Stress and Nutritional Status of Individuals in Uttarakhand, Northern India: Differential Effect of Gender

Background: Uttarakhand, Northern India is facing challenges in the issues concerning public health. Hence, researches identifying the stressors and nutritional factors influencing health are encouraged. This study attempts to assess the stress levels and nutritional status. Gender differences are also measured in the same. Methods: Stress and nutritional status related information was gathered (Nov, 2012-June, 2013) from 118 individuals residing in Uttarakhand state. Stress level was assessed using Personal Stress Score Inventory. Anthropometric details and dietary intake (3 day food recall method) were collected. Nutrient intake were calculated and compared with recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for Indians. T-test and Chi-square (χ²) were performed to measure the gender difference in studied variables. Results: 66.6% of females and 85.4% of males reported moderate stress (31-79). Males were seen to be more stressed then females, though no significant difference was seen. A significant difference in BMI (Body mass Index) was seen between males (24.1 kg/m2) and females (21.5 kg/m2). The study sample was found to be deficient in iron and zinc when compared with RDA. Females suffering from various level of stress had significantly lower levels of energy, protein, zinc than males. Conclusion: Majority of subjects were suffering from moderate level of stress. The anthropometric status of subjects was good, though females showed significantly lower intake of nutrients compared to men. Poor intake of iron and zinc points towards a possibility of hidden hunger. Hence, psychological and nutritional counseling may be required

Assessment of traffic pollution by using mosses Entodon concinnus and Herpetineuron toccoae

Lead pollution resulting from vehicular traffic in Chandigarh,India was assessed by using two pleurocarpic, ectohydric mosses (Entodon concinnus and Herpetineuron toccoae) collected from pollution free area in Kasauli. Of the two mosses tested for lead accumulation, E. concinnus was found to be more efficient than H. toccoae (50.3ppm vs 34.4ppm)

An Ayurvedic approach in the management of Female Infertility - A Case Study

Infertility is a pathologic condition of both male and female, defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. In an Ayurvedic perspective, Susrutha Acharya described four important factors; Garbha Sambhava Samagri necessary for conception, Ritu, Khsetra, Ambu, and Beeja. Vata Dosha has a major role in infertility condition - Vandhyatva. In this particular patient aged 36 years who had complaint of inability to conceive despite ten years of unprotected sexual life. From detailed investigations abnormalities were detected in luteinizing hormone (LH), Estradiol (E2), Anti Mullarian Hormone (AMH) and multiple intra mural uterine fibroids were also found. For managing this patient, the treatment principles followed are Agnideepana (correcting the Agni-Digestive power), Mootavatanulomana (Correcting the deranged Vatha Dosha), Apanavatavaigunyahara, Kaphapithakara, Manovikara Samana, Garbhasthapana (support for conceiving). Ayurveda treatment was given for the lady for a duration of eight month and finally she got conceived

Surface Defect Mitigation of Additively Manufactured Parts Using Surfactant-Mediated Electroless Nickel Coatings

The emergence of defects during the early production phases of ferrous-alloy additively manufactured (AM) parts poses a serious threat to their versatility and adversely impacts their overall mechanical performance in industries ranging from aerospace engineering to medicine. Lack of fusion and gas entrapment during the manufacturing stages leads to increased surface roughness and porosities in the finished part. In this study, the efficacy of employing electroless nickel–boron (Ni-B) deposition to fill and level simulated AM defects was evaluated. The approach to levelling was inspired by the electrochemical deposition techniques used to fill vias in the electronics industry that (to some extent) resemble the size and shape of AM-type defects. This work investigated the use of surfactants to attenuate surface roughness in electroless nickel coatings, thereby achieving the preferential inhibition of the coating thickness on the surface and promoting the filling of the simulated defects. A cationic surfactant molecule, CTAB (cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide), and a nonpolar surfactant, PEG (polyethylene glycol), at different concentrations were tested using a Ni-B electrolyte for the levelling study. It was found that the use of electroless Ni-B to fill simulated defects on ferrous alloys was strongly influenced by the concentration and nature of the surfactant. The highest levelling percentages were obtained for the heavy-molecular-weight PEG-mediated coatings at 1.2 g/L. The results suggest that electroless Ni-B deposition could be a novel and facile approach to filling defects in ferrous-based AM parts

A study on the histopathological pattern of thyroid lesions in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Thyroid diseases are one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting the general population. They range from non-neoplastic to neoplastic lesions. The prevalence and pattern of these disorders depend on various factors including sex, age, ethnic and geographical patterns. The aim of the present study was to determine the pattern of thyroid lesions in thyroidectomy specimens received in the pathology department of MOSC Medical College Hospital, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.Methods: It was a 6 year retrospective study (January 2010 to December 2015) of all thyroidectomy specimens received in the Pathology department. All the biopsy reports were reviewed and different lesions were categorized according to age and gender distribution.Results: There were a total of 801 specimens, of which 716 were females and 85 were males. Maximum number of thyroid lesions were seen in the age group 41-50 yrs. Multinodular goiter was the most common non-neoplastic thyroid lesion (71.5%) followed by thyroiditis. There were 151 carcinomas (18.8%). Maximum numbers of carcinomas were seen in age group 31-40 (28.8%).The frequency of carcinomas among the total thyroid lesions was almost same for both males and females (18.82% and 18.85%). Papillary carcinoma was the most frequent malignancy, out of which half were of the micro papillary subtype.Conclusions: Multinodular goiter was found to be the most common thyroid lesion in this study. The percentage of malignant thyroid tumors was high compared to other studies done in Kerala. Papillary carcinoma was the most common malignant neoplasm. The micropapillary variant comprised 50% of the papillary carcinoma

Autonomous Vascular Networks Synchronize GABA Neuron Migration in the Embryonic Forebrain

GABA neurons, born in remote germinative zones in the ventral forebrain (telencephalon), migrate tangentially in two spatially distinct streams to adopt their specific positions in the developing cortex. The cell types and molecular cues that regulate this divided migratory route remains to be elucidated. Here we show that embryonic vascular networks are strategically positioned to fulfill the task of providing support as well as critical guidance cues that regulate the divided migratory routes of GABA neurons in the telencephalon. Interestingly, endothelial cells of the telencephalon are not homogeneous in their gene expression profiles. Endothelial cells of the periventricular vascular network have molecular identities distinct from those of the pial network. Our data suggest that periventricular endothelial cells have intrinsic programs that can significantly mold neuronal development and uncovers new insights into concepts and mechanisms of CNS angiogenesis from both developmental and disease perspectives

Menstrual hygiene management and waste disposal in low and middle income countries — a review of the literature

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) has gained some attention and several literature reviews have been published. However, both original papers and reviews tend to focus on absorbent access and use and not on the disposal of menstrual waste. This review aims to fill a gap in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector by bringing a focus specifically on menstrual hygiene safe disposal in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). We reviewed published literature since 2002 on menstrual hygiene with a focus on menstrual waste management and menstrual absorbent disposal in LMIC. Database searches were conducted of both peer reviewed literature and grey literature, in addition to hand searching of references of relevant earlier literature reviews. In total 152 articles and reports were identified and 75 met the inclusion criteria and was included in the final review. Existing polices on MHM was also reviewed with a focus on India and South Africa. The review showed that disposal of menstrual waste is often neglected MHM and sanitation value chains, leading to improper disposal and negative impacts on users, the sanitation systems and the environment. Findings call for further research to gain better understandings of MHM waste streams, disposal behaviors, absorbent materials and waste management technologies to deliver health, safety, mobility and dignity for women and girls

Epigenetic regulator MLL2 shows altered expression in cancer cell lines and tumors from human breast and colon

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MLL2, an epigenetic regulator in mammalian cells, mediates histone 3 lysine 4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) through the formation of a multiprotein complex. MLL2 shares a high degree of structural similarity with MLL, which is frequently disrupted in leukemias via chromosomal translocations. However, this structural similarity is not accompanied by functional equivalence. In light of this difference, and previous reports on involvement of epigenetic regulators in malignancies, we investigated MLL2 expression in established cell lines from breast and colon tissues. We then investigated MLL2 in solid tumors of breast and colon by immunohistochemistry, and evaluated potential associations with established clinicopathologic variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We examined MLL2 at both transcript and protein levels in established cell lines from breast and colon cancers. Examination of these cell lines showed elevated levels of MLL2. Furthermore, we also identified incomplete proteolytic cleavage of MLL2 in the highly invasive tumor cell lines. To corroborate these results, we studied tumor tissues from patients by immunohistochemistry. Patient samples also revealed increased levels of MLL2 protein in invasive carcinomas of the breast and colon. In breast, cytoplasmic MLL2 was significantly increased in tumor tissues compared to adjacent benign epithelium (p < 0.05), and in colon, both nuclear and cytoplasmic immunostaining was significantly increased in tumor tissues compared to adjacent benign mucosa (p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study indicates that elevated levels of MLL2 in the breast and colon cells are associated with malignancy in these tissues, in contrast to MLL involvement in haematopoietic cancer. In addition, both abnormal cellular localization of MLL2 and incomplete proteolytic processing may be associated with tumor growth/progression in breast and colonic tissues. This involvement of MLL2 in malignancy may be another example of the role of epigenetic regulators in cancer.</p

Immunogenicity and safety of live attenuated hepatitis A Vaccine: a multicentric study

Objective: To evaluate immunogenicity and tolerability of single dose live attenuated injectable hepatitis A vaccine in four metropolitan cities of India. Methods: Live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine was administered to 505 children aged 18-60 months in four centers across India. Immunogenicity of the vaccine was assessed by estimation of anti-HAV antibody titer at 6 weeks and 6 months following administration of the vaccine. Safety evaluation of the vaccine was also done during the visits. Results: At 6 weeks, 480 subjects (95%) came for the follow-up and 411 (81.4%) subjects reported at the end of 6 months. The geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-HAV antibody of the subjects who did not have the seroprotective titer at the baseline were assessed at 6 weeks and 6 months which was 81.04 mIU/ml and 150.66 mIU/ml respectively. At 6 weeks, 95.1% seroconverted and at the end of 6 months, 97.9% had seroconverted. Both solicited and unsolicited vaccine-induced local and systemic adverse events were insignificant at all the centers, except swelling and induration in a few. Conclusion: Live attenuated injectable hepatitis A vaccine was immunogenic and tolerable with minimal reactogenecity, in this study of single dose schedule. Safety profile was also satisfactory in the study population