An efficient removal of crystal violet dye from waste water by adsorption onto TLAC/Chitosan composite: A novel low cost adsorbent.

A composite of Typha latifolia activated carbon (TLAC) (a novel, low cost absorbent) and chitosan (TLAC/Chitosan composite) was prepared. The composite was characterised using IR spectra, XRD, FESEM and Pore size studies. Its effectivity was tested for the removal of crystal violet dye from aqueous solutions. The effect of pH, dose rate and initial dye concentration was evaluated. The adsorption isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamic parameters were studied. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were found fit effectively for the dye adsorption data in the present study. The adsorption followed pseudo-second order kinetics. The evaluated thermodynamic parameters show a spontaneous and exothermic reaction. Overall, this study indicates TLAC/Chitosan composite as an effective adsorbent for the removal of crystal violet dye from aqueous solutions.

Estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptor expression in breast tumors of patients, and their usage of HER2-targeted therapy, in a tertiary care centre in India.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to document the pattern of expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) and the usage of HER2-targeted therapy in a large tertiary care hospital in India in the year 2008. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The histopathology reports of all breast cancer patients registered in the hospital in 2008 were extracted from the electronic medical record system. All the cases were immunohistochemically evaluated for estrogen and progesterone receptor status (ER and PR), and c-erbB-2 protein (HER2) expression using standard immunoperoxidase method. The use of HER2-targeted therapies was evaluated by extracting relevant information from the database of the hospital pharmacy and case charts of patients enrolled in ongoing approved trials. RESULTS: A total of 2001 new patients of invasive breast cancers with available pathology reports were registered in the hospital in the year 2008. ER and/or PR expression was positive in tumors of 1025 (51.2%) patients. HER2 3+ expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) was found in 335 (16.7%) and HER2 2+ in 163 (8.1%). The triple negative phenotype was found in 596 (29.8%) patients. An estimated 441 patients were eligible to receive HER2-targeted therapy based on their HER2 status. Of these 38 (8.6%) patients received some form of HER2-targeted therapy; 20 patients (4.5%) as part of ongoing clinical trials and 18 (4.1%) as part of routine care. CONCLUSIONS: The overwhelming majority of patients eligible for HER2-targeted therapy in our institution are unable to receive it because of financial constraints and limited access to health insurance. There is a higher fraction of patients with the triple negative phenotype compared to the Western population.

Assessment of obesity beyond body mass index to determine benefit of treatment.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: • Weight or weight loss per se may not indicate health status or health benefit. • There is no gold standard for assessing which patients would benefit most from weight-loss interventions. • The King's Criteria is one of several recently proposed obesity classification systems. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: • The King's Criteria can capture health problems related to obesity and health benefits after weight loss. • The King's Criteria is a reproducible scoring system. • Using the King's Criteria may help shift the focus of patients and clinicians from weight loss to health gain. SUMMARY: Body mass index (BMI) alone does not reflect health status in individuals. The King's Obesity Staging Criteria is a clinical tool for the assessment of patients with complex obesity. We assessed the performance of a modified version of the King's Criteria by scoring 144 obese patients before and 1 year after bariatric surgery. We also evaluated inter-observer variability by having 11 clinicians score the same 12 patients. The King's Obesity Staging Criteria comprise nine health domains: Airways, Body mass index, Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Economic complications, Functional limitations, Gonadal axis, Health status (perceived), and body Image. For each domain, a person's health is assigned a score of 0 ('normal health'), 1 ('at risk'), 2 ('established disease') or 3 ('advanced disease'). The patient's mean BMI decreased from 48 ± 7 to 37 ± 7 kg m(-2) post surgery. Before surgery, 84% of patients were either in stage 2 ('established disease') or stage 3 ('advanced disease') for one or more domains other than BMI. The modified King's Criteria showed significant health improvements after surgery, with a higher proportion of patients scored in stage 0 ('normal health') within each health domain (P < 0.001 for all). Observers assigned the same score in >75% of cases for all domains except Health status perceived (71%) and body Image (65%). In conclusion the King's Criteria captured morbidity in obese patients and health gains after weight loss. Different clinicians mostly assigned similar scores. The King's Criteria is a clinical tool that may help shift the focus of patients and clinicians towards improving health and not only losing weight. REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01112228 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

DOTS reaches socially marginalized population in the community: a study from a rural area of South India.

We report here that the Directly Observed Treatment, Short course (DOTS) is reaching all tuberculosis patients in the community irrespective of social classification based on the analysis from the tuberculosis prevalence survey and programme performance during 1999-2003 from a rural area in Tamilnadu, South India. New smear- positive cases treated under a DOTS programme were classified in two groups namely; scheduled caste living in colony and other population. The prevalence of smear- positive cases among the scheduled caste population was 1.9 times higher than the other population and this was reflected in the notification also. The successful treatment outcome was also similar in these two groups (75% and 78% respectively; overall 77%). From these findings it is concluded that people living in colony have equal access to DOTS as those in the village.

Early childhood development in deprived urban settlements.

Poverty, the root cause of the existence of slums or settlement colonies in urban areas has a great impact on almost all aspects of life of the urban poor, especially the all-round development of children. Examples from countries, across the globe provide evidence of improved early child development, made possible through integrated slum improvement programs, are few in numbers. The observed 2.5% prevalence of developmental delay in the less than 2 year olds of deprived urban settlements, the presence of risk factors for developmental delay like low birth weight, birth asphyxia, coupled with poor environment of home and alternate child care services, highlights the need for simple cost effective community model for promoting early child development. This review on early child development focuses on the developmental status of children in the deprived urban settlements, who are yet to be on the priority list of Governments and international agencies working for the welfare of children, the contributory nature-nurture factors and replicable working models like infant stimulation, early detection of developmental delay in infancy itself, developmental screening of toddlers, skill assessment for preschool children, school readiness programs, identification of mental sub-normality and primary education enhancement program for primary school children. Further, the review probes feasible intervention strategies through community owned early child care and development facilities, utilizing existing programs like ICDS, Urban Basic Services and by initiating services like Development Friendly Well Baby Clinics, Community Extension services, Child Development Referral Units at district hospitals and involving trained manpower like anganwadi/creche workers, public health nurses and developmental therapists. With the decentralization process the local self-government at municipalities and city corporations are financially equipped to be the prime movers to initiate, monitor and promote early child development programs, to emerge as a part and parcel of community owned sustainable development process.

Color Doppler echocardiographic assessment of Sorin mitral prosthetic valve.

Doppler echocardiographic characteristics of 57 normally functioning Sorin prosthetic valves (a tilting valve) in the mitral position were studied in the early postoperative period. The three valve sizes (in mm) studied were: 25 (n = 15), 27 (n = 32) and 29 (n = 10). The mean gradients (mmHg) and the valve area (Sq cm) calculated by pressure half time method) for the three valve sizes were 3.46 +/- 1.69 and 2.49 +/- 0.26; 3.46 +/- 1.25 and 2.57 +/- 0.44; and 3.2 +/- 1.23 and 2.55 +/- 0.41; respectively. There was no significant difference in gradients and valve area between the three sizes, variations in pressure half time and therefore the calculated valve area was large. Color Doppler evaluation revealed a bifid nonturbulent jet directed anteriorly towards the interventricular septum. 12 patients (20%) had mild valvar and 7 (12%) had paravalvar mitral regurgitation (mild in 5 and moderate in 2) without any associated prosthetic valve dysfunction. The paravalvar regurgitation persisted in all the 5 patients restudied at 5-12 months postoperatively. Sorin prosthetic valves have similar gradients and valve area when compared to other disc valves. The incidence of of paravalvar regurgitation was slightly higher in our series. The limitations of Doppler derived gradients and area of prosthetic valve are discussed.

Doppler assessment of interventricular pressure gradient across isolated ventricular septal defect.

Continuous wave Doppler ultrasound was used to estimate the pressure gradient between the right and left ventricle for assessment of pulmonary arterial systolic pressure in 30 patients with isolated ventricular septal defect and for subsequent comparison with similar data obtained on cardiac catheterization. The age of the patients ranged from 8 months to 45 years (6.8 +/- 8.6 years). No patient had right or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Doppler measurements were done within 24 h of cardiac catheterization. Pressure gradient across ventricular septal defect on cardiac catheterization ranged from 7 to 95 mmHg (48 +/- 24 mmHg) and that on Doppler assessment ranged from 8 to 78 mmHg (42 +/- 20 mmHg). Doppler measurements of interventricular pressure gradient correlated well with those obtained on cardiac catheterization (r = 0.90, p less than 0.001). Correlation was better in patients with pressure gradient across ventricular septal defect less than 75 mmHg (r = 0.96). Correlation was poor in three of five patients with very small ventricular septal defects (interventricular pressure gradient greater than 75 mmHg) because the jet used was not ideal. Thus continuous wave Doppler ultrasound is an accurate noninvasive means of measuring pressure gradient across ventricular septal defect, which is a useful parameter for assessment of pulmonary artery systolic pressure in patients with isolated ventricular septal defect without right and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

Echocardiographic assessment of the size of aortic and pulmonary valve annulus before balloon valvoplasty.

Two dimensional echocardiographic measurements of the size of aortic and pulmonary valve annulus were made in 60 patients before balloon valvoplasty and compared to the angiographic measurements. Aortic valve annulus was measured in 34 patients (26 with valvar aortic stenosis and 8 with discrete subaortic stenosis) in the parasternal long axis or apical 5-chamber views. The pulmonary valve annulus was measured in 26 patients with valvar pulmonary stenosis (PS) in the parasternal short axis view of the right ventricular outflow view. The visualization of the annulus was good in all except 2 patients with valvar PS. Angiographic measurements of the aortic and pulmonary valve annulus were made in aortic root and right ventricular angiograms respectively, taken in both right and left anterior oblique views. There was an excellent correlation between the measurements of the annulus size by the two techniques (r value for pulmonary valve 0.91; for aortic valve 0.96; over all 0.94). Echocardiography can accurately measure valve annulus size and help in choosing balloon dilatation catheter of appropriate size before the valvoplasty procedure.

Doppler echocardiographic assessment of transmitral gradients and mitral valve area before and after mitral valve balloon dilatation.

This is a comparative study of 60 sets of observations of mitral valve end-diastolic gradient, mean diastolic gradient, and mitral valve area obtained by Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. The studies were performed in 28 patients, 16 of whom underwent mitral valve balloon valvuloplasty. These 16 patients had studies performed before, immediately after valvuloplasty, and one week later. Thus 28 studies were performed before or without valvuloplasty (Group I) and 32 after valvuloplasty (Group II). The time interval between Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterization was less than 24 hours in 44 studies and 24 to 72 hours in 16 studies. In Doppler echocardiography the gradients were obtained by simplified Bernoulli's equation and the mitral valve area by pressure half-time method. There was excellent correlation between end-diastolic gradients (r = 0.96, p less than 0.001) and mean diastolic gradients (r = 0.92, p less than 0.001) measured by the two techniques. A statistically significant correlation also existed in the mitral valve area values (r = 0.53, p less than 0.005). On separate analysis Group I showed excellent correlation for all three variables (r values of 0.90, 0.87, and 0.82 for end-diastolic gradients, mean-diastolic gradients, and mitral valve area, respectively). Group II also showed excellent correlation of end-diastolic gradients (r = 0.80) and mean diastolic gradients (r = 0.87), but poor correlation of the mitral valve areas (r = 0.17; p = NS) by the two techniques. Doppler echocardiography can accurately measure transmitral gradients both before and after valvuloplasty.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)