Analysis of Psychosocial Impact on Health Care Workers and General population of India during COVID 19 Pandemic using HAM-A scale.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The frequency of outbreaks, pandemics is increasing across the globe which can be probably due to increased medical tourism, expansion of international exchange, travel and global warming. COVID-19 outbreak spread across the world within a few months of initiation from Wuhan City of China and affected all the countries across the globe except Antarctica. From the psychopathological view, this current COVID -19 is a stressor, trauma or stigma for health care workers as well as general population. Mental health and psychosocial consequences of COVID 19 has a serious impact on various categories of people : a) those directly involved with viral overload b) health care workers c) general population who are following social media d) quarantined individuals and their family members. The aim of our study was to determine the unforeseen psychosocial impact of COVID 19 pandemic on mental status of health care workers and general population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross sectional online survey using an anonymous questionnaire using snowball sampling strategy was done. The study included 480 respondents, out of which 197 were health care workers and 283 were general population. The participation was totally voluntary. Data collection took place over fifteen days .We included additional questions which were related to COVID-19 outbreak. The structured questionnaire used, consisted of questions that covered several areas. Anxiety level was assessed based on Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale ranging from 0-4 , consisted of 14 items. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: According to Hamilton anxiety rating scale it was seen that out of 197 health care workers, 27% had mild anxiety (<17), 18.7% had mild to moderate (18-24), 17.7% had moderate to severe (25-30), and 35.5% had very severe(>31). Out of 283 respondents representing general population, 26.14% had mild anxiety (<17), 17.31% had mild to moderate (18-24), 19.08% had moderate to severe (25-30), 37.45% had very severe(>31). The two groups were analyzed statistically, Z test applied between the two groups and it was found that the difference between the mean was found to be statistically significant with p value < 0.0001. The confidence interval was kept at 95%. Concerns about one's own health and that of their beloved ones (particularly elderly or suffering from any physical illness), as well as uncertainty about the future, can generate or exacerbate fear, depression, and anxiety.

Prognostic significance of tumor volume as determined on 3D ultrasound scan in uterine cervix cancer treated by radiotherapy.

AIMS: The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate prognostic significance of tumor volume determined by three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound scan in uterine cervix cancer patients treated by radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 67 patients of Stage IB2-IIIB were studied and analyzed. Cervical tumor volume was determined by 3D ultrasound scan. Two groups were made on the basis of volume on ultrasound scan (Group 1 <40 cc = 36 and Group 2 >40 cc = 31). Both groups received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and intracavitary radiation therapy (ICRT). Cisplatin 40 mg/m 2 every week was given concurrently with external irradiation. Tumor volumes were taken by 3D USG every week during EBRT, after each fraction of ICRT, and after 8 weeks of completion of treatment. Primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS), and secondary endpoints were 5-year survival and toxicities. RESULTS: After 2 months of completion of treatment, 1 out of 36 patients of Group A was having residual and 7 out of 31 of Group B were having residual diseases (P = 0.034). DFS and 5-year survival were significantly different in the groups (log rank test P = 0.0014, hazard ratio (HR) =2.3622 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3090-4.2625 and P = 0.0421, HR = 1.9274 95% CI 0.9998-3.7156, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound is a cheap, simple, and useful in predicting the outcome of treatment and DFS based on the tumor volume.

Impact of antifungals producing rhizobacteria on the performance of Vigna radiata in the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that produce antifungal metabolites are potential threats for the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi known for their beneficial symbiosis with plants that is crucially important for low-input sustainable agriculture. To address this issue, we used a compartmented container system where test plants, Vigna radiata, could only reach a separate nutrient-rich compartment indirectly via the hyphae of AM fungi associated with their roots. In this system, where plants depended on nutrient uptake via AM symbiosis, we explored the impact of various PGPR. Plants were inoculated with or without a consortium of four species of AM fungi (Glomus coronatum, Glomus etunicatum, Glomus constrictum, and Glomus intraradices), and one or more of the following PGPR strains: phenazine producing (P(+)) and phenazine-less mutant (P(-)), diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) producing (G(+)) and DAPG-less mutant (G(-)) strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens, and an unknown antifungal metabolite-producing Alcaligenes faecalis strain, SLHRE425 (D). PGPR exerted only a small if any effect on the performance of AM symbiosis. G(+) enhanced AM root colonization and had positive effects on shoot growth and nitrogen content when added alone, but not in combination with P(+). D negatively influenced AM root colonization, but did not affect nutrient acquisition. Principal component analysis of all treatments indicated correlation between root weight, shoot weight, and nutrient uptake by AM fungus. The results indicate that antifungal metabolites producing PGPR do not necessarily interfere with AM symbiosis and may even promote it thus carefully chosen combinations of such bioinoculants could lead to better plant growth.

Antimycobacterial serratamolides and diacyl peptoglucosamine derivatives from Serratia sp.

The cyclodepsipeptide serratamolide A ( 1) and five closely related compounds together with three new glucosamine derivatives were isolated by bioactivity-guided chromatography from the XAD adsorber resin extract of a Serratia sp. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by 2D NMR and MS analyses. In addition to the known serratamolide A ( 1) with two C 10 alkyl chains, its derivatives always contained one C 10 chain combined with either C 12:1, C 12, C 11, C 9, or C 8 chains. The glucosamine derivatives contained a common core consisting of an N-butyl-alpha-glucopyranosylamide, which was acylated at the C-1 oxygen with valine. The differences between the derivatives arise from the nature of the acyl groups attached to the N-terminus of valine, which were identified as the linear fatty acid moieties C 16:1, C 15, or C 14. Each compound was present in two isomeric forms arising from racemization of the valine moiety. All compounds showed antibiotic activity against Mycobacterium diernhoferi and other rapidly growing mycobacteria.