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Background The human placenta is a remarkable organ that develops during pregnancy and is crucial in supporting fetal growth and development. The placenta supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fetus and removes waste products from the fetal bloodstream. It also produces hormones that support pregnancy, such as human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, and estrogen. Placental insufficiency occurs when the placenta cannot deliver adequate nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. This can result in intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), stillbirth, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight, and premature birth. It can also be associated with developmental delays or long-term health issues for the baby. This study aimed to assess the morphologic, morphometric, and histologic changes in the placenta associated with IUFD and compare it with the placenta of live births. Methodology This study was conducted at the Department of Anatomy in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Integral Institute of Medical Sciences and Research and King George's Medical University Lucknow, where 60 placentas were studied. Placentas were further categorized into the following two groups: Group A, the study group in which placentas from IUFD were taken (n = 30), and Group B, the control group where placentas from live births were taken (n = 30). Morphological and morphometric features of both groups were recorded and compared. Histological features of placentas from IUFD (Group A) were examined after hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results A total of 60 placentas were observed (Group A and Group B). In Group A (IUFD) and Group B (control group), most pregnancies were multigravidas. Round-shaped placentas were the most common type in both groups (Group A = 46.67%, Group B = 66.67%). The average thickness of placentas from Group A (IUFD) cases was significantly reduced (mean thickness = 1.17 ± 0.07 cm) compared to controls in Group B (mean thickness = 2.04 ± 0.93 cm). The p-value obtained was significant at 0.0001. There was a notable reduction in the average placental diameter in Group A (mean diameter = 241.73 ± 65.54 cm) compared to Group B (mean diameter = 263.72 ± 162.67 cm). The p-value obtained was not significant at 0.49. On histopathological examination of the placentas of Group A (IUFD), perivillous fibrin deposition and high-grade calcification were seen in a significantly high number of placentas (70% and 60%, respectively). Conclusions The knowledge of the placenta's morphologic, morphometric, and histologic changes can be utilized to establish the cause of fetal death. In instances of fetal growth limitation and fetal demise that are clinically inexplicable, they can also explain the causes.
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Aortic valve stenosis is a disease characterized by thickening and narrowing of the aortic valve (AV), most commonly due to calcification, which leads to left ventricular outflow obstruction called calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). CAVD presents as a progressive clinical syndrome with cardiorespiratory symptoms, often with rapid deterioration. The modern-day pathophysiology of CAVD involves a complex interplay of genetic factors, chronic inflammation, lipid deposition, and valve calcification, with early CAVD stages resembling atherosclerosis. Various imaging modalities have been used to evaluate CAVD, with a recent trend of using advanced imaging to measure numerous AV parameters, such as peak jet velocity. Significant improvements in mortality have been achieved with transcatheter AV repair, but numerous therapeutics and modalities are being researched to delay the progression of CAVD. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of CAVD, explore recent developments, and provide insights into future treatments with various novel modalities.
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The suitability of biocarbons derived from blackberry seeds as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries has been assessed for the first time. Blackberry seeds have antibacterial, anticancer, antidysentery, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, and potent antioxidant properties and are generally used for herbal medical purposes. Carbon is extracted from blackberries using a straightforward carbonization technique and activated with KOH at temperatures 700, 800, and 900 °C. The physical characterization demonstrates that activated blackberry seeds-derived carbon at 900 °C (ABBSC-900 °C) have well-ordered graphene sheets with high defects compared to the ABBSC-700 °C and ABBSC-800 °C. It is discovered that an ABBSC-900 °C is mesoporous, with a notable Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 65 m2 g-1. ABBSC-900 has good electrochemical characteristics, as studied under 100 and 1000 mA g-1 discharge conditions when used as a lithium intercalating anode. Delivered against a 500 mA g-1 current density, a steady reversible capacity of 482 mA h g-1 has been achieved even after 200 cycles. It is thought that disordered mesoporous carbon with a large surface area account for the improved electrochemical characteristics of the ABBSC-900 anode compared to the other ABBSC-700 and ABBSC-800 carbons. The research shows how to use a waste product, ABBSC, as the most desired anode for energy storage applications.
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Background In the field of medical education, traditional methods of teaching and learning have been used for a long time. Various new methods of learning, like activity-based learning (ABL), case-based discussion (CBD), and problem-based learning (PBL), are laying the foundation for this modern era of teaching. This study was a comparative study conducted to determine the effectiveness of activity-based learning and traditional lectures by teaching two topics to MBBS first-year professional students. Aims The study compares the effectiveness of didactic lectures and activity-based learning for MBBS first-year professional students in the subject of anatomy. Methodology The study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Barabanki, and included 100 MBBS (2022-2023) first-year students randomly assigned to Group A (n=50, 16 females and 34 males) and Group B (n=50, 23 females and 27 males) through chit methods. The participants were exposed to two different topics of anatomy in the form of activity-based learning as well as didactic lectures. Assessments were done immediately after the exposure in the form of a post-test, and results were analyzed for both groups. Result The results of the study showed that both activity-based learning and didactic lectures were effective in teaching the two topics, but the didactic lecture group had higher retention rates than the activity-based learning group. The mean score of post-tests of students who attended a didactic lecture on the brachial plexus (6.166± 2.11) was slightly higher than that obtained by students who attended activity-based learning (5.625 ± 2.12), but the p-value obtained was not significant (0.249). Whereas the mean of the scores of the post-test obtained by students who attended a didactic lecture on mammary gland was (8.45± 1.20), slightly lower than the mean of the scores of the post-test of students who attended activity-based learning on mammary gland (8.60± 1.16), but the p-value obtained was not significant (0.520). Conclusion This study provides evidence that didactic lectures play an important role in teaching anatomy to MBBS first-year students and cannot be replaced by activity-based learning alone. Lectures followed by activity-based learning can prove to be a newer and more effective teaching-learning method with better outcomes in the form of retention and conceptual understanding of the topics in anatomy.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurological disorder, is as a complex chronic disease of brain cell death that usher to cognitive decline and loss of memory. Its prevalence differs according to risk factors associated with it and necropsy performs vital role in its definite diagnosis. The stages of AD vary from preclinical to severe that proceeds to death of patient with no availability of treatment. Biomarker may be a biochemical change that can be recognized by different emerging technologies such as proteomics and metabolomics. Plasma biomarkers, 5-protein classifiers, are readily being used for the diagnosis of AD and can also predict its progression with a great accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. In this review, upregulation or downregulation of few plasma proteins in patients with AD has also been discussed, when juxtaposed with control, and thus serves as potent biomarker in the diagnosis of AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/blood , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Biomarkers/blood , HumansABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Researchers and clinicians have been criticised for frequently misinterpreting and misusing P values. This study sought to understand how general practitioners (GPs) in Australia and New Zealand conceptualise P values presented in the manner typically encountered in a medical publication. METHODS: This mixed-methods study used quantitative and qualitative questions embedded in an online questionnaire and delivered through an Australian and New Zealand GP-specific Facebook group in 2017. It included questions that elaborated on the participant's conceptualisation of 'P = 0.05' within a scenario and tested their P value interpretation ability and confidence. RESULTS: There were 247 participants who completed the questionnaire. Participant conceptualisations of P values were described using six thematic categories. The most common (and erroneous) conceptualisation was that P values numerically indicated a 'real-world probability'. No demographic factor, including research experience, seemed associated with better interpretation ability. A confidenceability gap was detected. DISCUSSION: P value misunderstanding is pervasive and might be influenced by a few central misconceptions. Statistics education for clinicians should explicitly address the most common misconceptions.
