Evincement of Custom Conflicts in Interstates Nuptials Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States

In modern age custom conflicts is the cause of various hazardous problems taking place in contemporary society. The purpose of the present research paper is to portrait the evincement of custom conflicts in Inter states nuptials through Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States or the Story of My Marriage. India is a secular country where people following different custom reside. These distinct cultures and customs prevailing in India somewhere create differences in opinion. Bhagat is known youth’s icon for dealing modern issues in his writing, and as a famous screen writer of contemporary age for film adaptations. He has presented a realistic portraiture of custom conflict between two contrary states Delhi and Tamil. In India inter religion marriage are not accepted, if there is the matter of interstate nuptials love birds have to face great obstacles to win their parents and relatives consent. Bhagat has given an autobiographical touch to this novel. He has portrait a vibrant view of custom conflict and diversities

Ecobiology of coal mines and spoils

Coal is an important non-renewable source of energy, which is being constantly used by mankind for various purposes. Coal mining activities affect the surrounding ecosystem by contaminating it with traces of toxic metals, which may accumulate and affect the diversity and abundance of biological communities. A number of microorganisms, such as, filamentous fungi, yeasts and bacteria are known to degrade coal by their enzymatic action and use it as the sole source of carbon. In addition, the indoor environments of coal mines possess bioaerosols, which may include living or dead allergens, pathogenic or non-pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, mycotoxins, bacterial endotoxins, peptidoglycans, etc., that may cause skin, respiratory tract and other health problems. This article throws light on the impact of coal mining on the surrounding ecosystem, degradation of coal by the microbial inhabitants and their effects on the health of miners

Cannabinoids and their medicinal potential

Cannabis sativa L preparations have been used therapeutically since many years. Inspite of their medicinal value, the danger of its abusive potential led to the ban on its use in clinical practice in many countries. The recent research and in depth knowledge about the cannabinoid system which throw a light on their disease management potential has paved way for the cannabinoids to become a new therapeutic focus of attention. Cannabinoids are a group of compounds that mediate their effects through cannabinoid receptors which include CB1, predominantly expressed in the brain and CB2 which is primarily found in the cells of the immune system. Despite the addictive properties of cannabis, the therapeutic value of cannabinoids is too high to be put aside. Numerous diseases such as anorexia, pain, inflammation, obesity, cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, hepatic disorders, skin related diseases, respiratory disorders like asthma and eye diseases like glaucoma have suggested cannabinoid agonists/ antagonists/ cannabinoids related compounds as potential treatment options.  Developments of new specific ligands for the cannabinoid receptors are now underway and it needs to be seen, if in future, they can prove to be a boon for the medical world. The paper reviews the current understanding of the cannabinoid receptors, their ligands and their possible role in various diseases supported by preclinical and clinical studies

Correlation and path analysis between yield and different morphological characters in Kinnow Mandarin (C. Noballis × C. Deliciosa)

A study of interrelationship and cause-effect analysis of yield of Kinnow Mandarin (C. Noballis × C. deliciosa) and its component traits for 104 and 96 trees from Indora (Location L-1) and Indpur (Location L-2) blocks of Kangra district respectively had been done in 2014-15. F-test suggested that there was significant (1.47) variation among yield characteristics between these two locations except for fruit weight (gm) and LD ratio. Results obtained from path coefficient analysis, showed that for location L-1, number of fruits per branch (0.229), plant height (0.215) and tree girth (0.212) had highest and direct effect on yield per tree whereas for location L-2, fruit weight (0.38), number of flowers per branch (0.176) and plant girth (0.161) had highest direct effect on yield per plant. Thus, number of fruits per branch, number of flowers per branch and tree girth were the most important yield components of kinnow crop which should be exploited through a breeding programme for improving its yield potential

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of dengue in factory workers of Amritsar, Punjab

Background: Dengue, a mosquito borne, arboviral disease has become a major cause of health concern in the recent times throughout the world. In India, we have been witnessing annual outbreaks for the past few years and lack of knowledge about prevention and treatment of dengue among majority of the population leads to increased mortality. Apart from Delhi, many cases of dengue have been reported from Punjab. In spite of this fact, very few studies have been done to know about the knowledge of people regarding dengue fever and whether proper preventive measures are being practiced by the community to limit its spread. The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude & practices (KAP) regarding dengue in factory workers in Amritsar, Punjab.Methods: The present study was conducted among 162 factory workers of old focal point area of Amritsar in the month of November, 2015. Pre validated, self-structured questionnaires were distributed among the workers after explaining them about the purpose of the study. The questionnaire was also typed in the vernacular language (Punjabi) for the ease of the participants. A written informed consent was obtained from them. The data collected was compiled and analyzed in a pre-structured format.Results: Among 162 workers enrolled for the study, 98.6% were literate and majority (99.4%) had heard about dengue fever. Almost everyone (98.8%) was aware that it is caused by the bite of a mosquito. The major sources of information were television (54.9%) and newspaper (30.9%). High fever was the most common sign and symptom (49.4%) mentioned by the workers. Only 30.9% respondents knew that aspirin should be avoided in a dengue patient. Many workers (94.4%) were aware that standing water can be a common breeding place for the mosquitoes but still, regular cleaning of coolers or water containers was not practiced by all.Conclusions: The present study shows that literacy status of an individual is not associated with adequate knowledge and its application. The study population had insufficient information about dengue while the preventive measures which were known to them for limiting the spread of dengue was not satisfactorily practiced. We as health care professionals should undertake more of these studies to know about the knowledge status of the community and hold health awareness camps. The government should also adopt frequent measures to spread such information through television, newspapers, posters and campaigns

Comparison of awareness, attitude and use of non-prescription drugs among medical and non-medical undergraduates: a questionnaire based study

Background: The use of non-prescription drugs for self-treatment of common ailments is becoming increasingly popular in our society. Trends in the use of non-prescription drugs is expected to vary among medical students and the general population, as medical students have more knowledge about drugs and an easy access to them. In the present study we have done a comparison regarding the awareness, attitudes and use of over the counter drugs among medical and non-medical undergraduates to evaluate these parameters.Methods: A total of 139 third year medical students and 101 non-medical students were included in our study. An anonymous, pre-validated questionnaires containing questions about their knowledge, attitude and perception of non-prescription drugs were filled by them. The data collected was compiled and analyzed by frequency analysis and percentages.Results: Majority of the medical (99.3%) and non-medical students (95.1%) had purchased non-prescription drugs from either a local pharmacy (83.4%, 61.4% medical & non-medical students respectively) or from seniors, friends & family members (18% medical & 18.8% non-medical students). The commonest indication for self-medication in both the groups was cough & cold (80.6% medical & 55.4% non-medical group) followed by fever in medical students (77.7%) and headache in non-medical students (39.6%). Antipyretics (66.9%) in medical students and analgesics (39.6%) in non-medical students were the commonest drug groups used. The medical students preferred to buy brand drugs (47.5%) as compared to generic drugs (26.6%) while the non-medical students had no preference (48.5%) about the form of drugs. About 57.6% medical and 61.4% non-medical students never experienced any side effect with over the counter drugs. Many medical (57.5%) and non-medical (40.6%) students supported the sale of non-prescription drugs for minor ailments.Conclusions: There is an increasing trend of self-medication among the youth today. Medical students have a better access to such drugs hence are expected to self-medicate more. But the easy availability about drug information on the internet and their unrestricted supply in the pharmacies are escalating the practice of self-medication among the general population too. It therefore becomes imperative to create awareness against the injudicious use of over the counter drugs without a valid medical prescription to promote rational drug use

Student feedback on teaching-learning methodology and evaluation methods in pharmacology

Background: Pharmacology as a medical subject undergoes constant update and thus is ever expanding. Periodic review of the teaching-learning tools along with the evaluation methods and then improvisation of the same to make the curriculum effective as well as student friendly can help in making the medical student grasp the difficult subject easily. The present study was undertaken to get the students’ feedback regarding the various teaching methodologies used in the Department of Pharmacology and the evaluation techniques to assess them.Methods: A prevalidated and anonymous questionnaire was given to the second professional MBBS students at the end of their session. The questionnaire had both closed ended and open ended questions. The data were compiled and evaluated as counts and percentages. Approval was taken from Institutional Ethics Committee.Results: About 57.9% students found the subject useful and interesting and the most common topics of interest among the students were general pharmacology (29.5%), cardiovascular system (17.9%), and autonomic nervous system (15.8%). Interactive lectures, audio-visual aids with demonstrations and tutorials were considered the most interesting method of learning pharmacology (42.1%, 31.6%, and 31.6%, respectively). The majority of the students (61%) wanted clinical case studies to be incorporated in the routine teaching of pharmacology for better understanding and better correlation of drugs used in diseases. The best method of evaluation according to the students was a combination of written and viva exam (51.6%), followed by written class test only (33.7%), and tutorials (22.1%). The suggestions about improvement in pharmacology teaching which were highlighted by the students were inclusion of clinical case studies with drug management, incorporation of multiple choice questions, and computer simulations.Conclusion: It is important to take regular feedbacks from the students to make the teaching more useful and interesting so that synchronization between teaching-learning, evaluation and assessment can be achieved for improved outcome

STUDY ON SERUM LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE LEVEL IN PRECANCEROUS, CANCEROUS, AND HEALTHY SUBJECTS

Objective: Present study was carried out to evaluate the serum level of lactate hydrogenase enzyme in normal, precancerous, and cancerous subjectsindependently, to probe into the possible interrelationship among them, by utilizing biochemical parameter as an adjunct or solely to diagnose themalignant condition.Methods: The study was carried out to evaluate the role of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a biochemical parameter in the oral premalignantand malignant and normal subjects. Estimation of LDH was carried out by spectrophotometric method of Wroblewski and LaDue. Statistical analysiswas done using Student's t-test.Result: An increased level of LDH was found in serum in patients with oral premalignant and malignant lesions. Moreover, the raised level of LDH hada positive correlation with the histologic grading.Conclusion: Serum LDH in normal subject is 338.82 WL unit /ml. However the mean LDH value increases to 485.66 in premalignant lesion and to762.72 WL unit /ml in malignancy. Thus we conclude that serum LDH level increases in premalignant lesion and malignancy.Keywords: Lactate dehydrogenase, Leukoplakia, Oral cancer

Extraction, Phytochemical Screening and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Roots of Dactylorhiza hatagirea

The present work showed phytochemical screening, anti-inflammatory activities and sub-acute toxicity of hydro-ethanolic extract of roots of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. hatagirea) and rhizomes of Curcuma angustifolia (C. angustifolia). The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by Carrageenan-Induced Rat Paw Edema method. Acute toxicity of the extract (2000 mg/kg) was examined in Swiss albino mice for 14 days. Qualitative analysis of various phytochemical constituents and quantitative analysis of total phenolics and flavonoids were determined by the well-known test protocol available in the literature. Quantitative analysis of phenolic and flavonoids was carried out by Folins Ciocalteau reagent method and aluminium chloride method respectively. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids. The total phenolics content of roots of Dactylorhiza hatagirea and rhizomes of Curcuma angustifolia extract was (0.675, 0.456mg/100mg), followed by flavonoids (0.832, 1.091mg/100mg) respectively. Hydro-ethanolic extract up to 2000 mg/kg did not produce any toxic effects. The hydro-ethanolic extract of Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Curcuma angustifolia (100 and 200 mg/kg) inhibited the inflammation induced by carrageenan in rats in a dose dependent manner. After anti-inflammatory activity tablet formulation was prepared of the extract and evaluated as per IP.  The hydro-ethanolic extract of Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Curcuma angustifolia possesses a strong anti-inflammatory activity and may be considered an interesting source of effective anti-inflammatory compounds. Keywords:   Sub-acute toxicity, anti-inflammatory effect, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Curcuma angustifolia, Herbal tablet formulatio