Showing papers by "Prabhat Jha published in 2018"

Mortality attributable to hot and cold ambient temperatures in India: a nationally representative case-crossover study.

Abstract: Background Most of the epidemiological studies that have examined the detrimental effects of ambient hot and cold temperatures on human health have been conducted in high-income countries. In India, the limited evidence on temperature and health risks has focused mostly on the effects of heat waves and has mostly been from small scale studies. Here, we quantify heat and cold effects on mortality in India using a nationally representative study of the causes of death and daily temperature data for 2001–2013. Methods and findings We applied distributed-lag nonlinear models with case-crossover models to assess the effects of heat and cold on all medical causes of death for all ages from birth (n = 411,613) as well as on stroke (n = 19,753), ischaemic heart disease (IHD) (n = 40,003), and respiratory diseases (n = 23,595) among adults aged 30–69. We calculated the attributable risk fractions by mortality cause for extremely cold (0.4 to 13.8°C), moderately cold (13.8°C to cause-specific minimum mortality temperatures), moderately hot (cause-specific minimum mortality temperatures to 34.2°C), and extremely hot temperatures (34.2 to 39.7°C). We further calculated the temperature-attributable deaths using the United Nations’ death estimates for India in 2015. Mortality from all medical causes, stroke, and respiratory diseases showed excess risks at moderately cold temperature and hot temperature. For all examined causes, moderately cold temperature was estimated to have higher attributable risks (6.3% [95% empirical confidence interval (eCI) 1.1 to 11.1] for all medical deaths, 27.2% [11.4 to 40.2] for stroke, 9.7% [3.7 to 15.3] for IHD, and 6.5% [3.5 to 9.2] for respiratory diseases) than extremely cold, moderately hot, and extremely hot temperatures. In 2015, 197,000 (121,000 to 259,000) deaths from stroke, IHD, and respiratory diseases at ages 30–69 years were attributable to moderately cold temperature, which was 12- and 42-fold higher than totals from extremely cold and extremely hot temperature, respectively. The main limitation of this study was the coarse spatial resolution of the temperature data, which may mask microclimate effects. Conclusions Public health interventions to mitigate temperature effects need to focus not only on extremely hot temperatures but also moderately cold temperatures. Future absolute totals of temperature-related deaths are likely to depend on the large absolute numbers of people exposed to both extremely hot and moderately cold temperatures. Similar large-scale and nationally representative studies are required in other low- and middle-income countries to better understand the impact of future temperature changes on cause-specific mortality.

Design and Synthesis of Imidazo/Benzimidazo[1,2- c ]quinazoline Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activity.

Abstract: A new class of fused quinazolines has been designed and synthesized via copper-catalyzed Ullmann type C–N coupling followed by intramolecular cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction in moderate to good yields. The synthesized compounds were tested for in vitro antibacterial activity against three Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Salmonella typhi) and two Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Among all tested compounds, 8ga, 8gc, and 8gd exhibited promising minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (4–8 μg/mL) for all bacterial strains tested as compared to the positive control ciprofloxacin. The synthesized compounds were also evaluated for their in vitro antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans and compounds 8ga, 8gc, and 8gd having potential antibacterial activity also showed pronounced antifungal activity (MIC values 8–16 μg/mL) against both strains. The bactericidal assay by propidium iodide and live–dead bacterial ...

Mechanistic insights on plant root colonization by bacterial endophytes: a symbiotic relationship for sustainable agriculture

Abstract: Plant–microbe and soil interactions are one of the oldest muse for multi-disciplinary researchers. Plant growth promoting microorganisms influence the host physiology by secreting regulatory chemical signals in the vicinity of plant roots and play a key role in the enhancement of plant growth and expansion. The present review deals with the in-depth understanding of steps involved in host tissues colonization by bacterial endophytes. The molecular insights of these events, particularly for endophytic bacteria, are poorly documented till date. The endophytic bacteria must coexist with the host plant and capable of colonizing the internal plant tissues without being recognized as a pathogen. A proper understanding of exchange of signals between the host plant and bacterial communities is required which may facilitate the development of new strategies to promote beneficial interactions between them. This knowledge can be instrumental in agricultural practices as well as for phytoremediation of pollutants. Keeping these facts in mind, the present review attempts to explore the systematic understanding of steps involved and molecular insights of plant colonization events by endophytic bacteria. We conclude that molecular mechanisms and factors affecting endophytic bacterial colonization deserve more research attention in order to exploit their beneficial aspects for sustainable agriculture and environment.

Prioridades para el control de enfermedades

Abstract: Acerca de esta serie: Desde su concepcion, la serie Prioridades para el control de enfermedades se ha enfocado en la prestacion de inter- venciones de salud eficaces que puedan resultar en reducciones notables en la mortalidad y discapacidad a un costo relativamente bajo. El enfoque ha sido multidisciplinario y las recomendaciones basadas en evidencia, escalables y adaptables a multiples escenarios. Una atencion en salud mejor y mas equitativa es la responsabilidad compartida de gobiernos y agencias internacionales, sectores publicos y privados, y sociedades e individuos. Todos estos actores se han involucrado en el desarrollo de la serie. Prioridades para el control de enfermedades, tercera edicion (DCP3), construye sobre la base y los analisis de la primera y segunda edi- ciones (DCP1 y DCP2) para consolidar su posicion de referencia para el diseno de programas y programacion de recursos en los niveles global y nacional, al proveer una revision actualizada de la eficacia de las intervenciones en salud prioritarias. Ademas, DCP3 presenta evaluaciones economicas sistematicas y comparables de intervenciones, paquetes, plataformas de prestacion de servicios y politicas seleccionadas que se basan en metodos econometricos de reciente desarrollo. DCP3 presenta sus hallazgos en nueve volumenes individuales que se dirigen a audiencias especificas. Los volumenes estan estructurados alrededor de paquetes de intervenciones relacionadas conceptualmente, entre ellas las referentes a salud materna e infantil, enfermedades cardiovasculares, enfermedades infecciosas, cancer y cirugia. Los volumenes de DCP3 constituiran un recurso esencial para los paises al momento de considerar cual es la forma idonea de mejorar la atencion en salud; igualmente lo seran para la comunidad global de politicas en salud, especialistas tecnicos y estudiantes.

Priming with ACC-utilizing bacterium attenuated copper toxicity, improved oxidative stress tolerance, and increased phytoextraction capacity in wheat.

Abstract: The major challenges for the plants growing in metal-contaminated soils are deficiency of nutrients, biomass reduction, and severe oxidative damages in the presence of heavy metals. In this regard, our aim was to overcome these challenges through the use of efficient microbial strains in metal-polluted soils and to assess its/their physiological and biochemical effects. In the current study, a copper (Cu)-resistant bacterium was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of ‘Ziziphus nummularia’ and evaluated for its ability to promote the wheat growth under the gradient stress of copper. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolate was identified as Pantoea sp. Among the plant growth promoting tests, the isolate showed the production of indole acetic acid, solubilization of inorganic phosphate, and ACC deaminase activity. Also, the isolate showed resistance to many heavy metals and antibiotics and increased the water-soluble copper in solution. The results of pot studies showed that bacterial application promoted various growth parameters of wheat plants and also enhanced the Cu uptake of wheat from the Cu-amended soil. The results showed that enhancement of Cu stress (100 to 300 mg kg−1) resulted in a decrease in various compatible solutes such as proline, total soluble sugars, and total protein content, and increase in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), latter of which is the indicator of oxidative stress. Bacterial treatment markedly increased the proline, soluble sugar, total protein content, and decreased the MDA content under Cu stress. In addition, bacterial inoculation significantly alleviated the harmful effect of metal toxicity by decreasing the activation of ROS molecules including superoxide (O2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The activation of various antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) was noted following bacterial inoculation under Cu stress. Therefore, the present study demonstrates the potential of the isolate Pantoea sp. ZNP-5 to improve the growth and phytoextraction of metal from the metal-polluted soil through the polyphasic mechanism of action.

Synthesis and evaluation of bile acid amides of $$\alpha $$-cyanostilbenes as anticancer agents

Abstract: A series of amino-substituted $$\alpha $$ -cyanostilbene derivatives and their bile acid (cholic and deoxycholic acid) amides were designed and synthesized. A comparative study on the anticancer and antibacterial activity evaluation on the synthesized analogs was carried against the human osteosarcoma (HOS) cancer cell line, and two gram −ve (E. coli and S. typhi) and two gram $$+$$ ve (B. subtilis and S. aureus) bacterial strains. All the cholic acid $$\alpha $$ -cyanostilbene amides showed an $$\hbox {IC}_{50}$$ in the range 2–13 $$\upmu \hbox {M}$$ against human osteosarcoma cells (HOS) with the most active analog (6g) possessing an $$\hbox {IC}_{50}$$ of $$2\,\upmu \hbox {M}$$ . One of the amino-substituted $$\alpha $$ -cyanostilbene, 4e, was found to possess an $$\hbox {IC}_{50}$$ of $$3\,\upmu \hbox {M}$$ . An increase in the number of cells at the sub- $$\hbox {G}_{1}$$ phase of the cell was observed in the in vitro cell cycle analysis of two most active compounds in the series (4e, 6g) suggesting a clear indication toward induction of apoptotic cascade. With respect to antibacterial screening, amino-substituted $$\alpha $$ -cyanostilbenes were found to be more active than their corresponding bile acid amides. The synthesized compounds were also subjected to in silico study to predict their physiochemical properties and drug-likeness score.

Automated verbal autopsy classification: using one-against-all ensemble method and Naïve Bayes classifier

Abstract: Verbal autopsy (VA) deals with post-mortem surveys about deaths, mostly in low and middle income countries, where the majority of deaths occur at home rather than a hospital, for retrospective assignment of causes of death (COD) and subsequently evidence-based health system strengthening. Automated algorithms for VA COD assignment have been developed and their performance has been assessed against physician and clinical diagnoses. Since the performance of automated classification methods remains low, we aimed to enhance the Naive Bayes Classifier (NBC) algorithm to produce better ranked COD classifications on 26,766 deaths from four globally diverse VA datasets compared to some of the leading VA classification methods, namely Tariff, InterVA-4, InSilicoVA and NBC. We used a different strategy, by training multiple NBC algorithms using the one-against-all approach (OAA-NBC). To compare performance, we computed the cumulative cause-specific mortality fraction (CSMF) accuracies for population-level agreement from rank one to five COD classifications. To assess individual-level COD assignments, cumulative partially-chance corrected concordance (PCCC) and sensitivity was measured for up to five ranked classifications. Overall results show that OAA-NBC consistently assigns CODs that are the most alike physician and clinical COD assignments compared to some of the leading algorithms based on the cumulative CSMF accuracy, PCCC and sensitivity scores. The results demonstrate that our approach improves the performance of classification (sensitivity) by between 6% and 8% compared with other VA algorithms. Population-level agreements for OAA-NBC and NBC were found to be similar or higher than the other algorithms used in the experiments. Although OAA-NBC still requires improvement for individual-level COD assignment, the one-against-all approach improved its ability to assign CODs that more closely resemble physician or clinical COD classifications compared to some of the other leading VA classifiers.

Divergence and convergence in cause-specific premature adult mortality in Mexico and US Mexican Hispanics from 1995 to 2015: analyses of 4.9 million individual deaths.

Abstract: Background Mexicans and US Mexican Hispanics share modifiable determinants of premature mortality We compared trends in mortality at ages 30-69 in Mexico and among US Mexican Hispanics from 1995 to 2015 Methods We examined nationally representative statistics on 42 million Mexican and 07 million US deaths to examine cause-specific mortality We used lung cancer indexed methods to estimate smoking-attributable deaths stratified by high and lower burden Mexican states Results In 1995-99, Mexican men had about 30% higher relative risk of death from all causes than US Mexican Hispanic men, and this difference nearly doubled to 58% by 2010-15 The divergence between Mexican and US Mexican Hispanic women over this time period was less marked Among US Mexican Hispanics, declines in the risk of smoking-attributable death constituted about 25-30% of the declines in the overall risk of death However, among Mexican men the declines in the risk of smoking-attributable deaths were offset by increases in causes of death not due to smoking Homicide rates (mostly from guns) rose among men in Mexico from 2005 to 2010, but not among Mexican women or US Mexican Hispanic men or women The probability at 30-69 years of death from cardiac disease diverged significantly between Mexicans and US Mexican Hispanics, reaching 10% and 5% for men, and 7% and 2% for women, respectively Conclusions Large differences in premature mortality between otherwise genetically and culturally similar groups arise from a few modifiable factors, most notably smoking, untreated diabetes and homicide

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm, bronchobiliary fistula in a patient with liver trauma.

Abstract: Bronchobiliary fistula and hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm are rare complications of hepatic trauma. There are isolated case reports for both pseudoaneurysm and bronchobiliary fistula following hepatic trauma but there aren’t reports of both conditions developing in a single patient. This case describes an 18 year old hindu male who developed right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm and bronchobiliary fistula following blunt abdominal trauma. Patient was managed with exploratory laparotomy followed by coil embolization and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography stenting respectively. Rare complications of liver trauma include pseudoaneurysm and bronchobiliary fistula. These complications can rarely co- exist in a single patient.

The Future of Disease Control Priorities Comment on "Disease Control Priorities Third Edition Is Published: A Theory of Change Is Needed for Translating Evidence to Health Policy".

Abstract: The Disease Control Priorities (DCP) project has substantially influenced national and global health priorities since 1993. DCP’s basic framework involves identification of disease burdens based on premature deaths and disability and application of the most cost-effective interventions to the largest burdens, taking into account local feasibility. The future impact of DCP will need to take into account growing national wealth and needs for endogenous capacity to design and implement evidence-based interventions, the rapid emergence of non-communicable disease (NCD), and the universal health coverage (UHC) agenda. This in turn requires three improvements to the DCP framework: greater local capacity, supported by a global effort to cost health interventions, stronger national and international technical capacity and networks, and the use of direct, versus modelled, mortality data to assign priorities and to assess progress. Properly done, DCP could be as important over the next 25 years as it has been in the past 25 years.