EVALUATION OF ANTI-ULCER ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF JASMINUM TRICHOTOMUM LEAVES IN ALBINO RATS

Jasminum trichotomum Leaves (oleaceae) has been reported various medicinal uses including analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities. We studied the anti-ulcer potential of the methanolic extract in order to validate ethanobotanical claim regarding the plant use in the above mentioned disorders. Gastro protective potential of the methanolic extract of Jasminum trichotomum (200 and 400 mg/kg/body weight) was studied on ethanol induced ulcers. The results of the present study shows that the methanol extracts of Jasminum trichotomum exert gastro-protective action against ethanol induced ulcer model. The parameters studied were ulcer index, total acidity and free acidity. These findings could justify, at least partially, the inclusion of this plant in the management of gastric disorders in traditional medicine. KEYWORDS: Analgesic, Antipyretic, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-ulcer, Jasminum trichotomu

Analysis of COVID-19 Pandemic - Origin, Global Impact and Indian Therapeutic Solutions for infectious diseases

The first case of COVID-19 was reported in China on December 2019[1] and almost 213 countries has reported around 5,350,000 COVID-19 cases all over the world with the mortality rate up to 3.4% as of May 23,2020. On March 11, 2020 WHO (World Health Organization) declared COVID-19 as global pandemic. Moving towards from epidemic to global pandemic situation just in two months, COVID-19 has caused tremendous negative effects on people's wellbeing and the economy all over the world. Scientists and researchers all over the world have a vested interest in researching and mitigating to handle the dire situation. This paper covers the COVID-19's origin, characteristics of the virus, and reasons behind the outbreak and precautionary measures that have to be followed to handle the critical situation. Several therapeutic solutions in Indian healing tradition have been discussed to improve the immune system in order to equip ourselves to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19.

Hyperglycemia and steroid use increase the risk of rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis regardless of COVID-19 hospitalization: Case-control study, India.

BackgroundIn the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an increased incidence of ROCM was noted in India among those infected with COVID. We determined risk factors for rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) post Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among those never and ever hospitalized for COVID-19 separately through a multicentric, hospital-based, unmatched case-control study across India.MethodsWe defined cases and controls as those with and without post-COVID ROCM, respectively. We compared their socio-demographics, co-morbidities, steroid use, glycaemic status, and practices. We calculated crude and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) through logistic regression. The covariates with a p-value for crude OR of less than 0·20 were considered for the regression model.ResultsAmong hospitalised, we recruited 267 cases and 256 controls and 116 cases and 231 controls among never hospitalised. Risk factors (AOR; 95% CI) for post-COVID ROCM among the hospitalised were age 45-59 years (2·1; 1·4 to 3·1), having diabetes mellitus (4·9; 3·4 to 7·1), elevated plasma glucose (6·4; 2·4 to 17·2), steroid use (3·2; 2 to 5·2) and frequent nasal washing (4·8; 1·4 to 17). Among those never hospitalised, age ≥ 60 years (6·6; 3·3 to 13·3), having diabetes mellitus (6·7; 3·8 to 11·6), elevated plasma glucose (13·7; 2·2 to 84), steroid use (9·8; 5·8 to 16·6), and cloth facemask use (2·6; 1·5 to 4·5) were associated with increased risk of post-COVID ROCM.ConclusionsHyperglycemia, irrespective of having diabetes mellitus and steroid use, was associated with an increased risk of ROCM independent of COVID-19 hospitalisation. Rational steroid usage and glucose monitoring may reduce the risk of post-COVID

MODELLING OF HEAT TRANSFER OF RAILWAY SWITCH HEATING

Switches and crossings are vital components of the railway network. Obstacles to the smooth functioning of these components could result in delays and network traffic. Given the geographical location of Sweden, snow is one of the major obstacles for the switches. The presence and hardening of snow act as an obstacle to the movement of the switch rail, thus hindering its function. Electrically heated switches melt and clear the snow for movement of the switch rail. They typically operate at a power level of 10 kW–30 kW. With 6800 switches operational in Sweden, the potential for energy savings is huge. This master thesis intends to investigate the possibility of reducing energy consumption through insulating a side of the rail. To achieve that, a comprehensive transient conjugate heat transfer analysis is carried out using CFD simulations. The initial refinement of the measured data highlighted the uncertainties in them, and which shaped the course of the thesis. The analysis of these uncertainties gave critical insights and led to useful recommendations for future work. The fluid-solid interactions between the rail and flow of air and their impact on transient heat loss have been analyzed to gain critical insights regarding the choice of side of implementation of insulation. The validation of the model at lower electrical power levels threw light on the dire requirement of numerical modeling of snow melting, which happens at the higher power levels of the heating element. One of the critical observations made after the implementation of the insulation is the reduction in the temperature of the heating element, which leads us to conclude that the insulation not only saves energy but also prolongs the life of the heating element by reducing thermal fatigue.Växlar och korsningar är viktiga komponenter i järnvägsnätet. Om dessa komponenter inte fungerar smidigt kan det resultera i förseningar och avbruten nätverkstrafik. Med tanke på Sveriges geografiska läge är snö ett av de största hindren för växlarna. Snö och hårt packad snö kan hindra spårväxelns rörelse och funktion. Elektriskt uppvärmda spårväxlar smälter bort snön så att spårväxeln kan fungera. Spårväxlarna har vanligtvis en effektnivå på 10 kW - 30 kW. Med 6 800 växlar i drift i Sverige är potentialen för energibesparingar är enorm. Denna masteruppsats syftar till att undersöka möjligheten att minska energiförbrukningen genom att isolera en sida av rälsen. För att uppnå detta utförs en omfattande transient konjugerad värmeöverföringsanalys med hjälp av CFD-simuleringar. Den inledande dataförädlingen av mätdata belyste osäkerheterna i datan vilket formade det fortsatta arbetet med avhandlingen. Analysen av dessa osäkerheter gav kritiska insikter och användbara rekommendationer för framtida arbete. Fluid - solid-interaktionerna mellan skenan och luftflödet och deras inverkan på den transienta värmeförlusten har analyserats för att få kritiska insikter om valet av sida för isolering. Valideringen av modellen vid lägre effektnivåer kastade ljus över det akuta behovet av numerisk modellering av snösmältningen som sker vid värmeelementets högre effektnivåer. En av de kritiska observationerna som gjordes efter implementeringen av isoleringen är minskningen av värmeelementets temperatur, vilket drar slutsatsen att isoleringen inte bara sparar energiförbrukningen utan också förlänger elementets livslängd genom att minska den termiska utmattningen

MODELLING OF HEAT TRANSFER OF RAILWAY SWITCH HEATING

Switches and crossings are vital components of the railway network. Obstacles to the smooth functioning of these components could result in delays and network traffic. Given the geographical location of Sweden, snow is one of the major obstacles for the switches. The presence and hardening of snow act as an obstacle to the movement of the switch rail, thus hindering its function. Electrically heated switches melt and clear the snow for movement of the switch rail. They typically operate at a power level of 10 kW–30 kW. With 6800 switches operational in Sweden, the potential for energy savings is huge. This master thesis intends to investigate the possibility of reducing energy consumption through insulating a side of the rail. To achieve that, a comprehensive transient conjugate heat transfer analysis is carried out using CFD simulations. The initial refinement of the measured data highlighted the uncertainties in them, and which shaped the course of the thesis. The analysis of these uncertainties gave critical insights and led to useful recommendations for future work. The fluid-solid interactions between the rail and flow of air and their impact on transient heat loss have been analyzed to gain critical insights regarding the choice of side of implementation of insulation. The validation of the model at lower electrical power levels threw light on the dire requirement of numerical modeling of snow melting, which happens at the higher power levels of the heating element. One of the critical observations made after the implementation of the insulation is the reduction in the temperature of the heating element, which leads us to conclude that the insulation not only saves energy but also prolongs the life of the heating element by reducing thermal fatigue.Växlar och korsningar är viktiga komponenter i järnvägsnätet. Om dessa komponenter inte fungerar smidigt kan det resultera i förseningar och avbruten nätverkstrafik. Med tanke på Sveriges geografiska läge är snö ett av de största hindren för växlarna. Snö och hårt packad snö kan hindra spårväxelns rörelse och funktion. Elektriskt uppvärmda spårväxlar smälter bort snön så att spårväxeln kan fungera. Spårväxlarna har vanligtvis en effektnivå på 10 kW - 30 kW. Med 6 800 växlar i drift i Sverige är potentialen för energibesparingar är enorm. Denna masteruppsats syftar till att undersöka möjligheten att minska energiförbrukningen genom att isolera en sida av rälsen. För att uppnå detta utförs en omfattande transient konjugerad värmeöverföringsanalys med hjälp av CFD-simuleringar. Den inledande dataförädlingen av mätdata belyste osäkerheterna i datan vilket formade det fortsatta arbetet med avhandlingen. Analysen av dessa osäkerheter gav kritiska insikter och användbara rekommendationer för framtida arbete. Fluid - solid-interaktionerna mellan skenan och luftflödet och deras inverkan på den transienta värmeförlusten har analyserats för att få kritiska insikter om valet av sida för isolering. Valideringen av modellen vid lägre effektnivåer kastade ljus över det akuta behovet av numerisk modellering av snösmältningen som sker vid värmeelementets högre effektnivåer. En av de kritiska observationerna som gjordes efter implementeringen av isoleringen är minskningen av värmeelementets temperatur, vilket drar slutsatsen att isoleringen inte bara sparar energiförbrukningen utan också förlänger elementets livslängd genom att minska den termiska utmattningen

Kinetic and equilibrium studies on the biosorption of reactive black 5 dye by aspergillus foetidus

An isolated fungus, Aspergillus foetidus had the ability to decolourize growth unsupportive medium containing 100 mg L−1 of reactive black 5 (RB5) dye with >99% efficiency at acidic pH (2–3). Pre-treatment of fungal biomass by autoclaving or exposure to 0.1 M sodium hydroxide facilitated more efficient uptake of dye as compared to untreated fungal biomass. Pre-equilibrium biosorption of RB5 dye onto fungus under different temperatures followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model with high degree of correlation coefficients (R2 > 0.99). Biosorption isotherm data fitted better into Freundlich model for lower concentrations of dye probably suggesting the heterogeneous nature of sorption process. Based on the Langmuir isotherm plots the maximum biosorption capacity (Q0) value was calculated to be 106 mg g−1 at 50 °C for fungal biomass pre-treated with 0.1 M NaOH. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the biosorption process was favourable, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Recovery of both adsorbate (dye) and adsorbent (fungal biomass) was possible using sodium hydroxide. Recovered fungal biomass could be recycled number of times following desorption of dye using 0.1 M NaOH. Fungal biomass pre-treated with NaOH was efficient in decolourizing solution containing mixture of dyes as well as composite raw industrial effluent generated from leather, pharmaceutical and dye manufacturing company.© Elsevie

Biodegradation of Phthalate Esters by Variovorax sp

AbstractBiodegradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and their mixture by a bacterial strain that was isolated from garbage dumped soil nearby Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is reported. The strain was isolated by enrichment technique using a mixture of DMP, DEP and DBP in the growth medium and had the ability to utilize the above phthalate esters as the sole source of carbon and energy under aerobic conditions. The bacterial isolate was identified as Variovorax sp. based on 16S r-DNA sequence analysis. Variovorax sp. degraded >99% of 300mg L-1 of DMP, DEP, DBP or a mixture containing 100mg L-1 of each within 30h. Metabolites were not detected by HPLC or LC-MS analyses. Biodegradation of phthalate esters followed first-order kinetics. The rates of biodegradation of individual esters followed the order DEP>DBP>DMP while in the mixture, rates followed DEP>DMP>DBP. Results obtained suggested that the isolated Variovorax species was highly efficient in biodegrading DMP, DEP, DBP or their mixture