Physical Activity and Quality of Life among Adults with Paraplegia in Odisha, India

Objectives: The complete rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) comprises both physical and psychosocial factors. This study therefore aimed to assess physical activity and quality of life (QOL) among paraplegic patients with SCI in Odisha, India. Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study was conducted between March 2010 and December 2013. All paraplegic patients treated at the Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training & Research in Odisha, India, during the study period who met the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study (n = 364). Structured face-to-face interviews were held with participants and QOL and physical activity were assessed using the abbreviated World Health Organization QOL instrument and the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities, respectively. Results: A total of 84 people participated in the study (response rate: 23.1%). The mean age was 32.54 ± 10.75 years and 90.5% of the participants were male. Participants had a low mean metabolic equivalent score (18.18 ± 10.68 hours/day). Additionally, low mean scores were noted for the physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships and environment QOL domains (49.76 ± 18.74, 48.57 ± 17.04, 57.88 ± 17.04 and 49.85 ± 17.77, respectively). There was a strong positive association between levels of physical activity and all QOL domains (P <0.050). Physical activity and employment status were significant predictors of all QOL domains (P <0.001). Conclusion: Low physical activity levels and QOL were noted among the paraplegic subjects. Interventions promoting physical activity and employment may help to improve QOL among this patient group

Database Security: A Study on Threats & Attacks

A paper focuses on a study of the Database Security which becomes a major issue in the present era. In the Today’s Environment of fastly increasing need of” Database Security” from Threats & Attacks. The following paper gives a brief information about some concepts about Database Security and also discuss the issues like Threats and Attack

Alzheimer's disease: synaptic dysfunction and Aβ

Synapse loss is an early and invariant feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and there is a strong correlation between the extent of synapse loss and the severity of dementia. Accordingly, it has been proposed that synapse loss underlies the memory impairment evident in the early phase of AD and that since plasticity is important for neuronal viability, persistent disruption of plasticity may account for the frank cell loss typical of later phases of the disease. Extensive multi-disciplinary research has implicated the amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in the aetiology of AD and here we review the evidence that non-fibrillar soluble forms of Aβ are mediators of synaptic compromise. We also discuss the possible mechanisms of Aβ synaptotoxicity and potential targets for therapeutic intervention

SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM AND OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL IN RAT PLASMA BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY ELECTROSPRAY IONIZATION TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY AND ITS APPLICATION TO PHARMACOKINETICS IN RATS

Objective: A novel LC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of atorvastatin calcium (ATR) and olmesartan medoxomil (OLM) in rat plasma and evaluated pharmacokinetic study in rats. Methods: The analytes were separated on aquasil C18 ­reversed phase column and the detection of target compounds was done in Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode using an ion trap mass spectrometer. The method was validated according to the ICH guidelines. Results: The limit of detections (LODs) and the limit of quantifications (LOQs) were 0.15ng/mL and 1.0ng/mL for ATR and 0.21ng/mL and 1.0ng/mL for OLM respectively. The determined intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 10% and the accuracy was within 90 - 110 %. The stability and extraction recoveries of the analytes were in the acceptable range. Conclusion: This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of ATR and OLM in rats

Immunological Response Of Sheep To Eperythrozoon Ovis Infection

The immunity of sheep to Eperythrozoon ovis (E.ovis) has been investigated through the peripheral blood smears stained with Giemsa. A naturally infected flock monitored for a year revealed the activity of peripheral blood monocytes to be involved in active phagocytosis of infected erythrocytes; a process called erythrophagocytosis. Although neutrophils, lymphocytes and thrombocytes were found to be activated in the initial stage of immune response, the monocytes seemed to predominate the phagocytosis at the later stage of infection during erythrophagocytosis. At all stages and degree of infections, no obvious anaemia, jaundice and emaciation were observed in these well fed sheep flocks. Anaemia was observed in flocks where malnourishment and stress conditions were present with a consistent high degree of parasitaemia. E.ovis infection trial in mice exhibited more lymphocytic activities compared to the sheep , although lymphocytes, neutrophils and thrombocytes were involved in the early enhancement of inflammatory process against E.ovis as per in the sheep. These inflammatory processes were observed at day 20 post infection in mice. Similarly, only monocytes were found to be actively involved in erythrophagocytosis at the later stage of infection prior to the disappearance of the organisms from the peripheral circulation. Increased Kupffer cell activity showed liver was also involved in the removal of infected erythrocytes besides the blood peripheral macrophages. In vitro phagocytosis assay using the Acridine Orange as the flurochrome revealed that peripheral monocytes ingested around eight cells of E.ovis per monocyte within 30 minutes upon contact. These cells were also killed within 30 minutes upon ingestion, characterised as red cells within the cytoplasm of monocytes. The Enzyme–linked Immunosorbent Assay was possible for optimization and was not suitable for further development as the Lang’s method yields impure antigen from blood lysates. Latex test development was hindered due to the various host and immune serum factors that have resulted in non- specific agglutinations. The persistence of infection in the flock throughout the one - year period of observation signified that sheep had been constantly infected with E.ovis and remained carriers for a very long period. The persistent parasitemia may suggest that the immunity to the parasite has been very complex probably due to highly diversed antigenic variants, a characteristic exhibited by most rickettsiae in the Order of Rickettsiales or as a result of detrimental effects of the organism on the immune mechanism. Sheep flocks naturally infected with E.ovis have remained permanent carriers. The findings from this research suggest that the sheep was unable to confer an effective or protective immune response against the pathogen. Peripheral blood macrophages are the most important first line of defense in removing the E.ovis from the peripheral blood