Tag: nevin manimala

Environ Monit Assess. 2023 Mar 28;195(4):515. doi: 10.1007/s10661-023-11148-2.

ABSTRACT

A dense network of rain gauges and considerably large variability of the southwest monsoon precipitation across the country make India a suitable test-bed to evaluate any satellite-based precipitation product. In this paper, three real-time infrared-only precipitation products derived from the INSAT-3D satellite namely, INSAT Multispectral Rainfall (IMR), Corrected IMR (IMC) and Hydro-Estimator (HEM) and three rain gauge-adjusted Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)-based multi-satellite precipitation products namely, Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) and an Indian merged satellite-gauge product (INMSG) have been evaluated over India at a daily timescale for the southwest monsoon seasons of 2020 and 2021. An evaluation against rain gauge-based gridded reference dataset shows noticeable reduction of bias in IMC product over IMR, primarily over the orographic regions. However, INSAT-3D infrared-only precipitation retrieval algorithms have limitations in shallow and convective precipitation estimation. Among rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite products, INMSG is shown to be the best product in the monsoon precipitation estimation over India due to use of rather larger number of rain gauges than IMERG and GSMaP products. All satellite-derived precipitation products, i.e. infrared-only and gauge-adjusted multi-satellite products underestimate heavy monsoon precipitation by 50-70%. The bias decomposition analysis indicates that a simple statistical bias correction would considerably improve the performance of the INSAT-3D precipitation products over the central India, but the same might not work over the west coast due to rather larger contributions of both positive and negative hit bias components. Although rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products show very small or negligible total biases in the monsoon precipitation estimation, positive and negative hit bias components are considerable over the west coast and central India. Furthermore, rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products underestimate very heavy to extremely heavy precipitation with larger magnitudes than the INSAT-3D derived precipitation products over the central India. Among the rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products, INMSG has smaller bias and error than IMERG and GSMaP products for very heavy to extremely heavy monsoon precipitation over the west coast and central India. Preliminary results of this study would be useful for end users in choosing a better precipitation product for real-time and research applications as well as for algorithm developers in further improving these products.

PMID:36976412 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-023-11148-2

J Math Biol. 2023 Mar 28;86(4):62. doi: 10.1007/s00285-023-01889-6.

ABSTRACT

Darwinian evolution is driven by random mutations, genetic recombination (gene shuffling) and selection that favors genotypes with high fitness. For systems where each genotype can be represented as a bitstring of length L, an overview of possible evolutionary trajectories is provided by the L-cube graph with nodes labeled by genotypes and edges directed toward the genotype with higher fitness. Peaks (sinks in the graphs) are important since a population can get stranded at a suboptimal peak. The fitness landscape is defined by the fitness values of all genotypes in the system. Some notion of curvature is necessary for a more complete analysis of the landscapes, including the effect of recombination. The shape approach uses triangulations (shapes) induced by fitness landscapes. The main topic for this work is the interplay between peak patterns and shapes. Because of constraints on the shapes for [Formula: see text] imposed by peaks, there are in total 25 possible combinations of peak patterns and shapes. Similar constraints exist for higher L. Specifically, we show that the constraints induced by the staircase triangulation can be formulated as a condition of universal positive epistasis, an order relation on the fitness effects of arbitrary sets of mutations that respects the inclusion relation between the corresponding genetic backgrounds. We apply the concept to a large protein fitness landscape for an immunoglobulin-binding protein expressed in Streptococcal bacteria.

PMID:36976406 | DOI:10.1007/s00285-023-01889-6

Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023 Mar 28. doi: 10.1007/s10549-023-06923-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare subtype of breast cancer, defined as mammary carcinoma with squamous or mesenchymal differentiation, that may include spindle cell, chondroid, osseous, or rhabdomyoid differentiation patterns. The implications of MBC recurrence and survival outcomes remains unclear.

METHODS: Cases were ascertained from a prospectively maintained institutional database of patients treated from 1998 to 2015. Patients with MBC were matched 1:1 to non-MBC cases. Cox proportional-hazards models and Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to evaluate outcome differences between cohorts.

RESULTS: 111 patients with MBC were matched 1:1 with non-MBC patients from an initial set of 2400 patients. Median follow-up time was 8 years. Most patients with MBC received chemotherapy (88%) and radiotherapy (71%). On univariate competing risk regression, MBC was not associated with locoregional recurrence (HR = 1.08; p = 0.8), distant recurrence (HR = 1.65; p = 0.092); disease-free survival (HR = 1.52; p = 0.065), or overall survival (HR = 1.56; p = 0.1). Absolute differences were noted in 8-year disease-free survival (49.6% MBC vs 66.4% non-MBC) and overall survival (61.3% MBC vs 74.4% non-MBC), though neither of these reached statistical significance (p = 0.07 and 0.11, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Appropriately-treated MBC may exhibit recurrence and survival outcomes that are difficult to distinguish from those of non-MBC. While prior studies suggest that MBC has a worse natural history than non-MBC triple-negative breast cancer, prudent use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy may narrow these differences, although studies with more power will be required to inform clinical management. Longer follow-up among larger populations may further elucidate the clinical and therapeutic implications of MBC.

PMID:36976395 | DOI:10.1007/s10549-023-06923-1

World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2023 Mar 28;39(5):137. doi: 10.1007/s11274-023-03589-1.

ABSTRACT

Electrical instruments are an integral part of human life resulting in a vast electronic waste generation (74.7 Mt by 2030), threatening human life and the environment due to its hazardous nature. Therefore, proper e-waste management is a necessity. Currently, bio-metallurgy is a sustainable process and an emerging research field. Simultaneous leaching of metals using two groups of indigenous heterotrophs and autotrophs was an exciting work done in this study. Bioleaching experiments using pre-adapted cultures were investigated at three e-waste densities: 5, 10, and 15 g/L. Statistical analysis was done using two-way ANOVA. Copper (93%), zinc (21.5%), and nickel (10.5%) had the highest recovery efficiencies. There was a significant difference between copper, nickel, tin, and zinc concentrations and the bacterial group (P < 0.05); Iron-oxidizing bacteria showed the most weight decrease and recovered 46-47% of total metals, mainly copper and nickel, while sulfur oxidizers were more capable of zinc leaching. The heterotrophs solubilized tin preferably and substantially decreased e-waste weight. Using heterotrophs alongside autotrophs is proposed to promote metal recovery.

PMID:36976392 | DOI:10.1007/s11274-023-03589-1

J Int Med Res. 2023 Mar;51(3):3000605231161204. doi: 10.1177/03000605231161204.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To develop a nomogram that discriminates lung cancer from benign lung nodules through metabolic profiling.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study that recruited 848 participants who were randomized into training and validation sets at a 7:3 ratio. Clinical characteristics and metabolic profiles were retrieved. Variables in the training set with statistically significant differences were selected for further least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. The nomogram was built from 13 variables identified by stepwise regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic, calibration curve, and decision curve analyses were conducted to evaluate the performance of the nomogram by internal validation.

RESULTS: Thirteen variables were selected through LASSO regression to build the nomogram: age, sex, ornithine, tyrosine, glutamine, valine, serine, asparagine, arginine, methylmalonylcarnitine, tetradecenoylcarnitine, 3-hydroxyisovaleryl carnitine/2-methyl-3-hydroxybutyrylcarnitine, and hydroxybutyrylcarnitine. The nomogram had good discrimination for the training set, with an area under the curve of 0.836 (95% confidence interval: 0.830-0.890). Moreover, the calibration curve with 1000 bootstrap resamples showed that the predicted value coincided well with the actual value. Decision curve analysis described a net benefit superior to baseline within the threshold probability range of 15% to 93%.

CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram constructed from metabolic profiling accurately predicted risk of lung cancer.

PMID:36974888 | DOI:10.1177/03000605231161204

Plant Physiol. 2023 Mar 28:kiad194. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad194. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Roots anchor plants in soil, and the failure of anchorage (i.e., root lodging) is a major cause of crop yield loss. Anchorage is often assumed to be driven by root system architecture. We made use of a natural experiment to measure the overlap between the genetic regulation of root system architecture and anchorage. After one of the most devastating derechos ever recorded in August 2020, we phenotyped root lodging in a maize (Zea mays) diversity panel consisting of 369 genotypes grown in six environments affected by the derecho. Genome-wide association studies and transcriptome-wide association studies identified 118 candidate genes associated with root lodging. Thirty-four percent (40/118) of these were homologs of genes from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that affect traits such as root morphology and lignin content, expected to affect root lodging. Finally, Gene Ontology enrichment analysis of the candidate genes and their predicted interaction partners at the transcriptional and translational levels revealed the complex regulatory networks of physiological and biochemical pathways underlying root lodging in maize. Limited overlap between genes associated with lodging resistance and root system architecture in this diversity panel suggests that anchorage depends in part on factors other than gross characteristics of root system architecture.

PMID:36974884 | DOI:10.1093/plphys/kiad194

J Nepal Health Res Counc. 2023 Mar 10;20(3):779-785. doi: 10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.3952.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Antenatal care is medical supervision and care given to pregnant women to ensure, support and maintain maternal and fetal well-being throughout the pregnancy. Therefore, this study was done to find out the utilization of antenatal services among postnatal mothers.

METHODS: The descriptive cross sectional study design was used to identify the utilization of antenatal services among postnatal mothers who came in Maternal and Child Health Clinic for the immunization of baby. Total 367 postnatal mothers within one year of childbirth were recruited by simple random sampling technique, and data was collected with face-to-face interview by using semi structured interview schedule. Analysis was done by using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS: All postnatal mothers consumed iron and folic acid during pregnancy, 96.2% consumed until the childbirth, 94.0% got freely, 97.0% taken anti helminths drug, 98.1% did urine test, 98.1% did blood test, 97.8% got ultrasound service, and 96.5% received Td vaccine. Likewise, higher proportion had checked weight 98.6% and lower proportion had checked height 86.9%. Similarly, majority 90.2% received counselling on danger signs and only 26.2% received the counselling on preparation of items safe delivery and care of newborns. There is significant association of antenatal care service utilization with postnatal mothers’ educational level and her husband’s occupation (P<0.05 level).

CONCLUSIONS: Although most of the postnatal mothers utilized antenatal care services, some aspect of antenatal education and counselling need to be improved such as preparation of item for delivery and new born care, finance, and blood donors.

PMID:36974874 | DOI:10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.3952

J Nepal Health Res Counc. 2023 Mar 10;20(3):750-754. doi: 10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.4366.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Solefinacin and Tolterodine are new generation antimuscarinics claimed to have bladder specific action and less adverse effect like dry mouth. The objective of the study was to compare the improvement in urinary symptoms among patients using solefinacin and tolterodine with overactive bladder symptoms.

METHODS: A hospital based cross-sectional comparative study was done for one year duration. All patients with overactive bladder symptoms were included and in every alternate patient’s solefinacin and tolterodine were given after taking note of baseline OAB symptoms, PPBC score and UPS score. Participants were followed up after one month and noted improvement in endpoint OAB symptoms. Comparison of baseline to end-point symptoms changes among each group of participants were analyzed for statistical significance.

RESULTS: Among 101 participants included in the study, 49 participants were in solefinacin group and 52 participants were in tolterodine group. The end-point comparison of urgency symptoms were improved by 20.1±6.76 (mean ± SD) units in solefinacin group and by 17.0 ± 9.18 units in tolterodine group. Urgency perception score improved to 2.1±0.66 for patients under solefinacin and 2±0.73 for tolterodine. Patient perception of bladder condition (PPBC) showed improvement in solefinacin group by 3.2±1.26 units and in tolteradine by 2.8±1.54 units (p = 0.165). Comparing the patient’s perception of treatment outcome, massive improvement was reported by 81.6% of those receiving Solefinacinand 65.4% receiving tolterodine, though not statistically significant ( p = 0.131).

CONCLUSIONS: Solefinacin and Tolterodine showed improvement in urinary symptoms, UPS and PPBC. Both showed comparable efficacy without significant superiority over one another.

PMID:36974869 | DOI:10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.4366

J Nepal Health Res Counc. 2023 Mar 10;20(3):746-749. doi: 10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.4408.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Alopecia Areata is a common non scarring alopecia with autoimmune etiology. In several previous studies, an insufficient level of 25 hydroxyvitamin D had been correlated with various autoimmune diseases. The current study aimed to determine the level of serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D in patients with alopecia areata.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 35 patients with alopecia areata who visited the outpatient department of Dermatology of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Nepal. A prior approval of the institute review committee was taken. Convenience sampling technique period for 3 months (March 2022-May 2022) was used to include the participants (informed consent was taken; in minors parental consent was prepared). The serum levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D was estimated using Abbott Architect i1000 SR analyser.

RESULT: In this study, Alopecia Areata was common in the age group of 16-30 years (Mean age: 31.65 ± 11.92 Years). The average duration of the disease in Alopecia Areata patients was close to 1 year. This study indicated a lower concentration of 25 hydroxyvitamin D in half of the studied AA patients (51.4%).The number of patches, Severity of Alopecia Tool scoring, serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D level, and age were found to be statistically insignificant with the disease activity. However, a significant positive correlation was found between the Severity of Alopecia Tool score and the number of patches.

CONCLUSIONS: Although low levels of serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D may be seen among subjects with alopecia areata; No statistical correlation was observed. Hence, a larger study of similar nature is needed in the future to elucidate the exact correlation.

PMID:36974868 | DOI:10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.4408

J Nepal Health Res Counc. 2023 Mar 10;20(3):739-745. doi: 10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.4388.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The skill, accessibility, and knowledge of community pharmacists have been paramount in managing pandemics. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacy personnel towards tackling COVID-19 pandemic which might help concerned authorities to take effective actions to eliminate the gaps for the management of such pandemic in an efficient way.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 428 community pharmacy personnel from different community pharmacies in Kathmandu, Nepal from December 2021 to February 2022. Statistical analysis was done through SPSS® v21 and MedCalc for Windows v12.3.0.

RESULTS: Most of the participants (42.76%) had certificate-level degrees in their respective fields and one to five years of working experience (48.84%). Only 29.67% of the respondents had good knowledge towards tackling COVID-19, whereas good attitude and practice were demonstrated by 59.11% and 42.29% respectively. The participants with higher degrees and more working experience had better knowledge, attitude, and practice. Education level bachelor and above was independent predictor of good knowledge (OR 20.69, 95% CI 11.30-37.90). Knowledge and practice (Spearman’s rho: 0.135; P ≤0.005) and attitude and practice (Spearman’s rho: 0.095; P = 0.049) scores were positively correlated.

CONCLUSIONS: The significant association of community pharmacy personnel’s educational level with knowledge, attitude, and practices demands the necessity of policy-making bodies’ involvement for the mandatory presence of well-qualified pharmacists and regular training at the community pharmacy level. Furthermore, it is high time to reinforce the drug regulatory acts, regulations, and codes all over the nation.

PMID:36974867 | DOI:10.33314/jnhrc.v20i3.4388