Schizophrenia susceptibility loci on chromosomes 13q32 and 8p21.

Schizophrenia is a common disorder characterized by psychotic symptoms; diagnostic criteria have been established. Family, twin and adoption studies suggest that both genetic and environmental factors influence susceptibility (heritability is approximately 71%; ref. 2), however, little is known about the aetiology of schizophrenia. Clinical and family studies suggest aetiological heterogeneity. Previously, we reported that regions on chromosomes 22, 3 and 8 may be associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia, and collaborations provided some support for regions on chromosomes 8 and 22 (refs 9-13). We present here a genome-wide scan for schizophrenia susceptibility loci (SSL) using 452 microsatellite markers on 54 multiplex pedigrees. Non-parametric linkage (NPL) analysis provided significant evidence for an SSL on chromosome 13q32 (NPL score=4.18; P=0.00002), and suggestive evidence for another SSL on chromosome 8p21-22 (NPL=3.64; P=0.0001). Parametric linkage analysis provided additional support for these SSL. Linkage evidence at chromosome 8 is weaker than that at chromosome 13, so it is more probable that chromosome 8 may be a false positive linkage. Additional putative SSL were noted on chromosomes 14q13 (NPL=2.57; P=0.005), 7q11 (NPL=2.50, P=0.007) and 22q11 (NPL=2.42, P=0.009). Verification of suggestive SSL on chromosomes 13q and 8p was attempted in a follow-up sample of 51 multiplex pedigrees. This analysis confirmed the SSL in 13q14-q33 (NPL=2.36, P=0.007) and supported the SSL in 8p22-p21 (NPL=1.95, P=0.023).

Fly ash and zinc slag blended geopolymer: Immobilization of hazardous materials and development of paving blocks.

The potential for practical application of fly ash, zinc slag and their blends for geopolymer synthesis at ambient temperature have been investigated in this paper. Fly ash is an alumino-silicate byproduct suitable for geopolymer reaction, but its low reactivity at ambient condition is the restriction of its bulk utilization. Above limitation can be overcome by blending with zinc slag (ZS). Additionally, ZS contains heavy and toxic metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As), which can be stabilize in Al-Si based geopolymer network structure. Isothermal conduction calorimetry (ICC) is used to monitor the geopolymer reaction with time. Slag rich specimens are characterized with higher rate of reaction with augmented peak. The mineralogy and microstructure of the geopolymers have been examined through X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The detected chief reaction product is N-(C)-A-S-H and C-(N)-A-S-H1 type hydrated gel. Continual improvement of compressive strength of the geopolymers with increasing slag content is explained with higher degree of reaction, formation of more reaction products and development of compact microstructure. According to toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), toxic metals leaching is within permissible limit. Paver blocks using 40-80 wt% ZS has been developed, which meets IS 15,658: 2006 standard and comply with US-EPA specification.

Epidemiology and outcome of trauma victims admitted in trauma centers of tertiary care hospitals - A multicentric study in India.

BACKGROUND: Roadside trauma in India is an increasingly significant problem, particularly because of bad roads, irregular road signs, overcrowding, overspeeding, and bad traffic etiquettes. Adequate information on the characteristics of victims, causes of accidents, frequency, vehicles involved, alcohol intake, and outcome of management is essential for understanding and planning for better management. AIM: This study aimed to determine the characteristics of trauma (roadside accidents) victims admitted to various trauma centers in India. The purpose of this study is to examine the epidemiology of trauma within a local community in India through data gained from the different emergency centers and to analyze trauma patients to find the predictors that led to the deaths of trauma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present observational study involved trauma victims over 1-year period in three centers. Demographical details recorded were age, sex, alcohol intake, systolic blood pressure on arrival, respiratory rate, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, the interval between injury and admission, Injury Severity Score (ISS) risk factors, hospital stay, and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 2650 injuries were recorded in 2466 patients. The mean age was 42.45 ± 15.7 years, the mean ISS was 13.82 ± 6.2, and the mean GCS was 12.20 ± 4.1. The mean time to admission at different trauma centres was 48.41 ± 172.8 h. The head injury was the most common (29.52%). CONCLUSION: Road side accidents due to overspeeding was the most common cause whereas driving under the effect of alcohol was the second most common cause. Accidents are common because of bad traffic etiquette on Indian roads.

Admixture in Hispanic Americans: its impact on ITGAM association and implications for admixture mapping in SLE.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) disproportionately affects minorities, such as Hispanic Americans (HA). Prevalence of SLE is 3-5 times higher in HA than in European-derived populations and have more active disease at the time of diagnosis, with more serious organ system involvement. HA is an admixed population, it is possible that there is an effect of admixture on the relative risk of the disease. This admixture can create substantial increase of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in both magnitude and range, which can provide a unique opportunity for admixture mapping. The main objectives of this study are to (a) estimate hidden population structure in HA individuals; (b) estimate individual ancestry proportions and its impact on SLE risk; (c) assess impact of admixture on ITGAM association, a recently identified SLE susceptibility gene; and (d) estimate power of admixture mapping in HA. Our dataset contained 1125 individuals, of whom 884 (657 SLE cases and 227 controls) were self-classified as HA. Using 107 unlinked ancestry informative markers (AIMs), we estimated hidden population structure and individual ancestry in HA. Out of 5671 possible pairwise LD, 54% were statistically significant, indicating recent population admixture. The best-fitted model for HA was a four-population model with average ancestry of European (48%), American-Indian (AI) (40%), African (8%) and a fourth population (4%) with unknown ancestry. We also identified significant higher risk associated with AI ancestry (odds ratio (OR)=4.84, P=0.0001, 95% CI (confidence interval)=2.14-10.95) on overall SLE. We showed that ITGAM is associated as a risk factor for SLE (OR=2.06, P=8.74 x 10(-5), 95% CI=1.44-2.97). This association is not affected by population substructure or admixture. We have shown that HA have great potential and are an appropriate population for admixture mapping. As expected, the case-only design is more powerful than case-control design, for any given admixture proportion or ancestry risk ratio.

Replication of the BANK1 genetic association with systemic lupus erythematosus in a European-derived population.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with highly variable clinical presentation. Patients suffer from immunological abnormalities that target T-cell, B-cell and accessory cell functions. B cells are hyperactive in SLE patients. An adapter protein expressed in B cells called BANK1 (B-cell scaffold protein with ankyrin repeats) was reported in a previous study to be associated with SLE in a European population. The objective of this study was to assess the BANK1 genotype-phenotype association in an independent replication sample. We genotyped 38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BANK1 on 1892 European-derived SLE patients and 2652 European-derived controls. The strongest associations with SLE and BANK1 were at rs17266594 (corrected P-value=1.97 x 10(-5), odds ratio (OR)=1.22, 95% CI 1.12-1.34) and rs10516487 (corrected P-value=2.59 x 10(-5), OR=1.22, 95% CI 1.11-1.34). Our findings suggest that the association is explained by these two SNPs, confirming previous reports that these polymorphisms contribute to the risk of developing lupus. Analysis of patient subsets enriched for hematological, immunological and renal ACR criteria or the levels of autoantibodies, such as anti-RNP A and anti-SmRNP, uncovers additional BANK1 associations. Our results suggest that BANK1 polymorphisms alter immune system development and function to increase the risk for developing lupus.

Genetic associations of LYN with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We targeted LYN, a src-tyosine kinase involved in B-cell activation, in case-control association studies using populations of European-American, African-American and Korean subjects. Our combined European-derived population, consisting of 2463 independent cases and 3131 unrelated controls, shows significant association with rs6983130 in a female-only analysis with 2254 cases and 2228 controls (P=1.1 x 10(-4), odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.73-0.90)). This single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is located in the 5' untranslated region within the first intron near the transcription initiation site of LYN. In addition, SNPs upstream of the first exon also show weak and sporadic association in subsets of the total European-American population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis implicates rs6983130 as a protective factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility when anti-dsDNA, anti-chromatin, anti-52 kDa Ro or anti-Sm autoantibody status were used as covariates. Subset analysis of the European-American female cases by American College of Rheumatology classification criteria shows a reduction in the risk of hematological disorder with rs6983130 compared with cases without hematological disorders (P=1.5 x 10(-3), OR=0.75 (95% CI: 0.62-0.89)). None of the 90 SNPs tested show significant association with SLE in the African American or Korean populations. These results support an association of LYN with European-derived individuals with SLE, especially within autoantibody or clinical subsets.

Ribotyping of nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from a Canadian hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clonality of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains among hospitalized patients. SETTING: University-affiliated, 465-bed tertiary-care teaching hospital with adjacent cancer clinic in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. DESIGN: Thirty-five colonized and 30 infected patients from January 2, 1992, through August 31, 1993, were investigated retrospectively. Analysis by restriction fragment-length polymorphisms of ribosomal RNA genes (ie, ribotyping) of 103 nosocomial isolates of MRSA from these 65 patients and of 25 selected unrelated strains was completed. Ribotyping results were compared with the phage typing data obtained prospectively during the course of prospective MRSA surveillance. RESULTS: HindIII ribotyping was more discriminating than phage typing when epidemiologically unrelated strains were differentiated by these methods (19 different ribotypes versus 14 page types; P < .005). Two early index cases were identified. Isolates from the index cases were two different strains, identified by ribotyping analysis as ribotype A (clonal group 1) and ribotype B (clonal group 2), respectively. These two ribotypes were not found when typing the unrelated control strains. Thirty-six colonized and infected patients (55%) had clonal group 1 isolates, and 20 (31%) had clonal group 2 isolates. These two clones emerged in the hospital in January and February 1992 and dominated the entire investigated period. There also were six patients with an additional clonal group (group 4) that emerged and disappeared in the second quarter of 1993. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the utility of ribotyping in investigating nosocomial MRSA. Three MRSA clones caused nosocomial colonization or infection in patients at this hospital. Two of these MRSA clones, once introduced, were maintained among our patients throughout the study period.

A sustained outbreak of Clostridium difficile in a general hospital: persistence of a toxigenic clone in four units.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the endemicity and epidemiology of toxigenic Clostridium difficile in a sustained outbreak of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. SETTING: University-affiliated, 465-bed tertiary care teaching hospital with adjacent cancer clinic in Hamilton, Ontario. DESIGN: From August 8, 1991, through August 31, 1993, a total of 187 cases were investigated for epidemiologic analysis of toxigenic C difficile from stool cultures, to identify the endemic clone(s). To assess the nature of contamination, cultures of inanimate surfaces in the patient environment from the four most affected units (medical teaching, nonteaching medical, hematologic oncology, and the intensive care unit) were processed for C difficile. The 229 clinical strains and 24 environmental strains isolated were typed by numerical analysis of SDS-PAGE protein patterns. RESULTS: A majority (81%) of cases in the epidemiologic analysis were associated with a toxigenic electrophoretic (EP) type 1 C difficile that was identical to the strain first isolated from an index case that occurred 18 months before the start of this study. Culture and typing of the C difficile strains from the inanimate surfaces in the four most affected units showed that the patient environment was contaminated with the toxigenic EP type 1 organism. Six other strains that occurred infrequently among cases also were found in the environment. CONCLUSIONS: A single predominant toxigenic clone has been implicated in a sustained outbreak of antibiotic-associated diarrhea that affected elderly patients. The "endemic" clone transmitted for the 25-month study period was linked to an index case shedding a toxigenic EP type 1 strain that occurred 21 months prior to the initial outbreak on the medical teaching unit. The patient environment in the affected units was found to be contaminated with the same clone, possibly due to shedding of organisms by fecally incontinent symptomatic patients. The extrinsic factors contributing to the endemic transmission of this one clone still are not well understood.

Pattern of familial aggregation of vitiligo.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: Vitiligo is a disorder whose cause is not well understood. This study was undertaken to clarify whether genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Data on 160 white kindreds living in the United States have been collected. Each family was ascertained through a proband afflicted with vitiligo. The nature and extent of familial aggregation and other relevant epidemiologic features have been determined. RESULTS: The mean age at onset of vitiligo is about 19 years in male and about 24 years in female individuals. The percentage of probands reporting one or more first-degree relatives also afflicted with vitiligo is 20%. Children of probands are found to be afflicted about 1.7 times more commonly than other first-degree relatives. The relative risk (RR) for vitiligo is about 7 for parents, about 12 for siblings, and about 36 for children. For second-degree relatives, the RR varies between 1 and 16. Relative risks for all first- and second-degree relatives, except uncles and grandsons, are significant at the 5% level. In families in which one or more relatives of the proband are afflicted with vitiligo, the intrafamilial correlation of ages at onset of vitiligo is moderate (0.6). No statistically significant effect (at the 5% level) of parental age at first childbirth was seen on the proportion of offspring afflicted with vitiligo. No significant association of some commonly related diseases (eg, thyroid disorder or alopecia areata) was observed with vitiligo or with a family history of vitiligo. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of familial aggregation of vitiligo is statistically significant. The pattern of relationship between RR and degree of kinship indicates involvement of genetic factors, although it is not consistent with single-locus mendelian transmission.

The effect of L-glutamine on salt and water absorption: a jejunal perfusion study in cholera in humans.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of an L-glutamine solution on jejunal salt and water absorption in cholera patients. DESIGN: A randomized double-blind jejunal perfusion study. SETTING: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. PATIENTS: Nineteen adults with acute cholera. INTERVENTIONS: Perfusion of balanced salt solutions alternated with defined glucose salt solution and glutamine glucose salt or alanine glucose salt solutions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Net jejunal water and sodium secretion. RESULTS: Perfusion of glutamine in the presence of glucose significantly reduced net water secretion (JnetH2O = -2.6 +/- 1.3 ml/h/cm) and also reduced net sodium secretion (JnetNa = -213 +/- 153 mumol/h/cm). Similar results were observed during the perfusion of solutions that contained alanine in addition to glucose (JnetH2O = -4.2 +/- 1.1 ml/h/cm and JnetNa = -444 U +/- 142 mumol/h/cm, respectively) or glucose alone (JnetH2O = -4.3 +/- 1.7 ml/h/cm and JnetNa = -452 +/- 212 mumol/h/cm, respectively). In addition, a higher basal secretion was associated with a greater stimulation of water absorption (F = 17, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Glutamine in the presence of glucose significantly reduces net water secretion and also reduces sodium secretion; higher basal secretion is associated with greater water absorption. As glutamine is able to stimulate water absorption to the same degree as glucose and alanine, and because it has the theoretical advantage of providing fuel for the mucosa, the inclusion of glutamine as the sole substrate in oral rehydration solution warrants further study.

Urinary excretion of iodide and fluoride from supplemented food grade salt.

Iodide and fluoride supplemented food grade salt (NaCl) is a common source of these two micronutrients. In a pilot study, we investigated whether increased intake of NaCl supplemented with iodide (I-) and fluoride (F-) results in their higher bioavailability. Twelve healthy adult human volunteers ingested increasing quantities (1, 3, 6 and 9 g) of NaCl with usual diet over 8 days. Sodium (Na+), I- and F- were measured in 24 hour urine specimen. During the 4 day basal period when no additional NaCl was ingested, ingestion of NaCl calculated from urinary Na+ concentration and diuresis was 8.25 +/- 0.67 g/24 h. During the same period 0.11 +/- 0.01 and 0.61 +/- 0.04 mg of I- and F- respectively were excreted in the urine per 24 h. Increased ingestion of supplemented NaCl resulted in higher urinary excretion of sodium while urinary creatinine remained stable. 92% of I- and 40% of F- contained in the additional amount of NaCl ingested were excreted in the urine. These results indicate that with increased ingestion of supplemented (I- and F-) NaCl, almost the totality of I- is excreted in the urine while fluoride is either incompletely absorbed or retained by the body to a higher extent. I- and F- supplemented NaCl is, therefore, an effective vehicle to provide these micronutrients when ingested with diet.

[Glucose stimulates the absorption of sorbitol through the human jejunal mucosa]. / Le glucose stimule l'absorption du sorbitol à travers la muqueuse jéjunale humaine.

Digestive tolerance of sorbitol in man varies according to whether it is taken in an empty stomach or during the meal. This suggests a regulatory step in the absorption of sorbitol in the small intestine. The mechanism of intestinal transport of sorbitol was studied in vitro in jejunal fragments obtained by endoscopy or by surgery. The intracellular concentration (C) of sorbitol was measured at stationary state in the presence of 10 mmol sorbitol in the incubation medium (M). The ratio C/M was less than 1 (0.66 +/- 0.04, mean +/- SEM) and was not modified by phloridzin (0.63 +/- 0.06) or metabolic inhibitors (0.59 +/- 0.03) but was diminished by ouabain (0.5 +/- 0.05, p less than 0.05). The influx of sorbitol across the luminal membrane increased linearly with increasing concentration of sorbitol in the medium and was more pronounced in the presence of glucose (p less than 0.01). Unlike glucose, addition of sorbitol to the mucosal side did not enhance the absorption of sodium as monitored by the increase in short circuit current in Ussing chambers. A net absorption of sorbitol stimulated by glucose was observed. The absorption of sorbitol can be explained by a simple diffusional component dependent on the concentration gradient of sorbitol and by another yet unidentified mechanism stimulated by glucose.

Antimicrobial activity of ceftriaxone compared with cefotaxime in the presence of serum albumin.

The effect of serum albumin on the antimicrobial activity of ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and a 1:1 ratio of cefotaxime and its desacetyl metabolite against nonpseudomonal Gram-negative bacilli was determined. Antimicrobial activity of drugs was evaluated by measuring minimum inhibitory (mic) and bactericidal (mbc) concentrations in broth with and without human serum albumin. The analysis of logarithmically transformed mean mics and mbcs showed that there was a highly significant interaction between drug and serum albumin (P<0.0001). The inhibitory and bactericidal activities were greatest for cefotaxime followed by cefotaxime/desacetylcefotaxime and ceftriaxone (P<0.01). Time-kill kinetics demonstrated that ceftriaxone was less bactericidal than cefotaxime in broth with albumin. On the basis of these results it was concluded that the in vitro antimicrobial activity of ceftriaxone compared with that of cefotaxime was significantly diminished in the presence of serum albumin.

Drug risk factors associated with a sustained outbreak of Clostridium difficile diarrhea in a teaching hospital.

A case-control study was undertaken to identify and quantify antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial drug risk factors associated with a sustained outbreak of Clostridium difficile diarrhea on two medical (teaching and nonteaching) units and an oncology unit. In total, 80 cases associated with an endemic clone of toxigenic C difficile were compared with controls. Eighty controls were selected from a group of 290 controls randomly chosen from the outbreak period. The controls were matched to cases according to age, admitting diagnosis and unit of admission. Seventy (88%) patients in the case group received at least one antibiotic before diarrhea, compared with 37 (46%) patients in the control group. Major risk factors implicated in the development of C difficile diarrhea in hospitalized patients were the following antimicrobial agents: ceftazidime (adjusted odds ratio [aor]=26.01, 95% ci 5.67 to 119.19, P=0.0001); cefuroxime (aor=5.17, ci 1.86 to 14.36, P=0.005); ciprofloxacin (aor=3.81, ci 1.05 to 13.79, P=0.04); and clindamycin (aor=15.16, ci 2.93 to 78.44, P=0.004). This is the first time that the use of ciprofloxacin has been linked to the development of C difficile diarrhea. Use of gastrointestinal drugs (ranitidine, famotidine, cimetidine, omeprazole and sucralfate) was also an added risk (aor=3.20, ci 1.39 to 7.34, P=0.01); however, antineoplastic therapy was not significant (P<0.53). Recognition of the specific high risk drugs may spur more restricted use of these agents, which may help in controlling C difficile diarrhea in hospitalized patients.

Effect of variation in signal amplitude and transit time on reliability analysis of ultrasonic time of flight diffraction characterization of vertical and inclined cracks.

The variation of amplitude and transit time of the diffracted signal from the crack-tip in complex geometry components and their resulting effect on the probability of detection (POD) and probability of sizing (POS) was studied. The diffracted signal amplitude has been evaluated from the standard expressions for diffraction coefficient, spatial attenuation and the transit time from the respective mathematical models for both vertical and inclined cracks. The same parameters namely the signal amplitude and the transit time have been measured through experiments conducted on simulated test specimens. It has been observed that the analytical and experimental results compare well with each other. Based on this result the trend and shape (width of the transition zone) of the POD/POS curves can be predicted.

Improvement in mechanical properties of plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings by Al2O3 reinforcement.

Thermal sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings suffer from poor mechanical properties like tensile strength, wear resistance, hardness, toughness and fatigue. The mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite coatings can be enhanced via incorporation of secondary bioinert reinforcement material. In this study an attempt has been made to improve the mechanical properties of plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite by reinforcing it with 10, 20 and 30% Al2O3. The plasma sprayed coatings have been characterized using FE-SEM/EDAX, XRD, AFM and FTIR spectroscopy. Corrosion studies have been done in simulated body fluid and abrasive wear studies have been performed on flat specimens on a disk wear tester. Microhardness, tensile strength and wear resistance are found to be increased with increasing Al2O3 content. All types of coatings show superior resistance against corrosion in simulated body fluid.

Target localization and toxicity in dose-escalated prostate radiotherapy with image-guided approach using daily planar kilovoltage imaging.

Dose escalation with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for carcinoma of the prostate has augmented the need for accurate prostate localization prior to dose delivery. Daily planar kilovoltage (kV) imaging is a low-dose image-guidance technique that is prevalent among radiation oncologists. However, clinical outcomes evaluating the benefit of daily kV imaging are lacking. The purpose of this study was to report our clinical experience, including prostate motion and gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities, using this modality. A retrospective analysis of 100 patients treated consecutively between December 2005 and March 2008 with definitive external beam IMRT for T1c-T4 disease were included in this analysis. Prescription doses ranged from 74-78 Gy (median, 76) in 2 Gy fractions and were delivered following daily prostate localization using on-board kV imaging (OBI) to localize gold seed fiducial markers within the prostate. Acute and late toxicities were graded as per the NCI CTCAEv3.0. The median follow-up was 22 months. The magnitude and direction of prostate displacement and daily shifts in three axes are reported. Of note, 9.1% and 12.9% of prostate displacements were ≥ 5 mm in the anterior-posterior and superior-inferior directions, respectively. Acute grade 2 GI and GU events occurred in 11% and 39% of patients, respectively, however no grade 3 or higher acute GI or GU events were observed. Regarding late toxicity, 2% and 17% of patients developed grade 2 toxicities, and similarly no grade 3 or higher events had occurred by last follow-up. Thus, kV imaging detected a substantial amount of inter-fractional displacement and may help reduce toxicity profiles, especially high grade events, by improving the accuracy of dose delivery.

The effect of substitution of Mn by Fe and Cr on the martensitic transition in the Ni50Mn34In16 alloy.

The potential shape memory alloy Ni(50)Mn(34)In(16) is studied with partial substitution of Mn with Fe and Cr to investigate the effect of such substitution on the martensitic transition in the Ni-Mn-In alloy system. The results of ac susceptibility, magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements show that while the substitution with Cr increases the martensitic transition temperature, the substitution with Fe decreases it. Possible reasons for this shift in martensitic transition are discussed. Evidence of kinetic arrest of the austenite to martensite phase transition in the Fe substituted alloys is also presented. Unlike the kinetic arrest of the austenite to martensite phase transition in the parent Ni(50)Mn(34)In(16) alloy which takes place in the presence of high external magnetic field, the kinetic arrest of the austenite to martensite phase transition in the Fe doped alloy occurs even in zero magnetic field. The Cr substituted alloys, on the other hand, show no signature of kinetic arrest of this phase transition.