Advances in adulteration and authenticity testing of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

Synthetic colorants such as metanil yellow, lead chromate, Acid orange 7, Sudan red; rhizomes of related Curcuma sp. besides spent turmeric, starch, chalk and yellow soapstone are the main adulterants in traded turmeric while synthetic curcumin is an adulterant of natural curcumin. Both branded products as well as the produce from the unorganized sector are found adulterated. The adulterants, added either to increase the bulk, improve the colour and appearance or enhance the profit margin, often result in corroding the biological efficacy of the commodity and eroding the public impression besides posing health risks to the consumers. Various physical, chemical and PCR based methods are available to detect the adulterants in traded turmeric. While chemical methods are suited to detect the synthetic adulterants and spent turmeric, DNA based methods are the best options for detecting the biological adulterants (except spent turmeric) in the commodity. Along with adopting a supply chain system and quality linked pricing in turmeric trade, commercial adulteration diagnostic kits, if they can be developed and deployed, will be a very convenient way to ensure the quality of the traded produce

AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A woman entrepreneur is one who owns and controls an enterprise having a share capital of not less than 51 per cent as partners / shareholders / directors of private limited company / members of co- operative society and offers at least 51 per cent employment to women. The major functions performed by a women entrepreneur are categorized as risk- bearing organization and innovation. Women entry into business is a recent phenomenon. It is traced out as an extension of their kitchen activities to three Ps, i.e., pickle, power (masala) and pepped manufacturing with growing awareness and spread of education over the years, women have started engrossing to modern activities like engineering, electronics and energy popularly known as 3Es. In certain businesses, women entrepreneurs are doing exceedingly well and excelling their male counterparts. At present women entrepreneurs account for about 10 per cent of total entrepreneurs in the Women entrepreneurs face two types of problems, one, general problems faced by all entrepreneurs and, second, problems specific to women. Male dominating society, family ties, lack of need achievement, education and risk- bearing abilities are the examples of problems specific to women entrepreneurs. Women in India are no longer an able and remain confined to within four walls of house. They are participating and performing well in all spheres of activities such as academic, politics, administration, space, and industry. Efforts are one at the Government and voluntary agencies levels to tap the hitherto unrecognized and unaccounted for strength of women to integrate them in the process of industrial development, more especially small- scale industry development in the country

CORRUPTION OF NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT (NREGA) IN INDIA

The Recent reports of lurking corruption in public works initiated under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) have led many observers to advocate the payment of wages through bank accounts, instead of cash payments. The main advantage of this approach is that it reduces the likelihood of any fudging of the muster rolls on the part of the implementing agencies (e.g. the gram panchayats), since the actual wage payments are beyond their reach it can be seen as an example of "the separation of payment agencies from implementing agencies", adopted by several states (in various forms) as a safeguard against payments of NREGA wages have already been introduced in a number of districts and are likely to be used more widely in the near future. Against this background, this paper presents a few observations on this arrangement, based on a field visit to Mayurbhanj district (Orissa). The investigation was carried out in October 2007, on the sidelines of a larger survey of NREGA in Orissa, A small team visited three blocks of Mayubhanj district (Joshipur, Betnoti and Suliapada). It covered four randomly selected gram panchayats (GPS) within each block and one worksite in each GP. One worksite in each block was selected for detailed muster-roll verification and a questionnaire was filled at each worksit

Stress Hyperglycemia - An independent risk factor for multivessel coronary artery disease in Post Myocardial Infarction Patients.

INTRODUCTION : Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is an established major cardio vascular risk factor associated with increased prevalence of coronary artery disease. Patients with diabetes mellitus have higher incidence of acute myocardial infarction and congestive cardiac failure. Poor glycemic control and insulin resistance are associated with significant endothelial cell dysfunction, procoagulability and diffuse multi vessel disease. Individuals with diabetes mellitus who have acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have higher mortality than those without diabetes. The significance of hyperglycemia observed after AMI has stimulated renewed interest. In recent years attention has been given to the evidence that the concomitant occurrence of hyperglycemia in patients admitted to intensive care units with an AMI enhance the risk of mortality and morbidity whether the patient has diabetes mellitus or not. Among patients with no prior history of diabetes, hyperglycemia may reflect previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus, preexisting carbohydrate intolerance, stress related carbohydrate intolerance, or a combination of these. Glycometabolic state at hospital admission is an important risk marker for long term mortality in patients with AMI whether or not they have diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia occurring at admission in patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction generally represents stress hyperglycemia. The amount by which a patient’s plasma glucose concentration increases during the early course of an AMI is determined by the levels of catecholamines and cortisol, which are in turn related to the infarct size, and degree of myocardial dysfunction. AIM OF THE STUDY : High admission plasma glucose levels after acute myocardial infarction are common and associated with an increased risk of death in subjects with and without known diabetes mellitus. Recent data indicates a high prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism with nondiabetic patients at the time of AMI. We investigated the predictive value of stress hyperglycemia after AMI, for the extent of coronary artery disease(CAD) in patients with or without diabetes, particularly in those without preexisting diabetes but with impaired glucose tolerance during acute myocardial infarction and reverting to normal values after one month of post MI period. Objectives: 1. To assess the incidence of stress hyperglycemia in patients with AMI in non-diabetic patients. 2. To compare the severity of coronary artery disease in patients, with stress hyperglycemia to those with normal glucose tolerance, and those known to have diabetes mellitus, in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION : The present study provides further evidence to support the previous finding that stress hyperglycemia is common in AMI in non diabetic patients. This study also suggests that the severe coronary artery disease is present not only in the diabetes groups but also in the stress hyperglycemia group. Our study demonstrates an additional aspect of how stress hyperglycemia contributes to poor outcome in MI patients with or without diabetes. Stress hyperglycemia is an early simple and inexpensive marker of severe coronary artery disease in patients with AMI. Hence an oral glucose tolerance test can easily be added to the standard risk evaluation procedures in patients with acute myocardial infarction and may be of value for enhanced secondary prevention

Failure of evaporator tubes initiated by lamellar tearing during the commissioning of a waste heat recovery boiler

Successive failures of several new evaporator tubes during commissioning and trial run of a waste heat recovery boiler has been analyzed. The evaporator tubes are cold bent into U-shape and subsequently TIG welded to a 24-mm thick wear plate on either sides of the tube immediately adjacent to the bend. The failed samples showed stepped longitudinal cracks along the rolling direction and parallel to the weld fusion boundary at the fireside surface of the inner bend of the tube,prominently at the center of the bend. It was found that the failure of the evaporator tubes at the tube bends was initiated by lamellar tearing because of inherent defects in the material (segregation leading to banded structure), improper processing of material (inclusions with high aspect ratios along the rolling direction) and accelerated by high transverse shrinkage stresses over the entire bend portion of the tube introduced by the weld. The pre-existing fine cracks in the welded evaporator tube initiated by lamellar tearing have subsequently opened up during service when the total strain in the region increased because of steam pressure resulting in catastrophic failure of the tubes. Contrary to expectation, many of the elongated inclusions were found to be iron oxide scales and only few were manganese sulfide stringers enveloped by iron oxide scales. The iron oxide inclusions were resolved from the manganese sulfide by scanning electron microscopy and EDS spot analysis of the inclusions

DNA barcoding to resolve phylogenetic relationship in Myristica spp.

Myristica is the largest and primitive genus of the taxonomically complex family Myristicaceae. DNA barcoding was used to study the evolutionary relationship between Myristica spp. and other genera of Myristicaceae. The barcoding loci namely, rbcL, matK, psbA-trnH, ITS and multilocus combinations were tested to assess their phylogenetic relationship. psbA-trnH locus revealed information regarding the relationship of species in Myristica genus. M. fragrans was found to be closely related to M. beddomei, M. amygdalina, M. andamanica1, whereas M. Fatua was found to be distinct from M. malabarica. Gymnocranthera and Knema species were found to share sister relation with other Myristica spp

Indirect and direct somatic embryogenesis from aerial stem explants of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.)

Protocols for direct and indirect somatic embryogenesis from aerial stem explants of ginger have been developed. Aerial stem explants of two ginger varieties were cultured on different concentrations of 2,4-D induced callus. An in vitro aerial stem produced hard, nodular and yellowish callus (Type I) and an in planta aerial stem gave rise to soft, sticky callus with pale white color (Type II). The proliferated Type II calli were subject to stress for 40–60 days without subculturing. The desiccated calli produced white friable calli which turned embryogenic and then produced somatic embryos in a medium containing 2 mg L–1 benzyl amino purine. The mature, club-shaped somatic embryos were germinated on a medium containing benzyl amino purine and a – naphthalene acetic acid in different concentrations. Type I callus of neither variety turned embryogenic but produced roots in all the cultures. Direct somatic embryogenesis was observed from the in planta aerial stem and leaf base explants with the use of thidiazuron alone or in combination with indole, 3-butyric acid. Histological studies revealed that the somatic embryos in ginger have a distinct single layered epidermis, scutellum, coleoptile, shoot apex and root apex

Low Iron Status: A Possible Risk Factor for First Febrile Seizure

INTRODUCTION: SEIZURES IN CHILDHOOD: A seizure or convulsion is a paroxysmal, time-limited change in motor activity and/or behavior that result from abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures are common in the pediatric age group and occur in approximately 10% of children. Most seizures in children are provoked by somatic disorders originating outside the brain, such as high fever, infection, syncope, head-trauma, hypoxia, toxins, or cardiac arrhythmias. Other events, such as breath-holding spells and gastro esophageal reflux, can cause events that simulate seizures. A few children also exhibit psychogenic seizures of psychiatric origin. Less than one third of seizures in children are caused by epilepsy, a condition in which seizures are triggered recurrently from within the brain. For epidemiological classification purposes, epilepsy is considered to be present when two or more unprovoked seizures occur at an interval greater than 24 hr apart. The cumulative lifetime incidence of epilepsy is 3% and more than half of cases begin in childhood. However, the annual prevalence of epilepsy is lower (0.5—0.8%) because many children outgrow epilepsy. Although the outlook for most children with symptomatic seizures or those associated with epilepsy is generally good, the seizures may signal a potentially serious underlying systemic or central nervous system (CNS) disorder that requires thorough investigation and management. For children with epilepsy, the prognosis is generally good, but 10—20% have persistent seizures refractory to drugs and those cases pose a diagnostic and management challenge. Seizures have been recognized since ancient times and although improvement has been made in management over this century compared to the previous 2000 years, there are still far too many children whose lives are crippled by poorly controlled seizures. AIM OF THE STUDY: To study the association between Iron deficiency and the first febrile seizure. DISCUSSION: 1. In our study to detect low iron status as a possible risk factor for first febrile seizures 50 cases and 50 age and sex matched controls are studied and analyzed . 2. In the present study we found that the peak incidence of febrile seizure occur during one to two years of age and the mean age is 23.26 months. This is comparable to previous studies. The peak age of onset being 14-18 months of age as per Nelson textbook of Pediatrics (22). Berg et al. in his study found that the peak incidence is between 18 and 24 months (12). Similarly Naveedur Rehman et al. reported the peak incidence at 22 Months (18). 3. The present study depicts that the incidence of febrile seizures is slightly higher in boys than in girls and the male: female ratio 2:1. This is similar to the study by Berg et al (12), while Naveedur Rehman et al. reported no gender difference in their study . 4. In our study family history of febrile seizures is seen only in 14% of cases. But Forfar textbook of pediatrics mentions that 50% will have a family history of convulsions and 80% of monozygotic twins are concordant for febrile convulsions. 5. The mean serum ferritin level in our study is 27.39ng/ml . It is similar to Daoud AS et al. study from Jordan that the mean ferritin level was 29.5ng/ml (17) whereas Rajwanti K Vaswani et al. in his study group from India found that the mean ferritin level was 31.9 ng/ml(24) Similarly Momen Ali Akbar et al. reported a mean ferritin level of 30.3 ng/ml (25). 6. Daoud AS et al. in his study found that a significant proportion of children with febrile seizures had only low serum ferritin level (17). The proportion of children with febrile seizures having low hemoglobin, Mean Corpuscular Volume and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin were not statistically significant. Similarly Momen Ali Akbar et al . also in his study found lower ferritin in a significant proportion of children with febrile seizures without any significant difference in complete blood count indices (25). Whereas our study demonstrates a statistically significant difference in the proportion of children with febrile seizures have not only low serum ferritin but also low hemoglobin, low Mean Corpuscular Volume and low Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin. This is similar to the findings reported by Naveedur Rehman et al. in his study at Karachi. SUMMARY: 1. The peak incidence of febrile seizures is between one and two years of age. The mean age being 23.26 months. 2. A male preponderance is observed in all age groups with male: female ratio of 2:1 3. Family history of febrile seizures is observed in 14% of cases. 4. The mean Serum Ferritin, Hemoglobin and Mean Corpuscular Volume are significantly lower in children with febrile seizures as compared to controls. 5. Significantly, a greater proportion of children with febrile seizures have low Serum Ferritin (<12ng/ml); low Hemoglobin (<11gm/dl) and low Mean Corpuscular Volume (<70fl) as compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Plasma ferritin level and blood indices are significantly lower in children with febrile seizures as compared to children without febrile seizures suggesting that iron deficient children are more prone to febrile seizures. A follow-up study of patients found to be iron deficient at the time of a first febrile seizure to determine the incidence of subsequent febrile seizures after treatment for iron deficiency would be of great interest