A lattice Boltzmann model for reactive mixtures.

A new lattice Boltzmann model for reactive ideal gas mixtures is presented. The model is an extension to reactive flows of the recently proposed multi-component lattice Boltzmann model for compressible ideal gas mixtures with Stefan-Maxwell diffusion for species interaction. First, the kinetic model for the Stefan-Maxwell diffusion is enhanced to accommodate a source term accounting for the change in the mixture composition due to chemical reaction. Second, by including the heat of formation in the energy equation, the thermodynamic consistency of the underlying compressible lattice Boltzmann model for momentum and energy allows a realization of the energy and temperature change due to chemical reactions. This obviates the need for ad-hoc modelling with source terms for temperature or heat. Both parts remain consistently coupled through mixture composition, momentum, pressure, energy and enthalpy. The proposed model uses the standard three-dimensional lattices and is validated with a set of benchmarks including laminar burning speed in the hydrogen-air mixture and circular expanding premixed flame. This article is part of the theme issue 'Progress in mesoscale methods for fluid dynamics simulation'.

Adenovirus 36 improves glycemic control and markers of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. While the causes of AD are unclear, several risk factors have been identified, including impaired glycemic control, which significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline and AD. In vitro and in vivo studies show that human adenovirus 36 (Ad36) improves glycemic control by increasing cellular glucose uptake in cells, experimental animal models and in humans who are naturally exposed to the virus. This study, tested improvement in glycemic control by Ad36 and delay in onset of cognitive decline in APPswe transgenic mice (Tg2576 line), a model of genetic predisposition to impaired glycemic control and AD. Three-month old APPswe mice were divided into Ad36 infected (Ad36) or mock infected (control) groups and baseline glycemic control measured by glucose tolerance test (GTT) prior to infection. Changes in glycemic control were determined 10- and 24-week post infection. Serum insulin was also measured during GTT. Cognition was determined by Y-maze test, while motor coordination and skill acquisition by rotarod test. Glycemic control as determined by GTT showed less deterioration in Ad36 infected mice over time, accompanied by a significant attenuation of cognitive decline. Analysis of brain tissue lysate showed significantly reduced levels of amyloid beta 42 in Ad36 mice relative to control mice. Golgi-Cox staining analysis also revealed reduced dendritic spines and synaptic gene expression in control mice compared to Ad36 infected mice. This proof of concept study shows that in a mouse model of AD, Ad36 improves glycemic control and ameliorates cognitive decline.

Surveying Indian gay men for coping skills and HIV testing patterns using the internet.

BACKGROUND: Surveying vulnerable and incarcerated populations is often challenging. Newer methods to reach and collect sensitive information in a safe, secure, and valid manner can go a long way in addressing this unmet need. Homosexual men in India live with inadequate social support, marginalization, and lack legal recognition. These make them less reachable by public health agencies, and make them more likely to continue with high-risk behaviors, and contract human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIMS: To understand coping skills and HIV testing patterns of homosexual men versus heterosexual men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An internet based study using a secure web platform and an anonymised questionnaire. The brief COPE Inventory was used to assess coping styles. RESULTS: A total of 124 respondents were studied. Homosexual men used negative coping skills such as behavioral disengagement and tested for HIV significantly more often than heterosexual men. Heterosexual respondents used positive coping skills more often. The most commonly used coping skill by heterosexual men was instrumental coping and by homosexual men was acceptance. DISCUSSION: Overall, homosexual men used negative coping mechanisms, like behavioral disengagement more often. The Indian family structure and social support is probably responsible for heterosexual men's over-reliance on instrumental coping, while resulting in disengagement in homosexuals. CONCLUSION: The lack of legal and social recognition of homosexuality has negatively impacted lives of gay men in India. This is strongly linked to harmful psychological and public health implications for HIV prevention and mental health for homosexual men.

Liaison psychiatry and Indian research.

Liaison in Psychiatry refers to the branch of Psychiatry involving assessment and treatment in the general hospital of referred patients, like in the casualty, or patients of deliberate self farm. The Indian scene also reveals major reference from medicine, surgery, surgical super specialty and orthopedics with psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression and / or organic brain syndromes seen in about 40 to 50 % of the medical or surgical patients. Though the Indian published data is limited, most tertiary hospitals in India carry out liaison work with various departments like Neurology, Organ transplant, Intensive Care Units and Cosmetic Surgery, so as to give comprehensive health services to patients. Liaison in Psychiatry has thus brought the emphasis on the teaching of psycho-social aspects of medicine and also increased research possibilities.

Outcome following conservative treatment of metacarpophalangeal collateral ligament avulsion fractures of the finger.

Avulsion fractures of the metacarpophalangeal joints are uncommon and there are few reports on their outcome after conservative treatment. We treated seven such patients with fracture fragment sizes between 10% and 25% of the width of the articular surface on the radiograph by early active mobilisation in neighbour strapping. The outcome of treatment was assessed at a mean follow-up of 57 (range 8-94) months. The mean visual analogue pain score was 0.6 (range 0-2) and the mean visual analogue function score was 9 out of 10 (range 6-10). The mean DASH score was 3.1 (range 0-12.5). All but one patient had normal grip strength and a full range of finger movement. We believe that the majority of avulsion fractures of the metacarpophalangeal joint can be managed successfully without surgery.

Pressure sore prevention in hospital patients: a clinical audit.

Pressure sores cause significant mortality and morbidity as well as being a financial burden on health-care services. Reduction of pressure sore incidence is a Department of Health priority. Pressure sores are accepted as largely preventable complications of illness and disability and the means to achieve prevention are available. The aim of this clinical audit was to identify potential contributing factors to pressure sore acquisition in an acute hospital setting. The results suggest that substantial changes in the approach to clinical management may be needed.

Human obese gene: molecular screening in Japanese and Asian Indian NIDDM patients associated with obesity.

The mouse obese (ob) gene has recently been isolated through the positional cloning technique and has been proved to result in the obese and NIDDM phenotype in mice when mutated (Nature 372:425-432, 1994). More recently, it has been demonstrated, by experiments with recombinant ob protein, that ob gene product can cause mice, including ob/ob mice, diet-induced obesity mice, and normal mice, to lower their food intake and body weight (Science 269:540-549, 1995). To investigate the genetic and/or environmental influences underlying the development of NIDDM associated with obesity, we isolated and partially sequenced the human obese (OB) gene. The human OB gene isolated in this study encoded 167 amino acids and its open reading frame was revealed to be divided into two parts with an intermediate intron of approximately 2.4 kb. Using the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique, we screened Japanese and Asian Indian subjects for mutations in the protein coding regions of the OB gene. A total of 75 NIDDM patients with obesity (54 Japanese and 21 Asian Indians), 40 NIDDM patients without obesity (34 Japanese and 6 Asian Indians), and 34 Japanese patients with simple obesity showed no abnormal SSCP patterns in either component of the coding sequences. These results suggested that mutations in the coding regions of the OB gene are not likely to be commonly identifiable and that there would likely be a kind of obesity-associated NIDDM not caused by mutations of the OB gene.