Background: A training program for Management of Animal-bite as per NRCP (National Rabies Control Program) guidelines & Snakebite of Medical Officer was conducted in the Tertiary Healthcare Centre. Evaluation of such training has been rarely reported. Objective: The objective of this study was to reflect on the quality of this training program regarding knowledge assessment and feedback. Methodology: A pre-test and post-test cross-sectional assessment of knowledge of medical officers working at health facilities of Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh government, who attended one-day training program at AIIMS Bhopal in 2023, were conducted through the same questionnaire having 18 single-answer multiple choice questions. Anonymous feedback was also taken through a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using R statistical software. The Chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the pre-and post-test proportions of correct responses and scores, respectively. Results: Out of a total of 54 participants, 64.8% were males. The median (IQR) age was 41 (31,52) years. The majority of the participants (68.5%) had the qualification of MBBS, 14.8% had PG degree, and the rest, 16.6%, had BAMS degree. Median (IQR) pre and post-test scores were9.0 (9.0, 12.0) and 15 (12, 16.0) respectively. All participants agreed that the training was very useful for the patient care and gave positive feedback related to the management of training. Conclusion: This training was very useful in terms of improvement of knowledge is concerned. More Tertiary Healthcare institutions should take the initiative to conduct such training programs for capacity building of Medical Officers working at community level.

Introduction Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women worldwide, but there is little literature regarding the effects of vitamin D on breast cancer patients in the Indian population. Hence, this study was planned to determine the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and tumor characteristics in breast cancer patients. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary healthcare facility in central India among all newly diagnosed patients with breast carcinoma who had received primary surgery and pathological confirmation. We performed universal sampling and included 50 patients in the study. We excluded patients with insufficient histopathological reports, those unfit for surgery, and those with hepatic or renal failure, metabolic bone disease, malabsorption, or recent consumption of vitamin D (patients who had received oral vitamin D in the preceding two weeks, or vitamin D injection in the preceding six months). Results Among the 50 patients, 86% were vitamin D deficient, with a mean deficiency of 23.54. Vitamin D deficiency is most common in the age groups 41-50 years and >60 years, with the mean age group of 51.49 years. The left side is more involved than the right in vitamin D -deficient patients. Most patients were moderately and poorly differentiated, suggesting a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and tumor differentiation. Almost half the patients were estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2/neu) status negative with vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was highest in Her-2/neu amplified, luminal A, and B patients. The mean lymph node -positive participants was 4.04, and the mean number of lymph nodes extracted was 15.58 in vitamin D -deficient breast cancer patients. Conclusion The prevalence of low vitamin D status was high among breast cancer patients. There is an association between vitamin D deficiency and tumors with poor prognostic features. Low vitamin D levels were considered a risk factor for ER, PR, and Her-2/neu-negative tumors along with positive lymph node status in breast cancer patients. Vitamin D status is a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer. Thus, it is concluded from this study that vitamin D has a potential role in the prevention of breast cancer, it may reduce its aggressiveness, and its deficiency is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Earth-abundant transition metal phosphides are promising materials for energy-related applications. Specifically, copper(I) phosphide is such a material and shows excellent photocatalytic activity. Currently, there are substantial research efforts to synthesize well-defined metal–semiconductor nanoparticle heterostructures to enhance the photocatalytic performance by an efficient separation of charge carriers. The involved crystal facets and heterointerfaces have a major impact on the efficiency of a heterostructured photocatalyst, which points out the importance of synthesizing potential photocatalysts in a controlled manner and characterizing their structural and morphological properties in detail. In this study, we investigated the interface dynamics occurring around the synthesis of Ag–Cu3P nanoparticle heterostructures by a chemical reaction between Ag–Cu nanoparticle heterostructures and phosphine in an environmental transmission electron microscope. The major product of the Cu–Cu3P phase transformation using Ag–Cu nanoparticle heterostructures with a defined interface as a template preserved the initially present Ag{111} facet of the heterointerface. After the complete transformation, corner truncation of the faceted Cu3P phase led to a physical transformation of the nanoparticle heterostructure. In some cases, the structural rearrangement toward an energetically more favorable heterointerface has been observed and analyzed in detail at the atomic level. The herein-reported results will help better understand dynamic processes in Ag–Cu3P nanoparticle heterostructures and enable facet-engineered surface and heterointerface design to tailor their physical properties.

The mycelium growth diameter was observed in Cercospora traversiana. In case of 144 h, mycelium growth diameters were more or less similar on PDA and malt extract. Whereas, after 192 h of inoculation, mycelial growth was 90.0 mm on PDA, 87.5 mm on MEA and 16.5 mm on nutrient agar. The organic treatment brought about significant reduction in the days of first appearance of disease. The maximum reduction was in seed treatment with cow urine (76.0 days) and foliar spray of cow dung slurry (76.0 days). Seed with organic treatments were significantly decreased the per cent disease intensity in cow urine, cow dung slurry, panchagavya and Vanaspativash. The effect of foliar spray of organic treatment on per cent disease control was recorded maximum 21.69% and 21.41% in cow dung slurry at 10th and 12th week and minimum 4.64% and 7.13% in Vanaspativash + cow urine + cow dung slurry at 12th and 11th week, respectively. The yield was found highest in seed treatment with Vanaspativash (17.34 q/ha.), followed by seed treatment with cow urine (17.30 q/ha.), seed treatment with panchagavya (17.12 q/ ha.) and foliar spray of cow dung slurry (16.85 q/ha.). It can be concluded that organic treatments, viz., mixture of cow products such as cow urine, cow dung, cow dung slurry and other cow products with or without plant extracts have the growth promoting capacity along with induced systemic resistance (ISR) to diseases for the improved quality of plants products either through seed treatments or foliar spray as cheapest alternate input for higher net returns.

Background We are in the midst of a pandemic caused by the novel SARS-Cov-2 virus. A large percentage of the patients are asymptomatic and hospitals around the world are struggling to restart routine services. We report the results of a universal testing protocol of all patients who underwent orthopaedic surgery in the month of July 2020 in a large orthopaedic speciality hospital in Bangalore, India. Methods A retrospective study of all patients who underwent orthopaedic surgery in the month of July 2020 at a tertiary care orthopaedic speciality hospital in Bangalore, India. All patients underwent nasopharyngeal swab test before surgery. A questionnaire was used to assess the patient before the RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab test. Data regarding imaging, investigations and follow up was recorded. Results In the month of July 2020, 168 patients underwent routine nasopharyngeal RT-PCR swab test for COVID-19 prior to planned orthopaedic surgical procedure (Both trauma and elective cases). 16 of the RT-PCR tests were positive. However vascular cases and absolute emergencies were done without a RT - PCR test with PPE and all universal precautions. 11 patients underwent emergency surgery without a RT-PCR test. All 16 cases who were positive were asymptomatic. The asymptomatic positive rate was 9.52%. Of the 11 patients who underwent emergency surgery without a RT-PCR test, only one patient had a positive test post-operatively. Conclusions Routine nasopharyngeal RT-PCR testing revealed a high rate of asymptomatic cases. If the RT-PCR test is positive, it is best to defer the case till the test returns negative. All precautions must be taken while performing emergency surgeries. Our algorithm in managing patients has proven to be effective and can be replicated with ease to continue operating and taking care of orthopaedic patients during this pandemic.

Administration of a steroidal lactone, withaferin A to last larval instar of a polyphagous pest, Spodoptera litura caused severe impairment of development resulting into a significant delay in larval-pupal and pupal-adult ecdysis, larval mortality, ecdysial stasis, formation of larval-pupal and pupal-adult intermediates, suppression of pupation and adult emergence and formation of abnormal pupae and adultoids. The LC50 value in topical administration of withaferin A was 180.3 mu g center dot mu L-1 against freshly moulted sixth instar larvae of S. litura. This suggests that a bioactive ingredient withaferin A, found in the parts of the medicinal plant, Withania somnifera interferes with the neuroendocrine system of the insects resulting into disruption of moulting and metamorphosis. The active ingredient, withaferin A from W. somnifera may be safely and judiciously employed for the control of S. litura under field conditions along with other bio-rational approaches for insect pest management programs.

A field trial was conducted in Rabi season 20016-17 at research form of SGRR, Dehradun to study nitrogen rates on growth, yield and quality of Indian mustard. The experimental results revealed that application of 100 kg N/ha recorded significantly maximum growth attributes viz., plant height (cm), number of total branches/plant, dry weight at harvest stage, yield attributes (no of siliquae per plant, length of siliquae per plant, number of seed per siliquae, seed weight per siliquae, 1000 seed weight, seed weight per plant) and yield and harvest index, besides achieved better quality. Thus, the nitrogen @ 100 kg/ha has appeared to be more promising to boost the productivity of B. juncea on one hand and to improve its quality on the other.

Elderly people and people with co-morbidities have emerged as the most vulnerable group at risk of developing complications and succumbing to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. We recorded the baseline demographic profile, baseline clinical and laboratory parameters, and prevalence of various co-morbidities and their effect on the prognosis of COVID-19 cases. We conducted a prospective observational study and analyzed baseline clinical and laboratory parameters and co-morbidities and their effect on severity and mortality in 710 COVID-19 cases. Seven hundred ten patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were recruited from the 28 th of March to the 31 st of August 2020. The mean age was 48.4 ± 16.4years. A total of 530 (74.6%) patients were male. Overall, the mean length of hospital stay was 12.7 days. In total, 645 patients(90.8%) were mild to moderate cases and did not require initial ICU care. Sixty-five (9.2%) cases required initial intensive care unit care. Fifty (7%) admitted patients succumbed to the illness. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension increased the risk of death in COVID-19 patients irrespective of age. Increasing age and co-morbidities adversely affect the prognosis of patients of COVID-19. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension increase the risk of death in COVID-19 patients and negate the incremental effect of age on death in these patients.

Topical administration of root and seed extracts (5, 10, 15 and 20 mu g/mu L) of Withania somnifera to 0, 1, 2, and 3 days post-moult third instar larvae of Chrysomya megacephala resulted in disruption of moulting and metamorphosis. This leads to several developmental aberrations, such as prolongation of larval-pupal and pupal-adult ecdysis, larval mortality, abnormal pupariation, formation of pupal-adult mosaics and adultoids, ecdysial failure, reduced pupariation and adult emergence. Treatment with seed extracts of W. somnifera was more effective as it causes greater toxicity in all the treated groups as compared to that observed with the root extracts. There was a significant interaction among all three factors viz. extract type (root and seed extracts), larval stage (0, 1, 2, 3 days post-moult third instar larvae) and concentration (5 mu g/mu L, 10 mu g/mu L, 15 mu g/mu L, 20 mu g/mu L) for prolongation of larval-pupal and pupal-adult ecdysis. The results are similar to those observed with the administration of juvenoids and hence it can be inferred that the plant extracts mimic the action of juvenoids. The results clearly suggest that W. somnifera acts as a potential IGR disrupting the moulting and metamorphosis as a consequence of interference with the normal hormonal mechanism in C. megacephala.

With the increased demand for controlled deterministic growth of III-V semiconductors at the nanoscale, the impact and interest of understanding defect formation and crystal structure switching becomes increasingly important. Vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth of semiconductor nanocrystals is an important mechanism for controlling and studying the formation of individual crystal layers and stacking defects. Using in situ studies, combining atomic resolution of transmission electron microscopy and controlled VLS crystal growth using metal organic chemical vapor deposition, we investigate the simplest achievable change in atomic layer stacking-single twinned layers formed in GaAs. Using Au-assisted GaAs nanowires of various diameters, we study the formation of individual layers with atomic resolution to reveal the growth difference in forming a twin defect. We determine that the formation of a twinned layer occurs significantly more slowly than that of a normal crystal layer. To understand this, we conduct thermodynamic modeling and determine that the propagation of a twin is limited by the energy cost of forming the twin interface. Finally, we determine that the slower propagation of twinned layers increases the probability of additional layers nucleating, such that multiple layers grow simultaneously. This observation challenges the current understanding that continuous uniform epitaxial growth, especially in the case of liquid-metal assisted nanowires, proceeds one single layer at a time and that its progression is limited by the nucleation rate.

Background Preventable medical errors in hospital settings are the third leading cause of deaths in the United States. However, less is known about harm that occurs in patients in outpatient settings, where the majority of care is delivered. We do not know the likelihood that a patient sitting in a dentist chair will experience harm. Additionally, we do not know if patients of certain race, age, sex, or socioeconomic status disproportionately experience iatrogenic harm. Methods We initiated the Dental Practice Study (DPS) with the aim of determining the frequency and types of adverse events (AEs) that occur in dentistry on the basis of retrospective chart audit. This article discusses the 6-month pilot phase of the DPS during which we explored the feasibility and efficiency of our multistaged review process to detect AEs. Results At sites 1, 2, and 3, respectively, 2 reviewers abstracted 21, 11, and 23 probable AEs, respectively, from the 100 patient charts audited per site. At site 2, a third reviewer audited the same 100 charts and found only 1 additional probable AE. Of the total 56 probable AEs (from 300 charts), the expert panel confirmed 9 AE cases. This equals 3 AEs per 100 patients per year. Patients who experienced an AE tended to be male and older and to have undergone more procedures within the study year. Conclusions This article presents an overview of the DPS. It describes the methods used and summarizes the results of its pilot phase. To minimize threats to dental patient safety, a starting point is to understand their basic epidemiology, both in terms of their frequency and the extent to which they affect different populations.

The results of the present study showed that amongst different levels of organic manure and inorganic fertilizers 30t farm yard manure (FYM) and F3 (150:100:50 kg N-P2O5 and K2O /ha), respectively realized significantly higher grain yield of maize. There was no significant effect of bio-fertilizers on the grain yield alone. The treatment combination of 010F3BF1 (10t FYM with 150:100:50 kg N-P2O5 and K2O/ha along with Azospirillum and PSB) gave the highest benefit, cost ratio of Rs.2.83 and net return of Rs.46,194.47/ha. In view of this it is recommended that under low and medium fertile soils, inorganic fertilizer combination of N-P2O5 and K2O at the rate of 150:100:50 kg/ha, respectively along with application of 10 t FYM/ha with bio-fertilizer Azospirillum with PSB be used for obtaining most profitable grain yield of maize under irrigated conditions of the valley. Further, for maximization of the grain yield 30t FYM/ha instead of 10t FYM/ha may be applied.

Early identification and treatment of active tuberculosis disease among high risk household contacts could limit new transmission and better clinical outcome, thus decreasing TB burden. Host iron homeostasis is an important yet underevaluated factor in pathophysiology of tuberculosis (TB). One such protein is hepcidin which internalizes ferroportin (membrane iron transporter), thus inhibiting iron export from macrophages which is utilised by bacteria leading to disease severity. Iron homeostasis markers were evaluated in 50 pulmonary tuberculosis patients (PTB) and their household contacts to assess their utility as biomarkers for TB development. Altered iron homeostasis with significantly lower haemoglobin levels despite optimum serum iron levels was observed in PTB compared to household contacts and healthy controls pointing towards anaemia of inflammation. Higher serum hepcidin with lower ferroportin expression and hence higher ferritin levels was seen in PTB compared to both household contacts and healthy controls due to IL-6 induced hepcidin production in TB. Transferrin levels were found to be significantly lower in PTB and household contacts as compared to healthy controls owing to higher ferritin levels in PTB group. Upon infection, regulation of iron absorption is disturbed via increased hepcidin levels leading to ferroportin internalization and thus inhibition of iron export from macrophages which may lead to favourable M.tb. survival and multiplication leading to tuberculosis. Some of these markers could be assessed for early identification and treatment of active tuberculosis among high risk household contacts limiting new transmission and better clinical outcome, thus decreasing TB burden.

Quarantine is derived from Latin word ‘Quarandum’ which means forty (40) days. It is a system to define which was used in case of ship during from country affected from pathogen cholera. In India the Destructive Insects and Pests Act was pass in 1914 (DIP act) for quarantine regulation. The term ‘Quarantine’ came to be only used for the inhibition and the practices related with it. Important of pathogen free country with efficient plant quarantine service so that instruction and treatment is obtaining planting material from the free sheet non source with the selected country. Untreated seed so that detected of seed borne pathogen is seed pathologist have looking healthy seed free from often and official certification of freedom from pest and diseases from the exported country.

Background: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor addition to hormonal therapy has shown to improve the survival of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed untreated patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative ABC, who received letrozole and palbociclib at the Cancer Institute, Chennai, from October 2017 to January 2019. Results: A total of 24 patients were included in this study. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 18 months, and the median overall survival (OS) had not reached. The 1-year PFS and OS were 73.7% and 89.2%, respectively. The common toxicities were neutropenia and fatigue but none of the patients had febrile neutropenia. Conclusion: Letrozole-Palbociclib is effective with manageable toxicity as the first-line treatment for HR-positive, HER2-negative ABC.

Background The flesh fly Sarcophaga ruficornis is well known for its medical and veterinary importance in causing myiasis in humans and animals. The conventional use of chemical pesticides for controlling insect pests has resulted in environmental pollution besides posing serious hazards to non-target organisms and the development of pest resistance against these compounds. Considering the various harmful and adverse effects of chemical pesticides, an alternative and safe approach for the pest management has to be explored. The plant extracts derived from plants are eco-friendly in nature, easily biodegradable, and can be used as botanical pesticides. Results Extracts from root of the medicinal plant Withania somnifera were assessed for their toxicity and insect growth regulatory activity when administered to larvae of S. ruficornis . Topical administration of root extracts of W. somnifera to 0–3-day-old third instar larvae of S. ruficornis resulted into severe disruption of development, moulting, and metamorphosis producing several detrimental effects such as toxicity, prolongation of larval life, ecdysial stasis, abnormal pupariation, reduced normal pupariation and adult emergence, and development of pupal-adult mosaics and adultoids. The LC 50 values in topical application of root extracts of W. somnifera were 28.19, 43.49, 47.48, and 48.16 g/μL against S. ruficornis third instar day 0, 1, 2, and 3 larvae, respectively. Conclusion These effects are similar to those observed as a consequence of the administration of juvenile hormone analogs (juvenoids) and may be due to interference with the normal hormonal mechanism of moulting and metamorphosis. This clearly demonstrates that the root extracts of W. somnifera may be used as an insect growth regulator for the control and management of S. ruficornis along with other bio-rational approaches in integrated pest management programs.

The relationship of disease severity (dependent variable) with weather parameter was studied by employing simple correlation. The correlation coefficients were presented in revealed that disease severity was significantly and positively correlated with minimum temperature. The disease severity was significantly and positively correlated with temperature while negatively correlated with relative humidity and rainfall. The disease severity was found to increase with increase in temperature. The maximum disease severity was recorded in the month of March and April whereas least disease severity was recorded in the month of November and December.