PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT: This study intends to evaluate the usefulness of sequential organ failure... more PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT: This study intends to evaluate the usefulness of sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) in assessing organ dysfunction and risk of mortality in patients admitted to ICU. BACKGROUND: Outcome prediction is important in both clinical and administrative ICU management. It can be usefully applied to monitor the progress of an individual ICU. It also provides useful information on likely patient outcomes for critically ill patients and also for therapeutic decision making and using available resources efficiently. In an ICU setting serial organ function monitoring is important since there is a time to time variation in the general condition of the patient. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) is one such outcome prediction model to assess prognosis and mortality risk in ICU patients. DATA COLLECTION AND THE SOURCE: All adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit of Coimbatore Medical College Hospital will be included in the study. Blood sampl...
Indian Journal of Clinical Anatomy and Physiology, 2017
Introduction: Extensor digitorum (ED) muscle is one of the component of fourth compartment of ext... more Introduction: Extensor digitorum (ED) muscle is one of the component of fourth compartment of extensor retinaculum along with extensor Indicis muscle. The muscle is morphologically described to divide into four tendons to the medial four digits. Yet, multitude of individual variations in the contribution of ED tendon to the extension of little finger along has been reported. And so this study was done to reconfirm the distribution pattern of extensor tendon to the little finger. Materials and Method: The upper extremities from 13 cadavers used for undergraduate routine dissection were observed. After dissection of the extensor compartment of the forearm and hand, the ED tendon in the dorsum of hand was delineated for focused study. The pattern of distribution of ED tendon to the little finger was noted in each hand. The morphology of extensor digiti minimi (EDM) and juncturae tendinum noted were also studied. Observation: In all 26 hands studied, ED tendon to little finger was found...
Malaria is still one of the most important global infectious diseases. Emergence of drug resistan... more Malaria is still one of the most important global infectious diseases. Emergence of drug resistance and a shortage of new efficient antimalarials continue to hamper a malaria eradication agenda. Malaria parasites are highly sensitive to changes in the redox environment. Understanding the mechanisms regulating parasite redox could contribute to the design of new drugs. Malaria parasites have a complex network of redox regulatory systems housed in their cytosol, in their mitochondrion and in their plastid (apicoplast). While the roles of enzymes of the thioredoxin and glutathione pathways in parasite survival have been explored, the antioxidant role of a-lipoic acid (LA) produced in the apicoplast has not been tested. To take a first step in teasing a putative role of LA in redox regulation, we analysed a mutant Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 strain) lacking the apicoplast lipoic acid protein ligase B (lipB) known to be depleted of LA. Our results showed a change in expression of redox regulators in the apicoplast and the cytosol. We further detected a change in parasite central carbon metabolism, with lipB deletion resulting in changes to glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle activity. Further, in another Plasmodium cell line (NF54), deletion of lipB impacted development in the mosquito, preventing the detection of infectious sporozoite stages. While it is not clear at this point if the observed phenotypes are linked, these findings flag LA biosynthesis as an important subject for further study in the context of redox regulation in asexual stages, and point to LipB as a potential target for the development of new transmission drugs.
The present research addresses the influence of using binary antifreeze admixtures on the strengt... more The present research addresses the influence of using binary antifreeze admixtures on the strength performance of concrete under different curing exposures of cold weather conditions. A comparison with the strength performance of controlled concrete under the curing exposures of cold weather conditions is also explored. Calcium nitrate and sodium thiocyanate were the binary antifreeze admixtures used in the present study. Concrete specimens were cured at different cold weather conditions such as, 1) freezing temperature of-5 • C and − 10 • C, 2) freezing temperature of-5 • C and − 10 • C along with water revitalization, 3) freezing and thawing cycles, 4) freezing and thawing cycles along with water revitalization. The present study inferences that the synergetic use of calcium nitrate and sodium thiocyanate have a great influence on strength enhancement of concrete under the influence of various curing exposures of cold weather conditions that would be a constructive solution to promote the concrete applications in cold weather conditions.
International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2019
Background: In recent times, one of the factors implied in poor school performance in children is... more Background: In recent times, one of the factors implied in poor school performance in children is increasing screen time. Objective of the study was to find the association of screen time duration with school performance among primary school children in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 134 primary school students at the state of Tamil Nadu, India from June 2019 to August 2019. Data regarding screen time were collected from the parents and school performance from teachers using a predesigned questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed with suitable statistical methods using SPSS 25 software.Results: Of the 134 children, 72(53.7%) were male and 62(46.3%) female children. 52(38.8%) were in the age group of 6 to 7 years, 47(35.1%) in the age group of 8 to 9 years and 35(26.1%) in the age group of 10 to 11 years. Majority of the children (56.7%) had an average daily screen time of >120 minutes followed by 61 to 12...
Publications Trends in Atomic Physics: A Global Perspective
International Journal of Information Studies and Libraries, 2016
The present study involves analyzing the worldwide publication scenarios on Atomic Physics using ... more The present study involves analyzing the worldwide publication scenarios on Atomic Physics using Web of Science database for a period of 10 years from 2004-2013. The database contains 29402 publications in the field of atomic physics. The publications have reached the highest number in the year 2008 with maximum of 6099 publications and the average paper per year is 2940.2. The compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of these publications have decreased from 0.58 in the year 2005 to 0.33 in the year 2012. The average value of collaboration coefficient on atomic physics paper publication is 0.63. 94.40% of papers have the multi authorship whereas 5.60% of contributions have come from single authors. USA has contributed maximum number of publications and India stands 12th in terms of paper publications on this topic in this period. The most prolific author is Ye, P D who has contributed 39 articles whereas Fanciulli, M and Kobayashi, K, contributed 37 articles each. University of Tokyo, J...
Location Dependent Information Services (LDISs), through which mobile clients can access location... more Location Dependent Information Services (LDISs), through which mobile clients can access location sensitive data such as weather information, traffic reports, and local news, are gaining increasing popularity in recent years. Simulations show that the proposed policies can significantly reduce energy consumption and access latency when compared to other replacement policies. In this paper, we studied the proposal of a cache replacement policy called Location Dependent Cooperative Caching (LDCC) and also discussed the issues of developing energy-efficient coordinated cache replacement policies in mobile ad hoc networks.
The present study analysis has been taken into account in the filed of mobile technology research... more The present study analysis has been taken into account in the filed of mobile technology research output using Engineering Index database for selected period of ten years from 2003 to 2012. This study also explores the trend in authorship pattern and collaborative in mobile technology publications with sample of 1, 44,567 research articles during the period from 2003 to 2012. The findings of the study shows that in the year 2011 was the most productive year with 20318 articles (14.05%) published. Among the top ten country wise authors, the highest numbers of articles (22.83%) were contributed by the authors from China. USA has got second rank to contribute in this field with 13.26% followed by Japan 8.11% of articles and Korea 6.82% of articles respectively. It is also important to know that out of ten top countries, India was the seventh place contributed 6150 articles. Among the top ten languages, the maximum number of articles have been published in English Language (96.12%), followed by Chinese 3.13% articles, Japanese 0.27% articles and 0.14% in Russian and German. The authors who have published maximum number of articles are also identified. The relative growth rates (RGR) and Doubling Time (DT) and many more features identified.
T he present work relates with developing long acting sustain release microspheres of ropinirole ... more T he present work relates with developing long acting sustain release microspheres of ropinirole hydrochloride (RPN) for treatment of Parkinson's disease, that will sustain drug release up to 1 month. Biodegradable microspheres of RPN were prepared by using two different polymers (poly lactic co glycolic acid [PLGA] 50:50 and PLGA 75:25) employing double emulsion (W/O/W) solvent evaporation method. Preliminary optimization of process parameter was done for concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution, stirring speed, temperature of PVA solution, ratio of the drug to polymer (D/P) and ratio of internal phase to external phase volume (IP/EP). All formulations were evaluated for particle size, percentage yield, entrapment efficiency (EE), shape etc. Formulation E3 and E4 shows maximum EE. % in vitro drug release per day of E3 and E4 batch was studied. The RPN was incorporated successfully in microspheres prepared with 0.5% w/v PVA at 8000 RPM stirring speed, 20°C processing temperature, 1:4 drug polymer ratio and 1:30 IP/EP ratio, which provides sustained release up to 4 weeks with better efficacy and patient compliance and can be employed as an alternative to existing oral medications.
Periodontitis and bone mineral density among pre and post menopausal women: A comparative study
Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology, 2010
The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between bone mineral density and periodontiti... more The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between bone mineral density and periodontitis in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Twenty women between the age group of 45-55 years were selected for this study. Ten premenopausal women with healthy periodontium constituted the control group and 10 postmenopausal women with ≥2mm of clinical attachment loss in >30% of sites constituted the study group. All patients were assessed for plaque index, probing depth and clinical attachment loss. Radiographs (six IOPA and two posterior bitewing) were taken and assessed for interproximal alveolar bone loss. The patients were scanned to assess the bone mineral density of lumbar spine (L2) and femur using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The bone mineral densities of lumbar spine (L2) and femur were significantly lower in the study group than the control group. Osteopenia of the lumbar spine and femur was observed in 60% whereas osteoporosis of lumbar spine was observed in 30% of cases in study group. Increased proportion of osteopenia and osteoporosis cases of lumbar spine and femur in postmenopausal women with periodontitis suggests that there is association between bone mineral density and periodontitis.
A plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) surface was modified by azidation using sodium azide in the pr... more A plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) surface was modified by azidation using sodium azide in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst in aqueous media. Subsequent to azidation, the surface was crosslinked using ultraviolet radiation. Contact angle measurements showed that the surface became hydrophilic on azidation whereas photoirradiation did not have any further effect on the hydrophilicity of the azidated surface. Control, azidated, and photocrosslinked surfaces were exposed to two strains of bacteria commonly implicated in device infection such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Whereas the control and photocrosslinked surfaces showed no significant difference in bacterial adhesion, the azidated surface showed significantly reduced adhesion to both strains. Data obtained indicate that the presence of an intact azide function on the polymer surface is responsible for the reduced bacterial adherence and the surface hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity did not exert any effect in the present case. Although azides are known to be effective only against Gram-negative species, surprising was the observation that the azidated polymer surface was equally effective against a Gram-positive species such as S. aureus. Because sodium azide is routinely used as a preservative to prevent bacterial and fungal growth in many microbiology reagents and diagnostic kits, covalent binding of the azide onto a polymer surface or synthesizing azide containing polymers may be an interesting method to investigate in tackling the problem of bacterial adhesion and colonization of medical devices.
Evaluation of Fish Production Using Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer
Journal of Applied Aquaculture, 2005
Abstract Efficient usage of fertilizers in organic or inorganic forms show conflicting results in... more Abstract Efficient usage of fertilizers in organic or inorganic forms show conflicting results in terms of net fish production under various climatic conditions. Manures applied to polyculture ponds as organic fertilizer, require a process of decomposition before the ...
Journal of Advances in Information Technology, 2011
Computer aided diagnosis of liver tumors from abdominal Computer Tomography (CT) images requires ... more Computer aided diagnosis of liver tumors from abdominal Computer Tomography (CT) images requires segmentation and analysis of tumor. Automatic segmentation of tumor from CT images is difficult, due to the size, shape, position and presence of other objects with the same intensity present in the image. Therefore, it is necessary to segment the liver first so that tumor can then be segmented accurately from it. Liver and tumor segmentation can be performed on the CT image manually or semi automatically. In this paper, an approach for automatic segmentation of liver and tumor from CT images mainly used for computer-aided diagnosis of liver is proposed. The method uses regiongrowing, facilitated by pre and post processing functions for automatic segmentation of liver and Alternative Fuzzy C-Means (AFCM) algorithm for tumor segmentation. The effectiveness of the algorithm is evaluated by comparing automatic segmentation results to the manual segmentation results. Quantitative comparison shows a close correlation between the automatic and manual as well as high spatial overlap between the regions-ofinterest (ROIs) generated by the two methods.
A cDNA library of Rinderpest vaccine virus was prepared in Zap Express vector (Stratagene). The R... more A cDNA library of Rinderpest vaccine virus was prepared in Zap Express vector (Stratagene). The Rinderpest 'N' gene specific clones were selected, characterized and thereafter expressed in E. coli XLOLR strain_. The expressed protein was found to be immunogenic in western blot with hyperimmune sera. It reacted with rinderpest and 'N' protein specific monoclonal antibodies in Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Prokaryotically expressed 'N' protein also gave precipitin band in counter immunoelectrophoresis test (CIE). The expression of N protein was sufficient for its utility as positive antigen in CIE and ELISA used for rinderpest diagnosis.
Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious animal disease caused by the Peste des Pe... more Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious animal disease caused by the Peste des Petits Ruminants virus (PPRV) belonging to the genus morbillivirus and family Paramyxoviridae. The disease results in high morbidity and mortality in goats, sheep and in some small wild ruminants. The presence of large number of small ruminants reared in endemic areas makes PPR a notorious disease threatening the livelihood of poor farmers. Conventional vaccination using a live, attenuated vaccine gives adequate protection but cannot be used in case of eradication of the disease due to diffi culty in differentiation of infected animals from the vaccinated ones. In the present study, we constructed two recombinant viruses using attenuated Modifi ed Vaccinia virus Ankara virus (MVA) namely MVA-F and MVA-H expressing the full length PPRV fusion (F) and hemagglutinin (H) glycoproteins, respectively. Goats were vaccinated intramuscularly with 10 5 plaque forming units (PFU) each of the recombinant viruses and a live attenuated vaccine (RAKSHA PPR) and challenged 4 months later with PPRV challenge virus (10 3 goat LD 50). All goats were completely protected from the clinical disease. This study gave an indication that mass vaccination of small ruminants with either of the above or both recombinant inexpensive virus vaccines could help in possible eradication of PPRV from endemic countries like India and subsequent seromonitoring of the disease for differentiation of infected animals from vaccinated ones.
A microsomal preparation (40,oo(r90,000g sediment) obtained from housefly larvae converts exogeno... more A microsomal preparation (40,oo(r90,000g sediment) obtained from housefly larvae converts exogenous phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidyl-P-methylcholine into the respective glycerophosphorylbases. The pH optimum is near 8.0, and the overall conversion is stimulated by 2.5 mM lauryl sulfate and is inhibited by Ca2+. Ca2+ primarily inhibits production of lysophospholipids. The combination of 1 mM HgC12 and 2.5 mM lauryl sulfate or 5 mM deoxycholate greatly stimulates the rate of production of the lysophospholipids but inhibits glycerophosphoryl base formation from diacyl glycerophosphatides. In contrast, the combination of low concentrations of lauryl sulfate or deoxycholate and HgClz inhibits lysophospholipid
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Papers by Santha Kumar