Computers in the laboratory.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S K Verma.
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The burden of care experienced by family members of 90 patients with major affective disorder was evaluated. The extent of burden in these families was considerable. The burden was significantly more among families of bipolar patients than those of major depression. Prolonged illness and high levels of dysfunction among patients correlated consistently with severity of burden. Severity of illness, higher age of the patient and number of episodes of the illness also influenced the extent of burden. Variables such as gender of the patient, religion, education, occupation, family type and size and the locus of control of both patients and relatives did not influence the extent of burden significantly. These results have substantial implications for the planning of intervention strategies.
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Mothers of 80 children of mild (IQ 50-70) and moderate (IQ 35-49) mental retardation were selected for the present study. A carefully developed home training programme was utilized to train half of the mothers, the other half forming the control group for the study. The experimental and the control groups were matched for age and IQ of the children, and age of the mothers. The women also did not differ significantly on base-line marital adjustment and parental attitude scores and the experienced social burden of the mothers. In the experimental group there was a significant increase in the IQ and improvement in the behaviour of the children and significant improvement in the marital adjustment score, parental attitude and social burden felt by the mothers. There was no significant change in the control group in any of these variables.
Wild-type Nostoc calcicola carried out oxygenic photosynthesis extremely sensitive to copper. A Cu(2+)-resistant mutant (Cu-R1) of the cyanobacterium grew normally at high concentrations of Cu2+. Its ability to grow under such conditions was found to be due to mutational acquisition of an energy-dependent efficient system of Cu(2+)-efflux, which rendered Cu(2+)-inhibited oxygenic photosynthesis fully reversible.
Studies were conducted into 80 pregnant crossbred cows belonging in equal numbers to 1/2Friesian (F) 1/2Gir (G) and 1/2Jersey (J) 1/2G genetic groups to determine the effect of pregnancy on body weight (B.W.) and pelvic conformation of the dam. Mean B.W. started to increase in 1/2F1/2G/1/2J1/2G genetic groups from 406.08 +/- 6.16/375.45 +/- 7.73 kg on the 120th day of pregnancy and reached its maximum of 470.42 +/- 7.22/428.05 +/- 8.36 kg on the day of calving. A significant increase in weight occured in both groups between the 240th and 270th days of pregnancy. Total weight gain in both groups during pregnancy was 63.34/52.60 kg. There was a steep fall (P less than 0.01) in B.W. in both groups, within 1 month after calving. Weight became stable 60 days after calving in both groups. The cows in the 1/2F1/2G group were significantly heavier (P less than 0.01) than the 1/2J1/2G group, all the time. The mean pelvic outlet area started to increase in 1/2F1/2G/1/2J1/2G groups from 278.28 +/- 4.03/249.29 +/- 5.02 cm2 by the 120th day of pregnancy. Like B.W., the pelvic area, too, increased significantly (P less than 0.01) between the 240th and 270th days of pregnancy and dropped within 1 month post partum in both groups. Total increase in pelvic area was 49.15/39.76 cm2 in both groups, between the 120th day of pregnancy and calving. The area became stable 60 days after calving in both groups. The pelvic area in the 1/2F1/2G group was always significantly larger (P less than 0.01) than that in the 1/2J1/2G group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Glutamine auxotrophic (Gln-) and L-methionine D,L-sulfoximine (MSX) resistant (MSXr) mutants of N. muscorum were isolated and characterized for nitrogen nutrition, nitrogenase activity, glutamine synthetase (GS) activity and glutamine amide, alpha-keto-glutarate amido transferase (GOGAT) activity. The glutamine auxotroph was found to the GOGAT-containing GS-defective, incapable of growth with N2 or NH4+ but capable of growth with glutamine as nitrogen source, thus, suggesting GS to be the primary enzyme of both ammonia assimilation and glutamine formation in the cyanobacterium. The results of transformation and reversion studies suggests that glutamine auxotrophy is the result of a mutation in the gln A gene and that gln A gene can be transferred from one strain to another by transformation.
This study was conducted on 110 cross-bred Hisardale x Nali ewes. The ewes were divided into two groups: one group was treated with 2 ml of polyandroalbumin subcutaneously (s.c.) twice at an interval of 28 d, with breeding rams introduced 28 d after the second injection of the drug. The second group served as the untreated controls. Of the 55 ewes in each group, 52 were mated during the 40 d breeding period. The occurance of estrus and estrous cycle length were the same in the two groups. Fortysix ewes in the treated group and 47 ewes in the control group lambed, producing 55 and 47 lambs, respectively. In the treated group, the lambing rate, fecundity and fertility were 100, 96.36 and 88.46%, while these values for the control group were 85.45, 83.64 and 90.38%. Prolificity rates were 1.15 and 0.98 for the treated and control group, respectively.
The study constituted clinicosocial analysis of 194 cases of osteo-articular tuberculosis. The disease was common in 1st and 2nd decades of life but not rare in old age with male preponderance. Majority of the patients were from rural area belonging to lower economic classes. Lesions were usually solitary (96.4%) situated in the weight bearing bones and joints (88.66%). Spinal tuberculosis was commonest (48.97%). The onset of disease was insidious in 94.8% cases. Chronic pain, swelling, impaired movements, deformities, sinus and cold abscess were found to be salient features of disease. Negligence and secondary infection were common.
Thirty patients with diastolic blood pressure of 120 mm Hg or more were administered a bolus dose of verapamil (0.15 mg/kg) followed immediately by an intravenous infusion at a rate of 0.005 mg/kg/min for one hour. The patients were monitored during this period and three hours following the discontinuation of the infusion. The systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures before verapamil administration were 221.4 +/- 7.5, 134.3 +/- 2.7 and 163.4 +/- 4.1 mm Hg respectively, which decreased to 170.1 +/- 5.2, 99.1 +/- 3.7 and 122.8 +/- 3.6 mm Hg after intravenous bolus of verapamil. The fall in all the levels of blood pressure was significant (p less than 0.001) and was maintained at the lower levels throughout the infusion period and even three hours after discontinuation of the therapy. No untowards effects were observed and there was no significant change in heart rate and electrocardiogram. It, thus, proves to be an useful addition to the therapeutic armamentarium in the acute management of severe hypertension.
Parturition was induced in 5 goats of Beetal and Beetal x Black Bengal cross in advanced stages of pregnancy, using intramuscular injection of 10 mg of dexamethasone. Goats required 47.7 +/- 1.26 hours on average after injection for parturition. There were no deleterious effects of induction on placental expulsion, kid weight, kid survival, and postpartum fertility of does. Plasma concentrations of progesterone and oestradiol 17 beta followed a similar trend in controls and treated animals. While plasma progesterone concentrations declined before parturition, the oestradiol concentration rose to its peak on the day of parturition.
Ethanolic leaf extracts of different local folklore plants (Azadirachta indica, Beaumontia grandiflora, Chordia dichotoma, Casiarea tomentosa, Diospyros embryopteris, Milletia auriculata and Melia azedarach) were investigated for antifertility effects on male rats in oral doses of 100 mg/kg daily for 21 days. Though, none of these extracts interfered with spermatogenesis, anti-implantational and abortifacient effects were observed in females mated by the males fed with leaf extracts of A. indica and C. dichotoma. Leaf extract of B. grandiflora besides having anti-implantational and abortifacient effects, had luteolytic effects. Abolition of libido in 100% males by leaf extracts of D. embryopteris and M. azedarach and in 60% of males by extract of C. tomentosa preclude these plants for antifertility use.
In this ongoing ICMR project on "Effect of Yoga on the Health of Nurses", some baseline data on the health of nurses of Nehru Hospital, P.G.I., Chandigarh are reported. This was obtained before the start of yoga therapy in selected cases and collected with the help of six psychological tools. Out of a total of 501 nurses, 452 (90.2%) could be contacted and studied. Mean age was 30.43 years and mean years of service 9.93 years. Mean scores on the psychological tests indicated poor health status of nurses, average neuroticism, depressive tendencies and role stress. Sense of Well-Being was high in them. The data is discussed in the light of researches in this area. This is the first of a series of three articles to be published in the Journal.
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A case exhibiting recurrent fainting associated with particular acupuncture point needling is reported and the possible mechanism discussed. The phenomenon is very unusual and has not been described in the literature.