Browsing by Author "Pal, A"
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Item A-435-a new antifungal agent.(1970-10-01) Pal, A; Nandi, PItem Actin-like protein from Mimosa pudica L.(1987-12-01) Ghosh, G; Mukherjee, J; Biswas, S; Pal, AItem Adolescent pregnancy: a high risk group.(1997-05-01) Pal, A; Gupta, K B; Randhawa, IIn a retrospective study the obstetric behaviour and outcome in 80 teenage pregnancies (< or = 19 years of age) were compared to a control group (n = 80) of women (20-30 years) of same parity. There were 32 booked cases (40%) in study group and 45 (56.2%) in control group (p < 0.05). The overall teenage pregnancy was 3.2%. Majority of patients were 18 years (27.5%) and 19 years (65.0%) in study group and most of them (87.5%) were primiparas. Of all cases 27.5% were grouped under Kuppuswamy classification III in assessing socio-economic status. Anaemia (27.5%), intra-uterine growth retardation (27.5%) and hypertension (15%) were mostly found as complications in study group as compared to controls (11.2%, 8.7% and 8.7% respectively). The incidence of forceps delivery was higher (17.4%) in the study group as compared to controls (6.2%). Stillbirth rate was 1.25% and there was no maternal mortality.Item Chronic arsenic toxicity in west Bengal--the worst calamity in the world.(1998-01-28) Mazumder, D N; Das Gupta, J; Santra, A; Pal, A; Ghose, A; Sarkar, SSince 1983 large number of people are being encountered with arsenic toxicity due to drinking of arsenic contaminated water (0.05-3.2 mg/l) in 6 districts of West Bengal. Clinical and various laboratory investigations were carried out on 156 patients to ascertain the nature and degree of morbidity and mortality that occurred due to chronic arsenic toxicity. All the patients studied had typical rain drop like skin pigmentation (being inclusion criteria) while thickening of palm and sole were found in 65.5% patients. Other features included weakness (70%), gastro-intestinal symptoms (58.6%), involvement of respiratory system (57.08%) and nervous system (50.6%). Lung function tests showed restrictive lung disease in 53% (9/17) and combined obstructive and restrictive lung disease in 41% (7/17) of patients. Abnormal electromyography was found in 34.8% (10/29) and altered nerve conduction velocity in 34.8% (10/29) of cases. Enlargement of liver was found in 120 cases (76.9%) while splenomegaly in 31.4% cases. Liver function test showed elevated globulin level in 15.8% and alkaline phosphatase in 51.3%, alanine amino transferase (ALT) in 11.8% and aspartate amino transferase (AST) in 27.6% of cases. Evidence of portal hypertension was found in 33.3% patients. Liver biopsy reports of 45 patients showed non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis in 41, cirrhosis in 2 and normal histology in 2 cases. There was no correlation between the quantity of arsenic taken through water and the level of arsenic in hair, nail, liver tissues and the degree of fibrosis. There were 5 deaths of which one had skin cancer. The various non-cancer manifestations which were observed in these patients were much severe than those reported in similar cases in other parts of the world.Item Clonal analysis of non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 associated with an outbreak of cholera.(1999-06-24) Pal, A; Saha, P K; Nair, G B; Yamasaki, S; Takeda, T; Takeda, Y; Bhattacharya, S K; Ramamurthy, TWe examined the clonal relationships among eight clinical isolates of non-toxigenic (NT) V. cholerae O1 associated with a cluster of cases of cholera in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh in south India and compared their relatedness to toxigenic O1 strains of classical and E1Tor biotypes and with O139 Bengal strains of V. cholerae by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Phylogentic analysis of the NotI restriction fragment length polymorphism showed that all the NT. V. cholerae O1 strains formed a tight cluster with more than 80 per cent similarity. Interestingly, the NT V. cholerae O1 cluster was more closely related to V. cholerae O139 than to classical and E1Tor biotypes of V. cholerae O1 indicating closer genetic relationships between NT V. cholerae 01 and O139 Bengal strains that were isolated during the same time-frame.Item Community perception and risk reduction practices toward malaria and dengue: A mixed-method study in slums of Chetla, Kolkata(Indian Public Health Association, 2019-09) Podder, D; Paul, B; Dasgupta, A; Bandyopadhyay, L; Pal, A; Roy, SBackground: Globally, vector-borne diseases account for 17% of infectious disease burden. In India, despite accelerated efforts, both malaria and dengue are major public health concern. Understanding local community perspectives is essential to strengthen ongoing program activities. Objectives: The study aimed to assess the community perceptions and risk reduction practices toward prevention and control of malaria and dengue at slums of Chetla in South Kolkata and to explore the perspectives of relevant local stakeholders in this regard. Methods: This cross-sectional study with mixed-method design was conducted from June to September 2018. Quantitative data were collected in 288 sampled households through face-to-face interview of respondents and environmental checklist, whereas, qualitative exploration was done with five key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 Software. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using “cut and sort” processing technique. Results: In household survey, majority had unsatisfactory knowledge (68.4%), attitude (64.2%), and practices (62.8%) regarding diseases prevention/control, which was further substantiated by qualitative findings. The use of electric fans (79.5%), mosquito repellents (53.8%) were predominant practices; however, only a few used bed nets regularly (26.0%). Reportedly, “heat” and “poor ventilation” were key reasons behind reluctance to use bed nets. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that increasing age, proximity to a nearby canal, and unsatisfactory knowledge significantly predicted unfavorable attitude, whereas, respondents' gender and unfavorable attitude significantly predicted poor practices. Conclusions: Intensified social behavior change communication with active community participation is the need of the hour to prevent malaria and dengue occurrence and future outbreaks.Item Contribution of acrB upregulation & OmpC/Ompk36 loss over the presence of blaNDM towards carbapenem resistance development among pathogenic Escherichia coli & Klebsiella spp.(Indian Council of Medical Research, 2019-04) Pal, A; Dhara, L; Tripathi, ABackground & objectives: The global spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is an emerging clinical problem. Hence, in this study, the plausible role of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs)/carbapenemases, OmpC/Ompk36, acrB and their combinations was explored among CRE. Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of meropenem, enzyme-phenotypes (ESBLs/IR and metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL)/non-MBL carbapenemase), genotypes (blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M; blaNDM and blaVIM; blaKPC and blaOXA-48-like variants), acrB and outer membrane protein (OMP) expressions were analyzed with a total of 101 non-duplicate clinical isolates, obtained from various samples of patients visiting two tertiary care units of Eastern India during May 2013 - October 2016. This included Escherichia coli (n=36) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=65), categorized into two groups, namely Group I (resistant to all carbapenems; n=93; E. coli=34 and Klebsiella spp.=59) and Group II (non-resistant to all the carbapenems; n=8; E. coli=2 and Klebsiella spp.=6). Results: Though 88.17 per cent of Group I isolates exhibited ESBL property, the presence of carbapenemase activity (70.96%) and that of blaNDM gene (42/66: 63.63%) indicated their contributions towards the emergence of CRE. Further, porin loss and/or efflux pump activation among ESBL/carbapenemase-producing isolates heightened the MIC of meropenem from 64 to 256 mg/l (range exhibited by only ESBL/carbapenemase-producing isolates) to >256 mg/l. Interpretation & conclusions: These findings implied the major contribution of porin loss and/or efflux pump activation over the presence of ESBLs/carbapenemases in imparting carbapenem resistance in pathogenic bacteria.Item Correlation of oxidative stress and metabolic risk factors in apparently healthy adults(Mrs Dipika Charan of MedScience (India) Publications, 2023-03) Pal, A; Patel, AD; Gupta, V; Gupta, V; Verma, NS.Background: Diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia, all are the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS). Various studies have shown that each risk factor is associated with increased inflammation. hsCRP is a non-specific, sensitive inflammatory marker that is raised in various inflammatory conditions. Similarly, glutathione is an antioxidant which binds with ROS produced during inflammation and reduces damage caused by ROS. Aims and Objectives: This study has been planned to find the correlation between oxidative stress and metabolic risk factors in apparently healthy adults. Materials and Methods: We recruited apparently healthy adults (n = 120) and measured waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid profile, Fasting blood sugar, serum GSH, and hsCRP in all the subjects. Seventy-seven subjects were found to have at least one or more metabolic risk factors (Group A) according to NCEP ATP III criteria with waist circumference >90 cm for male and >80 cm for female and 43 were without any metabolic risk factors (Group B). Thereafter, we compared the serum levels of hsCRP and serum GSH with persons having one or more risk factors for MS. Results: In this study, we observed that subjects with metabolic risk factors were having more oxidative stress indicated by increased hsCRP (4783.1 ± 2060.21) and low serum GSH (3.17 ± 0.81) in comparison to controls (1640.5 ± 547.47 and 4.79 ± 0.77, respectively). This increase in hsCRP and decrease in GSH in case group was statistically significant. We also found the higher basal hsCRP levels in control group as per AHA/CDC study. Conclusion: We observed in this study that Indians without any risk factors for MS have relatively higher CRP levels and are at intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease. It was also observed that as the number of metabolic risk factors increases, the levels of hsCRP increases, and serum GSH decreases. This indicates that more risk factors are associated with higher oxidative stress.Item Cronkhite-Canada syndrome with hypothyroidism.(1990-07-01) Pal, A; Sen, S; Ghosh, S; Sarkar, R; Jalan, K NAn elderly man with non-familial gastrointestinal polyposis, malabsorption and progressive hypoproteinemia is reported. Associated alopecia, cutaneous hyperpigmentation and nail dystrophy with loss of nails were consistent with the diagnosis of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome. Hypothyroidism was present in this patient and the rare association of these two conditions is discussed.Item Cyberbullying among late adolescent: A cross-sectional study in two higher secondary schools of Kolkata, West Bengal(Indian Public Health Association, 2019-03) Mukherjee, S; Sinha, D; De, A; Misra, R; Pal, A; Mondal, TKCyberbullying is a newer phenomenon which is becoming more prevalent among adolescent students with the use of information technology. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of being cyberbullied among late adolescent and to study the behavior and the attitude on cyberbullying. It was a cross-sectional study conducted on 254 school students (15� years). Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire, and results were analyzed using SPSS version 20. About 210 (82.7%) students were using any form of social networking site and out of which 22 (10.5%) students were cyberbullied. Among those who were cyberbullied, the majority (16 [72.7%]) had no opinion and more than half (15 [68.2%]) sought their friends' help. Cyberbullying is emerging as a newer social problem in our country, where students' lack of awareness and understanding of it results in underreporting of cyberbullying incidents.Item Drosophila simulans Lethal hybrid rescue mutation (Lhr) rescues inviable hybrids by restoring X chromosomal dosage compensation and causes fluctuating asymmetry of development.(2007-12-29) Chatterjee, R N; Chatterjee, P; Pal, A; Pal-Bhadra, MThe Drosophila simulans Lhr rescues lethal hybrids from the cross of D. melanogaster and D. simulans. We describe here, the phenotypes of Lhr dependent rescue hybrids and demonstrate the effects of Lhr on functional morphology of the salivary chromosomes in the hybrids. Our results reveal that the phenotypes of the 'Lhr dependent rescued' hybrids were largely dependent on the genetic background and the dominance in species and hybrids, and not on Lhr. Cytological examination reveal that while the salivary chromosome of 'larval lethal' male carrying melanogaster X chromosome was unusually thin and contracted, in 'rescued' hybrid males (C(mel)X(mel)Y(sim); A(mel)A(sim)) the X chromosome showed typical pale staining, enlarged diameter and incorporated higher rate of (3)H-uridine in presence of one dose Lhr in the genome. In hybrid males carrying simulans X chromosome (C(mel)X(sim)Y(mel); A(mel)A(sim)), enlarged width of the polytene X chromosome was noted in most of the nuclei, in Lhr background, and transcribed at higher rate than that of the single X chromosome of male. In hybrid females (both viable, e.g., C(mel)X(mel)X(sim); A(mel)A(sim) and rescued, e.g., C(mel)X(mel)X(mel); A(mel)A(sim)), the functional morphology of the X chromosomes were comparable to that of diploid autosomes in presence of one dose of Lhr. In hybrid metafemales (C(mel)X(mel)X(mel)X(sim); A(mel)A(sim)), two dose of melanogaster X chromosomes and one dose of simulans X chromosome were transcribed almost at 'female' rate in hybrid genetic background in presence of one dose of Lhr. In rescued hybrid males, the melanogaster-derived X chromosome appeared to complete its replication faster than autosomes. These results together have been interpreted to have suggested that Lhr suppresses the lethality of hybrids by regulating functional activities of the X chromosome(s) for dosage compensation.Item An ELISA for quantitation of tetanus toxin.(1990-03-01) Pal, A; Kumar, R; Jailkhani, B LA sandwich ELISA for quantitation of tetanus toxin was devised using commercially available horse antitetanus antiserum and its HRP-conjugate. With commercial toxoid as a standard the assay had a lower sensitivity of 100 ng/ml and was linear up to 100 micrograms/ml. In terms of Lf equivalents the ELISA assay was linear from 0.02 to 20 Lf/ml. The Lf activity in 20 preparations of tetanus toxin as determined by ELISA was comparable to the activity measured by conventional flocculation tests (r = 0.987).Item Enteroaggregative Klebsiella pneumoniae in association with childhood diarrhoea.(2000-10-24) Niyogi, S K; Pal, A; Mitra, U; Dutta, PA total of 19 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated as sole pathogen from children with diarrhoea were used to study their virulence mechanism using different assays. Eith strains of K. pneumoniae exhibited aggregative adherence that was distinct from the stacked brick enteroaggregative pattern shown by Escherichia coli. The study suggests the presence of a new virulence mechanism in the pathogenesis of Klebsiella-associated diarrhoea.Item Gastric carcinoma in a child associated with nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the colon.(1990-10-01) Pal, A; Ghosh, S; Dadina, Z A; Agarwal, S K; Maitra, T KWe report a 12 year old boy of Nepalese origin with gastric adenocarcinoma and associated nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the colon, with hemoglobin E trait and normal serum immunoglobulins. The boy underwent a curative resection and is free of recurrence or metastasis nine months after diagnosis.Item Genital neoplasm in the elderly women of Himachal Pradesh: 6-year study.(1998-05-26) Gupta, K B; Pal, AItem Gynaecological neoplasms in postmenopausal women of Himachal Pradesh.(1994-10-01) Pal, A; Premi, H K; Gupta, K B; Randhawa, IA controlled prospective study was conducted on 300 postmenopausal women attending the Kamla Nehru Hospital from November, 1990 to August, 1992. The incidence of gynaecological neoplasms was 31.3% in both the study group (300 postmenopausal women) and the control group (300 premenopausal women). The incidence of malignant neoplasms was 24.6% in study group and 8.6% in control group. This difference was highly significant (p < 0.001). Carcinoma cervix (16%) was the commonest gynaecological malignancy followed by ovarian cancer (6%). The incidence of benign neoplasms was lower in the study group (6.6%) as compared to the control (22.6%).Item Histopathological changes in experimental cholera with a non toxigenic non- O1 non-O139 Vibrio cholerae strain isolated from Kolkata, India.(2006-03-17) Saha, D R; Pal, A; Rajendran, K; Dutta, PThis study was conducted to understand the pathophysiological changes in experimental rabbit ileal loop model using the Vibrio cholerae strain non-O1non-O139, isolated as sole pathogen from clinically diagnosed cholera patients in Kolkata. Significant amount of haemorrhagic fluid accumulation was observed in all the test loops of rabbit model where the strain of V.cholerae was inoculated as compared to control loops. Microscopic examination of the accumulated fluid showed the presence of erythrocytes and pus cells. Histology revealed structural alteration of the villous epithelium with inflammatory cells infiltration in all the layers of the gut mucosa including the nerve plexus region. Preliminary observation with a haemagglutinin protease extracted from the non-O1 non-O139 strain, was also studied in different concentrations in the same animal model which showed similar type of macroscopic and microscopic response in the ileal loops as seen with the original strain. The results highlight that along with other pathways, inflammatory cells and the enteric neurons have an important role in the pathophysiology of diarrhoea and the isolated protease may be the probable virulence factor in initiating the disease process in this non-O1non-O139 strain induced cholera.Item Immunochemical identification of mung bean actin like protein and its cellular involvement during germination.(1989-09) Ghosh, G; Pal, A; Biswas, SActin like protein, extracted and purified from Vigna radiata (mung bean) seedling, has been found to give positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with mouse monoclonal antiactin antibody. In vivo studies show that cytochalasin Β at sublethal dose inhibits the chromosomal movement at metaphase stage during germination. From in vitro studies it is found that the actin like protein isolated from mung bean seedling has a cytochalasin Β binding property with a Kd value 1·2 × 10–5 M. From these two specific observations it appears probable that the biological function of mung bean actin like protein is to take part in cell division process directly or indirectly during the time of seedling development.Item Localised plasmacytoma of stomach with immunohistochemical study--a case note.(1985-01-01) Maitra, T K; Chadha, V N; Agarwal, S K; Pal, A; Ghosh, JItem Malignant melanoma of the nose--report of a case.(1973-12-01) Sengupta, P; Pal, A; Mukhopadhay, S D