Tf2NH-Catalyzed 1,6-Conjugate Addition of Vinyl Azides with p-Quinone Methides: A Mild and Efficient Method for the Synthesis of β-Bis-Arylamides

Tf2NH-catalyzed tandem 1,6-conjugate addition/Schmidt type rearrangement using vinyl azides and p-quinone methides to access a variety of β-bis-arylated amides is reported. The method is quick, efficient, mild, and high yielding with broad substrate scope.

Dijet imbalance measurements in Au+Au and pp collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV at STAR

We report the first dijet transverse momentum asymmetry measurements from Au+Au and pp collisions at RHIC. The two highest-energy back-to-back jets reconstructed from fragments with transverse momenta above 2  GeV/c display a significantly higher momentum imbalance in heavy-ion collisions than in the pp reference. When reexamined with correlated soft particles included, we observe that these dijets then exhibit a unique new feature-momentum balance is restored to that observed in pp for a jet resolution parameter of R=0.4, while rebalancing is not attained with a smaller value of R=0.2.

Effects of alpha lipoic acid on acrylamide-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Acrylamide (ACR) is a neurotoxicant, reproductive toxicant, and carcinogen in animal species.  It is used in many industries and has been found to form naturally in foods cooked at high temperatures. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring antioxidant whose therapeutic effect has been related to its antioxidant activity.  This study was carried out to study the protective effect of alpha lipoic acid on acrylamide induced perturbations in rat liver.  Four groups of rats were studied viz., control rats, acrylamide treated rats, alpha lipoic acid treated rats, and alpha lipoic acid plus acrylamide treated rats. ACR and ALA treatment alone and together caused a signifi-cant increase in hepatic reduced glutathione content while a decrease in hepatic ascorbic content was observed when compared to control group.  ALA pretreatment of acrylamide exposed rats caused no a signifi-cant alteration in superoxide dismutase activity but resulted in a tendency towards restoration of glutathione peroxidase and catalase activity to near normal levels.  Gel electrophoresis showed fragmentation of DNA in the treated groups.  The dose of ALA used in the present study afforded partial restoration of oxidative indices altered by ACR in rat liver.

Curcumin mediated attenuation of carbofuran induced toxicity in the heart of Wistar rats

Carbofuran is used to improve the agricultural productivity as well as to protect the house hold and industrial products, but due to accumulation in the biological system, it causes serious side effects in many non-targets mammalian systems. The aim of present study is to evaluate the carbofuran induced oxidative stress in rat heart and its attenuation by using herbal product curcumin. Rats were divided into four groups; one group received 20 % LD50 of carbofuran another group of rats received same doses of carbofuran was  pretreated with curcumin (100 mg kg-1 body weight) and remaining two other groups served as control and curcumin treated animals. The activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the heart tissues and serum was evaluated and the activity of enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) was estimated in the heart tissues. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in heart tissues was also measured. The Total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) was measured in the serum of the entire animals group. The results of present study showed that the activity of LDH in heart tissues were decreased and in serum was elevated. The MDA level was significantly elevated due to exposure of carbofuran. The enzymatic antioxidants, SOD and CAT activities were also inhibited. The ratio of pro-oxidant (P)/antioxidant (A) was also found to be sharply increased in the rat heart tissues of carbofuran exposed animals. The alterations in all the parameter were recovered by the pretreatment of curcumin (100 mg kg-1 body weight).

Charge-Dependent Directed Flow in Cu+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We present the first measurement of charge-dependent directed flow in Cu+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The results are presented as a function of the particle transverse momentum and pseudorapidity for different centralities. A finite difference between the directed flow of positive and negative charged particles is observed that qualitatively agrees with the expectations from the effects of the initial strong electric field between two colliding ions with different nuclear charges. The measured difference in directed flow is much smaller than that obtained from the parton-hadron-string-dynamics model, which suggests that most of the electric charges, i.e., quarks and antiquarks, have not yet been created during the lifetime of the strong electric field, which is of the order of, or less than, 1  fm/c.

Combination of bulk laxative along with probiotics and prebiotics in the management of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation: A safe & effective option

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and relapsing functional bowel disorder. This disease has a substantial global burden and is associated with significant disability and high costs that adversely affects the health related quality of life of large population worldwide.Aims and Objective: We studied the efficacy and tolerability of bulk laxative plus probiotic and prebiotic in the treatment of constipation associated IBS (IBS-C) in Indian patients.Materials and Methods: Eighty patients with symptoms of IBS-C were enrolled in a post-marketing surveillance, multicentre, open label, non-randomized, noncomparative study where EVAQ- P - combination of fiber (psylliun husk/Ispaghula, probiotic and prebiotic) was given BID for 6 weeks. The symptoms were assessed at baseline, and after completion of 2, 4 and 6 weeks of therapy.Results: Results showed a signifi cant trend (p < 0.0001) of improvement from week 2 for abdominal pain, abdominal fullness, defecation frequency, straining during defecation, constipation and subject global assessment of relief (SGA). Approximately 6% patients showed fl atulence (mild) as a treatment emergent side effect.Conclusion: Combination of ispaghula along with a blend of probiotics and prebiotic twice daily for 6 weeks is effi cacious, safe, and well-tolerated in IBS-C patients.Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.8(1) 2017 85-90

Evaluation of Risk Factors for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux among Sikkimese Population

Background Laryngopharyngeal reflux is a global health problem and is associated with a huge economic burden and decreased quality of life. Studies describing the epidemiology of laryngopharyngeal reflux are sparse in India and south east Asia. This study becomes significant as it is being conducted in Sikkimese population who resides in high altitude have a different lifestyle. Objective To evaluate the risk factors for laryngopharyngeal reflux among Sikkimese origin. Method Patients of Sikkimese origin visiting Ear Nose Throat outpatient department Were administered with validated questionnaire. The patients were further subjected to validate Reflux symptom Index score. Indirect laryngoscopy was performed to calculate reflux finding score. Presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux was identified with patients having reflux symptom index and reflux finding score of greater or equal to 13 or more and 7 or more. Result Out of 200 subjects analysed, there were 77(38.5%) male and 123(61.5%) female. Heartburn and regurgitation were the most common symptom among the masses. Hoarseness and frequent throat clearance were the commonest laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms. Various risk factors were computed as mentioned in the results column. Conclusion Study on the above mentioned population differed from rest of the country in terms of dietary habits. Fermented food was found to be one of the important risk factor for the development of laryngopharyngeal reflux in the sikkimise population.

Estimated Fetal Weight: Comparison of Clinical Versus Ultrasound Estimate

BACKGROUND

Accurate estimation of fetal weight is of paramount importance in the management of labour and delivery.

METHODS

This was a cross sectional study conducted over a period of 6 months in a tertiary care teaching hospital. All singleton term mothers with cephalic presentation and intact membranes with ultrasound examination done within a week were included in the study. IUFD, multiple gestation, malpresentation, diagnosed oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios, pelvic and or abdominal masses, and current weight more than 80 Kgs were excluded from the study. Expected fetal weight was estimated by clinical method (Johnson's formula), which was compared with Ultrasound weight estimation (Hadlock method) and actual birth weight.

RESULTS

The estimated mean birth weight by clinical method was 3492.75±393.16g, by Ultrasound was 3230.02±407.22g and actual mean birth weight was 3236.32±472.87g. The estimated birth weight by ultrasonographic method showed slightly stronger positive correlation (r=0.54; p<0.001) with actual birth weight as compared to the clinical method (r=0.44; p<0.001). The error of estimation of weight by clinical method showed significant negative correlation (r=-0.24; p=0.01) with gestational age, however ultrasonographic method did not show significant correlation (r= +0.045; p=0.64). The sensitivity and specificity of clinical method and ultrasonographic method for identifying fetal birth weight above 3500 gm was 69.23; 65.67% and 46.15; 80.60%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound was more reliable method to establish fetal weight at term and more consistent in various period of gestations. Clinical method can be reliably used to screen large babies in centers where ultrasound has limited availability.

Measurement of the Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetry in p^{↑}+p→W^{±}/Z^{0} at RHIC

We present the measurement of the transverse single-spin asymmetry of weak boson production in transversely polarized proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=500  GeV by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The measured observable is sensitive to the Sivers function, one of the transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions, which is predicted to have the opposite sign in proton-proton collisions from that observed in deep inelastic lepton-proton scattering. These data provide the first experimental investigation of the nonuniversality of the Sivers function, fundamental to our understanding of QCD.

Beam Energy Dependence of the Third Harmonic of Azimuthal Correlations in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We present results from a harmonic decomposition of two-particle azimuthal correlations measured with the STAR detector in Au+Au collisions for energies ranging from sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7 to 200 GeV. The third harmonic v_{3}^{2}{2}=⟨cos3(ϕ_{1}-ϕ_{2})⟩, where ϕ_{1}-ϕ_{2} is the angular difference in azimuth, is studied as a function of the pseudorapidity difference between particle pairs Δη=η_{1}-η_{2}. Nonzero v_{3}^{2}{2} is directly related to the previously observed large-Δη narrow-Δϕ ridge correlations and has been shown in models to be sensitive to the existence of a low viscosity quark gluon plasma phase. For sufficiently central collisions, v_{3}^{2}{2} persist down to an energy of 7.7 GeV, suggesting that quark gluon plasma may be created even in these low energy collisions. In peripheral collisions at these low energies, however, v_{3}^{2}{2} is consistent with zero. When scaled by the pseudorapidity density of charged-particle multiplicity per participating nucleon pair, v_{3}^{2}{2} for central collisions shows a minimum near sqrt[s_{NN}]=20  GeV.

Centrality and Transverse Momentum Dependence of Elliptic Flow of Multistrange Hadrons and ϕ Meson in Au+Au Collisions at √[sNN]=200 GeV

We present high precision measurements of elliptic flow near midrapidity (|y|<1.0) for multistrange hadrons and ϕ meson as a function of centrality and transverse momentum in Au+Au collisions at center of mass energy √[sNN]=200  GeV. We observe that the transverse momentum dependence of ϕ and Ω v2 is similar to that of π and p, respectively, which may indicate that the heavier strange quark flows as strongly as the lighter up and down quarks. This observation constitutes a clear piece of evidence for the development of partonic collectivity in heavy-ion collisions at the top RHIC energy. Number of constituent quark scaling is found to hold within statistical uncertainty for both 0%-30% and 30%-80% collision centrality. There is an indication of the breakdown of previously observed mass ordering between ϕ and proton v2 at low transverse momentum in the 0%-30% centrality range, possibly indicating late hadronic interactions affecting the proton v2.

CSF ADA Determination in Early Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis in HIV-Infected Patients

Tuberculous and Cryptococcal meningitis are common in HIV patients. A highly specific and sensitive rapid test for diagnosis of Tuberculous meningitis especially in setting of HIV is not available in developing countries where the burden of disease is high. We measured ADA (adenosine deaminase) levels using spectrophotometric method in the CSF of HIV patients with meningitis to differentiate Tuberculous meningitis from meningitis due to other causes. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare ADA values between tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and nontuberculous (non-TB) meningitis patients and a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis curve was drawn from these values. Levels of ADA in the CSF of patients with TBM were significantly higher than those in patients with meningitis due to other causes. CSF ADA level determination with a cut-off value of 6 IU/L was found to be highly specific and fairly sensitive test for the diagnosis of TBM in HIV positive patients.

Aortic arch tortuosity with PHACE syndrome - a rare case scenario

PHACE syndrome is a rare neurocutaneous disorder characterised by an association of infantile haemangiomas with structural anomalies of brain, cerebral vasculature, eye, aorta and chest wall.¹ Coarctation of aorta (COA) is most the common cardiac anomaly reported in PHACE syndrome. COA or interrupted aortic arch in PHACE is unique and complex both in location and character compared to the typical coarctation anatomy. Arterial tortuosity of the cerebral vasculature has been well described in literature in PHACE syndrome. We present a rare case of tortuous aortic arch continuing as descending aorta in an infant with PHACE syndrome.

Observation of Transverse Spin-Dependent Azimuthal Correlations of Charged Pion Pairs in p^{↑}+p at sqrt[s]=200 GeV

We report the observation of transverse polarization-dependent azimuthal correlations in charged pion pair production with the STAR experiment in p^{↑}+p collisions at RHIC. These correlations directly probe quark transversity distributions. We measure signals in excess of 5 standard deviations at high transverse momenta, at high pseudorapidities η>0.5, and for pair masses around the mass of the ρ meson. This is the first direct transversity measurement in p+p collisions.

Azimuthal Anisotropy in U+U and Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

Collisions between prolate uranium nuclei are used to study how particle production and azimuthal anisotropies depend on initial geometry in heavy-ion collisions. We report the two- and four-particle cumulants, v_{2}{2} and v_{2}{4}, for charged hadrons from U+U collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV and Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. Nearly fully overlapping collisions are selected based on the energy deposited by spectators in zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs). Within this sample, the observed dependence of v_{2}{2} on multiplicity demonstrates that ZDC information combined with multiplicity can preferentially select different overlap configurations in U+U collisions. We also show that v_{2} vs multiplicity can be better described by models, such as gluon saturation or quark participant models, that eliminate the dependence of the multiplicity on the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions.