Neuroimaging In Tuberous Sclerosis

Tuberous sclerosis is a rare autosomal dominant neurocutaneous syndrome. The diagnosis is on the basis of diagnostic criteria applied to clinical findings classical triad of epilepsy, mental retardation, and adenoma sebaceum. Cardiac rhabdomyoma, renal angiomyolipoma, and neurologic involvement comprises of cortical or subependymal tubers and white matter abnormalities are the common radiologic findings, these will give strong evidence for suspecting tuberous sclerosis. accurate imaging differentiation of diagnosis and localization of tubers and is helpful for treatment.

A study to assess the knowledge and awareness regarding safe disposal of pharmaceutical wastes among 2nd year medical and para-medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India

Background: The use of pharmaceutical products in our day to day life is escalating and one cannot deny their presence in every household. Unfortunately not all the medicines that reach our homes get consumed. Unused, unwanted and expired drugs get accumulated over time and are generally disposed along with other household trash thus contributing to environmental pollution. This turns our attention towards the significance of eco-pharmacovigilance. Assessing the level of knowledge and awareness of students under training as health care professionals regarding safe disposal of pharmaceutical wastes can help us to partly assess the magnitude of the problem of inappropriate disposal methods and help us to plan and initiate steps to prevent the hazards caused by improper disposal of these items.Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted among medical and paramedical students of a tertiary care teaching hospital using a pre-validated questionnaire from previous studies.Results: Majority of the participants were not aware of the possible hazards of improper disposal of pharmaceutical wastes. They expressed the need for awareness programs regarding the subject.Conclusions: The study revealed the practice of drug accumulation at home. The disposal methods opted by the participants were not the recommended methods. There is a need to address this issue through awareness programs at various levels.

Shelf life of bioagents and longevity of biologically coated pigeonpea seed

Biological seed coating is a new technique of seed treatment through which biological agents are coated over the seed surface for effective control of seed and soil-borne pathogens. In this study, pigeonpea seed was biologically coated with Pseudomonas fluorescens, Rhizobium spp. and Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) using biofriendly polymer and sugar syrup as adjuvants. The shelf life of bioagents and seed quality parameters was studied during six months of storage period. The colony units of Pseudomonas increased with biofriendly polymer either as individual or in consortia with biofertilizers. Six months after treatment, more colony units of Pseudomonas fluorescens were recorded on the surface of biologically coated seed of pigeonpea with biofriendly polymer as an adjuvant compared to sugar syrup. Seeds coated with Pseudomonas and PSB using biofriendly polymer recorded high seed germination and seedling vigour compared to sugar syrup. The observations reveal that there is a possibility of coating seed with biological agents using biofriendly polymer immediately after processing or before packaging without affecting the shelf life of bioagents and seed quality. Thus, the biologically coated pigeonpea seed in advance of cropping season can go a long way in minimizing risk associated with on farm seed treatment.

Comparision Of Pleural Fluid Cytology And Cell Block In Pleural Effusion

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To assess the diagnostic utility of cell block technique in comparison to conventional cytosmear, in the study of pleural fluids. To compare our results with existing literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS The present prospective study was done for a period of two years from 1st August 2015 to July 31st 2017 in the Department of Pathology, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal. During this period, pleural fluids obtained by aspiration were analyzed. A total of 53 cases were studied RESULTS Out of the total 53 cases included in our study of pleural effusion males were 32 and female were 21 contributing 60.3% and 39.6% respectively. Age range of our patient was from 18years to oldest patient being 68 years with the dominant age group being 31–40 years. Cytosmear analysis showed 35 (66.05%) benign/inflammatory effusions, 11 (20.75%) suspicious of malignancy, 7 (13.20%) malignant cytology’s. On cell block analysis 43 (81.20%) were diagnosed as benign/ inflammatory effusions, 10 (18.8%) were diagnosed to be malignant. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrates that the pleural fluid cytology is the most useful test in establishing the diagnosis of pleural effusion. From the results it can be concluded that cell block technique demonstrates a higher diagnostic rate of malignant effusions compared to cytosmear as the morphological features were better identified by this method. We conclude that the cell block technique method when used as an adjuvant to routine smear examination increases the diagnostic yield and also carries the advantage of carrying further IHC studies.

Cultural consensus modelling to understand the reproductive health needs of South African adolescent girls

Background. Cultural consensus modelling (CCM) is an approach whereby individuals define the boundaries regarding a set of knowledge or behaviours shared by a group within a culture using an ethnographic approach. Objectives. To provide an overview of CCM methods and the application of CCM to examine South African adolescent girls' contraceptive and HIV prevention practices. Methods. In phase 1 of a CCM approach, individuals respond to questions about their culture rather than their individual behaviours, allowing individuals to draw upon a shared cultural knowledge. Utilising these identified group beliefs, phase 2 asks individuals to rate the extent to which factors identified in phase 1 are valued. Phase 3 utilises qualitative interviews with key informants from phase 2 to gather in-depth information regarding the identified determinants of the health behaviour. Lastly, phase 4 of this approach conducts a quantitative survey to determine the extent to which cultural consensus model types are associated with differences in actual behaviours. Results. CCM data analytic approaches are described. Frequencies and descriptive statistics for the free listing are conducted. For phase 2, cultural consensus analysis is conducted to examine whether one or several consensus models exist and competence scores are calculated. Standard qualitative analysis approaches are utilised for phase 3. Phase 4 employs regression to examine the association between cultural models and an outcome of interest. Conclusion. CCM provides a novel, culturally sensitive understanding of reproductive health practices among South African adolescent girls; CCM also has broad applicability to other adolescent health research domains

Modified Mallampati Test, Thyromental Distance and Hyomental Distance for Accurately Predicting Difficult Visualization of the Larynx.

Background: This study has been done to compare Hyomental distance with the modified Mallampati test, Thyromental distance for accurately predicting difficult visualization of the larynx in apparently normal patients’. Methods: 198 apparently normal patients of > 18 years of age, with ASA 1 and 2, undergoing general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation were evaluated. A hard-plastic bond ruler is used to measure the distance. After induction and paralysis using glottic visualisation was assessed by using modified Cormach and Lehane classification with no external laryngeal manipulation. Results: The highest sensitivity of 44.44 % was observed in predicting difficult visualization of the larynx with modified Mallampati followed by TMD 11.11 % and HMD 11.11 % (2/18). Conclusion: An optimal combination of tests that includes the HMD,MMT,TMD and other predictors and performing the tests in combination for predicting Difficult Laryngoscopy, rather than using it alone.

Molecular Characterization of MAP30 Gene from Momordica Charantia L.

Natural products especially from plants have been used for the treatment of various diseases. Momordica charantia or bitter melon, grows in the tropical area is popularly consumed as vegetables and has high medicinal values .It is one of the most promising alternative medicines used as anti-HIV, anti-ulcer, antiinflammatory, antileukemic, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, and anti-tumor. Proteins like momordin, alpha- and betamomorcharin and cucurbitacin B of Momordica charantia were also tested for possible anticancerous effects .Chemical analogs of these proteins have been developed, patented, and named MAP30.The MAP30gene was amplified from Momordica charantia leaves by Polymerase Chain Reaction .The resultant product was amplified approximately 861 bp.

Isolation, purification and characterization of the egg-yolk proteins from the oocytes of the Indian freshwater murrel, Channa punctatus (Bloch).

In oviparous organisms, yolk accumulation in the oocytes is critical and indispensable for the development of the newly hatched young ones. In fish and many other oviparous vertebrates, the major constituents of the egg-yolk are synthesized as a precursor in the liver. The precursor is transported to the oocyte for uptake and cleaved into major yolk proteins lipovitellin, phosvitin and β’-components. The eggs of Channa punctatus are pelagic, have large oil globule and exceptionally high lipid content. Lipovitellin was isolated by single step gel filtration chromatography on Sepharose 6B. Purified native lipovitellin showed immunological reactivity with vitellogenin antiserum. Phosvitin isolated by phenol extraction method could not be visualized with routine protein staining methods, whereas incorporation of trivalent ions in the coomassie brilliant blue stained phosvitin. It was characterized by in vivo labeling of egg-yolk proteins with 32P. The molecular mass of murrel phosvitin was less than 14,000 kDa.

Syndrome of malnutrition-inflammation complex in chronic alcoholics.

Several studies have reported elevated serum ferritin levels in patients of chronic alcohol abuse. We hypothesized that serum ferritin may be acting as a marker of acute phase reactant, reflecting the inflammatory status of patients of chronic alcohol abuse, rather than as a marker of iron overload . Hence we correlated serum ferritin levels with interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF -α ) which are markers of inflammation. Serum ferritin and IL-6 levels were significantly elevated at the time of admission. The elevation of IL-6 correlated well with the increase in ferritin levels (r=0.78, p<0.01). Serum iron levels were not significantly different before and after abstinence from alcohol. We also speculated that the inflammatory status was associated with the malnutrition that is observed in alcohol abuse. Therefore we studied serum total protein, albumin, prealbumin and transferrin levels as markers of nutrition in patients of chronic alcohol abuse. Serum levels of all these nutritional parameters increased significantly after 8 weeks of abstinence from alcohol and were accompanied by reduced levels of ferritin and IL-6. Hence it is possible that a malnutrition inflammation complex like syndrome exists in patients of alcohol abuse.

Correlation between chemical composition of biliary calculi and sera of stone formers.

A quantitative chemical analysis of total cholesterol, bilirubin, calcium, inorganic phosphate and iron of three types of biliary calculi (cholesterol, pigment and mixed) of 40 gall stone former was carried out and correlated to with those of there sera. A moderately positive correlation for inorganic phosphate, Ca2+ and Fe2+ content of sera and calculi of cholesterol stone patient was found. A Good positive correlation for total cholesterol, a moderately positive correlation for bilirubin and iron but no correlation for inorganic phosphate and calcium content of sera and calculi of pigment stone patient was observed. A good moderately positive correlation for iron but no correlation for total cholesterol, bilirubin, inorganic phosphate and Ca2+ content of sera and calculi of stone patient was found.