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Gum karaya (GK), which is produced by Sterculia urens trees, is complex carbohydrate exudate. This natural gum is commercially important global commodity, produced mostly in Asian and African countries. It is nondigestible and forms high viscosity solution in water. It is an ideal choice for applications in several foods and pharmaceuticals due to its binding, emulsifying, stabilizing and shelf-life improving properties. It has been found successful in drug delivery, drug microencapsulation, bioremediation and nanotechnology applications, and there exists further scope for exploring, unexplored area. The production of GK has declined in Asian countries like India, due to reduction in the resource base as a result of over-exploitation. The demand of natural products is increasing. To meet the future demand, there is a need to increase the resource base and propagate sustainable methods of GK production. The decreasing production of GK needs to be increased for sustainable livelihood of poor tribal people living in resource-constrained areas in Asian and African countries. Current literature documents research work carried out in determining its composition and properties, its application in food, pharmaceutical, bioremediation and other industries such as textile, tannery, plant micropropagation and paper making. This review emphasizes the scope of GK in various applications and its future prospects as a natural polysaccharide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's rural poor -- small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers and other marginalized sections of rural population - face exploitative conditions today. Since Indian independence policy initiatives have been taken to mitigate their sufferings through interventions in the rural credit market by the Indian state. In this paper we undertake an evaluation of these policies in altering the sources of rural debt primarily from non-institutional to institutional sources till the economic reforms in early 1991 and then followed by reversal in trends: return of money lenders and land lords in the rural credit market. A counter argument is provided to the generally advanced argument that the implementation failure of priority sector lending led to economic reforms. Our argument is a willful design was erected by rural elite in pursuit of helping industrial capital to prepare ground for international capital to persuade Indian state to join the globalization process. Besides other data, we bring in primary data on indebtedness of 255 HHs of small and marginal farmers and landless workers in 10 villages across five blocks of district Mansa and 532 NREGA beneficiaries in 47 villages of Hoshiarpur, Muktsar and Amritsar districts (Punjab) to show that with the withdrawal of the state, money lenders and landlords have returned to the rural credit market in regions/areas inhabited by low caste and land poor people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to understand the growth of NPA, the reasons behind it and the extent of its spread across sectors. The paper gives an insight into the policy implications which could be governed by banks in order to control the devastation caused by NPA. This paper is divided into four parts: First it explains the macro level analysis among various variables such as GDP, Credit Growth, Gross NPA and GDP. Next, it explains sector-wise analysis and bank group-wise analysis of banking sector. Finally, the mechanism to deal with NPA is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

60 patients (45 male and 15 female) with suspected airborne contact dermatitis from Compositae (Asteraceae) plants and 20 age-matched controls (15 male and 5 female) were investigated. Patch tests were performed with ethanolic plant extracts of 4 Compositae plants, Parthenium hysterophorus. Chrysanthemum morifolium, Dahlia pinnata and Tagetes indica, all prevalent in northern India. 55 (92%) patients showed positive patch tests, with 35 (64%) demonstrating positive tests to extracts of only 1 of the 4 plants tested. No positive patch tests were seen in the controls. Parthenium hysterophorus (78%) was the most frequent plant reacting, followed by Chrysanthemum morifolium (42%), Dahlia pinnata (18%) and Tagetes indica (7%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 1,670 school going children (urban 1030 and rural 640) in the age range of 12-14 years were screened for hearing loss during a survey conducted by the Department of Otolaryngology of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh. 6.31% of cases in the urban group were found to be having hearing loss as compared to 32.81% of cases in the rural group. Secretory otitis media was found to be the commonest cause of hearing impairment in both the urban and rural group accounting for 5.33% and 33.59% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents that in Northern India most of the people wear sandals and chappals. These are usually worn without socks due to the hot and humid climate. Due to this in summer and the rainy season prolonged direct contact between footwear and the skin help to encourage contact dermatitis. The rubber chemicals were found to be the commonest allergens. And in this region mostly footwear are made up of rubber. In the majority of patients, the pattern of dermatitis corresponded to the footwear worn.

A detailed assessment of Indian patenting activity over the period 1990-2002 was undertaken by (a) examining patents granted by the US, European and Indian Patent Office; (b) delineating patents under various types, i.e. entity-wise (Indian organizations, foreign R&D centres in India, resident individuals), proprietary protections (utility, design, plant patents), organization-wise (industry, research organizations, specialized institutions, etc.), industrial sector-wise, category-wise (process/product), etc.; (c) assessing impact through citation analysis, and (d) benchmarking with patents activity of some developed and developing countries. Patent filing through the Patent Cooperation Treaty and patenting during the period 2003-04 in the US was analysed. The strategic options for commercialization of patents were also investigated. Recommendations have been given for strengthening the patenting activity in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wool is a biodegradable fiber, rich in nutrients and can be recycled in soil as a fertilizer for maximum benefits. The present study was planned with the hypothesis that waste wool could be used as a nutrient source or manure to forage crops and aim of this study was to identify practicable recycling options of sheep based wastes in agriculture. In our study, we have compared the effect of different sheep based organic wastes on soil health, crop productivity and water use. Application of waste wool in soil significantly improved the fertility status of soil, and considerable improvement was also observed in organic carbon and nitrogen, i.e. around 30.8 and 32.6% higher over control. The activities of soil enzymes were 10-30% and 3-20% higher in waste wool treatment as compared to control and sheep based manures, respectively. Application of waste wool not only improved soil health but produced 50% higher grain and dry fodder yield of barley over control. The improvement in physical properties of soil with waste wool resulted in higher water use efficiency of the system. Our study will help in distinguishing choices for safe use of organic wastes along with up gradation of soil health and crop water utilization, particularly in nutrient poor soils of arid and semi-arid region of India., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest On behalf of all the authors, I declare that no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The availability of water through community based water harvesting structure has intensified agriculture and improved livelihood of the surveyed beneficiary households in the Shivalik foothills of India. Before the introduction of Makowal Type Water Harvesting System (before MTWHS), only 83.8% farmers in kharif and 79.7% during rabi season were growing crops but after its introduction (after MTWHS) the corresponding values improved to 100% and 97.3%, respectively, thus increasing cropping intensity from 145% to 189%. Introduction of MTWHS enabled farmers to take paddy and agro-forestry during Kharif, and vegetables and fodder during Rabi season. The increase in cultivated area due to MTWHS was to the tune of 46.1% in Kharif and 36.3% during Rabi, while increase in crop productivity ranged from 55.1% to 111.3% in kharif and 8.6 to 132.0% in Rabiseason. Better availability of irrigation changed varietal spectrum in favour of hybrids and high yielding varieties and farmers started adopting improved agronomic practices targeting better input-use efficiency. The MTWHS produced positive impact on the on-farm (crops, dairy and agro-forestry) sources of income and reduced the relative dependence on off-farm activities (labour, community forest area, etc.) for earnings. This system has brought drinking water very close to hutments of rural women thus reducing their drudgery and saving time. In general, rainwater harvesting from forest watersheds has resulted in quantum jumps in crop and milk production and acted as a catalyst to tie up the economic interest of communities, along with forest protection.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) are subsets of sleep-disordered breathing. Awareness about OSA and its consequences amongst the general public as well as the majority of primary care physcians across India is poor. This necessiated the development of the INdian initiative on Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (INOSA) guidelines under the auspices of Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. OSA is the occurrence of an average five or more episodes of obstructive respiratory events per hour of sleep with either sleep related symptoms or comorbidities or ≥ 15 such episodes without any sleep related symptoms or comorbidities. OSAS is defined as OSA associated with daytime symptoms, most often excessive sleepiness. Patients undergoing routine health check-up with snoring, daytime sleepiness, obesity, hypertension, motor vehicular accidents and high risk cases should undergo a comprehensive sleep evaluation. Medical examiners evaluating drivers, air pilots, railway drivers and heavy machinery workers should be educated about OSA and should comprehensively evaluate applicants for OSA. Those suspected to have OSA on comprehensive sleep evaluation should be referred for a sleep study. Supervised overnight polysomnography (PSG) is the "gold standard" for evaluation of OSA. Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the mainstay of treatment of OSA. Oral appliances are indicated for use in patients with mild to moderate OSA who prefer oral appliances to PAP, or who do not respond to PAP or who fail treatment attempts with PAP or behavioural measures. Surgical treatment is recommended in patients who have failed or are intolerant to PAP therapy.

Ionoluminescence (IL) studies of two natural kyanite (Al(2)SiO(5)) minerals collected from different regions of India was carried out using 120 MeV Ag(9+) ions in the fluence range of 1.50-10.5 × 10(11)ions/cm(2). Identical emission peaks were observed in both the samples at ~416, 463, 530-540 nm along with other emission peaks at ~689 nm, 706 nm (sharp) and 770 nm (broad). The sharp emission peaks at 689 nm correspond to R lines of Cr(3+) impurities and are related to transition of (2)E(g)→(4)A(2g). The sharp and broad emission peaks in the range of 706-770 nm are attributed to Fe(3+) impurities and are related to the transition of (4)T(1g)→(6)A(1g). The peak in the range of 530-540 nm is attributed to Mn(2+) impurities and is related to the transition of (4)T(1)→(6)A(1). IL peak intensity decreases with the Ag(9+) ion fluence which might be due to the thermal quenching/amorphization, caused by the ion beam irradiation. The amorphization in the sample was explained with the help of thermal spike model (TSM). These results demonstrated that IL is a very sensitive technique for impurity characterization and differentiating the origin of minerals., (Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Oral cancers are a major health problem in India. Recently, parameters of cell proliferation and cell death have emerged as important diagnostic and prognostic tools., Aims: The aim was to study apoptosis in premalignant and malignant squamous cell lesions of the oral cavity and to evaluate its prognostic role in oral cancers., Materials and Methods: The study included 175 patients presenting with oral lesions. Evaluation of apoptotic index (AI) (using light microscopy) was performed on hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections., Statistical Analysis Used: Student's t test was performed., Results: The mean AI increased progressively with increasing dysplasia, with the maximum AI in well-differentiated (WD) squamous cell carcinoma, and a fall was noted with progression toward higher grades. The difference between WD SCC and poorly-differentiated SCC was significant (P < 0.05). Cases with lymph node metastasis had significantly (P < 0.05) lower mean AI values., Conclusion: Apoptosis can be fairly accurately assessed using light microscopy. Tumors that exhibit less apoptosis tend to show aggressive behavior and have a greater potential for metastasis.

A second malignant neoplasm has been found to be more frequent than might be expected from the general population rates. Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute leukemia are dreaded long-term complications of five cases of hematological malignancies following treatment for successful breast cancer therapy (therapeutic drugs or radiotherapy). We encountered carcinoma from north India over a 7-year period from 1999 to 2005. The patients presented 2-5 years after treatment of breast carcinoma. Three patients underwent surgery and received chemoradiotherapy. One patient received chemotherapy after surgery. One patient underwent only surgery and after 3 years presented with acute myeloid leukemia and bone marrow metastasis of carcinoma of the breast. At the time of presentation, all the patients had either bicytopenia or pancytopenia. A close follow-up with complete blood cell counts of the patients who previously had carcinoma of the breast is suggested for early detection of hematological abnormalities. However, the poor prognosis, limited financial resources and poor health insurance coverage results in few patients and their family members opting for treatment.

Aims: To test the efficacy of an accelerated fractionation schedule (concomitant boost) against standard conventional fractionation in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region in our patient population., Materials and Methods: Patients were randomised to receive either conventional radiotherapy with 2 Gy/fraction/day, to a dose of 66 Gy in 33 fractions over 6.5 weeks or accelerated radiotherapy in the form of concomitant boost to a dose of 67.5 Gy/40 fractions over 5 weeks (phase 1: 45 Gy/25 fractions/5 weeks and phase 2: 22.5 Gy/15 fractions/3 weeks as a second daily fraction after a 6h gap). The primary and secondary end points were disease-free survival and locoregional control respectively., Results: The compliance was 97.2% and 96.5% in the concomitant boost and conventional arms, respectively. Patients treated with concomitant boost had a better 2-year disease-free survival (71.7% vs 52.17%, P=0.0007) and locoregional control rates (73.6% vs 54.5%, P=0.0006) than with conventional fractionation. On exploratory subgroup analysis, the oropharynx (P<0.001), T4 lesions (P=0.017), N+ disease (P<0.001) and stage IV disease (P<0.001) were statistically significant prognostic variables in favour of the concomitant boost arm. Grade 3 mucositis was seen in 35% of patients in the concomitant boost arm, whereas in the conventional arm only 19% of patients had grade 3 mucositis (P=0.01). The median radiotherapy duration in the concomitant boost arm was 36 days (range 36-53 days), whereas in the conventional arm it was 46 days (range 46-64 days). The mean gap in radiation treatment in the concomitant boost arm was 1.68 days (range 0-14 days), whereas the mean gap in the conventional arm was 1.58 days (range 0-14 days)., Conclusions: Concomitant boost is a therapeutically superior and logistically feasible accelerated radiotherapy regimen in advanced head and neck cancers, especially in the setting of a developing country.

Background: Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) has emerged as a significant advancement in the management of acute respiratory failure., Objective: To identify factors, based on clinical and laboratory parameters, for predicting the outcome of NIPPV in patients with acute respiratory failure., Materials and Methods: Fifty patients were included in the study. Inclusion criteria were RR>30 breaths/ min, PaO2<60mmHg, PaO2/FiO2<300, pCO2< or = 45mmHg and signs of increased work of breathing. Baseline clinical parameters and arterial blood gas (ABG) were recorded before initiating NIPPV. Clinical parameters including heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and ABG was revaluated at 1, 4, 12, 24 hrs after initiation of NIPPV. Change in these parameters and need for intubation was evaluated., Results: Of the 50 patients, 37 (74%) showed clinical and ABG improvement. Out of 13 (26%) patients who failed to respond, 7 (52%) needed endotracheal intubation within 1 hr. There was significant improvement in clinical and ABG parameters within 1st hr in success group and these parameters continues to improve even after 4 hrs of NIPPV treatment (p<0.05). Failure group had higher baseline heart rate than success group (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Determination of baseline clinical factors such as heart rate and respiratory rate, available at the time of initiation and after a short period, can predict the likelihood of success or failure of NIPPV. As a result, delay in intubation can be avoided which itself is associated with significant mortality.

Aims: To evaluate the incidence of, and factors affecting, late toxicities of women with carcinoma of the cervix treated with radical radiotherapy., Materials and Methods: Between 1996 and 2001, 1069 women with carcinoma of the cervix (stage I-IVA) were treated at our centre with external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and intra-cavitary radiotherapy (ICRT) (n = 871) or EBRT alone (n = 198). Median follow-up was 34 months. Median dose to point A was 81 Gy., Results: Five-year actuarial incidence of overall (all grades) and severe (grade 3/4) late toxicities in the rectum, bladder, small intestine and subcutaneous tissue were 12.3% and 1.1%, 11.2% and 1.2%, 9.2% and 0.2%, and 23.1% and 1.2%, respectively. Vaginal adhesions were seen in 29.6% of cases and stenosis in 33.9% of cases. On multivariate analysis, factors adversely affecting overall incidence of proctitis were anterior-posterior (AP) separation of patient more than 18 cm and presence of comorbid diseases. Presence of comorbid diseases was the only factor affecting the incidence of severe proctitis (grade 3/4). AP separation more than 18 cm adversely affected the incidence of cystitis, both overall and severe. Late toxicities (all grades) in small bowel were increased in subsets, like women younger than 50 years and women with comorbid diseases, but no factor emerged as significant for incidence of severe toxicities. Subcutaneous fibrosis was significantly higher in patients with AP separation over 18 cm, those treated by cobalt machines and those who received EBRT only. Severe subcutaneous fibrosis was influenced by the use of EBRT alone. Overall incidence of vaginal toxicity was higher in women whose overall treatment time (OTT) was shorter and in women who received ICRT. Vaginal stenosis was higher in elderly women and in women who received ICRT by low dose rate., Conclusions: Even with telecobalt machines, impressive results with acceptable late toxicity can be achieved in the treatment of cancer of the cervix using an ideal combination of EBRT with ICRT.

Farm mechanization has resulted in extensive use of wheat threshers on Indian farms. It has also increased agricultural injuries. A prospective study was undertaken for analysis of wheat thresher agricultural injuries and their remedial measures. Fifty two patients presenting with thresher injuries during the wheat harvesting season of March to June, 2003 were studied. A study-specific 14-point proforma was prepared to gather all possible information from site of injury to hospital records. Injuries were mostly of the upper limb and amputations accounted for most of these. Poor light arrangements, unskilled workers, drug / alcohol abuse, fatigue, poor designing and lack of orientation to work on these machines were the contributory factors to such injuries. The analysis emphasizes that the need of the hour is to decrease wheat thresher injuries through specific preventive approaches like improved designing, education, legislation, compensation and surveillance programmes.

Out of 11234 patients reporting to our outdoor during June 2001 to June 2002, 2594 patients (23.09%) had low back pain. 4358 roentgenograms were done in these patients, a mean of 1.68 per patient. These patients were interviewed and their psychosocial and demographic details were compared with 1000 controls who did not have back pain but attended outdoor for other reasons. In the low back pain group, 67% had psychosocial issues, 57% were in blue-collar jobs, 26% had to change/leave their profession, and 38% did not enjoy their present job. All patients had used NSAIDS at some stage of illness and 64% were advised exercises for the back. The comparative figures in control group were 19% with psychosocial issues, 34% in blue-collar jobs (heavy manual workers), 7% had to switch over to new job, 6% did not relish their present job. Hence, it is concluded that along with exercises and NSAIDS, sufficient consideration should be given to short centre-based intensive rehabilitation program followed by a home-based program for chronic low back pain patients.

Recognizing the high incidence of paranasal sinus mycoses in north India, we analysed retrospectively the clinical, mycological and management aspects of 178 patients with proven disease attending our institute. On the basis of clinical, radiological, histopathological and mycological findings, the patients could be categorized into those with allergic (8), non-invasive (92) and invasive (78) disease types. Bony erosion without mucosal invasion by fungi was seen in 16 patients with non-invasive disease. Young men from rural areas were the most commonly affected. Rhinorrhoea with nasal polyposis (45.8%) and proptosis (46.4%) was the most common presentation. Concurrent involvement of the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses was common in these patients, whereas isolated sphenoid and frontal sinuses were involved in the invasive variety only. Orbital and intracranial extensions were detected in 100% and 13.2%, respectively, of patients with the invasive type of disease. Aspergillus flavus (79.7%) was the most common isolate. Surgical debridement and sinus ventilation were adequate for the effective management of the non-invasive disease. However, adjuvant medical therapy was included in treatment of the semi-invasive and invasive varieties of the disease. Itraconazole was found to be most useful in prevention of recurrence in the invasive type. Mortality was highest (33.3%) among patients with zygomycotic infection. Invasive fungal granuloma with orbital and intra-cranial invasion is a distinct entity in terms of its clinical course and treatment compared with non-invasive fungal sinusitis, and it needs to be treated aggressively with surgical excision and postoperative itraconazole.

A fatal case of craniofacial zygomycosis caused by Apophysomyces elegans in a 52-year-old man was diagnosed by the presence of broad aseptate, branched hyaline hyphae in tissue from paranasal sinuses and surrounding areas, and isolation of the fungus from the same tissue. The patient suffered from idiopathic myelofibrosis as underlying disease, he was thrombocytopenic and was mildly hyperglycaemic. The infection represents the second case of craniofacial zygomycosis due to A. elegans.

Objective: To analyze retrospectively the disease spectrum and outcome of primary gastrointestinal lymphoma (PGIL) in a tertiary referral center in north India., Material: Seventy five patients presenting with PGIL between January 1971 and December 1985 were evaluated., Results: The 49 males and 26 females were aged 3.5-69 years (mean 34) at presentation. Abdominal pain, weight loss and vomiting were cardinal symptoms at presentation; the stomach was the most common site of involvement. Histologically, a majority of patients were classified as having diffuse poorly-differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma (46.7%) and diffuse histiocytic type (30.7%). Twenty seven (36%) patients had stage I disease, 31 (40%) stage II, 11 (14.7%) stage III, and 6 (8%) stage IV. At laparotomy, primary resection and anastomosis was carried out in 66 patients, while only biopsies were taken in nine. Forty eight patients received adjuvant radiation with or without chemotherapy. The mean follow-up was 3.9 years (range 1-14). The 5-year actuarial survival was 34%, 25% and 16% for stages I, II, and higher-stage disease, respectively. The survival was significantly better (p < 0.01) for gastric location (44%) compared to other sites (24%)., Conclusion: PGIL was more common in the 3rd and 4th decades of life, with the stomach being the predominant site of involvement. Survival was better among patients with stages I and II disease, and gastric location of lesion.

Rural schoolchildren between the ages of 6 and 18 years were screened for residual paralysis following poliomyelitis; 503 (0.85%) out of a total of 58,592 were victims. Of these, only 16 (3.8%) had received poliomyelitis vaccine, while the remainder had not been immunised. The disease had occurred before the age of 4 years in nearly 90%, the lower limbs being affected (98%) more often than the upper (2%). In the lower limbs, the quadriceps, hip adductors and tibialis anterior were frequently affected. The muscles supplied by the L4 and L5 spinal segments were most commonly involved, while those supplied by L1 and S3 were least. Some order does exist in the apparently irregular distribution of paralysis after poliomyelitis.

A total of 157 renal allograft recipients were followed for over 1-23 months for the development of dermatological lesions. The non-infective lesions related to immunosuppressive drugs included cushingoid features in 133 (84.7%), xerosis in 120 (76.4%), striae in 69 (43.9%), hypertrichosis in 65 (21.6%), facial erythema in 42 (26.7%) and friable skin in 34 (21.4%) patients. Of the infective lesions, cutaneous mycoses were the most frequent (82.6%) and included tinea corporis and cruris in 82 (52.2%), tinea versicolor in 21 (13.3%), candidiasis in 7 (4%), onychomycosis in 4 (2%) and cryptococcosis in 2 (1.2%) patients. Viral infections included those due to herpes zoster in 17 (10.8%), herpes simplex in 5 (3.1%) and viral warts in 13 (8.2%) patients. Cutaneous malignancy was seen in 1 patient only.

Fifty untreated cases of squamous cell carcinoma arising from the middle one-third of the esophagus, with no apparent extraesophageal spread on a computed tomography (CT) scan and with a Karnofsky performance status of over 70, were treated by external beam irradiation to a dose of 3500 cGy/15 fractions/3 weeks. Twenty-five patients (Group A) received treatment with further external beam irradiation to a dose of 2000 cGy/10 fractions/2 weeks. Another group of 25 patients (Group B) received treatment with high dose rate intracavitary irradiation to a dose of 1200 cGy delivered in two sessions of 600 cGy each a week apart. All patients were assessed symptomatically, endoscopically, and radiologically every 3 months. There was marked difference at the end of 1 year in relief of dysphagia (37.5% in Group A vs. 70.6% in Group B), local control (25% in group A vs. 70.6% in group B) although the results were statistically insignificant (p greater than 0.05) and actuarial survival (44% in group A vs. 78% in group B) which was, however, significant statistically (z = 2.83). The cumulative radiation effect (CRE) by external beam irradiation was 1729 reu and by external beam and intracavitary irradiation 1741 reu, but the biological dose effect was better with external beam and intracavitary irradiation. Eight percent of patients treated by external beam and intracavitary irradiation had strictures in contrast to 4% treated by external beam irradiation alone. Moderate doses of external beam and intracavitary irradiation can give a better local response than external beam irradiation alone for the same biological dose in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma.

Platelet count in 51 highlanders was studied at high altitude. A group of 48 age and sex matched lowlanders were studied at Sea level and then serially on exposure to 3658m for ten days for comparison. Highlanders had a significantly high platelet count. The results are reported and findings discussed.

32 patients (24 male, 8 female) with contact dermatitis from Chrysanthemum morifolium are reported. 24 (75%) patients gave a history of seasonal variation and 16 (50%) of photoaggravation and/or photosensitivity. Exposure to chrysanthemums was occupational in 18 and recreational in 12. The common clinical presentations were hand and face dermatitis in 13 (41%) and airborne contact dermatitis in 10 (31%) patients. All 32 patients demonstrated positive patch tests to ethanolic extracts of the flowers, 30 to the leaves, 28 to the whole plant, and only 6 to the stems, in that order of intensity.

DDE and the o,p' and p,p' isomers of DDT were assayed in 94 human biopsy fat samples from hospitals in Delhi by gas chromatography. DDT was present in all except 2 samples at concentrations from 0.17 to 176.5 mg per kg of body fat. The average total DDT content was 21.8+/-2.9 mg/kg, of which 45.9% was DDE. The average value reported in a similar study in 1965 (24.3 mg/kg, of which DDE constituted 39.7%) was not significantly different from the present value, indicating that the DDT storage status has not since undergone any significant change.