Biomedical subjects

Virendra Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to Virendra Kumar.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

An analysis of poisoning deaths in Manipal, India.

To determine the various factors involved in poisoning deaths, a 10-y retrospective review of 335 cases were carried out. There was an increasing trend in number of poisoning deaths from 1993-94 to 1999-2000, followed by a decline trend the last 2 y (2001-02). Ninety-one percent of the deaths were due to self-poisoning, with 77.6% of the fatalities due to insecticide consumption. Most cases occurred during winter and in the victim's rural home. Amongst all the poisoning deaths, 249 were males and 86 were females, most in the of 20-29 y age group. Suggestions have been made for the prevention of insecticide poisoning.

Accidents↗

PubMed2003

Periligature injuries in hanging.

Hanging is a common mode of suicide while ligature strangulation is a common way of homicide. Ligature marks (patterned abrasion caused by ligature material) can be of great significance to the forensic pathologist in determining the cause and manner of death. Ligature material usually produces a prominent mark over the bight area, which is opposite to the knot and an inverted 'V' pattern at the site of the knot. Apart from ligature mark, sometimes findings such as rope burns & nail marks may be seen around the ligature mark and can be termed as 'periligature injuries'. Nail marks over the neck are usually suggestive of throttling. But they can also be self inflicted by the victim while trying to extricate himself/herself from the strangling grip of hanging or ligature strangulation. Such injuries, when present may mislead the forensic pathologist in drawing conclusion as to whether it is due to hanging or manual strangulation. Rope burn is caused by friction of rope against skin leading to blister formation. Thus it is an antemortem feature. We present two cases of hanging with periligature injuries.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Burnt wives--a study of suicides.

Ritual self-immolation has long been practiced in India. Although in the past the practice has been related to the act of sati, it is currently more commonly associated with dowry disputes. In India, dowries are a continuing series of gifts endowed before and after the marriage. When dowry expectations are not met, the young bride may be killed or compelled to commit suicide, most frequently by burning. In a cohort of 152 burned wives, 32 (21%) were immolation suicides and these cases were analyzed from both epidemiological and medicolegal aspects. Suicide by burning amongst women is a major concern in India as it has become pervasive throughout all social strata and geographical areas. In this series, most women were from joint families (i.e. multigenerational groups of related individuals living under a single roof) and the suicides occurred 2-5 years after marriage. The majority of the affected wives were 21-25 years of age (69%) at the time of the suicide and sustained more than a 50% TBSA burn injury after dousing themselves with kerosene. Most died at the time of the incident or within the subsequent 24h, most commonly from shock.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Fatal accidental burns in married women.

Burning incidents amongst women are a major concern in India as it has become pervasive throughout all social strata and geographical areas. They may be homicidal, suicidal or accidental in nature. Here, in the study, the main objective is to present the different epidemiological and medicolegal aspects of accidental burns in the married women. In a cohort of 152 burned wives, 70 (46%) were accidental victims and these cases were analyzed accordingly for their different medicolegal and epidemiological aspects. Data were collected from personal interview and from examining the different documents related to death. In this series, most of the women were illiterate Hindu housewives hailing from joint families (i.e. multigenerational groups of related individuals living under a single roof) of rural community. The majority (60%) of the affected wives were 16-25 years of age at the time of the accident and sustained less than 90% total body surface area burn injury. Most had the survival period more than 1 day, and more than half of them died of septicaemia.

Accidents, Home↗

PubMed2003

The role of radiolytically generated species in radiation-induced polymerization of vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride (VBT) in aqueous solution: steady-state and pulse radiolysis study.

Radiation-induced polymerization of vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride (VBT) in aqueous solution has been investigated by steady-state and pulse radiolysis techniques. The effects of dose, dose rate, monomer concentration, pH, and ambient conditions on steady state polymerization were investigated. The reactions of primary radicals of water radiolysis, such as OH radical, e(-)aq, and H atom, were studied. The reactions of other chemically active species such as O*-, oxidizing radicals such as N3*, Cl2(*-), Br(2*), SO4(*-), and a reducing specie such as CO2(*-) with VBT were also investigated. The reaction of VBT with OH radical and H atom were investigated by formation kinetics and by competition kinetics. The rate constant values for the reaction of OH radical with VBT were 4.7 x 10(9) dm3 mol(-1) s(-1) and 1.7 x 10(10) dm3 mol(-1) s(-1) by formation kinetics and by competition kinetics, respectively. The results indicate that OH radicals undergo electron transfer reactions (resulting in a radical cation) and addition reactions. The hydrated electron reacts with VBT with a rate constant of 1.9 x 10(10) dm3 mol(-1) s(-1) to form an anion. At pH approximately 1, H atom reaction with VBT is diffusion controlled with a rate constant of 5.1 x 10(9) dm3 mol(-1) s(-1) as determined by formation kinetics and 1.7 x 10(10) dm3 mol(-1) s(-1) as determined by competition kinetics. VBT radical anion reacts with VBT at a rate that is almost twice the rate at which VBT radical cation reacts with VBT, indicating anionic initiation of the polymerization of VBT. VBT undergoes very fast steady-state polymerization and dose rate; the presence of efficient radical quenchers such as oxygen and concentration of VBT in the aqueous solution affects the extent of polymerization. Typically, a dose of 4 kGy is sufficient to achieve 80-85% polymerization. The monomer solution shows a drastic increase in the viscosity of the solution, which finally gels to a soft rubbery mass.

Homeostasis↗

PubMed2002

Antipruritic and antihyperalgesic actions of loperamide and analogs.

Loperamide and three of its analogs were evaluated for their ability to inhibit binding to cloned human opioid receptor subtypes and to produce antipruritus and antinociception following local s.c. administration to rodents. All four compounds were fully efficacious agonists with affinities of 2 to 4 nM for the cloned human mu opioid receptor. Local s.c. injection of loperamide, ADL 01-0001 or ADL 01-0002 at the same site as the introduction of the pruritogenic compound 48/80 resulted in antipruritic activity in a mouse model of itch. Similarly, i.paw or i.pl. administration of compounds ADL 01-0001, ADL 01-0002 and ADL 01-0003 to inflamed paws caused potent antinociception, inhibiting late phase formalin-induced flinching, Freund's adjuvant-induced mechanical hyperalgesia and tape stripping-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. Loperamide and its analogs were efficacious in animal models of itch and inflammatory pain, and may have potential therapeutic utility as antipruritic and antihyperalgesic agents.

Analgesics↗

PubMed2002

Vitamin A status in children with asthma.

Low vitamin A levels have been found in a number of diseases in children. The aim of this study was to examine the vitamin A status in children with asthma and to correlate the changes with severity of disease. Serum levels of vitamin A, retinol-binding protein (RBP), and albumin were estimated in 35 asthmatic children (24 males) in the age group of 2-12 years (mean 5.89 years) and 29 controls (19 males). Both study and control groups were similar with respect to age, sex, and overall nutritional status. Twenty-four children in the study group (68.6%) had moderate to severe persistent asthma and eight children had mild persistent asthma. Only three patients suffered from mild intermittent asthma. Vitamin A levels in children with asthma (mean +/- SD 22.14 +/- 5.38 microg/dl) were found to be significantly lower than their controls (mean +/- SD 27.54 +/- 4.83 microg/dl) (p = 0.0001). Age, age of onset of asthma, and gender had no correlation with serum vitamin A levels. Low serum vitamin A levels (< 20 microg/dl) were observed four times more commonly in the study group (28.6%) than controls (6.9%). Severity of asthma had a negative correlation with serum vitamin A levels (r = - 0.61, p = 0.0001). Children with severe persistent asthma had markedly low serum vitamin A levels (mean +/- SD 13.42 +/- 5.19 microg/dl) as compared with mild intermittent asthma (mean +/- SD 24.61 +/- 2.32 microg/dl). Therapeutic trials are needed to prove whether low vitamin A levels contribute to asthma severity and the clinical utility of vitamin A supplementation in asthmatic children.

Asthma↗