Comparative Evaluation of the Discoloration of Microhybrid and Nanohybrid Composite Resins by Different Beverages: A Spectrophotometric Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Composite resins are choice of restorations due to their lifelike characteristics. Recently "microhybrid" and "nano- hybrid" composites have been introduced. Microhybrids and Nanocomposites have a small particle size and possess better qualities as compared to traditional composite resins. The intake of beverages like black tea, coffee green tea has increased in the community. The beverages cause discoloration with time on the composite restorations making it aesthetically unacceptable. AIM: Aim is to evaluate discoloration of microhybrid and nano- hybrid composite resins by black tea, black coffee, green tea and distilled water at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days. METHODOLOGY: 160 samples were fabricated in molds from two nanohybrid composite and two microhybrid composites. They were light cured and allocated into four groups were stored in an incubator throughout the experiment at 37° C. Initial baseline color was recorded by a spectrophotometer. These samples were immersed in vials containing black tea, black coffee, green tea and distilled water for three, six, nine, 12 days. Color analysis was done at each interval. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data was tabulated and the readings after immersion and baseline were compared between four composite resins. Data were analyzed using the appropriate test by testing normality. A p value <0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: Significant discoloration was observed in all four composite resins. Discoloration increased from the third day to 12th day. Maximum discoloration was observed on the 12th day. CONCLUSION: The order of discoloration in the beverages was: Flash > Tetric n ceram > matrix > tetricceram. The order of discoloration caused by test solutions on composite resin was: Black coffee>black tea>green tea > distilled water.

Immediate effects of the practise of Sheethali pranayama on heart rate and blood pressure parameters in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVES: Sheetali pranayama, a cooling pranayama is best known for its calming and relaxing nature, widely used for many conditions like depression, anxiety and hypertension. The aim of the study was to evaluate the immediate effect of the practice of Sheetali pranayama on heart rate and blood pressure parameters in healthy volunteers. METHODS: Apparently, 60 healthy volunteers were involved, from both sexes. They were split into pranayama (n=30) and control (n=30) groups at random. Sheetali pranayama was performed for 5 min (5 cycles) in the pranayama group and normal breathing (12-16 breaths/min) was permitted in the control group. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were recorded with RMS polyrite in the supine position after 5 min of rest. RESULTS: The HR in the pranayama group significantly decreased (p=0.04). Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood (DBP) pressure, pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased significantly (p<0.05) relative to control after pranayama practice. Pre-Post inter-group results has also shown that the pranayama group has substantially decreased HR and BP indices. CONCLUSIONS: Present study shows that the practice of Sheetlai pranayama creates a relaxed state, and parasympathetic activity overrides sympathetic activity in this state. It indicates that in healthy volunteers, pranayama strengthens the resting cardiovascular parameters.

Island biogeography and human practices drive ecological connectivity in mosquito species richness in the Lakshadweep Archipelago.

Mosquitoes are globally distributed and adapted to a broad range of environmental conditions. As obligatory hosts of many infectious pathogens, mosquito abundance and distribution are primarily determined by the presence and quality of larval habitats. To understand the dynamics and productivity of larval habitats in changing island environments, we conducted a four-month mosquito survey across ten inhabited islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago. Using fine-resolution larval habitat mapping, we recorded 7890 mosquitoes representing 13 species and 7 genera. Of these, four species comprised 95% of the total collections-Aedes albopictus (Stegomyia) was the dominant species followed by Armigeres subalbatus, Culex quinquefasciatus and Malaya genurostris. We found larval species richness was positively associated with the island area and mosquito larval richness (Chao1 estimator) was higher in artificial habitats than in natural habitats. Furthermore, mosquito species composition did not deteriorate with distance between islands. Mosquito abundance by species was associated with microclimatic variables-pH and temperature. We detected co-existence of multiple species at a micro-habitat level with no evidence of interactions like competition or predation. Our study analyzed and identified the most productive larval habitats -discarded plastic container and plastic drums contributing to high larval indices predicting dengue epidemic across the Lakshadweep islands. Our data highlight the need to devise vector control strategies by removal of human-induced plastic pollution (household waste) which is a critical driver of disease risk.

Characterization of Alzheimer conditions in MR images using volumetric and sagittal brainstem texture features.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Brainstem analysis in Magnetic Resonance Images is essential to detect Alzheimer's condition in the preclinical stages. In this work, an attempt has been made to segment the brainstem in sagittal (2D) and volumetric (3D) images and evaluate texture changes to differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) stages. METHOD: The images obtained from a public access database are spatial normalized, skull stripped and contrast enhanced. Morphological Reconstruction based Fast and Robust Fuzzy 'C' Means technique is used to cluster the brain tissue in preprocessed images into three groups namely cerebrospinal fluid, grey matter and white matter. Brainstem is segmented from the white matter tissue using connected component labelling. Texture features from volumetric and sagittal brainstem slices are extracted and its statistical significance is evaluated. RESULTS: Results show that the proposed approach is able to segment the brainstem from all the considered images. Variation in texture is observed to be less than 2% among sagittal brainstem slices. Additionally, midsagittal and volumetric features are correlated, suggesting that midsagittal brainstem structure gives an estimate of brainstem volume. Texture features extracted from midsagittal slice shows significant variation (p < 0.05) and is able to differentiate AD classes. CONCLUSION: Midsagittal brainstem texture features are able to capture the changes occurring in the early stages of disease condition. As the distinction of AD in preclinical stage is complex and clinically significant, this approach could be useful for early diagnosis of the disease.

On the Variability and Increasing Trends of Heat Waves over India.

Over India, heat waves occur during the summer months of April to June. A gridded daily temperature data set for the period, 1961-2013 has been analyzed to examine the variability and trends in heat waves over India. For identifying heat waves, the Excess Heat Factor (EHF) and 90(th) percentile of maximum temperatures were used. Over central and northwestern parts of the country, frequency, total duration and maximum duration of heat waves are increasing. Anomalous persistent high with anti-cyclonic flow, supplemented with clear skies and depleted soil moisture are primarily responsible for the occurrence of heat waves over India. Variability of heat waves over India is influenced by both the tropical Indian Ocean and central Pacific SST anomalies. The warming of the tropical Indian Ocean and more frequent El Nino events in future may further lead to more frequent and longer lasting heat waves over India.

Women's Political Empowerment and Investments in Primary Schooling in India.

Using a national district-level dataset of India composed of information on investments in primary schooling (data from the District Information Survey for Education [DISE, 2007/8]) and information on demographic characteristics of elected officials (data from the Election Commission of India [ECI, 2000/04]), we examined the relationship between women's representation in State Legislative Assembly (SLA) seats and district-level investments in primary schooling. We used OLS regressions adjusting for confounders and spatial autocorrelation, and estimated separate models for North and South India. Women's representation in general SLA seats typically was negatively associated with investments in primary-school amenities and teachers; women's representation in SLA seats reserved for under-represented minorities, i.e., scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, typically was positively associated with investments in primary schooling, especially in areas addressing the basic needs of poor children. Women legislators' gender and caste identities may shape their decisions about redistributive educational policies.

What's in a country average? Wealth, gender, and regional inequalities in immunization in India.

Recent attention to Millennium Development Goals by the international development community has led to the formation of targets to measure country-level achievements, including achievements on health status indicators such as childhood immunization. Using the example of immunization in India, this paper demonstrates the importance of disaggregating national averages for a better understanding of social disparities in health. Specifically, the paper uses data from the India National Family Health Survey 1992-93 to analyze socioeconomic, gender, urban-rural and regional inequalities in immunization in India for each of the 17 largest states. Results show that, on average, southern states have better immunization levels and lower immunization inequalities than many northern states. Wealth and regional inequalities are correlated with overall levels of immunization in a non-linear fashion. Gender inequalities persist in most states, including in the south, and seem unrelated to overall immunization or the levels of other inequalities measured here. This suggests that the gender differentials reflect deep-seated societal factors rather than health system issues per se. The disaggregated information and analysis used in this paper allows for setting more meaningful targets than country averages. Additionally, it helps policy makers and planners to understand programmatic constraints and needs by identifying disparities between sub-groups of the population, including strong and weak performers at the state and regional levels.

Lipid peroxidation in different tissues: effect of high cholesterol and fish oil in the diet.

Malonyldialdehyde was measured in erythrocytes, aorta and spleen on feeding mice with high cholesterol diet in presence and absence of fish oil. Mice were grouped as: Group I: Control laboratory diet Group II: 0.16% cholesterol (sunflower oil) Group III: 1.16% cholesterol (sunflower oil) Group IV: 1.16% cholesterol (fish oil) After 7 weeks on their respective diets, erythrocytic, and splenic MDA levels were significantly higher in group III compared to controls. Also, MDA levels in aorta and spleen showed a significant increase in group IV males compared to group III males. However in group IV the erythrocyte MDA levels were almost equal to that in controls. This suggests that high cholesterol diet increases lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes, spleen and aorta. Addition of fish oil in the diet further increases lipid peroxidation in aorta and spleen, but not in the erythrocytes.

Challenging assumptions about women's empowerment: social and economic resources and domestic violence among young married women in urban South India.

BACKGROUND: Although considerable research has documented the widespread prevalence of spousal violence in India, little is known about specific risk or protective factors. This study examines the relationships between factors that are often considered to be social and economic resources for women and recent occurrence of domestic violence. METHODS: Data were collected from 744 young married women in slum areas of Bangalore, India. Unadjusted and adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with having been hit, kicked or beaten by one's husband in the past 6 months. RESULTS: Over half (56%) of the study participants reported having ever experienced physical domestic violence; about a quarter (27%) reported violence in the past 6 months. In a full multivariable model, women in 'love' marriages (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5) and those whose families were asked for additional dowry after marriage (OR=2.3, 95% CI 1.5-3.4) were more likely to report domestic violence. Women who participated in social groups (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.4) and vocational training (OR=3.1, 95% CI 1.7-5.8) were also at higher risk. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to help women empower themselves through vocational training, employment opportunities and social groups need to consider the potential unintended consequences for these women, such as an increased risk of domestic violence. The study findings suggest that the effectiveness of anti-dowry laws may be limited without additional strategies that mobilize women, families and communities to challenge the widespread acceptance of dowry and to promote gender equity. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the complex causal relationships between 'love' marriages and domestic violence.

Selective gender differences in childhood nutrition and immunization in rural India: the role of siblings.

This article examines the role of the sex composition of surviving older siblings on gender differences in childhood nutrition and immunization, using data from the National Family Health Survey, India (1992-1993). Logit and ordered logit models were used for severe stunting and immunization, respectively. The results show selective neglect of children with certain sex and birth-order combinations that operate differentially for girls and boys. Both girls and boys who were born after multiple same-sex siblings experience poor outcomes, suggesting that parents want some balance in sex composition. However, the preference for sons persists, and boys who were born after multiple daughters have the best possible outcomes.

Alcohol exposure and undernutrition: effects on lipid metabolism and alcohol partitioning in rat brain regions in vitro.

The effects of maternal alcohol consumption and undernutrition on lipid metabolism and alcohol partitioning in brain cortical and stem slices of pups were studied under in vitro conditions. Alcohol administration along with a normal diet during gestation and lactation resulted in an increase in the synthesis of cholesterol in cortical and stem slices associated with decreased entry of alcohol. Phospholipid metabolism was not affected in the cortex, whereas the incorporation of [32P] was found to be altered in the brain stem, indicating regional differences with respect to alcohol effects. Undernutrition induced by feeding the mothers a low protein diet, on the other hand, decreased the incorporation of labelled precursors into lipids in cortex and stem. The changes in lipid metabolism observed in the high protein alcohol pups were not evident in the brain regions of undernourished pups exposed to alcohol and the partitioning of alcohol was not altered.