The hospital- and field-based performances of the OptiMAL test, for malaria diagnosis and treatment monitoring in central India.

The performance of the OptiMAL test, to detect and differentiate Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, was evaluated in central India. The subjects were either symptomatic patients, who presented at a referral hospital in urban Jabalpur, or the inhabitants of remote, tribal, forested villages where malaria is a major public-health problem.

Usefulness of an inexpensive, Paracheck test in detecting asymptomatic infectious reservoir of plasmodium falciparum during dry season in an inaccessible terrain in central India.

Objectives: The performance of a new indigenous rapid diagnostic test, Paracheck Pf was evaluated in detection of Plasmodium falciparum in asymptomatic children in remote forest villages of Mandla district, central India to determine the lower limits of sensitivity and specificity of rapid test.

Methods: A finger prick blood sample was collected to prepare blood smear and for testing with the Paracheck test. The blood smears were read by an experienced technician blinded to the Paracheck results.

Patterns of rainfall and malaria in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

Some recent outbreaks of Plasmodium falciparum malaria have been attributed, at least in part, to increases in the intensity and duration of rainfall caused by the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO), a periodic climatic phenomenon. Since it takes time for unusually heavy rainfall to translate into unusually high densities of the vector mosquitoes, it has been suggested that data on recent rainfall might be used to predict climate-related epidemics of malaria. This possibility was explored by comparing the patterns in the incidence of malaria in (1) Dungaria, a highly malarious village in the central-Indian district of Mandla, and (2) Mandla district as a whole, for the periods 1986-2000 and 1967-2000, respectively, with data on rainfall for the same areas and periods.

Restenosis in Saphenous Vein Grafts.

The growing population of patients with aged saphenous vein grafts has become a clinical challenge of increasing magnitude. Efforts to treat these patients with transcatheter interventions have been limited by distal embolization and restenosis. The use of intravascular stents has been a major breakthrough in improving the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of such patients.

An assessment of the usefulness of a rapid immuno-chromatographic test, "Determine trade mark malaria pf" in evaluation of intervention measures in forest villages of central India.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum malaria, is a major health problem in forested tribal belt of central India. Rapid and accurate methods are needed for the diagnosis of P. falciparum.

Use of beetles in forensic entomology.

Beetles (Coleoptera) have been recognised as providing significant entomological evidence in the medico-legal field, particularly with reference to dry human skeletal remains in the later stages of decomposition. The Dermestidae (skin beetles) and Cleridae (bone beetles) have been found as the most common types infesting exposed human remains and providing evidence in estimating the minimum postmortem interval (PMI).

Anopheline ecology and malaria transmission at a new irrigation project area (Bargi Dam) in Jabalpur (Central India).

Anopheline ecology and malaria transmission were studied in a newly irrigated area of the Bargi Project, District Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Observations were made for 2 years (1993-95) in 10 villages along the Bargi irrigation canal, which are situated between 44 km (head end of canal) and 78 km (tail end of canal) from the dam site. Anopheles annularis was the predominant species in the head-end villages and its abundance was directly related to the opening of the canal, whereas Anopheles culicifacies was the most abundant species in tail-end villages, where irrigation is limited.

Effectiveness of alpha-beta arteether in clearing Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia in central India (Madhya Pradesh).

Forty-six patients (25 Females + 21 Males) of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum in districts Jabalpur and Mandla of central India (Madhya Pradesh) were administered alpha-beta arteether (an ethyl derivative of qinghaosu), intramuscularly for 3 consecutive days (150 mg once a day). The results revealed that there was rapid control of fever in all the patients without administration of any antipyretic drug. The mean parasite clearance time was 30.

Use of neem oil as a mosquito repellent in tribal villages of mandla district, madhya pradesh.

A field study was carried out to evaluate the mosquito repellent action of neem (Azadirachta indica) oil in tribal forested villages of District Mandla. Various concentrations of neem oil mixed in coconut oil (1-4%) were applied to the exposed body parts of human volunteers. Results revealed 81-91% protection during 12 h period of observation from the bites of anopheline mosquitoes.

Cerebral malaria in Jabalpur, India.

A total of 1783 patients were admitted in Govt. Medical College Hospital, Jabalpur with fever in 1993. Out of these 152 (8.

ABO blood groups among malaria cases from district Mandla, Madhya Pradesh.

A total of 2095 patients with fever were tested for malaria and classified according to ABO blood groups. Only 696 cases were malaria positive. While blood group A, B and O were equally susceptible to malaria infection, AB blood group had less number of persons with malaria parasites.

Isolation of an unknown compound, from both blood of Bhopal aerosol disaster victims and residue of tank E-610 of Union Carbide India Limited--chemical characterization of the structure.

A total of more than 28 chemical entities/reaction products in the form of gases, vapour and particulate matter were reported from the tank E-610 of methyl isocyanate (MIC) storage tank of Union Carbide India Limited on the night of 2/3 December 1984 in Bhopal. In earlier studies, methyl isocyanate and its trimer, with a few other compounds, were reported in the human victims preserved in deep freeze. Randomly selected samples were analysed by gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer (ITD-800, Finnigan MAT, UK).

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of alcohols with reference to body distribution of methanol.

A method has been developed on reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography for simultaneous determination of methyl, ethyl and isopropyl alcohols under refractive index detection using pure water as the mobile phase. A good separation has been achieved between these alcohols. Detector response was linear with a detection limit of 5 mg/100 ml.

High performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides.

A method has been developed for the rapid quantitative analysis of organophosphorous and carbamate pesticides using HPLC. Good separation was obtained among the four major groups of organophosphorus pesticides [i.e.