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High-altitude lakes (HALs) can be used as a supplement or alternative source of water in areas where there is a water shortage. When these lakes are efficiently managed, they can supply more water resources to fulfil the increasing demand. Water quality assessment aids in the identification of adequate and safe drinking water sources. It minimizes threats to the public's health by making sure that lake water extraction fulfills safety and health regulations. Water quality and hydrogeochemical study was conducted on six HALs of the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh during the year 2022. The water quality index (WQI) values varied from excellent to poor (33.87 to 101.95). Lake 6 stands out with its exceptional water quality as it had the minimum average WQI value of 52.98. In contrast, Lake 5 had the lowest water quality among the studied lakes with the maximum average WQI value of 95.31. However, the water might not be safe to drink due to the elevated levels of fluoride in these lakes. It is crucial to address and minimize the high fluoride levels to ensure the safety and acceptability of the water for consumption. The Piper diagram showed that Ca 2+  > Mg 2+  > Na +  > K + and HCO 3 -  > Cl -  > SO 4 2- , respectively, were the primary cations and anions present in these lakes. The Gibbs diagram also demonstrated the effect of rock weathering and precipitation dominance on the water chemistry in the research area. These results provide insightful information about the water quality of HALs, which is essential information for concerned government departments and agencies to manage water issues more efficiently. Based on current research, the HALs in this region have a lot of potential to meet the growing demand for drinking water., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) is a rare and under-recognized disorder characterized by the aggregation of transthyretin-derived insoluble amyloid fibrils in the myocardium. Heterogeneity of symptoms at presentation, makes its diagnosis often delayed. An expert panel gathered on a virtual platform across India to conduct a meeting for developing a guiding tool for ATTR-CM diagnosis. The panel recommended younger age (≥40 years) for suspecting ATTR-CM and thick-walled non-dilated hypokinetic ventricle was considered as one of the important red flags. Electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiography (ECHO) findings were recommended as primary tests to raise the suspicion while nuclear scintigraphy and hematological tests were recommended to confirm the diagnosis and rule out amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and biopsy were recommended in case of ambiguity in the presence of red flags. Considering the lack of expert guidelines in the Indian scenario, a standardized diagnostic algorithm was also proposed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare. All authors have received honorarium from Pfizer for their services as a member of the ATTR-CM Expert Panel Meeting., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier, a division of RELX India, Pvt. Ltd.)

The use of the Internet has increased exponentially for buying as well as selling of goods. Even the purchase of medications online is no exception. Owing to its benefits, there are certain risk factors in purchase of online medicines. Currently, the data on the use of Internet pharmacies are limited. Thus, the main objective of our study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of Indian population toward E-pharmacy in India carried out in the Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh. A KAP questionnaire was prepared which was distributed to the participants through Google Forms and a URL sent to them. This questionnaire was divided into four sections including demographics, occupation, income, and use of the Internet to measure the alertness toward the online purchase of medicines. A total of 322 responses were collected, out of which only 268 (83.2%) participants were aware of online pharmacy. The awareness was more in males and that too in urban population. Among the respondents, majority of the users prefer to buy medicines offline (81%, n = 217) which can be due to poor quality of medicines and lack of trustworthy websites. The utmost reason for buying the medicine online was deficiency of availability in the market and differences in the prices. The most preferred drugs respondents were willing to buy online were prescription drugs followed by cosmetics and dietary supplements. In conclusion, of our results, most of the people use the Internet to search for the medications online who prefer to consult the physicians before buying. Therefore, the future of online pharmacy can be improved if there will be some set guidelines, awareness, and knowledge among the users., Competing Interests: None

Recently, India is at risk due to the exponential rising of COVID-19 infection, which generated a second wave. This infection rise may affect the vaccination program in India, and it can also affect vaccine production. In this manuscript, we have discussed the psychosocial and political factors that have driven the current wave of India. We have also tried to depict the psychosocial and political obstacles that are impairing the vaccination program., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Traditional Indian medical practices (Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and homeopathy) are a vast reservoir of knowledge about medicinal plants. The promising pharmacological properties of these plants have paved the way for developing therapy against novel Coronavirus (CoV) infection. The current review will summarize published works of literature on the effects of traditional Indian medicinal plants against acute respiratory infection (COVID-19, SARS, Influenza, and Respiratory syncytial virus infection) and registered clinical trials of traditional Indian herbal medicines in COVID-19. The current study aims to comprehensively evaluate the data of traditional Indian medicinal plants to warrant their use in COVID-19 management. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched along with different clinical trial databases. A total of 22 relevant traditional Indian medicinal plants (35 relevant studies) were included in the current study having potential antiviral properties against virus-induced respiratory illness along with promising immunomodulatory and thrombolytic properties. Further, 36 randomized and nonrandomized registered clinical trials were also included that were aimed at evaluating the efficacy of herbal plants or their formulations in COVID-19 management. The antiviral, immunomodulatory, and thrombolytic activities of the traditional Indian medicinal plants laid down a strong rationale for their use in developing therapies against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study identified some important potential traditional Indian medicinal herbs such as Ocimum tenuiflorum, Tinospora cordifolia, Achyranthes bidentata, Cinnamomum cassia, Cydonia oblonga, Embelin ribes, Justicia adhatoda, Momordica charantia, Withania somnifera, Zingiber officinale, Camphor, and Kabusura kudineer, which could be used in therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2 infection., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Mandibular trauma can result in stylomandibular complex (SMC) fractures with clinical symptoms including glossopharyngeal neuralgia, globus pharyngeus, otalgia, and dysphonia. Fracture of the styloid process is noteworthy because of its proximity to numerous vital structures. The study objectives were 1) to determine the incidence of SMC fractures and develop a clinical grading system and 2) to institute and assess a treatment protocol., Materials and Methods: This prospective clinical trial involved 206 patients with mandibular trauma based on a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. On the basis of the clinical presentation of symptoms, patients were categorized as mild, moderate, or severe, and the radiographic features were characterized as type 1, 2, or 3. Patients were treated by an institutional protocol, and outcome was evaluated. A grading system was developed by correlating clinical features with imaging. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22; IBM, Armonk, NY). Descriptive and analytic statistics were computed., Results: The incidence of styloid fracture was 11.17%. The most common concomitant mandibular fractures were condyle (13 patients) and angle (7 patients) fractures. Dysphagia and restricted mouth opening were the most common symptoms. The distribution of radiographic types 1, 2, and 3 was 26.1%, 69.6%, and 4.3%, respectively. A significant correlation (P < .001) was found between clinical symptoms and radiographic types using the Fisher exact test., Conclusions: This study proposes a clinical grading system for SMC fractures and a symptom-based management algorithm., (Copyright © 2018 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the intelligence quotient of fishermen school children of Kutch, Gujarat, India., Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 8 to 10 years old school children living in Kutch District, Gujarat, India, from January to February 2013. Seguin Form Board Test was used to assess the intelligence quotient (IQ) level of children. Means of groups were compared by independent student t-test. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors for IQ., Results: The mean average timing taken by fishermen school children to complete the test was 30.64 ± 4.97. Males had significantly lower mean timing scores than females (p < 0.05). Participants with severe dental fluorosis, low socio-economic status (SES), lower education level of both mother and father and those who were overweight had significantly higher mean timing scores for average category., Conclusions: The present study suggested a low IQ among fishermen school children community of Kutch, Gujarat, India. The major factors which influenced their IQ were dental fluorosis, low SES, low education level of parents and high body mass index.

India is considered to have a low incidence of HIV infection so far. Nevertheless, an epidemic of HIV infection has been reported recently among intra-venous drug users (IVDUs) in Manipur, a north-eastern state of India, bordering Myanmar (Burma). This report describes the epidemiology of intravenous drug abuse in the state of Manipur. Four hundred and fifty IVDUs were interviewed. Their age (median 24 years) and sex patterns (95% male) differ from those reported from western countries. It is estimated that there may be approximately 15,000 such addicts in a population of 1.8 million and 50% of them could be positive for HIV. Knowledge of AIDS and its transmission is significantly higher among the addicts than non-addict controls. Free availability of heroin was found to be the major factor responsible for the high rate of addiction. It is presumed that two other neighbouring States which are well-connected to Manipur and also have a common border with Myanmar (part of the 'Golden Triangle') may have a similar problem with HIV infection.