Improving Characteristics of Clayey Soil Using Basalt Fibre, Construction and Demolition Waste and Calcium Carbide

When exposed to changes in moisture, highly compressible clay soils usually show the characteristic of swelling and shrinking and have very poor strength properties. The infrastructures standing on such soil produce fractures as a result of this feature, making the buildings unstable and liable to collapse. By enhancing  the characteristics of clayey soils using soil stabilization can improve their engineering properties. The purpose of this paper tends to investigate the use of construction and demolition waste (C&D), basalt fibre (BF) and calcium carbide (CCR) for stabilization of highly compressible clayey soil. Several laboratory experiments including differential free swell (DFS), Atterberg limits, standard proctor and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) are conducted on soil alone and in combination with admixtures used. Based on UCS result, optimum percentages of C&D waste, basalt fibre and calcium carbide obtained were further tested for California bearing ratio (CBR). The findings show rising UCS and CBR values with addition of 21% C&D waste, 0.3% basalt fibre and 4% calcium carbide in combination to each other with clayey soil. The thickness for flexible pavement was developed using IITPAVE software for CBR values based on specifications of IRC: 37-2018. The software results revealed a decrease in pavement thickness for all combinations of commercial vehicle daily counts of 1000, 3000, and 5000. When clayey soil is combined with C&D waste (21%), BF (0.3%), and CCR (4%) in combination, the greatest reduction in subgrade layer thickness and cost is observed. This method not only improves the geotechnical characteristics of the subgrade layer, aids in decreasing the thickness of the pavement, is highly cost-effective, and resolves the issue of disposal of C&D waste and environmental degradation due to CCR.   &nbsp

Evaluation of papsmear in pregnancy

Background: Cervical cancer is common worldwide and ranks fourth among all malignancies for women. Cervical cytology (PAP smear) as a cancer screening method is most commonly used worldwide. Cervical cancer can be detected at an early stage by PAP smear which is a cost effective and easy to perform test which is also very safe in pregnant women, hence this study is taken up as an opportunistic time for cervical cancer screening to this accessible group of women during their antenatal period and to find detection rate of infectious diseases, precancerous and cancerous pathology of the cervix.Methods: 500 pregnant women of age 21 years and above and between 16-24 weeks of gestation attending the antenatal OPD were included in the study. Scrapings were obtained from the ectocervix and sent for cytological evaluation. Findings were tabulated and statistically analysed.Results: 7.2% of the patients in our study had cervical infection which included candidiasis and trichomonial infections. 0.4% of the patients had abnormal PAP report, and 88.2% had inflammatory smear implying higher risk of STD’s and pregnancy related complications.Conclusions: The cervical cytology is highly recommended for the routine screening in the antenatal care clinic specially for women who had no prior cervical cancer screening. Awareness on cervical cancer, preventive measures and screening methods need to be strengthened among pregnant women when they visit health care facilities and also in the community settings

Synthesis of a highly thermostable insulin by phenylalanine conjugation at B29 Lysine.

Globally, millions of diabetic patients require daily life-saving insulin injections. Insulin heat-lability and fibrillation pose significant challenges, especially in parts of the world without ready access to uninterrupted refrigeration. Here, we have synthesized four human insulin analogs by conjugating ε-amine of B29 lysine of insulin with acetic acid, phenylacetic acid, alanine, and phenylalanine residues. Of these, phenylalanine-conjugated insulin, termed FHI, was the most stable under high temperature (65 °C), elevated salt stress (25 mM NaCl), and varying pH levels (ranging from highly acidic pH 1.6 to physiological pH 7.4). It resists fibrillation for a significantly longer duration with sustained biological activity in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo and displays prolonged stability over its native counterpart. We further unravel the critical interactions, such as additional aromatic π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding in FHI, that are notably absent in native insulin. These interactions confer enhanced structural stability of FHI and offer a promising solution to the challenges associated with insulin heat sensitivity

A cross-sectional assessment of obesity among medical students of central India

Background: Obesity is one of the leading public health problems, emerging and evolving across the ages from childhood, adolescence, young adults, and middle age to the geriatric sphere of life. The young adult age group also includes the special population of medical students with possible unique stressors and risk factors requiring special attention. Aims and Objectives: The current study was planned with the objectives of studying obesity among medical students with a focus on determining the prevalence of obesity problem and associated socioeconomic level and lifestyle variables; dietary calorie intake and physical activity. Materials and Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional survey conducted using a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire among MBBS students of central India. A total of 400 students were interviewed. Body mass index (BMI) was used to identify and the World Health Organization classification (WHO) was used to categorize the students in nutritional levels. Physical activity level was assessed using the General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire. Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using the Modified Prasad Classification and All India Consumer Price Index. Dietary calorie intake was assessed using 24-h oral questionnaire method. Results: The current study finds a prevalence of 7.5% obesity among medical students with another 10% in the pre-obese category as per the WHO classification. It was also found that Male gender, inactivity, and upper SES were significantly associated with the obesity prevailing in this special population of medical students. Conclusion: The current study concludes that obesity/pre-obesity is an important problem prevalent among medical students with association with sedentary lifestyle and high SES; thus, recommends screening students for lifestyle disease, dietary modification, change in sedentary lifestyle, and recreational activities to reduce stress

Municipal solid waste landfill leachate induced cytotoxicity in root tips of Vicia faba: Environmental Risk posed by non-engineered landfill

Landfills are considered the main option for dumping of municipal solid waste (MSW) all over the world, but these landfills are mostly non-engineered. The decomposition of solid waste in the landfill and rainwater penetration into the decomposing waste produces leachate that contains dissolved organic and inorganic compounds, heavy metals, suspended particles, and hazardous substances. Leachate migration in the environment may pose serious health risks to organisms exposed. Hence, the present study explored the cytotoxic potential of landfill leachate collected in different seasons from the Okhla landfill site, Delhi, India. Cytotoxicity of leachate samples was evaluatedby cell apoptosis and ultrastructural observation based on Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) of the cells of root tips of vicia faba seedlings treated with the leachates collected in summer, winter and monsoon in a time and dose dependent manner. Leachate collected in all the three seasons induced apoptosis in cells of root tips of vicia faba that increased in a time and dose dependent manner when compared to control. The apoptosis was highest in the samples treated with leachate collected in the summer season, followed by winter and monsoon. It was further confirmed with TEM images that there was induction of apoptotic-like morphological changes in the root cells treated with landfill leachate when compared with the control. The present study indicates that municipal solid waste leachate is very toxic and it should be treated before disposing it to the environment

The uncharted territory of host-pathogen interaction in tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) effectively manipulates the host processes to establish the deadly respiratory disease, Tuberculosis (TB). M.tb has developed key mechanisms to disrupt the host cell health to combat immune responses and replicate efficaciously. M.tb antigens such as ESAT-6, 19kDa lipoprotein, Hip1, and Hsp70 destroy the integrity of cell organelles (Mitochondria, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Nucleus, Phagosomes) or delay innate/adaptive cell responses. This is followed by the induction of cellular stress responses in the host. Such cells can either undergo various cell death processes such as apoptosis or necrosis, or mount effective immune responses to clear the invading pathogen. Further, to combat the infection progression, the host secretes extracellular vesicles such as exosomes to initiate immune signaling. The exosomes can contain M.tb as well as host cell-derived peptides that can act as a double-edged sword in the immune signaling event. The host-symbiont microbiota produces various metabolites that are beneficial for maintaining healthy tissue microenvironment. In juxtaposition to the above-mentioned mechanisms, M.tb dysregulates the gut and respiratory microbiome to support its replication and dissemination process. The above-mentioned interconnected host cellular processes of Immunometabolism, Cellular stress, Host Microbiome, and Extracellular vesicles are less explored in the realm of exploration of novel Host-directed therapies for TB. Therefore, this review highlights the intertwined host cellular processes to control M.tb survival and showcases the important factors that can be targeted for designing efficacious therapy

Cytotoxic and genotoxic assessment of wastewater on HEK293 cell line

558-564The increasing industrialisation and urbanisation have deteriorated the quality and quantity of water bodies, harming the surrounding flora and fauna. Therefore, in our studies, we have chosen the HEK293 cell line to examine further the level of wastewater toxicity to which living beings are exposed. The water samples were collected from various sites around the Agra Canal in the Faridabad region of Haryana. Furthermore, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity confirmation of wastewater samples were done by MTT and comet assay, respectively. The water quality of the Agra canal is heavily influenced by agricultural, domestic, and industrial waste, which may affect the genetic material of species exposed to contaminated water and the sustainability of the local environment. As a result, continuous environmental monitoring and proper policy formulation are required to minimise the adverse effects of pollutants in waste, which would further enrich India’s preparation to take India a step ahead, and that could be the best possible way to commemorate India’s 75th year of Independence with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

Obesity-dependent changes in interstitial ECM mechanics promote breast tumorigenesis.

Obesity and extracellular matrix (ECM) density are considered independent risk and prognostic factors for breast cancer. Whether they are functionally linked is uncertain. We investigated the hypothesis that obesity enhances local myofibroblast content in mammary adipose tissue and that these stromal changes increase malignant potential by enhancing interstitial ECM stiffness. Indeed, mammary fat of both diet- and genetically induced mouse models of obesity were enriched for myofibroblasts and stiffness-promoting ECM components. These differences were related to varied adipose stromal cell (ASC) characteristics because ASCs isolated from obese mice contained more myofibroblasts and deposited denser and stiffer ECMs relative to ASCs from lean control mice. Accordingly, decellularized matrices from obese ASCs stimulated mechanosignaling and thereby the malignant potential of breast cancer cells. Finally, the clinical relevance and translational potential of our findings were supported by analysis of patient specimens and the observation that caloric restriction in a mouse model reduces myofibroblast content in mammary fat. Collectively, these findings suggest that obesity-induced interstitial fibrosis promotes breast tumorigenesis by altering mammary ECM mechanics with important potential implications for anticancer therapies