Groundwater hydrogeochemistry and potential health risk assessment through exposure to elevated arsenic in Darrang district of north bank plain of the Brahmaputra.

The current study investigates groundwater contamination in Darrang district, situated in the flood-prone Brahmaputra Valley. This research evaluates the concentrations and geospatial distributions of iron, fluoride, and arsenic in groundwater samples (n = 347) and assesses their potential ecotoxicological risks to human health. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to investigate the sources and the mobilization mechanism of the contaminants in the aquifer system.

Airway Mucus Plugs on Chest Computed Tomography Are Associated with Exacerbations in COPD.

Unlabelled: Rationale/Objective: Acute exacerbations (AEs) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Whether mucus plugs are associated with prospective exacerbations has not been examined extensively.

Methods: Mucus plugs were visually-identified on baseline chest computed tomography (CT) scans from smokers with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grades 2-4 COPD enrolled in two multicenter cohort studies: Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints (ECLIPSE) and COPDGene.

The urban air quality nexus: Assessing the interplay of land cover change and air pollution in emerging South Asian cities.

Air quality degradation presents a significant public health challenge, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions where changes in land use/land cover (LULC) can dramatically influence pollution levels. This study investigates the association between LULC changes and air pollution (AP) in the five fastest-growing cities of Bangladesh from 1998 to 2021. Leveraging satellite data from Landsat and Sentinel-5P, the analysis reveals a substantial increase in urban areas and sparse vegetation, with declines in dense vegetation and water bodies over this period.

Silent Airway Mucus Plugs in COPD and Clinical Implications.

Background: Airway mucus plugs are frequently identified on CT scans of patients with COPD with a smoking history without mucus-related symptoms (ie, cough, phlegm [silent mucus plugs]).

Research Question: In patients with COPD, what are the risk and protective factors associated with silent airway mucus plugs? Are silent mucus plugs associated with functional, structural, and clinical measures of disease?

Study Design And Methods: We identified mucus plugs on chest CT scans of participants with COPD from the COPDGene study. The mucus plug score was defined as the number of pulmonary segments with mucus plugs, ranging from 0 to 18, and categorized into three groups (0, 1-2, and ≥ 3).

Langmuir monolayer of lysozyme at variable subphase pH conditions: a comprehensive study on structure, morphology and hysteresis behaviour.

Formation of a pure Langmuir monolayer of lysozyme at the air-water interface and its investigation by means of a surface pressure ()-mean molecular area () isotherm has been accomplished under different subphase pH conditions. A normalized area-time curve confirms the stable nature of the lysozyme monolayer whose compressibility variation with an increased surface pressure at specific subphase pH has also been studied from - isotherms. The monolayers exhibit irreversible hysteresis behaviour irrespective of subphase pH conditions, as evidenced from successive compression-expansion - isotherm cycles.

Airway-Occluding Mucus Plugs and Mortality in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Importance: Airway mucus plugs are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, the association of airway mucus plugging and mortality in patients with COPD is unknown.

Objective: To determine whether airway mucus plugs identified on chest computed tomography (CT) were associated with increased all-cause mortality.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Observational retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of patients with a diagnosis of COPD in the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD cohort.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Useful as a Cost-Effective Preliminary Prognostic Marker in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI): An Observational Study From a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northeast India.

Introduction Myocardial infarction, a major consequence of coronary artery disease, is an important cause of in-hospital mortality and morbidity worldwide. Blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a novel laboratory marker of systemic inflammation that can predict the severity and mortality in various non-cardiovascular illnesses, including malignancy and infective pathology. We sought to evaluate its potential in predicting the outcome in hospitalized patients with myocardial infarction.

Nano-functionalization and evaluation of antimicrobial activity of against the TolB protein of - An antibacterial and computational study.

Introduction: Antibacterial drug resistance, brought on by the overuse of antibiotics, is one of the biggest threats to human health. It is crucial to consider cutting-edge strategies, such as herbal remedies, to control multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria.

Methods: This study evaluated the phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the various extracts.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is more strongly associated with coronary artery disease than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that the population attributable risk of low forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV) for coronary artery disease (CAD) is substantial. FEV can be low either because of airflow obstruction or ventilatory restriction. It is not known if low FEV arising from spirometric obstruction or restriction are differently associated with CAD.

COVID-19 serum can be cross-reactive and neutralizing against the dengue virus, as observed by the dengue virus neutralization test.

Objectives: Observing the serological cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 and dengue virus (DV), we aimed to elucidate its effect on dengue serodiagnosis and infectivity in a highly dengue-endemic city in India.

Methods: A total of 52 COVID-19 (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] positive) serum samples were tested in rapid lateral flow immunoassays and DV immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect DV or SARS-CoV-2 IgG/immunoglobulin M. The COVID-19 antibody (Ab) positive samples were subjected to a virus neutralization test (Huh7 cells) using DV type 1 (DV1) clinical isolate.

An eco-friendly removal of Cd(II) utilizing banana pseudo-fibre and Moringa bark as indigenous green adsorbent and modelling of adsorption by artificial neural network.

Heavy metal-contaminated water can be effectively treated using adsorbents made from abundantly available biomass. The present investigation was carried out to adsorb Cd(II) from synthetic solution by banana pseudo-stem (BP) and Moringa oleifera stem bark (MB). Adsorption efficiencies of both adsorbents were studied in the batch reactor by conducting experiments to determine the consequences of changes of pH, adsorbent dosages, initial Cd(II) concentrations, incubation time, and temperature.

Non-structural protein 1 (NS1) variants from dengue virus clinical samples revealed mutations that influence NS1 production and secretion.

Dengue diagnosis primarily relies on NS1 ELISA and serological (IgG/IgM) tests. There are reports of low and variable sensitivity of the widely used NS1 ELISA tests. Poor sensitivity has been attributed to patient's infection status, prevalent serotypes, and the geographical origin of the samples.

Altered Sleep Duration and Poor Quality of Sleep Among Pharmacy Students Amidst COVID-19 Lockdown: A South-Indian Study.

Introduction/background: The nationwide lockdown enforced due to the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 had a definite impact on sleep.

Objective: To observe any changes in the duration, pattern and quality of sleep among pharmacy students due to the lockdown.

Methods: A google form-based cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out after approval was obtained from the ethical committee in the month of July 2021 among 310 pharmacy students.

Clozapine-Induced Pericardial Effusion Presenting with Persistent Tachycardia.

Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic used in refractory schizophrenia and depression. Its use is often complicated by its vast side-effect profile including cardiovascular reactions, agranulocytosis, and seizures. Specifically, the cardiac complications of clozapine have been shown to predominantly cause myocarditis and pericarditis.

Cardiac computed tomographic evaluation of coronary artery calcification: A review.

Vascular calcification is most commonly due to atherosclerosis. It has been well documented that absence of coronary calcification on a chest CT (CCT) is associated with low cardiovascular events and good prognosis. High CT calcium scores often result in a higher incidence of cardiovascular events and worse survival.

An Updated Comparison of Conventional Coronary Angiography With Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Diagnose the Origin and Proximal Course of Anomalous Coronary Arteries.

Background: Anomalous coronary arteries (ACAs) may present increased risk for adverse cardiac events. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of conventional coronary angiography (CCA), as it is currently used in clinical practice, compared with expert interpretation and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in determining the site of origin and proximal course of ACAs.

Methods: Fifty consecutive patients without concomitant congenital heart disease, who were referred for CMR to diagnose the course of an ACA, were retrospectively evaluated.

Archived dengue serum samples produced false-positive results in SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow-based rapid antibody tests.

Co-endemicity of SARS-CoV-2 and dengue virus (DV) infection is becoming a matter of serious concern as it has been already reported that antibodies (Ab) elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection can produce false-positive results in dengue IgG and IgM rapid tests and . Here we communicate that five of thirteen DV antibody-positive serum samples from Kolkata, archived in 2017 (predating the COVID-19 outbreak), produced false-positive results in SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM lateral flow-based rapid tests. Our results emphasize the importance of implementing tests with higher specificity to conduct sero-surveillance for accurate estimation of SARS-CoV-2/DV prevalence in regions where both viruses now co-exist.

Correlation of Computed Tomography Test Bolus Dynamics and Conventional Computed Tomography Parameters With Pulmonary Vascular Resistance in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Objective: Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is a measurement obtained with invasive right heart catheterization (RHC) that is commonly used for management of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is also done as part of the workup for PAH in some cases. The aim of our study was to assess the correlation of contrast dynamic changes in the main pulmonary artery (MPA) on CTPA with PVR obtained with RHC.