Placental damages from ultrasonic changes to histopathological findings in maturing placenta in pregnancy complicated with hypertension: an observational clinical study

Background: The development of mild hypertension or preeclampsia at or near term is associated with minimal maternal and neonatal morbidities. Obstetric ultrasound provides a cornerstone to other modalities used for assessing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Placental architecture is modified in PE and eclampsia. This study was designed to detect the placental changes in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and correlation with ultrasonic and histopathological changes.Methods: The study group comprised of 42 patients with pregnancy complicated with hypertension with period of gestation above 20 weeks and B.P. more than 140/90 mm of Hg measured on two occasions 6 hours or more apart. The control group consists of 42 normotensive patients matched with age and parity. One ultrasonic examination was performed between 28 weeks and 34 weeks and another after 34 weeks till term. Apart from routine parameters i.e. BPD, AC, FL, Amniotic fluid index, EBW and gestational age routine placental grading were performed according to the classification proposed by Grannum and associates. To evaluate perinatal outcome following measurement were studied birth weight immediately after delivery, mode of delivery, perinatal morbidity and mortality, APGAR score, presence of fetal distress.Results: In 97.62% cases (41 out of 42) of control group showed Grade–II changes as opposed to 57.14% of cases (24 out of 42) in study group before 34 weeks. All 21 cases in study group showing Grade ‘III’ changes before 34 weeks had infarction, calcification, increased syncytial knots, fibrinoid necrosis from 95.23 to 100% of these cases showed all these changes. Only 2 cases (9.52%) showed perivascular hemorrhage having Grade ‘III’ before 34 weeks.Conclusions: Accelerated maturation of placenta in pregnancy complicated with hypertension are more common in the hypertensive group. Increased histopathological degenerative changes e.g. calcification, fibrinoid necrosis etc., are more marked even before 34 weeks of gestation in hypertensive group

Mechanoluminescence properties of SrAl2O4: Tb3+ phosphor

Through the execution of experimental investigation, Mechanoluminescence of SrAl2O4:Tb3+ phosphor was studied which is synthesized by combustion method. In the observation, the peak value of ML depends on the different impact velocity. It was seen that at 55 cm height, the maximum peak of ML is obtained.&nbsp

Droplet size distribution in a swirl airstream using in-line holography technique

We investigate the morphology and size distribution of satellite droplets resulting from the interaction of a freely falling water droplet with a swirling airstream of different strengths by employing shadowgraphy and deep-learning-based digital in-line holography techniques. We found that the droplet exhibits vibrational, retracting bag and normal breakup phenomena for the no swirl, low and high swirl strengths for the same aerodynamic field. In the high-swirl scenario, the disintegrations of the nodes, rim and bag-film contribute to the number mean diameter, resulting in smaller satellite droplets. In contrast, in the low-swirl case, the breakup of the rim and nodes only contributes to the size distribution, resulting in larger droplets. The temporal variation of the Sauter mean diameter reveals that for a given aerodynamic force, a high swirl strength produces more surface area and surface energy than a low swirl strength. The theoretical prediction of the number-mean probability density of tiny satellite droplets under swirl conditions agrees with experimental data. However, for the low swirl, the predictions differ from the experimental results, particularly due to the presence of large satellite droplets. Our results reveal that the volume-weighted droplet size distribution exhibits two (bi-modal) and three (multi-model) peaks for low and high swirl strengths, respectively. The analytical model that takes into account various mechanisms, such as the nodes, rim and bag breakups, accurately predicts the shape and characteristic sizes of each mode for the case of high swirl strength

Culture-independent assessment of the indigenous microbial diversity of Raniganj coal bed methane block, Durgapur

It is widely acknowledged that conventional mining and extraction techniques have left many parts of the world with depleting coal reserves. A sustainable method for improving the recovery of natural gas from coalbeds involves enhancing the production of biogenic methane in coal mines. By taking a culture-independent approach, the diversity of the microbial community present in the formation water of an Indian reservoir was examined using 16S rRNA gene amplification in order to study the potential of microbial-enhanced coal bed methane (CBM) production from the deep thermogenic wells at a depth of 800–1200 m. Physicochemical characterization of formation water and coal samples was performed with the aim of understanding the in situ reservoir conditions that are most favorable for microbial CBM production. Microbial community analysis of formation water showed that bacteria were more abundant than archaea. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were found as the most prevalent phyla in all the samples. These phyla play a crucial role in providing substrate for the process of methanogenesis by performing fermentative, hydrolytic, and syntrophic functions. Considerable variation in the abundance of microbial genera was observed amongst the selected CBM wells, potentially due to variable local geochemical conditions within the reservoir. The results of our study provide insights into the impact of geochemical factors on microbial distribution within the reservoir. Further, the study demonstrates lab-scale enhancement in methane production through nutrient amendment. It also focuses on understanding the microbial diversity of the Raniganj coalbed methane block using amplicon sequencing and further recognizing the potential of biogenic methane enhancement through microbial stimulation. The findings of the study will help as a reference for better strategization and implementation of on-site microbial stimulation for enhanced biogenic methane production in the future

Measuring the availability of human resources for health and its relationship to universal health coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Human resources for health (HRH) include a range of occupations that aim to promote or improve human health. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO Health Workforce 2030 strategy have drawn attention to the importance of HRH for achieving policy priorities such as universal health coverage (UHC). Although previous research has found substantial global disparities in HRH, the absence of comparable cross-national estimates of existing workforces has hindered efforts to quantify workforce requirements to meet health system goals. We aimed to use comparable and standardised data sources to estimate HRH densities globally, and to examine the relationship between a subset of HRH cadres and UHC effective coverage performance. Methods: Through the International Labour Organization and Global Health Data Exchange databases, we identified 1404 country-years of data from labour force surveys and 69 country-years of census data, with detailed microdata on health-related employment. From the WHO National Health Workforce Accounts, we identified 2950 country-years of data. We mapped data from all occupational coding systems to the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 (ISCO-88), allowing for standardised estimation of densities for 16 categories of health workers across the full time series. Using data from 1990 to 2019 for 196 of 204 countries and territories, covering seven Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) super-regions and 21 regions, we applied spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) to model HRH densities from 1990 to 2019 for all countries and territories. We used stochastic frontier meta-regression to model the relationship between the UHC effective coverage index and densities for the four categories of health workers enumerated in SDG indicator 3.c.1 pertaining to HRH: physicians, nurses and midwives, dentistry personnel, and pharmaceutical personnel. We identified minimum workforce density thresholds required to meet a specified target of 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index, and quantified national shortages with respect to those minimum thresholds. Findings: We estimated that, in 2019, the world had 104·0 million (95% uncertainty interval 83·5–128·0) health workers, including 12·8 million (9·7–16·6) physicians, 29·8 million (23·3–37·7) nurses and midwives, 4·6 million (3·6–6·0) dentistry personnel, and 5·2 million (4·0–6·7) pharmaceutical personnel. We calculated a global physician density of 16·7 (12·6–21·6) per 10 000 population, and a nurse and midwife density of 38·6 (30·1–48·8) per 10 000 population. We found the GBD super-regions of sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and north Africa and the Middle East had the lowest HRH densities. To reach 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index, we estimated that, per 10 000 population, at least 20·7 physicians, 70·6 nurses and midwives, 8·2 dentistry personnel, and 9·4 pharmaceutical personnel would be needed. In total, the 2019 national health workforces fell short of these minimum thresholds by 6·4 million physicians, 30·6 million nurses and midwives, 3·3 million dentistry personnel, and 2·9 million pharmaceutical personnel. Interpretation: Considerable expansion of the world's health workforce is needed to achieve high levels of UHC effective coverage. The largest shortages are in low-income settings, highlighting the need for increased financing and coordination to train, employ, and retain human resources in the health sector. Actual HRH shortages might be larger than estimated because minimum thresholds for each cadre of health workers are benchmarked on health systems that most efficiently translate human resources into UHC attainment

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe