Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza: Experience from a critical care unit in India

This case series details our experience with seven patients with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza from an intensive care unit in India.All the patients had respiratory failure requiring ventilation except one;two patients developed pneumothorax. Of the seven patients, two died (28.5%) and five recovered. Four patients had co-morbid conditions and one was morbidly obese; all the five patients were discharged alive.     

Evaluation of Polyherbal formulation for Diuretic activity in albino rats

ObjectiveTo investigate the diuretic potential of Polyherbal formulations prepared from the seeds of Vitis venifera, Duranta repens and Centratherum anthelminticum in Albino rats.MethodsDifferent concentrations of Polyherbal formulations (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg), furosemide (10 mg/kg) and vehicle were orally administered to rat (n = 6 animals per group) and their urine output was collected after 24h. The Urinary output, Osmolarity, pH, Na⁺, K⁺ and Cl^? concentrations of urine were estimated.ResultsThe Polyherbal formulations produced significant increase in Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^? excretion, caused alkalinization of urine, showed strong Diuretic index, saluretic index and Natruretic index. All the concentrations of Polyherbal formulation showed dose-dependent relationship when compared to control animals.ConclusionsThese finding strongly suggests that the Polyherbal formulations have a good diuretic activity on rats in the above experimental model.     

Attitudes of ward attendants towards mental illness: comparisons and predictors

BACKGROUND: In India few studies exist that explore attitudes of mental health professionals, especially psychiatric ward attendants, towards psychiatric illnesses. This study aimed to explore attitudes of psychiatric ward attendants since they work closely with psychiatric patients in the hospital ward, and which may differ given their cultural and social background. METHODS: Five hundred psychiatric ward attendants were targeted and a 100 sample size chosen based on systematic random sampling. A control group from guardians attending the outpatient department of Central Institute of Psychiatry was selected using the same methods. Attitudes of both groups were assessed using Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) after written informed consent. RESULTS: There were no significant differences noted in Authoritarianism and Benevolence domains of CAMI. However, there were significant differences in the domains of Social Restrictiveness and Community Mental Health Ideology with psychiatric ward attendants scoring higher than the general attendants. Among the socio-demographic variables, there was significant correlation between age, duration of contact and educational background and various domains of CAMI. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric ward attendants had more positive attitudes than general attendants towards psychiatric illnesses. Socio-demographic variables like older age, higher education and longer duration of contact with the psychiatrically ill predicted more favourable attitudes.     

Decompressive craniectomy: an effective but underutilized option for intracranial pressure management

Introduction

Decompressive Craniectomy is an effective option in the management of intractable intracranial hypertension.

Aim and objectives

Neuronal conservation can be achieved by aggressive decompression (hemicraniectomy).

Material and methods

In this series 12 patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or <8 with increased intracranial pressure underwent decompressive hemicraniectomy.

Results

The outcomes were prospectively evaluated. Eight patients were victims of traumatic brain injury. There were two patients who had suffered malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarctions, one patient had a cerebral venous thrombosis and one, an intracerebral hematoma. Four patients in this cohort died, while five had good outcomes.

Conclusion

The rationale and role of this relatively easy but underutilised procedure are discussed.     

Genotypic and phenotypic diversity of Anabaena isolates from diverse rice agro-ecologies of India

The genus Anabaena is one of the commonly observed genera in the rice fields in South-east Asia. Diversity analyses of a set of 70 Anabaena strains (including 67 strains isolated from diverse rice agro ecologies of India, and three International Reference/Type strains), was carried out using morphological and molecular datasets. The pattern of growth in liquid and solid medium and microscopic observations revealed tremendous diversity in the Anabaena germplasm analysed. The species wise distribution in different soil types and soil pH revealed that Anabaena iyengarii was present at pH ranging from 5.5-8.5 and all the species of Anabaena except A. oscillarioides were present in alluvium soils. Molecular profiling using primers based on HipTG, STRR(mod) and STRR1A sequences generated specific fingerprints for individual isolates. STRR1A was observed to be the most informative and useful for differentiating the isolates. Analyses of a combined dataset, including both morphological and molecular data, proved highly effective in discerning the genetic relationships among the 70 Anabaena strains. The present study provided useful information for the development of a comprehensive database based on the distribution of Anabaena strains in diverse agro ecologies of India and identified useful primers for PCR based differentiation of isolates.     

Phytochemical and Morphological Traits of Ginger Cultivars are Modulated by Agro-Climatic Conditions

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - In the present work, three promising ginger cultivars, Suprabha, Suravi and Varada, were cultivated in nine...     

Managing urethral injuries in suburban India—general surgeon's perspective

Although, urethral injuries are relatively uncommon, their incidence has been increasing due to increasing incidence of road traffic accidents. Initial management of urethral injury depends upon the degree and location of the injury, patients'' haemodynamic status, and any associated injuries. Besides these factors, availability of clinical infrastructure and clinical expertise also play a significant role in making appropriate management decisions at the time of injury.Key Words: haematuria, pelvic injury, urethral disruption, urethral injury, urethral stricture, urethral trauma     

Persistence of Acephate and Cypermethrin on Cotton Leaves,Cottonseed, Lint and Soil

Following foliar applications of combination formulation (cypermethrin 5% + acephate 45% DF) at 850 and 1,700 g ha(-1), resulting in active application of acephate at 382.5 and 765 g a.i. ha(-1) whereas active application of cypermethrin at 42.5 and 85 g a.i. ha(-1), the average initial deposits of acephate on cotton leaves were found to be 13.45 and 27.73 mg kg(-1), at single and double the doses of application, respectively. Residues of acephate declined below detectable level of 0.02 mg kg(-1) after 15 days of applications at application rates with t ((1/2)) values of 1.56 and 0.68 days, respectively. Similarly, the average initial deposits of cypermethrin were found to be 22.31 and 32.45 mg kg(-1), respectively. Cypermethrin residues reached below its detectable level of 0.02 mg kg(-1) after 21 days of its application at both the dosages of application. The half-life values for cypermethrin were observed to be 0.71 and 0.69 days, corresponding to single and double the dose of application, respectively. Interestingly, none of the samples of cottonseed, lint and soil showed presence of acephate or cypermethrin at the detection limit of 0.02 mg kg(-1) at first pick of the harvest time of the crop.     

Dissipation Kinetics of Propargite in Brinjal Fruits Under Subtropical Conditions of Punjab,India

Residues of propargite were estimated in brinjal fruits by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) following single application of Omite 57 EC @ 570 and 1140 g a.i./ha. The average initial deposits of propargite were observed to be 0.51 and 0.92 mg/kg, respectively, which were below its maximum residue limit (MRL) of 2 mg/kg. The residue levels of propargite dissipated below limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.02 mg/kg after 10 days at both the dosages. The half-life values (T_1/2) of propargite were worked out to be 3.07 and 3.54 days, respectively, at recommended and double the recommended dosages. A waiting period of one day has been suggested for the safe consumption of brinjal fruits to avoid any health hazards.     

Mammary tumor induction in ACI rats exposed to low levels of 17beta-estradiol

Animal models play a major role in understanding the etiology, molecular mechanisms, strategizing intervention and treatment of human diseases. ACI, an inbred line derived from August and Copenhagen strains, is unique for its susceptibility to estrogen-induced mammary tumors. Histologically and in many molecular aspects, the tumors formed in these rats are similar to human breast cancers. Previous studies have shown high mortality and significant weight loss in this model associated with pituitary gland abnormality. We hypothesized that this could be due to overwhelming the biological system with estrogen. Three groups of female ACI rats (7-8 weeks) received either 3-cm sham silastic implants, or the conventional 3-cm silastic implants containing 27 mg of 17beta-estradiol, or 1.2-cm silastic implants containing 9 mg 17beta-estradiol. The sham and 3-cm implant rats were euthanized at 180 days while the 1.2-cm implant rats were euthanized at 240 days. The 1.2-cm implants resulted in significantly reduced serum estrogen levels and pituitary gland size. Animals with 1.2-cm implants had 100% tumor incidence, while not all rats developed tumors with 3-cm implants. Both the tumor burden (from 1,011+/-402 to 2,324+/-454 mm(3); p=0.01) and tumor multiplicity (from 5.78+/-1.4 to 7.6+/-1.04) increased by lowering the estrogen dose, and the inter-animal variability in the tumor indices decreased. Finally, the weight of the pituitary gland was also significantly (p=0.0004) reduced (from 178+/-23.5 mg to 80+/-8.9 mg) and the mortality rate decreased from 42% to 0% (p=0.01). Our data indicate that the improvised model will provide valuable insights into the molecular alterations in the estrogen-induced mammary tumorigenesis and will be ideal for inhibition studies.