The study aims to examine the existence of a correlation between the stock prices of the energy sector, commodities prices of the energy sector, and market indices. The study uses an empirical ...approach to develop various VAR (Vector Autoregression) with Variance Decomposition Models for each company under the energy sector indexed in NIFTY50 by considering daily prices for 3 years. For a comparative study, the data have been divided into two parts. The first part is considered pre-COVID era, i.e., from July 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, and the second part is considered post-COVID era, i.e., from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. While observing the estimates of VAR of different companies, it can be said that crude oil is significant in most of the models during pre-COVID whereas, during post COVID, lag term of crude oil and NIFTYENGERGY are significant. On the other hand, while observing the estimates of variance decomposition in all the VAR models, the first lag term of the particular company's share price is strongly endogenous. In comparison, the other independent variable, i.e., lag term of the price of crude oil and natural gas, values of NIFTY50 and NIFTY ENERGY are strongly exogenous to the stock prices of the energy sector.
Depression is a debilitating mental health disorder, with a large treatment gap. Recent years have seen a surge in digital interventions to bridge this treatment gap. Most of these interventions are ...based on computerized cognitive behavioral therapy. Despite the efficacy of computerized cognitive behavioral therapy-based interventions, their uptake is low and dropout rates are high. Cognitive bias modification (CBM) paradigms provide a complementary approach to digital interventions for depression. However, interventions based on CBM paradigms have been reported to be repetitive and boring.
In this paper, we described the conceptualization, design, and acceptability of serious games based on CBM paradigms and the learned helplessness paradigm.
We searched the literature for CBM paradigms that were shown to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms. For each of the CBM paradigms, we ideated how to create a game so that the gameplay was engaging while the active therapeutic component remained unchanged.
We developed 5 serious games based on the CBM paradigms and the learned helplessness paradigm. The games include various core elements of gamification, such as goals, challenges, feedback, rewards, progress, and fun. Overall, the games received positive acceptability ratings from 15 users.
These games may help improve the effectiveness and engagement levels of computerized interventions for depression.
Medicines in indigenous systems such as Ayurveda have strong antimicrobial activity but double-blind randomized control trials are infrequent in this system of medicine. The efficacy of a new ...ayurvedic formulation was evaluated during the pandemic.
150 mild-moderate COVID-19 patients were enrolled and randomized in 1:1 to NAOQ19 and placebo group. RT-PCR was done on Day 3, 5 and 7. CBC, CRP, LFT, and KFT were assessed at baseline and exit. Duration of hospital stay was noted and clinical assessment was also performed.
The results demonstrated more people turning RT-PCR negative in the NAOQ19 group compared to the placebo group on day 3 (p-value = 0.033). The mean time duration to turn RT-PCR negative was significantly lower in the NAOQ19 group (4.6 days) compared to placebo group (5.2 days) (p-value = 0.018). There was significant reduction in hospital stay among patients in the NAOQ19 arm who were discharged earlier (5.6 days) compared to placebo group (6.4 days) (p-value = 0.046). Patients in NAOQ19 arm did not show any adverse life-threatening events.
The ayurvedic preparation given along with standard of care therapy reduced the duration of hospital stay and there was earlier conversion to RT-PCR negative.The integrated approach can help to reduce patient workload in the hospitals as well as limit the transmission of the virus in the community.
CTRI/2021/05/033790.
We have studied the effect of iron-iron oxide particles on the
trans-cis
isomerization of azobenzene moieties in the novel polyethylene glycol itaconate-azobenzene based side chain liquid crystalline ...polymer (PEGIA). Langmuir monolayers of the PEGIA molecules are spread at air-water interface, with water subphase containing different concentrations of iron-iron oxide particles. The kinetics of the isomerization of azobenzene moieties in the polymer was studied by surface manometry technique. We find that the presence of iron-iron oxide particles in the subphase affects the rate constant of
trans-cis
photoisomerization and it decreases exponentially as a function of concentration of particles in the subphase. The critical concentration of iron-iron oxide particles above which the rate constant of photoisomerization negligibly changed was found to be about 2.468 μg cm
− 3
.
Pre-eclampsia affects approximately 3% of all pregnancies worldwide, with onset of symptoms in the late second or third trimester, commonly after 32nd week. It is common in nulliparous women. To ...avoid complications it is necessary to diagnosis it in advance, but the available tools are unable to clinch the diagnosis of preeclampsia effectively in majority. Objective was to find out an association of lipid profile and uric acid with pre-eclampsia in nullipara pregnant women in third trimester. One hundred nulliparous pregnant women in their third trimester of 18-35 years were divided into; fifty pre-eclamptics of study group and fifty non pre-eclamptic in control group; further subdivided according to age, 18-26 and 27-35 yrs. Diagnosis was confirmed as per the standard criteria. Lipid profile and uric acid levels were estimated by Vitros 250 dry chemistry analyzer. Data was analyzed statistically by student t test at P<0.01 level of significance. TC, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels in the study group as a whole and in the patients between 18-26 years were significant; HDL-C levels in the patients between 27-35 years were significant while TG and uric acid levels in all the three study groups were significant. Total cholesterol, LDL-C, VLDL-C, triglycerides and uric acid levels were raised in preeclampsia and statistically significant; while HDL-C levels were raised in these patients but statistically non-significant, it can be concluded that there exists an association in lipid profile and uric acid with pre-eclampsia therefore dyslipidemia and raised uric acid levels are the features of pre-eclampsia in nullipara pregnant women in their third trimester.
INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome is one of the major public health issues with 30-40% probability of developing type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and/or cardiovascular disease. On extensive search of ...literature we could hardly find any study which could find a strong correlation between basal C-peptide and insulin levels as a risk marker for CVD and whatever was available the workers have tried to establish that high C-peptide levels coexists with hyperinsulinemia in metabolic syndrome. So we tried to explore the levels of C-peptide and insulin as a risk marker of CVD in the patients of metabolic syndrome. MATERIALAND METHODS: After obtaining ethical clearance, a total of 267 patients of metabolic syndrome were selected and enrolled for the present study. All the patients were subjected to complete general and systemic examination and findings noted. Waist circumference was also recorded in all of them. The special investigations like lipid profile, LFT, KFT, fasting blood glucose, C-peptide and Insulin levels were estimated in all the cases and findings recorded and statistically analysed. RESULTS: Out of the total of 267 subjects, 15 (5.6%), 12 (4.5%) and 240 (89.8%) had C- peptide level <0.78 (mean + or - SD 0.49 + or - 0.24), 0.78-1.89 (mean + or - SD 1.35 + or - 0.45) and >1.89(mean + or - SD 6.14 + or - 3.47) respectively while in 3 (1.1%), 198 (74.1%) and 66(24.7%) subjects, the insulin levels were found to be in <2 (mean + or - SD 1.8 + or - 0.0), 2-25 (mean + or - SD 13.05 + or - 26.58) and >25 (mean + or - SD 43.1 + or - 16.85) respectively. CONCLUSION: In our study 240 (89.8%) subjects were having elevated C-peptide which is statistically significant (p<0.001), whereas only 66 (24.75) subjects had evaluated insulin level with no statistical significance. Therefore we came to a conclusion that fasting serum C-peptide levels is a better risk marker of CVD rather than fasting insulin levels in patients with Metabolic Syndrome. KEY WORDS: Metabolic Syndrome, fasting blood glucose, fasting C-peptide, fasting Insulin and biomarker
TB kills one person every 90 seconds in India and about 1000 people every day. M. tuberculosis replicates in the host macrophages and results in free radical burst which induce lipid peroxidation of ...PUFA and forms MDA. MDA is responsible for some of the damaging effects of free radicals on Deoxyribonucleic acid and on cell membranes. It can be measured in blood as a parameter of oxidative stress and so the present study was conducted to find out if there exists an association of plasma malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). The aim was to explore any association of MDA and GPx levels in PTB patients. 100 patients were identified from the respiratory medicine Department of Chhatrapati Shivaji Subharti Hospital, Meerut and were enrolled for the present study after ethical clearance. Informed consent was taken from each patient. An age, sex and number matched control group was also taken. After confirming pulmonary tuberculosis in all these patients; MDA was measured by OxiSelectTM TBARS Assay Kit; and GPx by using the method described by Paglia and Valentine spectrophotometrically. The data so collected was analysed using Mean, Standard deviation, Students (t) test and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) (P value <0.05 &<0.01 was considered to be statistically significant. In our study the values of MDA was found significantly higher in study group when compared with control (P value <0.01); GPx was found significantly lower in study group when compared with control (P value <0.01). The Plasma Malondialdehyde is significantly higher and Glutathione peroxidase is significantly lower in patients of Pulmonary tuberculosis when compared with healthy control.
Pre-eclampsia (PE) affects approximately 3% of all pregnancies worldwide, with onset of symptoms in the late second or third trimester, commonly after 32(nd) week. It is common in nulliparous women. ...To avoid complications it is necessary to diagnose it in advance, but the available tools are unable to clinch the diagnosis of preeclampsia effectively in majority.
To find out an association of lipid profile and uric acid with PE in nullipara pregnant women in third trimester.
One hundred nulliparous pregnant women in their third trimester of 18-35 years were divided into; 50 pre-eclamptics of study group and 50 non pre-eclamptic in control group; further subdivided according to age, 18-26 and 27-35 yrs. Diagnosis was confirmed as per the standard criteria. Lipid profile and uric acid levels were estimated by Vitros 250 dry chemistry analyser. Data was analysed statistically by student t-test at p<0.01 level of significance.
TC, LDL-c and VLDL-c levels in the study group as a whole and in the patients between 18-26 years were significant; HDL-c levels in the patients between 27-35 years were significant while TG and uric acid levels in all the three study groups were significant.
Total cholesterol, LDL-c, VLDL-c, triglycerides (TGs) and uric acid levels were raised in preeclampsia and statistically significant; while HDL-c levels were raised in these patients but statistically non-significant, it can be concluded that there exists an association in lipid profile and uric acid with PE therefore dyslipidemia and raised uric acid levels are the features of PE in nullipara pregnant women in their third trimester.
Thyroid functions affect metabolic syndrome parameters including HDL-C, triglycerides, blood pressure and plasma glucose. Thyroid hormone appears to serve as a general pacemaker accelerating ...metabolic processes and may be associated with Metabolic Syndromes. Objective of the present study was to find out an association between thyroid profile and metabolic syndrome in Meerut population. The present study was conducted on patients with symptoms of hypothyroidismin the Department of Biochemistry, Subharti Medical College, Meerut. Waist circumference, blood pressure, thyroid profile, TG, HDL-C and fasting blood glucose were estimated in all one hundred patients and findings recorded. The data so collected was analyzed using SPSS-16 software package. We found that 57% of hypothyroid patient were suffering from metabolic syndrome, 12% having overt and 45% were suffering from subclinical hypothyroidism and so there is a definite association of metabolic syndrome with hypothyroidism in Meerut population. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was observed in both overt and subclinical hypothyroid cases. Hence this warrants the intensive screening of both overt and subclinical hypothyroid group.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988-1994, first time reported a significant, positive association in iron storage and heart disease risk. Thereafter several ...researchers have found an association between iron overload, SF and MI. No such Indian study was available in the literature and so we decided to find out a correlation between SF level and AMI in Indian patients. Fifty Indian patients of AMI (study group) and fifty Indian healthy volunteers (control group) were included for the present study. Lipid profile including TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL-C& TG and Serum ferritin levels were estimated in all subjects by literature approved methods. Mean + or - SD of TC level was 250.64 + or - 25.61, of HDL-C was 36.52 + or - 2.86, of LDL-C was 165.69 + or - 26.80, of VLDL-C was 42.35 + or - 8.53 and of TG was 211.83 + or - 42.65 in study group while these values were 174.46 + or - 47.68, 43.2 + or - 12.52, 98.37 + or - 41.13, 32.88 + or - 21.45, 164.42 + or - 107.29 respectively in control group. All the parameters were found not only raised in patients of AMI but were also statistically significant when compared with control group (P=<0.01). Mean + or - SD of serum ferritin levels was 268.43 + or - 30.17 ng/ml in study group and 110.96 + or - 56.5 ng/ml in control group; this level was found not only raised in patients of AMI but were also statistically significant when compared with control group (P=<0.01). We concluded that significantly increased level of all five parameters of lipid profile and SF were found in Indian patients of AMI.
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