Long-Term Variation in Carbonaceous Components of PM2.5 from 2012 to 2021 in Delhi

Carbonaceous species [organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), elemental matter (EM), primary organic carbon (POC), secondary organic carbon (SOC), total carbon (TC), and total carbonaceous matter (TCM)] of PM_2.5 were analyzed to study the seasonal variability and long-term trend of carbonaceous aerosols (CAs) in megacity Delhi, India from January, 2012 to April, 2021. The average concentrations (± standard deviation) of PM_2.5, OC, EC, TC, EM, TCM, POC and SOC were 127 ± 77, 15.7 ± 11.6, 7.4 ± 5.1, 23.1 ± 16.5, 8.2 ± 5.6, 33.3 ± 23.9, 9.3 ± 6.3 and 6.5 ± 5.3 µg m^-3, respectively during the sampling period (10-year average). The average CAs accounted for 26% of PM_2.5 concentration during the entire sampling period. In addition, the seasonal variations in PM_2.5, OC, EC, POC, SOC, and TCM levels were recorded with maxima in post-monsoon and minima in monsoon seasons. The linear relationship of OC and EC, OC/EC and EC/TC ratios suggested that the vehicular emissions (VE), fossil fuel combustion (FFC) and biomass burning (BB) are the major sources of CAs at megacity Delhi, India.

Bioremediation: an alternative approach for detoxification of polymers from the contaminated environment

The industries and metropolitan wastes produced by anthropogenic activities are of great concern for nature as it causes soil contamination and deteriorate the environment. Plastic utilization is rapidly enhancing globally with passing days that last for a more extended period in the environment due to slow decomposition and natural degradation. Excessive use of polymer has risked the life of both marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms. Lack of proper waste management and inappropriate disposal leads to environmental threats. Bioremediation processes involve microbes such as fungi, bacteria, etc. which contribute a crucial role in the breakdown of plastics. Extremophiles secrete extremozymes that are functionally active in extreme conditions and are highly crucial for polymer disaggregation in those conditions.

Safe transportation of biomedical waste in a health care institution

INTRODUCTION

The chances of health care waste (Biomedical waste) coming in contact with the health care workers, patients, visitors, sanitary workers, waste handlers, public, rag pickers and animals during transportation are high.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted over a period of seven months (April 2013-October 2013) in a 500-bedded hospital where the average quantum of biomedical waste is 0.8 kg/bed/day. The issues related to transportation of health care waste from 39 generation sites to the health care waste storage site inside the hospital (intramural transfer) were addressed and analysed in a predesigned proforma.

RESULTS

The biomedical waste management team inspected the generation sites in the hospital on a daily basis and conformance to the procedures was checked. It was found that waste was collected at scheduled timings in 99.6% occasions; however, compliance to wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) was poor and ranged from 1.22-1.84%.

CONCLUSION

Transportation of health care waste is a crucial step in its management. Regular training program for all the sections of health care workers with special emphasis on waste handlers is needed.

Effect of yogic intervention on the autonomic nervous system in the patients with coronary artery disease: a randomized controlled trial

In this study 258 patients from the Department of Cardiology in Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University, Lucknow were selected to participate. All had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease. They were randomly divided into 2 groups, the yoga group and the non-yoga group, 129 in each group; 208 completed the study protocol. The yogic intervention consisted of 35-40 min/day, 5 days a week over a period of 18 months in the Department of Physiology. Autonomic function testing was done in both the groups at zero time and after 18 months. We observed a statistically significant reduction in body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate (P < 0.05), i.e., a significant positive effect was observed when yoga therapy was used as an adjunct in patients with coronary artery disease.

Synthesis, spectral, crystal structure and in vitro antimicrobial evaluation of imidazole/benzotriazole substituted piperidin-4-one derivatives

Imidazole/benzotriazole analogues substituted piperidin-4-one derivatives (17-26) have been synthesized. Their chemical structures were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral analysis. In addition, single crystal X-ray diffraction has also been recorded for compounds 21 and 23. The synthesized compounds were subjected to their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities against pathogenic microbial strains. The results pointed out that compounds 19 & 24 against B. subtilis and 20 & 24 against E. coli were explored superior inhibition activity.

1-Chloro-acetyl-2,6-bis-(2-chloro-phen-yl)-3,5-dimethyl-piperidin-4-one

In the title compound, C(21)H(20)Cl(3)NO(2), the piperidin-4-one ring adopts a boat conformation. The two 2-chloro-phenyl groups are approximately perpendicular to each other, making a dihedral angle of 74.07 (8)°.

2,6-Bis(3-fluoro-phen-yl)-3-isopropyl-piperidin-4-one

In the title compound, C(20)H(21)F(2)NO, the piperidine ring in each of the two independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit adopts a normal chair conformation with an equatorial orientation of the 3-fluoro-phenyl groups. The dihedral angles between the two 3-fluoro-phenyl rings are 49.89 (7) and 50.35 (7)° in the two mol-ecules.

1-Chloro-acetyl-2,6-bis-(2-chloro-phen-yl)-3,5-dimethyl-piperidin-4-one oxime

In the title compound, C(21)H(21)Cl(3)N(2)O(2), the piperidine ring adopts a distorted boat conformation. One of the chloro-phenyl rings is almost perpendicular to the best plane through piperidine ring, making a dihedral angle of 88.7 (1)°, whereas the other ring is twisted by 71.8 (1)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter-molecular C-H⋯O, C-H⋯Cl and O-H⋯O inter-actions.

2-(2,4-Diphenyl-3-aza-bicyclo-[3.3.1]nonan-9-ylidenehydrazono)-1,3-thia-zolidin-4-one

In the title compound, C(23)H(24)N(4)OS, the piperidine and cyclo-hexane rings adopt twin chair conformations and the phenyl groups occupy equatorial positions. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 10.25 (12)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by intermolecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds with the formation of centrosymmetric dimers.

Regular use of alcohol and tobacco in India and its association with age, gender, and poverty

This study provides national estimates of regular tobacco and alcohol use in India and their associations with gender, age, and economic group obtained from a representative survey of 471,143 people over the age of 10 years in 1995-96, the National Sample Survey. The national prevalence of regular use of smoking tobacco is estimated to be 16.2%, chewing tobacco 14.0%, and alcohol 4.5%. Men were 25.5 times more likely than women to report regular smoking, 3.7 times more likely to regularly chew tobacco, and 9.7 times more likely to regularly use alcohol. Respondents belonging to scheduled castes and tribes (recognized disadvantaged groups) were significantly more likely to report regular use of alcohol as well as smoking and chewing tobacco. People from rural areas had higher rates compared to urban dwellers, as did those with no formal education. Individuals with incomes below the poverty line had higher relative odds of use of chewing tobacco and alcohol compared to those above the poverty line. The regular use of both tobacco and alcohol also increased significantly with each diminishing income quintile. Comparisons are made between these results and those found in the United States and elsewhere, highlighting the need to address control of these substances on the public health agenda.

Disregulated expression of the Th2 cytokine gene in patients with intraoral squamous cell carcinoma

It has been seen that advanced stage oral squamous cell carcinoma is associated with impaired T-cell function and higher antibody response. In order to find out if such immune disregulation is associated with alteration of T-helper (Th) type CD4+ T-cell phenotype leading to altered cytokine production, we studied the Th-like cytokine profile in 35 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients and 21 normal controls. Concomitant expression of both Th1 and Th2 cytokine genes was studied by reverse transcription and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based amplification (RT-PCR) of mRNA extracted from freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using specific primers for Interferon (IFN)-gamma, Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4 and IL-10. Almost 63% of oral cancer patients showed polarization of a Th-like cytokine response as compared to 33% of the normal controls while 66.6% of normal controls showed a predominantly non-polarized Th0 response. Expression of IFN-gamma and IL-2 genes was more commonly seen in the early stage of the disease (p < 0.02) whereas majority of advanced stage tumours was associated with enhanced expression of IL-4 and IL-10 but not IFN-gamma and IL-2 genes. Patients with lymphnode metastases and poorly differentiated tumours expressed IL-4 and IL-10 more frequently with concomitant suppression of IFN-gamma and IL-2 genes. It seems therefore, that the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma leads to polarization of cytokine gene expression that is skewed towards the Th1-like response in the early stage. However, increasing tumour load and lymphnode invasion suppresses Th1 cytokine genes, thus skewing it toward a Th2-like cytokine response.

Chitosan based pentazocine microspheres for intranasal systemic delivery: development and biopharmaceutical evaluation

Bioadhesive chitosan microspheres (Ms) of pentazocine (Pz) for intranasal systemic delivery were prepared with the aim of avoiding the first pass effect, and thus improving the bioavailability and achieving sustained and controlled blood level profiles, as an alternative therapy to injection and to obtain improved therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of chronic pain such as cancer, trauma and post-operative pain, etc. The formulation variables were drug loading, polymer concentration, stirring rate during crosslinking and oils. The microspheres (Ms) were subjected to evaluation for physical characteristics, such as particle size, incorporation efficiency, swelling ability, in vitro bioadhesion, in vitro drug release characteristics and in vivo performance in rabbits. Application of in vitro data to various kinetic equations indicated matrix diffusion controlled drug delivery from chitosan Ms. Drug loading, polymer concentration and stirring speed influenced the drug release profiles significantly while oils had negligible effect. In vivo studies indicated significantly improved bioavailability of Pz from Ms with sustained and controlled blood level profiles as compared to i.v., oral and nasal administration of drug solution. Good correlation was observed between in vitro and in vivo data.

Segregational and structural instability of recombinant plasmid carrying genes for naphthalene degrading pathway

The stability of recombinant plasmid carrying genes for naphthalene mineralization was determined. A strain of Pseudomonas putida capable of mineralizing naphthalene (Nap+) via salicylate (Sal+) was isolated, and all regulatory and structural genes for the whole pathway were found to be encoded on a 25 kb EcoRI fragment of an approximately 83 kb plasmid present in this strain. The 25 kb EcoRI fragment was cloned into a tetracycline-resistant (TcR) cloning vector pLAFR3 and the recombinant plasmid, pRKJ3 (Nap+, Sal+, TcR), thus obtained was transferred into the plasmid-free strain Pseudomonas putida KT2442 in order to test the stability of the plasmid. Plasmid pRKJ3 was found to be segregationally and/or structurally unstable, depending on the growth conditions. Two types of novel derivative strains having the phenotypes Nap-, Sal+, TcR and Nap-, Sal-, TcR with specific deletions of approximately 2 kb and 18 kb, respectively, were obtained.

Pair-preferences: a quantitative measure of regularities in protein sequences

We present here the results obtained by applying several different methods to quantitatively measure regularities in protein sequences based on pair-preferences. We have studied the distribution of amino acid residues, singly as well as in pairs in a large data base and have attempted this task. We confirmed the existence of well-defined pair-preferences in proteins which were shown to be remarkably absent in simulated random sequences of similar amino acid distribution. The analysis of the sequences from the SWISS-PROT data base using simple statistical tests. Fourier analysis, fractal analysis and statistical thermodynamical tests were used to derive parameters to define a natural sequence. As a consequence of the existence of pair-preferences, parameters like fractal dimension (D), spectral exponent (beta), scaling parameter (H) and entropy (statistical) were found to be characteristic for natural sequences. For a reference state we chose a randomised state devoid of any pair-preference. The pair-preferences qualified well to be used as quantitative measures of regularities in protein sequences.

Plasmid-mediated degradation of o-phthalate and salicylate by a Moraxella sp

A Moraxella sp. strain VG45 capable of utilizing o-phthalate and salicylate as a sole source of carbon and energy was isolated. The degradation of o-phthalate occurs via phthalate 4,5-dioxygenase, 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dihydroxyphthalate dehydrogenase, 4,5-dihydroxyphthalate decarboxylase and protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase. Salicylate is degraded via salicylate 5-hydroxylase, gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase and then by a glutathione-independent maleylpyruvate hydrolase. Further, a plasmid of app. 60 kilobase pairs (kb) is involved in the degradation of the o-phthalate and salicylate and the enzymes of these two pathways are independently regulated in strain VG45.

Significance of Salmonella typhi bacteriuria

Bacteriuria due to Salmonella typhi usually occurs following recent typhoid fever or in chronic carrier states. Data from 18 patients with S. typhi bacteriuria, seen during 5 years, were analyzed. Fourteen patients had localized urinary tract infection due to S. typhi. Four others had bacteriuria, probably associated with typhoid fever. Localized abnormalities of the urinary tract and kidneys and also systemic diseases were found to predispose patients to S. typhi bacteriuria. Local abnormalities encountered included urolithiasis (n = 3), prostatic hypertrophy (n = 1), and tuberculosis (n = 1). One renal transplant recipient and another with lupus nephritis had S. typhi bacteriuria. One had associated strongyloidosis, and another was pregnant.

Analgesic use and chronic renal disease in patients with headache

The pattern of analgesic use, abuse and incidence of analgesic-associated nephropathy in 79 patients with chronic headache was studied. Sixty-eight of these patients had migraine. Most patients had consumed a combination of analgesics (81%) while 19% had taken single analgesics for their headache. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the most commonly used analgesics (96.2%) followed by paracetamol (70.9%) and aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine compounds (5.1%). Mefenamic acid was the commonest nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumed (97.4%). Analgesic abuse which was defined as a minimum total of 1 kg of analgesics such as paracetamol or aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine compounds or 400 capsules/tablets of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was noted in 65 patients. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the most commonly abused analgesics (89.2%) followed by paracetamol (38.5%). Forty-five of the 65 analgesic abusers had an intravenous urogram or ultrasound performed and renal papillary necrosis was documented in one patient. Three (4.6%) of the analgesic abusers had mildly raised serum creatinine levels. Mild proteinuria of less than 1 gm/litre was present in 27.7% of abusers. In conclusion, although analgesic use and abuse is common in patients with chronic headache, the short term incidence of analgesic-associated nephropathy (2.2%) and renal impairment (4.6%) was low. Prolonged observations will be necessary to ascertain the safety of these drugs for long term use.

Protection against Klebsiella pneumoniae induced lobar pneumonia in rats with lipopolysaccharide and related antigens

The immunoprotective role of lipopolysaccharide and related antigens from Klebsiella pneumoniae was studied in a lobar pneumonia model developed in rats. Various antigens were obtained by different chemical treatments of the lipopolysaccharide. All these antigens (purified lipopolysaccharide, reduced lipopolysaccharide, lipopolysaccharide--bovine serum albumin complex, and lipid A--bovine serum albumin complex were tested for pyrogenicity and the Shwartzman reaction. The lipopolysaccharide and the various related antigens were pyrogenic and elicited a positive Shwartzman reaction at high concentrations. However, at low concentrations, the same preparations did not show any side effects. All these antigens, on the other hand, were protective against bacterial challenge in Klebsiella pneumoniae induced lobar pneumonia in rats, as the bacterial colonization of lungs in the immunized animals was significantly lower when compared with the controls. The alveolar macrophages from these animals also showed significantly more uptake of Klebsiella pneumoniae as compared with those obtained from control animals.

Vitamin supplements to Indian women using low dosage oral contraceptives

Effect of continuous and intermittent vitamin supplements on vitamin status, serum proteins and lipids were examined in Indian women of low-income group, receiving a low-dose oral contraceptive over a period of 3-6 months. To find out non-specific time related changes, vitamin supplemented and unsupplemented control groups of non-OC users were also examined. OC treatment did not change serum chemistry significantly. The significant biochemical changes were: altered tryptophan metabolism and elevated plasma vitamin A levels. Former could be prevented by administering multivitamins containing 10 mg vitamin B6 daily or twice the dose daily for the 7 non-hormone days in the cycle. Vitamin supplements produced significant improvement in pre-existing deficiencies of riboflavin, pyridoxine and folic acid. Continuous supplementation regimen was slightly superior, but more expensive than the intermittent supplementation regimen. In view of the high prevalence of vitamin deficiency among the low-income group women of developing countries, the delivery system for oral contraceptive can be effectively used for giving vitamin supplements as well.