Twenty five patients with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of Primary Idiopathic Hypothyroidism were subjected to serum haptoglobin estimation before the commencement of replacement therapy with L-thyroxine. Serum haptoglobin levels were observed to be significantly reduced or absent in these patients (p<0.05). The serum levels of haptoglobin in these patients showed a marked rise during the treatment and follow-up period of four and eight weeks (p<0.05). The role of serum haptoglobin as the cheapest and sensitive marker for laboratory diagnosis of Primary Idiopathic Hypothyroidism and its role in the management of these patients are discussed.

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The prospects of using steel bar or mesh reinforcement in soil-cement mixture were investigated. A silty clay soil was used. The strength properties such as unconfined compressive, flexural, and bond strength of soil-cement were obtained for different cement contents and curing ages. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, specific heat and thermal diffusivity of soil-cement and of concrete were obtained. A comparison of reinforced soil-cement and concrete pavement was made. It was found that using reinforcement in soil-cement will improve the flexural strength of the mixture and allows reduction in the thickness of soil-cement layers. Reinforced soil-cement have better thermal properties than concrete. There seems to be a possibility of eliminating the joints used in rigid pavements by using reinforced soil-cement.

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The effect of licid lotion (recommended by professionals for killing and protection against head lice and nits) on the presence of fungi on 96 human hair samples were studied by plating the untreated and licid-treated hair directly on Sabouraud's dextrose agar medium and by using soil plating technique. Licid caused an inhibition in frequency of occurrence of all fungal genera recovered on treated hair samples using soil plating technique, when compared with those of un-treated specimens. However, the frequency of occurrence of each of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus was promoted by licid using direct plating technique. The capabilities of selected four fungal species to degrade keratin in licid treated liquid medium were also tested. The quantities of amino-N and protein-N in culture media (containing 2.6% human hair as a keratinaceous substrate) inoculated with each of Alternaria alternata, Chrysosporium indicum, C. keratinophilum and C. tropicum and supplemented with different concentrations of licid (500, 1000 and 1500 g ml-1) were increased.

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52 pregnant women, not vaccinated at all in their lives against rubella, came intentionally in contact with a patient suffering from Rubella infection. After this exposure their immune status have been determined. The fear of these pregnant women to bear a disabled child was behind this seroepid study.
67% of them were already immune as a result of previous infection.
17% of them were despite this exposure still not infected, they are now susceptible to the Rubella infection. Only 15% of them contract the Rubella infection, most of their infants are really at risk to be born disabled, because they were in the first trimester.
That fear can be abolished, by routine vaccination against Rubella, prior to marriage especially in the developing countries, where adult females are rarely vaccinated against Rubella.

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The antimicrobial alkaloids, juliflorine, julifloricine and benzene insoluble alkaloidal fraction of Prosopis juliflora, have been studied for their therapeutic efficacy after topical application in produced superficial skin infection. Infection was produced by rubbing freshly isolated Staphylococcus aureus from human clinical specimen onto 9 cm2 shaved skin. Various concentrations of juliflorine, julifloricine, benzene insoluble alkaloidal fraction and gentamicin (standard antibiotic) prepared in petroleum jell were applied onto infected areas. Juliflorine was found to be effective on Staphylococcal skin infection. Juliforine in 0.5%, 1%, and 2.5% concentrations were found to heal 25%, 50% and 100% lesions in two weeks and microbiological efficacy was found to be 16.66%, 33.33%, 58.33% and 91.66% with 0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 2.5% concentrations of juliflorine. Julifloricine was found to be less effective than juliflorine and the benzene insoluble alkaloidal mixture was found comparatively more effective than juliflorine. Healing was slightly faster with the mixture. Both juliflorine and the mixture were found effective at 2.5% concentration, but these were also found toxic. Gentamicin was found more superior to the alkaloids in artificially produced skin infection.
The study demonstrated that juliflorine and benzene insoluble alkaloidal fractions were effective in Staphylococcal skin infections. Generally dose related clinical and microbiological efficacy was noted but much less effective than standard antibiotic gentamicin and needs the development of more effective and non-toxic derivatives.

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Efficient de novo shoot organogenesis from hypocotyls and cotyledons of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was affected by sodium chloride and proline. Sodium chloride at 100 and 150 mM inhibited the shoot regeneration. The fresh and dry weights were also reduced. Addition of proline (100 mg/L) to the medium containing NaCI counteracted the inhibitory effect of NaCI and enhanced shoot regeneration, especially at high NaCI levels.
SDS-PAGE analyses of extracted proteins, revealed that in cultures grown in medium with proline, extra polypeptides of Mr. (Molecular weight) 190, 58, 45 and 26 kDaa (Kilodaltons) accumulated. These polypeptides were not present in control cultures, but also accumulated at 25 mM NaCI. As NaCI was increased in the medium a new protein of Mr. 67 kDaa also accumulated. Proteins of Mr. 67, 52-45 and 62 kDaa were also accumulated when proline was added to the saline medium. Proline directly or indirectly play an important role in protein accumulation and in cell adaptation to salinity stress.

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A study on the influence of effective size of Burnt Oil Palm Shell (BOPS) granular media in a rapid filtration process with respect to turbidity, filter run and flow rate was carried out at Sungai Langat Water Treatment Plant, Selangor, Malaysia. The finding of the study showed that effective sizes of less than 2.0 mm could produce effluent turbidity of less than 1 NTU, a limit recommended by WHO. Furthermore, it was noted that the filter run increased with higher effective sizes. Filter run was also affected by a change in the flow rate whereby a 50% increase in the flow rate resulted in the reduction of filter run by half, for the effective sizes studied.

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