Acute hepatitis E during pregnancy; maternal and foetal outcomes

Liver disorders during pregnancy may have a strong bearing on both mother and the foetus. Acute Hepatitis E is rightly considered to be an emerging infection. Loco-regional studies have shown it to be the most common cause of Acute Hepatitis in pregnant females. We carried out our study to elaborate the demographic profile of pregnant females presenting with Acute Hepatitis E along with the fetomaternal outcomes

Study Design: It was a prospective, observational study

Intervention: None

Settings and Participants: Over a period of two years, 73 pregnant patients were evaluated by our team in the Department of Gastroenterology for suspicion of liver disease

Outcomes and Measurement: Data was evaluated for quantitative and qualitative variables. Outcome of mother, pregnancy and neonates was also recorded where available

Results: During the study period 73 pregnant patients presented with liver disease giving an incidence of 3.6%. Serological evidence of Acute Hepatitis E was found in 50 [68.5%] of the patients. Fulminant hepatic Failure developed in 5 [10%] patients. All five patients with FHF could not survive. There were 4 [8%] intra-uterine deaths, 1 [2%] abortion and 5 [10%] neonatal deaths

Shortcomings: Relatively small sample size

Conclusions: Acute hepatitis E during pregnancy predicts poor outcomes for the mothers, foetus and neonates

Detection of extended-spectrum beta -lactamases in Klebsiella pneumoniae: comparison of phenotypic characterization methods

Extended-spectrum beta -lactamase producing K. pneumoniae is a serious threat to the patients. This manuscript shows the comparison of phenotypic characterization methods used for ESBL K. pneumoniae and frequency distribution of these isolates in various clinical samples. Eleven different types of pathological samples collected on various time intervals were analyzed. K. pneumoniae were identified with API 20E system [bioMerieux] and initial screening of ESBL K. pneumoniae was performed using the ceftazidime antimicrobial disc. Double-disc synergy test [DDST] and CLSI confirmatory test were compared for the phenotypic detection of ESBL K. pneumoniae. A total number of 214 ESBL producing K. pneumoniae were isolated from various clinical samples. Frequency distribution of ESBL producing K. pneumoniae was found to be highest among blood 117 [54.7%] and urine 46 [21.5%] samples. Data regarding the use of various interventions among these patients showed most common presence of intravenous line 209 [97.7%] and urinary catheters 46 [21.5%]. Comparison of DDST and CLSI confirmatory test showed that the DDST detected 145 [67.8%] isolates while 213 [99.5%] ESBL K. pneumoniae were characterized by CLSI confirmatory test. The use of CLSI confirmatory test is very efficient in the early detection of ESBL K. pneumoniae especially when the facilities for molecular characterization are not available

Concomitant production of two proteases and alpha-amylase by a novel strain of Bacillus subtilis in a microprocessor controlled bioreactor

We describe the simultaneous production of Bacillus subtilis based proteases and alpha amylase using a computer controlled laboratory scale 7.5 L batch bioreactor. The present strain is the first to be reported that concomitantly produces these two industrially important enzymes. The growth and sporulation of Bacillus subtilis was monitored and maximum production of alkaline protease and alpha amylase was found to coincide with maximum sporulation. Two types of proteases were detected in the fermentation broth; a neutral and an alkaline protease most active in a pH range of 7.0-8.0 and 8.0-10, respectively. Maximum production of proteases was observed at an incubation temperature of 37ºC while that of alpha amylase was observed at 40ºC. The optimum aeration and agitation levels for protease production were 0.6 L/L/min and 200rpm, respectively, and for alpha amylase were 0.6 L/L/min and 150 rpm. The kinetic parameters Yp/x and qp were also found to be significant at the given fermentation conditions.

Mediastinal endodermal sinus tumor associated with fatal hemophagocytic syndrome

The association of endodermal sinus tumor, known also as yolk sac tumor, of the mediastinum with hemophagocytic syndrome is exceedingly rare with only a few cases on record. We report a 24-year-old male who had a large mediastinal germ cell tumor, proven to be an endodermal sinus tumor on biopsy. The patient developed pancytopenia and coagulopathy related to associated hemophagocytic syndrome, with a fatal outcome. A brief review of the relevant literature is presented as well

Comparison of solubility of zinc phosphate and glass ionomer cement in artificial saliva of varying pH values [in vitro study]

The aim of this study was to compare the solubility of Zinc Phosphate and Glass lonomer cements [conventional] in artificial saliva of different pH values. These cements are commonly used for permanent cementation of indirect restorations in dental practice at Peshawar, Pakistan and have to resist the harsh environment of oral cavity. The study was carried out at National Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. Both cements were mixed per manufacturer's directives to achieve excellent properties while using these as luting material. A total of 100 specimens were made for each dental cement and weighed prior to placement inpH medium of 2.46, 3.15, 3.56, 4.96 and 6.57 for 96 hours at 37°C temperature. After removal specimens were washed with doubly distilled water, dried in open air for 48 hours and reweighed. Percentage of solubility at each time period was calculated as 100 percent times weight loss divided by the initial weight of the specimen. It was found that the glass ionomer cement presented the highest solubility at low pH medium but was less soluble at high pH medium

Fermentation Kinetics of Media Optimization for the Production of Alpha Amylase by a New Isolate of Aspergillus Oryzae / 微生物学通报

The present study is concerned with the isolation and screening of different strains of Aspergillus oryzae for the production of alpha amylase. Ninety strains were isolated from soil and tested for the production of alpha amylase in shake flasks. Of all the strains tested,Aspergillus oryzae GCB-32 and Aspergillus oryzae GCB-35 gave maximum production of alpha amylase. Different culture media were screened for maximum production of alpha amylase by both the strains Aspergillus oryzae GCB-32 and Aspergillus oryzae GCB-35. Kinetic analysis revealed that the values of product yield coefficient (Yp/x) and specific product yield coefficient( qp ) were found highly significant (p ≤ 0.05 ) when medium M1 was used for the enzyme production.

Management of periorbital defects with local flaps after resection of basal cell carcinoma eye lids

Basal cell carcinoma [BCC] is the most common malignant tumour of eyelids. In this study management of periorbital defects of patients treated for BCC is described. A prospective study. This study was done from June 2001 to October 2003 at CMH Quetta. This study included all the patients suffering from BCC who were treated for periorbital defects resulting from resection of BCC. Fifteen patients with periorbital BCC were included in this study. Eight were males and seven were females. Ages varied from forty to seventy years. These patients were treated by cheek flap, muscular flap, Glabellar flap and Tenzel flap. An early detection and timely management of eyelid BCC give excellent results and prevent disfigurement and morbidity

Biosynthesis of protease from Lactobacillus paracasei: kinetic analysis of fermentation parameters.

Fifteen strains of Lactobacillus species, isolated from different samples of curd were screened for their ability to produce more extracellular protease. The proteolytic activities of these strains based on casein hydrolysis showed a variation of 1.26-5.80 U ml(-l), with Lactobacillus IH8 showing the maximum activity and was identified as L. paracasei. Different cultural conditions for enhanced production of protease by L. paracasei were optimized. The optimal conditions for production of the enzyme were an incubation temperature of 35 degrees C and a medium pH of 6.0. The maximum proteolytic activity of L. paracasei (7.28 Uml(-1)) was achieved after 48 h of cultivation. The kinetic parameters such as product yield (Yp/x,), growth yield (Yx/s), specific product yield (qp) and specific growth yield (qs) coefficients also revealed that the values of experimental results were kinetically significant.

possible role of steroid hormones present in vitex negundo and its efficacy as a contraceptive

Vitex negundo is used as a contraceptive in traditional medicine. Most of the oral contraceptive pills used in allopathic medicine are the combination of estrogen and progesterone. Some contraceptive pills [mini pills] contain progesterone alone. The present study shows that the extract of Vitex negundo contains estrogen, testosterone and progesterone, their concentrations were found to be 947.7 pg/ml, 22.276 ng/ml and 6.022 ng/ml respectively. From these findings it is assumed that this high concentration of steroid hormones may contribute to its contraceptive action but it may have some side effects on the female reproductive physiology as it contains male hormone i.e. testosterone in addition to the progesterone and estrogen. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that the trial of this drug on animals followed by clinical study should be carried out to see its anti-fertility activity and side effects

Occurrence of salmonella in ice cream and related products

In a microbiological examination of 70 packed and unpacked samples of ice cream and related products such as kulfi. kulfa, cones and ice cubes collected from different localities of Lahore, the total viable counts ranged from 1.0x10[4]/g to 6.0x10[6]/g. Salmonella occurred in 10 out of 70 samples [14.3%]. The maximum occurrence [75%] of Salmonella was recorded in samples collected from Muslim Town