IT may occasion some surprise to those men of science who are ill-acquainted with India, and who so frequently express the view that Governments are unappreciative of the importance of science to learn that as far back as 1886 the Government of India arranged for Dr. George (later Sir George) Watt, professor of botany in the Presidency College, Calcutta, to prepare a "Dictionary of the Economic Products of India". The six volumes of this standard work were published during the years 1889-99. In 1908 Sir George Watt published a condensed version, "The Commercial Products of India". Whatever the defects of these 'dictionaries', they have been of inestimable value to all interested in Indian natural products. The Wealth of India A Dictionary of Indian Raw Materials and Industrial Products. Raw Materials, Vol. 1. Pp. xxvii+254+39 plates. 15 rupees ; 24s. Industrial Products, Part 1. Pp. xii+182+8 plates. 8 rupees ; 12s. (New Delhi : Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948.)

The Wealth of India

Metal nanoparticles synthesis: An overview on methods of preparation, advantages and disadvantages, and applications

A wide range of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been explored for their essential oils in the past few decades. Essential oils are complex volatile compounds, synthesized naturally in different plant parts during the process of secondary metabolism. Essential oils have great potential in the field of biomedicine as they effectively destroy several bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. The presence of different types of aldehydes, phenolics, terpenes, and other antimicrobial compounds means that the essential oils are effective against a diverse range of pathogens. The reactivity of essential oil depends upon the nature, composition, and orientation of its functional groups. The aim of this article is to review the antimicrobial potential of essential oils secreted from MAPs and their possible mechanisms of action against human pathogens. This comprehensive review will benefit researchers who wish to explore the potential of essential oils in the development of novel broad-spectrum key molecules against a broad range of drug-resistant pathogenic microbes.

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Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Essential Oils against Human Pathogens and Their Mode of Action: An Updated Review.

Introduction Japanese encephalitis (JE) is among the most important viral encephalitides in Asia, especially in rural and suburban areas where rice culture and pig farming coexist. (1-3) It has also occurred rarely and sporadically in northern Australia and parts of the Western Pacific. (4-6) JE is due to infection with the JE virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus. The main JEV transmission cycle involves Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes and similar species that lay eggs in rice paddies and other open water sources, with pigs and aquatic birds as principal vertebrate amplifying hosts. (1,2,7) Humans are generally thought to be dead-end JEV hosts, i.e. they seldom develop enough viremia to infect feeding mosquitoes. Fewer than 1% of human JEV infections result in JE. Approximately 20-30% of JE cases are fatal and 30-50% of survivors have significant neurologic sequelae. (8) JE is primarily a disease of children and most adults in endemic countries have natural immunity after childhood infection, but all age groups are affected. In most temperate areas of Asia, JEV is transmitted mainly during the warm season, when large epidemics can occur. In the tropics and subtropics, transmission can occur year-round but often intensifes during the rainy season. (1-3) The global incidence of JE is unknown because the intensity and quality of JE surveillance and the availability of diagnostic laboratory testing vary throughout the world. Countries that have implemented high-quality childhood JE vaccination programmes have seen a dramatic decline in JE incidence. Although JE is reportable to the World Health Organization (WHO) by its Member States, reporting is highly variable and incomplete. In the late 1980s, Burke and Leake estimated that 50 000 new cases of JE occurred annually among the 2.4 billion people living in the 16 Asian countries considered endemic at the time (approximate overall annual incidence: 2 per 100 000). (2) In the intervening two decades, despite major population growth, urbanization, changes in agricultural practices and increased use of the JE vaccine in many countries, this figure has been widely quoted, including very recently. (9-13) In 2000, assuming an annual, age-group-specific incidence of 25 cases per 100 000, Tsai estimated that in the absence of vaccination 175 000 cases of JE would occur annually among Asian children aged 0-14 years living in rural areas. (14) The current study used more recent, published, local or national incidence estimates and current population data to produce an updated estimate of the annual global incidence of JE. Methods We approximated the JE-affected territory of each of the 24 countries endemic for JE using a recent update (15) of an earlier approximation by Tsai (16) with some modifications (Table 1, available at: http://www.who.int/bulletin/ volumes/89/10/10-085233). Based on these same approximations, (15,16) we then stratified the JE-affected territory of some countries (e.g. China excluding Taiwan, India and Nepal) into two or more incidence strata. Because suitable studies of JE incidence were not available for every endemic country or incidence stratum, we sorted JE-endemic countries and incidence strata into 10 incidence groups (A, B, C1, C2 and D through I) based primarily on geographic proximity, ecologic similarity, vaccine programme similarity. Table 1 briefly describes the status of each endemic country's JE vaccination programme as of 2009, according to recent publications and unpublished sources. (8,17-20) Incidence data We identified studies that contained potentially useful data on the incidence of JE in Asia in a manner similar to the one used in a recent study of global typhoid fever incidence. (21) Whenever possible, this review followed the relevant guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). (22) The review process is described as follows and no protocol is available. …

Estimated Global Incidence of Japanese Encephalitis: A Systematic review/Estimation De L'incidence Mondiale De L'encephalite Japonaise: Une Evaluation Systematique/ Incidencia Global Estimada De la Encefalitis Japonesa: Una Revision Sistematica

https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/files/20192880/STOTEN_D_20_04893R2_COVID_19_accepted_article.pdf

COVID-19: A promising cure for the global panic.

An interesting case of pyelonephritis due to inactive and an atypical uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

Background: Malaria is caused by parasites of genus Plasmodium. It remains a major public health concern around the world. Though various diagnostic tools are available, there is an urgent need to use a more sensitive diagnostic method for early diagnosis to prevent unwanted outcomes. Objectives: (i) To assess the prevalence of malaria in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai (ii) To detect and speciate Plasmodium by Peripheral Blood Smear (PBS), Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and to compare their performance characteristics. Methodology: A hospital-based diagnostic study was carried over a period of 18 months. A total of 550 non-duplicated blood samples from clinically suspected cases of malaria were collected and subjected to three testsPBS by Field’s staining, RDT and PCR to detect Plasmodium species. The agreement and the differences between the three tests were analyzed and the statistical significance was assessed using Chi-square test. Original Research Article Das et al.; JAMB, 21(5): 11-21, 2021; Article no.JAMB.68493 12 Results: Out of the 550 samples, 166 (30.2%) were positive for malaria by either of the three tests, of which 92 (55.42%), 119 (71.69%) and 161 (96.99%) samples were positive by PBS, RDT and PCR, respectively. P. vivax was the predominant Plasmodium species. The most significant finding was PCR detected mixed infections in 8.43% of cases whereas PBS and RDT could detect 0% and 1.20% of mixed infection, respectively. Considering PBS as gold standard, sensitivity of RDT and PCR was 100% and 97.83% and specificity was 94.10% and 84.50% respectively. Conclusions: In this study, 30% of the population was infected with malaria with P. vivax being the predominant Plasmodium species. PCR helped identify more mono and mixed infections than conventional methods and would be a helpful adjunct for malaria diagnosis in tertiary care setup.

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Prevalence of Malaria at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mumbai, India

A series of 2-N-acetyl-[2’-(thieno substituted aryl ketone)-5’-methyl-1’,3’,4’-oxadiazolyl] benzothiazole (5a-e) have been synthesized. These structures are determined by the elemental analysis and spectral data (IR, 1H-NMR). These new derivatives are evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 3750, Salmonella typhi NCTC 786, Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New Benzothiazole Derivatives

The present study was carried out to monitor influenza viruses by identifying the virus and studying the seasonal variation during 2007–2009 in Mumbai. A total of 193 clinical respiratory samples (nasal and throat swab) were collected from patients having influenza like illness in Mumbai region. One-step real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (rRTPCR) was used to detect Influenza type A (H1 and H3) and Influenza type B virus. Isolation of the virus was carried out using in vitro system which was further confirmed and typed by hemagglutination assay and hemagglutination inhibition assay. Out of 193 samples 24 (12.4 3%) samples tested positive for influenza virus, of which 13 (6.73 %) were influenza type A virus and 10 (5.18 %) were influenza type B virus, while 1 sample (0.51 %) was positive for both. By culture methods, 3 (1.55 %) viral isolates were obtained. All the three isolates were found to be Influenza type B/Malaysia (Victoria lineage) by Hemagglutination Inhibition Assay. The data generated from the present study reveals that both Influenza type A and B are prevalent in Mumbai with considerable activity. The peak activity was observed during monsoon season.

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Characterization of influenza virus among influenza like illness cases in Mumbai, India

Introduction: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) as defined by accidentally puncture the skin by needles. The occupational exposures to NSIs are considered to be much higher in the developing world and multiple risk factors eg. improper use of protective equipment (like failure to use suitable-sized gloves), working in surgical or intensive care units, insufficient work experience, young age, needle recapping, unsuitable needle disposal, intravenous cannulation may contribute to NSIs.
Aim: To determine the occurrence/ prevalence of needle stick and sharp injuries (NSIs) among healthcare workers working in a tertiary care hospital and the factors responsible for NSIs.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital among HCws in the hospital over a period of one year Jan 2020-December 2020.
Results: Nursing staffs are most frequently reported NSI. Among the groups, most common cause of NSIs was found to be recapping of needle followed by cleaning, HGT and procedure. The most common cause of NSI among housekeeping staffs found to be needle lying on the floor and accidental mixing of sharp biomedical waste with other waste. The HCWs from critical care unit eg. ICUs are the most commonly reported NSIs
Conclusions: HCWs are always at high risk of attaining NSIs. The nursing staffs followed are the most vulnerable group who gets the sharp/NSI and require extra attention. As a preventive measures regular training and education of nursing staffs and all other categories of health care workers to be ensured in healthcare settings.
 

Keywords: Needle stick injury, Recapping, Healthcare worker, Risk factors

Abhay Chowdhary

Papers

An interesting case of pyelonephritis due to inactive and an atypical uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

Prevalence of Malaria at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mumbai, India

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New Benzothiazole Derivatives

Characterization of influenza virus among influenza like illness cases in Mumbai, India

The study of prevalence of needle stick and sharp injuries among healthcare workes in tertiary care hospital, Navi Mumbai