32 research outputs found
Anti-Evolutionary Targets in Bacterial Efflux Pumps: Future Therapeutics to Combat Antibacterial Resistance
No full textA Study on the Association of Socio-Demographic Variables with Contraception Usage among Married Women of Reproductive Age group In Rural Areas of Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh
No full textContext:India was the first country in the world to launch National Family Planning Program (NFPP) in 1952 to stabilise population and reduce birth rate, since then the program has undergone various changes in its philosophy as well as scientific approaches. Although the fertility rates are declining in our country, the extreme contrasting and complex demographic landscape with variations in contraceptive behaviour differs not only in state but also between administrative blocks within the state. The state of Andhra Pradesh was among the earliest states to reach Total Fertility (TFR) of 1.79 by the year 2005-06. Hence this was carried out to study the association of socio demographic variables with the contraceptive practices among the Married women in the reproductive age group(15-45 years) in rural areas of Nellore Distrcit, Andhra Pradesh.
Aims:To study the association of socio-demographic variables with contraceptive usage among the married women in reproductive age group of rural areas of Nellore District.Material and Methods:This is a cross sectional study done in the community for a period of one year at three randomly selected Primary Health Centers (PHC) of Nellore district. Considering 71% of prevalence of contraception in the National Family Health Survey( NFHS-4), sample size was calculated with 5% level of significance with allowable error of 10% to 179 ( assuming a non response rate of 10%) , which was rounded to 200. A multistage sampling method was adopted whereby ‘1’ PHC from each of the revenue divisions of the district was selected and it was decided to interview 200 married women in each of the “3” PHCs ( n=600). From each PHC , “5” sub centres were randomly selected wherein “40” subjects were interviewed using systematic random sampling. Statistical analysis used:Univariate analysis using χ2 test and stepwise logistic regression analysis ( method = forward) was done to determine significant differences and associations of various parameters with contraceptive usage. Results:Contraceptive prevalence was 56% ( n=338). Among whom 74.5% of the women were between the age group of 20-29 years. The usage of contraceptives increased with the age of women( 28% of 20-24 years to 38% at 25-29 years of age group ( p < 0.0001). We observed a high statistical significance in women ( % usage) with 2 children ( 73%) and 1 male child( 57%). The usage of birth spacing has seen a decline with the number of girl children ( p< 0.0001) .Conclusion:Formal education has shown to increase contraceptive usage. Region and socio-economic status has shown no relation with the usage of contraception. The contraceptive usage was largely determined by the gender of the child and its relation to birth spacing needs to be studied further
Modification of oxide inclusions in calcium-treated Al-killed high sulphur steels
No full textA study has been carried out to understand the modification of alumina inclusions in Al-killed high sulphur steel with calcium treatment. For calcium treatment to be effective, a general practice is to desulphurise the steel to prevent the formation of solid CaS inclusions that are harmful to steel quality and final properties. To avoid this additional desulphurising step, the authors developed a new approach of calcium treatment of steel at an industrial scale. This approach involves treating the liquid steel with calcium treatment at low aluminium levels which enables formation of liquid calcium aluminate inclusions (C12A7) in the melt and then adding remaining amount of required aluminium. Based on this principle, Al-S diagram has been developed and calcium treatment has been modified accordingly. The inclusion transformation and morphology were studied using scanning electron microscope /energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis and. activity of CaS was calculated.Accepted Author Manuscript(OLD) MSE-
ROLE OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN THE EVALUATION OF SPINAL CORD LESIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, HYDERABAD
No full textObjective: Using other imaging modalities, subtle bone marrow, soft tissue, and spinal cord abnormalities, which may not be apparent, can be readily detected on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Prompt and accurate diagnosis, expeditious management, and avoidance of unnecessary procedures are achieved by early detection.
The aim is to study the role of MRI in diagnosing spinal cord lesions.
Methods: This study was conducted during the period from November 2018 to November 2020 and it is a prospective descriptive study of 50 patients who were referred to the Department of Radiodiagnosis Osmania General Hospital and MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana.
Results: In the present study of 50 cases, different spinal cord lesions were found. The most common spinal cord lesions were neoplastic (38%) followed by spinal cord trauma (28%), and congenital lesions (16%). The most common spinal lesions were found in the 20–29 age group (40%), with more male predilection of 72% in comparison to 28% female in the present study. Out of 19 neoplastic lesions, the most common type of intramedullary spinal cord tumor (IMSC) is ependymoma (31.5%). The second most common IMSC tumor is astrocytoma 15.7% of all neoplastic lesions in the present study and the most common tumor among children. The most common location of the lesion is the thoracic cord. Hemangioblastomas constitute 10.5% of all spinal cord tumors in the present study. Meningiomas which are intradural extramedullary lesions constituted 10.5%. Neurofibroma constituted 5.2% which are intradural extramedullary with extradural component noted in NF1. Spinal cord metastasis constituted 26.3%. Intradural intramedullary lesions constituted 48% followed by extradural lesions 40% followed by intradural extramedullary lesions 12%.
Conclusion: MRI by virtue of non-invasiveness, lack of radiation hazard, and the ability to demonstrate structural changes is an investigation of choice for spinal cord pathologies. The ability to image the cord directly rather than indirectly as in myelography, the absence of bone artifacts as in computed tomography, and the multiplanar capabilities indicate that MRI is the procedure of choice in the examination of the spinal cord
Decomposing the inequalities in the catastrophic health expenditures on the hospitalization in India: empirical evidence from national sample survey data
No full textIntroductionSustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 3.8.2 entails financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) by reducing out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on healthcare. India is characterized by one of the highest OOPE on healthcare, in conjunction with the pervasive socio-economic disparities entrenched in the population. As a corollary, India has embarked on the trajectory of ensuring financial risk protection, particularly for the poor, with the launch of various flagship initiatives. Overall, the evidence on wealth-related inequities in the incidence of CHE in low- and middle-Income countries has been heterogenous. Thus, this study was conducted to estimate the income-related inequalities in the incidence of CHE on hospitalization and glean the individual contributions of wider socio-economic determinants in influencing these inequalities in India.MethodsThe study employed cross-sectional data from the nationally represented survey on morbidity and healthcare (75th round of National Sample Survey Organization) conducted during 2017–2018, which circumscribed a sample size of 1,13,823 households and 5,57,887 individuals. The inequalities and need-adjusted inequities in the incidence of CHE on hospitalization care were assessed via the Erreygers corrected concentration index. Need-standardized concentration indices were further used to unravel the inter- and intra-regional income-related inequities in the outcome of interest. The factors associated with the incidence of CHE were explored using multivariate logistic regression within the framework of Andersen’s model of behavioral health. Additionally, regression-based decomposition was performed to delineate the individual contributions of legitimate and illegitimate factors in the measured inequalities of CHE.ResultsOur findings revealed pervasive wealth-related inequalities in the CHE for hospitalization care in India, with a profound gap between the poorest and richest income quintiles. The negative value of the concentration index (EI: −0.19) indicated that the inequalities were significantly concentrated among the poor. Furthermore, the need-adjusted inequalities also demonstrated the pro-poor concentration (EI: −0.26), denoting the unfair systemic inequalities in the CHE, which are disadvantageous to the poor. Multivariate logistic results indicated that households with older adult, smaller size, vulnerable caste affiliation, poorest income quintile, no insurance cover, hospitalization in a private facility, longer stay duration in the hospital, and residence in the region at a lower level of epidemiological transition level were associated with increased likelihood of incurring CHE on hospitalization. The decomposition analysis unraveled that the contribution of non-need/illegitimate factors (127.1%) in driving the inequality was positive and relatively high vis-à-vis negative low contribution of need/legitimate factors (35.3%). However, most of the unfair inequalities were accounted for by socio-structural factors such as the size of the household and enabling factors such as income group and utilization pattern.ConclusionThe study underscored the skewed distribution of CHE as the poor were found to incur more CHE on hospitalization care despite the targeted programs by the government. Concomitantly, most of the inequality was driven by illegitimate factors amenable to policy change. Thus, policy interventions such as increasing the awareness, enrollment, and utilization of Publicly Financed Health Insurance schemes, strengthening the public hospitals to provide improved quality of specialized care and referral mechanisms, and increasing the overall budgetary share of healthcare to improve the institutional capacities are suggested
Gene expression profile analysis unravelled the systems level association of renal cell carcinoma with diabetic nephropathy and Matrix-metalloproteinase-9 as a potential therapeutic target
No full textType 2 diabetes (T2D) and cancer share many common risk factors. However, the potential biological link that connects the two at the molecular level is still unclear. The experimental evidence suggests that several genes and their pathways may be involved in developing cancerous conditions associated with diabetes. In this study, we identified the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and the hub protein(s) that interlink T2D and cancer using genome-scale differential gene expression profiles. Further, the PPI network of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in cancer was analyzed to explore novel insights into the molecular association between the two conditions. The densely connected regions were analyzed by constructing the backbone and subnetworks with key nodes and shortest pathways, respectively. The PPI network studies identified Matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) as a hub protein playing a vital role in glomerulonephritis tubular diseases and some genetic kidney diseases. MMP-9 was also associated with different growth factors, like tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), transforming growth factor 1 (TGF-1), and pathways like chemokine signaling, NOD-like receptor signaling, etc. Further, the molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation studies supported the druggability of MMP-9, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target in treating renal cell carcinoma linked with diabetic kidney disease. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma</p
Pathway enrichment analysis of virus-host interactome and prioritization of novel compounds targeting the spike glycoprotein receptor binding domain–human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 interface to combat SARS-CoV-2
No full textSystem-level protein interaction network analysis and molecular dynamics study reveal interaction of ferulic acid with <i>PTGS2</i> as a natural radioprotector
No full textFerulic acid is a crucial bioactive component of broccoli, wheat, and rice bran and is also an essential natural product that has undergone significant research. Ferulic acid’s precise mode of action and effect on system-level protein networks have not been thoroughly investigated. An interactome was built using the STRING database and Cytoscape tools, utilizing 788 key proteins collected from PubMed literature to identify the ferulic acid-governed regulatory action on protein interaction network (PIN). The scale-free biological network of ferulic acid-rewired PIN is highly interconnected. We discovered 15 sub-modules using the MCODE tool for sub-modulization analysis and 153 enriched signaling pathways. Further, functional enrichment of top bottleneck proteins revealed the FoxO signaling pathway involved in enhancing cellular defense against oxidative stress. The selection of the critical regulatory proteins of the ferulic acid-rewired PIN was completed by performing analyses of topological characteristics such as GO term/pathways analysis, degree, bottleneck, molecular docking, and dynamics investigations. The current research derives a precise molecular mechanism for ferulic acid’s action on the body. This in-depth in silico model would aid in understanding how ferulic acid origins its antioxidant and scavenging properties in the human body. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma</p
Genome-scale protein interaction network construction and topology analysis of functional hypothetical proteins in Helicobacter pylori divulges novel therapeutic targets
No full textThe emergence and spread of multi-drug resistance among Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strain raise more stakes for genetic research for discovering new drugs. The quantity of uncharacterized hypothetical proteins in the genome may provide an opportunity to explore their property and promulgation could act as a platform for designing the drugs, making them an intriguing genetic target. In this context, the present study aims to identify the key hypothetical proteins (HPs) and their biological regulatory processes in H. pylori. This investigation could provide a foundation to establish the molecular connectivity among the pathways using topological analysis of the protein interaction networks (PINs). The giant network derived from the extended network has 374 nodes connected via 925 edges. A total of 43 proteins with high betweenness centrality (BC), 54 proteins with a large degree, and 23 proteins with high BC and large degrees have been identified. HP 1479, HP 0056, HP 1481, HP 1021, HP 0043, HP 1019, gmd, flgA, HP 0472, HP 1486, HP 1478, and HP 1473 are categorized as hub nodes because they have a higher number of direct connections and are potentially more important in understanding HP's molecular interactions. The pathway enrichment analysis of the network clusters revealed significant involvement of HPs in pathways such as flagellar assembly, bacterial chemotaxis and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. This comprehensive computational study revealed HP's functional role and its druggability characteristics, which could be useful in the development of drugs to combat H. pylori infections
