Evaluation of α,β-unsaturated ketones as antileishmanial agents

In this study, we assessed the antileishmanial activity of 126 α,β-unsaturated ketones. The compounds NC901, NC884, and NC2459 showed high leishmanicidal activity for both the extracellular (50% effective concentration [EC(50)], 456 nM, 1,122 nM, and 20 nM, respectively) and intracellular (EC(50), 1,870 nM, 937 nM, and 625 nM, respectively) forms of Leishmania major propagated in macrophages, with little or no toxicity to mammalian cells. Bioluminescent imaging of parasite replication showed that all three compounds reduced the parasite burden in the murine model, with no apparent toxicity

Reference standards of anthropometric measurements for adolescents 11-18 years of age of an urban set up

INTRODUCTION: Adolescence contributes >20% of total growth in stature and up to 40-50% of body weight as somatic growth. The spurt in somatic growth which is initiated by the sex hormones is accompanied by sexual development. There is marked variation in timing of these maturational changes. Little is known about the nutritional status of adolescents in both developed and developing countries. One reason for this gap in knowledge is the lack of an internationally agreed on method for assessing nutritional status during this period of life. As in other stages of the life cycle, in adolescence nutritional status is best assessed by using anthropometric measurements. However, the assessment of over nutrition and under nutrition during adolescence is complicated by important changes in body composition, in particular during the puberty – related growth spurt. As a result, much less is known about anthropometry in adolescents than in younger and older age groups. Rapid changes in Somatic growth, problems of dealing with variations in maturation and the difficulties involved in separating normal variations from those associated with health risks to adolescence. In 1993 World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee made provisional recommendations for the interpretation of anthropometric data during adolescence. The Committee recommended the use of the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference population to be consistent with the currently advocated international growth reference for children. These reference data were proposed for identifying individuals and populations at risk, assessing response to interventions and facilitating international comparisons. AIM OF THE STUDY: To construct reference percentile charts for height, weight and body mass index of school going adolescents aged 11-18 years in Chennai urban set-up and to find out age specific prevalence of stunting and obesity and comparing it with National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference data. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive Cross Sectional Study. PLACE OF STUDY: Corporation Schools and government aided schools in Chennai Corporation. STUDY PERIOD: March 2005-October 2006. STUDY POPULATION: Inclusion Criteria: Corporation School going adolescent boys and girls aged 11-18 years. Exclusion Criteria: Children with systemic illness and/or any significant illness in recent past. Students with major dysmorphology or signs of physical deformity. SAMPLE SIZE: The prevalence of obesity among girls in a previous study was 3.2%. Accusing a precision of 2% with 2 error of 5%, the sample size was calculated to be 300 in each age group of each gender. Using the previous study and in consultation with statistician, the sample size was calculated to be 300 in each age group of each gender. Total Sample Size : 5100. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE: Stratified random sampling. CONCLUSION: The 50th percentile for weight for age, height for age and BMI for age were comparatively lower for both adolescent boys and girls aged 11-18 years when compared to NCHS data. • The stunting prevalence of boys was found to be 5.4% comparable to national standards but in girls the stunting prevalence was marginally higher at 6.5%. • The obesity prevalence of boys was found to be 4.8% marginally higher than the national standard of 4.2%. In girls, the prevalence of obesity was found to be 9.23% higher than the national standards of 6.5%. • These changes reflects the changing secular trends at the regional level. • Keeping changing secular trends in mind, continuous efforts to collect data for growth parameters in both national and regional level should be done. • It is recommended to use the growth charts developed from this study for the Chennai population to monitor the nutritional status of adolescents and to identify children who are really malnourished

Association of Low Serum Sodium Levels with Urinary Tract Infections: A Case Series

Aim: To find out the Correlation of Serum Sodium levels in prognosis of Urinary tract infection (UTI).  Materials & methods: It is a case study of 6 cases of urinary tract infections. Serum Sodium and Urine Sodium levels were done once patient is diagnosed to have UTI. Patients were followed for the period of 1month after discharge and mortality rates were compared with Serum Sodium levels. Results: There is no significant association between decreased sodium and severity of UTI in advanced disease. Conclusion: Although hypernatremia does not report much significance, the choice of treatment for UTIs plays a significant role and it is influenced by whether the management alternatives are simple (i.e., easy) or complicated (i.e., difficult).&nbsp

Short- and long-term changes in auditory sensitivity and tinnitus distress between acute and chronic tinnitus: Longitudinal observation in a community-based sample

\ua9 2025Chronic tinnitus is a common consequence of hearing loss, which commonly coexists with a degree of increased subjective sensitivity to sound intensity, and sometimes overt hyperacusis. Central gain is thought to be an underlying mechanism for hyperacusis, whilst its relationship with tinnitus is debated. The natural history of chronic tinnitus from its acute stages has been subject to very limited formal study, and only from within the sub-population attending specialist clinics. We studied community-based samples of individuals with Acute Tinnitus (AT: <6 weeks from onset, N = 51), who were followed up longitudinally 6 months post-onset (N = 26), those with Chronic Tinnitus (CT: >6 months from onset, N = 51), and Non-Tinnitus controls (NT: N = 35) age/sex/hearing matched to the Acute Tinnitus group. We measured tinnitus symptoms with loudness matching, numerical rating scales (NRS), and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) questionnaires, and subjective auditory sensitivity with categorical loudness scaling (CLS) and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ) and Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms (IHS). Results revealed that measures of tinnitus (psychoacoustically matched loudness, THI, TFI) were maximal around the time of onset and reduced significantly over initial months, in line with previous reports of specialist clinic-based cohorts without high levels of initial distress, but with the additional novel demonstration of a reduction in psychoacoustically matched tinnitus loudness. Conversely, measures of auditory sensitivity (HQ, IHS, CLS slope at 1 kHz and at tinnitus frequency) did not change longitudinally or differ between AT and NT groups. We interpret these changes as indicating spontaneous habituation to the tinnitus over time, but also that subjective auditory sensitivity is not necessarily directly linked to tinnitus symptoms

Numerical Modelling of Laterally Loaded Single Pile

Design of piles under lateral loads requires not only estimation of ultimate load carrying capacity of the pile but also, the pile deflections need to be evaluated to determine the allowable loads. There are many approaches to estimate the lateral capacity of piles. Among them, IS code method is invariably used by engineers in our country. Numerical modelling using finite element (PLAXIS-3D) software is the advanced method to analyze piles in which all sorts of non-linearity could be modeled. The present work is done separately for sands and clays. First, a laterally loaded pile in homogenous sand is considered. Pile responses of single pile for various loadings obtained from the above three methods are compared and analyzed. As there are large differences in maximum lateral deformations obtained from IS code method, sub grade reaction method when compared to numerical modelling there is a need to either modify them or propose a new method. The normalized load-deflection charts using numerical modelling which can be used easily are proposed

Analysis of Metallised Propellant Ignition Process under Conductive Heating

Ignition of a composite aluminised propellant (AP-HTPB-Al) in stagnant hot air is analysed theoretically, based on solid phase and gas phase theories. According to solid phase theory, ignition is due to reaction of the propellant in the solid phase at elevated temperatures. One-dimensional transient solid phase energy equation is solved to obtain the surface temperature profile of the propellant. By gas phase theory, an exothermic gas phase reaction, adjacent to the propellant surface, is considered responsible for the ignition. The changes in temperature and concentrations in the gas phase and the temperature profile below the propellant surface during the pre-ignition induction period are considered. Equations of energy and concentrations of reactants have been solved to obtain the species concentration and temperature profiles in the gas phase. An experimental investigation of the ignition of AP-HTPB-Al propellant is also carried out in a shock tube under end-mount conditions. Pressure and temperature ranges were 6-16 bar and 1500-3000 K, respectively. A comparison of the experimental data with predicted results shows that the ignition in an oxidizing atmosphere is by gas phase reaction, whereas in an inert atmosphere, solid phase reaction may be predominant