Assessment Of Groundwater Quality - A Case Study

The shortage and contamination of sources of surface water, as well as the increasing demand for agricultural practices, groundwater is important for many domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. Human health and agricultural yields were significantly affected either by quality and concentration levels of groundwater. 25 groundwater samples were used in this study, which has been conducted in five different mandals of the Palnadu region. The samples were obtained from a variety of bore wells using the random sampling method, and the physical and chemical characteristics of water quality parameters were evaluated. The study covered the maximum amount of groundwater in the five mandals of Nuzendla, Vinukonda, Savalyapuram, Romicharla and Ipur as well as the suitable treatment methods for trying to turn the water in to the potable form.

‘A down and out eye’ - A case report of unilateral eccentric proptosis secondary to frontoethmoidal mucocele

Proptosis, the forward protrusion of the eyeball, is a common manifestation of a wide variety of diseases inside the orbit and its spaces. The causes of unilateral proptosis are innumerable and its evaluation requires a multidisciplinary approach. Paranasal sinus mucoceles are epithelium-lined cystic masses usually resulting from obstruction of sinus ostia. The close proximity of paranasal sinus mucoceles to the orbit and skull base predispose patients to significant morbidity. Primary ethmoid mucocele is an uncommon entity, especially in the absence of prior ear, nose and throat complaints, and therefore should remain an important differential when a patient presents with a unilateral swelling causing proptosis. Herein, we report an unusual case of a primary frontoethmoid mucocele in a 35 years old woman who presented with a painless swelling with an obvious displacement of the left eye since 1 year, associated with restriction of ocular movements, thus prompting radio imaging of orbits. The results showed a large well-defined expansile lesion suggestive of Left Eye frontoethmoidal mucocele, prompting an immediate surgical referral.

A rare case of acquired ptosis in a child secondary to Pituitary macroadenoma

Pituitary adenomas are rare neoplasms with a propensity for unusual presentations and an aggressive clinical course. An 8 years old female child presented to Department of Ophthalmology at SVS Medical College and Hospital Mahabubnagar with the chief complaints of mild ptosis of RE since 1month, associated with fever, headache, vomiting and diplopia since 2 days. On ocular examination, BCVA in BE - 6/9 and anterior segment examination suggested RE mild ptosis with hypotropia and adduction restriction. Fundus examination was normal. There was no palpable mass/ bruit in the orbit. MRI revealed lobulated enhancing soft tissue lesion in sella and parasellar region extending into basifrontal region causing pressure over optic chiasm, 3rd ventricle and cavernous sinuses suggestive of pituitary macroadenoma. Hormonal essays revealed elevated prolactin, beta HCG levels and abnormal thyroid profile. On the basis of clinical examination and investigations a clinical diagnosis of pituitary macroadenoma was made. Then the case was referred to department of neurosurgery where transphenoidal resection under GA was planned and after 2days of admission she had a respiratory arrest and could not be resuscitated.

A rare case of acute thyroid eye disease in a young male

Thyroid Eye Disease also known as Thyroid Associated Orbitopathy, Grave’s Disease is typically a self-limiting autoimmune process associated with dysthyroid states usually manifesting in middle age. The clinical presentation may vary from very mild disease to severe irreversible sight threatening complications. Primary risk factors for TED are environmental influences especially smoking, previous pathogen exposures, stress, previous use of radio iodine and complex genetic components. Here we report a case of 25-year-old male who presented to our OPD with complaints of swelling of eyes, photophobia, lacrimation since 3days. Bilateral mild proptosis, severe congestion and conjunctival injection with 20/20 vision in both eyes were noted on examination. Blood investigations showed Eu-clinical Thyroid state whereas MRI Brain and Orbits showed all four Recti muscle belly enlargement. This case emphasizes one of the rare presentations of TED in accordance to Age, Sex and Clinical status of the thyroid.

CRITICAL ISSUES OF STREET GARMENTS VENDORS - A CASE STUDY IN CHITTOOR DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

The street garments vendors are one of the constituent pillars of the giant unorganised workforce. They are the selfemployed category contributing a significant share to the economy of each country. The street garments vendors face many problems in the daily chores of their vending activities. The present study is conducted to examine the problems of street garments vendors in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. Four hundred and fifty samples were drawn from the universe under simple random sampling method. The results show that women are dominating the street vending trades. The major problems include sexual harassment, physical evictions by the enforcement authorities. There is a significant relationship between the problems faced by the respondents and their overall perception about the street garments vendors. The study concludes that the Government of Andhra Pradesh has implemented more than 75 per cent of the provisions of the street garments vendors Act. The study ends with the concluding note that the Street garments vendors Act is to be implemented in letter and spirit to minimise the problems and issues against the street garments vendors in Chittoor District

Attenuation Of Diabetic Nephropathy In Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats By Methanolic Extract Of Bougainvillea Spectabilis Aerial Parts

Diabetic nephropathy has become a leading cause of end stage renal failure worldwide. To develop Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, the present study investigated the protective effects of methanolic extract of Bougainvillea spectabilis (MEBS) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy. In this study, diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 45 mg/kg, i.p.) in rats. STZ diabetic rats were treated with oral doses of MEBS (200 and 400 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. At the end of the experimental period body, kidney weight, blood glucose levels, serum and urine parameters were investigated. Antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxide levels were determined in the kidney along with histopathological examination of the same. MEBS significantly increased body weight, lowered blood glucose levels and ameliorated kidney hypertrophy index in the STZ-diabetic rats. The extract also decreased the levels of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, total cholesterol, triglycerides, advanced glycation end products and albumin in serum and urine, respectively. MEBS significantly increased the antioxidant parameters in the kidney. Histological evaluation revealed that MEBS treated STZ-diabetic rats demonstrated reduced vacuolar degeneration of tubules; periodic acid Schiff base (PAS) positivity staining intensity in glomeruli and basement membrane thickening. Present findings provide experimental evidence that MEBS has potential antioxidant, antihyperglycemic and anti-glycation activities which might be helpful in slowing the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Simultaneous quantification of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and fexofenadine hydrochloride in tablets by liquid chromatography

An accurate and precise liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous estimation of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and fexofenadine hydrochloride in tablets. The chromatographic analysis was performed on XTerra symmetry C8 column [250 > 4.6 mm, 5 u particle size] with mobile phase consisting of methanol and sodium di-hydrogen ortho phosphate buffer [pH 2.8] in the ratio of 60:40 v/v, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and eluents monitored at 219 nm. The calibration curves of peak area versus concentration, which was linear from 20-100 [microg/mL for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and 10-50 microg/mL for fexofenadine hydrochloride, had regression coefficient [r[2]] greater than 0.999. The method had the requisite accuracy, precision, and robustness for simultaneous determination of paracetamol and meloxicam in tablets. The proposed method is simple, economical, accurate, and precise and could be successfully employed in routine quality control for the simultaneous analysis of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and fexofenadine hydrochloride in tablets

Determination of multiclass pesticide residues in mangoes by liquid chromatography –tandem mass spectrometry.

The Development of an analytical method for the determination of 24 multiclass pesticides in mango at the ≤10 ng g-1 level. The method involves extraction of 10 g of homogenized mango samples (2 g of Sodium chloride- +8g of Magnesium sulfate) with 10 mL of Acetonitrile; Clean up by Dispersive solid phase extraction with a combination of primary secondary amine (PSA), graphitized carbon black (GCB) and anhydrous Magnesium sulfate and final estimation by LC-MS/MS with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The mean recoveries were in the range 80-120%. The method quantifies over a linear dynamic range of 10-100 μg/kg. The methodology has been proven to be highly efficient and robust and thus the method is suitable for monitoring the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) compliance of a wide range of pesticides combinations.

Effects of Consanguineous Marriages On Oral And Craniofacial Structures : A Study On Dental Patients In North India.

Background: Consanguinity describes a relationship between two people who share an ancestor, or share blood. These consanguineous marriages are a major risk to the health of offsprings till the extent that they can cause various craniofacial abnormalities, orofacial pigmentations and other abnormal birth defects. We conducted a study on patients visiting a dental college in North India to accesses the possible deleterious effects of consanguineous marriages on oral and craniofacial structures. Methodology: The study group comprised of all the patients visiting outpatient department of Kotiwal Dental college and Research centre, Moradabad in North India from March 2009 to February 2010. 200 patients showed positive history of consanguinity. They were carefully evaluated and all the diagnostic information was noted. Results: 66 out of 200 patients had systemic disorders like cardiovascular, pulmonary and renal disturbances. 56 patients had orofacial manifestations like orofacial pigmentations, craniofacial syndromes and occlusal abnormalities with or without systemic disorders. Conclusion:The prevalence of consanguineous marriages is still high. Consanguineous marriages are a major risk to the health of offsprings till the extent that they can cause various craniofacial abnormalities, orofacial pigmentations and other abnormal birth defects. They increase the autosomal recessive conditions through the expression of recessive deleterious alleles, especially in the offspring of first degree cousins

Prominent Orofacial Findings In Klippel - Trenaunay Syndrome.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome is a triad of congenital anomalies characterized by nevus flammeus, varicosities, and unilateral bony and soft tissue hypertrophy. Orofacial manifestations include facial asymmetry, jaw enlargement, and malocclusions as well as premature tooth eruption. Presented here is an illustrative report of Klippel Trenaunay syndrome in a 30 year old male patient showing all the characteristic findings.

Awareness about the persons with disability act among leprosy patients and other disabled persons.

To assess the level of awareness about the different provisions of the Persons with Disability Act (PWD Act) among leprosy patients and other disabled, 233 disabled persons from the self-help groups formed by Vadathorasalur Leprosy Control Unit have been interviewed using a structured interview checklist. The results show that 74.7% of the respondents were aware that identity cards are available for the disabled, 56.2% were aware of the free education benefit to the disabled, as low as 35.6% were aware of the scholarships, 33% knew about the employment reservations, 24.9% heard about the housing scheme of the government for the disabled, but 24.5% only knew about law against discrimination, 31.8% came in contact with institutions for the severely disabled and only 16% were aware of the unemployment allowance to the disabled. The level of awareness is low among women with regard to all components of the Act. It was found that students studying up to secondary level were not aware of the availability of scholarships and free education, which needs to be seriously looked into, especially by educational institutions. The level of formal education played a significant role in increasing awareness about the Act among literates. The knowledge is low among persons of all occupations. The study showed that there is a great need for an educational intervention programme to publicize the provisions of the Act among the disabled and their families.

Leprosy among adolescents in Kolkata, India.

Leprosy, manifesting during adolescence when significant physical and emotional changes are taking place, poses further stress and strain both on the individual and on the family. Based on hospital records, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, data on 258 adolescent leprosy patients seen at a leprosy referral hospital in Kolkata, India, are presented. The male-female sex ratio was 1.93:1, 56.6% were multibacillary patients and 13.2% had grade 2 disability. At the time of final follow up, 10% of PB and 33% of MB patients had already discontinued treatment. The commonest complication was reaction (14.5%). Adolescents were still dependent on their parents for health matters. Data obtained from questionnaires confirmed the role of social stigma in hiding, delay in starting of MDT and defaulting. Frequent hospital admissions resulted in loss of jobs and disruption of studies and caused psychological disturbances. It is critical to identify and treat adolescent leprosy on a priority basis. Health education and counselling programmes must be more focused and acceptable. Further research is necessary.

Integration of the leprosy programme into primary health care: a case study of perceptions of primary health care workers.

Integration of the vertical leprosy programme into the existing horizontal health programme poses various administrative and operational challenges to programmers. In order to understand the preparedness of the PHC workers for integration of leprosy into primary health care services, 71 PHC workers were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. The results showed that about 42% of the staff have heard of the concept of integration earlier and 90% of the PHC staff are willing to treat leprosy patients in the primary health care centre, but only 72% were in favour of integration. The reasons for favouring integration were (1) wider coverage with MDT, (2) frequent field visits by the worker, (3) better rapport with the community, (4) timely treatment and (5) cost-effectiveness. About 28% of the staff members did not favour integration for the reasons that the leprosy programme would suffer, targets cannot be met, supervision would be difficult, knowledge of the staff was inadequate and importance cannot be given to leprosy as family planning is always a priority in PHC centres. About 43% of the staff felt that the performance of the leprosy programme would be better after integration. With regard to workload, 60% of the sample felt that there would be increase in the workload in the field, record maintenance and supervision. The difficulties foreseen by the workers were grouped into 6 categories, viz., administrative, managerial, technical, personnel, social and miscellaneous. It is worth noting that 91% of the staff that included all categories said they were not afraid of leprosy, but needed training in leprosy work. About 50% of the staff expected increase in salaries and promotions if integration took place.

Community attitude to divorce in leprosy.

Divorcing a leprosy afflicted spouse is one of the manifestations of social stigma attached to leprosy. It mostly depends on the community's decision resulting from the physical and social threat perceived. In order to find out who were prone to divorce their leprosy afflicted spouses, 1199 community members drawn from two States, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, were asked what their advice would be if a spouse of leprosy patient approached them for advice. The responses were cross tabulated against their demographic characteristics. While, only a small proportion of respondents advised divorce in Andhra Pradesh, they were mainly females, above SSC educated, those who did cultivation, labourers and were from poor economic group. On the other hand, in Orissa, a high proportion of the respondents suggested divorce.

Impact of knowledge of leprosy on the attitude towards leprosy patients: a community study.

NLEP, through its survey-education-treatment (SET) pattern, attempts to educate the community members about the scientific facts of leprosy with the view to improve their knowledge leading to a more positive attitude towards the leprosy afflicted. This paper explores the impact of knowledge on the attitudes of 1199 community members drawn from two States, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, towards leprosy. The results show that, overall, a high knowledge level did not necessarily generate positive attitudes. There was a general negative attitude despite 35% to 50% of the respondents having high knowledge level. There were, however, situations in which a high level of knowledge helps to have positive attitudes. These situations differ in the two states studied.

Prevalence of HBsAg & anti-HBs in children & strategy suggested for immunisation in India.

The prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HBs was studied in sera from 982 children of different age groups below 5 yr. HBsAg was detected in 0.9, 2.3, 4.1, 2.3 and 1.6 per cent children of 0-1, 2-6, 7-12, 13-36 and 37-60 months age groups respectively. Anti-HBs in these five groups was noted in 17.0, 12.9, 18.4, 14.2 and 13.7 per cent children, respectively. The findings suggest that the carrier pool is built up in the preschool age group, particularly, below the age of 6 months. Perinatal transmission and the relative role of transplacental need re-evaluation. Cost analysis does not permit inclusion of HBV in the Expanded Programme of Immunisation.

Effect of light on nucleotide modifications in the transfer RNA of cucumber cotyledons.

The effect of light on nucleotide modifications in the tRNA of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. Guntur) cotyledons was studied by chromatographic, electrophoretic and immunological methods. The tRNA from light-grown tissue showed the absence of 2-methylguanosine and a decrease in the relative proportions of ribothymidine and cytokinin-active ribonucleosides when compared to those produced from dark-grown tissue. On the other hand, a significant amount of one species of 2'-O-methyldinucleotide was observed in the tRNA of light-grown tissue which was not detected in the dark-grown tissue. Also, tRNA from light-grown tissue had higher levels of another species of 2'-Omethyldinucleotide. The results showed no difference in the amounts of other modified nucleosides in tRNA between tissues grown under the two conditions. 2'-O-Methyl-lmethyladenosine, a nucleotide modified both in the base and the ribose, apparently specific to plant tRNAs, has been found to be present in the RNA of both light- and dark-grown tissues. These results on the variation in modified nucleotides suggest that light has some role in nucleotide modification and, consequently, in cellular functions.