Comparison of Serum Biochemical and Mineral Profiles of Cattle Reared Under Island and Coastal Ecosystem

The present study was conducted in the Department of Animal Reproduction Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT, BBSR in collaboration with ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Portblair (Andaman and Nicobar Island). Crossbred cattle with the history of anoestrus and repeat breeding were considered for the present investigation. The basic difference in serum biochemical and mineral profiles of cattle reared under two quite different ecosystems namely Island and coastal ecosystem was estimated which might be due to the variability in rainfall, ambient temperature, day light length and humidity. The incidence of different infertility conditions in both the ecosystems also might vary as per the environment. Serum samples were collected for estimations of biochemical parameters like total protein, glucose, cholesterol, Ca, P and Ca:P ratio. The overall incidence of infertility was recorded to be 47.62 % in island and 45.90 % in coastal ecosystem. No significant difference in serum levels of total protein, glucose, cholesterol, zinc, copper and manganese could be observed in between cattle reared in both ecosystems. It was concluded that the variations in humidity, ambient temperature, rain fall and day light length between Portblair, Andaman and coastal climate of Odisha, did not have much effect on reproduction of cattle

Clinico‑hematological profile and outcome of acute promyelocytic leukemia patients at a tertiary care center in North India.

OBJECTIVES: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is the only acute leukemia amenable to targeted therapy. However, there is limited Indian data on APL. We aimed to analyze data of APL patients treated with all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracycline based chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 34 cases of APL were treated at our center over 4 years. Induction chemotherapy consisted of a combination of ATRA and daunorubicin. RESULTS: Most of our patients were intermediate risk (50%) followed by high risk (41.17%). Induction mortality was 14.7%. We observed a high incidence of febrile neutropenia (91%) and 50% of our patients developed ATRA syndrome. Four patients (11.76%) relapsed during follow‑up (median ‑ 15 months, range: 13‑33 months). There was no correlation between risk status and death or relapse or ATRA syndrome. Median event free survival (EFS) duration was not reached however mean duration was 38.45 ± 3.84 months. Median overall survival (OS) duration was also not reached at 53 months of follow‑up. The 4 year OS and EFS were 75.45% and 64.5% respectively. On multivariate analysis, only disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) significantly correlated with a poor OS and EFS. DISCUSSION: Our data reflects that APL remains a highly curable malignancy with good response to ATRA plus anthracycline based chemotherapy even with a greater number of high and intermediate risk patients. Only DIC during induction chemotherapy bore an impact on survival in our patients.

Stress as a Predictor of Psychological wellness in Old age: an Indian Perspective.

Old age is considered to be the phase of degenerative changes taking place in an individual’s life span. It is one of the different phases of life which is characterized by physical as well as psychological decline. Old age contributes in bringing about a change in individual’s behavior, attitude, intelligence, ability physical capacity etc. Deficiency in either of the form makes a person distressed and unsatisfied. Psychological wellness is a major concept in this direction for each and every individual especially during the old age. The present study was designed to explore the relationship between five areas of stress viz. physical stress, emotional stress, mental stress, spiritual stress and relational stress with the psychological wellness among the healthy Indian elderly couples.Using stress assessment scale the stress reactions of 100 elderly couples aged between 60 to 75 years (N=200) was measured in five domains of stress. Similarly psychological wellness was assessed using psychological wellness scale. Results were consistent with the prior findings in literature. Stress was found to be negatively related with the psychological wellness in elderly couples. However, it was also revealed that physical stress was found to be the most significant predictor of psychological wellness among elderly. The psychological wellness of elderly has been correlated with the severity of stress and its dimensions. Stress has been found to hold a negative relationship with that of psychological wellness in elderly couples. Thus keeping psychological wellness in healthy direction the elderly people should be directed for lessening their stress and maintaining their psychological wellness.

An Experience of Facility-based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children Aged Between 6-59 Months Adopting the World Health Organization Recommendations.

Objective: To study the output indicators of a nutritional rehabilitation center to assess its performance. Methods: Data of 182 children aged between 6-59 months with severe acute malnutrition in a nutritional rehabilitation center were analyzed retrospectively. Identification and treatment of severe acute malnutrition was done according to World Health Organization recommendations. Results: The recovery rate, death rate, defaulter rate, mean (SD) weight gain and mean (SD) duration of stay in the nutritional rehabilitation center were 68%, 2.2%, 4.4%, 13.0 (9.0) g/kg/d, 12.7 (6.8) days, respectively. Conclusion: Nutritional rehabilitation centers are effective in management of severe malnutrition.

Contamination of water due to major industries and open refuse dumping in the steel city of Orissa--a case study.

Contamination of ground water is common in the areas surrounded by industrial refuse dumping sites and the probability of contamination is more where dumping is done in low lying areas and the rate of percolation through the soil is high. In order to assess the ground water pollution by leachate around the refuse dumping site, eighteen wells were selected for study. Few wells are nearer to the dumps, few are far away and others are in between. Also an attempt has been made to evaluate the effect of industrial effluents on the ground and surface water due to Integrated Rourkela Steel Plant and other major industries. From the analytical data of physico-chemical parameters, it is indicated that the river water is contaminated mainly due to the industrial and municipal effluents and the ground water of some of the analyzed areas is contaminated due to municipal and industrial solid waste dumping.

A geometry optimization and molecular electrostatic potential mapping study of structure-activity relationship for some anti-Alzheimer agents.

Molecular geometries of some substituted (pyrroloamino)pyridines which possess anti-Alzheimer activity were optimized and potential-derived CHelpG point charges were computed using ab initio SCF molecular orbital approach employing the 3-21G basis set. AM1 molecular orbital calculations were performed using these optimized geometries and thus optimized Hybridization. Displacement Charges (HDC) combined with Löwdin charges continuously distributed in three dimension were obtained. Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps of the molecules were obtained in two ways: (i) using the HDC-based model with the help of which MEP minima near the molecules were located, and (ii) using the CHelpG point charges, MEP values on the van der Waals surfaces of the molecules were computed. The MEP maps computed using both the methods have negative MEP regions near the pyridine nitrogen atom which appears to be the main binding site of the molecules with the appropriate receptor. Both electrostatic interaction and lipophilic association between these molecules and the receptor appear to contribute to biological activity.

Electric field mapping and structure-activity relationship for cardiotonic activities of medorinone and some of its analogs.

Medorinone 5-methyl-1,6-napthyridin-2(1H)-one and some of its analogs having varying degrees of cardiotonic potency have been studied by molecular orbital and electric field mapping methods. Ground state geometries of the molecules were optimized using the MNDO molecular orbital method. Hybridization displacement charges (HDC) combined with Löwdin charges as well as Mulliken charges were used for electric field mapping around the molecules. Electric fields near the O2 site of medorinone and its analogs correlate well with their observed cardiotonic potencies. This result is in agreement with certain pharmacological models for cardiotonics.

Molecular electrostatic potential mapping and structure-activity relationship for 3-methoxy flavones.

Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps of certain 3-methoxy flavone derivatives having different anti-picornavirus activities have been studied. Geometries of the molecules were optimised and charge distributions computed using the AM1 molecular orbital method. Hybridization displacement charges (HDC) were combined with the Löwdin charge distributions to compute the MEP maps. Reliability of the method of computing MEP maps was tested by studying certain other molecules for which ab initio MEP results are available. The anti-picornavirus activities of the flavones have been shown to be related with negative MEP values in two regions, one near the 3-methoxy group and another in a diagonally opposite region near the substituent attached to the C7 atom of the molecules.

Study of structure-activity relationships for neurotransmitters using molecular electric field mapping: histamine and some of its H2-receptor agonists.

Molecular electric field mapping has been carried out to study structure-activity relationships for neutral and cationic forms of histamine and some of its agonists which are thiazole derivatives. Optimised geometries and Mulliken charges at the atomic sites were obtained using the PM3 method. Electric field values near the N3-H bond in histamine and those near substituents at the C2 position in the agonists have been found to correlate reasonably well with observed activities. Electric fields near the sulphur atom in thiazoles indicate that involvement of this site in hydrogen bonding with the H2-receptor is unlikely.

Cerebral palsy.

In a prospective study it was found that cerebral palsy constituted 0.29% of total paediatric outdoor cases during the study period of 1988-1990. Seventy-five children suffering from cerebral palsy were studied at SN Children Hospital, Allahabad. Male to female ratio was 1:2. There were 42.8% cases who belonged to the age between one and 2 years. Hypertonic cases were predominant over hypotonic cases (3:1). Hemiplegia was commonest (68%) while triplegia was least common (2.7%). There were 24.5% cases who were mentally retarded. Hypertonic cases improved more frequently than hypotonic cases. An early management by paediatric physiotherapy may play an important role in the treatment of cerebral palsy.

Surgical manifestations of ascariasis in childhood.

Amongst 50 patients with surgical complications of Ascaris lumbricoides 35 patients (70%) were treated conservatively and 15 patients (30%) required surgical intervention which included squeezing of worms to distal colon, resection and anastomosis of ileum, appendicectomy and peritoneal lavage. Intestinal perforation was observed in 3 cases. Two patients (4%) died because of postoperative complications. Those presenting with subacute intestinal obstruction had no mortality or morbidity. Although a large number of roundworms were seen in the jejunum, the obstruction was generally observed in the distal ileum.

Interaction of tyrosine with dissolved oxygen in solution and spectroscopic evidence for oscillations.

Electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of tyrosine have been studied, using aqueous solutions containing normal and excess amounts of dissolved oxygen, as a function of time. The absorption and fluorescence intensities are found to oscillate with time. Interaction between tyrosine and oxygen is appreciable but it seems that either the formation of a complex between the two molecules is not favoured, or the process of complexation is very slow and the complex weak.

Spectroscopic evidence for structural oscillations in DNA caused by oxygen.

It has been shown that interaction of dissolved oxygen with DNA in an aqueous solution causes oscillations in the DNA structure and leads to the formation of a loose DNA-oxygen complex. These results have been compared with those obtained with solution of DNA in high salt concentration.

Congenital malformations in the newborn--a prospective study.

In a prospective study of 4098 births the incidence of congenital malformations was 1.464 per 100 births. Major malformations were seen in 1.1% births and minor malformations in 0.4% births. Patterns of congenital anomalies included multiple anomalies (37.68%), CNS malformations (13.33%), alimentary tract anomalies (6.66%), cardiovascular malformations (8.99%), genitourinary malformation (6.66%), limb anomalies (13.33%), and anomalies of skin and appendages (13.33%). Factors like maternal age, hormone testing and drug ingestion during pregnancy, radiation exposure and maternal infections were identified as possible risk factors for congenital malformations in the newborn.