Estimation of maternal serum albumin at term to determine its correlation with birth weight of babies

Background: Serum albumin is a vital laboratory indicator of nutrition status. Fetal weight depends upon the nutritional status of mothers. Indeed, the serum albumin status at term may help to assume the fetal weight. We do have not enough research-based data regarding this issue. The aim of this study was to estimate maternal serum albumin at term and to observe its correlation with the birth weight of babies. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was done at department of gynaecology and obstetrics, Sir Salimullah medical college and Mitford hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2019 to June 2020. A total of 96 mother-baby pairs were selected using purposive sampling method. Women with single full-term pregnancy based on fundal height on Naegele’s rule irrespective of any mode of delivery was included in this study. Mothers with normal albumin levels (3.6-5.2 gm/dl) were defined as group A and mothers with low albumin levels (<3.6 gm/dl) in group B. Statistical analyses of the results were obtained by using window-based computer software devised with SPSS-22. Results: In analyzing the maternal serum albumin level, we observed that majority of the participants were with normal albumin levels which were 81% and the rest 19% of patients were low albumin levels. In this study, it was observed that more than half (56.4%) of babies were male in group A and 9 (50.0%) in group B. The majority (94.9%) of babies’ birth weights were ≥2.5 kg in group A and 4 (22.0%) in group B. The difference of birth weight was statistically significant (p<0.05) between the two groups. Maternal serum albumin was significantly associated with birth weight of babies in multivariate analysis. But negatively correlated with newborn birth weight which is statistically significant.    Conclusions: Maternal albumin was observed to be directly proportional to the birth weight of babies

CHILDREN ON ANTI EPILEPTIC DRUGS HAVE LOW SERUM CALCIUM AND RAISED ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE LEVELS

Objective: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in children requiring long-term therapy using anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Chronic use of AEDs may impair bone health. This study aimed to determine the biochemical changes affecting bone metabolism in pediatric epileptic patients taking AEDs.  Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from January 2019 to July 2019. A total of 95 children were enrolled based on non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Bone metabolism was evaluated by measuring serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase levels in all the study participants. Data was entered on SPSS v 22 and descriptive statistics were applied.  Results: Of 95 epileptic children, 50.53% (n=48) were male and 49.47% (n=47) were females taking AEDs (either carbamazepine, valproate sodium or phenobarbital), 47.37% (n=45) were between 2-6 years of age while 52.63% (n=50) were between 7-11 years of age (Mean age: 6.53±2.54 years). Mean calcium and alkaline phosphatase levels of patients were calculated as 7.94±2.3 mg/dl and 226.31±17.45 IU/L respectively. Frequency of hypocalcemia in patients taking AEDs was recorded in 67.37% (n=64) and 81.05% (n=77) had raised alkaline phosphatase levels.  Conclusion: This study concludes that frequency of hypocalcemia and raised alkaline phosphatase levels in patients taking AEDs is higher and needs attention to address this issue while the magnitude recorded in this study is primary in local population which needs to be re-assessed through multi-center trials. 

A cytogenic monitoring approach of hospital workers occuptionally exposed to ionizing radiations using micronucleus assay

Background: The objective of this study was to determine chromosomal damage in occupational workers of the radiation department from three different hospitals, Faisalabad, Pakistan exposed for a long term to ionizing radiations using micronucles (MN) assay. A comparison between exposed and non-exposed subjects (controlled) of same age exhibited a significant an increase in the number of micronuclei in occupational workers. MN frequency increases with an increase in age and duration of exposure in both sexes but higher in females.Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the District Head Quarter Hospital (DHQ), Punjab Institute of Nuclear Medicine (PINUM) and Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, Pakistan. The total 145 subjects were selected from these hospitals. The subjects were divided into two groups. The control group (N= 40) (20 males and 20 females) of healthy subjects (no exposure) and the second group of subjects (N=105) (68 males and 37 females) subjects of occupational workers who were indirectly exposed to radiation. Blood samples (2ml) were collected in sodium heparinised vaccutainer tubes through venipuncture from both the groups. Disposable syringes were used for this purpose. For the evaluation of MN yield, slides were prepared by following the method of Jorge et al. (2004).Results: A significant difference in micro nuclear induction was observed between the occupational subjects and the control subjects and as well as in females and in males (P < 0.01). Females are more vulnerable to ionizing radiation than males. In females, MN yield was two times higher than males. MN frequency was increased with an increase in age and duration of exposure in both sexes, but higher in females and may be due to an increase in chromosomal loss in hospital workers. There is an individual response to the physical noxa, depending on sex, age and exposure. Smoking and drinking habits do not have a significant effect in increasing the number of MN in occupationally exposed workers.Conclusion: It was concluded that females are more vulnerable to ionizing radiations than males. MN test can be used as a biomarker with a predictive value for the estimation in occupationally exposed subjects.Key Words: Radiations; Hospital workers; Sex; Micronucleus assay; Chromosomal damag

A CYTOGENIC MONITORING APPROACH OF HOSPITAL WORKERS OCCUPTIONALLY EXPOSED TO IONIZING RADIATIONS USING MICRONUCLEUS ASSAY

Background: The objective of this study was to determine chromosomal damage in occupational workers of the radiation department from three different hospitals, Faisalabad, Pakistan exposed for a long term to ionizing radiations using micronucles (MN) assay. A comparison between exposed and non-exposed subjects (controlled) of same age exhibited a significant an increase in the number of micronuclei in occupational workers. MN frequency increases with an increase in age and duration of exposure in both sexes but higher in females. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the District Head Quarter Hospital (DHQ), Punjab Institute of Nuclear Medicine (PINUM) and Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, Pakistan. The total 145 subjects were selected from these hospitals. The subjects were divided into two groups. The control group (N= 40) (20 males and 20 females) of healthy subjects (no exposure) and the second group of subjects (N=105) (68 males and 37 females) subjects of occupational workers who were indirectly exposed to radiation. Blood samples (2ml) were collected in sodium heparinised vaccutainer tubes through venipuncture from both the groups. Disposable syringes were used for this purpose. For the evaluation of MN yield, slides were prepared by following the method of Jorge et al. (2004). Results: A significant difference in micro nuclear induction was observed between the occupational subjects and the control subjects and as well as in females and in males (P < 0.01). Females are more vulnerable to ionizing radiation than males. In females, MN yield was two times higher than males. MN frequency was increased with an increase in age and duration of exposure in both sexes, but higher in females and may be due to an increase in chromosomal loss in hospital workers. There is an individual response to the physical noxa, depending on sex, age and exposure. Smoking and drinking habits do not have a significant effect in increasing the number of MN in occupationally exposed workers. Conclusion: It was concluded that females are more vulnerable to ionizing radiations than males. MN test can be used as a biomarker with a predictive value for the estimation in occupationally exposed subjects

Telomere length is associated with growth in children in rural Bangladesh

Background: Previously, we demonstrated that a water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional intervention improved linear growth and was unexpectedly associated with shortened childhood telomere length (TL) (Lin et al., 2017). Here, we assessed the association between TL and growth. Methods: We measured relative TL in whole blood from 713 children. We reported differences between the 10th percentile and 90th percentile of TL or change in TL distribution using generalized additive models, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: In cross-sectional analyses, long TL was associated with a higher length-for-age Z score at age 1 year (0.23 SD adjusted difference in length-for-age Z score (95% CI 0.05, 0.42; FDR-corrected p-value = 0.01)). TL was not associated with other outcomes. Conclusions: Consistent with the metabolic telomere attrition hypothesis, our previous trial findings support an adaptive role for telomere attrition, whereby active TL regulation is employed as a strategy to address ‘emergency states’ with increased energy requirements such as rapid growth during the first year of life. Although short periods of active telomere attrition may be essential to promote growth, this study suggests that a longer overall initial TL setting in the first two years of life could signal increased resilience against future telomere erosion events and healthy growth trajectories

Synergism of uncoupler dicoumarin and nonmetallic mineral tourmaline for the sewage sludge treatment process: Reducing sludge generation

Environmental concerns linked to the recycling of sewage sludge on land involve the hazard of nutrient leaching, impacts on soil biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions. Sludge reduction in a wastewater treatment plant has recently received considerable attention worldwide. Large amounts of excess sludge needs to be disposed of in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. In this study, dicoumarin was used as a metabolic uncoupler, its effect on the sludge reduction, effluent quality and sludge performance at the low concentration range (≤10 ​mg/L) and at high concentration (40 ​mg/L) in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system was investigated. It showed that Yobs was decreased with high dicoumarin concentration. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency are also decreased while the sludge activity was enhanced. Tourmaline, a low cost natural nonmetallic mineral with unique physical properties and a promising environmental material could improve the negative effects caused by high concentration of dicoumarin without increasing the sludge yield in the SBR system. Synergistic effect of tourmaline with high concentration dicoumarin showed COD and TN removal efficiency increase. Yobs value was 0.13. The decrease in nitrite accumulation and increase in microbial activity may correlate to the existence of electrostatic fields and far infrared rays generated by tourmaline. Tourmaline also improved the sludge settling performance due to its adsorption characteristics. Effect of optimum environmental conditions; pH (6.5 ​± ​0.3, 7.5 ​± ​0.3, and 8.5 ​± ​0.3), temperature (15 ​°C, 25 ​°C, and 35 ​°C) and other factors on the synergistic action of dicoumarin and tourmaline was also studied. It is recommended to use dicoumarin as the main component and tourmaline as the auxiliary component. The synergistic effect of the two can solve the negative impact caused by the uncoupling agent administration alone

Remediation of nitrate-contaminated groundwater by a combined treatment method of novel Mass Bio System and solid organic carbon sources: In-depth study

In recent years, one of the most pervasive groundwater (GW) contaminants worldwide is nitrate. Traditional technologies for the remediation of nitrate-contaminated GW are usually expensive, lengthy, and often only partly effective. Of the emerging technologies for nitrate remediation, biological denitrification technologies are more economical, timely, and more efficient means of reducing nitrate contamination to standard levels. The present study investigates the roles of combined treatment method of novel Mass Bio System (MBS), an advanced nontoxic immobilized biologically activated water purification product and solid organic carbon sources (SOCS) for the removal of nitrate from GW to meet the drinking water standards. Natural organic rice straws and commercially available paper plates rich in cellulose were used as SOCS. Effects of various parameters such as nitrate nitrogen concentration, hydraulic retention time, pH and temperature on denitrification process were studied. In the present study, four batch tests are conducted to evaluate two common solid organic carbons and their combination with MBS for nitrate removal from GW. Overall, the reactor with MBS particles and SOCS exhibited clear advantages over reactor inoculated with activated sludge and SOCS with respect to better denitrification, stable operation, strong environmental adaptability and complete nitrate removal. At last, the concentrations of nitrate and nitrite were lowest in the combined system. Kinetic analysis by Monod model showed good agreement with the experimental results. MBS particles are responsible for the main denitrification and the reaction kinetic model conforms to Monod equation of double substrate. Static carbon release test and degradation mechanism of solid carbon sources were carried out. It showed the slow-release carbon source by their own hydrolysis and contain easily soluble organic matter that can be quickly dissolved into water, which substantiated the analysis of the results further. All the results demonstrate that this combined method is a potentially nontoxic, cleaner and sustainable technology for remediation of nitrate-contaminated GW

Effects of fulvic acid on the denitrification performance of completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) process for the treatment of landfill leachate

Ammonia reduction treatment in landfill leachate is primarily necessary to prevent toxic impacts for environmental concerns on aquatic life in surface waters. Fulvic acid (FA) is one of the refractory organic humus in landfill leachate. In this present study, the potential effects of FA on completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) systems were studied. This study focuses on the CANON reaction startup in a short time. Effects of FA on denitrification performance, sludge properties and microbial community of CANON process. The CANON process was started in a short period of time. Ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 98% and 80%, respectively. In the CANON process, part of the nitrification and anaerobic ammonia oxidation reaction proceed simultaneously and reach the maximum rate in the aerobic aeration stage at the initial stage of the reaction. After reaching the stable operation stage, FA was added 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L, 150 mg/L and 200 mg/L, respectively. As the FA concentration reached 200 mg/L, FA addition was stopped and the recovery was observed for a period of time. Nitrogen removal performance, sludge properties and microbial communities of the CANON process, was becoming more and more obvious with the stepwise increase in Humic acid (HA) and FA concentration. With the FA concentration increased from 50 mg/L to 200 mg/L, NH4+-N and TN removal efficiency decreased from 98.00% to 80.00%–71.32% and 48.18%, respectively. Sludge concentration decreased from 3.291 g/L to 2.245 g/L. Abundance of both ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) decreased gradually, while nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) increased. After the addition of FA was stopped, the denitrification performance and granular sludge activity of CANON process were evaluated. This study can be used for application of CANON process for the treatment of landfill leachate

Religio-Cultural Homogeneity and National Interest in Solidarity

Judaism, Christianity and Islam all the three religion are the followers of the divine books (Tura, Old Testament) Bible and Holy Quran the origin of these three religions is the divinity and the sovereignty of Allah and that he sends his Apostles time and again to establish stronger norms and principles of civilization, good citizenship and humanity at large. Tura by Musa is the most ancient divine book and is very much a part of Holy Bible similarly both the Tora and Bible provide foundation to Quran and that Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has been cited in Bible and Tura repeatedly. All the three religions have similarities and assimilation in culture and religion. The mechanism of life, birth childhood rights of children and women the youth and the old are interconnected on many principles however there are some differences as well and it is more due to the time gaps the geographical factors the economy the language, food and dress historical traditions the events of war and peace and also largely the interest of the ruling class and the clergy. This paper deals with the Religio Cultural Homogeneity and National Interest in Solidarity

Network coding:An optimized solution for cognitive radio networks

Network coding (NC) is a technique of transmitting data in an encoded and a decoded form. It is applied on the nodes of a network. It increases the throughput by sending more information in less packet transmission and stabilizes the network. In cognitive radio network (CRN), one of the main advantages of NC is that the transmission time of secondary users (SUs) is reduced [1]. NC is an emerging technique used in many types of networks. It makes the network robust to the packet loss using transmission control protocol. In order to amplify the throughput and robustness in CRNs, NC is a preeminent selection.</p