A readily accessible porous organic polymer facilitates high-yielding Knoevenagel condensation at room temperature both in water and under solvent-free mechanochemical conditions

A novel nitrogen-rich amorphous porous organic polymer has been synthesized using a microwave-assisted process. Its high chemical stability, reusability and poor solubility enable the use of the porous polymer as a metal-free heterogeneous catalyst for C–C bond formation at ambient temperature under environmentally benign conditions

Antibiotics Threaten Wildlife: Circulating Quinolone Residues and Disease in Avian Scavengers

Antibiotic residues that may be present in carcasses of medicated livestock could pass to and greatly reduce scavenger wildlife populations. We surveyed residues of the quinolones enrofloxacin and its metabolite ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics (amoxicillin and oxytetracycline) in nestling griffon Gyps fulvus, cinereous Aegypius monachus and Egyptian Neophron percnopterus vultures in central Spain. We found high concentrations of antibiotics in the plasma of many nestling cinereous (57%) and Egyptian (40%) vultures. Enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were also found in liver samples of all dead cinereous vultures. This is the first report of antibiotic residues in wildlife. We also provide evidence of a direct association between antibiotic residues, primarily quinolones, and severe disease due to bacterial and fungal pathogens. Our results indicate that, by damaging the liver and kidney and through the acquisition and proliferation of pathogens associated with the depletion of lymphoid organs, continuous exposure to antibiotics could increase mortality rates, at least in cinereous vultures. If antibiotics ingested with livestock carrion are clearly implicated in the decline of the vultures in central Spain then it should be considered a primary concern for conservation of their populations

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-GB">Influence of root-knot nematode infestation on antioxidant enzymes, chlorophyll content and growth in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Pogostemon cablin</i> (Blanco) Benth.</span>

254-261<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Plants adapt themselves to overcome adverse environmental conditions, and this involves a plethora of concurrent cellular activities. Physiological experiments or metabolic profiling can quantify this response. Among several diseases of Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Patchouli), root-knot nematode infection caused by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood causes severe damage to the plant and hence, the oil production. In the present study, we identified M. incognita morphologically and at molecular level using sequenced characterized amplified region marker (SCAR). M. incognita was artificially inoculated at different levels of second stage juveniles (J2) to examine the effect on Patchouli plant growth parameters. Peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity and changes in the total phenol and chlorophyll contents in M. incognita was also evaluated in response to infection. The results have demonstrated that nematode infestation leads to increased peroxidase activities in the leaves of the patchouli plants and thereby, increase in phenolic content as a means of defence against nematode infestation. Chlorophyll content was also found decreased but no changes in polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity.</span

Not Available

Not AvailableTho-Tho cattle is a semi-wild indigenous cattle available in Nagaland, India. Tho-Tho cattle has been associated with tribal culture of 16 tribes of Nagaland besides its use for meat, milk and draught purposes. A cytogenetic analysis was conducted in a total of 10 numbers of Tho-Tho cattle (5 males and 5 females) from 3 districts of Nagaland hills situated at mean sea level (msl) ranging from 1000 to 10000 ft (4 nos. from one district and 3 nos. each from other 2 districts). The statistical design included 5 males and 5 females Tho-Tho cattle for gathering data on cytogenetic parameters viz. (i) karyotype, (ii) relative length, centromeric index and arm ratio of chromosome and (iii) construction of ideograms. Statistical tools used for analysis of variation of relative length of each autosome, centromeric index; arm ratio of the ‘X’ chromosome between male and female are done by using the Student’s t-test. Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT) was used to isolate means if the effect was found significant. The study revealed that- (i). Tho-Tho cattle has 29 pairs of autosomes, (ii) out of 29 pairs, 23 pairs of autosomes did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between male and female Tho-Tho cattle in terms of relative length., (iii) autosomes are acrocentric, (iv) relative length of 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th autosomes are significantly (P < 0.05) higher in male; however, 19th autosome of female is significantly (P < 0.05) higher than male, (v) X-chromosome in both the sexes is clearly distinguishable and is submetacentric, (vi) Y-chromosome (to the total haploid genome) of male Tho-Tho cattle is 1.77 ± 0.10% and it is acrocentric (vii) centromeric index of “X” chromosome in male is 33.75% and in female 32.76% and (viii) Arm ratio of “X” chromosome is found to be 0.66 in male and 0.67 in female.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableTho-Tho cattle is a semi-wild indigenous cattle available in Nagaland, India. Tho-Tho cattle has been associated with tribal culture of 16 tribes of Nagaland besides its use for meat, milk and draught purposes. A cytogenetic analysis was conducted in a total of 10 numbers of Tho-Tho cattle (5 males and 5 females) from 3 districts of Nagaland hills situated at mean sea level (msl) ranging from 1000 to 10000 ft (4 nos. from one district and 3 nos. each from other 2 districts). The statistical design included 5 males and 5 females Tho-Tho cattle for gathering data on cytogenetic parameters viz. (i) karyotype, (ii) relative length, centromeric index and arm ratio of chromosome and (iii) construction of ideograms. Statistical tools used for analysis of variation of relative length of each autosome, centromeric index; arm ratio of the ‘X’ chromosome between male and female are done by using the Student’s t-test. Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT) was used to isolate means if the effect was found significant. The study revealed that- (i) Tho-Tho cattle has 29 pairs of autosomes (ii) out of 29 pairs, 23 pairs of autosomes did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between male and female Tho-Tho cattle in terms of relative length (iii) autosomes are acrocentric, (iv) relative length of 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th autosomes are significantly (P < 0.05) higher in male; however, 19th autosome of female is significantly (P < 0.05) higher than male (v) X-chromosome in both the sexes is clearly distinguishable and is submetacentric (vi) Y-chromosome (to the total haploid genome) of male Tho-Tho cattle is 1.77 ± 0.10% and it is acrocentric (vii) centromeric index of “X” chromosome in male is 33.75% and in female 32.76% and (viii) Arm ratio of “X” chromosome is found to be 0.66 in male and 0.67 in female.Not Availabl