DESIGN OF HIGH PASS FILTER USING OTA

Volume 1 Issue 7 (September 2013

Role of probiotics in prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the common emergencies in preterm neonates which are associated with high morbidity and mortality despite recent advances in neonatal care. Probiotics may be one of the most effective therapies for the prevention of NEC. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of probiotics in reducing the incidence of NEC in preterm newborns. Methods: This was a prospective randomized control study conducted at tertiary care teaching hospital. A total of 140 preterm newborns of gestation ≤34 weeks of age were enroled in the final analysis. The recruited newborns were randomized into intervention group and control group by simple random sampling method. The intervention group was fed probiotics mixed with expressed breast milk, and the control group was fed with milk alone. Result: The incidence of NEC in probiotics group was significantly lower than in the control group (2.86% vs. 11.43%), (p=0.04). Although there were no significant differences in the initial presentation of NEC between the two groups, those in the study group who developed NEC had less severe disease, based on Bell’s staging criteria. There was no significant difference in terms of age in diagnosis of NEC and in age at which birth weight is gained between the two groups. However, there was a statistically significant difference in duration of hospital stay (15.62±2.84 vs. 23.54±3.43 days; p<0.001) and time to reach full feed (15.82±3.15 vs. 20.22±2.14; p<0.001). There was no significant difference in incidence of overall mortality (p=0.209; relative risk [RR] 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.029–2.18) and sepsis rate (p=0.673; RR 1.15, 95% CI: 0.593–2.243) between the two groups. Conclusion: Probiotics supplementation reduced the incidence and severity of NEC in the preterm neonates. This resulted in shorter duration of hospital stay and faster achievement of full oral feeds

Development and evaluation of calcium alginate beads prepared by sequential and simultaneous methods

The objective of this study was to develop a sustained release dosage form of Trimetazidine dihydrochloride (TMZ) using a natural polymeric carrier prepared in a completely aqueous environment. TMZ was entrapped in calcium alginate beads prepared with sodium alginate by the ionotropic gelation method using calcium chloride as a crosslinking agent. The drug was incorporated either into preformed calcium alginate gel beads (sequential method) or incorporated simultaneously during the gelation stage (simultaneous method). The beads were evaluated for particle size and surface morphology using optical microscopy and SEM, respectively. Beads produced by the sequential method had higher drug entrapment. Drug entrapment in the sequential method was higher with increased CaCl2 and polymer concentration but lower with increased drug concentration. In the simultaneous method, drug entrapment was higher when polymer and drug concentration were increased and also rose to a certain extent with increase in CaCl2 concentration, where further increase resulted in lower drug loading. FTIR studies revealed that there is no interaction between drug and CaCl2. XRD studies showed that the crystalline drug changed to an amorphous state after formulation. Release characteristics of the TMZ loaded calcium alginate beads were studied in enzyme-free simulated gastric and intestinal fluid.O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver forma de liberação controlada de dicloridrato de trimetazidina (TMZ) utilizando transportador plomérico natural em ambiente completamente aquoso. A TMZ foi presa em pérolas de alginato de cálcio preparadas com alginato de sódio pelo método de gelatinização ionotrópica, usando cloreto de cálcio como agente de formação de ligações cruzadas. O fármaco foi incorporado nas pérolas de gel de alginato de cálcio (método sequencial) ou incorporado, simultaneamente, durante o estágio de gelificação (método simultâneo). As pérolas foram avaliadas quanto ao tamanho das partículas e morfologia da superfície utilizando microscopia óptica de SEM, respectivamente. As pérolas produzidas pelo método sequencial apresentaram maior capacidade de inclusão. No método sequencial, a inclusão de fármaco foi maior com o aumento de CaCl2 e da concentração do plímero, mas menor com o aumento da concentração de fármaco. No método simultâneo, a inclusão de fármaco foi mais alta quando as concentrações de fármaco e plímero foram aumentadas e, também, atingiram certa extensão com aumento na concentração de CaCl2, cujo aumento posterior resultou em carga menor de fármaco. Estudos de FTIR revelaram que não há interação entre fármaco e CaCl2. Estudos de XRD mostraram que o fármaco mudou do estado cristalino para o amorfo após a formulação. As características de liberação de TMZ das pérolas carregadas com alginato de cálcio foram estudadas em fluidos simulados, gástrico e intestinal, livres de enzima

Effect of packaging materials and storage on quality attributes of freeze dried pineapple lassi powder for defence applications

The study evaluates the effect of two different packaging materials on storage stabililty of and instant fruit-dairy functional beverage mix.  Freeze dried Pineapple lassi (PL) powder was packaged in Aluminium Laminated Polyethylene (ALP) and Metallised Polyester (MP). Quality changes at elevated temperature conditions (38±1°C, 33 % relative humidity) were evaluated.  Shelf life was calculated to be 44 and 62 days in MP and ALP pouches, respectively. Moisture, water activity, Vitamin C, Lactococci, TBA, colour change and Browning Index were studied in both packaging materials. ALP was found to be better than MP as samples kept in ALP preserved most of the antioxidant properties. The kinetics of Vitamin C degradation was of first order (K=-0.017 , R2= 0.99). Moisture content increased and  lactococci  count decreased during storag

Change in Migration and Pasture Utilization by Brokpa Pastoral Nomads: A Sustainable Adaptation Strategy for Climate Sensitive Arunachal Pradesh!?

The north-eastern states of India specially Arunachal Pradesh, one of the bio-diversity hotspot, is expected to be greatly affected by climate change. Climate change will not only adversely impact the biodiversity of Arunachal Pradesh, but also affect the livelihood of local communities as they fully dependent on the natural resources. The Monpa is a primitive tribe inhabiting parts of West Kameng and Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The pastoral nomad of the Monpa tribe is popularly known as Brokpa. Transhumance system of livestock mainly yak (Poephagus grunniens L.) rearing is their main source of livelihood. In recent past, challenges of the Brokpa pastoral community transform into threat due to synergistic effect of impending climate change. But, this nomad has their own mechanism to cope up with adverse impact of climate change. Therefore, a systematic study was carried out to document and analyze these coping mechanisms

Bacteriological profile, antibiotic sensitivity pattern, and detection of extended‑spectrum β-lactamase in the isolates of urinary tract infection from children

Background: Appropriate use of antibiotic in children with urinary tract infection (UTI) is essential so as to curb the spread of drug-resistantorganisms. Objectives: To study the bacteriological profile and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in children with UTI and to determine theprevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producers of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species. Methods: This prospectivestudy was conducted from October 2010 to September 2011. The children between age group of 3 and 14 years who attended PediatricDepartment at a tertiary care hospital were included in the study. Single midstream urine specimen was collected from each patient withsuspected UTI. Result: Out of 184 urine samples with suspected UTI, 122 children had culture-proven UTI. Of 122 cases, 81 (66.39%)cases were seen in females. The most common organism isolated was E. coli (50%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (23.77%) andEnterococcus species (8.19%). E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Citrobacter freundii, and Proteus mirabilis responded better to nitrofurantoin (NIT)(76.8%). Ceftriaxone (79.12%), cefotaxime (74.8%), and cefixime (71.7%) showed higher sensitivity as compared to ceftazidime (63.4%)and cefoperazone (CPZ) (59.4%). Among aminoglycosides, amikacin (82.4%) had a better response as compared to gentamicin (64.6%). Outof 61 E. coli and 31 Klebsiella species, 35 (38.04%) were ESBL producers. The sensitivity of these organisms to imipenem was 100% with agood response to meropenem, CPZ-sulbactam, and piperacillin-tazobactam. Conclusion: E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were the most commonisolates and many of them were ESBL producers. NIT seemed to be a reasonable alternative to cephalosporins for the treatment of UTIs inchildren. Carbapenems were found to be effective in ESBLs and non-ESBL producing uropathogens and can be considered as reserve drugs

Optimal vitamin D spurs serotonin : 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D represses serotonin reuptake transport (SERT) and degradation (MAO-A) gene expression in cultured rat serotonergic neuronal cell lines

Background: Diminished brain levels of two neurohormones, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D; active vitamin D metabolite), are proposed to play a role in the atypical social behaviors associated with psychological conditions including autism spectrum disorders and depression. We reported previously that 1,25D induces expression of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2), the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway to 5-HT, in cultured rat serotonergic neuronal cells. However, other enzymes and transporters in the pathway of tryptophan metabolism had yet to be examined with respect to the actions of vitamin D. Herein, we probed the response of neuronal cells to 1,25D by quantifying mRNA expression of serotonin synthesis isozymes, TPH1 and TPH2, as well as expression of the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT), and the enzyme responsible for serotonin catabolism, monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A). We also assessed the direct production of serotonin in cell culture in response to 1,25D. Results: Employing quantitative real-time PCR, we demonstrate that TPH-1/-2 mRNAs are 28- to 33-fold induced by 10 nM 1,25D treatment of cultured rat serotonergic neuronal cells (RN46A-B14), and the enhancement of TPH2 mRNA by 1,25D is dependent on the degree of neuron-like character of the cells. In contrast, examination of SERT, the gene product of which is a target for the SSRI-class of antidepressants, and MAO-A, which encodes the predominant catabolic enzyme in the serotonin pathway, reveals that their mRNAs are 51–59% repressed by 10 nM 1,25D treatment of RN46AB14 cells. Finally, serotonin concentrations are significantly enhanced (2.9-fold) by 10 nM 1,25D in this system. Conclusions: These results are consistent with the concept that vitamin D maintains extracellular fluid serotonin concentrations in the brain, thereby offering an explanation for how vitamin D could influence the trajectory and development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Given the profile of gene regulation in cultured RN46A-B14 serotonergic neurons, we conclude that 1,25D acts not only to induce serotonin synthesis, but also functions at an indirect, molecular-genomic stage to mimic SSRIs and MAO inhibitors, likely elevating serotonin in the CNS. These data suggest that optimal vitamin D status may contribute to improving behavioral pathophysiologies resulting from dysregulation of serotonergic neurotransmission

Clumped isotope thermometry in earthworm carbonates

Earthworm-secreted calcium carbonate can store carbon derived from the soil-atmosphere interface on geological timescales [1]. The mechanism of calcification [2,3,4] is well understood based on multiple years of research conducted both under controlled and natural conditions. We analysed carbonate granules produced by the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris cultured in variable pH and temperature for δ18O to establish thermometry [2]. The governing equation proposed for the thermometry differed from the inorganic calcite precipitation relationship, capturing the signature of kinetic processes during carbonate growth. We have now analysed the granules for clumped isotope thermometry. This provides an opportunity to understand the role of kinetic processes in governing the relationship of clumped isotope in the carbonate system. The clumped isotopic composition of these carbonates yields the following relationship with varying temperature: The linear regression relationship obtained in this study has a similar slope as seen in case of inorganic calcite [5] and otolith carbonate [6]. However, the intercept of the governing equation varied significantly denoting carbonate growth rate. The study presented here provides the first experimental results of clumped isotope composition on carbonates precipitated under monitored disequilibrium conditions and thus, enables quantification of growth rate dependency on clumping. The intercept of the linear regression relationship differs from the line proposed for inorganic calcite precipitation and thus introduces a new parameter to quantify the kinetic process. In this study replicate experiments were performed on carbonate granules generated at controlled temperature and with a knowledge of water isotopic compositio

Climate change awareness among the livestock rearers of east coast of India

The phenomenon of global climate change is directly affecting the livestock production system world overall. Therefore, understanding the changing climatic scenario by the millions of resource poor livestock rearers across the east coast of India found to be imperative to get information for strategic planning to improve the livelihoods of rural people. But, systematic methodology to assess climatic change awareness among the livestock rearers is currently not available. Therefore, a psychometric scale entitled “Climate Change Awareness Scale” was developed and applied among the randomly selected 480 livestock rearers of eastern coastal region of India. Results reflected majority of the population exhibit their strong level of awareness towards changing climatic scenario in general and particularly towards broad spectrum of climate change like causes, features, effects and impacts. It was also found that 37.188% of livestock rearers of coastal region were having higher level of awareness followed by 31.973% and 30.839% were having lower and medium level of awareness. Comparisons of state of awareness with the factual climatic data validated farmers’ claim and established the authenticity of the psychometric tool. Hence, this study will provide a significant tool for researchers and policy makers to assess state of climate change awareness among the end users and to develop appropriate adaptation strategies to minimize the risk of livestock sector to climate change

Investigation of Structural, Magnetic and Optical Properties for Dysprosium Doped Zinc Nanoferrites by Sol-Gel Autocombution Techniques

Using the auto combustion sol-gel method, nanoferrite crystalline aligns of Dy3+ replaced Zn-Fe spinel ferrite with the chemical formula DyxZn1-xFe2-xO4 (x= 0.00, 0.05) were successfully synthesized. In this process, citric acid was utilized as energy (fuel) in a 3:1 ratio to metal nitrate. Using XRD and FT-IR, the crystal structure and phase of dysprosium zinc was examined. Using the XRD method, the crystal size, lattice constant, cation distribution, and porosity were ascertained. FT-IR spectroscopy is used to infer structural study and the redistribution of cations between octahederal (A) and tetrahederal (B) site of Zn material. According to morphological research, the temperature during sintering is what causes grain to form and grow. Utilizing the Hysteresis Loop Technique, saturation magnetism and magneton number are determined. In Zn-Fe ferrite, the saturation magnetization rises with increasing density x, utilizing the Sol-gel auto-combustion method at a comparatively low temperature. Using nitrate citrate, the nanocrystallite DyxZn1-xFe2-xO4 was created. The combustion process and chemical gelation are unique. Using citric acid as a catalyst, their metal nitrates nanoferrites underwent a successful chemical reaction and were obtained as a dried gel. FT-IR, UV-Visible, VSM and XRD were used to characterize the produced nanoferrite powders. Magnetization and hysteresis were measured using the VSM technique. The FT-IR verifies that the synthesized substance is ferrite. The size of the nanocrystalline ferrite material, DyxZn1-xFe2-xO4, was determined by X-ray using the Scherrer method to be between 16.86 to 12.72 nm average crystallite size. Magnetization and hysteresis were measured using the VSM technique