Living fetus without congenital malformation in a singleton partial hydatidiform molar pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature

A 36 years old  lady gravida 2 para 1, came to our emergency ward at 9:30 pm on 12th  June 2010  with complains of bleeding p/v for 2 hours with history of bleeding at 12 weeks. On examination she was anemic and uterus was 32 weeks size with good fetal heart sound. Bleeding was coming through os, on p/s examination. Ultrasonography showed a single live fetus of 1033 grams and thickened placenta (79 mm thickness) showing multiple cystic lesion with peripheral hypervascularity, giving an impression of partial hydatidiform mole. She was managed conservatively and delivered a live preterm male child of 960 grams on 13th June 2010 evening without any congenital malformation. Placental weight was 1800 grams with multiple small vesicles. Now the boy is 4 years old and going to school with normal developmental milestone

Evaluation of susceptibility testing methods for polymyxin

SummaryBackgroundThe widespread resistance in Gram-negative bacteria has necessitated evaluation of the use of older antimicrobials such as polymyxins. In the present study we evaluated the different susceptibility testing methods for polymyxins B and E against Gram-negative bacteria using the new Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.MethodsThe susceptibility of 281 multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) to polymyxin B was evaluated, comparing broth microdilution (BMD; reference method), agar dilution, E-test, and disk diffusion. Disk diffusion testing of polymyxin B was also performed against 723 MDR GNB.ResultsTwenty-four of 281 (8.5%) isolates were found to be resistant to polymyxin B by the reference BMD method. The rates of very major errors for agar dilution and E-test (for polymyxin B) were 0.7% and 1%, respectively, and those for disk diffusion (for polymyxin B and polymyxin E) were 1% and 0.7%, respectively. For the 257 isolates found sensitive by reference BMD, the rates of major errors by agar dilution and E-test (for polymyxin B) were 2.4% and 0%, respectively, and those for disk diffusion (polymyxin B and polymyxin E) were 0% and 0.7%, respectively. Twenty-six (3.6%) of the 723 Gram-negative isolates were resistant to polymyxin B by disk diffusion.ConclusionThe E-test and agar dilution methods showed good concordance with BMD. The disk diffusion method can be useful for initial screening in diagnostic laboratories

Structural changes of FCC catalyst from fresh to regeneration stages and associated coke in a FCC refining unit: A multinuclear solid state NMR approach

The changes in zeolitic structure (Y zeolite) of fresh, equilibrium, spent and regenerated FCC catalysts obtained from an Indian FCC refining unit were investigated by 29Simagic angle spinning (MAS) and cross polarization (CP)-MAS, 27Al MAS and multiple quantum MAS (MQMAS) NMR. Deconvoluted 29Si MAS NMR along with 29Si CP-MAS NMR of these four catalysts provide the detailed local structural changes occurring at all Si(nAl) sites. 27Al MAS NMR provides the relative changes of tetrahedral (Td) and octahedral (Oh) aluminum sites of the FCC catalysts at different stages of the cracker. Second order quadrupolar effect (SOQE) and quadrupole coupling constant (CQ) obtained from both computation of 27Al MQMAS and simulation of 27Al 1D MAS spectra of these catalysts give imposition of structural asymmetries in Td and Oh sites that can be correlated with catalytic activities. Local structural changes are explained by NMR and are supplemented by Si/Al ratio, shrinkage in unit cell size and crystallinity obtained from XRD and BET. Si(3Al) sites of Y zeolite are found to be more deactivated and may be the primary sites of coking. 13C single hard pulse excitation (SHPE)-MAS, CP-MAS, cross polarization-dipolar dephasing (CPDD) NMR and CP dynamics analysis of hard coke extracted from the spent catalyst from the FCC unit reveal essential structural properties and nature of cok

NMR Studies of FCC Feeds, Catalysts and Coke

NMR has become an indispensable tool for characterizing a variety of complex materials, including heavy petroleum fractions, catalysts and coke. Determination of average molecular parameter by NMR is useful for the analysis of complex hydrocarbons like coal liquids, heavy oils, synthetic oils and high boiling petroleum fractions. This not only gives a brief idea of the molecules present but can also be used for prediction of crackability and coking tendency of the feedstock under a particular condition of operation. Although solid state NMR has not attained the resolution as of liquids, it has been proved as a better technique for molecular level characterization particularly in catalysis. This is because of the use of magic angel spinning, cross polarization (CP) and heteronuclear decoupling techniques in conjunction with routine and sophisticated solid experiments. In this chapter, NMR has been used to study the feeds, catalysts and coke of the FCC process of refining industries. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) feeds from two Indian refineries are structurally characterized by inverse gated decoupled 13C and distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) NMR methods. Detailed structural analyses are completely supported by a range of NMR information including chemical shifts of 1H and 13C, CHn type distributions and 1H 13C connectivities from 2D HETCOR NMR. The average structural parameters obtained from NMR analysis give a brief idea about the nature of feeds used in the FCC units. 29Si MAS, 27Al MAS and 27Al 3QMAS NMR methods are employed to study the structure of fresh and spent catalyst obtained after stripping. Other analytical techniques like HPLC, microcalorimetry, XRD, TGA, IR are used to compliment or augment the inferences obtained from NMR. The changes in structure of catalyst are described in terms of framework Si/Al ratio, the relative distribution of various acid sites (different framework Si atoms) and the changes in their relative populations and changes in unit cell sizes. The variations in structure of two catalysts are correlated in terms of their quadrupolar coupling constant values at the site of octahedral and tetrahedral Al nuclei obtained from the MQMAS studies. The soluble and insoluble coke concentrates are extracted from the spent FCC catalysts by chemical methods and are studied by different NMR techniques. Conventional 1H and 13C NMR is used to derive the average structure of soluble coke. Quantitative data about the insoluble coke aromaticity are obtained from solid state13C SHPE/MAS NMR. The information of protonated and non-protonated carbons are obtained from Dipolar Dephasing (DD) experiments in combination with SHPE/MAS. The compositional variation in the feed and changes in catalyst properties are used to explain the nature and structural differences of the coke

Reactive extraction of non-edible oil seeds for biodiesel production

235-242Biodiesel is one of the potential global liquid transportation fuels that might replace diesel. Government of India had launched a national mission on Biofuels with the aim of achieving a target of 20% blending of biodiesel by 2012. For this purpose, economic and sustainable production of biodiesel is required. This paper studies the reactive extraction of biodiesel from two potential non-edible oil seeds (karanja and simarouba glauca). A statistical study was carried out to determine the influence of operating parameters on the biodiesel yield. The smallest seed size resulted in high biodiesel yield whereas the optimum methanol to oil ratio and catalyst concentration depended on the type of feed. Reaction temperature of 65°C was found to be optimum. The 1H-NMR and gas chromatographic analyses results were comparable. It was found from 1H-NMR analysis that biodiesel produced from reactive extraction of simarouba had better oxidation stability as compared to karanja. </span

Effect of modified shelter arrangements on growth performance, stress and water usage of commercial broilers in hot and humid climate

The current research was conducted to study the effect of modified shelter arrangements on commercial broiler’s performance and water usage in hot and humid climatic regions. Ninety six commercial Vencobb broiler chicks of one week of age were segregated into four groups with three replicates having eight chicks per replicate, viz. TA (asbestos roof as control), TAG (asbestos roof with gunny bags screen), TH (modified asbestos with thatched roof), and THG (modified asbestos with thatched roof with gunny bags as the screen). The overall maximum temperature of the asbestos group’s experimental sheds throughout the trial period was substantially greater than that of the thatch group. Significantly, the highest THI was seen in the TAG shed. The cumulative body weight gain was significantly highest in TH shed. The cumulative FCR and performance indices of the thatched group were found to be significantly better than the asbestos group. The net profit/bird and net profit/kg were better in the TH group. According to behavioural studies, the panting rate rose with age in weeks but was much lower in the thatched group. Serum corticosterone levels were considerably lower in the TH and THG groups than in the asbestos roof groups. In hot and humid locations, modified asbestos with a thatched roof may be suitable for commercial broiler poultry

Blood supply management amid COVID 19 pandemic: Challenges and strategies

Background: Blood supply management amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic became a cause of concern. Blood donations in the pandemic reduced significantly because of travel restrictions and fear of contracting the virus by visiting blood banks. The WHO (World Health Organization), NACO (National AIDS Control Organization) and the SBTC (State Blood Transfusion Council) published guidelines to ensure the safety of blood donors and staff during the pandemic and to ensure correct procedures are followed. The blood centre physicians took measures for appropriate clinical use of blood and blood products, which reduced the number of transfusions and thereby safeguarded the blood supply for those who needed it the most. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, and 33 blood banks from 33 districts of Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with the National Health Mission and NACO. This was a retrospective study from pre-lockdown to lockdown and unlock phases 1 to 5 for nine months (February 2020 to October 2020) from 33 district-level blood centres of Central India, and the study compared the impact on blood supply from pre-pandemic time to the COVID-19 pandemic time. During the stipulated time period of 9 months, which included the pre-pandemic blood supply, the phases of lockdown when Section 144 was imposed in the country and the unlock phases, the management of transfusion services by the district blood banks of Central India during the COVID-19 pandemic was evaluated. The strategies adopted to maintain the blood supply and adequate inventory were studied. Results: The blood donation percentage in the district hospitals of Madhya Pradesh dropped drastically by 61.5% in February 2020 (pre-pandemic time) to 3.35% in April 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic). The nadir of fall in blood donations was seen in April 2020 (phase 1 of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown) with a zenith in February 2020 (pre-pandemic time). The minimum number of donations 8,037 (3.32%) in all 33 districts of Central India was seen in April, when the lockdown restrictions in the country were the strictest. In response to the reduced blood supply, the blood centres adopted strategies to maintain the inventory. Routine requests and inventory were monitored strictly for judicious and rational use of blood and its components. Conclusion: The motivation, dedication and the judicious use of blood products in addition to blood conservation strategies, first-in-first-out policy, maintaining an emergency stock of blood and strict monitoring by blood centre physicians led to the gradual upward trend of blood stocks, and hence blood supply management amid the COVID-19 pandemic could be sustained

Covalently Grafted Graphene Oxide/Poly(C_<i>n</i>‑acrylate) Nanocomposites by Surface-Initiated ATRP: An Efficient Antifriction, Antiwear, and Pour-Point-Depressant Lubricating Additive in Oil Media

Nanocomposites of graphene oxide with polyacrylates with varying numbers of carbon atoms from 10 to 18 were prepared by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP), thereby controlling the density of polymer grafting through regulated molecular weight with narrow polydispersity. The dispersivities of these nanocomposites in oil media depend on the grafted density of polyacrylates on the graphene surface, and the degree of dispersion and stability increase with increasing chain length. After detailed characterization of these nanocomposites, their lubrication properties in terms of antifriction and antiwear behavior in base oil and polyol were evaluated. An optimized loading of 0.04 mg/mL graphene oxide/C₁₈-polyacryalate nanocomposite in base oil and polyol provided improved tribological properties in terms of significant reductions of about 42% and 34% in friction and wear, respectively, as well as an improvement in the pour point, thus qualifying this nanocomposite as a potential antifriction, antiwear, and pour-point-depressant additive for lubricating oils and polyol

Effects of Adsorbate Molecules on the Quadrupolar Interaction of Framework Aluminum Atoms in Dehydrated Zeolite H,Na-Y

The effect of adsorbate molecules on the quadrupolar interaction of framework aluminum atoms with the electric field gradient in dehydrated zeolite H,Na-Y has been studied by 27Al MAS NMR and 27Al MQMAS NMR spectroscopy at magnetic fields of 9.4 and 17.6 T. Upon adsorption of molecules interacting with bridging OH groups by hydrogen bonds (acetonitrile and acetone), the quadrupole coupling constant of framework aluminum atoms was found to decrease from 16.0 MHz (unloaded zeolite) to 9.4 MHz. Adsorption of molecules, which cause a proton transfer from the zeolite framework to the adsorbates (ammonia and pyridine), reduces the quadrupole coupling constant to 3.8 MHz for coverages of 0.5-2 molecules per bridging OH group. The experiments indicate that the quadrupole coupling constant of framework aluminum atoms in dehydrated zeolite H,Na-Y reflects the chemical state of adsorbate complexes formed at bridging OH groups. In agreement with earlier investigations it was found that a proton affinity of the adsorbate molecules of PA ) 812-854 kJ/mol is necessary to induce a proton transfer from the zeolite framework to the adsorbed compounds. This proton transfer is accompanied by a strong improvement of the tetrahedral symmetry of zeolitic framework AlO4 tetrahedra and a decrease of the electric field gradient