The effect of salt stress on lipid composition and its relationship with ethanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied. Amounts of phospholipids as well as that of sterols decreased, whereas that of protein and glycolipids increased with increasing salt concentration. Relative proportion of amino phospholipids (phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine) decreased, whereas that of phosphatidylcholine showed a reverse trend. Cells grown under increasing salt concentration were more resistant to ethanol-induced leakage of UV-absorbing substances, an index of ethanol endurance. Results showed an overlap between osmotolerance and ethanol tolerance in this strain.

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CONTEXT: The outbreak and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has led to a global exigency of colossal and monstrous proportions in terms of public health and economic crisis. Till date, no pharmaceutical agent is known to manage in terms of prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by a novel virus. AIMS: The aim of the present work was to understand the underlying disease profile and dynamics that could provide relevant inputs and insight into pathophysiology and prevent further spread and evolve management strategies of COVID-19 patients from data-driven techniques. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A retrospective observational descriptive study was conducted on 29 COVID-19 patients admitted at a premier medical institution of North India in the months of February and March 2020. METHODS: The patients were diagnosed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. RESULTS: The mean age of population was 38.8 years with male preponderance, of which two patients were residents of Italy, and others hailed from semi-arid and Western sandy arid regions of Rajasthan (urban population). The major presenting symptom complex of said COVID-19 sample population included fever (48%), cough (31%), and shortness of breath (17%). Most of the patients (83%) had no comorbidity. No clinical correlation (r) could be appreciated between the duration of test positivity and age of afflicted COVID-19 patients (r = −0.0976). CONCLUSIONS: The present evaluation of various facets of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 is an attempt to portray early clinical and epidemiological parameters of the menace of COVID-19 patients admitted at SMS Medical College and Attached Hospitals, Jaipur.

Background and objective: Depression is one of the most common illnesses worldwide, with more than 264 million people affected. Various studies in the elderly population have estimated the prevalence of depression across India, with results ranging from 6% to 62%. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of depression among the elderly population using a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and to find out the association between various sociodemographic parameters and depression among elderly people.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of Urban Health Training Centre (UHTC), attached to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College, Jaipur from September 2019 to July 2020 among elderly people. Some 250 participants were interviewed.Results: Depression was present in 41.6% of the study participants. Age group, gender, marital status, educational qualification, type of family, financial dependence, socioeconomic status, and presence of morbidity were significantly associated with the presence of depression among study participants (p<0.05). Conclusion:The prevalence of depression in the urban elderly population was high (41.6%). By identifying risk factors for depression among the elderly population and screening them on time, we can reduce the severity and burden of the disease to a greater extent.

Background and Objectives: Women and newborns are most vulnerable during and immediately after childbirth. The majority of maternal and newborn deaths occurring in developing countries can be attributed to inabilities to access health services, illiteracy, social stigmas, and gender inequalities. Women should be made aware of the danger signs so that health care services can be assessed on time, thus reducing maternal mortality. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge about obstetric danger signs and to find out various factors associated with them among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) clinic at the Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC) attached to a Medical College. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the ANC clinic of the RHTC attached to a medical college of Rajasthan for a period of 4 months and included 353 pregnant women. A pre-designed and pre-tested schedule was used. Mean knowledge scores were computed and knowledge was classified into adequate and inadequate. Descriptive statistics were used and the Pearson Chi-square test was used as a test of significance, taking a P value of < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Educational status of pregnant women, antenatal check-up status and gravid status had significant associations with the knowledge of obstetric danger signs. Conclusions: About half of the respondents had adequate knowledge about the obstetrics danger signs. Therefore, there is a strong need of creating awareness in the community by improving access to health care.