Emergence of oscillations in a simple epidemic model with demographic data

A simple susceptible–infectious–removed epidemic model for smallpox, with birth and death rates based on historical data, produces oscillatory dynamics with remarkably accurate periodicity. Stochastic population data cause oscillations to be sustained rather than damped, and data analysis regarding the oscillations provides insights into the same set of population data. Notably, oscillations arise naturally from the model, instead of from a periodic forcing term or other exogenous mechanism that guarantees oscillation: the model has no such mechanism. These emergent natural oscillations display appropriate periodicity for smallpox, even when the model is applied to different locations and populations. The model and datasets, in turn, offer new observations about disease dynamics and solution trajectories. These results call for renewed attention to relatively simple models, in combination with datasets from real outbreaks

Diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound in respect to transvaginal ultrasound in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital of Kolkata taking histopathology as gold standard: a prospective study

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) represents an important cause of acute pelvic pain in women of reproductive age. Initial evaluation consists of appropriate history and clinical examination followed by pelvic ultrasonography (US) and hormonal assays. Objective of the study was to measure diagnostic accuracy of TAS in respect to TVS in detecting ectopic pregnancy.Methods: This prospective cross sectional study was done for 1 year duration in Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. 50 patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy were transferred from Gynae emergency ward and trans-abdominal, transvaginal ultrasound were subsequently performed on each. The results were corroborated with histopathology reports..Results: Diagnostic parameters of TAS in respect to HPE:sensitivity 75.5, specificity-80,PPV-97.1, NPV-26.6 (all in percentages). Diagnostic parameters of TVS in respect to HPE:sensitivity 86.6, specificity-80, PPV-97.5, NPV-40 (all in percentages).Conclusions: Sonography by transvaginal route stood way ahead of trans abdominal scan in terms of all diagnostic parameters to correctly evaluate ectopic pregnancy

Variability in Sun photometer-derived total ozone over a tropical urban station

A portable, handheld, multichannel Sun photometer (ozonometer) has been used to measure total column ozone over Pune (18320N, 73510E, 559 m above mean sea level), India, a tropical urban station. Data collected on about 575 mostly clear-sky days during the 5 year period from May 1998 to May 2003 have been used in this study to examine diurnal and seasonal variations. The overall daily mean total ozone at this station is 254 Dobson units (DU), with a variability of about 7%, while the most frequently occurring value is in the range 241–250 DU. The diurnal (daytime) patterns are observed to be different in the winter (December–February), premonsoon (March–May), and postmonsoon (October–November) seasons

DETERMINATION OF 5H-BENZO[2,3][1,4]OXAZEPINO[5,6-B]INDOLES IN RAT PLASMA BY REVERSED-PHASE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC-ULTRAVIOLET METHOD: APPLICATION TO PHARMACOKINETIC STUDIES

Objective: Recently, we reported newly synthesized 5H-benzo[2,3][1,4]oxazepino[5,6-b]indole) derivatives and proved their cytotoxicity against hepatocellular carcinoma specific Hep-G2 cell lines. We attempted herein to describe a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of three most active compounds 6a, 10a, and 15a in rat plasma to predict their pharmacokinetics parameters before in vivo study.Methods: A rapid and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic was employed for the determination of 6a, 10a, and 15a in rat plasma. Each compound was separated by a gradient elution of acetonitrile and water with 1 mL/min flow rate. The detector was set at 270, 285, and 275 nm for 6a, 10a, and 15a and the recorded elution times were 2.00, 2.87, and 1.88 min, respectively.Results: The calibration curve was linear with R2 of 0.938, 0.875, and 0.923 over the concentration range of 0.1–50 μg/mL. The inter- and intra-day variations of the assay were lower than 12.26%; the average recovery of 6a, 10a, and 15a was 97.31, 92.56, and 95.23 % with relative standard deviation of 2.12%, 3.25%, and 2.28%, respectively. The Cmax and Tmax were ~ 46.34, 18.56, and 25.65 μg/mL and 2.0, 4.0, and 4.0 h for 6a, 10a, and 15a, respectively, which indicate a robust method of detection in the present experiment.Conclusion: The study suggests that all of the three compounds have a lower rate of absorption, higher volume of distribution, and lower clearance rate, indicating good therapeutic response for in vivo activity.Â

Results of sun photometer-derived precipitable water content over a tropical Indian station

A compact, hand-held multiband sun photometer (ozone monitor) has been used to measure total precipitable water content (PWC) at the low-latitude tropical station in Pune, India (18°32′N, 73°51′E). Data collected in the daytime (0730–1800 LT) during the period from May 1998 to September 2001 have been used here. The daytime average PWC value at this station is 1.13 cm, and the average for only the clear-sky days is 0.75 cm. PWC values between 0.75 and 1.0 cm have the maximum frequency of occurrence. There is a large day-to-day variability due to varied sky and meteorological conditions. Mainly two types of diurnal variations in PWC are observed. The one occurs in the premonsoon summer months of April and May and shows that forenoon values are smaller than afternoon values. The other type occurs in November and December and shows a minimum around noontime. There is a diurnal asymmetry in PWC in which, on the majority of the days, the mean afternoon value is greater than the forenoon value. This asymmetry is more pronounced in the summer and southwest monsoon months (i.e., March–June). Monthly mean PWC is highest in September and lowest in December. The increase in PWC from the winter (December–February) to summer (March–May) seasons is about 50% and from the summer to southwest monsoon seasons (June–September) is almost 98%. Sun photometer–derived PWC shows a fairly good relationship with surface relative humidity and radiosonde-derived PWC, with a correlation coefficient as high as 0.8

Uterine inversion during caesarean section: a case report

The present report aim to sensitise the obstetrician regarding risk of uterine inversion in a scarred uterus and the importance of immediate manual replacement. Represented case is of 40 years gravida five with previous one spontaneous abortion and previous history of three ectopic pregnancies with history of open left salpingectomy for ruptured left tubal ectopic pregnancy and history of laparoscopic right tubal clipping and uterine rupture repair for cornual pregnancy underwent an emergency caesarean section at 34 weeks. Since there were no signs of placental separation, controlled cord traction of placenta was attempted and uterine inversion was noticed. Manual replacement of uterus was done followed by manual removal of the adherent placenta. There was no postpartum haemorrhage. Inversion of uterus during caesarean section is a rare obstetric complication. If unrecognized it could lead to serious morbidity due to haemorrhage and shock. Prompt diagnosis and repositioning of the uterus are important measures in management

Thermoresponsive zwitterionic poly(phosphobetaine) microgels: Effect of macro-RAFT chain length and cross-linker molecular weight on their antifouling properties

Adsorption of proteins on biological surfaces is a detrimental phenomenon that reduces the work-life of the implants in various biomedical applications. Here, we synthesized a new class of thermoresponsive zwitterionic poly(phosphobetaine) (PMPC) microgel with excellent surface antifouling property by macro-RAFT mediated thiol-epoxy click reaction. End-group modified zwitterionic PMPC homopolymers with well-defined molecular weight and narrow dispersity were grafted onto poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PVG) copolymer backbone followed by addition of a cross-linker, leading to microgel formation. While no upper critical solution temperature (UCST) was found in poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-glycidyl methacrylate-g-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PVGP) graft copolymers, the corresponding microgels exhibited both UCST and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) transitions, related to the swelling and collapse of PMPC and poly (N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) components respectively. An increase in the molecular chain length of the PMPC increased the shifting of UCST and LCST of the microgels to higher temperatures, due to the ability of zwitterionic groups to coordinate a large number of water molecules. The effect of the variation in the molecular weights of amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol) diamine (PEG-NH2) cross-linker was also reflected in both temperature and salt responsiveness of the microgels. The efficacy of the microgels as potential antifouling materials was further studied by fluorescence microscopy and XPS analysis on microgel coatings treated with FITC-BSA solution and pure BSA solution respectively. Lower protein adsorption was observed for microgels grafted with higher molecular chain length of PMPC, whereas, the microgels synthesized using higher molecular weight PEG-NH2 diamine cross-linker displayed greater protein adsorption on their surfaces