The impact of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use in elderly cardiovascular patients: an observational study from tertiary care in South India

Background: Long-term use of NSAIDs, by patients having cardiovascular conditions, has shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular events and increased risk of death. Hence, the study was conducted to determine the complications related to NSAID use by the elderly patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).Methods: The study was a single-center prospective observational study conducted November 2017 to October 2018. Elderly patients (>60 years) suffering from various CVDs and reported NSAID intake daily for at least one month were included. A questionnaire included demographic, treatment related history and complete details of NSAIDs intake including nature, dose, indication, source etc. The same questionnaire was again filled at the end of one-year follow-up.Results: A total of 100 participants were included in the study. The mean age was 72±8.6 years. Majority of the patients (93%) had hypertension, and 69% of the patient had previous MI.  Five NSAIDs (diclofenac, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, naproxen, and ketorolac) were used routinely. At least one over the counter NSAID used was reported by 86%, 57% were prescribed at least one NSAIDs by their orthopaedics and physicians. At the end of 1-year follow-up, authors found that 71% had MI (2% increase), 4% developed reinfarction, 20% had severe left ventricular failure (4% increase), 7% had atrial fibrillation (1% increase), and 2% patients died and 63% patients reported raise in systolic blood pressure by 5mmHg.Conclusions: High prevalence of concomitant NSAID use among elderly CVD patients, which might be contributing towards increase in CVS morbidity and mortality

Tertiary education students’ learning experience during the COVID-19 outbreak

Online learning is commonly used nowadays for several aspects as an advanced form of learning, through hi-tech gadgets. However, as convenient and efficient it sounds, some students find it difficult to cope with online learning. The goal of the current study is to answer the research questions of “What is experienced by students in an online learning environment?” and “Does online learning environment experience improve/hinders/maintains academic achievements?” via an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). 16 participants were interviewed and the data obtained were analyzed through the IPA, illustrated four superordinate themes which are, the dynamics of online learning, significance of lecturers in quality of online learning, effects of environment of online learning and effects on self, due to online learning. The impact of online learning during the COVID -19 pandemic have indeed impacted tertiary student’s perception of education, their mental health well-being and their academic performance. This highlights the need to develop ways to overcome this situation and ensure quality education can still be delivered and received

Yoga-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation After Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Trial

Background: Given the shortage of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs in India and poor uptake worldwide, there is an urgent need to find alternative models of CR that are inexpensive and may offer choice to subgroups with poor uptake (e.g., women and elderly). Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the effects of yoga-based CR (Yoga-CaRe) on major cardiovascular events and self-rated health in a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Methods: The trial was conducted in 24 medical centers across India. This study recruited 3,959 patients with acute myocardial infarction with a median and minimum follow-up of 22 and 6 months. Patients were individually randomized to receive either a Yoga-CaRe program (n = 1,970) or enhanced standard care involving educational advice (n = 1,989). The co-primary outcomes were: 1) first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, or emergency cardiovascular hospitalization); and 2) self-rated health on the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions–5 Level visual analogue scale at 12 weeks. Results: MACE occurred in 131 (6.7%) patients in the Yoga-CaRe group and 146 (7.4%) patients in the enhanced standard care group (hazard ratio with Yoga-CaRe: 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71 to 1.15; p = 0.41). Self-rated health was 77 in Yoga-CaRe and 75.7 in the enhanced standard care group (baseline-adjusted mean difference in favor of Yoga-CaRe: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.5 to 2.5; p = 0.002). The Yoga-CaRe group had greater return to pre-infarct activities, but there was no difference in tobacco cessation or medication adherence between the treatment groups (secondary outcomes). Conclusions: Yoga-CaRe improved self-rated health and return to pre-infarct activities after acute myocardial infarction, but the trial lacked statistical power to show a difference in MACE. Yoga-CaRe may be an option when conventional CR is unavailable or unacceptable to individuals. (A study on effectiveness of YOGA based cardiac rehabilitation programme in India and United Kingdom; CTRI/2012/02/002408)

Alkylation and aralkylation of N-heterocycles. Part III. Methylation and benzylation of 5 (or 6)-chloro benzimidazoles

Methylation and benzylation of 5 (or 6)-chloro benzimidazoles have been carried out under uniform conditions and the structures of the products obtained have been established by comparison with authentic samples prepared by unambiguous methods. The results are explained on the basis of inductive (-I) and resonance (+M) effects of chlorogroup and the tautomer stabilisation

Alkylation and aralkylation of N-heterocycles. IV. Methylation and benzylation of 5 (or 6)-nitro benzimidazoles

Methylation and benzylation of 5 (or 6)-nitro benzimidazoles have been carried out under, uniform conditions and the structures of the products obtained have been established by comparison with authentic samples prepared by standard methods. In each case a mixture of 1, 5- and 1, 6-isomers has been obtained, the former being comparatively in larger proportion. The results are explained on the basis of tautomer stabilisation by and the deactivating influence of nitro group

Evaluation of different lactic acid bacterial strains for probiotic characteristics

Objective: The objective of the present study was to collect different Lactic acid bacterial strains from culture collection centers and screen their functional probiotic characteristics such as acid tolerance, bile tolerance, antibacterial activity and antibiotic sensitivity for their commercial use. Materials and Methods: Acid and bile tolerence of selected LAB(Lactic acid bacteria) was determined. The antibiotic resistance of Lactobacillus species was assessed using different antibiotic discs on de Mann Rogosa Sharpe broth (MRS) agar plates seeded with the test probiotic organism. The antibacterial activity of LAB was assessed by using well diffusion method.Results: Among the six probiotic strains tested, all showed good survivability at high bile salt concentration (0.3 to 2.0 % oxgall) and good growth at a low pH of 1.5 to 3.5. These probiotic species showed good survival abilities in acidic pH of 2.0 to 3.5 except Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspp. bulgaricus 281 which did not grown at pH of 2.0. Lactobacillus fermentum 141 was able to grow even at pH of 1.5 also. Among the six lactic acid species, Lactobacillus fermentum 141 (except Tetracycline), Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspp. Bulgaricus 281 except (Cefpodoxime) and all other LAB were resistant to all the antibiotics tested (Ampicillin, Nalidixic acid , Ciprofloxacin ,Co-Trimoxazole, Gentamicin and Cefpodoxime). All these probiotic organisms were screened for their in vitro inhibition ability against pathogenic microorganisms namely, E.coli ATCC (American type culture collection centre), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella paratyphi, Staphylococcus aureus. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspp. bulgaricus 281, Lactobacillus casei 297 and Lactobacillus fermentum 141 inhibited the growth of all the pathogenic bacteria used in the study. Conclusion: The study indicated Lactobacillus fermentum 141 and Lactobacillus casei 297 as potential functional probiotics for future in vivo studies for commercialization in the food industry

Factors associated with conversion of long-term non-progressors to progressors: A prospective study of HIV perinatally infected paediatric survivors

Background & objectives : Survival pattern among children infected with the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) follows a bimodel distribution. Some children survive beyond 9 years age and are known as long term survivers (LTS) while others had a more rapid course to death during the first few years of life. In the LTS group of children, two sub-populations have emerged, the long term non-progressors (LTNP) who have remained asymptomatic over a period of years and those who have survived despite clinical and laboratory evidence of disease progression, the long term progressors (LTP). The aim of the present study was to determine the factors influencing the conversion of LTNPs to LTPs in a group of perinatally HIV infected children who were followed up for five years. Methods : A total of 26 HIV seropositive paediatric patients were monitored from 2006 to 2011 with CD4 cell counts, onset of clinical manifestations, body weight, biochemical, haematological and immunological parameters. Statistical analyses, both qualitative and quantitative, were used to determine the degree of conversion of non-progressors to progressors. Results : All 26 (13 female and 13 male) perinatally HIV infected children, born during1991-1996 were healthy until 2006. But by 2011, 18 were placed in progressors group with antiretroviral therapy (ART), while six remained in non progressors group and two died. As per the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, AIDS free median survival period (years) in LTP group (CD4 count) of the cohort was 10΁0.66 (350, P=<0.05). Intercurrent and opportunistic infections (OIs) were observed in LTPs only. The incidence of OI in LTPs was higher when compared to general paediatric population. Interpretation & conclusions : Our findings show that CD4 counts and OIs play an important role in influencing the survival chances of perinatally HIV infected children

Deep Generative Models for Automated Dehazing Remote Sensing Satellite Images

Remote Sensing (RS) is the process of observing and measuring the physical features of an area from a distance by monitoring its reflected and emitted radiation, usually from a satellite or aircraft. The application of RS spans a wide range of fields, including precision agriculture, disaster management, military operations, environmental monitoring, and weather assessment, among others. Haze or pollution in the satellite images, makes satellite images unsightly and makes valuable information useless. Sometimes satellites must capture images in haze-filled atmospheres, rendering them unusable for study. This proposed work is implemented using the Modern Deep Learning techniques to dehaze the satellite images. We have proposed two GAN architectures, INC-Pix2Pix and RNX-Pix2Pix. A publicly available dataset was used for training our proposed approaches. To eliminate haze from images, we have suggested Deep Generative models by employing the best developments in the field of image processing. By using generative models, images can be dehazed without information loss, supporting the paper’s objective. It has the capacity to learn any kind of underlying data distribution using its learning mechanism. Therefore, it can dehaze satellite images that have been corrupted by haze using the approach automated dehazing remote sensing satellite images using deep learning models . Existing systems can be made more efficient by integrating this approach