Slipped-Strand Mispairing in the Gene Encoding Sialidase NanH3 in Gardnerella spp.

Cell wall proteins with sialidase activity are involved in carbohydrate assimilation, adhesion to mucosal surfaces, and biofilm formation. Gardnerella spp. inhabit the human vaginal microbiome and encode up to three sialidase enzymes, two of which are suspected to be cell wall associated. Here, we demonstrate that the gene encoding extracellular sialidase NanH3 is found almost exclusively in Gardnerella piotii and the closely related species Gardnerella genome sp. 3, and its presence correlates with a sialidase-positive phenotype in a collection of 112 Gardnerella isolates. The nanH3 gene sequence includes a homopolymeric repeat of cytosines that varies in length within cell populations, indicating that this gene is subject to slipped-strand mispairing, a mechanism of phase variation in bacteria. Variation in the length of the homopolymer sequence results in production of either the full-length sialidase protein or truncated peptides lacking the sialidase domain due to introduction of reading-frame shifts and premature stop codons. Phase variation in NanH3 may be involved in immune evasion or modulation of adhesion to host epithelial cells and formation of biofilms characteristic of the vaginal dysbiosis known as bacterial vaginosis.

Eosinophilic Granuloma of Mandible: A Diagnostic Challenge.

Eosinophilic Granuloma is the mildest and localized form of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and is characterized by clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells. It is a rare disease, accounting for less than 1% of all the osseous neoplasms. It has predilection for the axial skeleton and incidence in jaws is just 7.9%. It lacks pathognomonic clinical and radiographic trait and hence is difficult to make a correct diagnosis without histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. This report describes a case of Eosinophilic Granuloma of mandible in 30 years old male who presented with complain of unhealed extraction wound and was clinically diagnosed as chronic suppurative osteomyelitis. The final diagnosis of Eosinophilic Granuloma was made only after histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations.

Incidence of gastrointestinal nematodes in goats in and around Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism in animals is considered as one of the major problems in India causing recurring economic losses to livestock production system owing to morbidity and mortality. But data pertaining to epidemiology of GI nematodes in goats is meager from Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to study the incidence of GI nematodes in goats in and around Mhow and accordingly a total of 900 faecal samples of goats were collected from Mhow and its adjoining areas and faecal sample examination revealed the incidence of strongyle, Strongyloides papillosus, Trichuris spp. and mixed infection from the study area. Significantly higher infection of GI nematodes was evidenced in the monsoon season (50.67%) when compared with summer (41.33%) and winter (38.33%) seasons. Significantly higher infection rate was documented in >1 year-old-goats (50.43%) than <1 year-old-goats (19.31%). Non-significantly higher infection was noted in females (46.04%) than their male counterparts (39.50%).

Microsurgical free flaps at Kathmandu Model Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Microsurgery is an emerging subspecialty in Nepal. Microsurgery was started at Kathmandu Model Hospital in 2007 with the support from Interplast Australia and New Zealand. This study will be useful for establishing a baseline for future comparisons of outcome variables and for defining the challenges of performing microsurgical free flaps in Nepal. METHODS: A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted using the clinical records of all the microsurgical free flaps performed at Kathmandu Model Hospital from April 2007 to April 2014. RESULTS: Fifty-six free flaps were performed. The commonest indication was neoplasm followed by post-burn contracture, infection and trauma. Radial artery forearm flap was the commonest flap followed by fibula, antero-lateral thigh, rectus, tensor facia lata, lattisimus dorsi, deep inferior epigastric artery perforator, and deep circumflex iliac artery flap. Radial artery forearm flaps and anterolateral thigh flaps were mostly used for burn contracture reconstructions. Twelve of the 13 (92%) fibulae were used for mandibular reconstruction for oral cancer and ameloblastoma. Rectus flaps were used mainly for covering defects over tibia. Hospital stay ranged from six to 67 days with an average of fourteen. Fifteen patients (26%) developed complications. The duration of operation ranged from six hours to 10.5 hours with an average of nine hours. The longest follow up was for four years. CONCLUSIONS: Microsurgery can be started even in very resource-poor center if there is support from advanced centers and if there is commitment of the institution and surgical team.

Occurrence of amino acid mutation (Ala98Val) of HNF1α in association with type II diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Maturity onset diabetes of the young type 3 is a monogenic form of diabetes. Gene defects in the Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor -1 alpha (HNF1a) causes MODY3. HNF1a gene located in the chromosome (12q24.2) codes for a transcription factor which helps in signalling of insulin exocytosis in pancreatic Beta cells. A prevalent amino acid polymorphism at codon 98-Ala98Val (exon 1) of the HNF1a was shown to be associated with diabetes in the South Indian population. Since Nepal shares the ancestral origin with India and people have been sharing similar lifestyles for a long period of life it was relevant to check the occurrence of same mutation in diabetic population of Nepal as well. The study was carried out to identify the occurrence of amino acid mutation (Ala98Val) of HNF 1 alpha in association with type 2 diabetes in diabetic population of Kathmandu. METHODS: DNA samples were randomly collected from 12 non-diabetic and 56 diabetic patients. The DNA samples were amplified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) was carried out to identify the occurrence of the mutation. RESULTS: During the study, out of 12 non-diabetic samples, nine were normal while three samples showed heterozygous Ala98Val mutation. Whereas, eight diabetic patients were found to have Ala98Val mutation and rest 48 had normal genotype. The study thus showed 16.17% occurence of Ala98Val mutation among 68 samples. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed the occurrence of Ala98Val amino acid mutation in diabetic samples that were taken under study.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among public school children in a rural village of Kathmandu Valley.

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) are one of the most prevalent infections in humans residing in developing countries and its burden is high among school aged children. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and types of intestinal parasites in rural public school children of Nepal. It included students from Nursery to Class X of a rural public school located in the northeast part of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Among the 194 participating children, prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was found as 23.7%; (28.2% for boys; 20.2% for girls). Amongst the infected children, single and mixed parasitic infection was detected in 43 (93.5%) and 3 (6.5%) children respectively. Among protozoan parasites, Giardia lamblia was the most common (58.6%) whereas Hymenolepis nana was the most common (21.7%) among the helminths. Statistically different prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was observed among children aged above 10 years and children aged below 6 years as well as 6 to 10 years. Gender-wise, there was no statistical difference in prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection. This study suggests the need of health education program in schools along with regular screening of intestinal parasites and treatment for effective management of the intestinal parasites among school children in Nepal.

Spontaneous Rupture of Spleen: A Case Report

Spontaneous or idiopathic splenic rupture is a rare cause of acute abdominal pain and hemoperitoneum and its incidence is 1% of all cases of splenic rupture. The etiology of spontaneous splenic rupture can be idiopathic or it may occur as a complication of an infectious, neoplastic or hematologic disease. Splenic rupture presents with pain in the left upper quadrant with shock and features of peritoneal irritation, like Kehr’s sign (left shoulder pain due to diaphragmatic irritation) and Balance sign (palpable tender mass in left upper abdomen). The diagnosis of spontaneous splenic rupture presents a diagnostic challenge due to the absence of a history of trauma. Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma FAST may be suggestive but due to its limitations, Computerized Tomography Scan CT scan of abdomen is the best imaging modality both for detection and grading of splenic injury. Management can be non-operative or surgical depending on grade and hemodynamic status of the patient. We report a rare case of spontaneous rupture of the spleen, which was idiopathic and fulfills the criteria of Orloff and Peskin, due to absence of any history of trauma, absence of perisplenic adhesions or scarring, and it without any evidence of disease affecting the spleen with macro and microscopically normal spleen. This case also adheres to fifth criteria described by Crate and Payne, as there was no immunological evidence suggestive of any viral infections affecting the spleen.

Prevalence of dental caries in 5 - 6 years and 12 - 13 years age group of school children of Kathmandu valley.

INTRODUCTION: Dental caries is one of the most common conditions affecting the general health of children. The present study was carried out among school children of Kathmandu valley to determine the prevalence of dental caries in two age groups. METHODS: The study was conducted from December 2007 to May 2008. The age of the school children of the study was divided into two group: 5 - 6 years and 12 - 13 years. A stratified cluster sampling with proportional allocation was used while grouping the subjects. The dental status examination was done with the help of trained dentists. Decayed, missed and filled teeth index and decayed, missed and filled surfaces index (dmft for primary dentition and DMFT for permanent dentition) were used as the standard tools for the determination of prevalence. RESULTS: A total of 638 students (325 of age group 12 - 13 years and 313 of age group 5 - 6 years) from 30 different schools of the Kathmandu valley were included in the study. The caries status was found higher in the age group of 5 - 6 years than in the 12 - 13 years and it was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). The dmfs and caries percentage of the age group 5 - 6 years and the DMFS and caries percent of the 12 - 13 years was found to be 3.79, 69 % and 1.6, 53.23 % respectively. The dmft/dmfs value was found to be significant according to the districts in the 5 - 6 years age group whereas the DMFS was found statistically significant among the sexes of the 12 - 13 years age group. CONCLUSION: The caries percentage was found to be above the recommended level of the World Health Organization. However, the DMFS and DMFT values were within the WHO level.

Engineering spin propagation across a hybrid organic/inorganic interface using a polar layer.

Spintronics has shown a remarkable and rapid development, for example from the initial discovery of giant magnetoresistance in spin valves to their ubiquity in hard-disk read heads in a relatively short time. However, the ability to fully harness electron spin as another degree of freedom in semiconductor devices has been slower to take off. One future avenue that may expand the spintronic technology base is to take advantage of the flexibility intrinsic to organic semiconductors (OSCs), where it is possible to engineer and control their electronic properties and tailor them to obtain new device concepts. Here we show that we can control the spin polarization of extracted charge carriers from an OSC by the inclusion of a thin interfacial layer of polar material. The electric dipole moment brought about by this layer shifts the OSC highest occupied molecular orbital with respect to the Fermi energy of the ferromagnetic contact. This approach allows us full control of the spin band appropriate for charge-carrier extraction, opening up new spintronic device concepts for future exploitation.

Microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of end stage renal disease worldwide. Prevalence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) varies in the different ethnic groups. Nepal is country with great ethnic diversity. This study has been done to find the prevalence of microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria in the two ethnic groups Jyapu and Brahmin. METHODS: In our study we have included two ethnic groups Jyapu and Brahmin type 2 diabetic patients. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Age ≥ 30 years, clinically diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients with a history of urinary tract infection, hematuria, renal failure, intercaste marriage and women with menstruation at the time of sample collection. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of albuminuria was 49.05%. The prevalence of microalbuminuria was 35.89% in Jyapu and 37.73% in Brahmin which was comparable. There was significantly higher prevalence of macroalbuminuria in Jyapu 20.75% and Brahmin 3.77%. Association of dietary habit was seen with microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria in both ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of albuminuria in type 2 diabetes of our study was high and there was significantly higher macroalbuminuria in Jyapu compared with Brahmin. It, therefore, predicts a higher risk of having kidney disease in Jyapu population.

Direct measurement of the electronic spin diffusion length in a fully functional organic spin valve by low-energy muon spin rotation.

Electronic devices that use the spin degree of freedom hold unique prospects for future technology. The performance of these 'spintronic' devices relies heavily on the efficient transfer of spin polarization across different layers and interfaces. This complex transfer process depends on individual material properties and also, most importantly, on the structural and electronic properties of the interfaces between the different materials and defects that are common to real devices. Knowledge of these factors is especially important for the relatively new field of organic spintronics, where there is a severe lack of suitable experimental techniques that can yield depth-resolved information about the spin polarization of charge carriers within buried layers of real devices. Here, we present a new depth-resolved technique for measuring the spin polarization of current-injected electrons in an organic spin valve and find the temperature dependence of the measured spin diffusion length is correlated with the device magnetoresistance.

Intrinsic mobility limit for anisotropic electron transport in Alq3.

Muon spin relaxation has been used to probe the charge carrier motion in the molecular conductor Alq3 (tris[8-hydroxy-quinoline] aluminum). At 290 K, the magnetic field dependence of the muon spin relaxation corresponds to that expected for highly anisotropic intermolecular electron hopping. Intermolecular mobility in the fast hopping direction has been found to be 0.23+/-0.03 cm2 V-1 s(-1) in the absence of an electric- field gradient, increasing to 0.32+/-0.06 cm2 V-1 s(-1) in an electric field gradient of 1 MV m(-1). These intrinsic mobility values provide an estimate of the upper limit for mobility achievable in bulk material.

HELLP syndrome--a pregnancy disorder with poor prognosis.

HELLP syndrome is a pregnancy-specific disorder defined by hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count that is found in parturients, more frequent in older multiparas. It is frequently associated with severe preeclampsia or eclampsia, but can also be diagnosed in the absence of these disorders. The etiology of HELLP syndrome is unknown, and the pathogenesis of this disorder (including the hepatological manifestations) is not fully understood. The most widely accepted hypotheses are: a change in the immune feto-maternal balance, platelet aggregation, endothelial dysfunction, arterial hypertension and an inborn error of the fatty acid oxidative metabolism. Hepatic involvement occurs by intravascular fibrin deposition and hypovolemia. Serum LDH and platelet count are the two most important clinical tools for disease assessment. LDH reflects both the extent of hemolysis and hepatic dysfunction. Maternofetal complications cause a 7.0-70.0% perinatal mortality rate and a 1.0-24.0% maternal mortality rate. The recognition of HELLP syndrome and an aggressive multidisciplinary approach and prompt transfer of these women to obstetric centers with expertise in this field are required for the improvement of materno-fetal prognosis.