Comparative Limnology of Some FreshWater Springs of District Kulgam (Kashmir) with Special Reference to Macroinvertebrate Diversity

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Assessment of Geochemical Characteristics and Geomicrobiology of Cave Spring Water from Jaintia and East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, India

The present study was undertaken to know the concentration of various trace elements and the condition of water quality parameters in the cave water samples besides studying the role the microbes play in the precipitation of minerals in caves. The results revealed that the concentration of various trace elements such as copper, zinc, nickel and cadmium were low and below the water quality standard limits given by WHO (2006). While that of manganese it was exceptionally high, may be due to erosion of the manganese minerals deposits by the spring cave water. The results also revealed that phosphates are present in very low concentration while sulfates are present in high concentration which again may be due to erosion of secondary sulfate minerals. The co-relation matrices and one tailed analysis of variance of physic-chemical factors have been computed and analyzed. The positive correlation coefficient was observed between pH and alkalinity, hardness and conductivity, sulfates and turbidity. The one tailed ANOVA confirms that site spatial variations have less significant effect on concentration of trace elements. Microbial analysis showed that various types of microbes are present in cave sample which may play an important role in mineral precipitation

Chitosan nanoparticles: a versatile platform for biomedical applications

Chitosan is a biodegradable and biocompatible natural polymer that has been extensively explored in recent decades. The Food and Drug Administration has approved chitosan for wound treatment and nutritional use. Furthermore, chitosan has paved the way for advancements in different biomedical applications including as a nanocarrier and tissue-engineering scaffold. Its antibacterial, antioxidant, and haemostatic properties make it an excellent option for wound dressings. Because of its hydrophilic nature, chitosan is an ideal starting material for biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogels. To suit specific application demands, chitosan can be combined with fillers, such as hydroxyapatite, to modify the mechanical characteristics of pH-sensitive hydrogels. Furthermore, the cationic characteristics of chitosan have made it a popular choice for gene delivery and cancer therapy. Thus, the use of chitosan nanoparticles in developing novel drug delivery systems has received special attention. This review aims to provide an overview of chitosan-based nanoparticles, focusing on their versatile properties and different applications in biomedical sciences and engineering.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of quercetin on steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis in ovary of mice with experimentally-induced polycystic ovarian syndrome

IntroductionPolycystic Ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects the health of many women around the world. Apart from fundamental metabolic problems connected to PCOS, focus of our study is on the role of quercetin on genes relevant to steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis.MethodsEighteen mature parkes strain mice (4-5 weeks old) weighing 18–21 g were randomly divided into three groups of six each as follows: Group I serves as the control and was given water and a regular chow diet ad lib for 66 days; group II was given oral gavage administration of letrozole (LETZ) (6 mg/kg bw) for 21 days to induce PCOS and was left untreated for 45 days; For three weeks, Group III received oral gavage dose of LETZ (6 mg/kg), after which it received Quercetin (QUER) (125 mg/kg bw orally daily) for 45 days.ResultsIn our study we observed that mice with PCOS had irregular estrous cycle with increased LH/FSH ratio, decreased estrogen level and decline in expression of Kitl, Bmp1, Cyp11a1, Cyp19a1, Ar, lhr, Fshr and Esr1 in ovary. Moreover, we observed increase in the expression of CYP17a1, as well as increase in cholesterol, triglycerides, testosterone, vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF and insulin levels. All these changes were reversed after the administration of quercetin in PCOS mice.DiscussionQuercetin treatment reversed the molecular, functional and morphological abnormalities brought on due to letrozole in pathological and physiological setting, particularly the issues of reproduction connected to PCOS. Quercetin doesn’t act locally only but it acts systematically as it works on Pituitary (LH/FSH)- Ovary (gonad hormones) axis. the Side effects of Quercetin have to be targeted in future researches. Quercetin may act as a promising candidate for medical management of human PCOS

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

In-vitro binding assay study of 99mTc-flouroquinolones with E. coli, Salmonella and Ps. aeruginosa

A simple methodology was developed to evaluate binding efficiency of antibiotic members of fluoroquinolones, namely ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and enorfloxacin, complexed with 99mTc, against Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains. Radioactivity in the pellet, tips supernatant and micro-centrifugation tubes was counted separately for 5 s in a sodium iodide well-counter with dedicated nuclear medicine software. The overall percentage activity of the live and killed bacteria was found in the range of 5–46% with different types of labelled quinolones and bacteria. Activity of the labelled enorfloxacin and ciprofloxacin indicated acceptable results for both live and killed E. coli and Ps. aeruginosa. However, ofloxacin was found to be moderate for all the live bacterial stains. This developed methodology has achieved more than 95% labelling efficiency of 99mTc with derivatized quinolones and also the observed results indicated that these complexes may be used as an infection specific imaging agents

Pantoprazole infusion as adjuvant therapy to endoscopic treatment in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding: Prospective randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background and Aim: Following successful endoscopic therapy in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding, rebleeding occurs in 20% of patients. Rebleeding remains the most important determinant of poor prognosis. We investigated whether or not administration of pantoprazole infusion would improve the outcome in ulcer bleeding following successful endoscopic therapy. Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective trial, patients who had gastric or duodenal ulcers with active bleeding or non-bleeding visible vessel received combined endoscopy therapy with injection of epinephrine and heater probe application. Patients who achieved hemostasis were randomly assigned to receive pantoprazole (80 mg intravenous bolus followed by an infusion at a rate of 8 mg per hour) or placebo for 72 h. The primary end-point was the rate of rebleeding. Results: Rebleeding was lower in the pantoprazole group (8 of 102 patients, 7.8%) than in the placebo group (20 of 101 patients, 19.8%; P = 0.01). Patients in the pantoprazole group required significantly fewer transfusions (1 ± 2.5 vs 2 ± 3.3; P = 0.003) and days of hospitalization (5.6 ± 5.3 vs 7.7 ± 7.3; P = 0.0003). Rescue therapies were needed more frequently in the placebo group (7.8% vs 19.8%; P = 0.01). Three (2.9%) patients in the pantoprazole group and eight (7.9%) in the placebo group required surgery to control their bleeding ( P = 0.12). Two patients in the pantoprazole group and four in the placebo group died ( P = 0.45). Conclusion: In patients with bleeding peptic ulcers, the use of high dose pantoprazole infusion following successful endoscopic therapy is effective in reducing rebleeding, transfusion requirements and hospital stay