Aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström exponent (AE) are the major environmental indicators to perceive air quality and the impact of aerosol on climate change and health as well as the global atmospheric conditions. In the present study, an average of AOD and AE data from Tera and Aqua satellites of MODIS sensors has been investigated over 7 years i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present work aims to investigate seasonal variations in air pollution levels in Lucknow and assess the ambient air quality of the city together with highlighting the health impacts of major pollutants like PM, PM, SO, NO, Pb, Ni and aerosols from 2010 to 2019. The maximum and minimum values of PM, PM, SO, NO, Pb and Ni were found to be 270.75 and 122.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Over the past four decades, there has been an increase in the number of fatal opportunistic invasive trichosporonosis cases especially in immunocompromised hosts.
Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical details and antifungal susceptibility pattern of the patients with Trichosporon infections.
Materials And Methods: Twenty-four clinical isolates of Trichosporon species isolated from blood, samples, pleural fluid and nail were included in this study, over a period of 12 years (2005-2016) in a tertiary hospital in North India.
Indian J Crit Care Med
March 2020
With increasing awareness of "greener" environment, market is flooded with biopesticide. Natural insecticides can be chemical, mineral, or biological. We report an unusual case of methemoglobinemia after deliberate ingestion of an insecticide containing extract of pine oil and azadirachtin oil, Ti oil, and kerosene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is a fatal infection in haematology patients. There is an urgent need for reliable screening methods facilitating timely diagnosis and treatment. A real-time panfungal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay based on TaqMan technology targeting 18S ribosomal RNA gene was used to screen whole blood specimen obtained from series of Haematology malignancy patients for IFIs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spectrum of presentation of a victim of neurotoxic snake bite can range from mild ptosis to complete paralysis and ophthalmoplegia. We report a case of snake bite in a 10-year-old child who was comatosed with bilateral fixed dilated pupils and absent doll's eye movement that was interpreted as brain death. Physicians need to be aware of the likelihood of snakebite presenting as locked in syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ulinastatin is reported to inhibit pro-inflammatory markers and also inhibits coagulation and fibrinolysis. The drug is available in East Asia for the treatment of acute pancreatitis.
Aim: To study the effect of addition of ulinastatin to standard care on mortality and morbidity in Indian subjects with acute pancreatitis.
Purpose: Ulinastatin, a serine protease inhibitor, inhibits several pro-inflammatory proteases and decreases inflammatory cytokine levels and mortality in experimental sepsis. We studied the effect of ulinastatin on 28-day all-cause mortality in a double-blind trial in patients with severe sepsis in seven Indian hospitals.
Methods: Patients with sepsis were randomized within 48 h of onset of one or more organ failures to receive intravenous administration of ulinastatin (200,000 IU) or placebo 12 hourly for 5 days.
A novel label-free technique for the detection of pathogens based on evanescent wave absorbance (EWA) changes at 280 nm from a U-bent optical fiber sensor is demonstrated. Bending a decladded fiber into a U-shaped structure enhances the penetration depth of evanescent waves and hence sensitivity of the probe. We show that the enhanced EWA response from such U-bent probes, caused by the inherent optical absorbance properties of bacterial cells or biomolecules specifically bound to the sensor surface, can be exploited for the detection of pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spectrum of candidiasis has changed with the emergence of non-albicans Candida spp. and acquired antifungal resistance, especially in immunocompromised hosts. This changing scenario has necessitated routine antifungal susceptibility testing.
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