical examination was done. All patients were subjected to complete hemogram, liver function test, coagulation profile (PT/INR) and USG abdomen. The data was recorded and compiled in excel sheets and analyzed using correlation coefficient (R) method.Results: The mean age of the patients was 41.2 years with male preponderance. Amoebic liver abscess (88%) was predominant over pyogenic liver abscess (12%). Alcoholism (48%), smoking (42%) and diabetes mellitus (18%) are main predisposing factors in case of liver abscess. Hepatomegaly was found in 88% cases. Elevated ALP, low albumin, increased PT INR points to the diagnosis of liver abscess. Complications seen were pleural effusion (10%) and ascites (4%). On analysis, liver abscess size is significantly positively correlated with INR, ALP, liver enzymes, and negatively correlated with serum albumin level.Conclusions: Liver abscess size was found to be positively correlated with INR and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), liver enzymes (SGOT, SGPT) and negatively correlated with serum albumin levels. There was no correlation of abscess size and bilirubin levels. Hence, LFT can be used to estimate the liver abscess size and predict the severity and prognosis of patient

Clinical and biochemical profile of liver abscess patients

Background: Liver comprises 48% of all the visceral abscesses. It is common in India with 2nd highest incidence due to poor sanitation, overcrowding and inadequate nutrition. Worldwide, approximately 40-50 million people are infected annually with amoebic abscesses. This study aims to observe the clinical and biochemical profile of liver abscess patients so that a prompt diagnosis can be made and early treatment can be given.Methods: The study was conducted over a period of 1 year on 50 patients of liver abscess. History and physical examination was done. All patients were subjected to complete hemogram, liver function test, coagulation profile (PT/INR) and USG abdomen. Serology for Entamoeba histolytica and HIV was done.Results: The mean age of the patients was 41.8 years with male preponderance. Amoebic liver abscess (86%) was predominant over pyogenic liver abscess (14%). Alcoholism (52%) and diabetes mellitus (20%) are main predisposing factors in case of liver abscess. Hepatomegaly was found in 80% cases. Elevated ALP, low albumin, increased PT INR points to the diagnosis of liver abscess. The abscesses were predominantly in right lobe (76%) and solitary (66%). Complications seen were ascites (12%) and pleural effusion (6%).Conclusions: Liver abscess should be suspected in patients presenting with prolonged fever and pain upper abdomen specially if patient is alcoholic or has diabetes mellitus. Ultrasonography is an easy and cost effective investigation to diagnose liver abscess. Early and aggressive treatment is the mainstay to prevent complications, morbidity and mortality

Neonatal outcome in early term and late term pregnancy

Background: Full-term neonates born between 37- and 41-weeks’ gestational age have been considered a homogeneous, low-risk group. However, recent evidence from studies has pointed toward increased NICU admissions and morbidity associated with births (37-38 weeks) compared with term neonates (39-41 weeks). The objective of this study was to compare the short-term morbidity of early-term vs term neonates in a county-based birth cohort using the primary objective of admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or neonatology service. Methods: Retrospective observational population-based 2 year birth cohort study at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology GSVM Medical College, Kanpur. All full-term live births comprised the birth cohort; this information was obtained from the hospitals’ perinatal databases, and data pertaining to NICU, or neonatology service admissions were extracted from individual medical records.  Gestational age of early term (37 0/7-38 6/7 weeks) verses term (39 0/7-4 10/7 weeks). Admission to the NICU or neonatology service. Results: There were 17,132 live births during the 2 year period, of which 13679 had a gestational age between 37 and 41 weeks. Of all live births, 6204 (45.3%) were early term. Compared with term infants, early-term neonates had significantly higher risks for the following: hypoglycaemia (29.9% verses 14.7%), NICU or neonatology service admission (20.9% vs12.05 %), need for respiratory support (36.8% verses 29.9%), treatment with intravenous antibiotics [39.4% verses 25. Delivery by caesarean section was common among early-term births (45.9%)]. Conclusions: Early-term births are associated with high neonatal morbidity and with NICU or neonatology service admission. Evaluation of local prevalence data will assist in implementation of specific preventive measures and plans, as well as prioritize limited health care resources

A CLINICAL STUDY OF DRAKSHA GRITHA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ANAEMIA IN PREGNANCY (GARBHINI PANDU)

A woman requires more nutrition during pregnancy, which is a physiological condition. When compared to non-pregnant women, a pregnant woman needs 2-3 times the amount of iron than usual. Pandu means pallor of body which can be correlated with 'Anemia' of modern science. Many references in Ayurvedic classics denote that Garbhini Pandu is available. Design: 30 patients of Garbhini Pandu were selected from OPD and IPD of Prasuti Tantra and Stree Roga department from Dr. BRKR GAMC, Hyderabad and were administered 15ml of Drakshaghrita twice daily (morning and evening) on empty stomach orally along with Anupana of Sukoshnadugdha consecutively for 90 days. Results: Statistically highly significant results were seen in Pallor, Glossitis, Bhrama, Hrudrava, Hb% and edema of the lower extremity with p< 0.001. Conclusions: The study showed that Draksha Gritha is effective in the management of Garbhini Pandu

The hidden curriculum and integrating cure- and care-based approaches to medicine

Although current literature about the “cure versus care” issue tends to promote a patient-centered approach, the disease-centered approach remains the prevailing model in practice. The perceived dichotomy between the two approaches has created a barrier that could make it difficult for medical students and physicians to integrate psychosocial aspects of patient care into the prevailing disease-based model. This article examines the influence of the formal and hidden curricula on the perception of these two approaches and finds that the hidden curriculum perpetuates the notion that “cure” and “care” based approaches are dichotomous despite significant changes in formal curricula that promote a more integrated approach. The authors argue that it is detrimental for clinicians to view the two approaches as oppositional rather than complementary and attempt to give recommendations on how the influence of the hidden curriculum can be reduced to get a both-cure-and-care-approach, rather than an either-cure-or-care-approach

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Not AvailableMolecular imprinted polymer was synthesized by polymerization of methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in presence of tetracycline. The prepared polymer exhibited selectivity of 1.8 to 3.9 over non-imprinted polymer depending on nature of solvent. In water, 3.45 mg of tetracycline bind to 1 g of imprinted polymer. Non-covalent interactions between tetracycline and polymer provided selectivity to imprinted polymer. The polymer was evaluated in column chromatography and the bound tetracycline can be eluted with acetoni trile. Ciprofloxacin interacted with imprinted polymer, whereas amoxicillin did not. The feasibility of using MIP for concentrating tetracycline from milk has been demonstrated.Not Availabl

Nano Zinc-Enabled Strategies in Crops for Combatting Zinc Malnutrition in Human Health

Deficits in the mineral Zn are responsible for a sizable proportion of the world’s disease burden and child mortality. With the increasing success rate of biofortification in major crops, the development of a genotype with enhanced Zn bioavailability will be an efficient and sustainable solution to nutrient deficiency-related problems. Due to the complex chemistry of the human system, the absorption of Zn from cereals is lower. This complexity is alleviated by phytate, a major phosphorus-storing compound in cereal and legume seeds, which negatively affects Zn binding. The results of recent studies on the distribution of elements and micronutrient speciation in seeds provide strong evidence for the presence of distinct Zn pools. This observation is supported by data from biofortified transgenic plant research. Several studies identify nicotinamide, a metal chelator, as a pivotal molecule. The loading of Zn into grains has been reported to increase with nicotinamide levels, which is a crucial finding. Intestinal Zn absorption can be greatly improved by nicotinamide. Furthermore, bioavailability tests suggest that the use of nano Zn-enabled devices could be an effective strategy to enable plant biofortification, which may significantly boost the Zn content in various cereal crops. This review comprehensively evaluated the scientific publications indexed in WoS, Scopus, and various other reliable databases and explored insights into how nano-enabled technology could be a solution for enhancing Zn content in cereal crops for combating malnutrition in humans

Enhancing Blackgram Yield through Optimized Irrigation Scheduling and Integrated Nutrient Management: Growth Characteristics and Yield Components

A field experiment was carried out at Soil Conservation and Water Management Farm of C S Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur during Zaid seasons i.e. 2022 and 2023 to assess the effect of irrigation scheduling and integrated nutrient management on blackgram.The experiment consisted of three irrigation schedulesviz.I1:0.4 IW/CPE, I2:0.6 IW/CPE, I3:0.8 IW/CPE, along with five integrated nutrient management options viz.F1: 100% RDF, F2:125% RDF.F3: 75% RDF + 2.5 ton FYM/ha,F4: 50 % RDF + 5 ton FYM/ha.F5: 50% RDF + 2.5 ton FYM/ha + 1 tonvermi-compost. The experiment was conducted in Split Plot Design replicated thrice irrigation scheduling systems in main plots and integrated nutrient management in sub plots.  The result clearly revealed that significantly higher growth attributes viz plant height (35.25 cm and 37.56 cm), number of branches plant-1 (8.87 and 9.21), number of plant leaves (19.96 and 20.29) at harvest and yield attributes viz number of pod per plant (27.80 and 30.10) no of seed per pod (6.62 and 6.91) and also higher seed yield (9.30 q ha-1 and 9.90 qha-1 ), stover yield(23.21 q ha-1 and 24.03 q ha-1) were recorded with I3: 0.8 IW/CPE compared to I1: 0.4 IW/CPE and I2: 0.6 IW/CPE. Among the integrated nutrient management significantly higher growth attributes viz plant height (36.12 cm and 38.07 cm), number of branches plant-1 (9.01 and 9.32), number of plant leaves (20.05 and 20.45) at harvest and yield attributes viz number of pod per plant (28.44 and 30.17) no of seed per pod (7.05 and 7.37) and also higher grain yield (9.73 q ha-1 and 10.27 qha-1 ), stover yield(23.55 q ha-1 and 24.76 q ha-1) were recorded with F5:50% RDF + 2.5 ton FYM/ha + 1 ton vermi-compost as compared to other integrated nutrient management protocol

Exploring the Nutritional Potential of Wild Grass Fodder for Mega Herbivore (Elephas maximus) in the Foothills of Western Ghats

An elephant, being a mega herbivore, consumes large amounts of food. Due to the lack of availability of fodder inside the forest, the elephants move out of their habitat areas and also find agricultural crops attractive, which further results in man–animal conflict. To improve the elephant habitat area, the current study was conducted to assess the availability of native fodder grasses inside the Coimbatore Elephant Reserve, Western Ghats, from April 2021–April 2022. The area falls between 10°37′and 11°31′ North latitudes and 76°39′and 77°5′ East longitudes. It was approached in a systematic random sampling method. A total of 128 sample plots of 1 sq.m size were randomly placed, and the density of grass species was recorded in percentage (%). The collected samples were shade dried for one week, ground to pass through a 1 mm sieve, and stored in polythene bags. Furthermore, the samples were chemically analyzed to determine their nutritional values. The dry matter (DM) content of various grass fodder varied from 28.18% to 59.75%. The crude protein (CP) content differed between 5.94% and 11.94%. The highest CP was recorded in Cynodon dactylon (11.94%) and the least in Aristida setacea (5.94%). Ether extract content was found in the ranges of 1.00% to 5.00%. The acid detergent fibre (ADF) content of Aristida setacea (45.74%) was observed as the highest, whereas the lowest was observed in Oplismenus burmannii (26.78%), followed by Themeda triandra (26.85%), Heteropogon contortus (30.12%) and Enteropogon monostachyos (30.31%). The average neutral detergent fibre content of grass fodder was 52.27%, with a range of 37.89% (Oplismenus burmannii) to 67.87% (Cymbopogon martinii). The average total digestible nutrient (TDN) content of grass was 77.45%; relative forage quality (RFQ) exhibited wider variations among the grasses and ranged between 107.51 and 198.83. This study is a pioneer in evaluating the nutritional values of native grass fodder species for elephants in the Western Ghats. The study gives strategies for the selection of high nutritive fodder grass for the habitat improvement of elephants, and it also provides scientific and baseline information for the conservation of native grass fodder species in the Western Ghats