Burden of Silicosis among stone crushing workers in India.

BACKGROUND: In North India, the mining industry is disorganized and profit-driven. It predisposes its workers towards the development of silicosis. Haryana, a major North Indian state, has developed a compensation-rehabilitation policy for mining workers. AIMS: This study is the review of the policy's functioning and limitation from the first 4 years of implementation. METHODS: The labour department does surveillance of workers in the mining industry. All suspected cases of silicosis are evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. Based on the final diagnosis, the compensation is decided. RESULTS: Nearly 5000 workers were screened, and 729 appeared before the medical board. Of these 729, 465 were having silicosis, and their data are presented here (data of 7 patients were missing). All workers were males. The mean age was 44.54 ± 9.6 years, and the mean exposure (work experience) was 17.25 ± 6.7 years. Most of the workers were between the age of 40 and 50 years and had exposure for 10-20 years. Chest radiography examination showed that progressive massive fibrosis (large size type C opacities) was the most common type of presentation (23%). Smaller opacities (p, q, r and s, t, u) were combined for further analysis, given their similar prognostic significance. It was found that age and experience both had a linear and significant correlation with the severity of lung involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly a quarter of subjects were suffering from the worst type of lung involvement at screening itself. The policy has laid a foundation for the welfare of workers, but there is still a long way to go.

Intraparenchymal pericatheter cyst following disconnection of ventriculoperitoneal shunt system.

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is one of the most commonly performed procedures in neurosurgery, but it is also the procedure, which is most prone to complications. Spread of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into the brain parenchyma is a rare complication of VP shunt and can take the form of CSF edema or a porencephalic cyst. We describe a case of a 1½-year-old child who presented to us with seizures. Computed tomography scan revealed pericatheter porencephalic cyst. Surgical exploration revealed a disconnected VP shunt system. Patient was neurologically observed after shunt extraction. He was seizure free and radiological follow-up showed resolution of cyst. Ours is the first case to document the presence of pericatheter cyst following complete disconnection of shunt system. Though shunt revision is the accepted treatment modality, careful neurological observation can be done after shunt removal especially in asymptomatic cases with compensated hydrocephalus.

Identification of a single and non-essential cysteine residue in dextransucrase of Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-512F.

Amino acid analysis of purified dextransucrase (sucrose: 1,6-alpha-D-glucan 6-alpha-D-glucosyltransferase EC 2.4.1.5) from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-512F was carried out. The enzyme is virtually devoid of cysteine residue there being only one cysteine residue in the whole enzyme molecule comprising over 1500 amino acid residues. The enzyme is rich in acidic amino acid residues. The number of amino acid residues was calculated based on the molecular weight of 188,000 (Goyal and Katiyar 1994). Amino sugars were not found, implying that the enzyme is not a glycoprotein. It has been shown earlier that the cysteine residue in dextransucrase is not essential for enzyme activity (Goyal and Katiyar 1998). The presence of only one cysteine residue per enzyme molecule illustrates that its tertiary structure is solely dependent on other types of non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, ionic and nonpolar hydrophobic interactions.

Oxidation of cyanide in aqueous solution by chemical and photochemical process.

Cyanide waste is found predominantly in industrial effluents generated from metallurgical operations. The toxicity of cyanide creates serious environmental problems. In this paper, oxidation of cyanide in aqueous solution was investigated using chemical and photochemical process. Chemical oxidation was studied at room temperature using H2O2 as oxidant and Cu2+ as catalyst. Photochemical oxidation was studied in an annular type batch photoreactor of 1l capacity using 25 W low-pressure (81.7% transmission at 254 nm wavelength) ultraviolet (UV) lamp along with H2O2 as oxidant. The effect of Cu2+ catalysis was also studied. It was observed that in absence of UV source, the degradation of cyanide by H2O2 alone was very slow, whereas copper ions accelerated the rate of reaction thereby acting as catalyst. Copper formed a complex with cyanide ion, i.e. tetracyanocuprate which had greater affinity for H2O2. Cyanate hydrolysis was also favoured by copper ions. As Cu2+ ion concentration was increased, rate of degradation also increased. Photochemical oxidation by H2O2 and Cu2+ was found to be the best system for cyanide degradation. CN- (100 mg/l) was degraded to non-detectable level in 9 min at pH 10.0 with optimum H2O2 dose of 35.5 mM and Cu2+ dose of 19 mg/l. Reaction kinetics of cyanide oxidation was found to be pseudo-first order and the rate constant has been determined for different processes.

Expression of Bcl2 proto-oncogene in primary tumors of the central nervous system.

The present study was addressed to find out the expression of Bcl2 proto-oncogene in tumor tissues derived from 25 patients with primary central nervous system tumors. Brain parenchyma in 8 cases, with deeply located tumor, was also examined for Bcl2 expression which served as control. Both benign and malignant tumors (confirmed by histopathological examination) expressed Bcl2 gene product. Tumors exhibited 2-6 fold increase in Bcl2 expression as compared to the normal parenchyma adjacent to some of these tumors studied. However, no correlation was found between the histopathological types of tumor, glial fibrillary acidic protein positivity and degree of Bcl2 expression. Based on this study, we propose that the overexpression of Bcl2 gene product found in primary CNS tumors may be an important molecular event which is known to make the various types of tumor resistant to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Looking at polyandry--a dying or dead social institution in India?

"The institution of polyandry has a long history in India. Having its origin in the remote past polyandry flourished through the ages; it witnessed change with the alteration of cultural perspectives, and gradually it started diminishing due to some obvious reasons. Polyandry has its own appeal...owing to which it has been discussed by [a] large number of social scientists from diversified angles. In the present paper the author has put forward a systematic review of the various observations made by the different authorities. Various factors relating to the emergence of polyandry and the related causes have been pin-pointed here. The study highlights that [the] once flourishing social institution [of] polyandry is now in a state of disappearance."

Adverse reactions associated with aminopenicillins in Indian population.

The overall incidence of adverse drug reactions following ampicillin and amoxicillin administration to 439 and 169 indoor patients of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi were 19.13% and 15.5% respectively. Ampicillin produced diarrhoea (7.74%), nausea and vomiting (7.74%) anorexia (5.46%) headache (4.10%) and allergic reactions (2.9%). With amoxicillin, anorexia was observed in 4.79%, epigastric distress in 5.9% headache in 6.58%, coating of tongue in 8.98% and dizziness in 1.79% of patients. Intramuscular route of administration of ampicillin produced least ADRs. Females were more susceptible to adverse reactions of ampicillin and males to amoxicillin. Incidence of ADRs by these two aminopenicillins is less than that reported from abroad.

Menarcheal age among Oraon and Munda girls of Ranchi.

PIP: Data were collected from 2 tribal groups, 70 Oraon and 70 Munda girls inhabiting the 3 villages of the Kanke Development Block of Ranchi district, Bihar in an effort to determine the age at menarche among Indian girls. The girls were between the ages of 9-16 years in October 1964. The common age at marriage in both groups is generally between 14-16; the average family size is 6. The age at menarche among Oraon and Munda girls living in the same ecozone is 12.80+0.40 and 12.76+0.35, respectively. The difference between the 2 groups was not significant. The study indicates that the age at menarche is possibly affected by environmental and ecological factors. The analysis of age at menarche in various tribes of India indicates that Singhpo show the lowest mean value, whereas the highest mean value is observed among the tribes of the central region. The Adi, Zemi, Chenchus, Yanadi, and the tribes of the central region show a mean value about age 14. At 1% level of significance Oraon and Munda can only be differentiated from Yanadi and the tribes of the central region, respectively.^ieng

Morphological distance between Rastogis and certain other caste groups of Uttar Pradesh, India.

150 male Rastogis from Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) have been investigated anthropometrically. The results are compared with those obtained in some other population samples from Uttar Pradesh. The T2 test showed that Rastogis are nearest to Pasis and at the largest distance from Brahmin and Chattri. This is in conformity with the results of blood group analysis. The possible reasons for these morphological distance differences are discussed.

Reproductive life of Bhoksa women.

The paper discusses the reproductive life of 111 ever-married Bhoksa women. The mean age at marriage for women of all ages among Bhoksas, like other tribal populations, is high, unlike the caste populations. The mean ages at first birth of the pooled sample and of the completed fertility cases suggest late and early marriages of the older and younger generations. The maximum number of marriages occur between 15 and 19 years and of first births between 16 and 20 years. Percentage of reproductive wastage is high in both the lower and higher age groups. Young mothers with low birth orders and older mothers with high birth orders display a high frequency of reproductive wastage. Evidently, both birth order and the age of the mother have effects on reproductive wastage. Average number of children ever born (including stillbirth but not abortion or miscarriage) per mother of all ages is the highest among Bhoksas of all the studied ethnic groups of India. The Bhoksa, like caste populations, show a high number of children ever born per mother of completed fertility. Quite a high masculinity in the secondary sex ratio, like other mongoloid population is noticed. The contribution of mortality component to the Total Index of Opportunity for Selection is more than that of the fertility component. Bhoksas conform to the general low range of net reproductive index, which is however greater than unity, suggesting that they are in a growth stage.

PIP: This paper discusses the reproductive life of 111 ever-married Bhoksa women. The mean age at marriage for women of all ages among Bhoksas, like other tribal populations, is high, unlike the caste populations. The mean ages at 1st birth of the pooled sample and of the completed fertility cases suggest late and early marriages of the older and younger generations. The maximum number of marriages occur between 15-19 and of 1st births between ages 16-20. The percentage of reproductive wastage is high in both the lower and higher age groups. Young mothers with low birth orders and older mothers with high birth orders display a high frequency of reproductive wastage. Evidently, both birth order and the age of the mother have effects on reproductive wastage. Average number of children ever born (including stillbirth but not abortion or miscarriage)/mother of all ages is the highest among Bhoksas of all the studied ethnic groups of India. The Bhoksa, like caste populations, show a high number of children ever born/mother of completed fertility. Quite a high masculinity in the secondary sex ratio as in other mongoloid populations is noted. The contribution of mortality component to the Total Index of Opportunity for Selection is more than that of the fertility component. Bhoksas conform to the general low range of net reproductive index, which is however greater than unity, suggesting that they are in a growth stage. (author's)

Phenylthiocarbamide taste threshold distribution among the Rastogis of India.

The PTC taste threshold distribution has been examined among the Rastogis and compared to those of other Indian caste groups of Uttar Pradesh.