Response of the Arabian Sea to global warming and associated regional climate shift

The response of the Arabian Sea to global warming is the disruption in the natural decadal cycle in the sea surface temperature (SST) after 1995, followed by a secular warming. The Arabian Sea is experiencing a regional climate-shift after 1995, which is accompanied by a five fold increase in the occurrence of “most intense cyclones”. Signatures of this climate-shift are also perceptible over the adjacent landmass of India as: (1) progressively warmer winters, and (2) decreased decadal monsoon rainfall. The warmer winters are associated with a 16-fold decrease in the decadal wheat production after 1995, while the decreased decadal rainfall was accompanied by a decline of vegetation cover and increased occurrence of heat spells. We propose that in addition to the oceanic thermal inertia, the upwelling-driven cooling provided a mechanism that offset the CO2-driven SST increase in the Arabian Sea until 1995

What drives the increased phytoplankton biomass in the Arabian Sea?

The seasonal variability of phytoplankton biomass in the Arabian Sea, though a well researched topic, its inter-annual variability is less explored and understood. Analysis of the satellite-derived chlorophyll pigment concentration in the Arabian Sea during 1997–2007 showed a weak increasing trend. Contrary to the earlier hypothesis, our analysis showed that this increased phytoplankton biomass was not driven by the strengthening winds during summer monsoon. In fact, the basin-averaged chlorophyll concentrations during summer monsoon tend to decline, whereas those in September–October and during the winter monsoon showed an increasing trend. Based on the analysis of wind and aerosol optical thickness data, we attribute the increased phytoplankton biomass during September–October to dust-induced iron fertilization when there is sufficient buildup of nitrate in the upper ocean. During winter, the enhanced evaporative cooling under the strengthening winds led to the increased convective mixing. Subsequent supply of subsurface nutrients to the euphotic zone coupled with the increased dust delivery support the observed increase in phytoplankton biomass during winter

A study on conventional IMRT and RapidArc treatment planning techniques for head and neck cancers

AimTo evaluate the performance of volumetric arc modulation with RapidArc against conventional IMRT for head and neck cancers.BackgroundRapidArc is a novel technique that has recently been made available for clinical use. Planning study was done for volumetric arc modulation with RapidArc against conventional IMRT for head and neck cancers.Materials and methodsTen patients with advanced tumors of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx were selected for the planning comparison study. PTV was delineated for two different dose levels and planning was done by means of simultaneously integrated boost technique. A total dose of 70[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy was delivered to the boost volume (PTV boost) and 57.7[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy to the elective PTV (PTV elective) in 35 equal treatment fractions. PTV boost consisted of the gross tumor volume and lymph nodes containing visible macroscopic tumor or biopsy-proven positive lymph nodes, whereas the PTV elective consisted of elective nodal regions. Planning was done for IMRT using 9 fields and RapidArc with single arc, double arc. Beam was equally placed for IMRT plans. Single arc RapidArc plan utilizes full 360° gantry rotation and double arc consists of 2 co-planar arcs of 360° in clockwise and counter clockwise direction. Collimator was rotated from 35 to 45° to cover the entire tumor, which reduced the tongue and groove effect during gantry rotation. All plans were generated with 6[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MV X-rays for CLINAC 2100 Linear Accelerator. Calculations were done in the Eclipse treatment planning system (version 8.6) using the AAA algorithm.ResultsDouble arc plans show superior dose homogeneity in PTV compared to a single arc and IMRT 9 field technique. Target coverage was almost similar in all the techniques. The sparing of spinal cord in terms of the maximum dose was better in the double arc technique by 4.5% when compared to the IMRT 9 field and single arc techniques. For healthy tissue, no significant changes were observed between the plans in terms of the mean dose and integral dose. But RapidArc plans showed a reduction in the volume of the healthy tissue irradiated at V15[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy (5.81% for single arc and 4.69% for double arc) and V20[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy (7.55% for single arc and 5.89% for double arc) dose levels when compared to the 9-Field IMRT technique. For brain stem, maximum dose was similar in all the techniques. The average MU (±SD) needed to deliver the dose of 200[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]cGy per fraction was 474[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]±[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]80[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MU and 447[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]±[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]45[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MU for double arc and single arc as against 948[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]±[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]162[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MU for the 9-Field IMRT plan. A considerable reduction in maximum dose to the mandible by 6.05% was observed with double arc plan. Double arc shows a reduction in the parotid mean dose when compared with single arc and IMRT plans.ConclusionRapidArc using double arc provided a significant sparing of OARs and healthy tissue without compromising target coverage compared to IMRT. The main disadvantage with IMRT observed was higher monitor units and longer treatment time

Remediation of lead (Pb) by a novel Klebsiella sp. isolated from tannery effluent of Ranipet, Vellore district

Lead is found to be one of the most toxic heavy metal according to American public health association (APHA). Vellore district is one of the most polluted sites in the world. It is more common for lead poisoning to build up slowly over time. Over time, even low levels of lead exposure can harm a child's mental development. Therefore new resources for the removal of lead are the need of the hour. Soil and effluent samples were obtained from common effluent treatment plant; Ranipet, Vellore district. The concentration of heavy metal was also assessed in the collected samples and then isolated lead tolerant bacteria over lead containing mineral salt medium. The isolated desired bacteria was also tested for their ability to remediate other heavy metals like chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) which are present in the tannery effluent. The one with good bioremediation activity was further characterized by sequencing 16S rRNA gene and it was found to be a novel species of Klebsiella genus.Keywords: Lead tolerant bacteria, Klebsiella, heavy metal remediationAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(32), pp. 5069-507

Basics and Essentials of Medical Devices Safety Surveillance

Medical devices are being used in healthcare facilities for diagnosis, monitoring, prevention and treatment of an array of diseases. To ensure user/patient safety associated with the medical devices being used in healthcare industry, it is of utmost importance to closely monitor the adverse events associated with the medical devices through a robust, sustainable and scaled surveillance. Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI) provides a reliable system to report adverse events associated with medical devices. Under MvPI, various modalities to report adverse events associated with medical devices have been developed. These modalities include an editable medical device adverse event reporting form, a toll-free helpline number and a field safety corrective action form (FSCA). FSCA form is used to notify the regulatory authority and healthcare professionals on corrective actions or recall by the manufacturer. Due to the emergence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, one-page editable form has been developed to boost the adverse event reporting of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs). MvPI also coordinates with healthcare facilities and medical device industries across the country for reporting the medical device-related adverse events. The collected scientific data is utilized to develop regulatory policies and enhance measures to ensure the quality of medical devices. All the healthcare workers are, therefore, encouraged to report adverse events to MvPI. This chapter aims to describe the systems, procedures and modalities available for the reporting of Medical Device Adverse Events (MDAEs) in India, in order to intensify the nature of reporting and creating an environment that encourages the public to perform MDAE reporting

Adverse Drug Reactions Associated with Anti-Tuberculosis Therapy

The pharmacovigilance has been evolved as a professional and ethical practice in ensuring the safety of medicines. The Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of medicines including Anti-Tuberculous Therapy (ATT) through a robust system of pharmacovigilance helps in promoting the safety of patients at large. The occurrence of ADRs associated with the use of ATT is expected, a large number of medicines are combined and used for prolonged duration. The suspected ADRs associated with first line ATT are well documented. However, the drugs used in second line or multidrug resistant to tuberculosis (TB), namely bedaquiline, reported to cause QT prolongation in electrocardiogram reading as one of the most common ADRs. Therefore, early identification and prevention of ADRs during ATT is essential for promoting the rational use and reduce the burden of anti-microbial resistance, besides achieving better treatment outcomes

Mechanistic insight into functionally different human islet polypeptide (hIAPP) amyloid: the intrinsic role of the C-terminal structural motifs

Targeting amyloidosis requires high-resolution insight into the underlying mechanisms of amyloid aggregation. The sequence-specific intrinsic properties of a peptide or protein largely govern the amyloidogenic propensity. Thus, it is essential to delineate the structural motifs that define the subsequent downstream amyloidogenic cascade of events. Additionally, it is important to understand the role played by extrinsic factors, such as temperature or sample agitation, in modulating the overall energy barrier that prompts divergent nucleation events. Consequently, these changes can affect the fibrillation kinetics, resulting in structurally and functionally distinct amyloidogenic conformers associated with disease pathogenesis. Here, we have focused on human Islet Polypeptide (hIAPP) amyloidogenesis for the full-length peptide along with its N- and C-terminal fragments, under different temperatures and sample agitation conditions. This helped us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic role of specific functional epitopes in the primary structure of the peptide that regulates amyloidogenesis and subsequent cytotoxicity. Intriguingly, our study involving an array of biophysical experiments and ex vivo data suggests a direct influence of external changes on the C-terminal fibrillating sequence. Furthermore, the observations indicate a possible collaborative role of this segment in nucleating hIAPP amyloidogenesis in a physiological scenario, thus making it a potential target for future therapeutic interventions

Contact tracing for COVID-19 in a healthcare institution: Our experience and lessons learned

During the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic contact tracing was used to control spread of the disease. It played a key role in health care institute which continued to work even during lockdown. In this piece of work, we share the lessons learnt from the contact tracing activity done in the health care institution during April to July 2020. The training needs of persons involved in contact tracing, the follow of activities, use of technology, methods to fill the missing gaps were the key lessons learnt. Its documentation supports in setting up contact tracing activity for any emerging infectious disease outbreaks in future