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Introduction Although most patients with NAFLD are obese or overweight, some are lean with normal BMI. Our aim was to assess differences in clinicopathological profile and liver disease severity among lean and non-lean NAFLD. Methods Data of 1040 NAFLD patients over last 10 years was analysed. BMI 2 categorised lean patients. Non-invasive assessment of steatosis was done by ultrasound and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) while fibrosis was assessed with FIB-4 and liver stiffness measurement (LSM). FibroScan-AST (FAST) score was used for non-invasive prediction of NASH with significant fibrosis. Histology was reported using NASH-CRN system. Results 149 (14.3%) patients were lean while 891 (85.7%) patients were non-lean. Diabetes mellitus [25 (16.7%) vs 152 (17.05%), p>0.99], elevated triglycerides [81 (54.3%) vs 525 (58.9%), p=0.33] and low HDL [71(47.6%) vs 479(53.7%),p=0.18] were observed in a similar proportion. Lean patients were less likely to have central obesity [72 (48.3%) vs 788 (88.4%),pConclusion Although metabolic co-morbidities are less common, there is no difference in liver disease severity among both groups.

Background and AIM: Potential utilization of medicine from herbal origin is on the rise due to adverse effects of allopathic medicines. Phyllanthin extracted from Phyllanthus niruri has been shown to be effective in Hepatoprotective effect. Its therapeutic effect in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not much explored. The present study aim was to evaluate the role of phyllanthin in mice fed with methionine choline deficient (MCD) diet. Materials and Methods: Four–five week-old C57lb/6 mice were fed MCD diet for 4 weeks to develop experimental model of NAFLD in small animal research laboratory, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Phyllanthin extract and commercially available phyllanthin was used to assess the impact on NAFLD animal model. After recovery animal weight, liver function test, and lipid profile were measured. Data were showed as mean and standard deviation. Statistical analysis was executing using SPSS v21. Results: Data revealed that administration of 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg crude extract significantly reduced (P

Background The FibroScan-AST (FAST) score was recently described to detect patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) having elevated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score (NAS ≥ 4) and significant fibrosis (≥ F2) on liver biopsy (NASH+ NAS ≥ 4 + F ≥ 2). Aim The aim of this study was to validate the FAST score in Indian patients with NAFLD and to derive optimal cut-offs. Methods Sixty patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD [men: 38 (63.3%), age 40 (32–52) years] with all parameters for assessing the FAST score within 3 months of liver histology were retrospectively analysed. Results Histological NASH was present in 17 patients (28.3%), while 11 (18.3%) patients had NASH + NAS ≥ 4 + F ≥ 2. The area under the curve (AUROC) of the FAST score for discriminating NASH + NAS ≥ 4 + F ≥ 2 was 0.81. Using cut-offs by Newsome et al, the rule-out cut-off (FAST: ≤ 0.35) had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.88 [sensitivity: 0.91, specificity: 0.14, negative likelihood ratio (LR): 0.64], while the rule-in cut-off (FAST: ≥ 0.67) had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.33 (sensitivity: 0.73, specificity: 0.67, positive LR: 2.22). Fifteen (25%) patients were correctly classified as per histology, while 28 (46.67%) patients fell in the grey zone. On recalculating the optimal cut-offs for our patients, the rule-out cut-off (FAST: ≤ 0.55) had an NPV of 0.95 (sensitivity: 0.90, specificity: 0.45, negative LR: 0.21), while the optimal rule-in cut-off (FAST: ≥ 0.78) had a PPV of 0.70 (sensitivity: 0.64, specificity 0.94, positive LR: 10.39). With these cut-offs, 27 (45%) patients fell in the grey zone and 29 (48.3%) were correctly classified as per histology, performing better than the cut-offs by Newsome et al (P Conclusion The FAST score demonstrates good AUROC for detecting NASH with significant fibrosis and inflammation on histology. Cut-offs should be recalibrated based on prevalence of disease. Lay summary India has a high burden of NAFLD with an estimated 25 million patients at potential risk for significant liver disease. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing NASH, although its application in routine clinical practice is limited. Noninvasive tests for the simultaneous detection of steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis are thus the need of the hour. The FAST score has been recently suggested for the noninvasive detection of NASH with significant fibrosis (≥ F2) and inflammation (NAS ≥ 4) on liver biopsy. We validated the utility of the FAST score for detecting NASH with significant fibrosis and inflammation on liver biopsy in Indian patients with NAFLD. This noninvasive, easy-to-use and nonproprietary FAST score can correctly classify disease severity in more than 50% patients. However, our results suggest that cut-offs should be recalibrated based on the anticipated prevalence of NASH + NAS ≥ 4 + F ≥ 2 in the given population.

Background & aims There is emerging data on the use of Sofosbuvir-based directly acting antiviral (DAA) drug regimens in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance haemodialysis (MHD). We evaluated the safety and efficacy of Sofosbuvir plus Velpatasvir fixed-dose combination in CHC patients with ESRD on MHD. Methods Fifty-one CHC patients with ESRD on MHD were included in a real-life prospective study. All patients irrespective of genotype; presence of cirrhosis; treatment naive or experienced status were treated with full-dose Sofosbuvir (400 mg) plus Velpatasvir (100 mg) fixed-dosed combination given daily for 12 weeks. The efficacy was assessed by the sustained virological response (SVR12) with negative HCV RNA 12 weeks after the end of treatment (ETR). Side effects if any were recorded in all patients. Results The median HCV RNA level in 51 CHC patients [Males 41 (80.4%), mean age 42.8 ± 14.6 years] was 2.0 × 106 IU/mL. HCV genotype was available in 19 patients with predominant genotype 1 in 15 (79%) patients. Ten (19.6%) patients had evidence of cirrhosis (defined as LSM ≥ 12.5 kPa on Transient Elastography), and 8 (15.6%) patients were treatment experienced. Testing for ETR was done in 36 patients and all 36 (100%) patients achieved ETR, and 49 patients (96%) achieved SVR 12. All 51 patients tolerated the Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir combination, with none of the patients reporting any serious adverse event. Conclusion Sofosbuvir plus Velpatasvir fixed-dose combination is safe and effective in treating CHC in patients with ESRD on MHD.

Studies have shown that aerosol loading particularly due to the absorbing particles over Himalayan region might impact the snow properties and cover. Hence, a comprehensive study on the aerosol distribution over this large mountain ecosystem, particularly focussing on the absorbing particles requires utmost attention. The purpose of this study is to provide a statistical view of Aerosol Absorption Optical Depth (AAOD) levels derived from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) at 388 nm wavelength during the time period 2005–2017 over the Central and Western Himalayan region (25 – 40° N and 70 – 88° E). To extract the aerosol data for the specified Himalayan region the NOAA Digital Elevation Model (DEM) has been utilized, followed by geo-processing of the daily AAOD data. Outcomes of such studies could provide useful inputs for capacity building activities using the remote sensing resources. We have presented the yearly, monthly and seasonal variability of absorbing aerosols levels over the study region.

In this paper, the decadal datasets available from the space-borne lidar, Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) are analyzed in order to understand the spatial and vertical distributions of aerosols at a global scale. Decadal (September 2006–August 2016) Level 3 night time Standard All-sky data products, created using quality controlled Level 2 datasets are utilized in the study. Columnar aerosol properties are discussed in conjugation with vertical properties of the three major aerosol types i.e. dust, polluted dust and smoke. It is found that the global mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) amounts to 0.10, with AOD values of 0.13 and 0.09 for land and ocean respectively, during the last decade. Mean aerosol extinction coefficients are also reported for four altitude bins i.e. 0–1 km, 1–2 km, 2–3 km and 3–4 km above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.). It is observed that dust and smoke particles have stronger vertical transport compared to polluted dust particles, which are generally found to be confined within the lower altitudes. In order to observe the changes in aerosol loading over different parts of the globe, de-seasonalized trends of AOD and vertical extinction coefficients are computed using linear regression technique. Globally, the total columnar particle load shows a significant negative trend during the last decade. In particular, trends of total particle loading (AOD and extinction) are decreasing over North America, South America, East China and Australia. However, the smoke emissions (columnar and vertically distributed) have increased over India, Russia, North America, Australia and Central Africa. This is of concern in the context of rising temperatures accompanied with increasing wildfires throughout the globe. Additionally, enhanced levels of polluted dust over the developing regions of Africa and Asia are also revealed.

There is sparse data on the use of Sofosbuvir based directly acting antiviral (DAA) drug regimens in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of low-dose Sofosbuvir plus full-dose Daclatasvir in CHC patients with CKD. Sixty-five CHC patients with CKD with eGFR less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 [54 (83%) patients with ESRD on hemodialysis] were included. All patients irrespective of genotype were treated with half-dose Sofosbuvir [200 mg (half tablet of 400 mg)] plus full-dose Daclatasvir (60 mg) given daily for either 12 or 24 weeks given in patients with genotype 3 cirrhosis. The efficacy was assessed by the sustained virological response (SVR12) with negative HCV RNA 12 weeks after the end of treatment (ETR). The median HCV RNA level in 65 patients (Males 40, mean age 42.9 ± 13 years) was 1.65 × 106 (1.2 × 103–1.73 × 108) IU/mL with 42 (64.6%) patients having HCV genotype 1, followed by genotype 3 and 2 in 22 (34%) and 1 (1.4%) patients, respectively. Twenty-one (32%) patients had evidence of cirrhosis, and ten (15.4%) patients were treatment experienced. Sixty-four (98.5%) patients achieved ETR, and 65 (100%) patients attained SVR12. All patients tolerated the DAAs well with none of the patients reporting any serious adverse events. Minor side effects noted were nausea seen in five (7.7%) patients, insomnia and headache in four (6.2%) patients each, and pruritus in one (1.5%) patient. Low-dose Sofosbuvir and full-dose Daclatasvir are safe and effective in treating CHC in patients with CKD with eGFR less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Background and Aim Deficiency of vitamin D may be related to the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation in patients with NAFLD. Methods A total of 81 patients with NAFLD with normal or raised (n = 47) serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) having vitamin D deficiency were randomized prospectively. Group 1 (n = 51) received lifestyle modifications and a single injection of vitamin D (600 000 U) (standard medical treatment [SMT] + vitamin D) and group 2 (n = 30) received lifestyle modifications (SMT) for 6 months. The primary objective of this study was to assess the improvement in insulin resistance (IR) and serum ALT (in patients with raised ALT) and the secondary objective was to assess the change in cytokine profile in the SMT + vitamin D group. Results After 6 months, significant improvement in serum levels of ALT was observed in the SMT + vitamin D group when compared to the SMT group (ALT [87 ± 48 and 59 ± 32 IU/mL, P < 0.001] vs [64 ± 35 and 62 ± 24 IU/mL, P = 0.70]). Mean insulin levels and homeostasis model assessment-IR remained unchanged at 6 months in the SMT + vitamin D group while there was a significant increase in mean insulin and homeostasis model assessment-IR in the SMT group. SMT + vitamin D group had significant increase in mean serum levels of adiponectin (836 ± 309 and 908 ± 312 (pg/mL), P = 0.018) compared with the baseline; tumor necrosis factor-α levels decreased from baseline but the change was not significant. Conclusion Patients with NAFLD given vitamin D in addition to lifestyle modifications have significant improvement in serum ALT and serum adiponectin levels.

Background and Aim Sofosbuvir (SOF) was the first directly acting antiviral made available for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in India. We describe our “real life” experience of using SOF with ribavirin (RBV) with or without pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) in predominant genotype 3 patients with CHC. Methods A total of 158 patients (men 99 [62.6%], mean age 40.3 ± 12.8 years) with CHC treated with dual therapy (SOF + RBV) for 24 weeks or triple therapy (Peg-IFN + SOF + RBV) for 12 weeks were included prospectively. Patients with co-infection, decompensated liver disease, and post-organ transplantation were excluded. Data were analysed for the preference of treatment regimen, end of treatment response (ETR), sustained virological response at 12 weeks, and side effects. Results Genotype 3 was the predominant genotype (105 [66.4%]) followed by genotype 1 (40 [25.3%]) and genotype 4 (13[8.2%]). Forty-eight (30.37%) patients had cirrhosis (LSM ≥ 13 kPa), and 30 (19%) were treatment experienced with Peg-IFN + RBV. A total of 103 (65.18%) patients received dual therapy, and 55 (34.81%) received triple therapy. Resentment to receive injections, inaccessibility to a facility, fear of injection or its side effects, and financial constraints were the reasons to refuse triple therapy. All patients in triple therapy group and all but two patients (98%) in the dual therapy group attained ETR. All those who achieved ETR achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks in both groups. But for anemia in three patients (two in triple, one in dual therapy), there were no major side effects. Conclusions Most patients with CHC prefer an oral treatment with directly acting antivirals. Both oral and interferon-based regimens achieve high response rate.

Asia, being the largest continent, both in its size and population is affected by different types of atmospheric aerosols. Also, owing to different local emissions/sources along with the long range transport mechanisms, there is a large variability in the distribution of different types of aerosols across the continent. Not only the effects are pertinent to the regional and global climate system, but the loadings also affect human health. Though there have been studies in the past focussing on columnar distribution of aerosol types over Asian region at continental and regional scales, studies focussed on regional vertical distribution of major aerosol types over different regions of Asia need attention. This paper presents the decadal (2007–16) vertical distribution of major aerosol components, i.e., dust, polluted dust and smoke over different parts of Asia as seen from the space-borne lidar, i.e., Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarisation (CALIOP) onboard Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). Such a study can be useful in capacity building focussed on aerosol variability through remote sensing techniques.

Aerosol distribution at global and regional scales is one of the crucial parameters for climate change assessment. The study presents global spatio-temporal variations in aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) sensors at spatial resolutions of 1° × 1° and 0.5° × 0.5° respectively. Spatial correlations between MODIS and MISR AOD are reported on annual scale. The entire globe is divided into six sub-regions, i.e., North-West, North, North-East, South-West, South and South-East. The annual and seasonal mean AOD variations are obtained by analyzing Level 3 monthly datasets for the period 2001–2014. Relative changes (%) in AOD between the first and last seven years (i.e. 2001–2007 and 2008–2014 respectively) are discussed at annual and seasonal levels. AOD trends are calculated using the weighted least squares regression approach and weights are assigned to the AOD values corresponding to the expected errors. Statistically significant trends are reported at 95% confidence level. The results inferred from both the sensors are found to be in quite acceptable agreement. Increasing trends are found in the economically growing parts of Asian landmass and the surrounding oceanic regions, especially Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. On the other hand, decreasing trends are observed over parts of Europe, South America and North America. The study also focuses on examining the AOD trends over the ten most populous nations of the world. In terms of aerosol loadings, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nigeria turned out to be the most polluted amongst the most populous countries. Significantly increasing trends in AOD are reported over the Indian subcontinent.

Since the past two decades, high aerosol loading is being observed over the Indian mainland. It becomes necessary to continuously monitor and understand the distribution of aerosol loading over the Indian landmass, as it might have serious health and climatic implications. Whereas there have been extensive studies reporting seasonal distribution and trends of columnar aerosol amounts over the Indian region using data from ground based as well as space borne measurements, in-depth studies on the aerosol vertical profile distribution and in particular, seasonal trends are still lacking. This paper demonstrates the seasonal variability of aerosol vertical structure over the Indian mainland using decadal daily datasets (2009–2018) from CALIOP Lidar (onboard NASA-CNES's CALIPSO satellite) augmented by the variability in columnar AOD from MODIS (onboard NASA's AQUA and TERRA platforms). The changing aerosol amounts in both vertical and total column levels have also been presented. Over Indian landmass, we could find statistically significant increasing trends in aerosol extinction within lower altitude levels during all the seasons. The trends in the vertical distribution of aerosols are also compared with respect to trends in AOD derived from MODIS (Aqua/Terra). Additionally, we have also examined the seasonal variability and trends of aerosol extinction over five selected cities (based on pollution and population levels) of the country.

Dust particles of different size and origins, form major part of air pollution in the atmosphere. The qualitative and quantitative estimates of dust from ground-based measurements provide accurate information at regional scales. However, data from space-borne instruments provide continuous spatial information at a variety of different spatial scales. In this paper, we attempt to study signals of dust as observed from CALIOP (Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) sensor on-board CALIPSO satellite. Utilization of these freely available datasets can effectively contribute to the capacity building in the domain of aerosol science. This analysis is supplemented by absorbing aerosol levels as seen by OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) sensor on-board AURA satellite. This study was conducted over the Middle-East and North Africa during JJA (June, July and August) season. For this study, we have used Level-3 AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) due to dust from CALIOP at spatial resolution of 2° × 5° and Level-3 Absorbing Aerosol Optical Depth (AAOD) data from OMI at spatial resolution of 1° × 1°.The time frame for the study was 2005 to 2016.

On 18th June, 2017 an ample amount of smoke plume had been dispersed into the atmosphere during the raging forest fire event which had taken place in Central Portugal, thereby affecting the air quality of the surrounding regions. The detection of smoke aerosols has been carried out by using the aerosol data from MODIS and OMI. The transport of air parcels containing smoke particles have been observed using NOAA HYSPLIT forward trajectory model which determines the potential sink area in the nearby region of the source area. This work is aimed to provide a comparative study of aerosol loadings derived from different passive sensors over the source and potential sink area, before and after the fire event happened in the source area.

Every year a large amount of smoke is released into the air from forest fire incidents across the Indian state of Uttarakhand thereby affecting the air quality in and around the area. Detection of smoke aerosols along the vertical air column has been carried out by using data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Vertical Feature Mask(VFM), while CALIPSO Profile Data has been used for studying the vertical properties of the aerosols released in the air at the source area for the extended time frame.

Aerosols affect the earth's climate system both on a regional as well as on a global scale. Several studies have identified India (the second most populous country) as one of the regional hot spots of aerosols due its increasing anthropogenic activities. The paper presents a temporal (annual and seasonal) study of aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the country using satellite data for thirteen year period (2001–2013). The Indian region is divided into four sub regions i.e., north, west, east and south. The analysis is carried out using Level 3 data from two satellite sensors, namely, MODIS (1° × 1°) and MISR (0.5° × 0.5°), onboard NASA's Terra platform. Annual and seasonal mean AOD variation has been studied. It is found that annual aerosol loading remains highest in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) in all the years. In winter season, the overall loading is lowest for the entire country while it reaches maximum in the monsoon season. This could be attributed to the relative humidity, wind and associated rainfall patterns in the country. Also, the aerosol tendencies have been computed using the first and last six year period change in aerosol optical depth. Further, annual and seasonal trends in AOD have been calculated using weighted least square regression approach and the results have been compared. Statistically significant trends are reported at 95% confidence level. Weights are assigned corresponding to the expected errors associated with the satellite data. There is a good agreement in the seasonal tendencies and trends computed from both the sensors for winter, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Significantly increasing trends are found in winter and post-monsoon seasons which could be due to increase in anthropogenic activities. All the observations are separately reported for ten most populous cities of India. Delhi and Kolkata are amongst the most polluted cities in India.

The association of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has only been studied in selected subgroups such as the morbidly obese. We aimed to determine the prevalence and effect of OSA on NAFLD and vice versa in unselected patients attending the outpatient department. OSA was diagnosed by polysomnography, done in patients having symptoms of OSA, in patients with NAFLD attending the liver clinic. Polysomnography-proven patients with OSA attending the chest clinic were evaluated for NAFLD by ultrasonography. Anthropometry, liver function tests, metabolic syndrome evaluation and transient elastography were performed in all patients. Three (3 %; 95 % CI 1.03–8.45 %) out of 100 patients with NAFLD (mean age 41 ± 11 years) had symptomatic OSA. Of 23 patients with OSA (mean age 46 ± 12 years,), 3 (13 %) had mild, 5 (22 %) moderate and 15 (65 %) severe OSA. Twenty-one (91.3 %; 95 % CI 73.2–97.6 %) patients with OSA had NAFLD, while raised hepatic transaminase levels were seen in seven (30.4 %; 95 % CI 15.6–50.9 %). Body mass index (OR 1.21, 95 % CI 1.02–1.44) and male gender (OR 4.79, 95 % CI 1.12–20.48) were significant independent predictors of OSA in NAFLD. The apnea-hypopnea index (OR 1.084, 95 % CI 1.002–1.172), a marker of OSA severity, was the only significant independent predictor of significant fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Prevalence of symptomatic OSA in patients with NAFLD is low and is predicted by male gender and obesity. Prevalence of NAFLD in patients with OSA is very high. Significant hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD is predicted by OSA independent of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Aerosol optical depth retrieval over land surface using remote sensing employs the use of radiative transfer simulations and/or simultaneous measurements of atmospheric parameters at the time of satellite pass. Also, an accurate estimate of land surface parameters is also required in order to separate the atmospheric component from the land surface reflectance reaching at-sensor. In addition to empirical and semi-empirical approaches, amongst the most widely used methods to retrieve the aerosol properties from satellite measurements are radiative transfer codes used in either forward or inverse modes. As most of them are computationally complex, henceforth, efforts are made to formulate approximate models. In this study, we have tried to estimate aerosol optical depth using one such established physically based model, namely, SMART (Simple Model for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer) code in multiple scattering approximation for aerosols over first band (0.52–0.59 μm) of RESOURCESAT-AWiFS sensor. The aim of the analysis was to find out an approach to decouple aerosol effects from Top of atmosphere signals recorded by AWiFS sensor using multiple scattering approximations for aerosols. The model is first calibrated for aerosol asymmetry parameter for one dataset each of summer and winter seasons respectively and subsequently validated for 4 different datasets (2 summer and 2 winter) against the MODIS atmosphere product for aerosol optical depth. The results show that the difference between simulated vs. MODIS AOD fall within MODIS expected errors for the aerosol product.

The correlations between absorbing aerosol index (AAI), precipitation and Normalised Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been shown in this study for the Indian region annually and seasonally (winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) from 2000 to 2013. Daily Aerosol Index has been obtained from OMAERov003 product provided by OMI-Aura sensor, daily precipitation used in this study is gridded IMD product, both at a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°. NDVI obtained from MISR Level 3 Component Global Land product at a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5° has been used as an indicator of vegetation cover. Annually and seasonally, the three parameters have been found to be highly, moderately or slightly correlated. The study has been reported at a confidence level of more than 95% (p-value

Aerosols play a vital role in influencing the climate both by cooling and warming up the Earth’s surface and also by altering the cloud properties. Due to natural and large amount of anthropogenic factors, Indian region observes high variability of loadings in aerosols both in terms of space and time in the planetary boundary layer. Dust storms in India exert momentous influences on weather, air quality, and climate of the country. Detection and monitoring of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at the time of dust storms is challenging, especially in case of short life time of events, and strong interaction with climatic parameters. This paper addresses the study of a dust storm event which hit Indian (North) region on June 13, 2015 parts of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, UP were affected. AOD variations over the North Indian region has been studied using MODIS level 2 data (MOD04) obtained NASA Terra platform at a spatial resolution of 10 km × 10 km.

Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) is one of the most important parameters in deciding the type of aerosols present in the atmosphere. This study mainly aims to study the characteristics of SSA at 388nm wavelength (UV region) at global scale using Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) (level-3) data which is on board the NASA Aura. The study is carried out for the period 2014 December to 2015 November. The Global region is divided into six sub-regions i.e., North-West, South-West, North, South, North-East and South-East. The SSA values for these sub-regions are averaged and analyzed on a seasonal basis. Four seasons have been chosen and the mean SSA of the sub-regions is calculated with respect to them. The sub-region seasonal approach gave a better inference on the aerosol SSA values. The decrease in the SSA values has been observed over the regions where biomass burning generally takes place. The Southern region is showing low SSA values in almost all the seasons than other regions because of the dust activities and biomass burning activities in the African sub-continent. The Californian and Indonesian forest fires also constitute high absorbing aerosols causing low SSA values.

Sofosbuvir (SOF) was the first directly acting antiviral made available for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in India. We describe our "real life" experience of using SOF with ribavirin (RBV) with or without pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) in predominant genotype 3 patients with CHC.A total of 158 patients (men 99 [62.6%], mean age 40.3 ± 12.8 years) with CHC treated with dual therapy (SOF + RBV) for 24 weeks or triple therapy (Peg-IFN + SOF + RBV) for 12 weeks were included prospectively. Patients with co-infection, decompensated liver disease, and post-organ transplantation were excluded. Data were analysed for the preference of treatment regimen, end of treatment response (ETR), sustained virological response at 12 weeks, and side effects.Genotype 3 was the predominant genotype (105 [66.4%]) followed by genotype 1 (40 [25.3%]) and genotype 4 (13[8.2%]). Forty-eight (30.37%) patients had cirrhosis (LSM ≥ 13 kPa), and 30 (19%) were treatment experienced with Peg-IFN + RBV. A total of 103 (65.18%) patients received dual therapy, and 55 (34.81%) received triple therapy. Resentment to receive injections, inaccessibility to a facility, fear of injection or its side effects, and financial constraints were the reasons to refuse triple therapy. All patients in triple therapy group and all but two patients (98%) in the dual therapy group attained ETR. All those who achieved ETR achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks in both groups. But for anemia in three patients (two in triple, one in dual therapy), there were no major side effects.Most patients with CHC prefer an oral treatment with directly acting antivirals. Both oral and interferon-based regimens achieve high response rate.

Based on their interaction with solar radiations, aerosols may be categorized as absorbing or scattering in nature. The absorbing aerosols are coarser and influence precipitation mainly due to microphysical effect (participating in the formation of Cloud Condensation Nuclei) and radiative forcing (by absorbing electromagnetic radiations). The prominent absorbing aerosols found in India are Black Carbon, soil dust, sand and mineral dust. Their size, distribution, and characteristics vary spatially and temporally. This paper aims at showing the spatio-temporal variation of Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI) and precipitation over the four most polluted zones of Indian sub-continent (Indo-Gangetic plains 1, Indo-Gangetic plains 2, Central and Southern India) for monsoon season (June, July, August, September) during the last decade (2005 to 2014). Zonal averages AAI have been found to be exhibiting an increasing trend, hence region-wise correlations have been computed between AAI and precipitation during monsoon. Daily Absorption Aerosol Index (AAI) obtained from Aura OMI Aerosol Global Gridded Data Product-OMAEROe (V003) and monthly precipitation from TRMM 3B42-V7 gridded data have been used.

Natural vegetation cover and crop yield vary spatially and temporally in a diverse manner. Understanding this variation requires a robust analysis of important climatic factors such as rainfall, temperature, sunshine hours etc., along with LULC dynamics. In this study, NDVI has been used as an indicator of vegetative greenness and productivity. Based on 0.5°×0.5° spatial resolution data of NDVI obtained from MISR, correlation between NDVI and average seasonal precipitation has been analyzed. The precipitation data used is obtained from two sources, TRMM 3B42-V7 and IMD gridded data, both at spatial resolution of 0.25°×0.25°. The TRMM and IMD data have also been mutually correlated. Data was acquired for the months of June, July, August and September (JJAS) i.e. monsoon season for 14 years, 2000 to 2013. The correlation coefficients thus obtained are reported significant at a confidence level of 99% (p

This study considers the seasonal and annual analysis of aerosol optical depth (AOD) in three most populated countries of Asia namely: China, India and Indonesia. These countries are having increasing rates of population, industrialization, transportation etc., due to which aerosol loading in these nations is becoming a subject of great concern. This study is done using data from two satellite sensors i.e. MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) and MISR (Multi-angle Imaging Spectrometer). Level-3 monthly data sets have been used in the study for last ten years. The present work discusses both annual and seasonal variation of AOD in three most populated countries of Asia i.e. China, India and Indonesia. Seasons referred here are winter (December-February), premonsoon (March-May), monsoon (June-September) and postmonsoon (October-November). Annual and seasonal average aerosol optical depths have been quantified along with the relative AOD variation in the three countries.

Aerosol is one of the dominating factors in global and regional climate change and has great ability to influence the climate by absorption and scattering. The study shows the variation of aerosol and rainfall in South Indian region using satellite data for 10 years (2005-14). South India receives most of the precipitation due to South-West and North-East Monsoon. The analysis is done using data from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Project) 3B43: Monthly (0.25 × 0.25) Merged product and AOD (aerosol optical depth) Level 3 data from MODIS (1 × 1) (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) along with MISR (0.5 × 0.5) (Multi-angle Imaging Spectro Radiometer) satellite sensors on NASA's Terra satellite. Results for five metropolitan cities in South Indian region have been reported in specific. Vishakhapatnam is spotted as one of the most polluted cities in terms of aerosol loading during the last decade. Precipitation values have also been reported for each of the five cities both annually and in different seasons.