An efficient protocol for mass multiplication of Centella asiatica (L.) Urban and determination of its phenolic content

The present study was focused on standardizing a protocol for callus induction as well as regeneration in Centella asiatica from leaf and stem as explants. Stem and leaf explants have been inoculated in B5 media supplemented with BAP (0.1-2.5 mg/l), kn (01-04 mg/l) and NAA (0.1-0.5 mg/l), 2, 4-D (0.2mg/l) for callus induction. The combination of BAP and NAA leads to the formation of green, brown, compact and friable calli while Kn and 2, 4-D induced brown calli. Highest shooting was obtained from BAP (1.5 mg/l) and NAA(0.5 mg/l).When the shoots were inoculated in half strength of B5 media fortified with 0.1 mg/l BAP and 0.5 mg/l NAA showed cent percent rooting with the highest number of roots per shoot (11.05 cm) and maximum root length (1.86 cm). Stem showed the best explants for callus induction as compared to leaf explants. A low concentration of plant growth regulators was unable to induced callus response in leaf and stem explants. Phenolic content analysis showed that calluses contain more amounts of phenol (0.81 mg/gmdw) as compared to both leaf (0.63 mg/gmdw) and stem (0.59 mg/gmdw) explants

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of inhabitant PGPR strains of Pseudomonas from apple orchards

Aim of present research was to isolate and characterize the Pseudomonas strains phenotypically and genotypically from the rhizospheric soil of apple orchard at Maggota (Shimla district) Himachal Pradesh. Phenotypic identification of the test isolates was based on morphological, physiological and biochemical characterization of the bacteria followed by genotypic analysis using rRNA gene sequencing and RAPD-PCR analysis. The fourteen Pseudomonas sp. isolates were screened out for various plant growth promoting activities such as siderophore production, antifungal activity, phosphate solubilisation, HCN and ammonia production, production of plant growth regulators and lytic enzymes. Isolates showed production of plant growth regulators (auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins) in the range of 19.67-83.33?g/ml, 21.00-58.67 ?g/ml and 12.33-43.33 ?g/ml respectively. Pseudomonas strains showed phosphate solubilising activity in the range of 12.33-63.33 Pi ?g/ml, 53.66-93.44 % SU siderophore production and 11.33-96.33mm (diameter) protease activity in plate assay. Five Pseudomonas isolates i.e. An-16-kul, An-1-mag, An-2-mag, An-3-mag and An-6-mag showed maximum antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi. Therefore, the aim of present investigation was to study multifarious plant growth promoting qualities of Pseudomonas sp. and to select more efficient PGPR strain of fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. which can be further used as biofertilizer

Changing trends over 5 years in indications of caesarean section as per Robson’s group classification in a tertiary care centre

Background: Caesarean section is the most common obstetric operation that saves lives of countless mother and babies.  However, its inappropriate usage may also be a reason for circumstantial increase in maternal and perinatal morbidities and mortalities. Aim of this study was to examine Changing trends in indications of Cesarean delivery rates based on Robson’s groups classification in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MLN Medical College, Prayagraj over 5-year period. Methods: Our study was a retrospective observational study over 5 years (January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020) period in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SRN Hospital, MLN Medical College, Prayagraj. All women who came to SRNH labor room for delivery during the duration of study. All vaginal deliveries including operative vaginal deliveries and all C section done after 28weeks of pregnancy. Analysis of C section indication according to Robson Classification. Results: There were 10,332 vaginal deliveries and 5306 cesarean deliveries during this 5 year of study period. The 5-year overall CSR of our tertiary care hospital was 33.9 %, which varied from 38 % in 2016 and has steadily fallen to 26.8 % in 2019-2020. Robson’s group one had the maximum number of subjects (n = 3800), out of which 37% (n =1441) had cesarean section followed by group 3, of which, 15 % (n = 546) underwent cesarean section. Conclusions: The ten-group classification relies on well-defined parameters, and it may well be easily applied to the present dataset of 15638 deliveries. It helped to spot the main groups of subjects who contribute most to the overall CS rate. It also aided to identify subgroups which required closer monitoring for in-depth investigation of the indications for cesarean section. It is important to target the first four groups of TGCS which constitute about 75 % of all deliveries

Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding reproductive health among rural and urban adolescent girls

Background: Menstruation is a biological event imbued with social, cultural and personal significance. Due to impact of social media and internet the incidence of indulging in unprotected sexual intercourse and unplanned pregnancies are rapidly increasing among teenagers. Objectives were to assess the knowledge regarding safe sex and contraceptive methods and compare the menstrual and sexual awareness among adolescent girls in rural and urban settings.Methods: The health questionnaire was prepared from WHO adolescent health manual as reference base. The adolescent survey was done.Results: In present study maximum number of girls had attained menarche between 12-15 years in both groups. The study showed lack of menstrual hygiene among rural girls in compare to urban girls where 79% girls use either sanitary pads or cotton and in comparison to urban girls, rural girls had more restrictions in going out.Conclusions: Education regarding proper physiology of menses and there should be open discussion regarding restrictions and taboos related to menses at the school level to minimise the false beliefs

Determinants of maternal near miss at tertiary care hospital: a retrospective study

Background: A woman who experienced a severe complication and she nearly died, but she survived the severe health condition during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum is considered as maternal near miss. The investigation of near miss cases not only gives the superior information about disease burden but also the quality of care received by the mother. Methods: A hospital based retrospective study carried out on 120 pregnant women seeking treatment at the hospital were included in the study. Mothers who met the criteria for maternal near miss were identified by review of records. Results: In the present study, out of the 120 near miss cases studied, 60 (50.0%) cases belonged to the age group 18-24 years which forms about half of the population studied. 38 (31.66%) cases belonged to 25-29 years group, 15 (12.50%) cases in 30-34 years group and 7 (5.83%) cases in 35 years and above age group. Also, 104 (86.66%) cases from rural area whereas only 16 (13.33%) cases came from urban area. Conclusions: In this study, the most common causes of maternal near misses were haemorrhage (48.33%), hypertension (20%), severe anaemia (13.33%), sepsis (10%), cardiac dysfunction (3.33%), renal dysfunction (0.83%), respiratory dysfunction (0.83%) and liver dysfunction (0.83%)

Potential Applications of Immobilized β-Galactosidase in Food Processing Industries

The enzyme β-galactosidase can be obtained from a wide variety of sources such as microorganisms, plants, and animals. The use of β-galactosidase for the hydrolysis of lactose in milk and whey is one of the promising enzymatic applications in food and dairy processing industries. The enzyme can be used in either soluble or immobilized forms but the soluble enzyme can be used only for batch processes and the immobilized form has the advantage of being used in batch wise as well as in continuous operation. Immobilization has been found to be convenient method to make enzyme thermostable and to prevent the loss of enzyme activity. This review has been focused on the different types of techniques used for the immobilization of β-galactosidase and its potential applications in food industry

High order approximation to Caputo derivative on graded mesh and time-fractional diffusion equation for non-smooth solutions

In this paper, a high-order approximation to Caputo-type time-fractional diffusion equations involving an initial-time singularity of the solution is proposed. At first, we employ a numerical algorithm based on the Lagrange polynomial interpolation to approximate the Caputo derivative on the non-uniform mesh. Then truncation error rate and the optimal grading constant of the approximation on a graded mesh are obtained as $\min\{4-\alpha,r\alpha\}$ and $\frac{4-\alpha}{\alpha}$, respectively, where $\alpha\in(0,1)$ is the order of fractional derivative and $r\geq 1$ is the mesh grading parameter. Using this new approximation, a difference scheme for the Caputo-type time-fractional diffusion equation on graded temporal mesh is formulated. The scheme proves to be uniquely solvable for general $r$. Then we derive the unconditional stability of the scheme on uniform mesh. The convergence of the scheme, in particular for $r=1$, is analyzed for non-smooth solutions and concluded for smooth solutions. Finally, the accuracy of the scheme is verified by analyzing the error through a few numerical examples.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures and 7 table