Pulmonary function profile of children with sickle cell disease

Background: Lung disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sickle cell disease (SCD). In view of severe anemia, decreased blood oxygen affinity, pulmonary arterial vaso-occlusion, microinfarction and microfibrosis being associated with sickle cell disease; an analysis of pulmonary function in them will be of great interest.Methods: Seventy 6-12 years old children with SCD (SS pattern) were studied as cases along with age, sex and socioeconomic status matched 70 controls (AA pattern) and comparisons drawn between the two groups.Results: All the static and dynamic pulmonary functions such as FVC, FEV1, MMEFR25-75%, PEFR and MVV were found reduced in sickle cell disease, most of them significantly.Conclusions: Any restrictive, obstructive or combined pattern may be produced in SCD depending upon frequency & severity of the acute chest syndrome and vaso-occlusive crises in past

Drug utilization pattern in sick paediatric patients: analysis for rationality and other aspects

Background: The aim of this research work was to study the drug utilization pattern in the indoor paediatric patients with specific objective to analyse the rationality status of prescriptions and other aspects.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted for a period of 6 months. We analysed 120 prescriptions for the rationality status and different other parameters using Phadke’s criteria and W.H.O. prescribing indicators.Results: In our study out of total 120 prescriptions; 90 were rational followed by semi-rational and irrational. Average number of drugs prescribed was 5.39 drugs per prescription. Out of total FDCs prescribed 30% were irrational. Most commonly prescribed drug was anti-bacterial. Among anti-bacterial, most commonly prescribed anti-bacterial was from the cephalosporin group; which is categorized as “WATCH” category in W.H.O.-EML for children, March 2017.Conclusions: Though the results in present study reflect rational prescribing in pediatric patients in our hospital set up, there is still scope of improvement in prescription habits like avoid prescribing unnecessary drugs and irrational FDCs. There is also need of prescribing by generic names

Production of Biodiesel using waste temple oil from Shani Shingnapur temple (Dist. Ahmednagar), Maharashtra, India using chemical and biological methods

In India, due to various mythological and religious reasons hundreds of devotees pour oil over the idols in Hanuman or Maruti and Shani temples. The oil once poured cannot be reutilized and was ultimately wasted. These waste temple oil from Shani Shingnapurwas used to produce biodiesel. Immobilized Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used to catalyze transesterification of waste temple oil. The cells of P.aeruginosa were immobilized within the sodium alginate. Biodiesel production and its applications were gaining popularity in recent years due to decreased petroleum based reserves. Biodiesel cost formed from waste temple oil was higher than that of fossil fuel, because of high raw material cost.To decrease the cost of biofuel, waste temple oil was used as alternative as feedstock. It has lower emission of pollutants; it is biodegradable and enhances engine lubricity. Waste temple oil contains triglycerides that were used for biodiesel production by chemical and biological method.Transesterification reaction of oil produces methyl esters that are substitutes for fatty acid alkyl biodiesel fuel. Characteristics of oil were studied such as specific gravity, viscosity, acid number, saponification number.Parameters such as temperature,oil: methanol ratio were studied and 88%, 96% of biodiesel yield was obtained with effect of temperature and oil: methanol ratio on transesterification reaction. Withaddition ofNaOH or KOH to fatty acids which formed salt known as soap,which is excellent emulsifying and cleaning agents

Atomic-scale perspective on the origin of attractive step interactions on Si(113)

Recent experiments have shown that steps on Si(113) surfaces self-organize into bunches due to a competition between long-range repulsive and short-range attractive interactions. Using empirical and tight-binding interatomic potentials, we investigate the physical origin of the short-range attraction, and report the formation and interaction energies of steps. We find that the short-range attraction between steps is due to the annihilation of force monopoles at their edges as they combine to form bunches. Our results for the strengths of the attractive interactions are consistent with the values determined from experimental studies on kinetics of faceting.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev B, Rapid Communication

A validation of the Oswestry Spinal Risk Index

Purpose The purpose of this study was to validate the Oswestry Spinal Risk Index (OSRI) in an external population. The OSRI predicts survival in patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). Methods We analysed the data of 100 patients undergoing surgical intervention for MSCC at a tertiary spinal unit and recorded the primary tumour pathology and Karnofsky performance status to calculate the OSRI. Logistic regression models and survival plots were applied to the data in accordance with the original paper. Results Lower OSRI scores predicted longer survival. The OSRI score predicted survival accurately in 74% of cases (p = 0.004). Conclusions Our study has found that the OSRI is a significant predictor of survival at levels similar to those of the original authors and is a useful and simple tool in aiding complex decision making in patients presenting with MSC

Why drug shortages are an ethical issue

Drug shortages are a growing problem in developed countries. To some extent they are the result of technical and organisational failures, but to view drug shortages simply as technical and economic phenomena is to miss the fact that they are also ethical and political issues. This observation is important because it highlights both the moral and political imperative to respond to drug shortages as vigorously as possible, and the need for those addressing shortages to do so in ethically and politically sophisticated ways. This brief article outlines the ethical issues that need to be considered by anyone attempting to understand or address drug shortages

HISTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF TWO MEDICINAL PLANTS IN MAHARASHTRA

The histochemical studies of leaves and wood of Butea monosperma ­Lam and Madhuca indica Gmel. are medicinal important plants in Maharashtra. For histochemical studies the free hand sections of leaves and wood were taken and treated with the respective reagent in localize components, viz. starch, protein, tannin, saponin, fat, glucosides and alkaloids in the tissues. Key words: Histochemistry, starch, protein, tannin, saponin, fat, glucosides and alkaloid

Dense active matter model of motion patterns in confluent cell monolayers

Epithelial cell monolayers show remarkable displacement and velocity correlations over distances of ten or more cell sizes that are reminiscent of supercooled liquids and active nematics. We show that many observed features can be described within the framework of dense active matter, and argue that persistent uncoordinated cell motility coupled to the collective elastic modes of the cell sheet is sufficient to produce swirl-like correlations. We obtain this result using both continuum active linear elasticity and a normal modes formalism, and validate analytical predictions with numerical simulations of two agent-based cell models, soft elastic particles and the self-propelled Voronoi model together with in-vitro experiments of confluent corneal epithelial cell sheets. Simulations and normal mode analysis perfectly match when tissue-level reorganisation occurs on times longer than the persistence time of cell motility. Our analytical model quantitatively matches measured velocity correlation functions over more than a decade with a single fitting parameter.Comment: updated version accepted for publication in Nat. Com

Highway Bridge Monitoring Using Wireless Sensing Network

Day by day the use of various technologies increased tremendously in various applications such as food industry, textile industry, farming sectors and list goes on. The wireless sensor network with GSM is used in large geographical area become cost effective and possible. The wireless sensing network for bridge monitoring is the best example. The 14 people were died and 18 were missing in a horrible incident happened on 3rd march 2016 when bridge on the Savitri river has been collapsed. If the status of that bridge was monitored time to time then this horrible accident could be avoided. Hence, we have developed a system which will continuously monitor the status of the bridge