DISSOCIATIVE PHENOMENOLOGY AND GENERAL HEALTH IN NORMAL POPULATION

Background: Dissociative symptoms are most commonly found in females and adolescents, and when discussing their background, they can be from lower socio-economic backgrounds and rural areas. They are always preceded by psychosocial stressors. Dissociative disorders previously known as “hysteria” have been described since antiquity and Hippocrates even hypothesised “wandering uterus” to be the cause for dissociation in females. With the advances in science, there has been shift from these religious and spiritual concepts to a scientific basis for dissociation. Aim: To assess the dissociative phenomenology in normal population and to assess the subjective health in normal population. Methods: A group of 100 (50 females & 50 males) were selected from the community using a snowball sampling technique. Tools: Socio-demographic data sheet, General Health Questionnaire-12 and Dissociative Experience Scale-II were used. Results: The study found that females differ from males in the reporting of subjective health rating (X2=5.76, p=0.01) and similar results shown in terms of dissociative phenomenology (X2=67.76, p=0.001). Discussion: It has been found that only 4% from the female group and 2% from the male group rated their health under the “normal” category. 52% of females and 64% of males were categorised under “mild ill health” and 24% to 26% were in “moderate ill health”, whereas 20% of female participants and 8% of male participants rated their health as “severely ill”. In another domain of the study, dissociative phenomenology, 32% of female participants reported severe dissociative symptoms and 38% of male participants also showed similar results. Conclusion: Dissociative disorder significantly affects the population but it is hard to diagnose due to factors such as; cultural factors, socio-economic factors etc. The study shows clearly that dissociative symptoms are found in the general population also

Dynamic Soil Structure Interaction Analysis of Pile Supported High Rise Structures

Experiences from past earthquake disasters clearly shows that the ground motion was responsible for majority of property and life loss. Among the collapsed structures during the 1964 Niigata earthquake, the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the 1999 Koceli earthquake, the 2001 Bhuj earthquake and the 2004 Sumatra earthquake, excessive damage was occurred to pile supported bridges, towers, chimneys, high rise structures, etc. In view of this there is a need to study the complex behavior of soil-pile-structure interaction problems using numerical methods. In this research paper, a numerical study is carried out to understand the dynamic soil structure interaction of a high rise structure in a visco elastic half space in the presence of near by pile supported structures. The structure soil structure interaction is modelled by considering the direct methodology using a Finite element method based code ANSYS 10. Initially a two dimensional study is carried out for understanding the seismic response of group of high rise structures supported on pile foundations. The linear super structures are considered as framed structures of different dynamic characteristics suported on group of piles. Different case studies are made one in which the group effect of structures supported on piles are considered like group of two identical structures, group of three identical structures and group of three different structures, second one in which the effect of variability in structure height is considered like 5 storey structure, 10 storey structure and 15 storey structure and the third one in which the effect of variability in structure shape is considered. For each case the effect of structure soil structure interaction on seismic response is compared with fixed base response

Quality of Life and Family Burden of Parents with Intellectual Disability in North Bihar, India

Background: Intellectual impairment is a non-curable and non-treatable illness. It has so many physical and psychological issues for individuals with intellectual impairment as well as for their families. In the review, it has been found that these parents who have children with intellectual impairment experienced a high level of stress due to this disability and they also had issues in many psychosocial aspects such as quality of life, family burden etc. Objective: To assess the relationship between intellectual functioning, family burden and quality of life of parents of children with intellectual impairment. Methods: A total of a group of 240 participants (120 children with intellectual impairment and 120 equally divided parents of the children) was selected in the study. Design: A cross-sectional study was designed and the study was conducted at a daycare centre of a non-governmental registered organization, Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Tools: Seguin Form Board Test (for children), WHO Quality of Life (BREF) Scale and Family Burden Schedule (for parents of the children) were used. Results and conclusion:  It has been found that both parents either mother or father showed an equal level of quality of life and family burden. There is the non-significant difference was seen between parents of children with a low level of intellectual functioning. Keywords: Intellectual functioning, Impairment, Quality of Life, Family Burden, Parent

Renewable Energy Options among Rural Households in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh: An Overview

In developing countries the energy problems are both widespread and serious. Lack of access to sufficient and sustainable supplies of energy impacts around 90% of the population of many developing countries. People are compelled to live without regular and good quality electricity supply. The rural population remains dependent on fuels such as animal dung, crop residues, fuel wood and charcoal to cook their daily meals. Without efficient, clean energy, people are undermined in their efforts to engage effectively in productive activities and improve their quality of life (Barnes and Floor, 1996). India is home to the largest rural population in the world with approx. 68.84% of the total population residing in rural areas (Census, 2011). In order to contribute to the overall development in India, access to modern energy and cleaner fuel for rural households is important. There is a need to bridge the access gap by expanding energy systems to meet the energy requirements of the fast growing population and mitigate the threat of climate change. The best possible solution to the energy poverty challenges lies in the shift towards sustainable energy technologies. In the present scenario, the uncontrollable increase in use of non-renewable energies such as fossil fuel, oil, natural gas has led to fluctuation of demand and supply. This negative energy balance for decades has forced India to purchase energy from other countries to fulfill the needs of the entire country. Hence, energy access is an important component of poverty alleviation and an indispensable element of sustainable human development. Government of India has initiated numerous development programmes, focusing on providing sustainable energy solutions to rural communities often deprived of clean and uninterrupted energy supply for their daily energy requirements. The study entitled ‘Renewable Energy Options among Rural Households\u27 was conducted in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh states. The outcomes of the study provide a roadmap for future programmes promoting the use of clean, efficient and modern energy technologies, to be implemented more effectively. Findings would further benefit the primary and secondary key stakeholders involved in research and development, formulation of policies and regulations, promoting sale and purchase and provide financial assistance to future energy programmes meant to popularize the use of Renewable Energy Technologies

Plant Derived Bioactive Compounds, Their Anti-Cancer Effects as an Alternative Target Treatment Strategy for Breast Cancer: An Updated Overview

For decades, cancer has been a major public health concern worldwide owing to its high mortality rate. Many therapeutic strategies have come up in the scientific world, but it\u27s pitiful to know that synthetic chemotherapeutic agents either cause adverse effects or cancer cells develop resistance to these agents. Plant-derived chemotherapeutic agents present a wide range of therapeutics and most are yet to be discovered. In the current review, we have discussed the tumoricidal properties of Mucuna pruriens (seed), Withania coagulans (berry), Anacyclus pyrethrum (rhizome), Arachis hypogea (leaf), Rhizaoma polygoni (root) and Terminalia chebula (fruit). We have also tried to summarize the latest research in cancer chemoprevention and treatment using the bioactive components from these natural plants. Pharmaceutical developmental challenges and opportunities in bringing the phytochemicals into the market are also explored. The authors wish to expand this research area not only for their scientific soundness, but also for their potential-yet-affordable druggability

Prescribing pattern of antidepressants in psychiatric unit of a tertiary care hospital

Background: The objective was to study the prescribing pattern of antidepressants in psychiatric unit of a tertiary care hospital.Methods: An observational study was carried out at psychiatry out-patient department (OPD). The data which were collected included information about age, gender, education, occupation, marital status and drug prescription included trade name, generic name, dosage, and frequency of 100 outpatients who attended the psychiatry OPD.Results: Among 100 patients with major depression 66% were females and 34% were males. Depression was more commonly seen between patients with age group 21-40 years. Depression was more common among housewives (44%) and next was students (18%). Percentage of depression was more in educated people with (72%) than in uneducated with (28%). Depression was more commonly seen in married people with (77%) than in unmarried people (23%). Most commonly prescribed antidepressant as monotherapy was fluoxetine and as combination therapy was fluoxetine and escitalopram.Conclusions: Depression is more commonly seen in married people predominantly in females and housewives. Fluoxetine is more commonly used followed by escitalopram. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are preferred over other antidepressant because of their relative lesser side effects

Bio prospecting of Lapachol producing endophytic fungi

Background: The association of endophytic fungi with medicinal plants has been one of the evolving areas of research in the past few decades. The secondary metabolites produced owing to such associations have been recognised for a wide range of biological activities. Objectives: The aim of the present review is to highlight the isolation of lapachol from endophytic microorganisms with an emphasis on its biotransformation to improve its efficacy. Methodology: The researchers followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. Published scientific articles on endophytes, host-pathogen interaction and lapachol isolation were collected from reputed journals from 1960 to 2022 using electronic databases using the key words as stated. Following that, the authors chose the required papers based on the criteria they devised. The data was extracted using the common research elements found in the publications. Results and discussion: Lapachol is one such secondary metabolite known for potent antitumor properties. Synthesis of lapachol and its isolation from plant sources have been reported but an expensive process. Therefore, bioprospecting of this metabolite from endophytic fungi have been evaluated by a few researchers. It has been identified that A. niger and Alternaria alternata along with some of the filamentous endophytic fungi have been identified to produce lapachol. Some findings of biotransformation of lapachol to render it more potent have also been reported in the present review. Conclusion: Lapachol is one of the plant secondary metabolites that possess several therapeutic benefits. Owing to its isolation being highly expensive from plant sources, endophytes have been exploited. Furthering to the isolation, the biotrasformation of this bioactive molecule to enhance its efficiency has proven to be useful. In this regard, this review has enlightened some of the biotransformed lapachol and its derivatives with special emphasis on the endophytes that produce them. This review comprehensively highlights the various endophytic sources for lapachol production and its biotransformed derivatives

Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning based Techniques in Analyzing the COVID-19 Gene Expression data: A Review

The novel Coronavirus associated with respiratory illness has become a new threat to human health as it is spreading very rapidly among the human population. Scientists and healthcare specialists throughout the world are still looking for a breakthrough technology to help combat the Covid-19 outbreak, despite the recent worldwide urgency. The use of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in earlier epidemics has encouraged researchers by providing a fresh approach to combating the latest Coronavirus pandemic. This paper aims to comprehensively review the role of AI and ML for analysis of gene expressed data of COVID-1

In silico examination of peptides containing selenium and ebselen Backbone To Assess Their Tumoricidal Potential

Introduction: Cancer has been one of the highest causes of morbidity and mortality in the world for decades. Owing to improved therapeutics along with detection, breast cancer mortality has been slowly reducing. The incidence of breast cancer, on the other hand, has increased gradually. More than 100 types of cancer have been identified with a wide range of treatment protocols comprising of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, etc. In an attempt to curb the serious deleterious effects caused by the chemotherapeutic drugs, numerous peptide molecules are currently popular as alternatives to the standard chemotherapeutic drugs. Methods: In this study, we have carried out in silico investigations to ascertain the anti-proliferative potential of novel peptides based on selenium and ebselen, i.e. Eb-Trp-Asp, 13, Eb-Trp-Glu, 14, and Eb-Trp-Lys, 15. Analysis of protein-ligand interactions, resulting in protein-ligand complex formation, has been carried out using the AutoDockVina in PyRx aided molecular docking technique, which may be an essential indication of druggability of the test peptides. Results: The molecular docking results revealed that the screened ligands had extraordinarily strong binding interactions and affinity for the target. Conclusion: Findings suggested that novel peptide molecule Eb-Trp-Glu, 14 may be a potent anticancer agent