Eye banking: an introduction

This article introduces the work of eye banks, institutions responsible for collecting (harvesting) and processing donor corneas, and for distributing them to trained corneal graft surgeons

A new analytical method for determination of dolutegravir and rilpivirine in pharmaceutical formulations by RP-HPLC method

A simple, rapid, precise, sensitive and reproducible reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of Dolutegravir and Rilpivirine in pharmaceutical dosage form. Chromatographic separation of Dolutegravir and Rilpivirine was achieved on Waters Alliance -2695, by using Luna C18 (250mm x 4.6mm, 5µm) column and the mobile phase containing 0.1% OPA & ACN in the ratio of 50:50 v/v. The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min, detection was carried out by absorption at 245 nm using a photodiode array detector at ambient temperature. The number of theoretical plates and tailing factor for Dolutegravir and Rilpivirine were NLT 2000 and should not more than 2 respectively. The linearity of the method was excellent over the concentration range 10-150 µg/ml and 5-75 µg/ml for Dolutegravir and Rilpivirine respectively. The correlation coefficient was 0.999. % Relative standard deviation of peak areas of all measurements always less than 2.0. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The method was found to be simple, economical, suitable, precise, accurate & robust method for quantitative analysis of Dolutegravir and Rilpivirine study of its stability

Blindness and poverty in India: the way forward

A few recent studies have shown that poverty is an exacerbating and often determining factor in the incidence of disabling conditions, including visual impairment. Recent estimates from the World Health Organization indicate that 90 per cent of all those affected by visual impairment live in the poorest countries of the world. India is home to one-fifth of the world's visually impaired people and therefore, any strategies to combat avoidable blindness must take into account the socio-economic conditions within which people live. This paper looks at the relationship between poverty and blindness in India and suggests strategies to address blindness prevention in a comprehensive manner

Performance Analysis of No Reference Image quality based on Human Perception

In this work, a No-Reference objective image quality assessment based on NRDPF-IQA metric and classification based metric are tested using LIVE database, which consisting of Gaussian white noise, Gaussian blur, Rayleigh fast fading channel, JPEG compressed images, JPEG2000 images. We plot the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient [SROCC] between each of these features and human DMOS from the LIVE-IQA database using our proposed method to ascertain how well the features correlate with human judgement quality. The analysis of the testing and training is done by SVM model. The proposed method shows better results compared with the earlier methods. Finally, the results are generated by using MATLAB.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v4i6.678

Low bit Rate Video Quality Analysis Using NRDPF-VQA Algorithm

In this work, we propose NRDPF-VQA (No Reference Distortion Patch Features Video Quality Assessment) model aims to use to measure the video quality assessment for H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding). The proposed method takes advantage of the contrast changes in the video quality by luminance changes. The proposed quality metric was tested by using LIVE video database. The experimental results show that the new index performance compared with the other NR-VQA models that require training on LIVE video databases, CSIQ video database, and VQEG HDTV video database. The values are compared with human score index analysis of DMOS

Arginine residues involved in binding of tetrahydrofolate to sheep liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase

The arginine residue(s) necessary for tetrahydrofolate binding to sheep liver serineh ydroxymethyltransferase were located by phenylglyoxal modification. The incorporation of [7-14C]phenylglyoxal indicated that 2 arginine residues were modified per subunit of the enzyme and the modification of these residues was prevented by tetrahydrofolate. In order to locate the sites of phenylglyoxal modification, the enzyme was reacted in the presence and absence of tetrahydrofolate using unlabeled and radioactive phenylglyoxal, respectively. The labeled phenylglyoxal-treated enzyme was digested with trypsin, and the radiolabeled peptides were purified by high-performance liquid chromatography on reversed-phase columns. Sequencing the tryptic peptides indicated that Arg-269 and Arg-462 were the sites of phenylglyoxal modification. Neither a spectrally discernible 495-nm intermediate (characteristic of the native enzyme when substrates are added) nor its enhancement by the addition of tetrahydrofolate, was observed with the phenylglyoxalmodified enzyme. There was no enhancement of the rate of the exchange of the α-proton of glycine upon addition of tetrahydrofolate to the modified enzyme as was observed with the native enzyme. These results demonstrate the requirement of specific arginine residues for the interaction of tetrahydrofolate with sheep liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase

Crystal and molecular structure of the discogen bis[1,3-di(p-n- Decylphenyl)propane-1,3-dionato]paliadium(ll)

The transition metal containing discogen, bis[1,3-di(p-n-decylphenyl)propane-1 ,3-dionato ]paliadium(II)crystallizes in the triclinic space group pI with one molecule in a unit cell of dimensions a = 10.260(2), b = 12.961(2), c = 13.403(2)A., ex= 110.54(1), f3= 101.75(1) and 'I = 98.44(lt. The crystal structure was solved by direct methods and refined using full matrix least squares procedure. The palladium atom is lying on an inversion center. The decyl chains are fully extended in an all trans conformation. In the crystal structure, the molecules form a tilted columnar arrangement. The angle between the normal to the core and the column axis is 68xB0;. Each column is surrounded by six others. Along the13; column axis, adjacent palladium atoms are separated by 10.26A

A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study of low dose mirtazapine once daily in patients of major depressive disorders on escitalopram

Background: The SSRIs being used as 1st line therapy in treatment of depression have delayed therapeutic effect which makes the patient vulnerable to an increased risk of suicide and decreased adherence to the treatment and will prematurely discontinue the therapy. The present study was conducted to evaluate if low dose mirtazapine-escitalopram combination therapy has any add on benefit over monotherapy with escitalopram.Methods: In a single-centered, comparative study involving patients with depression attending the out-patient after screening and exclusion, 60 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive tablet mirtazapine 7.5 mg plus tablet escitalopram 10 mg intervention or tablet escitalopram 10 mg plus placebo intervention in a double-blind 6-week treatment phase. The primary outcome measure was the change in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from baseline. Participants were evaluated at baseline, 1st, 2nd,4th and 6th week. Results were analyzed using Chi-Square test for adverse effects and independent t-test analysis for efficacy parameter.Results: In the analysis of results at 6th week the numbers of patients achieved remission in mirtazapine group are more with a p-value of 0.018 which is significant and the numbers of responders in mirtazapine group are also more which is statistically significant on chi-square test. There is no significant difference was observed between the two groups with reference to occurrence of adverse effect.Conclusions: Adding low dose mirtazapine has an added benefit in terms of efficacy and getting remission early with more number of responders in the treatment of major depression

Induction of division and differentiation of somatic embryos in the leaf epidermis of Gaillardia picta

Somatic embroys and subsequent plant regeneration were obtained from isolated leaf epidermis of Gaillardia picta. Abaxial and adaxial epidermal peels (monolayer) from 45 days old aseptic seedlings were isolated and segments measuring 5 mm × 3 mm were cultured on B5 basal medium supplemented with various growth regulators such as naphthaleneacetic acid or indolebutyric acid and benzylaminopurine or kinetin. Within 12 h of culture the epidermal cells showed receding of cytoplasm from the walls. After 48 h of incubation 3 or 4 localized zones, each consisting of 3-8 cells that accumulated cytoplasm and stained densely, were observed. Mitotic divisions occurred in these zones on day 3 of culture and localized masses of callus were observed in 95% of the cultures after 10 days. In another 5 days, the callus differentiated somatic embryos or roots, depending on the growth regulators and their concentration in the medium

Population-based cross-sectional study of barriers to utilisation of refraction services in South India: Rapid Assessment of Refractive Errors (RARE) Study

AIM: To assess the barriers to the uptake of refraction services in the age group of 15-49 years in rural Andhra Pradesh, India. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted using cluster random sampling to enumerate 3300 individuals from 55 clusters. A validated questionnaire was used to elicit information on barriers to utilisation of services among individuals with uncorrected refractive error (presenting visual acuity 35 years with binocular distance visual acuity of ≥6/12). RESULTS: 3095 (94%) were available for examination. Those with uncorrected refractive errors cited affordability as the main barrier to the uptake of eye-care services. Among people with uncorrected presbyopia, lack of 'felt need' was the leading barrier. CONCLUSION: The barriers that were 'relatively easy to change' were reported by those with uncorrected refractive errors in contrast to 'difficult to change' barriers reported by those with uncorrected presbyopia. Together, the data on prevalence and an understanding of the barriers for the uptake of services are critical to the planning of refractive error services