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Summary: In a retrospective study of 2050 admissions, over a period 25 months, 2.5 percent of the admissions were found to be cases of pyogenic meningitis. The total number of deaths during the same period was 90 and pyogenic meningitis accounted for 9.0 percent of this total mortality. The case mortality was 15.7 percent and 62.5 percent of these deaths occurred in infants. The predominant organism isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid was H influenzae, except in children under the age of two months in whom other organisms were implicated. H influenzae, S pneumoniae and N meningitidis constituted 76.5 percent of all the positive cultures. Clinical features of the CNS infection, such as neck stiffness, Kemig's sign and seizures were less often noted. Eleven patients had various complica tions which occurred more frequently in infants as well as in those who presented at hospital, five days or more, after the onset of illness.

Ag3BiI6 (ABI) is one of the most widely explored lead‐free perovskite‐inspired materials for eco‐friendly solar cell applications. However, despite the intense research efforts, the photovoltaic performance of ABI‐based devices remains very modest, primarily due to poor film morphology and ineffective charge extraction. This work aims at investigating the potential benefits of a thermally evaporated cesium iodide (CsI) interlayer on the performance of ABI‐based solar cells. Upon the addition of CsI atop the ABI layer in the device stack, the solar cells deliver a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.27%. This is the highest efficiency reported for ABI solar cells employing a similar device architecture. It is found that the enhancement in PCE is largely due to improvement in the ABI|hole transport layer interface upon the introduction of CsI interlayer. The improvement is largely ascribed to enhanced surface coverage upon introduction of CsI interlayer, as evidenced by our comprehensive microscopy studies. Furthermore, impedance spectroscopy analysis is employed to provide further insights into the changes in charge transfer dynamics interlayer that dictate the enhancement of fill factor and short‐circuit current density in the devices. The findings indicate that the addition of CsI promotes charge transfer and minimizes recombination losses.

Measurements of mass and angular distributions of fission fragments from actinide nuclei 249Bk and 257Md, produced in fusion reactions 11B and 19F + 238U, are presented. Experimentally observed mass ratio distributions indicate “multi-chance fission” through the interplay of fission modes in the fission process, and they agree well with predictions from calculations using the GEF (“GEneral description of Fission observables”) model code. Furthermore, to test the signatures of events from non-compound nuclear processes in the fission of 249Bk and 257Md nuclei, Monte Carlo statistical decay model calculations using GEMINI++ were performed for the measured mass distribution at all energies. For comparison purposes, the fission fragment mass distributions of neighboring heavy actinide nuclei, previously measured in the fission of 250Cf and 254Fm nuclei produced by 12C and 16O projectiles on a 238U target, are also presented. The measured angular anisotropy data for the 19F + 238U reaction differ from the results of the Transition State Model (TSM) at energies below the fusion barrier. As a result of the present study, we suggest considering the interplay between K relaxation time, dynamic dissipation, and their influence on shell correction to understand the evolution of fission dynamics in heavy-ion-induced actinide nuclei.

Dengue is a vector borne illness caused via dengue virus infected female Aedes mosquitoes. The main viral strains are DEN1, DEN2, DEN3 and DEN4. A various cluster of manifestations are included in dengue as the disease progresses. This observational study was conducted at tertiary care hospitals in and around Mangalore from 2015 to 2019, on confirmed cases of Dengue via immunological studies. Various clinical, laboratory and radiological parameters were recorded and assessed statistically later. Dengue was more common in young males (58.9%). Common presentations were fever with headache (94%), hypotension and abdominal pain (15%). Thrombocytopenia (88.4) and leucopenia (48.3%) were the commonest cytological findings. Deranged LFT (39.1%)with Hyponatremina (35.3%) and low bicarbonate (78.3%)were also seen. Cavitatory effusion was seen in 67% of patients with complications. Myocarditis was seen in 2%. Dengue despite being an easily preventable and usually self-limiting illness, the complications however can fatal. Especially in endemic areas, early diagnosis of the disease using clinical, laboratory and radiological assessment is necessary to avoid it being confused with other infections due to its overlapping of symptoms; and for preventing complications.

Barrier distribution for the 28Si+154Sm system has been extracted from large angle quasielastic scattering measurement to investigate the role of various channel couplings on fusion dynamics. The coupled channel calculations, including the collective excitation of the target and projectile, are observed to reproduce the experimental BD rather well. It seems that the role of neutron transfer, relative to collective excitation, is in fact weak in the 28Si+154Sm system even though it has positive Q-value for neutron transfer channels.

Mass angle distribution measurements for 19F+238U reaction were carried out around the sub barrier energies. Mass angle correlation has not been observed at above and below the fusion barrier in present reaction. This infer the minimal presence of non compound like events at these bombarding energies range.

Introduction: Malaria, a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium sp. is a substantial threat to global health. In recent years, the association of malignancies and malaria has been an interesting field of research. To date, Burkitt's lymphoma has shown a close association with Malaria in the sub-Saharan nations. The latest research targets the current anti-malarial medicines as a promising approach towards novel anti-cancer therapies. The complicated relationship between malaria, genetics, immune response, and cancer might help in exploring various pharmacological approaches that might help in the therapeutic approach to malaria and cancer. Further, in-depth in-vivo and in-vitro studies are needed to establish the link between malaria infection and cancer progression. Aims and Objectives: This review aims to explore the key associations of malaria and various malignancies and the possible anti-cancer effects of anti-malarial drugs. Materials and Methods: A critical review of 53 articles from 1987 to 2023 was conducted. Conclusion: • Endemic Burkitt's lymphoma shows a synergy with malaria, but more studies are needed to explore, for correlating the possible associations of malaria with other malignancies. • Non-hematological malignancies were shown not to have a strong correlation with malaria. • Anti-malarial drugs displaying anti-cancer properties could be a promising adjunct to current routine cancer treatment

Fission excitation functions for 19F + 194,196,198Pt reactions populating 213,215,217Fr compound nuclei are reported. Out of these three compound nuclei, 213Fr is a shell closed (N=126) compound nucleus and the other two are away from the shell closure. From a comparison of the experimental fission cross-sections with the statistical model predictions, it is observed that the fission cross-sections are underestimated by the statistical model predictions using shell corrected finite range rotating liquid drop model (FRLDM) fission barriers. Further the FRLDM fission barriers are reduced to fit the fission cross-sections over the entire measured energy range.

We plan to perform large angle quasi-elastic scattering experiments using a 28Si beam on heavy targets in order to study the nuclear dynamics and structure effects. As a prelude to our first test experiment with a 154Sm target, we study here the existing fusion data for the same system through the barrier distribution.

The triton angular distribution in the 12C(7Li,t)16O reaction has been measured at 20 MeV incident energy. Comparison of the data with Finite Range DWBA and CDCC-CRC calculations show that breakup coupling effects are prominent in the transfer to the ground state. This observation is similar to that in the 12C(6Li,d) reaction at the same incident energy. The alpha spectroscopic factor of the 16O ground state is determined (Sα=0.25) from a comparison of the measured angular distribution with respect to the CDCC-CRC calculations. The E2 S-factor of the 12C(α,γ) reaction at 300 keV in the framework of a potential model is determined to be about 118 keV-barn.

The pre- and post-scission neutron multiplicities have been extracted for the 220,222,224Th nuclei for the excitation energy range of 40 MeV to 64 MeV using the National Array of Neutron Detectors (NAND). The Th isotopes are populated from the fusion reaction of 16O+204,206,208Pb systems in order to investigate the dynamics of fusion-fission reactions using the neutron multiplicity as a probe. The theoretical calculations were performed using the Bohr-Wheeler fission width as well as the dissipative dynamical fission width from Kramers prescription. It is observed that the Bohr-Wheeler fission width underestimates the pre-scission yields to a large extent. A large amount of dissipation is required in the Kramers width to fit the observed pre-scission neutron multiplicities.

We present the evolution of giant dipole resonance (GDR) width as a function of angular momentum in the compound nucleus 144Sm in the temperature range of 1.5-2.0 MeV. The high energy γ rays emitted from the decay of excited 144Sm were measured using large NaI detector in coincidence with 4π sum spin spectrometer. GDR widths were found to comply with thermal shape fluctuation model in this temperature range over a wide range of spin. Experimental widths tend to increase rapidly at high angular momentum values.

The reaction mechanism of 19F + 232Th and 28Si + 232Th systems populating the near-super-heavy compound nuclei 251Es and 260Rf respectively are investigated using neutron multiplicity as a probe. The prescission neutron multiplicities of these compound nuclei are calculated at different excitation energies using a statistical model code. These calculations are performed using the Bohr-Wheeler transition state fission width as well as the dissipative dynamical fission width based on the Kramers’ prescription. For 19F + 232Th system, the measured yield of pre-scission is compared with the statistical model calculations for the decay of a compound nucleus in the excitation energy range of 54-90 MeV. The comparison between the measured and the calculated values indicates that the Bohr-Wheeler fission width underestimates the pre-scission neutron yield and a large amount of dissipation strength is required to reproduce the experimental pre-scission neutron multiplicities. The excitation energy dependence of the fitted values of the dissipation coefficient is also discussed. In addition, exploratory statistical model calculations of pre-scission neutron multiplicity for the 28Si + 232Th system are presented in the above range of excitation energy.

Background and objectives: Distribution of blood group antigen varies among different races. It is important to know the distribution of these antigens so as to provide a donor database that aid in providing compatible blood units for patients with multiple alloantibodies. The present study was conducted to determine the distribution of clinically significant minor blood group antigens amongst the South Indian blood donors. Materials and methods: Blood samples were collected from healthy regular repeat voluntary blood donors of same ethnicity attending a tertiary care hospital in South Kerala. Clinically significant blood antigens of the ABO, Rh (D, C, c, E, and e), Kell, Duffy and Kidd blood group systems were determined. The ABO and Rh(D) grouping were performed by tube technique using monoclonal antisera. Column agglutination technique was used to phenotype Rh, Kell, Duffy and Kidd antigens. Results: Total 200 healthy repeat voluntary blood donors were enrolled in the study. Out of 200 donors, 92% were RhD positive. Among the Rh antigens, the e antigen was positive in 97.8 % and 100% among the Rh(D) positive and Rh(D) negative donors respectively. No E antigen was detected in RhD negative donors. Total 6 and 2 Rh phenotypes were observed among the Rh(D) positive and negative donors respectively. R1R1 and Rr were the most frequent phenotypes among the RhD positive and negative donors (47.28% and 93.75%) respectively. Among the Kell blood group antigens, K and Kpb antigens were present in 100% of our donors while in Duffy and Kidd system Fya and Jka were most predominant (89% and 87%) respectively. Conclusions: The findings of the present study would be helpful in developing in-house panel cells. Moreover, a rare donor registry of donors typed negative for a high-frequency antigen can be formulated. IMC J Med Sci. 2024; 18(1):004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.18.004 *Correspondence: Soonam John, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Government Medical College, Parippally, Kollam, Kerala,India. Email: johnsoonam@gmail.com

This paper report the summary of the experimental results of pre-scission neutron multiplicities from four compound nuclei, namely 210,212,214,216Rn, and statistical model analysis of the corresponding data. The compound nuclei 210,212,214,216Rn having N/Z values as 1.441, 1.465, 1.488, 1.511 respectively are populated through the 16,18O+194,198Pt reactions at excitation energies of 50, 61, 71.7 and 79 MeV. The measured neutron multiplicities are further analyzed with the statistical model of nuclear decay where fission hindrance due to nuclear dissipation is considered. The N/Z dependence of the dissipation strength at lowest excitation energy of the compound nuclei suggests shell closure effects. However, such effects are not observed at higher excitations where the variation of the dissipation strength with N/Z does not show any specific trend. The variation of N/Z in fission time scale is also shown.

Exclusive measurement of giant dipole resonance (GDR) γ rays has been performed in 144Sm nucleus which was populated at near barrier energy using the heavy ion reaction of 28Si beam on 116Cd target. GDR γ rays were detected in coincidence with low energy γ rays using 32 elements 4π sum-spin spectrometer. The 144Sm nucleus was populated at an excitation energy of 68 MeV in the temperature range of 1.1-1.3 MeV. The measured GDR widths in this temperature range are consistent with the Kusnezov’s parametrization.

Fission fragment (FF) angular distributions for 6,7Li+235,238U reactions and mass distributions for 6,7Li+238U reactions have been measured at energies near and above the Coulomb barrier. The angle integrated fission cross sections for 6Li induced reactions at sub-barrier energies are found to be higher than 7Li induced reactions possibly due to larger contribution of breakup induced fission in case of the former compared to the latter. The FF anisotropy for 6,7Li+235U was found to be smaller than 6,7Li+238U, manifesting the effect of target ground state spin. The statistical saddle point (SSP) model predictions were found to be consistent with the measured FF anisotropy for 6,7Li+235U, however they were under-estimated for 6,7Li+238U particularly at lower energies. Observation of larger FWHM of FF folding angle distribution and sharp increase in peak to valley ratio for FF mass distribution with the decrease in bombarding energy in 6,7Li+238U reactions confirms the presence of breakup induced fission.

Thattekad bird sanctuary, located in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, which hosts an unexplored microbial community, is selected for the present investigation. Microbes play a major role in mineral recycling and nutrient absorption by the flora and fauna in the habitat. Various bacterial extracellular enzymes facilitate all these activities. The increasing demand for microbial enzymes in favor of green technology encouraged us to focus on exoenzyme profiling of bacterial isolates from forest soil samples. The present study is aimed at the screening and identification of exoenzyme producing soil bacterial strains isolated from evergreen forests and moist deciduous forests of Thattekad bird sanctuary. In this study, only multienzyme producing bacteria were selected for detailed analysis because such bacteria are highly relevant in multi-enzyme dependent processes such as biowaste degradation. We screened for nine hydrolytic exoenzymes namely, amylase, cellulase, ligninase, pectinase, xylanase, caseinase, gelatinase, esterase and lipase, and identified 79 multienzyme-producing bacterial strains, mostly belonging to phylum Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Firmicutes from evergreen forests and moist deciduous forests produced a greater number of enzymes compared to Proteobacteria. Also, bacterial strains isolated from evergreen forest soil produced more enzymes compared to moist deciduous forest. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain TBS040 isolated from moist deciduous forest soil was found to produce all the nine enzymes screened. Enzymatic hydrolysis of biowaste using cell free crude enzyme extract from Bacillus velezensis strain TBS064 resulted in enhanced bioethanol production. These findings highlight the importance of screening unexplored habitats for the identification of novel strains, which can contribute to the future of green technology.

Neutron multiplicity measurements are carried out for the 19F + 194,196,198Pt systems at excitation energy range of 48 to 67.5 MeV. Out of these three compound nuclei (CN) 217Fr, 215Fr and 213Fr, one of the CN (213Fr) has neutron shell closure (NC=126). Experimentally obtained neutron multiplicities are compared with the standard statistical model predictions. It has been observed that the standard statistical model under-predicts the experimental pre-scission neutron multiplicities values. Also the comparison of pre-scission neutron multiplicities for different compound nuclei (CN) indicates the signature of shell effects on nuclear dissipation, which results in the lowering of the pre-scission neutron multiplicities.

Fission fragment mass distributions for 19F+184W have been measured at beam energies in the range of 85 - 125 MeV. Analysis of mass distribution width indicates that the system proceeds towards the formation of compound nucleus. No signature of quasifission is observed in this reaction. These results strengthen the conclusions of our earlier works revealing the stabilizing effect of the Z = 82 shell closure against fission.

Evaporation residue (ER) excitation function in the complete fusion of 16O with 194Pt is measured around the Coulomb barrier using gas-filled mode of the HYbrid Recoil mass Analyser (HYRA) at the Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), New Delhi. Measured ER excitation function is compared with statistical model calculation. Nuclear dissipation strength β = 1.5 is required to explain the experimental data at higher excitation energies.

This study presents the complete genome sequence of Streptomyces californicus TBG-201 isolated from the soil samples of Vandanam sacred groves in Alleppey District, Kerala, India. The organism has potent chitinolytic activity. The genome of S. californicus TBG-201 was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq-2500 platform with 2 × 150bp pair-end protocol and assembled using Velvet version 1.2.10.0. The assembled genome has a 7.99 Mb total length, a G+C content of 72.60%, and 6683 protein-coding genes, 116 pseudogenes, 31 rRNAs, and 66 tRNAs. AntiSMASH analysis revealed abundant biosynthetic gene clusters, while the dbCAN meta server was used to detect carbohydrate-active enzyme coding genes. The NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline was used for genome annotation. The presence of numerous genes coding for chitin degradation indicates the chitinolytic ability of this strain. The genome data have been deposited in NCBI with the accession number JAJDST000000000.

Background: Depression and anxiety occur more frequently in women and are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Objectives: Data on the association between these psychiatric conditions and the incidence of acute heart failure (HF) and how they influence heart failure outcomes in women are lacking. We investigated this potential relationship using data from the National Inpatient Sample. Methods: We used ICD-10 codes to extract encounters for acute heart failure and/or the acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure, anxiety, and depression from the discharge data of the NIS from 2019 to 2020. We compared baseline characteristics and length of stay (LOS), cost of care (COC) and acute HF by depression/anxiety status for males and females and employed regression models to assess the influence of these psychiatric conditions on the outcomes. Results: There were 6,394,136 encounters involving females, which represented 56.6% of the sample. The prevalence of depression and anxiety were 15.7% and 16.8%, respectively. Among females, the occurrence of acute CHF did not differ by depression or anxiety status. However, Takostubo cardiomyopathy was more prevalent in those with depression (0.3% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.003) and anxiety (0.3% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.03) compared to those without these conditions. Among those with depression, LOS was significantly longer (3 days IQR: 2–6, vs. 3 days IQR:2–5 days, p < 0.001). The COC was USD 1481 more in patients with depression. On the contrary, LOS and COC were significantly lower in those without anxiety. Conclusions: Depression was associated with an increased LOS among both men and women and an increased cost of care among women. Anxiety was associated with a decreased LOS and cost of care among women, which may be related to an increased rate of against medical advice (AMA) discharges among this population. Further research is necessary to identify optimal management strategies for depression and anxiety among patients hospitalized with HF.

Abstract Background To date, only few studies have investigated ghrelin levels in bipolar disorders, and all have exclusively measured acylated ghrelin, with none investigating total ghrelin (acylated and des-acylated). We aimed to investigate peripheral levels of acylated and total ghrelin in subjects experiencing a manic episode of bipolar disorder. Methods Peripheral levels of acylated and total ghrelin were measured in hospitalised medicated individuals recovering from a manic episode. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to measure ghrelin levels in patients and compared with healthy controls. The relationship between ghrelin levels in bipolar disorder, self-reported hunger measures, demographic and clinical parameters was investigated with correlational analyses. Results Twenty-four subjects (15 males, 9 females) recovering from mania and 27 matched healthy controls (13 males, 14 females) were recruited for the study. Mean values of both acylated (187 vs.520 pg/mL) and total ghrelin (396 vs. 648 pg/mL) were significantly reduced in bipolar disorder (p = 0.001). Ghrelin levels correlated positively with markers of illness severity and negatively with prescribed mood stabilizers, second-generation antipsychotics, weight and body mass index. Conclusion Peripheral measurements of acylated and total ghrelin were both reduced in bipolar disorder patients compared to healthy controls. Whilst illness severity promotes higher ghrelin levels, pharmacological treatment and weight gain exercise the opposite effect.

Background: Pain after laparoscopic surgeries is a common complaint which can prolong hospital stay and delay recovery. Different methods have been developed to manage pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy. One such technique is intraperitoneal instillation of local anaesthetics with adjuvants like hydrocortisone, dexmeditomedine, magnesium sulphate. Various studies have confirmed the efficacy of local anaesthetics with hydrocortisone for analgesia. Studies comparing sole use of steroids are few. We thus devised to conduct a study to compare how effective hydrocortisone or dexamethasone administered intraperitoneally is in causing relief from pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy. Methods: We conducted an observational study, 60 patients planned for laparoscopic hysterectomy were classified into two groups. Group A (n=30) who received 100 mg hydrocortisone in 50 ml normal saline intraperitoneally and Group B (n=30) who received 8 mg dexamethasone in 50 ml normal saline intraperitoneally. Abdominal and shoulder pain was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) at 1, 6, 12 and 24 hour after surgery. Results: Both Group A and B had similar efficacy in providing both abdominal pain and shoulder pain relief post operatively. Both groups had no rescue analgesic requirement after 12 hour. Both drugs were has low incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Conclusion: Intraperitoneal dexamethasone is as equally effective as hydrocortisone in providing postoperative analgesia and antiemesis after laparoscopic hysterectomy

Studies of antidepressant safety in pregnancy typically do not address complex patterns of use throughout pregnancy. We performed longitudinal trajectory modeling to describe patterns of antidepressant use in the first 32 weeks of pregnancy, and test whether these trajectories are associated with a reduction in birth weight or gestational age at delivery. Our study included 166 pregnant women with deliveries between 2011 and 2015 who were prescribed an antidepressant between 91 days prior to last menstrual period and 32 weeks of gestation. From electronic medical records, we estimated average daily dose and cumulative dose per week for the first 32 weeks of gestation and for the first 13 weeks postnatal. We clustered women with similar utilization patterns using k-means longitudinal modeling and assessed the associations between trajectory group and birth weight and gestational age at delivery. We identified four cumulative dose trajectory groups and three average daily dose trajectory groups in each period. Relative to the lowest trajectory group, the highest trajectory group during pregnancy was associated with reduced birth weight in multivariable analysis (average daily highest trajectory vs. lowest trajectory β - 314.1 g, 95% CI - 613.7, - 15.5) adjusted for depression severity score, maternal age, race, and pregnancy smoking. Trajectory groups were not associated with gestational age at delivery. The highest trajectory group of antidepressant use in pregnancy was associated with a modest reduction in birth weight but not with gestational age at delivery. Longitudinal trajectories allow for a dynamic visualization and quantification of medication use among pregnant women.