A Prospective Observational Study on Retinopathy of Prematurity in Low Birth Weight Babies at a Tertiary Care Centre of West Bengal

Aims: The aim of the study was to know the prevalence, severity, and progression of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) amongthe screened low birth weight (LBW) and preterm babies and to determine how many of these babies require treatment.Methods: Prospective, observational study was done between August 2018 and March 2019. Screening for the presence ofROP and its severity in 588 eyes of 294 infants below 2000 g birth weight and/or period of gestation <34 weeks in SpecialNewborn Care Units. The retinal findings were documented and staging of ROP was determined, based on the InternationalClassification of ROP guidelines. Further follow-up and treatment were done accordingly.Results: In our study, 14.28% of the total numbers of babies screened were found to have different stages of ROP and 6.5%of the total number needed treatment. Among babies with birth weight above 1250 g, screening of 418 eyes of 209 babieswas done, of which 28 eyes of 14 babies were diagnosed as ROP (6.7%). Of which 12 babies received oxygen and 4 babies(8 eyes) required treatment. Among babies with ≤1250 g body weight, screening of 170 eyes of 85 babies was done, of which56 eyes of 29 babies developed ROP (33%), of which 25 babies received oxygen and 15 babies (30 eyes) required treatmentsuch as laser photocoagulation and intravitreal ranibizumab.Conclusion: ROP is emerging as one of the leading causes of irreversible childhood blindness, if not diagnosed and treatedearly. As very LBW babies are increasingly surviving because of the ever-improving perinatal care, the prevalence of ROP isalso increasing. That’s why regular ocular screening and timely intervention of those babies are to be done to prevent permanentblindness. Moreover, the magnitude of the problem in this part of our country will enable us to prepare our infrastructure to tackle it.

Synergic actions of polyphenols and cyanogens of peanut seed coat (Arachis hypogaea) on cytological, biochemical and functional changes in thyroid.

In animals, long-term feeding with peanut (Arachis hypogaea) seed coats causes hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the thyroid gland. However, to date there have been no detailed studies. Here, we explored the thyroidal effects of dietary peanut seed coats (PSC) in rats. The PSC has high levels of pro-goitrogenic substances including phenolic and other cyanogenic constituents. The PSC was mixed with a standard diet and fed to rats for 30 and 60 days, respectively. Animals fed with the PSC-supplemented diet showed a significant increase in urinary excretion of thiocyanate and iodine, thyroid enlargement, and hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia of thyroid follicles. In addition, there was inhibition of thyroid peroxidase (TPO) activity, 5’-deiodinase-I (DIO1) activity, and (Na+-K+)-ATPase activity in the experimental groups of rats as compared to controls. Furthermore, the PSC fed animals exhibited decreased serum circulating total T4 and T3 levels, severe in the group treated for longer duration. These data indicate that PSC could be a novel disruptor of thyroid function, due to synergistic actions of phenolic as well as cyanogenic constituents.

Thyroxine induced stress and its possible prevention by catechin.

Free radicals are all known to damage cell components. The present study was designed to evaluate the free radical generation in the testis and liver and also to determine the testicular and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities with and without catechin administration in thyroxine induced male Sprague-Dawley rats. The experimental animals were divided into four groups, six on each division. L-thyroxine (T4) (0.3 mg/kg body weight) was administered to experimental groups for 15 days. Another group (CAT-T4) was administered with L-thyroxine (T4) in the dose as mentioned and catechin (100mg/kg of body weight/day) simultaneously. Third group was administered only with catechin, and the remaining group was kept as control. Lipid peroxidation level (LPO) increased in L-thyroxine treated rats as compared to control, while LPO level was almost normal in L-thyroxine (T4) and catechin (CAT-T4) treated group. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were increased in L-thyroxine (T4) treated rats as compared to control, where as there were almost at normal level in L-thyroxine (T4) and catechin (CAT-T4) treated groups. The results show that, thyroxine administration develops oxidative stress; the organism defends it against the effects of oxidative stress by increasing SOD and catalase activities as a protective mechanism and catechin, being an antioxidant, normalizes lipid peroxidation in testis and liver including SOD and catalase activities.