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Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is extensively researched as a lysophospholipid and is crucial in various physiological and pathological processes. It achieves this via signalling through five different subtypes of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), namely S1PR1 to S1PR5. S1PR modulators possess the ability to traverse the blood-brain barrier, potentially leading to direct ac-tions within the Central Nervous System (CNS). S1PR modulators specifically bind to receptors located on the surface of naive and central memory lymphocytes, causing these cells to be trapped or confined within the lymph node. The investigation of the S1P pathway has resulted in the ap-proval of three S1PR modulators, namely fingolimod, siponimod, and ozanimod, as medications for the treatment of patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Additionally, new S1PR modulators, such as ponesimod and etrasimod, are currently being developed and tested in clini-cal trials. Research on the creation of S1P modulators in neurodegenerative illnesses is ongoing as scientists continue to explore novel possibilities for selective S1P modulators. This study provides a concise overview of sphingolipid metabolism, the mechanism by which S1P receptors are af-fected, and the structural characteristics of several small molecule S1P modulators, with a particu-lar focus on their structure-activity connections., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Antibiotic resistance against Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M.tb. ) has been a significant cause of death worldwide. The Enhanced intracellular survival (EIS) protein of the bacteria is an acetyltransferase that multiacetylates aminoglycoside antibiotics, preventing them from binding to the bacterial ribosome. To overcome the EIS-mediated antibiotics resistance of M.tb ., we compiled 888 alkaloids and derivatives from five different databases and virtually screened them against the EIS receptor. The compound library was filtered down to 87 compounds, which underwent additional analysis and filtration. Moreover, the top 15 most prominent phytocompounds were obtained after the drug-likeness prediction and ADMET screening. Out of 15, nine compounds confirmed the maximum number of hydrogen bond interactions and reliable binding energies during molecular docking. Additionally, the Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of nine compounds showed the three most stable complexes, further verified by re-docking with mutated protein. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation was performed to identify the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps of the selected three potential compounds. Finally, our selected top lead compounds i.e., Alkaloid AQC2 (PubChem85634496), Nobilisitine A (ChEbi68116), and N-methylcheilanthifoline (ChEbi140673) demonstrated more favourable outcomes when compared with reference compounds (i.e., 39b and 2i) in all parameters used in this study. Therefore, we anticipate that our findings will help to explore and develop natural compound therapy against multi and extensively drug-resistant strains of M.tb .Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

A new metal-free method for the synthesis of selenoesters directly from carboxylic acids in a flow reactor is reported. The carboxylic acids, Michael acceptors, and bifunctional selenoureas (source of selenium and nucleophile, activator of carbonyl group) were reacted to obtain selenoesters (up to 70% yield). An evidence-backed plausible mechanism is also presented.

Boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) and its derivatives play an important role in the area of organic fluorophore chemistry. Recently, the water-soluble boron-dipyrromethene dyes have increasingly received interest. The structural modification of the BODIPY core by incorporating different neutral and ionic hydrophilic groups makes it water-soluble. The important hydrophilic groups, such as quaternary ammonium, sulfonate, oligoethylene glycol, dicarboxylic acid, and sugar moieties significantly increase the solubility of these dyes in water while preserving their photophysical properties. As a result, these fluorescent dyes are utilized in aqueous systems for applications such as chemosensors, cell imaging, anticancer, biolabeling, biomedicine, metal ion detection, and photodynamic treatment. This review covers the most current developments in the design and synthesis of water-soluble BODIPY derivatives and their wide applications since 2014.

Over the years, Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been one of the major causes of death worldwide. As several clinical isolates of the bacteria have developed drug resistance against the target sites of the current therapeutic agents, the development of a novel drug is the pressing priority. According to recent studies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis , ATP binding sites of Mycobacterium tuberculosis serine/threonine protein kinases (MTPKs) have been identified as the new promising drug target. Among the several other protein kinases (PKs), Protein kinase G (PknG) was selected for the study because of its crucial role in modulating bacterium's metabolism to survive in host macrophages. In this work, we have focused on the H37Rv strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A list of 477 flavanones obtained from the PubChem database was docked one by one against the crystallized and refined structure of PknG by in-silico techniques. Initially, potential inhibitors were narrowed down by preliminary docking. Flavanones were then selected using binding energies ranging from -7.9 kcal.mol -1 to -10.8 kcal.mol -1. This was followed by drug-likeness prediction, redocking analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we have used experimentally confirmed drug AX20017 as a reference to determine candidate compounds that can act as potential inhibitors for PknG. PubChem165506, PubChem242065, PubChem688859, PubChem101367767, PubChem3534982, and PubChem42607933 were identified as possible target site inhibitors for PknG with a desirable negative binding energy of -8.1, -8.3, -8.4, -8.8, -8.6 and -7.9 kcal.mol -1 respectively. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Various derivatives that mimic ceramide structures by introducing a triazole to connect the aminodiol moiety and long alkyl chain have been synthesized and screened for their anti-leukemia activity. SPS8 stood out among the derivatives, showing cytotoxic selectivity between leukemic cell lines and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (about ten times). DAPI nuclear staining and H&E staining revealed DNA fragmentation under the action of SPS8. SPS8 induced an increase in intracellular Ca 2+ levels and mitochondrial stress in HL-60 cells identified by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination, and altered expressions of Bcl-2 family proteins. SPS8 also induced autophagy through the detection of Atg5, beclin-1, and LC3 II protein expression, as well as TEM examination. Chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, promoted SPS8-induced apoptosis, suggesting the cytoprotective role of autophagy in hindering SPS8 from apoptosis. Furthermore, SPS8 was shown to alter the expressions of a variety of genes using a microarray analysis and volcano plot filtering. A further cellular signaling pathways analysis suggested that SPS8 induced several cellular processes in HL-60, including the sterol biosynthesis process and cholesterol biosynthesis process, and inhibited some cellular pathways, in which STAT3 was the most critical nuclear factor. Further identification revealed that SPS8 inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3, representing the loss of cytoprotective activity. In conclusion, the data suggest that SPS8 induces both apoptosis and autophagy in leukemic cells, in which autophagy plays a cytoprotective role in impeding apoptosis. Moreover, the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation may support SPS8-induced anti-leukemic activity.

Background: Individually, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and paroxetine (PX) are considered as frontline treatments for social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, the possibility of combined interventions of these might be more helpful than either intervention alone has met with mixed reviews. Hence, the goal of the current study was to examine whether combining CBT + PX would be superior to PX alone in the treatment of SAD in various stages of treatment., Methodology: The present study is a single-center, rater-blind, behavioral placebo (Bh. PBO)-controlled study. Sixty-seven participants were prospectively observed in two groups, one receiving CBT + PX and PX + Bh. PBO for 24 weeks. The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was measured at pre, post (12 weeks), end of booster (24 weeks), and 2-month follow-up (32 weeks) stage. The SIAS was measured at pre, post (12 weeks), end of booster (24 weeks), and 2-month follow-up (32 weeks) stage., Results: Both treatment groups have significant difference in the mean scores of SIAS in posttreatment, booster, and follow-up stages from their respective mean scores at prestage. Mann-Whitney U-test found no significant differences in the mean scores of SIAS between CBT + PX and PX + Bh. PBO at posttreatment and booster phase, whereas a statistically significance difference ( P = 0.03) was found in 2-month follow-up stages. Both treatment groups have large effect size in posttreatment and end of booster phase. At 2-month follow-up stage, a large effect size of 1.11 was found in CBT + PX group as compared to medium size of 0.6 in PX + Bh. PBO group., Conclusions: Combined treatment of CBT + PX provided no advantage over PX + Bh. PBO in acute stages of treatment, but the former have significantly better maintenance of treatment gains in 2-month follow-ups than the latter., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Industrial Psychiatry Journal.)

Imidazolidinones and imidazolidine-2,4-diones are important classes of heterocyclic compounds that possess potent activities against several viruses such as dengue virus, enterovirus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The first imidazolidinone derivative as an anti-HIV agent was reported in 1996. Imidazolidinones inhibit HIV aspartic protease activity, and also act as CCR5 co-receptor antagonists. Significant effort has been devoted to the design of various imidazolidinone analogues that are active against drug-resistant HIV strains, with fewer side effects. Different scaffolds have been designed through both rational drug design strategies and computer-aided drug design. Imidazolidinones have been found to be potent against HIV, and preclinical studies are currently in progress. There are some reports of imidazolidinones as having both anti-HCV and anti-dengue virus activity, and more research has yet to be done along these lines. These compounds inhibit NS3 serine protease of HCV, and NS2B-NS3 protease of dengue virus. Pyridyl-imidazolidinones possess very specific and potent activity against human enterovirus 71 (EV71) by targeting the EV71 capsid protein VP1, and inhibiting viral adsorption and/or viral RNA uncoating., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Wolbachia is gram negative obligate endosymbiont known for reproductive manipulation in the host. It is important to study the presence of natural Wolbachia in mosquitoes which can later help in understanding the effect of transfected strain on indigenous strain. With this view, the present study is undertaken to focus on the prevalence, diversity, infection frequencies, phylogeny and density of indigenous Wolbachia strains in wild mosquito species of Odisha. Our study confirms Wolbachia presence in Ae. albopictus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. vishnui, Cx. gelidus, Ar. subalbatus, Mn. uniformis, and Mn. indiana. Wolbachia in the above mosquitoes were separated into two supergroups (A and B). Ae. albopictus, the major vector of dengue and chikungungunya had both super-infection and mono-infection. The ovaries of Ae. albopictus were highest in density of Wolbachia as compared to midguts or salivary glands. wAlBA and wAlbB density were variable in mosquitoes of F1 generation for both the sex and at different age. We also found that Wolbachia super-infection in females tends to increase whereas wAlbA density reduced completely as compared to wAlbB in males when they grew old. Giemsa stained squashed ovaries revealed pink pleomorphic Wolbachia cells with different shapes and forms. This study is unique in its kind covering the major aspects of the endosymbiont Wolbachia and focusing on its potential as a biocontrol agent in arboviral outbreaks. Knowledge on potential of the indigenous strain and interactions between Wolbachia and viruses can be utilized further to reduce the global burden of vector borne diseases.

Introduction: The burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing in India and across states. Given the chronic and progressive nature of the disease, it implicates huge financial burden on patients. Given this, the objectives of this study are to estimate the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure on diabetes care and assess the magnitude of medication adherence among patients in a public hospital., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 206 patients with age ≥25 years visiting the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Odisha. Cost data were collected from April to June 2016 using a structured questionnaire, and drug adherence was assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale., Results: The average total expenditure per patient per month was INR 1265 (95% confidence interval 1178-1351), of which medical expenditure was INR 993 (95 confidence interval 912-1075) and that of nonmedical expenditure was INR 271 (95 confidence interval 251-292). Expenditure on medicine constituted around 65% of total medical expenditure. The other drivers of medical expenditure were diagnostics services constituting 13.2% and transportation (11.8%). Overall, only 15% of the patients reported high adherence to medication., Discussion: This study generated evidence on OOP expenditure on diabetics in Odisha which are comparable to many Indian studies. One of the critical findings of this study was that a majority of patients visiting public hospitals had to spend OOP on medicine and diagnostic services. These findings could be used to design appropriate financing strategies to protect the interest of the poor who largely use public health facility in Odisha., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

A one-pot synthesis of thioesters directly from carboxylic acids, N,N'-diphenylthiourea, triethylamine, and primary alkyl halides is described. Microwave-assisted heating and a catalytic amount of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) further improved the yields. Both aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids were converted to the corresponding thioesters, and many functional groups were compatible with this reaction. Several possible reaction intermediates were investigated, and the quaternary ammonium salts, derived from alkyl halides and tertiary amines, were the intermediates to yield thioesters. A new reaction mechanism for this thioesterification is proposed.

Background: Literatures regarding clinical symptomatology and treatment response of catatonia are very few., Objective: To assess onset, clinical profile, diagnostic break up, treatment response and outcome in patients diagnosed as Catatonia, reported to a tertiary care hospital., Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in indoor of Mental Health Institute (Centre of Excellence), S.C.B. Medical College, between March 2015 to March 2016. A total of 34 patients were included in the study who reported at outdoor department of Mental Health Institute with catatonic symptoms. All patients admitted in inpatient department were routinely assessed through a detailed semi-structured interview. The diagnosis of catatonia was made if the patients present with three or more symptoms out of twelve symptoms fulfilling the criteria of DSM-5. All the patients were assessed through Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale. They were initially given parental lorazepam at the doses ranging from 4-12 mg per day as per requirement. Patients who did not respond to lorazepam trial were given ECT., Results: The patients were predominantly presented with retarded symptoms of catatonia such as staring, mutism, withdrawal, posturing and negativism. Schizophrenia and other psychotic spectrum disorders were more commonly presented as catatonia as compared to mood disorders. Younger age group patients were mainly responded to lorazepam only, whereas older age group patients responded to both ECT and lorazepam., Conclusion: This study has came out with very important insights in the age of incidence, phenomenology, clinical profile, source of referral, diagnostic break up and treatment response with lorazepam and ECT in catatonic patients following mental disorder., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Psychosocial dysfunctions in the various psychosocial areas in chronic schizophrenic patients predict the long-term course, outcome, and quality of life of these patients, which always varies with years of treatment., Objective: To know the influence and compare the level of psychosocial dysfunctions and severity of disability burden in chronic schizophrenic patients who are in remission with duration of 5 and 20 years., Materials and Methods: The sample was collected from the OPD of Mental Health Institute (COE), S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha, India. This study is a cross-sectional study. A total of 120 remitted schizophrenic patients (60 patients of each group with duration of 5 and 20 years), who fulfilled Nancy Andreasen criteria for Remission were selected for the study. Regional language of dysfunction analysis questionnaire (DAQ) was used to assess the level of psychosocial dysfunctions in personal, familial, social, vocational, and cognitive areas of each patient., Results: Qualitative data were analyzed using Chi-square and quantitative data were analyzed using t -test and correlation as a test of significance. Statistically significant differences ( P < 0.05) were found in all five domains of DAQ between two groups. Statistically significant difference ( P < 0.05) was found between the two groups with respect to severity of the disability., Conclusion: This study confirms that there are definite and substantial psychosocial dysfunctions in personal, familial, social, vocational, and cognitive spheres with the advancement of the duration of illness in chronic schizophrenic patients., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Persons with long-term psychiatric disorders have greater deficits in living skills as well as greater problems in employment and relationship to their social environment. Thus, chronic psychiatric illnesses have psychosocial consequences such as disability and impaired quality of life (QOL) due to their symptomatology and chronic course., Objectives: Assessment and comparison of disability and QOL of patients suffering from schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in remission phase., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out in the psychiatry outpatient Department of Mental Health Institute, S.C.B. Medical College and Neuropsychiatric Consultation Centre, Cuttack. The study sample consisted of fifty cases of each groups (schizophrenia and OCD), which included both males and females. All of them were assessed through the World Health Organization-QOL BREF and Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale., Results: Results revealed that schizophrenics have poor QOL and greater disability burden than patients of OCD., Conclusion: These psychiatric illnesses, i.e. schizophrenia and OCD, affect all areas of daily functioning leading to greater disability, and thus increasing the burden on the family, imposing greater challenges for the rehabilitation of these patients and their inclusion in the mainstream of the family and society., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

A new "single-flask" method was developed for the synthesis of imidazolidines and pyrrolidines with high stereoselectivity. First, a Schiff base was arylated with an aryne. Second, an intramolecular proton transfer took place from the methylene position to the anionic aryne ring. Third, the resultant ylide reacted with a second equivalent of the same Schiff base in situ or an electron-deficient alkene through a (3+2) cycloaddition. These sequential tandem 1,2-addition/(3+2) cycloaddition reactions led to the desired heterocycles in 63-88% yields., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Context: Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is caused by thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency and most commonly found in chronic alcoholism and malnutrition. Clinically, the key features are mental status disturbances (global confusion), oculomotor abnormalities, and gait disturbances (ataxia). Apart from these clinical features, we can find deficits in neuropsychological functioning in patients with WE, which is more prominent after the improvement in the physical conditions. Neuropsychological functioning includes both basic cognitive processes (i.e., attention-concentration) as well as higher order cognitive processes (i.e., memory, executive functioning, reasoning), which is much vital for the maintenance of quality of life of an individual. However, unfortunately, in most of the cases, neuropsychological functioning is ignored by the clinicians., Materials and Methods: In this study four case reports of WE have been presented. The patients were taken from the outdoor department of Mental Health Institute, S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha. Neuropsychological functioning was measured by administration of PGIBBD and Quality of Life was measured by WHO-QOL BREF Odia Version., Discussion: As described in the literature, among the three cardinal signs (global confusion, ataxia, and ocular sings), the first two were present in all cases, but nystagmus was present in only two cases. Memory dysfunction was so disabling that the persons were unable to maintain a good Quality of Life and occupational impairment was prominent. There are disturbances in recent, remote memory, immediate recall, delayed recall, and attention and concentration, ultimately creating both physical and mental disability. PGI-BBD findings also suggest the overall impairment in neuropsychological functioning other than memory, that is, executive functioning, visual acuity, and depth perception. Findings of WHO-QOL BREF suggest the impairment of four domains of QOL in all the cases, but the severity level varies from person to person., Conclusion: Like the three cardinal features, neuropsychological dysfunction in WE should be given importance, which is a most vital component for the maintenance of QOL. As a result, the disability produced by this condition can be well managed.

Now directly feasible: The silicon atom in allenylsilanes enabled their reaction with two equivalents of benzynes to generate (α-phenanthrenyl)vinylsilanes in good to excellent yields through an unprecedented [2+2+2] pathway (see scheme)., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objectives: To study the prescription pattern of psychotropic drugs in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern India with special reference to polypharmacy., Materials and Methods: A total of 411 patients were included in the study through systematic sampling. Patients were diagnosed by a Consultant Psychiatrist before inclusion in the study using a semi-structured interview schedule based on the International Classification of Disease (ICD), classification of mental and behavioral disorders, 10th version). The most recently prescribed psychopharmacological medication of those patients was studied. A checklist to assess the pattern of prescription and evaluate reasons of polypharmacy was filled up by the prescribing consultant., Results: About 76.6% of the patients received polypharmacy in the index study. Males were more exposed to polypharmacy compared to women (80.93% vs. 70.85%). Gender and diagnosis had a predictive value with regard to the polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was more common in organic mental disorders (F0), psychoactive substance abuse disorders (F1), psychotic disorders (F2), mood disorders (F3) and in childhood, and adolescent mental disorders (F9). Most frequently, antipsychotic drugs were prescribed followed by tranquilizers/hypnotics and anticholinergics. Antidepressants (35.13%) were more commonly prescribed as monotherapy. Anticholinergics (100%) and tranquilizers/hypnotics (96.7%) were the drugs more commonly used in combination with other psychotropics. The three most common reasons for prescribing polypharmacy were augmentation (43.8%) of primary drug followed by its use to prevent adverse effects of primary drug (39.6%) and to treat comorbidity (34.9%)., Conclusions: Polypharmacy is a common practice despite the research based guidelines suggest otherwise. More vigorous research is needed to address this sensitive issue.

A 27-year old lady presented to our department with multiple erosive lesions over extremities, which had a very bizarre pattern and was only over accessible parts of body. A thorough history was taken and a diagnosis of dermatitis artefacta was made. We present this interesting case for its rarity and future reference.

Context: Patient satisfaction with psychiatric services is an important construct, which influences multiple areas including treatment adherance and outcome. There is paucity of studies from India in this area., Aims: To measure satisfaction of psychiatric outpatients of Mental Health Institute, Cuttack, and to assess the relationship between demographic and clinical variables with different domains of patient satisfaction., Settings and Design: In a cross-sectional study, patients of age 18-60 years receiving treatment for at least six months from outpatient department of Mental Health Institute, SCB Medical College, Cuttack, were assessed., Materials and Methods: Participants (n=60) were selected randomly. Satisfaction was assessed by Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18) and the diagnoses were based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV-TR. Severity of psychiatric disorder was measured using Clinical Global Impression-severity scale. The functioning level was assessed by Global Assessment of Functioning., Statistical Analysis: Continuous variables compared using independent t-test or analysis of variance., Results: Diagnostic break-up of the patients included anxiety disorder (36.6%), major depressive disorder (30.0%), bipolar disorder (16.6%), and schizophrenia (16.6%). Greatest level of satisfaction was noted in interpersonal aspects (71.4%) and time spent with doctors (62.4%). General satisfaction level was a little over 50% (57%). Differences between composite scores of PSQ-18 in the diagnostic categories were statistically significant; patients with depression had the highest score followed by those with anxiety disorder, bipolar, and the least was with schizophrenia patients. There was variability among the demographic and clinical groups regarding the various subscale score of PSQ-18., Conclusions: Satisfaction of psychiatric outpatients was observed to be different in various clinical and demographic groups and across many domains of satisfaction.

A series of 3,5-(substituted)oxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(substituted)pyridines (1a-j) were synthesized by Hantzsch method for pyridine synthesis. Treatment with chloroacetyl chloride produced N-(2-chloroacetyl)-3,5-(substituted)oxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(substituted)pyridines (2a-e), which on further treatment with sulfanilamide resulted in 3,5-(substituted)oxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-N-[2-(4-sulfamoylphenylamino)-acetyl]-4-(substituted)pyridines (3a-e). The structures has been established on the basis of spectral (IR, 1H-NMR, mass) and elemental analysis. Compounds 1a-j and 3a-e (5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) were evaluated for their anticonvulsant effect against pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions with diazepam (4 mg/kg) as the reference. Compounds 3a-e exhibited significant (p<0.01) anticonvulsant activity compared to the control.

Background: It has been asserted that psychological responses to disasters in children and adolescents vary widely across cultures, but this has rarely been investigated. The objectives of the study were to clinically evaluate the construct of traumatic stress symptoms and disorder in children and adolescents after a super-cyclone in Orissa, India; to find out the prevalence at one year; compare the effect in high and low exposure areas and study the factors associated with it., Methods: Clinical examination of children and adolescents (n = 447) was done, supplemented by a symptoms checklist based on International Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders, Diagnostic Criteria for Research and a semi-structured questionnaire for disaster related experiences., Results: A majority of children had post-traumatic symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was present in 30.6% (95% confidence interval: 26.4 to 34.9), and an additional 13.6% had sub-syndromal PTSD. Parents or teachers reported mental health concerns in 7.2% subjects, who were a minor proportion (12.8%) of subjects with any syndromal diagnosis (n = 196). Significantly more (43.7%) children in high exposure areas had PTSD than that (11.2%) in low exposure areas (p < 0.001). Depression was significantly associated with PTSD. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that high exposure, lower educational level and middle socioeconomic status significantly predicted the outcome of PTSD. Extreme fear and perceived threat to life during the disaster, death in family, damage to home, or staying in shelters were not significantly associated with PTSD., Conclusion: Following natural disaster PTSD is a valid clinical construct in children and adolescents in Indian set up; and though highly prevalent it may be missed without clinical screening. Its manifestation and associated factors resembled those in other cultures.

A Case of cerebral neurocysticercosis reported with manic episode on first presentation which was confirmed after CT scan of Brain. Psychiatric manifestation showed a gradual decline following treatment with medication. Normal social and occupational functioning was ensured by prolonged treatment with Mood Stabilizer.

The study has investigated the levels of metal contamination in groundwater due to particulate matter fallout and leaching from ash pond and assigned contamination indices for the adjacent localities around an ash disposal site with application of geographic information systems (GIS). Fe, Ba, Cu, Mn, S, Pb, V, and Zn were found to be the major contaminants in groundwater. Enrichment factors (EF) of these elements with respect to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant levels show high values for Mn, Fe, and Pb in groundwater. The zone of attenuation for Ba, Fe, Cu, Mn, S, and Zn in groundwater is about 600-900 m from the ash pond, while Pb did not show any significant attenuation even at a distance of 1200 m. Tube wells around Rankasingha and Kukurhanga villages are most contaminated whereas open wells of Lachhmanpur, Kaniapada, and Kurudul villages showed higher degrees of contamination.