Browsing by Author "Kumar, S."
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Item Advancement and Effectiveness of Aloe vera (Aloe barbadense miller) and Sodium Alginate Based Natural Coatings for Extending the Shelf Life of Fruits and Vegetables(Ms. M. B. Mondal, 2024-11) Ghosh, M; Hemanth, P; Rahman, M; Kardile, NB; Gaikwad, ST; Kumar, S.The Preservation of fruits and vegetable freshness is crucial in the agri-food industry to reduce postharvest losses and waste. Edible Coating emerges as a promising approach for extending the shelf life of these perishable goods. This study examines the role of edible coatings, with particular emphasis on aloe vera and sodium alginate as sustainable and natural coating agents. Studies demonstrate that these coatings effectively reduce moisture loss, control gas exchange, and inhibit microbial activity, which are critical factors in maintaining product quality. Aloe vera and sodium alginate coatings, particularly when enriched with essential oil, significantly enhance antimicrobial properties and preserve texture and color during extended storage. Through process optimization, the study investigates fine-tuning coating methods, ingredient concentrations, and storage conditions to optimize their efficacy. Additionally, quality characterization techniques are explored for quantitatively assessing the impact on freshness, sensory qualities, and overall quality. By addressing postharvest loss challenges, this review highlights aloe vera and sodium alginate coatings, and their potential for sustainable food preservation, contributing to reduced food wastage and fulfilling consumer demand for high-quality produce.Item Alleviating drought stress in rice plant through intervention of Trichoderma spp.(Triveni Enterprises, 2023-05) Datta, D.; Senapati, A.K.; Behera, L.; Zaidi, N.W.; Kumar, S.; Dey, P.; Kumar, S.Aim: Trichoderma provides resistance to abiotic stress by generating a variety of secondary metabolites, phytohormones, through nutrient solubilization. The current study was conducted to determine whether Trichoderma could be used to alleviate drought stress in rice. Methodology: Three distinct isolates of Trichoderma harzianum [94 (A),T-14, IRRI-2] obtained from the International Rice Research Institute India, as well as two native isolates of Trichoderma asperellum (OT-3) and Trichoderma harzianum (0T-8) obtained from the farmlands of OUAT through serial dilution, were inoculated through seedling root dip treatment. Different morphological (days to active tillering, plant height, panicle initiation, root length, leaf rolling score, number of unfilled and filled grains per panicle) and biochemical data (Total phenolic content, malondialdehyde, proline, hydrogen peroxide, lignin and peroxidase) were estimated to determine the stress due to drought. Results: In-vivo studies on plant height, root length, number of filled grains, grains per panicle and leaf rolling that are positively associated with grain yield revealed that the application of Trichoderma had increased the grain yield. The effect of various biochemical characteristics, such as increase in phenol, peroxidase, lignin and cell membrane stability, which are known to alleviate drought stress through a variety of mechanisms were observed in this study. Inoculation of Trichoderma reduced the levels of oxidative chemicals such as proline, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide. Interpretation: The biochemical and morphological changes found in this study support the hypothesis that Trichoderma had a positive impact on yield and drought stress.Item Anticancer and Molecular Docking Studies of 1-(5-substituted phenyl) isoxazol-3-yl)-5-phenyl-1H-tetrazoles(Science Domain International, 2019-07) Kaushik, N.; Kumar, N.; Kumar, A.; Kumar, S.; Chaudhary, B. K.Cancer a leading cause of human mortality worldwide is characterised by the unseemly growth of cellular mass and signalled through the enlargement of stress. Management of cancer treatment is still buried andhas been recently alerting the need to discover a drug molecule with lesser side effects. The objective of the present study is to explore the anticancer activity and docking studies of 1-(5-substituted phenyl) isoxazol-3-yl)-5-phenyl-1H-tetrazole derivatives. The compounds were evaluated for in-vitroanticancer activity under the drug discovery program of National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA. Only seven compounds were selected and screened for anticancer activity at a single high dose (10-5M) using NCI 60 cancer cell lines. Among all the selected compounds, 4band 4iexhibited significant anticancer activity against Leukemia cell lines. Molecular docking studies for the 5-phenyl-1-(5-substituted phenylisoxazol-3-yl)-1H-tetrazole analogues was done by Schrodinger software. Docking results stated that the compounds 4band 4ihas good dock score among the other derivatives which shows good binding efficiency towards receptorItem Application of pulsed field gel electrophoresis for molecular characterization of vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from hospitals(Triveni Enterprises, 2020-03) Talwar, A.; Kumar, S.Aim: The present study was conducted to characterize VRSA isolates on the basis of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and the presence of spa gene, recovered from different Doon Valley Hospitals.Methodology: Six VRSA isolates were analyzed using PFGE and spa typing. spa gene coded Protein A was used as a genetic marker for the characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Dendrogram were constructed on the basis of unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA method) for clusters analyses.Results: Dendrogram finally showed two major banding patterns at about 85% similarity designated as PFGE type A and PFGE type B exhibiting differences of 4-6 bands. The length of spa gene varied from 1200 to 1500 bp, showing variation in length. The most prevalent length was 1200bp.Item Assessment of diabetes risk among adult population using Indian diabetes risk score and to correlate with actual capillary blood sugar level: a cross sectional study(Medip Academy, 2024-01) Gangwar, A.; Srivastava, D. K.; Kumar, S.; Shukla, S. K.; Sachan, D.; Megha, V.Background: Diabetes is one of the fastest growing health challenges of the 21st century, with the number of adults living with diabetes having more than tripled over the past 20 years. IDRS is pre-screening tool for assessing diabetes mellitus. It is also a non-invasive procedure and less time consuming. Aim were to assess diabetes risk among adult urban population of district Etawah by using Indian Diabetes Risk Score and to correlate it with actual capillary blood sugar status. Methods: The present study was a cross sectional study carried out among 200 adult urban non diabetic population the age group of 30 years and above. The data was collected using predesigned questionnaire followed by capillary blood sugar estimation. The data was collected under following broad heading: socio-demographic profile, Behavioural factor, Indian diabetes risk score and capillary blood sugar estimation. Results: Majority of the participants were in the age group of 35-49 years and Hindu by religion. 62.5% gave history of fast food consumption, nearly half of the participants gave the history of moderate to heavy physical exercise. It was found that 89% of the participants fall under the category of intermediate and high risk category. On application of test of association between IDRS score and actual capillary blood sugar level, strong association exist between the two variables. Conclusions: The present study concludes that IDRS is a powerful tool for screening of high risk group of diabetes. There is a strong association between capillary blood sugar and IDRS score.Item Assessment of Pain and Neurological Involvement in Patients with Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Prolapse Who Underwent Fenestration Discectomy(Society for Scientific Research, 2024-12) E-Alam, KQ; Sahu, N; Gulia, A; Kumar, A; Kohli, GBS; Kumar, S.Background: Many factors cause low back pain, but lumbar disc prolapse is a significant cause in adults. It drastically affects the overall quality of life. Treatment for this includes conservative measures and discectomy, primarily fenestration discectomy, less damage to other body parts, quicker recovery time, and improved overall results. Pain relief and neurological recovery are the most important measures of success, and many patients have had good outcomes with this procedure. To evaluate postoperative pain relief and neurological involvement in patients undergoing fenestration discectomy for lumbar disc prolapse. Methods: This prospective, observational cohort study at Hindu Rao Hospital from June 2019 to June 2021 evaluated fenestration discectomy in thirty patients with magnetic resonance imaging-proven lumbar disc herniation with radiculitis. It focused on clinical outcomes, functional recovery, and complications in the same group of patients for much better reliability in findings. Results: The study evaluated 30 patients with low back pressure due to disc prolapse, showing that the most commonly affected lumbar disc levels were L4-L5 and L5-S1. Significant improvement has been seen in postoperative recovery functional scores, JOA, and VAS in pain, with great recovery in the first month, which continued to improve up to 6 months. Conclusion: This research showed significant enhancements in pain and functional status after surgery for lumbar disc prolapse, extending to six months of post-surgical follow-up.Item Assessment of the availability and reason for non-utilization of reproductive and child health services at urban primary health centers Lucknow(Medip Academy, 2023-06) Kumar, S.; Agarwal, M.; Mishra, P.Background: Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHC)are different from conventional rural PHCs in term of size, functions, focus on ambulatory care, limited staff and infrastructure. UPHC is also expected to deliver certain job-functions of Subcentre through its outreach services. In view of these considerations, it is, therefore, appropriate that a separate list of standards is developed. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 320 Recently delivered women (up to 24 months) and children less than 24 months of age residing in catchment areas of urban PHCs and 8 urban primary health centers of Lucknow district, using multistage sampling technique. Results: The infrastructural availability at urban PHCs showed that clean drinking water for patients was available at only 75 % of U-PHCs. Unfortunately, only 50 % of the labs were functional. Additionally, essential tests for ANC were available at only 50 % of U-PHCs. Majority (48.7%) of RDW were not aware of U-PHCs nearby. Most (26.7%) common reason cited for non-utilization of U-PHCs was the availability of better hospital/ bigger hospitals nearby. According to 8.7 %, doctors/staff are not available all time at U-PHCs. About 12.8 % of RDW also reported that the delivery facility was not available. According to 18.0 % RDW, several other reasons were unavailability of drugs, inadequate cleanness, distance, staff behaviour, etc. Conclusions: Only four (50%) labs were functional at UPHC. The main reason of non-utilization of urban primary health centers not aware about location of U-PHC nearby and bigger hospitals nearby, investigations not available, several other reasons were unavailability of drugs, inadequate cleanness, distance, staff behaviourItem Assessment of various cognitive domains in patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder(Medip Academy, 2023-04) Gupta, J. K.; Yadav, J. S.; Singh, S. K.; Kumar, S.; Kumar, P.Background: OCD is often chronic disorder and causes impairment of functional efficiency. Various researchers have found that cognitive dysfunction frequently present even when mild symptoms are present. This study aimed to investigate various domains of cognitive function in patients with OCD using cross sectional design. In this study we have tried to find out the various domains of cognitive function in OCD and their relation with clinical severities. We also compared the cognitive function of patients with OCD and their control. Methods: Total 60 subjects (30 in case group and 30 in control group) were taken for study. The study subjects (OCD group) were taken from psychiatric OPD and control group from general populations. The subjects of both the groups were screened as per inclusion and exclusion criteria and the Y-BOCS, ACE –III scales were applied. Results: In the case group, 96.70% had a normal ACE-III score and 3.30% had an inconclusive score, while in the control group 100% had a normal score at ACE-III scale, on further scoring. 60% patients have moderate and 33.3% have severe score in the YBOCS scale. We have found the significant decline in total mean ACE-III scores between case and control group (p value 0.000) and decline in memory domain with severity of illness was also significant (p value 0.037). Conclusions: Decline in cognition domain of memory in patient with OCD, was significant in comparison to control group.Item Association between vitamin D levels and extensive dental caries in children, Karnataka, India(Medip Academy, 2024-08) Bhat, R; Kini, S; Shenoy, RR; Kumar, S.Background: Dental caries is a global public health concern, particularly for young children. The objective of the study was to investigate the severity of dental caries in children with vitamin D deficiency and to compare the vitamin D levels among children with extensive dental caries and without caries. Methods: A case control study was carried out among 38 children between 2 to 16 years of age with 19 children in case (with dental caries) and 19 in control (without dental caries) groups from February 2022 to September 2023. Caries status of the children was recorded using decayed, extracted, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index. Every child had blood sample taken for serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels. After gathering all the data, it was statistically analysed. Results: The mean serum 25(OH) vitamin D level was 24.93 ng/ml (SD�05) among cases and 18.67 ng/mL (S. D�88) among the controls. When the mean levels of serum 25(OH) vitamin D were compared between case and control groups, there was a statistically significant difference (p value=0.021). Simple linear regression in case group showed inverse correlation between the level of vitamin D and dental caries, however it was not statistically significant (p value=0.58). Conclusions: Our results showed that there was no significant association between Vitamin D levels and dental caries. This may be due to small sample size which is one of the limitations of our study. We need further studies with larger sample size to study this association.Item Awareness and proportion of diabetes mellitus among newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients at a tertiary care institution in Eastern India: A cross-sectional study(Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, 2024-12) Chatterjee, T; Pandey, S; Prasad, SV; Ranjan, A; Nirala, SK; Rai, DK; Kumar, S.Introduction: The worldwide impact of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is significant, with these diseases disproportionately affecting the most at-risk populations, including those living in poverty, malnourished individuals, and the elderly. Methodology:A hospital-based cross sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care institution, with a total sample of 194. Convenient sampling was usedfor sample collection. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Diabetes mellitus. All qualitative variables were represented in proportions. Result: Among the newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients, 17% had diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is due to a rise in blood sugar, which was reported by 87.6% of participants. Around half of the participants reported lack of physical activity as both the cause and the risk factor for diabetes mellitus. Willingness to visit the government facility for the treatment of DM was reported among 84%, while only 40.2% are willing to take drugs for DM for life. Conclusion: It was found that 2 out of every 10 newly diagnosed patients had diabetes mellitus. The knowledge regarding the cause of diabetes mellitus due to the increased blood sugar was there. However, there is a gap in the attitude and practice regarding diabetes among all the newly diagnosed patients of tuberculosis. There is an urgent need for the proper implementation of a collaborative framework for diagnosis, treatment, care, and control of tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus.Item Barriers of blood donation practices during the pandemic- KAP study on voluntary blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate students in Karnataka(Medip Academy, 2023-12) Kumar, S.; Thadigotla, S.; Lakshmisha, S.; Sullad, S. C.; B., S.; Taj, S.; Dewan, S.; Chidambaram, P.Background: During COVID-19 outbreak there was a drastic reduction in voluntary blood donation and cancellation of blood camps. Students and youth constitute a huge pool of voluntary blood donors and can also educate others in the community. Aim was to assess voluntary blood donation practices and its barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate students in Karnataka and assess knowledge and attitude towards blood donation. Methods: This was a retrospective record analysis of a 2021 online survey data collected as part of a student’s educational research exercise. Records of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of blood donation among undergraduate students were retrieved and analyzed. Results: Of the records of 232 undergraduate students, 64.2% (149) and 62.1% (144) were medical students and females. None of the participants had complete knowledge and there was significant difference in the knowledge of medical and non-medical students regarding blood donation. Satisfactory attitude towards blood donating procedure was seen among 64.2% students. Blood donation had been done by 19% and 4.7% of participants before and during the pandemic, respectively with majority being males and slightly more by non-medical students. Willingness to donate blood in the future was seen among 94.4%. Conclusions: The results suggest the need for awareness campaigns to address misconceptions and improve knowledge and attitude towards blood donation; also, to increase the number of voluntary blood donations as there was a high willingness to donate blood in the future. This could also be translated to other epidemics or pandemics that may arise in the future.Item Beyond the pulse: unusual presentations of Takayasu抯 arteritis(Medip Academy, 2024-08) Sharma, P. K.; Kumar, C.; Kumar, S.Takayasu抯 arteritis (TA) a.k.a pulseless disease is a chronic inflammatory occlusive thrombo-aortopathy. It is a rare inflammatory disease affecting large arteries, often leading to significant diagnostic challenges, especially when presenting with atypical symptoms. This case report explores a patient, whose primary complaints were chest pain and no neurological or constitutional symptoms, diverging from the common presentations of diminished pulses or limb claudication. Advanced imaging, including CT Aortogram and interventions like cardiac angiography, played a crucial role in detecting vascular inflammation and stenosis, facilitating accurate diagnosis and management. The case underscores the importance of considering Takayasu arteritis in differential diagnoses, even with non-classical presentations. This present case demonstrates rare and unique presentation of TA where patient presents with myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock and also explains the diagnostic dilemma of TA with such unusual presentation.Item Bulk segregant analysis identifies SSR markers associated with Alternaria blight resistance in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)(Triveni Enterprises, 2019-11) Singh, N.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, S.; Singh, P.K.; Singh, B.; Kumar, U.; Khatoon, B.; Yadav, H.K.Aim: Alternaria blight caused by Alternaria lini is one of the major diseases of linseed which severely affects the yield and productivity. Here, we utilizes F2 mapping population derived from a resistant (JRF-4) and a susceptible (Chambal) genotypes of linseed and SSRs to identify the markers associated with Alternaria blight resistance using bulk segregant analysis approach. Methodology: A population consisting of 154 F2 individuals was developed from the cross between JRF-4 (resistant) and Chambal (susceptible). All 154 F2 individuals were screened with 100 polymorphic SSRs to identify extreme phenotype. Two bulk of extremes phenotypes (disease resistant and disease susceptible) from F2 mapping population were used for the bulked segregant analysis. The SSR primers that distinguished the parental lines were used to amplify the DNA from two bulks and banding pattern was observed to identify the SSRs that can differentiate the resistant and susceptible phenotypes bulk for Alternaria blight. Markers validation was carried out by amplifying DNA from individual plants of each bulk. Results: Out of 100, only 10 markers showed polymorphism among the bulks and of which only three markers viz., LUSc 898_3_12, Lu 2472 and Lu 3078 were able to differentiate the disease resistant and susceptible individuals from F2 population. Further, single marker linear regression approach was used to validate the association of selected polymorphic markers with the disease. The markers LUSc 898_3_12 and Lu 2472 showed significant regression which confirmed their linkage with Alternaria blight resistance. Interpretation: The two markers having significant regression can be used for diseases resistance breeding during marker assisted selection.Item Ceruloplasmin and Alkaline Phosphatase Levels in Preterm Delivery(Science Domain International, 2019-11) Kondhalkar, A.; More, K.; Kumar, S.Introduction:Preterm birth (PTB) is a major determinant of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Preterm babies are prone to serious illness or death during the neonatal period.PTB is one of the unresolved problems in clinical obstetrics and one of the greatest threats to the developing fetus, there is need to determine predictive biomarker for preterm delivery. Therefore present study aimed to assess serum levels of ceruloplasmin and Alkaline phosphatase inpreterm and full-term delivery.Materials andMethods:The present study includes total 80 subjects that comprise forty women presenting with preterm onset of labor followed by delivery and forty women who delivered at term served as controls.Blood Samples from the subjects were obtained for ceruloplasmin and Alkaline phosphatase estimation, when patient was in labor.Serum ceruloplasmin and alkaline phosphatase measured spectrophotometrically. Serum ceruloplasmin was estimated by Herbert A Ravinand Henry et al.method. Serum alkaline phosphatase was estimated by Kinetic p-NPP method.Results:Serum ceruloplasmin levels were significantly increased (P<0.001) in preterm delivery as compared to full term delivery. Alkaline phosphatase levels are significantly increased in preterm delivery (p<0.001) as compared to full term delivery. Conclusion: Our study showed that elevated levels of ceruloplasmin and alkaline phosphatase may be associated with preterm delivery in asymptomaticpregnant women. The elevated ALP may be due to mild chronic subclinical infection which may be responsible for preterm delivery. Ceruloplasmin is acute phase reactant,increaseddue toanantioxidant defence mechanism against oxidative stress.Item Characterization of a novel antifungal protein from Acacia senegal seeds(Triveni Enterprises, 2020-05) Solanki, D.S.; Kumar, S.; Parihar, K.; Tak, A.; Gehlot, P.; Pathak, R.; Singh, S.K.Aim: The aim of the present study was to isolate antifungal protein from seeds of Acacia senegal in order to develop a new, effective and environmental friendly biofungicide.Methodology: Antifungal protein from A. senegal seeds was extracted and purified through ammonium sulphate precipitation, dialysis, ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The novel antifungal was characterized employing SDS-PAGE, chitinase activity and antifungal efficacy. The purified protein was also characterized through MALDI-TOF MS/MS. Results: The yield of purified antifungal protein was estimated to be 0.96 mg 25 g-1 seeds and its molecular mass determined by SDS PAGE was 52.9 kDa. The purified protein exhibited antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi viz., Macrophomina phaseolina and Fusarium oxysporum also possessed chitinase activity. The purified protein was characterized through MALDI-TOF MS/MS and its spectra revealed 14 peptides with their specific amino acid sequences. Interpretation: The antifungal protein isolated from A. senegal seeds has broad-spectrum antifungal activity with chitinase activity against pathogenic fungi that can be exploited for management of fungal disease as biopesticide to promote sustainable agricultureItem Climatic Signals of Drying in a Himalayan Watershed: A Multi-grid Precipitation Analysis of Bhilangana River Basin(Ms. M. B. Mondal, Ph.D., 2025-07) Joshi, B; Singh, V; Chandola, VK; Pal, K; Srinivaas, B; Kumar, S.Regional-scale assessments often reveal that climate responses vary sharply depending on elevation, land use, and topographic influences emphasizing the need for high-resolution, basin-specific evaluations. To detect and quantify long-term climatic trends, non-parametric statistical methods are commonly used due to their robustness and distribution-free nature. This study examines precipitation trends over the Bhilangana river basin in the Garhwal Himalaya using reanalysis gridded data from TerraClimate for 35-year duration from 1990 to 2024. This study initially examines the presence of serial correlation in all data series using the lag-k autocorrelation coefficient (rk) at a significance level of 0.05 for a two-tailed test. A number of statistical methods, including the Mann-kendall test, Modified MK test, and Sen’s slope estimator were applied to monthly, seasonal, and annual time series across four representative grids at different elevation ranges. While no trends were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level, several consistent patterns emerged. The most pronounced declines were observed in the winter and pre-monsoon seasons, with Sen’s slope estimates revealing annual decreases up to -3.34 mm/year, particularly in high elevation grids. Strong negative Z-values in March and November (Z < -1.5) further support a shift toward drier conditions during transitional months. Meanwhile, post-monsoon and late monsoon months exhibited weak but spatially coherent positive trends, hinting at possible shifts in rainfall distribution. The absence of significant autocorrelation confirms the robustness of the trend analysis. Spatially, precipitation shows a clear elevation gradient and strong seasonal contrasts, with monsoon rainfall contributing over 60% of the annual total. Overall, while trends remain below the threshold of statistical significance, the results point to a gradual and emerging drying pattern with implications for hydrological sustainability, climate change, and water resource planning in the study area. The findings suggest a transition toward a drier and more variable precipitation regime, with critical implications for snow accumulation, glacier mass balance, baseflow generation, and water availability during the dry season. As such, these observed patterns, though not statistically conclusive, are scientifically robust and demand closer monitoring to support adaptive water resource planning and climate-resilient hydrological management in this ecologically sensitive Himalayan basin.Item Clinical Profile and Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality in Septic Shock Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital.(Light House Polyclinic, 2022-12) Anu; Verma, BS; Kumar, S.strong>Background: Sepsis and Septic shock contributes to significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Early detection and initiation of early and appropriate antibiotic therapy determines the outcome in septic shock. The objective of this research was to describe clinical profile of septic shock patients and to determine various predictors of in-hospital mortality in septic shock patients which could be assessed from simple hematological parameters. Methods: This was a prospective observational study done over a period of one year in which a total of 145 adult patients with septic shock diagnosed as per American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) criteria (2016) admitted in medicine ward in a tertiary care hospital were included. Detailed history and clinical examination was done and various routine investigations such as Complete hemogram, Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR), Platelet to lymphocyte ratio(PLR), Liver function tests, Renal function tests, C-reactive protein and Blood gases including lactate levels at admission were determined and compared among survivors and non-survivors to assess in hospital mortality predictors. Results: A total of 145 patients with septic shock were studied. Most of the patients were males (55.2%). Majority were from rural areas (59.31%). Major co-morbidities included diabetes mellitus (24.8%), COPD (13.1%) and hypertension (11%). Fever was the most common presentation (34.5%). Mortality in septic shock was 30.3%. The most common source of infection leading to septic shock was scrub typhus (33.8%) followed by respiratory infections and skin infections. The highest mortality was seen in the age group of 60-69 years. Patients who were given primary care and stabilized in a primary or secondary health centre and then referred had a better survival (77.2%) as compared to those who directly visited the tertiary care centre in a sick state. Out of various mortality predictors studied, a strong positive correlation of mortality was seen among patients with thrombocytopenia i.e. platelet count (86.4%), hypoalbuminemia (78.6%), high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, high C-reactive protein values(74%) and high mean platelet volume. Conclusion: There is high prevalence of tropical infections such as Scrub typhus in Himachal and even simple investigations like Complete haemogram, Serum albumin levels, C-reactive protein and Total serum bilirubin levels which are routinely done in health care centers correlate significantly with mortality in septic shock. These investigations can guide appropriate antibiotic therapy and appropriate timing of referral of patients to higher centers, hence can improve the outcome among septic shock patients.Item Clinico- haematobiochemical Profiling and Therapeutic Studies on Hypophosphatemic Dairy Buffaloes(The Association of Mastitis, 2023-03) Yadav, A.; Jhambh, R.; Singh, Y.; Kumar, S.The present study was aimed to investigate the clinical, haemato-biochemical profile of hypophosphatemic dairy buffaloes, followed by therapeutic management. The investigation was conducted on 20 dairy buffaloes brought to Veterinary Clinical Complex, LUVAS, Hisar. The study revealed 4-7 years old buffaloes in their early lactation to be most commonly affected and the prominent clinical signs observed were anorexia, hypogalactia, straining during urination and difficulty in walking. Haematology showed significant (P< 0.01) increase in neutrophils count and mean values of ESR. Serum biochemistry revealed significant decrease in serum inorganic phosphorus with non-significant elevation in other biochemical parameters. Animals were randomly allocated into 2 groups. In group I, sodium acid phosphate @120 gm in 600 ml NSS (half dose IV and half SC), followed by same dose orally for 5 days was given along with supportive therapy while in group II, Injection NovizacR (buffered phosphorous injection) along with supportive therapy was given for 5 days. Based on therapeutic trial, sodium acid phosphate therapy was found to be the most effective in management of hypophosphatemia in dairy buffaloes.Item A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Socio-Economic and Health Status of Rag Pickers in Varanasi slums, North India(Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi- 221005, India., 2023-03) Pandey, A.; Singh, S.; Kumar, S.Background- Rag picking is one of the inferior economic activities in the urban informal sector, largely undertaken by children belonging to weaker sections of society for their survival and for supplementing their family income. Rag picking is one of the most dangerous activities in India. Rag pickers are working in a filthy environment surrounded by dust, dogs, and pigs. They suffer from many diseases, such as respiratory problems, anemia, fever, and other problems which include cuts, rashes, and injuries. Waste pickers are the general term adopted by the 1 st World Conference of Waste Pickers in 2008. Objective- [a] To assess the socio-economic condition of ragpickers in Varanasi, [b] To know the health condition and treatment behavior of ragpickers in Varanasi. Materials and Methods- A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study in which ragpickers reside in the slum area of Varanasi. All men and women present at the time of the interview who were involved in rag picking from the last 6 months were included. Seriously ill men and women were excluded. Since we had no prior knowledge about the proportion of cases (P) so a pilot study was conducted in which prevalence of health problem found in rag pickers in the last 6 months (P) = 0.90. Total estimated sample size is 100. In this study, Simple Random sampling was used. By using this sampling 100 individuals were selected randomly, fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Results-82 (82.0%) rag pickers were not educated in which 75 (91.5%) rag pickers suffered from health problems. Maximum 74 (74.0 %) rag pickers were migrants. Maximum 74 (74.0%) rag pickers were married in which 36 (48.0 %) rag pickers were married between 14- 18 ages. 80 (80.0%) rag pickers had not used any precautionary measure during rag picking in which 73 (91.2%) rag pickers faced health problems. Maximum 39(39.0%) were affected by dust during rag picking. Only 17(17%) ragpickers preferred government hospitals for treatment. 75 (75.0 %) rag pickers were addicted to intoxication in which 66 (88.0%) rag pickers faced health problems. 91 (91%) ragpickers affected by any health problems in the last 6 months in which a maximum of 63.7% of rag pickers suffered from fever, 60.4% of rag pickers complained about injuries, 56.2 % of rag pickers suffered from weakness problems, 52.7% of rag pickers affected by cough problems. There is a highly significance between educational status and any kind of intoxication. Discussion- The literacy level among the rag pickers was 18% which is much lower than the average literacy rate of Varanasi 75.60% (2011census). A study on slum dwellers in Dhaka showed the literacy rate higher than the finding of this study (18 vs 25 %). 28.0% of rag pickers adopted this work because they had no education. There is a high significance between educational status and any kind of intoxication. Chances of intoxication are high when no education among rag pickers. It is highly significant between educational status and health problems of rag pickers in the last 6 months. Uneducated rag pickers were not aware of the health effects.Item Community based cross-sectional survey to assess the conditions of refractive error by eye-screening program in remote area of Saifai, Etawah(Medip Academy, 2023-05) Dubey, G.; Ali, J.; Hayat, Z.; Manik, R. K.; Afroz, S.; Das, P.; Kumar, S.Background: Refractive error is a state where an optical system of the eye fails to bring parallel light rays on a point focus at the fovea, due to increase or decrease of the size of the eyeball through any reasons, changes in the refractive index of the component of the eyes or the age related factors. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in the systemic random sampling without repetitions (SRSWOR) method at the circumference area of 5 km of the Saifai Medical University UPUMS Saifai, Etawah (Uttar Pradesh). The data was collected through the rural program for the control of blindness. Among 1032 samples, for the refractive error, total 237 individuals were registered for the study through the screening programme. Results: The age group 0-19 years concludes 22 (9.28%), for 20-39 concludes 71 (22.95%), for 40-59 years concludes 101 (18.14%) and for the age group above 60, it was 43(48.94%) respectively. Among all the age groups a total of 22.96% responders were diagnosed for the prevalence of refractive error and it was observed more for females 50.63% as compared to males 49.36%. Conclusions: The prevalence of refractive errors refers to the age group of 40-59 years, so for early diagnosis eye care must be included at a particular time difference at a community level through an eye screening program for all the age groups with the main intention to give special cover to the age group of 40-59 years.