Association of Obesity with Hormonal Imbalance in Infertility: A Cross-Sectional Study in North Indian Women

Hormones play an important role in the development and regulation of reproductive function and the menstrual cycle of women. Extremes of body weight tend to affect the homeostasis of the hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 113 women (57 with primary infertility and 56 with secondary infertility) in the age group 20–35 years, presenting for hormonal evaluation of infertility in a tertiary care hospital. After preliminary clinical evaluation, anthropometric indices (height, weight, BMI, waist circumference and waist hip ratio) were measured in all subjects. Fasting blood sample drawn on second/third day of menstrual cycle was analysed for serum luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Serum FSH levels showed a significant positive correlation with indicators of central obesity (waist circumference and waist hip ratio in both the study groups). In primary infertility, significant positive correlation was also observed between serum FSH levels and other markers of obesity like body weight, hip circumference and BMI. In secondary infertility, serum prolactin and serum TSH levels demonstrated a significant positive correlation with body weight and BMI. Obesity is associated with hormonal derangements which are responsible for infertility. In overweight women with infertility, weight loss should be considered as a first line treatment.     

Effect of Isoproterenol on Tissue Defense Enzymes,Hemodynamic and Left Ventricular Contractile Function in Rats

Present study investigated the effects of isoproterenol-induced oxidative stress on hemodynamic and ventricular functions in rats. Subcutaneous injections of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg for two consecutive days at 24 h interval) significantly decreased myocardial antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in heart. Isoproterenol-induced oxidative stress was also evidenced by significant depletion of reduced glutathione and increased formation of lipid peroxidation product, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances along with depletion of myocyte injury specific marker enzymes; creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme and lactate dehydrogenase. The deleterious outcome of oxidative stress on hemodyanmic parameters and ventricular function were further evidenced by decreased systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, ventricular contractility; [(+)LVdP/dt] and relaxation; [(−)LVdP/dt], along with an increased left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP). Subsequent to changes in heart rate and arterial pressure, isoproterenol also decreased rate pressure product. Present study findings clearly demonstrate the detrimental outcome of isoproterenol induced-oxidative stress on cardiac function and tissue antioxidant defense and substantiate its suitability as an animal model for the evaluation of cardioprotective agents.     

Learner Groups in Massive Open Online Courses

The open nature of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) attracts a large number of learners with different backgrounds, skills, motivations, and goals. This has brought a need to understand such heterogeneity in populations of MOOC learners. Categorizing these learners based upon their interaction with the course can help address this need and suggest possible improvements in course design and delivery. In this article, the K-means clustering technique with careful seeding is used to obtain clusters of learners having similar interaction in the course. Learners are grouped based on their interaction with course material, video lectures, discussion forums, and assessments. In the analysis of thirteen courses, the proposed method identified learners’ classes as Uninterested, Casuals, Performers, Explorers and Achievers. Each class of learners had distinct interaction with the course and followed a certain learning approach. The learners’ classes were mapped to the standard surface, deep, and strategic learning approaches.This article also highlights the data preparation phase and its importance in data mining.     

Towards understanding the two way interaction effects of extraversion and openness to experience on career commitment

In this study, we examined potential two-way interaction effects of the Big Five personality traits extraversion and openness to experience on career commitment measured in terms of three components of career identity, career resilience, and career planning. Participants included 450 managers from public and private sector organizations in North India. The results indicated significant positive impacts of extraversion and openness interactions on the career resilience dimension of career commitment. Implications for practice and future research directions are also discussed.     

Teleconsultation to Support the Education of Students with Visual Impairments: A Program Evaluation

ABSTRACT

Teleconsultation is being increasingly used in schools to support children with disabilities; however, further evaluation of the impact of this practice is needed. This study describes a teleconsultation model used to provide educational support for students with visual impairments being educated in their local school districts and examines the initial acceptability and feasibility of this teleconsultation model. In addition, the current study discusses some of the recommendations for improvement regarding program implementation, with the goal of increasing the ease of use of teleconsultation in schools. Stakeholders reported qualitative and quantitative data indicating that the teleconsultation model is acceptable to and feasible for families and school district staff.     

Elective home education and special educational needs

This paper reviews the literature on home education with reference to special educational needs (SEN). A rapid expansion in home educating families is noted. Parents present a variety of reasons for this, including those with concerns about the provision for their child's SEN.
In one Local Education Authority (LEA), data were obtained through questionnaires from 65 families when they first registered their children for home education. In addition, 12 families, who had been home educating their children for more than 2 years, were interviewed about their experiences. Many of the children involved had SEN, but most of the parents and children expressed satisfaction with their present arrangements. However, there was often a feeling expressed that they would have preferred their children to have attended school, if their special needs could have been met. Implications for education services policy and schools' practice are discussed.     

Modification of Jaffe’s kinetic method decreases bilirubin interference: A preliminary report

The negative interference of bilirubin on serum creatinine determined by the kinetic alkaline picrate (Jaffe) reaction is the unresolved problem. Though high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography with mass spectroscopy have been proposed to be gold standards for creatinine estimation but they are not readily available in most of the clinical chemistry laboratories due to economic and technical constraints. Most of the present day analyzers use Jaffe’s kinetic method without deproteinization. Though enzymatic methods are now routinely used as most accurate method but they are not acceptable due to cost constraints. Hence this study was planned to find out a possible solution to the problem of bilirubin interference by a minor modification in the commonly used Jaffe method so that it is amenable for use on the currently used analyzers.     

Asymptotic stability of a viscoelastic elliptic shaft

A finite viscoelastic shaft whose model is based on the spring and dash-pot (Kelvin element) is asymptotically stable as long as its angular speed is less than or equal to the square root of the least eigenvalue of the system. We construct numerically the least eigenvalue by using an iteration method where a definite integral is evaluated by the GAUSQZ method. With this construction, we show that a viscoelastic elliptic shaped shaft with both ends pinned is more stable than the tapered shaft with both ends pinned, or with one end built in and the other end free.     

Digital Gods: The Making of a Medical Fact for Rural Diagnostic Software

The chronic shortage of doctors in rural India seriously impacts the quality of health care available to villagers. In recent years, there has been considerable excitement in digital diagnostics as a possible answer to this situation by allowing non-doctors to diagnose and treat patients. In this article, the author focuses on one such diagnostic tool that has gained serious traction among transnational health foundations and state governments alike. The focus is on the customization and localization of this software through a pilot study in central Himalayas. A baseline survey and extensive interviews are conducted for categorization and population of health data content. This entailed analyzing the segmentation and transfer of health information on disease history and symptoms from the patient to the software as well as situating this study in the larger understanding of the healthcare system in this community. In doing so, the author argues that much of such health information is difficult to categorize and sufficiently vague to not provide for a confident diagnosis. Further, the data population of the treatment segment is deeply political and sociocultural. This article thereby problematizes the innate assumption underlying the design of such software, that it is possible to diagnose and treat patients based on pure information.