Ultrasound Promoted Synthesis of Pyrazolyl / Isoxazolyl Oxadiazoles as Antimicrobials

Azoles are the principal core structures present in natural products and acquired significance due to a wide range of biological properties associated with them. Amongst different azoles, oxadiazole and their derivatives have gained importance as they constitute the structural features of many bioactive compounds. 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticancer and anticonvulsant properties. In fact, the combination of different heterocyclic units in a molecule may alter the biopotency which can accommodate multiple biological targets. In continuation of our interest in the synthesis of bioactive heterocyclic compounds, we focused our attention to develop some new oxadiazoles under ultrasonication. The work related to these aspects will be presented. © 2020 Author(s).The author G. Yamini is thankful to the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, for the sanction of UGC-BSR fellowship

LONG TERM IN VIVO KINEMATICS OF THE OVINE STIFLE JOINT FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT TRANSECTION

INTRODUCTION Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease involving the breakdown of articular cartilage, which is common after injury or with aging1. Following knee injury, sheep develop OA at a slightly accelerated rate compared to humans but with some similar patterns2. In an ovine knee injury model3,4, altered gait mechanics and degradation of the cartilage has been observed 20 weeks post anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection (Tx) surgery; however, potential alterations in gait at 40 weeks post ACL Tx surgery remain to be determined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the in vivo kinematics of the ovine stifle joint over time (20 weeks and 40 weeks) following ACL Tx. METHODS Force Plate Testing. Three skeletally mature 3 to 4-year-old female Suffolk-cross sheep (average weight 77.1kg) were led across an embedded force platform (Kistler Instrumente, Winterthur, Switzerland) until 20 hind limb hoof strikes were recorded at 1200 Hz. Peak hind limb vertical ground reaction force was determined prior to surgical plate implantation, and then serially prior to each kinematic data collection. Surgical Procedure. All sheep had a bone plate implanted onto each of the proximomedial aspect of the tibia and the distolateral aspect of the femur of their right hind limb, four weeks prior to kinematic testing. Kinematic Collection and Bone Digitization. On the day of kinematic testing, a stainless steel post was attached to each plate and an instrumented spatial linkage (ISL) mounted between them. The ISL consisted of six rotational encoders providing a measurement of position and orientation in six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) to its motion throughout gait. The in vivo kinematics of the stifle joint were measured while the sheep walked on a treadmill at 2 mph (0.89 m/s). Each sheep then underwent arthroscopic ACL Tx surgery on their right hind limb. The in vivo gait kinematics were measured again over time at 20 and 40 weeks post ACL Tx. Following kinematic testing at 40 weeks, the animals were euthanized. A coordinate measuring machine was used to measure anatomic landmarks on the bone with respect to the ISL in order to create an anatomically relevant coordinate system. Analysis. Data are presented as mean ± SD. RESULTS Figure 1: The 6-DOF in vivo gait kinematics of the ovine stifle joint, intact (black), 22 weeks post ACL Tx (red), and 40 weeks post ACL Tx (blue). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that the in vivo kinematics of the ovine stifle joint do change over time following ACL Tx. The kinematic changes appear to be more drastic after 22 weeks, and do not entirely return back to pre-injury mechanics in all rotations and translations after 40 weeks. As shown in Figure 1, the medial-lateral as well as posterior-anterior translation of the joint is progressively altered post ACL Tx over time. Rotationally, the internal-external kinematic curve at 22 weeks is dissimilar to the intact motion, however by 40 weeks a recovery towards the intact measurement is seen as the animal compensates for the injury. In the future, principal component analysis will be utilized to compare these gait changes. In conclusion, the transection of the ACL causes long-term changes in the in vivo kinematics of the joint. Alterations of the kinematics may result in degradation of cartilage due to abnormal loading of the joint and overall damage in the joint due to compensation of the instability post ACL Tx, which is a painful and destructive condition

Enhancement of Power Quality in Domestic Loads Using Harmonic Filters

This study deals with the mitigation of current harmonics, which is primarily important to alleviate power quality problems in modern times. Current harmonics produced by different widely used loads have been evaluated and related parameters have been tabled. Using the data obtained, a non-linear load was modelled to serve as the test load. Different mitigation solutions and techniques were studied to select an appropriate filter design for domestic single-phase application. The Active Power Filter (APF)'s steady-state and dynamic output was evaluated with reference current extraction techniques like PQ and SRF theories in Simulink. For a fair comparison, various parameters related to the filter design were kept identical between the tests conducted; and to test the dynamic performance, a highly inductive load was connected halfway through simulation. The reactive power compensation offered by the filter was studied by using various waveforms and parameters are investigated and tabulated. The study was carried out to identify a reference current extraction technique that yields the best performance and understand the implementation of the same to identify inherent issues that can sometimes be overlooked because of their simplicity and ease of implementation. The performance of two commonly used reference current extraction techniques were analyzed by subjecting it to highly non-linear and highly inductive loads that were modelled based on various loads that were analyzed

Ultrasound promoted synthesis of pyrazolyl/isoxazolyl oxadiazoles as antimicrobials

Azoles are the principal core structures present in natural products and acquired significance due to a wide range of biological properties associated with them. Amongst different azoles, oxadiazole and their derivatives have gained importance as they constitute the structural features of many bioactive compounds. 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticancer and anticonvulsant properties. In fact, the combination of different heterocyclic units in a molecule may alter the biopotency which can accommodate multiple biological targets. In continuation of our interest in the synthesis of bioactive heterocyclic compounds, we focused our attention to develop some new oxadiazoles under ultrasonication. The work related to these aspects will be presented. © 2020 Author(s).The author G. Yamini is thankful to the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, for the sanction of UGC-BSR fellowship

Factors influencing age of common allergen introduction in early childhood

ObjectivesWe evaluated factors influencing the timing of allergen introduction in the U.S., including updated peanut introduction guidelines.Study designThe Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Allergic Proctocolitis (GMAP) study is a prospective observational cohort in suburban Massachusetts. Infants' caregivers enrolled between 2014 and 2017, and they reported when they introduced common allergens to their child. Multivariable linear and survival regression analyses were used to examine factors influencing time of introduction of allergens.ResultsBy 9 months, children old enough to be potentially affected by NIAID's 2017 peanut introduction guidelines were more often introduced to peanut than children enrolled well before guidelines publication [54% vs. 42%, OR: 1.63, CI: (1.03, 2.57), P = 0.03]. At any given time, Black children were 73% [HR: 0.27, CI: (0.11, 0.69), P = 0.006] less likely to be introduced to peanut as early as White children. Asian children were, respectively, 36% [HR: 0.64, CI: (0.47, 0.86), P = 0.003] and 26% [HR: 0.74, CI: (0.55, 0.97), P = 0.03] less likely to be introduced to peanut and egg as early as White children. A first child was 27% [HR: 1.27, CI: (1.04, 1.56), P = 0.02] more likely to have been introduced to peanut earlier than a non-first child. There was no association between age of introduction and sex, gestational age, family history of food allergy, or other allergic comorbidities.ConclusionUpdated introduction guidelines, race, and birth order all influenced earlier introduction of peanut. Further studies to evaluate current practices for allergen introduction with a focus on potential disparities are needed

Associations between recent intimate partner violence and receipt and quality of perinatal health services in Uttar Pradesh

Background India suffers some of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the world. Intimate partner violence (IPV) can be a barrier to utilization of perinatal care, and has been associated with poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes. However, studies that assess the relationship between IPV and perinatal health care often focus solely on receipt of services, and not the quality of the services received. Methods and findings Data were collected in 2016–2017 from a representative sample of women (15-49yrs) in Uttar Pradesh, India who had given birth within the previous 12 months (N = 5020), including use of perinatal health services and past 12 months experiences of physical and sexual IPV. Multivariate logistic regression models assessed whether physical or sexual IPV were associated with perinatal health service utilization and quality. Reports of IPV were not associated with odds of receiving antenatal care or a health worker home visit during the third trimester, but physical IPV was associated with fewer diagnostic tests during antenatal visits (beta = -0.30), and fewer health topics covered during home visits (beta = -0.44). Recent physical and recent sexual IPV were both associated with decreased odds of institutional delivery (physical IPV AOR 0.65; sexual IPV AOR 0.61), and recent sexual IPV was associated with leaving a delivery facility earlier than recommended (AOR = 1.87). Neither form of IPV was associated with receipt of a postnatal home visit, but recent physical IPV was associated with fewer health topics discussed during such visits (beta = -0.26). Conclusions In this study, reduced quantity and quality of perinatal health care were associated with recent IPV experiences. In cases where IPV was not related to care receipt, IPV remained associated with diminished care quality. Additional study to understand the mechanisms underlying associations between IPV and care qualities is required to inform health services

Self-medication amongst pregnant women in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India

Background: Self-medication is a popular practice in developing countries where there is no strict regulation of drugs sold in local pharmacies. General public is usually unaware of the adverse effects of drugs used for common illness and continue using them without prescription during pregnancy. This study was carried out to know the extent of self-medication practised by pregnant women and various factors associated with it.Methods: A questionnaire based, cross-sectional study of pregnant women visiting the OB GYN-OPD of a tertiary care teaching hospital was conducted. 303 eligible subjects were questioned and statistical analysis was carried out.Results: Total 16.5% women were found to be self-medicating during pregnancy for common conditions like headache (26%), fever (23%) and common cold (19%). Odds Ratio between the self-medicating and non-self-medicating groups for variables like age (<25 years; ≥25 years), education (illiterate; literate) and gestational age (<20 weeks; ≥20 weeks) are 1.6, 2 and 1.73 respectively. Women with a history of self-medicating before pregnancy were significantly more likely to continue doing so during pregnancy (p value <0.00001).Conclusions: A significant proportion of pregnant women have been found to self-medicate without knowing the adverse effects of the drug used. Thus, spreading awareness against this health-predicament is necessary