Eco-safe composite edible coating of hydrocolloids with papaya leaf extract improves postharvest quality and shelf life of papaya fruit under ambient storage

Papaya postharvest management using low-temperature storage is discouraged as it is a tropical fruit. Extensive research is going on to preserve papaya quality at ambient storage using edible coatings and its composites. The present investigation examined the effects of an eco-safe composite edible coating consisting of hydrocolloid carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (1%), guar gum (1.5%), xanthan gum (0.3%), and Gum Arabic (10%) combined with papaya leaf extract (PLE) (1:1 ratio by volume) applied as dip treatment on "Red Lady" papaya fruit at ambient storage condition. Among all the attempted treatments, "PLE incorporated with CMC (1%)" was found to be the best, as the treated fruit exhibited the highest levels of biochemicals, whereas the lowest levels of physiological and enzymatic activity, which positively affected the shelf life. The "CMC + PLE" treatment enhanced the fruit gloss score by 70.1%, phenolics by 6.1%, ascorbic acid by 22.3%, total carotenoid content by 7.4%, and fruit predilection score by 22.0% over the control fruit. However, it lowered (controlling) the physiological loss in weight by 51.0%, decay incidence by 66.6%, and polygalacturonase and pectin methylesterase activity by 24.92% and 35.29%, respectively, over control. Moreover, this treatment exhibited the highest fruit purchase predilection score and prolonged the storage life for >3 days on the physiological loss standard basis (≤10%). This study indicates that "CMC (1%) with PLE (1:1)" composite coating application on papaya under ambient conditions might be an effective, environmentally friendly, and health-friendly way to retain the quality and extend the storage life.

Molecular diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Sikkim, India and prediction of dominant spoligotypes using artificial intelligence

In India, tuberculosis is an enormous public health problem. This study provides the first description of molecular diversity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) from Sikkim, India. A total of 399 Acid Fast Bacilli sputum positive samples were cultured on Lőwenstein-Jensen media and genetic characterisation was done by spoligotyping and 24-loci MIRU-VNTR typing. Spoligotyping revealed the occurrence of 58 different spoligotypes. Beijing spoligotype was the most dominant type constituting 62.41% of the total isolates and was associated with Multiple Drug Resistance. Minimum Spanning tree analysis of 249 Beijing strains based on 24-loci MIRU-VNTR analysis identified 12 clonal complexes (Single Locus Variants). The principal component analysis was used to visualise possible grouping of MTBC isolates from Sikkim belonging to major spoligotypes using 24-MIRU VNTR profiles. Artificial intelligence-based machine learning (ML) methods such as Random Forests (RF), Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were used to predict dominant spoligotypes of MTBC using MIRU-VNTR data. K-fold cross-validation and validation using unseen testing data set revealed high accuracy of ANN, RF, and SVM for predicting Beijing, CAS1_Delhi, and T1 Spoligotypes (93-99%). However, prediction using the external new validation data set revealed that the RF model was more accurate than SVM and ANN.

Coronary computed tomography versus stress echocardiography-guided management of stable chest pain patients: a propensity matched analysis

Background

Recent recommendations by national and international societies advocate the use of coronary computed tomography (CCT) as the first-line test for the assessment of low-risk patients with suspected stable angina. However limited real-life data exist regarding its relative clinical value versus stress echocardiography (SE)-guided management.

Purpose

We aimed to assess in a real-life setting the clinical value of stress echocardiography (SE)-guided versus CCT-guided management in patients presenting with stable chest pain and no prior history of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

We compared the relative feasibility, efficacy and the proportion of patients undergoing downstream testing including revascularisation and their impact on outcome (mortality and myocardial infarction) when CCT versus SE were used as the first line test for the assessment of stable chest pain.

Of the patients who underwent CCT (N=2192) or SE (N=2081) between October 2013 and October 2014 only those with suspected stable angina and without previous CAD were selected. The population was propensity-matched (total 1980 patients-990 patients each group) to account for differences in the baseline cardiovascular risk factors.

Results

The mean age of the population was 59±13.2 years and 949 (47.9%) patients were male. Inconclusive tests were 6% versus 3% (p<0.005) in CCT versus SE. Severe (>70%) luminal stenosis on CCT and inducible ischemia on SE detected obstructive CAD by invasive coronary angiography in 63% versus 57% patients (p=0.33). Over the entire follow-up period (median 717 (IQR 93–1069) days) significantly more patients underwent invasive coronary angiography (21.5% versus 7.3%, p<0.005) and revascularisation (33.5% versus 3.5%, p<0.005) respectively in the CCT versus the SE group. Following their initial assessment 336 (33.9%) patients in the CCT and 86 (8.7%) in the SE group underwent further functional testing (SE, stress cardiac MRI, exercise electrocardiography) (p<0.005) (Figure 1A). There was no difference in all-cause mortality (p=0.26) or death and myocardial infarction (p=0.16) between the two groups (Figure 1B).

Conclusions

SE when used for the assessment of patients with stable angina and no prior CAD resulted in more conclusive tests, similar detection of obstructive CAD, less overall invasive coronary angiography and revascularization and less subsequent functional tests compared with CCT.

Figure 1

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

P1467Long-term prognostic value of simultaneous assessment of atherosclerosis and ischemia in patients with suspected angina: implications for routine use of carotid ultrasound during stress echocardiograp

Background

The long-term clinical impact of carotid plaque burden (CPB) in patients with new onset suspected stable angina beyond stress echocardiography (SE) with no history of coronary artery disease (CAD) is not known.

Methods

Consecutive patients referred for SE, underwent simultaneous carotid ultrasonography to assess CPB. Patients were prospectively followed up for major adverse events (MAE).

Results

Of the 592 patients, 573 (age 59±11, 45% male) had follow-up data. During a mean of 7±1.2 years, 85 patients had first MAE (all-cause mortality and acute myocardial infarction: 67 (hard events) and 18 unplanned revascularisation). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, pre-test probability of CAD, peak wall thickness scoring index and CPB predicted MAE (p<0.0001 for all); however, only CPB retained significance for both hard events and hard cardiac events (p=0.008 and 0.001, respectively). MAE and hard events were least in patients with normal SE and absent carotid plaque (annualised event rate: 1.1% and 1.01%respectively) with significant increase in normal SE with plaque disease (2.4% and 2.05%, p=0.004 and 0.01 respectively). Presence of plaque did not impact on these outcomes in abnormal SE.

Conclusions

In patients with suspected stable angina, carotid atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia in combination provided synergistic MAE information long term but atherosclerosis predicted hard events particularly in patients with normal SE but not in ischemic patients. This implies routine use of simultaneous carotid ultrasound following a normal SE for optimum prognostication

Outbreak of scrub typhus in the North East Himalayan region-Sikkim: an emerging threat

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness that is known to be endemic in the South East Asian countries and the Western Pacific region. We here report an outbreak in the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim. Patients with pyrexia of unknown origin were evaluated. They were screened by Weil-Felix test and the rapid immunochromatographic method. Samples that were positive by either Weil-Felix agglutination test or by rapid immunochromatography were confirmed by IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total 204 samples were screened. Sixty-three patients were confirmed positive among which 42 were male and 21 were female. Effective management and early administration of antibiotics will help prevent the complications and mortality associated with scrub typhus.

Cryptococcus gatti serotype B isolated in Sikkim (North-East India)-A new geographical niche

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gatti both cause infection in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of meningitis with C. gatti in an AIDS patient. This case to our knowledge is the first case of C. gatti being reported from Sikkim (North East India).

A case series and review of sporotrichosis in Sikkim

Sporotrichosis caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii has been widely reported from the northern Himalayan belt and the north eastern region of India. Three autochthonous cases of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis from east and south districts of Sikkim are reported. Fluid aspirate from the nodulo-ulcerative lesions were sent for cytology and fungal culture. S. schenckii was isolated on culture and cytological examination in all three cases showed granulomatous reaction. Thermal dimorphism was demonstrated and animal pathogenicity testing was performed. Saturated solution of potassium iodide was used for treatment and the last case was treated with itraconazole and potassium iodide. Awareness of this disease and an extensive environmental study is required to understand the actual burden of this disease.

Measuring wealth-based health inequality among Indian children: the importance of equity vs efficiency

The concentration index is the most commonly used measure of socio-economic-related health inequality. However, a critical constraint has been that it is just a measure of inequality. Equity is an important goal of health policy but the average level of health also matters. In this paper, we explore evidence of both these crucial dimensions-equity (inequality) and efficiency (average health)-in child health indicators by adopting the recently developed measure of the extended concentration index on the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) data from India. An increasing degree of inequality aversion is used to measure health inequalities as well as achievement in the following child health indicators: under-2 child mortality, full immunization coverage, and prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting among children. State-wise adjusted under-2 child mortality scores reveal an increasing trend with increasing values of inequality aversion, implying that under-2 child deaths have been significantly concentrated among the poor households. The level of adjusted under-2 child mortality scores increases significantly with the increasing value of aversion even in states advanced in the health transition, such as Kerala and Goa. The higher values of adjusted scores for lower values of aversion for child immunization coverage are evidence that richer households benefited most from the rise in full immunization coverage. However, the lack of radical changes in the adjusted scores for underweight among children with increasing degrees of aversion implies that household economic status was not the only determinant of poor nutritional status in India.

Synthesis and magnetic characterizations of La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 nanoparticles for biomedical applications

The La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 (LSMO) nanoparticles have been synthesized by citric gel process followed by ball milling method. These nanoparticles demonstrated high crystalline quality. Nanoparticle size was further decreased by ball milling technique as observed by the field-emission scanning electron microscopic studies. The ball milled and silica coated LSMO nanoparticles show magnetic transition at about 370 K with a superparamagnetic properties. The ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra analysis of LSMO nanoparticles shows large FMR linewidth due to the surface strain of the nanoparticles. Both magnetization and FMR studies demonstrate that the LSMO nanoparticles are highly anisotropic. The toxicity of the nanoparticles was studied for safe biomedical applications. Measurement of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MTT assay results show that LSMO nanoparticles are relatively nontoxic and the toxicity is further reduced by SiO2 coating. These results are very important for applications in the field of biotechnology.

Why immunization coverage fails to catch up in India? A community-based analysis

BACKGROUND

An effort has been made in this paper to examine the impact of community and household vis-à-vis individual-level variables on immunization coverage among Indian children.

METHODS

National Family Health Survey-2 data set has been used for the analysis. Multilevel regression analyses have been used to explore the relative effects of community-, household- and individual-level factors on immunization coverage. Three community-level variables, i.e. availability of health facilities, availability of all-weather roads and information, education and communication (IEC) activities conducted during last year, are included in this analysis.

RESULTS

Availability of health facility and information, education and communication activities plays a significant role in determining the level of immunization coverage among children. Even with community-level variables in the model, individual-level variables, i.e. parent's education, birth order of child and number of antenatal care visits, retain their predictive role for the potential immunization coverage.

CONCLUSIONS

Universal immunization can be achieved by providing services at community level and information about the available services and their benefits to the community. There is a considerable, unexplained variation in the immunization coverage between different communities, even in the most complex model used in this study, which could explain the entire heterogeneity of immunization coverage among Indian states.

Removal of Cr(VI) from Aqueous Solution Using Activated Cow Dung Carbon

Removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous medium by using activated cow dung carbon was studied. Cow dung was carbonized and activated by treating with concentrated H(2)SO(4) followed by heating for 24 h at 120 degrees C. The extent of adsorption was studied as a function of pH, contact time, amount of adsorbent, concentration of adsorbate, and temperature. At lower pH (<3.5), the prepared sorbent was capable of removing approximately 90% Cr(VI) at 5 ppm concentration from aqueous synthetic solution. The dynamics of migration of the sorbate ions from the bulk onto the sorbent surface was studied and the results obtained under various experimental conditions were found to follow standard adsorption isotherms. The reaction kinetics was found to be of first order. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Adsorption of Hexavalent Chromium from Aqueous Solution by Using Activated Red Mud

Adsorption by activated red mud (ARM) is investigated as a possible alternative to the conventional methods of Cr(VI) removal from aqueous synthetic solutions and industrial effluents. Adsorption characteristics suggest the heterogenous nature of the adsorbent surface sites with respect to the energy of adsorption. Various factors such as pH, contact time, Cr(VI) concentration, amount of adsorbent, and temperature are taken into account, and promising results are obtained. The applicability of the Langmuir as well as Freundlich adsorption isotherms for the present system is tested. The loading factor (i.e., milligrams of Cr(VI) adsorbed per gram of ARM) increased with initial Cr(VI) concentration, whereas a negative trend was observed with increasing temperature. The influence of the addition of anions on the adsorption of Cr(VI) depends on the relative affinity of the anions for the surface and the relative concentrations of the anions. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Adsorption of Phosphate from Aqueous Solution Using Activated Red Mud

Adsorption of phosphate (PO3-4) from aqueous solution on activated red mud (ARM) was studied as a function of time, pH, temperature, concentration of adsorbent and adsorbate in acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer medium. The adsorption of phosphate follows Langmuir as well as Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The process efficiency was found to be 80-90% at room temperature. This can be extended to the treatment of industrial effluents containing phosphates like that from phosphatic fertilizer plants. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Characterization of mycobacterial species in clinically diagnosed cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and their HIV status

A total of 75 clinically diagnosed and radiologically evident cases suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis were selected for study. Sputum sample of each patient was screened for AFB by Ziehl Neelsen staining and culture. On examination 20 smears were found positive for AFB and 55 smears were negative by concentration method. A total of 23 samples were found to be culture positive and 52 were culture negative. Of these, 22 stains were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one was identified as M. Scrofulaceum. Of the 75 patients 3 were seropositive for HIV-I antibodies. Out of these 3, one was found to be smear and culture positive and was identified as M. scrofulaceum. Other two seropositive patients were smear and culture negative for AFB.