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In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess the impact of vehicular noise upon the 3-wheeler tempo drivers and to know whether there is any relationship between hearing loss and cumulative noise exposure. For this purpose, 3-wheeler tempo drivers (Exposed group) and non-commercial light motor vehicle car drivers (Unexposed group) were chosen as study subjects. Three traffic routes were selected to assess the noise level during waiting and running time in the exposed and unexposed groups. Among all three routes, the highest mean noise level (L eq ) was observed on the Chowk to Dubagga route for waiting and en-route noise measurement. It was measured as 84.13 dB(A) and 86.36 dB(A) for waiting and en-route periods of 7.68 ± 3.46 and 31.05 ± 6.6 min, respectively. Cumulative noise exposure was found to be significantly different (p < 0.001) in all age groups of exposed and unexposed drivers. Audiometric tests have been performed over both exposed and unexposed groups. The regression analysis has been done keeping hearing loss among tempo drivers as the dependent variable and age (years) and Energy (Pa 2 Hrs) as the independent variable using three different criteria of hearing loss definitions, i.e., World Health Organization, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria. Among these three criteria, the NIOSH criterion of hearing loss best explained the independent variables. It could explain the total variation in dependent variable by independent variable quite well, i.e., 68.1%. The finding showed a linear relationship between cumulative noise exposures (Pa 2 Hrs) and the exposed group's hearing loss (dB), i.e., hearing loss increases with increasing noise dose. Based on the findings, two model equations were developed to identify the safe and unsafe noise levels with exposure time., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Context: Unsafe drinking water causes diarrheal disease and environmental enteropathy. The quality of water is determined by its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Water sources have a significant impact on household members' health, particularly children. To combat this, India is committed to providing household tap connections to ensure the delivery of safe drinking water with the "Jal Jeevan Mission.", Aims: This study aims to estimate the access to safe drinking water and the physical and chemical qualities of water (qualitatively) in the urban and rural areas of Etawah district, India., Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Etawah district from January 2020 to December 2021. The study subjects were the eldest female of the family. A total of 312 females were included. The data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25 (released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) for descriptive analysis., Results: In the present study, 76.3% (238/312) of households in the urban and rural areas had access to safe drinking water (here, the meaning of the word "safe" is based on its operational definition). A total of 130 (83.3%) households in rural areas and only 21 (13.5%) in urban areas had private supply as the primary water source. The physical and chemical qualities of water were within the requirement (acceptable limit) and permissible limit in all the study areas, so the water is considered safe for drinking., Conclusions: This study reported that 76.3% (238) households had access to safe drinking water according to the operational definition. The major public source of drinking water was public-supplied tap water, and in private sources, submersible or boreholes were the most common., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Saxena et al.)

Background: Open defecation continues to prevail among toilet owners despite effective implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). We conducted this study to determine toilet utilization rates and learn about the barriers to toilet use in the rural areas. By understanding the barriers, physicians can provide targeted education and become better equipped to manage their patients' conditions and advocate for their demands., Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on the households of the rural field practice areas of the department in central Uttar Pradesh by the census method. House listing was procured from the departmental records. The questionnaire was directed at both the household level and individual level., Results: The proportion of households with access to a toilet was found to be 91.1% of which 504 households were included in the study. Among the toilet owners, 115 (22.8%) households were not using toilets exclusively by all the members. At the individual level, age groups (of 20-59 years, and ≥60 years) and female gender were found to be significantly associated with open defecation. At the household level, government assistance for toilet construction and livestock keeping was found to be associated with open defecation. Major barriers to toilet use were childhood habits, dearth of toilets in the farming grounds/workplace, women during menstruation and having a non-functional toilet., Conclusion: This study indicates that merely installing a household toilet does not ensure exclusive utilization of toilet and the practice of open defecation might continue to be prevalent if corrective measures are not undertaken., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Introduction and Objectives: Using the assessment of satisfaction of patients of labour room services, the caregiver or policymakers can identify the gaps in the implemented programmes and health policies. This study was aimed to design a valid and reliable satisfaction questionnaire that will help in identifying the aspects of gaps that need improvement., Methods: A facility and community-based observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the district of western Uttar Pradesh (India) between January 2019 and August 2020. Validation of the structured questionnaire with 34 dichotomous questions categorized under five subscales was performed by evaluating its validity and reliability. A total of 380 beneficiaries were selected from 48 government health facilities., Results: The calculated Content validity index was calculated to be 9.5 which was adequate as per the guidelines. The reliability analysis of the questionnaire showed that the internal consistency was high with an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.710. The variation in Cronbach's alpha on the elimination of any question from the questionnaire ranged from 0.676 to 0.767. The mean patient satisfaction score in the total surveyed population was 24.39±4.684 (total score=34) and there was a greater variation in the satisfaction score of infrastructure when compared with other subscales., Conclusion: The findings from this study support the reliability and validity of the patient satisfaction questionnaire as it is capable of evaluating the satisfaction in terms of delivery services provided in labour rooms as a whole., (Copyright © 2022 FECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aridity gradient in the eastern Mediterranean offers an opportunity to investigate intra-specific genetic differentiation and local adaptation in plant populations. Here we used genetic (F ST ) and quantitative trait (P ST ) differentiation to assess local adaptation among three natural populations of Eruca sativa (Brassicaceae) distributed along a climatic range representing desert, semi-arid and Mediterranean habitats., Results: Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis revealed high genetic diversity in each population, but low genetic differentiation between populations and relatively high gene flow. Further phenotypic evaluation in a common garden experiment (conduced in a Mediterranean habitat) showed clear differences in phenological traits among populations (day of flowering and duration of the reproductive stage), shoot and root biomass, as well as fitness-related traits (total number of fruits and total seed weight). F ST -P ST comparison showed that P ST values of the phenological traits, as well as below- and above-ground biomass and fitness-related traits, were higher than the F ST values., Conclusions: Overall, our results support the identification of genotypic and phenotypic differentiation among populations of E. sativa. Furthermore, the F ST -P ST comparison supports the hypothesis that these were subjected to past diversifying selection. Thus, the results clearly demonstrate adaptive divergence among populations along an aridity gradient, emphasize the ecological value of early flowering time in arid habitats, and contribute to our understanding of the possible impact of climate change on evolutionary processes in plant populations., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The role of children in transmitting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is difficult to ascertain and the consequences remain unclear. This is necessary for public health or infection control purposes. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, month-wise trends and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection among children in a tertiary care hospital., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on all pediatric samples of suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The samples were received from the adjoining districts and our Institution in the Department of Microbiology from June to November 2020. Cases were then confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction., Results: Of the total 62,030 pediatric samples tested, 847 (1.3%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive. The majority of positive cases were between the ages of 11-15 years. The median age of confirmed patients was 14 years. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. Infants represented 1.6% of the positive cases. About 62.1% of all positive cases were asymptomatic. Childhood cases increased from June 2020 and peaked in September 2020 before declining., Conclusion: Children of all ages appeared susceptible to COVID-19 and accounted for a very small proportion of confirmed cases. Mostly, children were found to be asymptomatic. Young children can be important transmitters of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population. This population can be important for targeting immunization efforts throughout a rapidly evolving situation. Our findings provide further evidence of the distribution of infection in children and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: In 2019, the global number of malaria cases was estimated at 229 million. An estimated 409,000 deaths were attributed to malaria in 2019. Under-five children are the most susceptible to malaria, accounting for 67% (274,000) of all malaria deaths worldwide in 2019. This study aimed to assess knowledge and practices regarding malaria among Village Health Sanitation Committee (VHSC) members in rural Uttar Pradesh., Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the villages of four districts of Uttar Pradesh with high malaria burden. In the present study, 484 participants were interviewed from four districts of Uttar Pradesh., Results: Nearly all the participants (97.1%) have heard about malaria. Majority of the participants (97.1) were aware that mosquito bites spread malaria. However, many participants were also having a false awareness that malaria is spread by other modes like drinking contaminated water, touching each other, eating contaminated food, and so on. More than half of the participants told that mosquitoes are responsible for malaria breeds in stagnant clean water (25.6%) and stagnant dirty water (28.5%). Nearly half of them were aware that mosquitoes' biting time was sunset (42.1%) and sunrise (7.8%)., Conclusion: In the present study, many participants were having a false awareness that malaria is spread by other modes like drinking contaminated water, touching each other, eating contaminated food, and so on. Even the knowledge regarding any government program for the prevention and control of malaria of the mosquitoes was very weak. There is an urgent requirement of increasing knowledge among the VHSC members to reduce the malaria burden in the country., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background Biomedical waste management has recently emerged as an issue of major concern for every health facility and healthcare provider due to human and environmental hazards. As per government guidelines, every health facility, either large medical institutes or small clinics, should ensure appropriate biomedical waste management at their facilities level. Objective To assess biomedical waste management in various health care facilities of Etawah district. Methodology It was a facility-based cross-sectional assessment that included government and private health facilities. The selection of facilities was done based on a simple random sampling method. All the people in charge of concerned health care facilities were interviewed to know the current biomedical waste management situation concerning health facilities and the problems they face in biomedical waste management. Health care professionals' knowledge was also assessed. Results A total of 56 health care facilities (HCFs) from both government and private sectors were selected. Biomedical waste guidelines are mainly available at tertiary care centers (93%) and secondary care centers (51.5%). Awareness among doctors related to hazards and prevention of hazards (<0.001), knowledge of unused sharps (0.048), contact with a blood-related product (0.003), hazardous waste (<0.001), and need for training (<0.001) are statistically significant with respect to nurses. Conclusions Government of India guidelines on biomedical waste management (BMW) are in place, but the use of guidelines currently is not up to the mark or at a satisfactory level. Spreading awareness of the BMW guidelines and their strict implementation is the need of the hour., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Dixit et al.)

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the functionality of labour rooms by evaluating the labour room infrastructure with reference to the standard guidelines, the status of the availability of human resources, the availability of essential equipment and consumables in the labour room and by documenting the knowledge of the healthcare provider in terms of labour room practices. The study also explored the facility parameters associated with its delivery load taking the facility as a unit of analysis., Design: A cross-sectional analytical study., Setting: India has realised the importance of improving the quality of care in public health facilities, and steps are being taken to make healthcare more responsive to women's needs. With an increase in the proportion of institutional deliveries in India, the outcome of the delivery process can be improved by optimising the health facility components., Participants: The study was conducted in 52 health facilities and healthcare providers involved in the delivery process in the selected facilities., Results: The infrastructure of the facilities was found to be the best for medical college followed by district hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and subcentres. Similar findings were observed in terms of the availability of equipment and consumables. Lack of healthcare providers was observed as only 20% of the posts for health personnel were fulfilled in CHCs followed by PHCs, subcentres and district hospitals where 43, 50 and 79% of the available vacancies were fulfilled. The level of knowledge of healthcare providers in terms of partograph, active management of the third stage of labour and post-partum haemorrhage ranged as per their designation. The specialists were the most knowledgeable while the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (AMNs) were the least. All the components of structural capacity, i.e. infrastructure ( r 2 = 0.377, P value < 0.001), equipment and consumable ( r 2 = 0.606, P value < 0.001) and knowledge of healthcare providers ( r 2 = 0.456, P value < 0.001) along with the overall facility score were positively correlated with the average delivery load of the health facility. The results from multivariate linear regression depict significant relation between the delivery load and availability of equipment and consumables ( t = 4.015, P < 0.01) and with the knowledge of healthcare providers ( t = 2.129, P = 0.039)., Conclusions: The higher facilities were better equipped to provide delivery and newborn care. A higher delivery load was found at high-level facilities which can be attributed to better infrastructure, adequate supply of equipment and consumables and availability of trained human resources., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading throughout the world along with its strange and frightening mutations, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it as a global pandemic., Objective: The present investigation aims to evaluate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on mother and newborn outcomes and the vertical transmission potential of this virus., Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care dedicated COVID-19 hospital. A total of 40 pregnant females (RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2) and their 41 neonates (including stillbirths and a twin delivery) were included in the present study., Results: All the mothers in the study were SARS-CoV-2 positive on the RT-PCR test, but none had any COVID-19 symptoms (pneumonia-like fever, cough, fatigue, sore throat, shortness of breath, and diarrhea). Out of 41 newborns, 38 (92.7%) were healthy, one (2.4%) was a stillbirth, and two newborns (4.9%) could not be revived. All the 41 (100.0%) neonates, including stillborn and preterm were negative for the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. Twenty-Six neonates (63.4%) were delivered by caesarean section, whereas 15 cases (36.6%) had a normal vaginal delivery., Conclusion: The present study showed no suggestion of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant females. Therefore, the placenta might function as a barrier to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Also, there were no complications come upon during the delivery of any neonate in the present study., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

GTR1 and GTR2 transporters are components of the source to sink translocation network of glucosinolates, which are major defence metabolites in the Brassicaceae. These transporters can be genetically manipulated for reduction of seed-glucosinolates without inhibiting glucosinolate biosynthesis, thereby maintaining the inherent defence potential of plants. However, the different roles of GTRs in influencing tissue-specific distribution of glucosinolates in agriculturally important Brassica crops are yet unknown. Here, we report functional characterization of two groups of glucosinolate transporters (GTR1 and GTR2) from Brassica juncea based on gene expression data, biochemical analysis, gene-complementation studies in GTR-deficient mutants and RNAi-based knockdown followed by insect feeding experiments. Although both GTRs showed ubiquitous expression patterns and broad substrate specificity, the single-gene knockdown lines displayed different phenotypes. The GTR2-knockdown plants showed a significant reduction of glucosinolates in seeds and a higher accumulation in leaves and pods, while the GTR1-knockdown plants displayed a smaller reduction of glucosinolates in seeds and significantly lower glucosinolate levels in leaves. Consequently, knockdown of GTR2 resulted in higher resistance towards the generalist pest, Spodoptera litura. Overall, our study highlights the distinctive roles of B. juncea GTRs in tissue-specific accumulation of glucosinolates and the potential for manipulating GTR2 for enhanced nutrition and plant defence., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Coronavirus is known to cause various systemic infections both in human and animal which are mostly mild in nature. However, recent years have seen major pandemics caused by coronavirus which are very invasive and virulent in nature. The recent SARS-CoV2 is a new addition to this list of coronavirus pandemics. So the present study was done to systematically review the CNS involvement and its manifestations in SARS-CoV2 positive patients. Systemic review of article published between 1st Dec 2019 to 31st July 2020 searched through web-based database of MEDLINE (Pubmed) and Google scholar using following keywords "COVID -19" OR "CORONAVIRUS" OR "SARS-CoV2" AND "NEUROLOGICAL" OR "CNS" OR "BRAIN". Using the steps of systemic review eight article were selected for qualitative analysis. Majority of these article were reporting neurological symptoms among patients admitted in different wards along with others general symptoms. None of the study was specifically devoted to study the neurological manifestations and complications in SARS-CoV2 positive patients. The present study concludes that there is a scarcity of good quality research which attempts to establish the role of SARS-CoV2 infection in CNS and its manifestations. However, there are evidences that CNS involvement is present in majority of the patients. Proper documentation of theses involvement and indentification of these into mild, moderate and severe infection will help in early identification and treatment of these patients., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Authors declare no conflict of interest.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 37,704,153 cases and 10,79,029 deaths due to COVID-19 till the 13th October 2020 in the world. Day by day, rise in the number of COVID-19 deaths has created great pressure on health facilities, governmental bodies, and health workers. There is a need for knowledge regarding lifecycle, transmission, and different strains of SARSCoV2, so that countries can stop the disease as early as possible. The present study was conducted to review various epidemiological aspects along with measures used in the containment and prevention of this new pandemic. The scientific literature database was searched using the terms: coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, SARSCoV2, and COVID-19. Articles with appropriate topics fulfilling the objective of the present work were included. The epidemiological characteristics regarding life-cycle, intermediate hosts, viability on various surfaces, strains, case fatality rate, and their implication to reduce the transmission of SARSCoV2 have been identified. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (updated till October 05, 2020) people with recurrent or persistent positive COVID-19 tests in South Korea and USA did not show to have live virus in their bodies. As per WHO web-page information till 15 October 2020, there were 42 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 156 vaccines are in preclinical evaluation phase. As the virus can easily be transmitted to the people either via droplets, fomites, and may be via the fecal-oral route, knowledge regarding the above-mentioned areas is needed for time to be prepared for the next waves of the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Introduction: An estimated 2.25 million new cancer cases with 7 lakh cancer deaths were reported, according to GLOBOCAN 2018 in India. There is a steady rise in cancer cases, but trends and patterns vary within the state depending on the geographic region., Objectives: To study the proportion and site-wise distribution of neoplasm reported at a tertiary care hospital in district Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India., Material and Methods: A record based retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in district Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. Total four years (from 2015 to 2018) hospital-based retrospective data were collected from the Medical Record Department. Identification and distribution of malignant neoplasm were done according to the WHO ICD-10 classification., Results: Total cases diagnosed with malignancy from January 2015 to December 2018 were 3614. Cancer cases reported over the years was 932 (25.8%) in 2015, 1031 (28.5%) cases in 2016, 897 (24.8%) in 2017 and 754 (20.9%) in 2018. It was found that breast carcinoma (24.0%) accounted for the maximum number of cases diagnosed, followed by lung carcinoma (10.9%), cervical cancer (8.7%), gall bladder carcinoma (8%), and oral cavity cancer (7.9%)., Conclusion: The present study reveals that the malignancy of the breast is most common, followed by malignancies of lung, cervix, and gall bladder among the patients who were seeking care in a tertiary care hospital of the district Etawah Uttar Pradesh, India., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: In the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic, parts of the public health system at increased risk of reduced efficiency include healthcare services for women and children. This in turn could reverse all the progress achieved over the years in reducing maternal and child mortality. In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the indirect effect of the pandemic on maternal and child health services in public health facilities., Methods: Data pertaining to maternal and child health services being provided under specific Government programmes, were collected from public health facilities of District Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, India. Comparative analysis of the data from the pandemic phase with data from the year 2019 was done to determine the impact on services., Results: Reduced coverage across all maternal and child health interventions was observed in the study. There was an overall decrease of 2.26 % in number of institutional deliveries. Antenatal care services were the worst affected with 22.91% decline. Immunization services were also dramatically decreased by more than 20%., Conclusion: The response of the public healthcare delivery system to the Covid-19 Pandemic is negatively affecting both the provision and utilization of maternal and child healthcare services. It is deterrent to the progress achieved in maternal and child health parameters over the years. Better response strategies should be put in place to minimize lag in service deliwvery., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background  Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) belonging to the coronavirus family. The primary target of SARS-CoV-2 is peripheral mucosal cells of respiratory tract. Recent days have seen few cases where virus has affected extrapulmonary organ such as nervous system. Materials and Methods  The present study was a narrative review done using techniques of systemic review, that is, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Electronic databases such as PubMed (Medline) and Google Scholar were searched systematically for published article from December 1, 2019 to June 5, 2020. A total of 189 articles were initially selected by the authors. A final list of 17 articles was prepared and following information were extracted from selected studies: study design, main result, and limitations of the study. Results  Majority of these article were descriptive studies describing spectrum of signs and symptoms among admitted patients. In majority of these studies, patients have developed symptoms suggestive of neurological involvement. Most common central nervous system symptoms reported were headache, followed by dizziness and confusion. Similarly, the most common peripheral nervous system involvement was loss of taste and smell. Conclusion  The present study concludes that there are enough evidences to prove that SARS-CoV-2 infection affects both central and peripheral nervous system. Various mechanisms are proposed to explain the pathophysiology of neurological manifestations in COVID-19-positive patients that needs to be established and verified., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest None declared., (Association for Helping Neurosurgical Sick People. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Introduction: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a vector-borne, viral illness caused by the Japanese Encephalitis Virus. Permanent neurologic or psychiatric sequelae can occur in 30%-50% of those with encephalitis; hence, JE is a cause of major public health concern. For the ease of diagnosis and facilitation of surveillance, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme uses the term Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). In this study, an attempt has been made to ascertain the status and trends of AES and JE in Uttar Pradesh, India., Methodology: This is a record-based retrospective study. The data were obtained from the Directorate of Medical and Health Services of Uttar Pradesh and analyzed using software SPSS version 24.0., Results: In Uttar Pradesh, there were 47,509 reported cases of AES from 2005 to 2018,. With yearly fluctuations, the average Case Fatality Rate of AES was 17.49% with highest in 2005 (24.76%) and lowest in 2018 (8%). Among the patients with AES, 9.98% were found positive for JE. The most commonly affected age group is 1-5 years for both AES and JE, closely followed by the age group of 5-10 years. Peak occurrence of both AES and JE was recorded in month of September. Among the AES-affected patients 53.8% were males and 46.2% were females., Conclusion: The most commonly affected age group was 1-5 years with peak occurrence in the month of September. Though there was a downward trend in CFR, awareness activities like "Dastak" campaign and intersectoral preventive activities, needs to be strengthened., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Context: India accounts for 17% of the population, contributes to about 19% of maternal deaths, and 21% of childhood deaths of the world. Antenatal and postnatal services were one of the most important works done by ASHA workers., Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the services provided by ASHA workers in a district of western Utter Pradesh to her beneficiaries regarding antenatal and postnatal care., Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was done in four randomly selected blocks of the district with the help of simple random sampling technique., Subjects and Methods: A total of 384 study participants (mother having child up to 2 years of age) who availed services from the ASHA of their village., Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using SPSS-24.0, IBM Corp., Chicago, USA. Differences between the groups were compared using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Out of 384 beneficiaries of ASHA workers regarding antenatal and post-natal services, only 25% educated up to ≥higher secondary. Most of the beneficiaries (>55%) escorted less than four times for ANC, whereas only 0.5% of beneficiaries received the correct number i.e., 180 or > 180 IFA tablet from the ASHA workers. Only 57.2% of beneficiaries replied ≥6 times the post natal care home visit done by ASHA., Conclusion: Services provided by ASHA workers regarding ANC and PNC were not adequate., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: The wild radishes, Raphanus raphanistrum and R. pugioniformis (Brassicaceae) are native to the East Mediterranean region. However, whereas R. raphanistrum is widely distributed worldwide, the endemic R. pugioniformis is limited to specific habitats. In R. raphanistrum the diaspores of the indehiscent fruits comprise glabrous, light, single-seeded segments, whereas the intact fruits of R. pugioniformis are heavy and covered with spiny backward-pointing trichomes. We aimed to investigate whether the structure of the diaspores was directly associated with long- and short-range dispersal in R. raphanistrum and R. pugioniformis, respectively. We further surveyed within-population spatial distributions, to test the hypothesis that short- and long-range dispersal contribute to a patchy vs. uniform distribution patterns of R. pugioniformis and R. raphanistrum, respectively., Results: The results indicated that dispersal by wind and run-off water was substantially lower for diaspores of R. pugioniformis than for those of R. raphanistrum diaspores. Supporting the hypothesis that backward-pointing trichomes promote adherence to soil particles, the displacement on soil surface of R. pugioniformis fruits depended on their orientation relative to wind direction. Furthermore, trichome removal from fruits of R. pugioniformis significantly reduced wind velocity needed to remove fruits that were placed on soils typical of the species' natural habitats. The spatial-distribution survey results indicated a patchy distribution of R. pugioniformis populations as compared with the more uniform arrangement in the studied populations of R. raphanistrum; consistent with the unidirectional vs. homogeneous wind dispersal of the respective diaspores, with respect to wind direction. In addition, R. pugioniformis population sizes changed less between years than those of R. raphanistrum., Conclusions: Overall, our results indicate that fruit structure is strongly linked to dispersal ability and spatial distribution of the two closely related wild radish species. Whereas R. raphanistrum inhabits homogenous sandy soil habitats, the distribution range of R. pugioniformis includes heterogeneous environments in which growth niches are scarcer. We suggest that the different modes of dispersal have evolved as adaptive traits appropriate to the species' specific habitats.

The difference in the defect structures produced by different ion masses in a tungsten lattice is investigated using 80 MeV Au7+ ions and 10 MeV B3+ ions. The details of the defects produced by ions in recrystallized tungsten foil samples are studied using transmission electron microscopy. Dislocations of type b = 1/2[111] and [001] were observed in the analysis. While highly energetic gold ion produced small clusters of defects with very few dislocation lines, boron has produced large and sparse clusters with numerous dislocation lines. The difference in the defect structures could be due to the difference in separation between primary knock-on atoms produced by gold and boron ions.

Heterosis refers to the superior performance of F1 hybrids over their respective parental inbred lines. Although the genetic and expression basis of heterosis have been previously investigated, the metabolic basis for this phenomenon is poorly understood. In a preliminary morphological study in Brassica juncea, we observed significant heterosis at the 50% flowering stage, wherein both the growth and reproduction of F1 reciprocal hybrids were greater than that of their parents. To identify the possible metabolic causes or consequences of this heterosis, we carried out targeted LC-MS analysis of 48 primary (amino acids and sugars) and secondary metabolites (phytohormones, glucosinolates, flavonoids, and phenolic esters) in five developmental tissues at 50% flowering in hybrids and inbred parents. Principal component analysis (PCA) of metabolites clearly separated inbred lines from their hybrids, particularly in the bud tissues. In general, secondary metabolites displayed more negative heterosis values in comparison to primary metabolites. The tested primary and secondary metabolites displayed both additive and non-additive modes of inheritance in F1 hybrids, wherein the number of metabolites showing an additive mode of inheritance were higher in buds and siliques (52.77-97.14%) compared to leaf tissues (47.37-80%). Partial least regression (PLS) analysis further showed that primary metabolites, in general, displayed higher association with morphological parameters in F1 hybrids. Overall, our results are consistent with a resource-cost model for heterosis in B. juncea, where metabolite allocation in hybrids appears to favor growth, at the expense of secondary metabolism.

We report a novel and simple approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles capped with inositol (Ag NPs/Ino) by the reduction of silver salt with ascorbic acid under basic conditions. UV-vis, TEM, FTIR and TGA techniques were used to characterize the Ag NPs/Ino to determine the size, shape and surface modification of the NPs. Stable silver nano-ink was prepared in aqueous solution containing 1% PVP (stabilizer) and glycerol (cosolvent) and was used for the direct-writing of a paper electrode with a roller ball-point pen for electrochemical applications. The solvent, stabilizing agents, concentration of NPs (10%), paper substrate, sintering temperature (40 °C) and sintering time (15 min) were optimized to obtain a uniform coating of Ag NPs on the paper substrate. Further, the synthesis and fabrication of ZnO NPs on a paper substrate was put forward to design a touch pad device based on the piezoelectric effect. The preparation of paper based devices suggests a direction for the development of a simple, low cost and compatible approach for the direct-writing of paper based flexible electrodes and electronics for future applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Nitrogen enriched carbon adsorbents with high surface areas were successfully prepared by carbonizing the low-cost urea formaldehyde resin, followed by KOH activation. Different characterization techniques were used to determine the structure and surface functional groups. Maximum surface area and total pore volume of 4547 m 2  g -1 and 4.50 cm 3  g -1 were found by controlling activation conditions. The optimized sample denoted as UFA-3-973 possesses a remarkable surface area, which is found to be one of the best surface areas achieved so far. Nitrogen content of this sample was found to be 22.32%. Dynamic CO 2 uptake capacity of the carbon adsorbents were determined thermogravimetrically at different CO 2 concentrations (6-100%) and adsorption temperatures (303-373 K) which have a much more relevance for the flue gas application. Highest adsorption capacity of 2.43 mmol g -1 for this sample was obtained at 303 K under pure CO 2 flow. Complete regenerability of the adsorbent over four adsorption-desorption cycles was obtained. Fractional order kinetic model provided best description of adsorption over all adsorption temperatures and CO 2 concentrations. Heterogeneity of the adsorbent surface was confirmed from the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms fits and isosteric heat of adsorption values. Exothermic, spontaneous and feasible nature of adsorption process was confirmed from thermodynamic parameter values. The combination of high surface area and large pore volume makes the adsorbent a new promising carbon material for CO 2 capture from power plant flue gas and for other relevant applications., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A radiotracer investigation was carried out in an activated sludge process (ASP) system of an effluent treatment plant in a pulp and paper industry. The system consists of an aeration tank and a secondary clarifier connected in series. The primary objective of the investigation was to measure mean hydraulic retention times (MHRTs) of wastewater and investigate the hydraulic performance of the ASP. Residence time distributions (RTD) of the wastewater were measured in an aeration tank and a secondary clarifier of the system using Iodine-131 as a radiotracer. The measured RTD data was treated and MHRTs were estimated. No bypassing was found to exist in the aeration tank and the secondary clarifier. However, the dead volume in the aeration tank and the secondary clarifier was found and estimated to be 2.34% and 4.6%, respectively. The treated curves were further simulated using suitable hydraulically representative mathematical models and detailed flow patterns in the aeration tank and the secondary clarifier were deciphered., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this work, we report carbon adsorbents obtained from high nitrogen content melamine-formaldehyde resin as starting material and mesoporous zeolite MCM-41 as template through nanocasting technique. To synthesize different carbon structure adsorbents with improved textural and surface properties, the material undergo carbonization followed by physical activation under CO 2 atmosphere at different temperatures. Characterizations of the adsorbents using SEM, TEM, XPS, nitrogen sorption, CHN, TKN, and TPD have been carried out. Characterization results reveal the development of nanostructured carbon adsorbents with better texture and surface properties as compared to the sample prepared by direct carbonization. Sample prepared at carbonization-activation temperature of 700 °C shows highest basicity, surface area (193.28 m 2  g -1 ) and pore volume (0.32 cm 3  g -1 ). Performance evaluation of adsorbent was performed thermo gravimetrically at different temperatures and concentrations and was found that the adsorbent synthesized at 700 °C exhibit highest CO 2 uptake of 0.93 mmol g -1 with nitrogen content of 22.73%. It was found that both surface area and nitrogen functional group have a major impact on adsorption capacity. Physiosorption process was confirmed by a decrease in adsorption capacity with increase in temperature. Three kinetic models and isotherms were used in this study and found that fractional order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm best fitted with the experimental data. Isotherm study depicts the heterogeneous nature of adsorbent surface. Adsorbent exhibited complete regenerability and was stable over four adsorption-desorption cycles. Low value of isosteric heat of adsorption of 15.75 kJ mol -1 , indicates physiosorption process. Negative value of ΔG 0 and ΔH 0 confirms spontaneous, feasible and exothermic nature of adsorption process., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of radiotracer experiments was carried out to measure residence time distribution (RTD) of liquid phase (alkali) in an industrial-scale continuous pulp digester in a paper industry in India. Bromine-82 as ammonium bromide was used as a radiotracer. Experiments were carried out at different biomass and white liquor flow rates. The measured RTD data were treated and mean residence times in individual digester tubes as well in the whole digester were determined. The RTD was also analyzed to identify flow abnormalities and investigate flow dynamics of the liquid phase in the pulp digester. Flow channeling was observed in the first section (tube 1) of the digester. Both axial dispersion and tanks-in-series with backmixing models preceded with a plug flow component were used to simulate the measured RTD and quantify the degree of axial mixing. Based on the study, optimum conditions for operating the digester were proposed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nanostructured carbon adsorbents containing high nitrogen content were developed by templating melamine-formaldehyde resin in the pores of mesoporous silica by nanocasting technique. A series of adsorbents were prepared by altering the carbonization temperature from 400 to 700 °C and characterized in terms of their textural and morphological properties. CO2 adsorption performance was investigated at various temperatures from 30 to 100 °C by using a thermogravimetric analyzer under varying CO2 concentrations. Multiple adsorption-desorption experiments were also carried out to investigate the adsorbent regenerability. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the development of nanostructured materials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and elemental analysis indicated the development of carbon adsorbents having high nitrogen content. The surface area and pore volume of the adsorbent carbonized at 700 °C were found to be 266 m(2) g(-1) and 0.25 cm(3) g(-1) respectively. CO2 uptake profile for the developed adsorbents showed that the maximum CO2 adsorption occurred within ca. 100 s. CO2 uptake of 0.792 mmol g(-1) at 30 °C was exhibited by carbon obtained at 700 °C with complete regenerability in three adsorption-desorption cycles. Furthermore, kinetics of CO2 adsorption on the developed adsorbents was studied by fitting the experimental data of CO2 uptake to three kinetic models with best fit being obtained by fractional order kinetic model with error% within range of 5%. Adsorbent surface was found to be energetically heterogeneous as suggested by Temkin isotherm model. Also the isosteric heat of adsorption for CO2 was observed to increase from ca. 30-44 kJ mol(-1) with increase in surface coverage., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mesoporous carbon adsorbents, having high nitrogen content, were synthesized via nanocasting technique with melamine-formaldehyde resin as precursor and mesoporous silica as template. A series of adsorbents were prepared by varying the carbonization temperature from 400 to 700°C. Adsorbents were characterized thoroughly by nitrogen sorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental (CHN) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Boehm titration. Carbonization temperature controlled the properties of the synthesized adsorbents ranging from surface area to their nitrogen content, which play major role in their application as adsorbents for CO2 capture. The nanostructure of these materials was confirmed by XRD and TEM. Their nitrogen content decreased with an increase in carbonization temperature while other properties like surface area, pore volume, thermal stability and surface basicity increased with the carbonization temperature. These materials were evaluated for CO2 adsorption by fixed-bed column adsorption experiments. Adsorbent synthesized at 700°C was found to have the highest surface area and surface basicity along with maximum CO2 adsorption capacity among the synthesized adsorbents. Breakthrough time and CO2 equilibrium adsorption capacity were investigated from the breakthrough curves and were found to decrease with increase in adsorption temperature. Adsorption process for carbon adsorbent-CO2 system was found to be reversible with stable adsorption capacity over four consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. From three isotherm models used to analyze the equilibrium data, Temkin isotherm model presented a nearly perfect fit implying the heterogeneous adsorbent surface., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers were used to assess the genetic structure in three natural populations of Morus alba from trans-Himalaya. Multilocation sampling was conducted across 14 collection sites. The overall genetic diversity estimates were high: percentage polymorphic loci 89.66%, Nei's gene diversity 0.2286, and Shannon's information index 0.2175. At a regional level, partitioning of variability assessed using analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), revealed 80% variation within and 20% among collection sites. Pattern appeared in STRUCTURE, BARRIER, and AMOVA, clearly demonstrating gene flow between the Indus and Suru populations and a geographic barrier between the Indus-Suru and Nubra populations, which effectively hinders gene flow. The results showed significant genetic differentiation, population structure, high to restricted gene flow, and high genetic diversity. The assumption that samples collected from the three valleys represent three different populations does not hold true. The fragmentation present in trans-Himalaya was more natural and less anthropogenic.

Background: Himalayan plants are widely used in traditional system of medicine both as prophylactics and therapeutics for high altitude maladies. Our aim was to evaluate the antioxidant capacities and bioactive compounds of methanol and n-hexane extracts of the phytococktail comprising of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), apricot (Prunus armeniaca) and roseroot (Rhodiola imbricata) from trans-Himalaya., Methods: The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capacities and lipid peroxidation inhibition (LPI) property of the extracts were determined. Total antioxidant power was determined by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Total polyphenol, flavonoid, flavonol, proanthocyanidin and carotenoid were also estimated for both extracts. We have identified and quantified the phyto-chemotypes present in the methanol and n-hexane extracts by hyphenated gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technique., Results: Antioxidant capacity assays using DPPH, ABTS, NO, LPI and FRAP exhibited analogous results where the phytococktail showed high antioxidant action. The phytococktail was also found to possess high quantity of total polyphenol, flavonoid, flavonol and carotenoid. A significant and linear correlation was found between the antioxidant capacities and bioactive principles. A total of 32 phyto-chemotypes were identified from these extracts by GC/MS chemometric fingerprinting. Major phyto-chemotypes identified by GC/MS were glycosides, phenylpropanoids and derivatives, terpenoids, alkaloids, phytosterols, fatty acids and esters, alkaloids and derivatives, organic acid esters and aromatic ethers with positive biological and pharmacological actions., Conclusion: The phytococktail extracts were found to contain considerable amount of diverse bioactive compounds with high antioxidant capacities. The presence of hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants in the phytococktail could have contributed to the higher antioxidant values. Hence, the phytococktail could be used as natural source of antioxidants to ameliorate disorders associated with oxidative stress.

Polarized Raman spectra of pure and alanine doped tri-glycine sulfate (TGS) single crystals at 12 K in different scattering geometries are analyzed. Sub species modes due to three crystallographically distinguishable glycine ions G (I), G (II) and G (III) are assigned. It is observed that alanine doping does not change the crystalline field and acts as local perturbation only. The major changes due to doping are observed in the relative intensities of different modes; most of the modes associated with G (I) and SO(4)(2-) ions show reversal behavior in relative intensity at high doping concentration. The observed spectral changes are analyzed in terms of reorientation of G (I) ions with sub species modes of G (II)/ G (III) following the reorientation due to complex hydrogen bonding network., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant potential of hydro-ethanolic extract of a novel phytococktail comprising of sea buckthorn, apricot, and Rhodiola (SAR) from trans-Himalaya. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity of the extract increased in a dose-dependent manner (upto 0.1 mg/mL), and was found to be about 38% of that of ascorbic acid at 0.1 mg/mL. The hydro-ethanolic extract of SAR also scavenged the ABTS(.+) radical generated by ABTS/potassium persulfate (PPS) system and was found to be about 62% of that of ascorbic acid at 0.1 mg/ mL. The total antioxidant power of the extract was determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Total phenolic content was found to be 1.28016 × 10(-3) mol gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g extract. Total flavonoid and flavonol contents were estimated to be 2.5970 × 10(-4) mol and 4.87 × 10(-4) mol quercetin equivalent/g extract, respectively. The hydro-ethanolic extract of this phytococktail indicated presence of essential phytoconstituents of polyphenols, flavonoids, flavonols, and ascorbic acid, which contributed significantly to its antioxidant capacity. The combination of the 3 plants may well support their use in traditional medicine to combat oxidative stress and high-altitude sickness., (© 2012 DRDO Journal of Food Science © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Concentrations of various organochlorine pesticides in a commercial fresh water catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, were measured. This study reveals possible toxicological exposure of human beings by way of consuming such fish containing pesticide and that will amount to possible exposure. Tissue extracts obtained by Soxhlet apparatus were used for analysis and the concentrations of analytes were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The major organochlorines found in blood sample were Endosulfan, Alpha-HCH, Beta-HCH and Gamma-HCH. However, the organochlorines found in edible portion of fish (i.e.flesh) were mainly--Endosulfan, Delta-HCH, Aldrine, pp-DDE etc. The concentrations of these organochlorines were at or above the theoretical threshold limit and hence are supposed to be effectively toxic to fish eaters, due to biomagnification.

General concern about the environmental impact of chlorine bleaching effluents has led to a trend towards elementary chlorine-free or totally chlorine free bleaching methods. Considerable interest has been focused on the use of biotechnology in pulp bleaching, as large number of microbes and the enzymes produced by them are known to be capable of preferential degradation of native lignin and complete degradation of wood. Enzymes of the hemicellulolytic type, particularly xylan-attacking enzymes xylanases are now used commercially in the mills for pulp treatment and subsequent incorporation into bleach sequences. Certain white-rot fungi can delignify Kraft pulps increasing their brightness and their responsiveness to brightening with chemicals. The fungal treatments are too slow but the enzymes produced from the fungi can also delignify pulps and these enzymatic processes are likely to be easier to optimize and apply than the fungal treatments. This article presents an overview of the developments in the application of lignin-oxidizing enzymes in bleaching of chemical pulps. The present knowledge of the mechanisms on the action of enzymes as well as the practical results and advantages obtained on the laboratory and industrial scale are discussed.

This study deals with pretreatment of wheat straw with lignin-degrading fungi and its effect on chemical pulping. Ceriporiopsis subvermispora strains, which preferentially attack the lignin, were used for biochemical pulping of bagasse. Treatment of depithed bagasse with different strains of C. subvermispora reduced the kappa number by 10-15% and increased unbleached pulp brightness by 1.1-2.0 ISO points on chemical pulping at the same alkali charge. Bleaching of biopulps at the same chemical charge increased final brightness by 4.7-5.6 ISO points and whiteness by 10.2-11.4 ISO points. Fungal treatment did not result in any adverse effect on the strength properties of pulp.

Riboflavin (RF) is a known photoreactive and phototoxic molecule. However, unlike other photosensitizers, it does not induce photohaemolysis of erythrocytes by itself. On the other hand, illuminated RF caused haemolysis but in the presence of serum or plasma. The kinetics of photohaemolysis in the presence of serum/plasma has been studied by monitoring the rate of haemolysis spectrophotometrically and morphological changes at erythrocytes membrane by scanning electron microscopy. We found that the extent of mammalian RBC membrane damage was dependent on the concentration of RF or hematoporphyrin (HP) (0-20 microgram/ml) and dose of sunlight (0-20 min). The RBC membrane-damaging potential of illuminated HP was not affected by the presence of plasma in the reaction system. Furthermore, RF showed a protective role against photohaemolysis caused by photoexcited HP if erythrocytes were preincubated with RF in the absence of serum/plasma. For mechanistic studies, biochemical parameters such as acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) and formation of TBA-reactive substance (TBA-RS) were analysed in RBC and RBC+plasma under a similar set of experimental conditions. We observed about a 25% decrease in AchE activity as a synergistic action of RF or HP (20 microgram/ml) and sunlight (30 min) in both cases (RBC or RBC+plasma). Interestingly, illuminated RF caused about a 125% increase of TBA-RS in a reaction system consisting of RBC+plasma. On the other hand, an increase in the production of TBA-RS by illuminated RF was not observed in the absence of plasma/serum, in the reaction system. These results suggested that photooxidation of RBC membrane lipids by illuminated RF, under the influence of plasma/serum, may be one of the causes of membrane modification leading to RBC lysis.

Dye-protein interactions are of immense importance in dye-ligand chromatography of protein purification. In this type of interactions, the structure of the dye molecules has a significant role. However, studies on the structure of these ligands are scanty. Therefore, we have spectroscopically investigated interactions of three 5-(aryl)azoquinolin-8-ol derivatives, which could be used as potent chelate forming agents, with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Among these, the carboxy derivative, 5-(2'-carboxyphenyl)azoquinolin-8-ol (CPAQ) has been selected for resonance Raman study. It has been shown that BSA has six independent binding sites for CPAQ at pH 7.2, the binding constant being 6.2 x 10(3) M(-1). Assignments of Raman modes of bound CPAQ are also presented. It has also been shown that bound CPAQ exists exclusively in hydrazone form. Results further demonstrate that the azo group nitrogen adjacent to the phenyl ring probably participated in the formation of a BSA-CPAQ complex.

The dissolving pulp industry, spread throughout the world, is the principal source of wood-hydrolysate effluent rich in hemicelluloses. This effluent is the major source of pollution in the industry. COD and BOD5 values of the effluent range from 60,000 to 103,000 and 42,000 to 78,000 mg/l respectively. Biomethanation of this effluent is the best possible treatment option for reducing the COD load and recovering the bioenergy embedded in the effluent. This paper deals with the study on the biphasic biomethanation of the wood-hydrolysate in upflow acidogenic reactor coupled with anaerobic filter methanogenic reactor. The two reactors were operated at organic loading rates of 69.6 and 30.1 g COD/l/d respectively. The overall COD, hemicelluloses and lignin reductions, and methane generation were observed to be 88%, 92%, 82% and 6.5 l/l reactor volume/d respectively. The relative size of the biphasic, anaerobic filter (mono-phasic) and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (mono-phasic) reactors is found to be 1:1.6:2.03 respectively.

Gelonin, a type 1 ribosome inactivating protein (RIP), having only one polypeptide chain, and which could be used against deadly diseases like cancer and AIDS is investigated spectroscopically through infrared (IR), diffused reflectance infrared fourier transform (DRIFT) and Raman techniques and observed vibrational modes are assigned. It is found that gelonin is having mainly alpha-helix and beta-sheet structure with some turn and disordered structure, the estimated percentage structure using Raman data being approximately 32% alpha-helix, approximately 20% beta-sheet, approximately 26% turn and approximately 22% disorder type. The temperature dependent infrared study of gelonin reveals its thermal stability, the denaturation temperature being around 60 degrees C and disordered contribution increasing with heating.

A variety of ceramics and delivery systems have been used to deliver chemicals, biologicals, and drugs at various rates for desired periods of time from different sites of implantation. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that ceramics can successfully be used as drug-delivery devices. Matrices, inserts, reservoirs, cements, and particles have been used to deliver a large variety of therapeutic agents such as antibiotics, anticancer drugs, anticoagulants, analgesics, growth factors, hormones, steroids, and vaccines. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of conventional drug-delivery systems and the different approaches used to deliver chemical and biological agents by means of ceramic systems will be reviewed.

Various studies have been conducted using hydroxyapatite (HA) to deliver therapeutic drugs over a long period of time. However, the rate of drug release from ceramics varies tremendously. Thus a study was designed to observe the effect of particle size, pressure, drug ratio, and the addition of a zinc stearate binder on the release of BSA from ceramics. Samples were collected every two hours for a 12 hour period. Three particle sizes were used in the study (< 38, 45-63, and 63-75 microns). Variations in particle size did not influence the release of BSA. Ceramics compressed at a pressure of 150 Mpa delivered more protein than pressures of 300 MPa, 450 MPa, and 900 MPa. Drug to ceramic ratio had the most significant effect. A ratio of 1:25 BSA to HA delivered the protein quickly whereas the 1:100 BSA to HA delivered BSA to HA delivered BSA slowly and in zero order kinetics. The addition of the zinc binder improved the quality of the composite and decreased the release rate of protein delivery when present in 5% or less of the total ceramic weight. HA ceramics can be used to deliver proteins at different rates by varying compression pressure and drug to HA ratio.