Role of oral erythromycin for feed intolerance in neonates - A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effect of high and low dose of erythromycin with placebo and to determine the efficacy and safety of oral erythromycin for feed intolerance in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Methodology: The study was a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial. Term and preterm babies having feed intolerance were included in the study, and babies with congenital malformations, necrotizing enterocolitis, and sepsis were excluded from the study. After parental consent, the subjects were randomized into Groups 1, 2, or 3 to receive low-dose (3 mg/kg/dose) or high-dose (10 mg/kg/dose) oral erythromycin estolate or the placebo (equal volume of 5% dextrose). Feeding of all the study neonates was managed as per the unit protocol and babies were monitored for the complications. The primary outcome was the time to reach full feeds of 150 ml/kg/day, without significant gastric residuals. Results: Of 58 eligible babies, 84.5% were preterm babies. The median time for reaching full feeds with placebo was 6 days with interquartile range

Development of an expert system for power quality advisement using CLIPS 6.0

Proliferation of power electronic devices has brought in its wake both deterioration in and demand for quality power supply from the utilities. The power quality problems become apparent when the user's equipment or systems maloperate or fail. Since power quality concerns arise from a wide variety of sources and the problem fixes are better achieved from the expertise of field engineers, development of an expert system for power quality advisement seems to be a very attractive and cost-effective solution for utility applications. An expert system thus developed gives an understanding of the adverse effects of power quality related problems on the system and could help in finding remedial solutions. The paper reports the design of a power quality advisement expert system being developed using CLIPS 6.0. A brief outline of the power quality concerns is first presented. A description of the knowledge base is next given and details of actual implementation include screen output from the program

Dissecting the biochemical and hormonal changes of thidiazuron on defoliation of cotton CO17 (Gossypium hirsutum) to enhance mechanical harvest efficiency

Using chemical defoliants to remove cotton leaves represents a groundbreaking shift in cotton cultivation. The mechanization of cotton harvest is increasing, but a substantial amount of foliage that remains on the plant even at maturity is the major barrier for mechanical harvest. Properly completing mechanical and manual harvests requires artificial leaf detachment through defoliants. Still there is no proper defoliant concentration, application times and mechanism of action available. Therefore, the present study aimed to find an effective defoliant and application time to enhance mechanical harvest efficiency, along with a clear description of the mechanism of actions in cotton CO17 (Gossypium hirsutum). The field experiment was conducted during the year 2019-20 and used five concentrations of Thidiazuron defoliant (100, 150, 200, 250 and 300ppm) and [email protected]% (T2) in cotton variety CO17 to study the physiological, biochemical and hormonal responses at 120, 127 and 134 days after sowing. As a result, the concentrations of plant growth hormones, indole-3 acetic acid (4.9 fold), zeatin (32.7%) and gibberellic acid (7 fold) reduced. In contrast, abscisic acid (48.6%), jasmonic acid (34.9%), salicylic acid (2.15 fold) increased in the T7- Thidiazuron + Diuron (300 ppm) treatment followed by T5-Thidiazuron + Diuron (200 ppm). Additionally, the antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, cellulase in leaves, petiole and bolls were decreased due to defoliant T5- Thidiazuron + Diuron (200 ppm) followed by T7-Thidiazuron + Diuron (300 ppm), indicating that the hormone concentration, antioxidative and hydrolytic enzymes are ruled out and forces the defoliation process.

Salt stress and its impact on rice physiology with special reference to India- A review

With the increasing population, by 2030, the population of India will have seen an unprecedented rise of 1.43 billion and require food grains of around 311 million tones. Of the total area, nearly 5% of the area in India is affected by soil salinity. It is said that about 10% of soil is salinized every year. At this rate, 50% of the land area will be salinized by 2050.These repercussions challenge us to expand the area under cultivation or to increase the yield per unit area to maintain food security and sustainability. In order to meet the growing demands of the increased population, two major approaches can be met. Firstly, the available area under cultivation must be increased, which can be done by the reclamation of various problematic soils and making them suitable for cultivation. The second and holistic approach is to employ various biotechnological and breeding aspects in the development of resistant varieties surviving the harsh and unfavourable environment and showing no subsequent reduction in the yield parameters. For this, one must understand the various physiological aspects of tolerance for screening the elite varieties suited for a particular ecosystem or environment. Thus, the present study vividly explains the various physiological aspects of salt stress on rice. Employing these techniques, one can screen superior genotypes resistant to various stresses, thus keeping the Malthus predictions at bay

Application of defoliants alters leaf growth and gas exchange parameters for cotton defoliation

The goal of the current study was to determine how different chemical defoliants and application timing affected defoliation in cotton variety CO 17. The studies were conducted using a split-plot design with three applications at three different times as the main plot and seven defoliants as the subplot. Thidiazuron + Diuron (0.03%) defoliant reduced the gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance by reducing plant growth parameters, leaf area, leaf area index, specific leaf weight which significantly increased the defoliation percentage. The negative correlation of cotton growth and gas exchange parameters with defoliation percentage was observed in correlation studies. In conclusion, Thidiazuron + Diuron (0.03%) defoliant was found to be superior in action for improving leaf defoliation and its associated parameters. And also it may be a cost-effective cotton defoliant for aiding the mechanical picking of cotton bolls

A double-blind controlled clinical trial to assess the role of anti-histamines in the treatment of multi-bacillary leprosy

A double blind controlled clinical trial to assess the role of antihistamines as a supplement in the treatment of leprosy was conducted in multibacillary cases of leprosy. In all, 120 patients with lepromatous or borderline leprosy were randomly allocated to a regimen of clofazimine and dapsone for 12 months with or without a supplement of pheniramine maleate for the first 3 months. During the 12-month period, 92% of the patients who received the supplement and 86% of the patients who had not received it had moderate or marked clinical improvement. The BI values decreased from 4.1 to 3.4 and 4.2 to 3.3, respectively. The results over the 12-month period showed that the addition of the antihistamine had not enhanced the efficacy of the regimen as evidenced by clinical and bacteriological findings

Postnatal predictors for outcome in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: A singlecenter retrospective cohort study from India

Background: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) has high morbidity and mortality. Many outcome predictors have been tried.Objective: To assess the short-term outcomes of neonates with isolated CDH and find the predictors of outcome. Methods: Neonateswith isolated CDH managed over 12-year period from June 2004 were analyzed. Antenatal counseling, delayed surgery afterstabilization, primary conventional ventilation and rescue high frequency ventilation if needed is the unit protocol. Details onbaseline characteristics, delivery room management, clinical details, ventilation details, management of pulmonary hypertension,inhaled nitric oxide usage, operative details, and post-operative period were noted. Oxygenation index (OI) was calculated, andechocardiography findings on pulmonary hypertension were noted. Outcome predictors were assessed. Results: 40 neonates withisolated CDH were managed during the study period. The mean birth weight and gestation were 37.7±1.55 weeks and 2830±480 g,respectively. The majority of them were intramural and had an antenatal diagnosis. Definitive sepsis, pneumothorax, and severepulmonary hypertension were seen in 10, 9, and 17 neonates, respectively. In 32 neonates, surgical repair was done and 31 (78%)survived at discharge. Median (range) of maximum OI on day 1 was 6 (2.2-39) and 59.9 (7.65-96) for survivors and non-survivors,respectively. Area under the curve (AUC) for OI prediction of survival was 0.94 (confidence interval 0.86-0.99). The adjusted oddsratio for survival, when maximum OI was below 15, was 36.2 (4.6-142). Receiver operating curve showed AUC for OI in predictingsurvival was 0.95 (0.86-0.99). Conclusion: We found 78% survival for isolated CDH neonates using standard protocol and OI is agood predictor for survival

Glucose levels in first 3 days and neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year in low birth weight infants: A cohort study

Background: Definition of neonatal hypoglycemia is still controversial. Objective: To find the effect of blood glucose (BG) levelsin the first 3 days of life, on developmental outcome at 1 year in low birth weight neonates <2000 g. Methods: A prospective cohortstudy was conducted in tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit and follow-up clinic in south India. Intramural neonates admittedfrom September 2009 to August 2010 were enrolled. Perinatal and neonatal variables were recorded. Respiratory support, fluids,and feeding management were based on the standard protocols. BG was measured within 2 h, then 6 hourly for 72 h by glucometerand BG <50 mg% was analyzed by hexokinase method. Infants were followed until 1 year corrected age and development age(DA) assessed by Developmental Assessment Scales for Indian Infants (DASII). Motor and mental DA at various BG levelswere compared. Composite outcome of motor or mental developmental delay; or cerebral palsy or hearing impairment or visualimpairment was analyzed, and logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: The mean birth weight and gestation of the studygroup (n=129) was 1493 g and 32.5 weeks. The 10th centile of BG in the first 72 h was 51 mg%. BG below 10th centile was seen in60 infants. The mean motor and mental DA of the infants by DASII assessment at 1 year was 11.3 and 11.5 months, respectively.The motor DA and mental DA were significantly higher until 50 mg% lowest BG level, and positive correlation was seen (r=0.26motor, 0.2 mental DA). Mean BG level, the presence of symptoms; number of episodes or small for gestation did not influence theDA. The adjusted odds for poor composite outcome when BG was below 51 mg% is 2.83 (0.65-12.3). Conclusion: Even thoughhigh-risk neonates with BG <51 mg% have a lower motor DA and mental DA at 1 year, than neonates with BG >50 mg%; othermorbidities do determine their composite outcome