Adverse childhood experiences during childhood and academic attainment at age 7 and 11 years: an electronic birth cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a negative impact on childhood health, but their impact on education outcomes is less well known. We investigated whether or not ACEs were associated with reduced educational attainment at age 7 and 11 years. STUDY DESIGN: The study design used in the study is a population-based electronic cohort study. METHODS: We analysed data from a total population electronic child cohort in Wales, UK. ACEs (exposures) were living with an adult household member with any of (i) serious mental illness, (ii) common mental disorder (CMD), (iii) an alcohol problem; (iv) child victimisation, (v) death of a household member and (vi) low family income. We used multilevel logistic regression to model exposure to these ACEs and not attaining the expected level at statutory education assessments, Key Stage (KS) 1 and KS2 separately, adjusted for known confounders including perinatal, socio-economic and school factors. RESULTS: There were 107,479 and 43,648 children included in the analysis, with follow-up to 6-7 years (KS1) and 10-11 years (KS2), respectively. An increased risk of not attaining the expected level at KS1 was associated with living with adult household members with CMD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.13 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.17]) or an alcohol problem (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.16 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.22]), childhood victimisation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.58 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37-1.82]), death of a household member (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.14 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.25]) and low family income (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.92 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84-2.01]). Similar results were observed for KS2. Children with multiple adversities had substantially increased odds of not attaining the expected level at each educational assessment. CONCLUSION: The educational potential of many children may not be achieved due to exposure to adversity in childhood. Affected children who come in to contact with services should have relevant information shared between health and care services, and schools to initiate and facilitate a coordinated approach towards providing additional support and help for them to fulfil their educational potential, and subsequent economic and social participation.

Identification of potential plant extracts for anti-tick activity against acaricide resistant cattle ticks, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae).

To develop an eco-friendly tick control method, seven plant extracts were prepared using 50 and 95% ethanol and evaluated for acaricidal activity against cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. The adult immersion test was adopted for testing different extracts. Based on 72 h screening criterion, 95% ethanolic extracts of Datura metel fruits and Argemone mexicana whole plant were found effective showing more than 50% mortality of treated ticks. The 95% ethanolic extracts of D. metel fruits and A. mexicana whole plant exhibited acaricidal and reproductive inhibitory effects on treated ticks. The LC90 values of D. metel and A. mexicana extracts were determined as 7.13 and 11.3%, respectively. However, although both the extracts were found efficacious against deltamethrin-resistant IVRI-4 and multi-acaricide resistant IVRI-5 lines of R. (B.) microplus, they caused less mortality than treated ticks of the reference IVRI-I line. Phytochemical studies indicated the presence of alkaloids and glucosides in D. metel fruits and alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and phenolics in A. mexicana whole plant extracts. The results indicated that these botanicals may play an important role in reducing the use of chemicals for tick control and possibly to manage resistant tick population in environment friendly manner.

Validity of Cooper's 12-minute run test for estimation of maximum oxygen uptake in male university students.

The present study was conducted to validate the applicability of Cooper's 12-minute run test (CRT) for predicting VO2max in male university students of Kolkata, India, to bypass the exhaustive and complicated protocol of direct estimation of VO2max. Eighty-eight sedentary male university students recruited by simple random sampling from the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, were randomly assigned to the study group (N = 58) and the confirmatory group (N = 30). VO2max of each participant was determined by the direct procedure and the indirect CRT method. The mean value of predicted VO2max (PVO2max) (42.8±4.0 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1) with a range of 33.7-50.9) showed a significant difference with VO2max (39.8±4.0 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1) with a range of 33.5-47.7) in the study group. Limits of agreement between PVO2max and VO2max were large enough (0.10 to 5.94 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1)) with poor confidence intervals indicating inapplicability of the current protocol of CRT in the studied population. The prediction norm [Y = 21.01X - 11.04 (SEE = 0.193 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1))] was computed from the significant correlation (r = 0.93, P < 0.001) between distance covered in CRT and VO2max. Application of this norm in the confirmatory group revealed an insignificant difference between PVO2max and VO2max. The modified equation is recommended for application of CRT as a valid method to evaluate the cardiorespiratory fitness in terms of VO2max in sedentary male Indian youth.

Heavy alcohol use as a risk factor for severe outcomes among adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, 2005-2012.

We examined heavy alcohol use as a risk factor for severe influenza (intensive care admission or death) among hospitalized adults. In <65- and ≥65-year-olds, heavy alcohol use increased disease severity [relative risk (RR) 1.34; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.74, and RR 2.47; 95 % CI: 1.69-3.60, respectively]. Influenza vaccination and early, empiric antiviral treatment should be emphasized in this population.

Endurance capacity and cardiorespiratory responses in sedentary females during different phases of menstrual cycle.

BACKGROUND: Alteration in physical work capacity of females during different phases of menstrual cycle has been reported in different populations. Pertinent data is unavailable in Eastern Indian population. OBJECTIVES: The present study was aimed to determine the endurance capacity and cardiorespiratory responses during different phases of menstrual cycle in young sedentary females of Eastern region of India. METHODS: Forty five unmarried young healthy sedentary females (21-25 years) were recruited in the present investigation. Duration of their menstrual cycle was 28-30 days. Cardiorespiratory parameters including the endurance capacity was determined by treadmill running with constant monitoring of heart rate by Polar heart rate monitor. RESULTS: The pre-exercise heart rate was significantly higher (P<0.02) in the luteal phase. The peak heart rate was significantly lower (P<0.02) in the flow phase than the follicular and luteal phases. VO2max, O2 pulse, maximum pulmonary ventilation and endurance capacity were significantly lower in the follicular phase. However, the endurance capacity was significantly lower in the flow phase. Pre-exercise systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not exhibit any significant variation in different phases of menstrual cycle. CONCLUSION: Therefore, from the present observations it may be concluded that pre-exercise heart rate and respiratory rate are significantly higher in the luteal phase whereas VO2max, O2 pulse, maximum pulmonary ventilation, endurance capacity and peak heart rate were significantly lower in the follicular phase.

Abdominal circumference as a screening measure for Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: No comparative study has been conducted in India considering different anthropometrically derived adiposity measures to study the association with Type 2 Diabetes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the association of different adiposity measures and to find out the best adiposity measure in assessing Type 2 Diabetes. METHOD: On 187 adult males aged 25-67 years, fasting and two hours postload glucose levels were assessed. Height, weight, hip circumference, and waist circumference at two anatomical sites, one at the level of the greatest anterior extension of the abdomen i.e. abdominal circumference and the other one at the narrowest part of the torso i.e. minimum waist circumference were measured. Waist hip ratio, body mass index, waist height ratio and conicity index were calculated subsequently. RESULTS: The prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes was 12.3%. Abdominal circumference revealed the highest odds ratio (OR 2.75; 95% CI 1.45-5.23) for Type 2 Diabetes, followed by waist height ratio (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.05-3.32) and minimum waist circumference (OR 1.83; 95%CI 1.03-3.26). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of abdominal circumference was also larger (68%; 95%CI: 0.57-0.79) compared to other adiposity measures in assessing Type 2 Diabetes. CONCLUSION: Waist circumference measured at the level of greatest anterior extension of the abdomen was the best central adiposity measurement in predicting and assessing Type 2 Diabetes.

Estimating the growth rate of infection during the early phase of a pandemic like COVID-19.

At the very outbreak of a pandemic, it is very important to be able to assess the spreading rate of the disease i.e., the rate of increase of infected people in a specific locality. Combating the pandemic situation critically depends on an early and correct prediction of, to what extent the disease may possibly grow within a short period of time. This paper attempts to estimate the spreading rate by counting the total number of infected persons at times. Adaptive clustering is especially suitable for forming clusters of infected persons distributed spatially in a locality and successive sampling is used to measure the growth in number of infected persons. We have formulated a 'chain ratio to regression type estimator of population total' in two occasions adaptive cluster successive sampling and studied the properties of the estimator. The efficacy of the proposed strategy is demonstrated through simulation technique as well as real life population which is followed by suitable recommendation.

Cytochrome P450 inhibition assay for standardized extract of Terminalia chebula Retz.

The hydroalcoholic extract of fruit pulp of Terminalia chebula Retz. was standardized and evaluated for its safety through cytochrome P450 (CYP 450) inhibition assay. Standardization was performed through high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) using gallic acid (GA) standard. Cytochrome P450-CO complex microplate assay was performed using rat liver microsomes. The effect of standardized extract, its fraction and bioactive marker compound were comparatively evaluated for its effect on CYP P450 enzymes. The extract of fruit pulp was used for HPTLC, where the R(f) value of the marker was found to be 0.43. The calibration plot was linear in the range of 2-14 µg of GA and correlation co-efficient of 0.99965. The mean quantity of GA was found to be 2.5% w/w. The CYP P450 concentration of the rat liver microsome sample used in the study was found to be 0.417 nmol/mg protein. The in vitro effect of various concentrations of extracts and fractions showed a linear concentration-dependent inhibition of cytochrome P450 up to 60 µL. The study showed more inhibition of fraction when compared to the extract and GA. Still, the inhibition showed by fraction is less when compared with standard Ketoconazole. Thus, this study indicated the in vitro cytochrome P450 inhibition potential of T. Chebula.

Assessment of ground water quality for drinking purpose, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.

The ground water quality of District Nainital (Uttarakhand, India) has been assessed to see the suitability of ground water for drinking and irrigation applications. This is a two-part series paper and this paper examines the suitability of ground water including spring water for drinking purposes. Forty ground water samples (including 28 spring samples) were collected during pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analyzed for various water quality constituents. The hydrochemical and bacteriological data was analyzed with reference to BIS and WHO standards and their hydrochemical facies were determined. The concentration of total dissolved solids exceeds the desirable limit of 500 mg/L in about 10% of the samples, alkalinity values exceed the desirable limit of 200 mg/L in about 30% of the samples, and total hardness values exceed the desirable limit of 300 mg/L in 15% of the samples. However, no sample crosses the maximum permissible limit for TDS, alkalinity, hardness, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride. The concentration of chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride are well within the desirable limit at all the locations. The bacteriological analysis of the samples does not show any sign of bacterial contamination in hand pump and tube-well water samples. However, in the case of spring water samples, six samples exceed the permissible limit of ten coliforms per 100 ml of sample. It is recommended that water drawn from such sources should be properly disinfected before being used for drinking and other domestic applications. Among the metal ions, the concentration of iron and lead exceeds the permissible limit at one location whereas the concentration of nickel exceeds the permissible limit in 60 and 32.5% of the samples during pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The grouping of samples according to their hydrochemical facies indicates that majority of the samples fall in Ca-Mg-HCO(3) hydrochemical facies.

Potential of Baliospermum montanum against compound 48/80-induced systemic anaphylaxis.

CONTEXT: Decoctions of Baliospermum montanum Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) leaves are reported to be useful in the treatment of asthma and other respiratory complications in the Ayurvedic system. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mast cell stabilization and antihistaminic activities of the chloroform (BMLC) and ethanol (BMLE) extracts of the leaves of Baliospermum montanum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The stabilization potential was studied on mouse peritoneal mast cells and the antihistaminic activity was carried out by determining the mortality rate of mice treated with toxicant (compound 48/80) and the effect on elevation of histamine release upon degranulation. RESULTS: The increased number of intact mast cells (43.640 ± 1.7% and 61.57 ± 1.79% at 200 and 400 mg/ kg, respectively) suggested that the BMLC stabilized the mast cell degranulation and showed decreased elevation of histamine. CONCLUSION: BMLC extract was found to be most effective against degranulation and release of histamine from mast cells. Identifying the lead from this plant will be a definite target for treating allergic diseases.

Evolving epidemiology of poliovirus serotype 2 following withdrawal of the serotype 2 oral poliovirus vaccine.

Although there have been no cases of serotype 2 wild poliovirus for more than 20 years, transmission of serotype 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV2) and associated paralytic cases in several continents represent a threat to eradication. The withdrawal of the serotype 2 component of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV2) was implemented in April 2016 to stop VDPV2 emergence and secure eradication of all serotype 2 poliovirus. Globally, children born after this date have limited immunity to prevent transmission. Using a statistical model, we estimated the emergence date and source of VDPV2s detected between May 2016 and November 2019. Outbreak response campaigns with monovalent OPV2 are the only available method to induce immunity to prevent transmission. Yet our analysis shows that using monovalent OPV2 is generating more paralytic VDPV2 outbreaks with the potential for establishing endemic transmission. A novel OPV2, for which two candidates are currently in clinical trials, is urgently required, together with a contingency strategy if this vaccine does not materialize or perform as anticipated.

Effect of pre-existing malnutrition on growth parameters in HIV-infected children commencing antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND: Growth in HIV-infected children generally improves with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Little is known about the effect of pre-existing malnutrition on response to treatment. AIM: To evaluate prospectively the effect of pre-existing malnutrition on growth of HIV-infected children commenced on ART compared with those without pre-existing malnutrition. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were children (2 months to 8.5 years) who were commenced on ART. Exclusion criteria were pre-treatment with ART, virological non-responders and co-existing tuberculous infection. Weight-for-age (WAZ) and height-for-age Z scores (HAZ) < or =-2 at the initiation of treatment were the criteria for malnutrition. Monthly height and weight measurements were made for 18 months (2007-2008) after initiation of ART. Z scores were used to express changes in standard deviation (SD) units for each of the children at 0 and 18 months of the study using WHO height and weight reference curves for age and gender. The changes in Z score were compared within the groups by paired t-test and in both groups by the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The subjects were grouped as malnourished (G1) and not malnourished (G2) before initiation of treatment. There was a significant increase in HAZ score (mean -0.15, p=0.006) and WAZ score (mean -0.09, p=0.034) in G1 and also HAZ score (mean -0.29, p<0.001) and WAZ score (mean -0.30, p=0.001) in G2. There was a trend toward a significantly greater Z-score change in G2 than in G1 for height (p=0.027) and weight (p=0.046). CONCLUSION: In HIV-infected children, pre-existing malnutrition may impair nutritional response to ART.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of a novel mucoadhesive buccal oxytocin tablet prepared with Dillenia indica fruit mucilage.

Novel mucoadhesive buccal tablets (NMBT) of oxytocin were prepared as core in cup fashion to release the drug unidirectionally towards the buccal mucosa. Adhesive cups were prepared with a mucilage isolated from edible Dillenia indica fruits (DIM). Shear, tensile and peel strengths of prepared adhesive cups were estimated on freshly excised bovine buccal mucosa. Core tablets were formulated with oxytocin using permeation enhancers viz. sodium taurocholate and sodium thioglycollate. In vitro permeability studies of NMBT were conducted in a Franz diffusion cell containing 50 mL of phosphate buffer pH 6.6 at 37 +/- 0.2 degrees C through excised bovine buccal mucosa. In vivo studies on anaesthetized New Zealand albino male rabbits were conducted and drug levels in plasma were estimated at 220 nm by reverse phase HPLC using BDS Hypersil C8 column using acetonitrile and 0.05 M potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate buffer pH 6.6 (20:80 v/v) as mobile phase, at a flow rate of 1.25 mL/ min. Optimized formulation showed C(max), T(max), t1/2 and AUC(total), 688 pg/mL, 2 h, 0.079 h, and 1999.72 h x pg/mL respectively. The NMBT containing 0.75% w/w sodium taurocholate showed 27% bioavailability without damaging the buccal mucosasuggesting its suitability as an alternative to noninvasive administration of oxytocin.

Novel buccal adhesive tablets using Aloe vera L and Sinapis alba--a promising option for improved bioavailability of diltiazem hydrochloride.

In the current investigation, white mustard mucilage from whole seeds of Sinapis alba was evaluated for its physical properties and compared with the other mucoadhesive polymers such as hydroxy propyl methylcellulose 5Cps and Carbopol 934P. Further, methanol precipitable solids from whole leaves of Aloe Vera L were used as permeation enhancer. To achieve improved bioavailability of diltiazem, novel buccal adhesive tablets (NBATs) in cup and core fashion designed to achieve unidirectional release towards mucosa were prepared in a three-stage process using specially fabricated punches. The adhesive cups were studied for its shear, tensile, and peel strengths by specially designed apparatus using excised ruminant and porcine buccal mucosa as model substrates. Ex vivo permeation studies in a Franz diffusion cell were conducted through porcine buccal mucosa. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies and differential scanning calorimetry thermographs showed no remarkable interactions. Histopathological studies showed no remarkable damage of buccal mucosa by the NBATs. In vivo studies were conducted on anaesthetized male New Zealand albino rabbits, estimated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and the pharmacokinetics were compared with the oral and intravenous bolus injection. NBATs exhibited a Cmax 74.6 ng/mL, Tmax 3.5 h, t(1/2) 4.36 h. The NBATs prevented salivary scavenging effect and exhibited 82.1% bioavailability.

Microstructure and deformation behavior of biocompatible TiO2 nanotubes on titanium substrate.

Titanium oxide coatings have been shown to exhibit desirable properties as biocompatible coatings. We report on the quantitative microstructure characterization and deformation behavior of TiO(2) nanotubes on Ti substrate. Nanotubes were processed using anodic oxidation of Ti in a NaF electrolyte solution. Characterization of the as-processed coatings was conducted using scanning electron microscopy and focused ion beam milling. Increases in anodization time had no significant effect on tube diameter or tube wall thickness. Coating thickness, however, increased with time up to 2h of anodization, at which point an equilibrium thickness was established. Nanoindentation was used to probe the mechanical response in terms of Young's modulus and hardness. Progressively higher values of elastic modulus were obtained for thinner films consistent with increasing effects of the Ti substrate. A possible deformation mechanism of densification of the porous oxide and wear of the dense surface is suggested and discussed.

Antioxidant effect of Cytisus scoparius against carbon tetrachloride treated liver injury in rats.

The study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of Cytisus scoparius L. (Family: Leguminosae) on CCl(4) (carbon tetrachloride) treated oxidative stress in Wistar albino rats. CCl(4) injection induced oxidative stress by a significant rise in serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminases (SGPT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GRD). Pretreatment of rats with different doses of plant extract (250 and 500mg/kg) significantly lowered SGOT, SGPT, LDH and TBARS levels against CCl(4) treated rats. GSH and hepatic enzymes like SOD, CAT, GPx, GRD, and GST were significantly increased by treatment with the plant extract, against CCl(4) treated rats. The activity of extract at the dose of 500mg/kg was comparable to the standard drug, silymarin (25mg/kg). Based on these results, it was observed that Cytisus scoparius extract protects liver from oxidative stress induced by CCl(4) in rats and thus helps in evaluation of the traditional claim on this plant.

Fission yeast Int6 is not essential for global translation initiation, but deletion of int6(+) causes hypersensitivity to caffeine and affects spore formation.

Mammalian INT6 protein has been considered to be a subunit of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor, eIF3. The Int6 locus is also known as a common integration site of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). However, the function of Int6 in translation initiation and the mechanism of Int6-mediated tumor induction are yet to be explored. In this study, the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, int6(+), which is 43% identical to the mammalian counterpart, was deleted. Despite the evidence that the majority of Int6 protein was associated with 40S particles in this organism, strains lacking int6(+) (Deltaint6) were viable and showed only moderate inhibition in the rate of in vivo global protein synthesis. Polysome profile analysis showed no apparent defects in translation initiation. Deltaint6 exhibited a hypersensitivity to caffeine, which could be suppressed by the addition of sorbitol to the growth medium. This and other phenotypes would imply that int6(+) is required for the integrity of cell membrane. In meiosis, Deltaint6 produced incomplete tetrads frequently. High dosage expression of a truncated mutant of int6(+) conferred a hypersensitivity to caffeine, but did not cause the defect in meiosis. A possible link between the function of int6(+) and the Deltaint6-phenotypes is discussed.

Antimicrobial activity of leaf extract of Basilicum polystachyon (L) Moench.

Phenolic extract of leaves of Basilicum polystachyon (L) Moench was tested for in vitro antimicrobial activity against five bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus leuteus) and three fungi (Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus niger, Helminthosporium oryzae). Efficacy of organic solvents, methanol and ethanol, as agents for extraction was compared with acidic water (2M; HCl). High-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) data showed that acidic extraction (2M; HCl) resulted in higher yield of caffeic acid (0.437 mg g(-1)) and rosmarinic acid (0.919 mg g(-1)). Acidic extract showed high activity against Gram (+) ve bacteria, but was less active against Gram (-) ve bacteria. Amongst the tested fungi, maximum activity was exhibited against Aspergillus niger. This is the first report on the phenolic constituents and bioactivity of B. polystachyon.

Induced mitochondrial membrane potential for modeling solitonic conduction of electrotonic signals.

A cable model that includes polarization-induced capacitive current is derived for modeling the solitonic conduction of electrotonic potentials in neuronal branchlets with microstructure containing endoplasmic membranes. A solution of the nonlinear cable equation modified for fissured intracellular medium with a source term representing charge 'soakage' is used to show how intracellular capacitive effects of bound electrical charges within mitochondrial membranes can influence electrotonic signals expressed as solitary waves. The elastic collision resulting from a head-on collision of two solitary waves results in localized and non-dispersing electrical solitons created by the nonlinearity of the source term. It has been shown that solitons in neurons with mitochondrial membrane and quasi-electrostatic interactions of charges held by the microstructure (i.e., charge 'soakage') have a slower velocity of propagation compared with solitons in neurons with microstructure, but without endoplasmic membranes. When the equilibrium potential is a small deviation from rest, the nonohmic conductance acts as a leaky channel and the solitons are small compared when the equilibrium potential is large and the outer mitochondrial membrane acts as an amplifier, boosting the amplitude of the endogenously generated solitons. These findings demonstrate a functional role of quasi-electrostatic interactions of bound electrical charges held by microstructure for sustaining solitons with robust self-regulation in their amplitude through changes in the mitochondrial membrane equilibrium potential. The implication of our results indicate that a phenomenological description of ionic current can be successfully modeled with displacement current in Maxwell's equations as a conduction process involving quasi-electrostatic interactions without the inclusion of diffusive current. This is the first study in which solitonic conduction of electrotonic potentials are generated by polarization-induced capacitive current in microstructure and nonohmic mitochondrial membrane current.