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Background Obesity is a multifactorial public health problem with varying effects on physical fitness determined by maximum aerobic capacity or VO2max. The relationship between body fat content and VO2max has shown varying results. The present study was planned as an experimental study to evaluate the relationship between body fat content and maximum aerobic capacity. Methods 104 healthy Indian males [Age: 21 (4.87)years; Height: 171.4 (6.14)cm; Weight: 64.1 (8.57)kg] were evaluated for body fat content using body mass index (BMI), bioimpedance, skinfold thickness (SFT), body girth (BG) measurements, waist circumference (WC), and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Maximum aerobic capacity or VO2max for all subjects was determined indirectly from maximum heart rate achieved using an incremental treadmill protocol using Astrand and Astrand nomogram. Results VO2max, when expressed in L/min, showed a statistically significant positive correlation with body fat irrespective of the method of estimation. VO2max, when expressed in ml/kg/min, showed negative correlation with five of the seven clinical parameters of fat estimation. Of these, a statistically significant negative correlation was seen with SFT. Conclusion VO2max (L/min) shows a significant positive correlation with all methods of body fat estimation. VO2max (ml/kg/min) shows a significant negative correlation with skinfold thickness. Monitoring of body fat content using skinfold thickness could be studied further for its use in the early identification of young, healthy adult Indian males with low aerobic fitness.

BACKGROUND: The item analysis of multiple choice questions (MCQs) is an essential tool that can provide input on validity and reliability of items. It helps to identify items which can be revised or discarded, thus building a quality MCQ bank. METHODS: The study focussed on item analysis of 90 MCQs of three tests conducted for 150 first year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) physiology students. The item analysis explored the difficulty index (DIF I) and discrimination index (DI) with distractor effectiveness (DE). Statistical analysis was performed by using MS Excel 2010 and SPSS, version 20.0. RESULTS: Of total 90 MCQs, the majority, that is, 74 (82%) MCQs had a good/acceptable level of difficulty with a mean DIF I of 55.32 ± 7.4 (mean ± SD), whereas seven (8%) were too difficult and nine (10%) were too easy. A total of 72 (80%) items had an excellent to acceptable DI and 18 (20%) had a poor DI with an overall mean DI of 0.31 ± 0.12. There was significant weak correlation between DIF I and DI (r = 0.140, p

Protein-based electronics is one of the growing areas of bio-nanoelectronics, where novel electronic devices possessing distinctive properties are being fabricated using specific proteins. Furthermore, if the bio-molecule is analysed amidst different electrodes, intriguing properties are elucidated. This research article investigates the electron transport properties of L-aspartic acid (i.e. L-amino acid) bound to symmetrical electrodes of gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium employing NEGF-DFT approach using self-consistent function. The theoretical work function of different electrodes is calculated using local density approximation and generalized gradient approximation approach. The calculated work function correlates well with the hole tunneling barrier and conductance of the molecular device, which further authenticate the coupling strength between molecule and electrode. Molecule under consideration also exhibits negative differential resistance region and rectification ratio with all the different electrodes, due to its asymmetrical structure. The molecular device using platinum electrodes exhibits the highest peak to valley ratio of 1.38 and rectification ratio of 3.20, at finite bias. The switching characteristics of different molecular device are justified with detailed transmission spectra and MPSH. These results indicate that L-aspartic acid and similar biomolecule can be vital to the growth of Proteotronics.

Protein-based electronics is one of the growing areas of bio-nanoelectronics, where novel electronic devices possessing distinctive properties, are being fabricated using specific proteins. Furthermore, if the bio-molecule is analysed amidst different electrodes, intriguing properties are elucidated. This research article investigates the electron transport properties of L-aspartic acid (i.e., L-amino acid) bound to symmetrical electrodes of gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium employing NEGF-DFT approach using self-consistent function. The theoretical work function of different electrodes is calculated using local density approximation and generalized gradient approximation approach. The calculated work function correlates well with the hole tunnelling barrier and conductance of the molecular device, which further authenticate the coupling strength between molecule and electrode. Molecule under consideration also exhibits the multiple negative differential resistance and rectification ratio with all the different electrodes, due to its asymmetrical structure. The molecular device using platinum electrodes exhibits the highest peak to valley ratio of 1.38 and rectification ratio of 3.20, at finite bias. The switching characteristics of different molecular device are justified with detailed transmission spectra and MPSH. These results indicate that L-aspartic acid and similar biomolecule can be vital to the growth of Proteotronics.

Background In Western Himalayas, Indian Army soldiers take 11 days (6 days of acclimatization and 5 days of travel) on a sea-level to high altitude road (SH road) to reach a high altitude location (HAL) situated at an altitude of 11,500 feet from sea-level location (SLL) at an altitude of 1150 feet while following acclimatization schedule (AS). AS has an extra safety margin over the conventional ‘mountaineering thumb rule’ of not exceeding 500 m sleeping altitude above 3000 m altitude. We carried out this randomised field trial to study the feasibility of moving large number of troops rapidly from SLL to HAL on SH road in western Himalayas in 4 days under pharmaco-prophylaxis. Methods Based on the pharmaco-prophylaxis, at SLL 508 healthy lowland soldiers were divided into two groups: ‘A’ ( n = 256) with Acetazolamide + Dexamethasone and ‘B’ ( n = 252) with Acetazolamide + Placebo. They travelled rapidly by road to HAL in 4 days and prevalence of acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) during the ascent was measured. Results Prevalence of AMS was found to be 1.56% and 1.59% in group ‘A’ and group ‘B’ respectively during the ascent with no cases of HAPE and HACE. Conclusion At least on SH road, troops can be inducted rapidly to HAL from SLL in 4 days under pharmaco-prophylaxis with Acetazolamide with minimal occurrence of acute high altitude illnesses.

Introduction: Written examinations are integral component of students’ assessments at formative and summative level. There is no blueprint of question paper available for the new curriculum in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Physiology curriculum which may lead to variations in question paper setting. This lack of consistency in question papers affects the preparedness and performance of students. Aim: To prepare the blueprint of MBBS Physiology Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum and to do content validity by comparing with Preliminary Examination (PE) and University Examination (UE). Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted over a period of six months from July 2020 till December 2020. The study was conducted in Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. There are 15 topics and 140 outcomes for Physiology MBBS course as per new CBME curriculum is divided into paper I and II according to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) syllabus. The main topics in each paper were further subdivided into subtopics for preparing learning objectives. Marks were allotted to each system taking into consideration optimum marks 97 for subjective with included options and 20 marks Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The papers of UE and PE conducted with new format were analysed for content validity. Results: The blueprint of paper I (subjective) shows marks allotted for General Physiology 12, Haematology 13, Respiratory System (RS) 15, Cardiovascular (CVS) 17, Exercise 05, Renal system 15, Gastrointestinal System (GIT) 12, Lifestyle Aging and Meditation 03 and Attitude, Ethics and Communication. (AETCOM) 05 marks. The blueprint of paper II (subjective) shows marks for the Nerve-Muscle 16, Central Nervous System (CNS) 25, Special senses 14, endocrine system are 18, reproductive system 15, and temperature 09. MCQs were also allotted proportionate marks for each topic. Content analysis of papers showed exercise Physiology and body temperature regulation were not assessed in UE. Conclusion: There was disproportionate representation of topics in formative and summative examinations in absence of blueprint. The blueprint should be an integral part of assessments.

Protein-based electronics is one of the emerging technology in which inventive electronic devices are being adduced and developed based on the selective actions of specific proteins. The explicit actions can be predicted if the building blocks of proteins (i.e., amino acids) are studied decorously. We emphasize our work on electronic transport properties of L-glutamic acid (i.e., L-amino acid) stringed to gold, silver, and copper electrodes, respectively, to form three distinct devices. For our calculations, we employ NEGF-DFT approach using self-consistent function. Electronic coupling and tunneling barriers between the molecule and the electrodes have been emphasized with an inception of delocalization of molecular orbitals within the device. We observe strong correlation between tunneling barrier and Mulliken charge transfer between molecule and electrodes. The asymmetrical carbon chain (-CH2) within the molecule exhibits negative differential resistance (NDR) and rectification ratio. The device using molecule with copper electrodes exhibits the highest peak to valley current ratio of 1.84. The rectification ratio of the device with gold, silver, and copper electrodes is 2.35, 2.25, and 15.62, respectively, at finite bias. These results yield fresh insight on the potential of L-glutamic acid like bio-molecule in the emerging field of proteotronics.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare multisystemic autoimmune disorder in which the esophagus is the second most common organ to be affected after the skin, leading to dysmotility. Literature available on esophageal dysmotility in SSc is limited. Moreover, studies explaining the spectrum of esophageal dysmotility in the disease in the Indian population are sparse. Aim: The aim of this study was to characterize esophageal motility disorders in SSc using esophageal high-resolution manometry (HRM) in a representative of the Southwestern Indian population. Methods: Thirty-two SSc patients participated in the study. All of them met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and underwent esophageal HRM at the Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Physiology, of our center. The findings were interpreted using the Chicago Classification v3.0 criteria. Results: Among patients of SSc with a mean age of 42.25 ± 10.45 years, 19 (59.38%) had “absent contractility (AC),” 3 (9.38%) had “ineffective esophageal motility (IEM),” 3 (9.38%) had “type I achalasia, 1 (3.13%) had “esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction,” and 6 (18.75%) had “normal” HRM findings. The HRM parameter of “basal lower esophageal sphincter pressure” differed significantly between “IEM type I achalasia” (P = 0.043) and “type I achalasia AC” groups (P = 0.032), while “median integral relaxation pressure” of “type I achalasia” groups showed significant difference with “normal, IEM, and AC” groups each (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that varying degrees of esophageal motility disorders are present in SSc using HRM as defined by the Chicago Classification v3.0. Majority (59.38%) of patients had AC, but the rest of them showed other dysmotility patterns.

Acute mountain sickness is the commonest acute high altitude illness occurring at high altitude. Its prevalence is dependent on the ascent rate, altitude achieved, physical effort required to reach the target altitude and pharmacological intervention undertaken by the tourists visiting high altitude areas. This Letter to the Editor is an endeavour to re-emphasise the importance of all these factors affecting the prevalence of acute mountain sickness.

ECG signal gives vast information about the heart's activity. But it often gets contaminated with noises hence needed to be denoised. In this paper Discrete Wavelet Transform is used to denoise the signal. It also shows a comparison between wavelets used through the performance parameters. The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a simple and reliable investigation method that provides a large amount of information about the heart (1). Electrocardiogram is the electrical activity of the heart. It is a graphical demonstration of the deviation of bio-potential versus time. The leads are placed on precise locations of the body of the person to record ECG either on graph paper or on monitors. The human heart contains four chambers i.e., Right Atrium, Left Atrium, Right Ventricle and Left Ventricle. The upper chambers are the two Atria's and the lower chambers are the two Ventricles. Under healthy condition the heartbeat begins at the Right Atrium called Sino Atria (SA) node and a particular group of cells send these electrical signals across the heart. This signal travels from the Atria to the Atrio Ventricular (AV) node. The AV node connects to a group of fibers in Ventricles that conducts the electrical signal and transmits the impulse to all parts of the lower chamber, the Ventricles. To ensure that the heart is functioning correctly this path of propagation must be traced accurately (2). II. ECG WAVEFORM

We read with profound interest the article titled ‘Increased hypoxic dose after training at low altitude with 9h per night at 3000m normobaric hypoxia’ by Carr et al. (2015). Authors have concluded that low altitude (1380 m) combined with normobaric hypoxia of 3000 m improves total haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) and is an effective alternate method for training. Like other studies on elite athletes, the authors of present work have brought out that a major limitation was non-availability of a control group consisting of subjects undertaking same supervised training at normoxia. The total number of ‘possible’ subjects for control group which were taken from a previous study (Saunders et al., 2010) was 11 i.e placebo group (n = 6; 3 male and 3 female) and Nocebo group (n = 5; 3 female and 2 male). It seems likely that authors of the present study have chosen only 10 subjects out of those 11. The criteria for exclusion of one subject and selection of 10 out of 11 subjects from the previous study to form the control group of the present study may require further elaboration.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is one of the Strong candidate for Transmission of high data rate due to Multicarrier Modulation. One of the challenging Issue of OFDM is its high Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR or PAR). This Paper discusses different PAPR Reduction techniques in OFDM. The Classical Clipping, Selective Mapping, Tone reservation and Partial Transmit sequence Technique is used in this paper. Through the Analysis, it is shown that Clipping on 4-PAM is better than QPSK and 4-QAM with 64 subcarriers and Classical clipping is better than other techniques using QPSK modulation with 64 subcarriers.

Background Hyperoxia due to hyperbaric conditions influences lactate metabolism. Previous studies on lactate levels in hyperbaric conditions have reported varied results depending on the depth of evaluation and breathing gas mixture used. Methods This study compared post-exercise blood lactate levels of Indian professional male divers (breathing ambient air under normobaric conditions) with their post-exercise blood lactate levels measured under simulated hyperbaric conditions. Result In the present study, blood lactate levels in divers were found to have decreased significantly during recovery phase of exercise in hyperbaric conditions of dry diving at 2.8 Atmospheres Absolute (ATA) as compared to normobaric conditions. A significant improvement was observed in physical performance in terms of HR max and duration of exercise. Conclusion This study revealed that hyperoxia due to moderate hyperbaric condition leads to improvement in lactate metabolism in muscles and organs (liver and heart) for its removal.

This pilot study was undertaken in lowlanders, during their ascent from 2600 m to 3500 m, to evaluate the effects of Acetazolamide and Dexamethasone on Cardio-Respiratory parameters and Exercise Capacity. 40 unacclimatised low-landers were divided into 2 groups. Subjects of Group 'A' were given Acetazolamide and Dexamethasone and those of Group 'B' were given Acetazolamide and placebo. 8 subjects matched for age, physical fitness, height and weight were randomly selected from each study group and were evaluated for their Exercise Capacities. Both study groups showed significant rise in Heart Rate, Respiratory Rate and a significant fall in Systolic Blood Pressure. There was no difference in Exercise capacities achieved by subjects of two groups at 3500 m.

To the Editor-in-Chief We read with profound interest the article titled ‘Incidence and Risk Factors Associated With Acute Mountain Sickness in Children Trekking on Jade Mountain, Taiwan’ by Chan et al . 1 Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a self-limiting illness occurring after an ascent to 2500 m or beyond with its symptoms generally occurring within 6–12 h after the ascent. AMS symptoms usually subside within 48–72 h if no further ascent is undertaken but physical exercise during the stay may exacerbate these symptoms.2,3 The authors of this study have reported an incidence of AMS in children trekking on Jade Mountain over …

Background Obesity/overweight is a recognized risk factor for a host of disorders. The disease risk stratification is commonly based on the Quetelets Index (Body Mass Index- BMI), a surrogate measure of fatness. The currently used BMI cut-offs to classify people as overweight or obese in Armed Forces have been defined in studies on Caucasian populations. However, because of differences in body structure and composition in different ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural and regional groups the correspondence between BMI and body fat content varies between populations. We conducted this pilot study in the Indian Navy to define BMI cut-offs for overweight and obesity using body fat content derived from Skin Fold Thickness as the standard. Material and Methods The study was conducted on 121 volunteers from a naval hospital staff in the age range of 18 to 47 years. The mean age, height, weight, BMI, body fat in the study group was 26.73 years (± 5.5098), 168.56 cm (± 6.1034), 65.92 Kg (± 10.2746), 23.17 Kg/m 2 (± 3.0265) and 19.91% (± 4.831) respectively. Results The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 20.66% by BMI and 47.11% by body fat content. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis defined a BMI of 23.85 kg/m 2 as the cut off for overweight with a sensitivity of 70.2% (95% CI 56.6 – 81.6) and 87.5% specificity (95% CI 76.8-94.4) and a BMI of 24.38 kg/m 2 with 90% sensitivity (95% CI 68.3-98.5) and 81.2% specificity (95% CI 72.2-88.3) for obesity. Conclusion The results of our study suggest lower BMI cut offs for overweight and obesity in Indian populations than those recommended by WHO.

We read the article titled “Remote ischemic preconditioning delays the onset of acute mountain sickness in normobaric hypoxia” with great interest (Berger et al. 2015). The authors have concluded that remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) of 45 min before exposure to normobaric hypoxia transiently reduces symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and this effect is not associated with reduced plasma levels of reactive oxygen species. The study reports the incidence of AMS as 7% (1 out of 14 subjects) …