An Analysis Of Air Pollution And Human Health Effects

Hazardous chemicals escape to the environment by a number of natural and/or anthropogenic activities and may cause adverse effects onhuman health and the environment. Increased combustion of fossil fuels in the last century is responsible for the progressive change in the atmosphericcomposition. Air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds(VOCs), ozone (O3), heavy metals, and respirable particulate matter, differ in their chemical composition, reaction properties,emission, time of disintegration and ability to diffuse in long or short distances. Air pollution has both acute and chronic effects on humanhealth, affecting a number of differentsystemsandorgans.Itranges from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory and heartdisease, lungcancer,acuterespiratoryinfections in children and chronic bronchitis in adults, aggravating pre-existing heart and lung disease,or asthmatic attacks. In addition, short- and long- term exposures have also been linked with premature mortality and reduced life expectancy. This paper discussed about effects of air pollutants on human health

Feminism in Thamizhselvi's Ponnacharam Novel

Feminism, which is the right half of the world, is being suppressed, ruled, and enslaved for various circumstances and reasons. Feminism is the awakening from this slavery, liberated, thinking about their lives and with the intention of progressing in life. The feminist tendency was being talked about very seriously in the 1990s. Having initially fought against the most horrendous oppression, it now exists at many levels of society. At the beginning of the novel, an eight-year-old girl named Ponnacharam is introduced by the author through a goat-grazing scene. Her birth is viewed as an unwanted birth. Ponnacharam was the eighth child born to the Saatthaiya and Kurunthayi couple. Being born as the eighth, the mother does not dare repent and give it up and puts the child at the feet of the Naganar temple priest. Starting from the fact that he gives the child the name 'Ponnacharam' and sends it away, the life in the sheep pen becomes the life of this child. Ponnacharam transforms herself into a person who loves that life very much. She is shown to have taken to shepherding goats at the age of seven and has been doing it with some kind of commitment. She, who drives herds while tending goats, does not sit in one place while she is in trouble. The fact that she liked the work of herding the sheep with her father, grazing the goat with her mother, boiling rice and water in the hamlet, keeping the sheep in the stable, and cleaning the dung of the sheep would reveal Ponnacharam's professional interest. Thus, the nature of the feminist characters in Tamilselvi's novels can be understood

Effect of immunostimulant on enhancement of the immune response of kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus and its resistance against White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV)

An experiment of 45 days duration to test the efficacy of the Vibrio alginolyticus as an immunostimulant was conducted in Marsupenaeus japonicus against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection, considered as one of the serious pathogens of shrimps. The shrimps were fed with the experimental diets coated with different concentrations of bacteria of 17 ml / kg feed and 10 % of animal body wt. They were challenged with WSSV to assess the increase in survival rate and growth if any due to immune enhancement. Another group of shrimp was used for drawing the haemolymph to estimate the increase in the level of prophenoloxidase activity. Samplings for the above said analysis were carried out at 15 days interval for a period of 45 days. The highest prophenoloxidase activity (39.78 with sand substrate-T1) and the highest survival rate (66.66 % with sand substrate-T1) and highest growth rate (7.04 % in 17ml/kg- with sand substrate-T1) were recorded in experimental diet (17 ml / kg feed). Hence the 17 ml / kg feed of Vibrio alginolyticus formalin killed added to the diet could be an eco-friendly and economically viable immunostimulant for penaeid shrimps

Evidence for Mechanistic Alterations of Ca2+ Homeostasis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Altered cytosolic Ca2+ is implicated in the aetiology of many diseases including diabetes but there are few studies on the mechanism(s) of the altered Ca2+ regulation. Using human lymphocytes, we studied cytosolic calcium (Cai) and various Ca2+ transport mechanisms in subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and control subjects. Ca2+-specific fluorescent probes (Fura-2 and Fluo-3) were used to monitor the Ca2+ signals. Thapsigargin, a potent and specific inhibitor of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), was used to study Ca2+- store dependent Ca2+ fluxes. Significant (P < 0.05) elevation of basal Cai levels was observed in lymphocytes from diabetic subjects. Cai levels were positively correlated with fasting, plasma glucose and HbAlc. There was also a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in plasma membrane calcium (PMCA) ATPase activity in diabetic subjects compared to controls. Cells from Type 2 diabetics exhibited an increased Ca2+ influx (as measured both by Fluo-3 fliorescence and C45a assays) as a consequence of of thapsigargin-mediated Ca2+ store depletion. Upon addition of Mn2+ (a surrogate of Ca2+), the fura-2 fluorescence decayed in an exponential fashion and the rate and extent of this decline was steeper and greater in cells from type 2 diabetic patients. There was also a significant (P < 0.05) difference in the Na+/Ca2+ exchange activity in Type 2 diabetic patients, both under resting conditions and after challenging the cells with thapsigargin, when the internal store Ca2+ sequestration was circumvented. Pharmacological activation of protein kinase C (PKC) in cells from patients resulted in only partial inhibition of Ca2+ entry. We conclude that cellular Ca2+ accumulation in cells from Type 2 diabetes results from (a) reduction in PMCA ATPase activity, (b) modulation of Na+/Ca2+ exchange and (3) increased Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane

Effect in comparison between intrathecal dexmedetomidine and intrathecal fentanyl added to bupivacaine in lower limb orthopaedic surgeries

Introduction: Various adjuvants have been used with local anaesthetics in spinal anaesthesia to avoid intraoperative visceral and somatic pain and to provide prolonged postoperative analgesia. Dexmedetomidine, the new highly selective α2-agonist drug, is now being used as a neuraxial adjuvant. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the onset and duration of sensory and motor block as well as postoperative analgesia and adverse effects of dexmedetomidine or fentanyl given intrathecally with hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine for spinal anaesthesia in lower limb orthopaedic surgeries. This study was conducted in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan. Methodology: Sixty four patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status I and II scheduled for lower limb orthopaedic surgeries were prospectively studied. Patients were randomly allocated to receive intrathecally either 2.5 mls hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine plus 5 μg dexmetedomidine (n=32) or 2.5 mls hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine plus 25 mg fentanyl (n = 32), the onset time to reach peak sensory and motor level, the regression time for sensory and motor block, haemodynamic changes, postoperative time to rescue analgesia with total dosage of voltaren in first 24 hours and side effects were recorded by an anaesthetist colleague blinded to the groups. Results: Patients in the dexmedetomidine group had a significantly longer sensory and motor block time than patients in fentanyl group. The mean time of sensory regression to S1 was 323.75±20.28 min in dexmedetomidine group and 256.56±33.76 min in fentanyl group (P<0.001). The mean regression time of motor block to reach modified Bromage 0 was 271.56±24.64 min in dexmedetomidine group and 202.81±44.09 min in fentanyl group (P<0.001). Postoperative analgesic requirements were less and time to rescue analgesia were prolonged in dexmedetomidine group compared to fentanyl. Mean time to rescue analgesia was 8.84±0.57 minute in dexmedetomidine group compared to 7.53±0.57 minutes in fentanyl group (p<0.001). There were no significant difference in the adverse effect of both the drugs. Conclusions: Intrathecal dexmedetomidine is associated with prolonged motor and sensory block, haemodynamic stability, and reduced demand for rescue analgesics in 24 h as compared to fentanyl

Correlation of liver elastography with lipid profile, liver function test, and HbA1c in type II diabetes with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a range of liver disorders which ranges from simple accumulation of fat in the hepatocytes (steatosis) to macrovescicular steatosis, periportal and lobular inflammation (steatohepatitis). The current gold standard to diagnose liver diseases is biopsy, however this has two major problems: it is dependent on the sampling area, which may cause an evaluation error in the case of mild fatty liver, and it is an invasive technique which carries a morbidity rate of 1-5% and a mortality rate of 0.01-0.1%. Non-invasive imaging tools such as shear wave elastrography has been proven to be useful for screening and categorizing of chronic liver disease, however, further evaluation of this tool is needed in different population. Aim and Objective This study aimed to assess the associations among liver elastography, lipid profile, liver function test and HbA1c among type II diabetic patient in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, in which (i) the prevalence and incidence rate of NAFLD and liver fibrosis/cirrhosis among type II diabetic patient in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia was determined, respectively; (ii) the mean values of the blood lipid profile, liver functions test and HBA1c among patient with and without NAFLD were compared; and(iii) the associations between degree of liver elasticity; and blood lipid profil, liver function test and HBA1c were investigated. Method Patients were recruited from Diabetic Clinic, HUSM. Only patients who fulfilled the selection criteria and provided written consent were enrolled into this study. The Medical record of the patient was provided by the clinic. Liver elastrography was performed in Radiology Department, HUSM by Supersonic Imagine Using Shear Wave Elastography (Siemens Acuson Antares -Premium Edition, Camberley, UK), equipped with Aixplorer Multiwave. Data were recorded and analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Result The prevalence of NAFLD among participant with DM type II was 87%, while the incidence rate of liver fibrosis among the patients with NAFLD was 11.7% (8/68). The distribution of METAVIR score among T2DM patients were F0 (60/68), F1 (7/68), and F2 (1/68). The result revealed very poor correlation between SWE values and part of the study parameters, which includes HDL, LDL, TG, AST and HbA1c (P>0.05). However, there were two parameters showed significant weak association between SWE values; TC (r=0.283; P=0.019) and ALT (r=0.252; P=0.038). Conclusion This study had determined to the prevalence of NAFLD and incidence rate of liver fibrosis among T2DM patients admitted to HUSM. The prevalence of NAFLD was higher but the incidence rate of liver fibrosis was lower compared to previous study

catena-Poly[ammonium (cadmium-tri-μ-thio­cyanato-κ4 S:N;κ2 N:S)–1,4,10,13,16-hexa­oxa­cyclo­octa­decane (1/1)]

In the title compound, {(NH4)[Cd(NCS)3]·C12H24O6}n, the Cd2+ ion, the ammonium cation, one of the SCN− ligands and the macrocycle are located on mirror planes. The thiocyanate anions act as bridging ligands between the CdII ions, leading to a polymeric chain arrangement extending along [001] around a twofold screw axis. The ammonium ions are contained within the bowl of the macrocycle via extensive N—H⋯O hydrogen bonding

IN VITRO CYTOTOXICITY OF BIOSYNTHESIZED GOLD NANOPARTICLES FROM SHELLS OF PISTACIA VERA L

Objective: To synthesize the gold nanoparticles by a biological method using the extract obtained from the shells of Pistacia vera (P. vera) and to study its effective role in the anticancer activity.Methods: The synthesis of gold nanoparticles using the extract obtained from the shells of Pistacia vera was confirmed by the color change and substantiating the same using ultraviolet (UV) visible spectroscopy. The size and the shape of the particles were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by using the UV visible spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The anticancer activity of the gold nanoparticles on the cancer cell lines was studied on PA1 ovarian cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Nature of cell death was analyzed using the fluorescence microscopy.Results: The ruby red color confirmed the formation of gold nanoparticles and it was substantiated by the absorption peak at 543.2 nm in the UV visible spectroscopy. The gold nanoparticles synthesized from the Pistacia vera shell showed the spherical shape and were in the size of around 10-40 nm when analyzed with FESEM. The different functional groups were indicated in the FTIR spectra which were consisting of phenol, alcohol, alkenes and aromatics.Conclusion: The synthesis of the gold nanoparticle using the extract obtained from the shells of Pistacia vera has effective anticancer activity

Room Temperature Measurements of Higher Order Modes for the SPS Prototype RF Dipole Crabbing Cavity

LHC High Luminosity Upgrade will be developing two local crabbing systems to increase the luminosity of the colliding bunches at the ATLAS and CMS experiments. One of the crabbing systems uses the rf-dipole cavity design that will be crabbing the beam in the horizontal plane. The fully integrated crabbing cavity has two higher order mode couplers in damping those excited modes. Currently two sets of HOM couplers have been fabricated at Jefferson Lab for prototyping and testing with the LARP crabbing cavities. This paper presents the measurements of the higher order modes with the prototype HOM couplers carried out at room temperature

Room Temperature Measurements of Higher Order Modes for the SPS Prototype RF Dipole Crabbing Cavity

LHC High Luminosity Upgrade will be developing two local crabbing systems to increase the luminosity of the colliding bunches at the ATLAS and CMS experiments. One of the crabbing systems uses the rf-dipole cavity design that will be crabbing the beam in the horizontal plane. The fully integrated crabbing cavity has two higher order mode couplers in damping those excited modes. Currently two sets of HOM couplers have been fabricated at Jefferson Lab for prototyping and testing with the LARP crabbing cavities. This paper presents the measurements of the higher order modes with the prototype HOM couplers carried out at room temperature