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The application of nanobiotechnology is an emerging area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nanodiamond has been a potent antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and antiplatelet agent. In the present study, nanodiamonds were reduced by green synthesis and characterization was done through SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. Further they were tested for their biological applications. The antimicrobial activity was investigated/studied/examined? through well diffusion method. The best activity was observed against Trichoderma reesei (16 mm) at 140 µg/ml. The antioxidant activity was investigated through DPPH and FRAPS method. It was observed that the biologically reduced nanodiamonds reduce the Fe3+ ions to Fe2+ ions at 600 mM/l/g concentration. In DPPH assay, inhibitory concentration was found to be 4.58 µg/ml. Further the antiplatelet activity was investigated by prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) assay, and it was observed that biologically reduced nanodiamonds have potent antiplatelet activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the unsteady hydromagnetic mixed convective heat and mass transfer boundary layer flow of a viscous incompressible electrically conducting fluid past an accelerated infinite vertical porous flat plate in a porous medium with suction in presence of foreign species such as H2, He, H2O vapour and NH3. The governing equations are solved both analytically and numerically using error function and finite difference scheme. The flow phenomenon has been characterized with the help of flow parameters such as magnetic parameter (M), suction parameter (a), permeability parameter (Kp), Grashof number for heat and mass transfer (Gr, Gc), Schmidt number (Sc) and Prandtl number (Pr). The effects of the above parameters on the fluid velocity, temperature, concentration distribution, skin friction and heat flux have been analyzed and the results are presented graphically and discussed quantitatively for Grashof number Gr>0 corresponding to cooling of the plate. It is observed that a growing magnetic parameter (M) retards the velocity of the flow field at all points and a greater suction leads to a faster reduction in the velocity of the flow field. Further, as we increase the permeability parameter (Kp) and the Grashof numbers for heat and mass transfer (Gr, Gc) the velocity of the flow field enhances at all points, while a greater suction/Prandtl number leads to a faster cooling of the plate. It is also observed that a more diffusive species has a significant decrease in the concentration boundary layer of the flow field and a growing suction parameter enhances both skin friction ( τ' ) and heat flux (Nu) at the wall corresponding to cooling of the plate (Gr>0). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the current care delivery model, persons with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, are not receiving all recommended interventions and failing to meet targeted outcomes.The Chronic Care Model provides a framework for new approaches and roles for many members of the multidisciplinary team.Using the Chronic Care Model as a guide, a group of hospital-based clinics in an academic system incorporated nurse practitioners into the care model for patients with diabetes.Through use of planned visits, a patient registry, drug intensification protocols, and collaboration with other members of the team, the pilot sample improved processes of care and clinical outcomes.Use of nurse practitioners in this model of care for chronically ill patient populations has economic implications, as the payers begin to pay for performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe-plastic deformation processes are receiving increasing attention as methods to develop ultrafine-grain microstructures at the nanoscale. One such process, equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE), offers the ability to manufacture bulk products from a wide range of metals and alloys. Despite the apparent simplicity of ECAE, however, metal flow and texture evolution are complex. The application of process, crystal-plasticity, and workability models to describe deformation and the evolution of microstructure, texture, and defects during ECAE is summarized in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severely malnourished children (26), weight for age 55.27 +/- 3.17, were identified in a colony of predominantly Muslim urban slum dwellers of low economic status. An equal number of normally nourished children matched for age, sex and per capita income were identified. A strong relation was found between nutritional status of the subjects and educational level of their mothers (P less than 0.025). Father's education was unrelated to childrens' nutritional status. A thirty seven point questionnaire was administered to the mothers to record their nutritional knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). Analysis revealed that better KAP in relation to 16 of these 37 questions was not associated with better nutritional status. Seven questions were found to have only a weak association. The remaining 14 questions were identified as important for a nutrition education programme. Comparison of nutritional KAP score based on these 14 questions in case of mothers of normal and severely malnourished children revealed a significantly higher score in the former. Questions related to growth monitoring and breast feeding were not found to be important. No significant association was found between mothers' KAP and educational level. It is concluded that (i) Maternal education and KAP are significantly and independently associated with childrens' nutritional status. (ii) The content areas of knowledge, attitudes and practices significantly associated with nutritional status pertain to nutritional requirements of children, nutritional value of foods, immunisation, hygiene, oral rehydration and diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of diarrheal diseases in children below the age of five years was carried out in a slum area of Varanasi by weekly door-to-door visits. Prevalence of diarrhea was observed to be 47.2 per cent. A significant association was observed with the occupation of parents and methods of drawing water from stored water. Literacy status of father and family size were found to have no such association. Parasites were isolated from 22.8 and pathogenic bacteria from 13.6 per cent of cases respectively. The presence of parasites/micro-organisms in children with diarrhea was significantly associated with feeding habits of the children, method of top feeding and personal hygiene of the mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports selected results from a study of the stretch forming process. Sheet materials with a wide range of mechanical properties have been tested, including a carbon steel, 70/30 brass, 18/8 stainless steel, and an aluminum-magnesium alloy. A comprehensive comparison of numerical simulations with experimental results shows quantitative agreement for important process factors such as strain distributions and punch force. The parameter variation study demonstrates considerable influence of the material parameters and the friction coefficient on the results. The strain distributions are found to be most sensitive to parameter variations. The experiments were performed with a cylindrical punch and a firmly clamped blank. The sheet was lubricated with various oils. Strains were measured with an etched grid. The numerical calculations were based on a finite element procedure developed for simulation of arbitrarily shaped 3-D forming operations. The emphasis was put on the proper description of large strain and large rotation plasticity. Relatively simple hardening and friction models used appear to be satisfactory and requiring reasonable computational time. The elastic-plastic description, with Hill's anisotropic model, was used as this allowed for elastic effects, unloading, and multistage processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instead of covering the available detection methods in detail it is attempted to highlight the ambiguities inherent in oxygen radical detection under in vivo conditions. Due to physicochemical properties of the oxygen molecule, all organic matter is bound to autoxidize. From this it follows that a certain 'background' level of oxygen radical production will always be present and that it may be difficult to differentiate between inherent and induced oxygen radical production. Radicals by their very nature react 'unspecifically'. This infers that it is difficult to identify them unequivocally. The most common methods for oxygen radical detection are briefly mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation of radicals in vivo depends on metabolic activities. The reactions are usually influenced by (i) the presence and concentration of oxygen; (ii) the availability of transition metals (effects of binding and compartimentalization); (iii) the level of reductants and antioxidants (e.g. nutritional effects). The effects of radicals are thought to be due to (i) membrane damage (affecting passive or active transport through altered fluidity/function interrelationships, intercellular messenging through modifications in the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes); (ii) protein damage (e.g. affecting membrane transporters, channel proteins, receptor or regulatory proteins, immunomodulators); (iii) damage to DNA. Defense mechanisms consist of (i) prevention of the 'spreading' of primary damage by low molecular weight antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E, GSH, vitamin C, β-carotene, uric acid); (ii) prevention or limitation of 'secondary' damage by enzymes (e.g. GSH-peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, DT-diaphorase) and/or chelators; (iii) repair processes, e.g. lipid degradation/membrane repair enzymes (phospholipases, peroxidases, some transferases and reductases), protein disposal or repair enzymes (proteases, GSSG-reductase), DNA degradation repair enzymes (exonuclease III, endonucleases III and IV, glycosylases, polymerases). Recent hypotheses on a messenging function of the superoxide anion O are discussed and possible implications of cross-reactions between O and nitric oxide (endothelium-derived relaxing factor EDRF) are shortly mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sulfite radical anion (SO) was found to react rapidly with the flavonoid quercetin ( k = 2.5 × 10 dmmol s) and the carotenoids crocin ( k = 1.0 × 10 dmmol s) and crocetin ( k = 1.5 × 10 dmmol s). The reactions can easily be monitored due to the strong absorptions of the substrates and, in the case of quercetin, the formation of a strongly absorbing transient species. Using these substances, we determined by means of competition kinetics rate constants of SO reactions with nucleic acid components, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and glutathione. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted among 1810 contacts of 50 index "cases"/"suspects" of pulmonary tuberculosis including 312 household and 1498 neighbourhood contacts in the Jhansi city of Uttar Pradesh. The overall prevalence of radiologically active and bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis was 2.9% and 1.1%. The prevalence rates of radiologically active and bacteriologically confirmed disease, although comparatively high in both the contact groups, were significantly higher in household (5.4% and 2.6%) than in neighbourhood contacts (2.3% and 0.8%). Significant differences in distribution of secondary cases among clusters were observed. Although higher prevalence rates were found in contacts of sputum positive source than in contacts of sputum negative source in both the contact groups, the statistical difference was observed to be insignificant. Case yield among contact symptomatics was 80.0% (30.8% cases and 49.2% suspects). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose : To elucidate mechanisms of the interaction of hydrogen peroxide with chloride-derived cytotoxins under steady-state irradiation conditions and to determine the effects on cell viability. Materials and Methods : Yeast cells were suspended in phosphatebuffered saline and exposed to 60Co gamma -irradiation under different conditions. The colony-forming ability was determined. Results : Irradiation of PBS produces H2 O2 and HOCl simultaneously. Under slightly acidic conditions and low oxygen tension the yield of HOCl exceeds that of H2 O2 while at physiological pH and normoxic conditions H2 O2 exceeds HOCl. Both substances react with each other rapidly in a pH-dependent way, even during an irradiation that lasts several seconds. As HOCl is about 1000-fold more toxic than H2 O2 to the strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae used in these experiments, it is evident that in an irradiation that produces more HOCl than H2 O2 the radiation-induced damage will be large. If, in contrast, the cells are irradiated under conditions in which H2 O2 production predominates, the damage will be small. One would therefore predict that addition of hydrogen peroxide to a cell suspension prior to irradiation should result in protection for suspended cells if H2 O2 interferes with the generation of HOCl and thereby inactivates this more powerful toxin. Our data show that addition of H2 O2 in sublethal concentration decreases radiation-induced cell death to the level that is found in chloride-free solution, i.e. depending on pH, reduces it by a factor of 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article discusses the case report of a 34-year-old Morrocan woman diagnosed with a cyst in the uterus. She had a history of painful heavy periods and abdominal mass and has delivered a child coming from in-vitro fertilization pregnancy. Medical examinations have detected adenomatoid tumors in the genital tract.