bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Value of Comparative Animal Research: Krogh’s Principle Facilitates Scientific Discoveries
Authors: Stevenson Tyler J. , Alward Beau A. , Ebling Francis J. P. , Fernald Russell D. , Kelly Aubrey , Ophir Alexander G.
Published: December 2017

Biomedical research is dominated by relatively few nonhuman animals to investigate healthy and disease conditions. Research has overrelied on these models due to their well-described genomes, the capability to control specific genes, and the high rate of reproduction. However, recent advances in large-scale molecular sequencing experiments have revealed, in some cases, the limited similarities in experimental outcomes observed in common rodents (i.e., mice) compared with humans. The value of more varied comparative animal models includes examples such as long-term body weight regulation in seasonally breeding hamsters as a means to help understand the obesity epidemic, vocal learning in songbirds to illuminate language acquisition and maintenance, and reproduction in cichlid fish to discover novel genes conserved in humans. Studying brain genes in prairie voles and cichlids advanced knowledge about social behavior. Taken together, experiments on diverse animal species highlight nontraditional systems for advancing our understanding of human health and well-being.
The Fundamental Role of Early Environments to Developing an Emotionally Healthy Brain
Authors: Tottenham Nim
Published: December 2017

The quality of early socioemotional environments has a clear link to emotional health. Findings from neuroscientific and behavioral studies explain this enduring link, and findings focus on the plasticity of emotional brain development. Implications include (a) prioritizing individuals as early as possible and throughout development, (b) remaining mindful that stable caregiving is a basic need for children, and (c) supporting children’s emotional development which means supporting their families. Addressing these needs is a large task, but not addressing these needs confers an even larger mental health cost to the individual as well as to society more broadly.
Improving Educational Assessment: Multivariate Statistical Methods
Authors: Cai Li , Hansen Mark
Published: December 2017

This review presents two case studies that illustrate how multivariate statistical modeling applies to the specific goal of improving educational assessment. The first case study involves the development of a new large-scale English language proficiency assessment system (called the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century; ELPA21). The second application concerns efforts to quantify student progress in learning using conditional growth models, a topic of current debate about assessment policy. A popular measure, Student Growth Percentile (SGP), is explored through the lens of multivariate statistical analysis. It is concluded that collaboration between researchers and practice stakeholders can improve assessments that benefit student learning.
Downside of Intergroup Harmony? When Reconciliation Might Backfire and What to Do
Authors: Saguy Tamar
Published: December 2017

For decades, reconciliation efforts have relied on models of cooperative and positive interactions between members of groups in conflict. Such interactions do improve attitudes and emotions across group lines—outcomes considered pivotal for promoting more harmonious, less conflictual, relations between groups. More recently, research has begun to reveal “a darker side” of such positive interactions: Harmony between groups might sustain existing power structures and, in the long run, even exacerbate, rather than attenuate, intergroup conflict. This work offers recommendations for how to overcome the barriers associated with intergroup harmony. Policy should consider power-related processes when attempting to optimally design reconciliation interventions.
Racial Appearance Bias: Improving Evidence-Based Policies to Address Racial Disparities
Authors: Maddox Keith B. , Perry Jennifer M.
Published: December 2017

Racial disparities continue in the treatment and outcomes of individuals in an increasingly diverse society. Social psychological research suggests that racial identity–conscious interventions can be critical to address these disparities. However, recent research goes beyond racial identity categories to outcomes associated with racial phenotypicality—within-category variation in racial appearance. Phenotypicality bias complicates race-conscious strategies. Individuals whose facial characteristics are more stereotypical of their racial group experience greater discrimination and receive less favorable outcomes across a variety of domains. Thus, without considering racial phenotypicality, policies designed to address racial disparities may fail to acknowledge outcomes associated with this subtle but important element of social perception and judgment. A review of this research leads to implications for several areas of policy and practice.
Regulation of intercellular TARGET OF MONOPTEROS 7 protein transport in the Arabidopsis root
Authors: Lu Kuan-Ju , De Rybel Bert , van Mourik Hilda , Weijers Dolf
Published: December 2017

Intercellular communication coordinates hypophysis establishment in the Arabidopsis embryo. Previously, TARGET OF MONOPTEROS 7 (TMO7) was reported to be transported to the hypophysis, the founder cell of the root cap, and RNA suppression experiments implicated its function in embryonic root development. However, the protein properties and mechanisms mediating TMO7 protein transport, and the role the movement plays in development remained unclear. Here, we report that in the post-embryonic root, TMO7 and its close relatives are transported into the root cap through plasmodesmata in a sequence-dependent manner. We also show that nuclear residence is crucial for TMO7 transport, and postulate that modification, potentially phosphorylation, labels TMO7 for transport. Additionally, three novel CRISPR/Cas9-induced tmo7 alleles confirmed a role in hypophysis division, but suggest complex redundancies with close relatives in root formation. Finally, we demonstrate that TMO7 transport is biologically meaningful, as local expression partially restores hypophysis division in a plasmodesmal protein transport mutant. Our study identifies motifs and amino acids that are pivotal for TMO7 protein transport, and establishes the importance of TMO7 in hypophysis and root development.
Environmental factors regulate Paneth cell phenotype and host susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in Irgm1-deficient mice
Authors: Rogala Allison R. , Schoenborn Alexi A. , Fee Brian E. , Cantillana Viviana A. , Joyce Maria J. , Gharaibeh Raad Z. , Roy Sayanty , Fodor Anthony A. , Sartor R. Balfour , Taylor Gregory A. , Gulati Ajay S.
Published: December 2017

Crohn's disease (CD) represents a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestinal tract. Several susceptibility genes have been linked to CD, though their precise role in the pathogenesis of this disorder remains unclear. Immunity-related GTPase M (IRGM) is an established risk allele in CD. We have shown previously that conventionally raised (CV) mice lacking the IRGM ortholog, Irgm1 exhibit abnormal Paneth cells (PCs) and increased susceptibility to intestinal injury. In the present study, we sought to utilize this model system to determine if environmental conditions impact these phenotypes, as is thought to be the case in human CD. To accomplish this, wild-type and Irgm1−/− mice were rederived into specific pathogen-free (SPF) and germ-free (GF) conditions. We next assessed how these differential housing environments influenced intestinal injury patterns, and epithelial cell morphology and function in wild-type and Irgm1−/− mice. Remarkably, in contrast to CV mice, SPF Irgm1−/− mice showed only a slight increase in susceptibility to dextran sodium sulfate-induced inflammation. SPF Irgm1−/− mice also displayed minimal abnormalities in PC number and morphology, and in antimicrobial peptide expression. Goblet cell numbers and epithelial proliferation were also unaffected by Irgm1 in SPF conditions. No microbial differences were observed between wild-type and Irgm1−/− mice, but gut bacterial communities differed profoundly between CV and SPF mice. Specifically, Helicobacter sequences were significantly increased in CV mice; however, inoculating SPF Irgm1−/− mice with Helicobacter hepaticus was not sufficient to transmit a pro-inflammatory phenotype. In summary, our findings suggest the impact of Irgm1-deficiency on susceptibility to intestinal inflammation and epithelial function is critically dependent on environmental influences. This work establishes the importance of Irgm1−/− mice as a model to elucidate host-environment interactions that regulate mucosal homeostasis and intestinal inflammatory responses. Defining such interactions will be essential for developing novel preventative and therapeutic strategies for human CD.
Social support for earthquake victims in East
Azerbaijan, Iran
Authors: Ebrahimi Mohammadreza , Rakhshani Tayebeh , Taravatmanesh Samira , Khorramdel Kazem
Published: December 2017

Aim of the study

Introduction: One important factor in disaster relief is to maintain the injured people’s mental health. Therefore, this study was designed and conducted with the aim of investigating the social support in earthquake victims in east Azerbaijan.

Subject or material and methods

Materials and Methods: This study was a cross – sectional descriptive one. The population included the earthquake victims in the city of Ahar and its villages in East Azerbaijan province. The sample size of 300 was estimated based on Morgan table. The data collection tools were the socio-demographic questionnaire as well as the Social Support Inventory MOS (social support scale). The independent t-test, ANOVA and Pearson Correlation Coefficient statistical tests were used for data analysis.

Results

Results: Among the 300 subjects participated in the study, 115 earthquake victims (38.3%) were female and 185 (61.7%) were male. Most of the participants evaluated the total social support as average (51.3%) and low (41.3 %%). The total and tangible social support had a significant relationship with the variables gender, marital status, education and occupation (P-value ≤ 0.05).

Discussion

Discussion: The study results showed that the majority of earthquake victims evaluated the social support after the earthquake nearly average. Regarding tangible social support subscale, most participants reported it was average. This was also true about emotional support with some slight difference, but most participants stated that informational support was low.

Conclusions

Conclusion: Our finding showed that the majority of earthquake victims described the social support for earthquake victims as average to low.
Typology of psychotherapeutic targets and changes
in state of patients with neurotic disorders in the
course of personality-oriented (reconstructive)
psychotherapy
Authors: Vasileva Anna , karavaeva tatiana , lyashkovskaya svetlana
Published: December 2017

Aim of the study

classify specific psychotherapeutic targets significant for the dynamic of the patients clinical and psychological features in the course of psychotherapy.

Subject or material and methods

150 patients with 3 forms of neurotic disorders were studied with
The Symptom Checklist-90) – SCL-90; Ways of coping questionnaire (WCQ) (R. Lazarus, S. Folkman, 1988), Gießen personality test, Personality differential semantic test.

Results

At the first stage of individual personality-oriented (reconstructive) psychotherapy, the main targets concerned the characteristics of psychotherapeutic relationships; at the second stage, the main targets concerned "personality-situation-disease" causation and the domain of self-understanding and self-attitude; at the third stage, the problem-decisive and behavioral focus of interventions prevailed. These characteristics of the content of individual personality-oriented (reconstructive) psychotherapy were successful according to the positive trends of clinical-and-psychological and personal characteristics of patients.

Discussion

changes in personality questionnaires values mostly indicate an improvement in patients’ interpersonal functioning, while these changes concern specific factors of different types of neurotic disorders: inadequate self-esteem – in the hysterical type, determination and volitional quality – in the obsessive-phobic type, hyper-control and hyper-responsibility – in the neurasthenic type.

Conclusions

Symptomatic condition, personal characteristics and characteristics of protective and coping behavior in all patients with neurotic disorders have undergone a positive trend in the course of individual personality-oriented (reconstructive) psychotherapy – there was a significant decrease in subjective intensity of symptoms, their diversity and severity of distress; there were improvements in interaction with others and increase in behavioral adaptability; self-esteem became more adequate.
Lessons to be learnt
Authors: Peate Ian
Published: December 2017

The events that occurred in London on 7 July 2005 have, as did the twin towers disaster in New York in 2001, changed our lives in the UK and other parts of the world. The event was a tragedy for many people, 56 people lost their lives with a number of others seriously injured and maimed (The Stationery Office, 2006). The bombings on that day in July were an act of indiscriminate terror and have had a significant impact on a wide spectrum of our society and further afield. The first on the scene in response to that emergency were the London paramedics.

Too often in the past, tragedies have been witnessed which could have been avoided had the lessons of previous experiences been properly learned. The Secretary of State has statutory powers to set up external inquiries. In 2000, the Department of Health published a report of an expert group on learning from adverse events in the NHS-An Organisation with a Memory. The emphasis of the report was on learning lessons from events that caused harm in the health service. It is the function of a government to protect its public and this includes those who provide emergency services.
The prehospital early warning triage tool
Authors: Earley Darren
Published: December 2017

The purpose of this article is to provide background information and guidance in the use of the prehospital early warning triage tool (PHEWT); and completion of the PHEWT documentation. The system is intended to provide an aid to prehospital care clinicians in ensuring all patients (ages 16 years and above) are triaged and conveyed to the department or unit best suited to their needs. In order to bring this triage system to fruition, a forward thinking ambulance service could take this on as a well constructed, multi-centre validation study. The article itself is simply the generation of that idea.
Essential life support: emergency obstetrics
Authors: Davies Jean
Published: December 2017

Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) (UK) has been providing training courses relating to obstetric emergencies in the UK since 1996. The course lasts two days with doctors and midwives teaching doctors and midwives and other professionals, some of whom have been paramedics.

ALSO instructors have been involved in teaching paramedics at the request of ambulance services. Having a specifically designed one day course geared up to meet the needs of those called out in the community for maternity emergencies was considered to be a way forward for emergency staff having to deal with these situations. This course has been called Essential Life Support in Obstetrics (ELSO).
Thiazole Orange as an Alternative to Antibody Binding for Detecting Triple-helical DNA in Heterochromatin of Drosophila and Rhynchosciara
Authors: Gorab Eduardo , Pearson Peter Lees
Published: December 2017

The standard method for detecting triple-stranded DNA over the last 1.5 decades has been immune detection using antibodies raised against non-canonical nucleic acid structures. Many fluorescent dyes bind differentially to nucleic acids and often exhibit distinctive staining patterns along metaphase chromosomes dependent upon features, including binding to the major and minor DNA grooves, level of chromatin compaction, nucleotide specificity, and level of dye stacking. Relatively recently, the fluorochrome Thiazole Orange (TO) was shown to preferentially bind to triplex DNA in gels. Here, we demonstrate that TO also detects triplex DNA in salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster and Rhynchosciara americana identical in location and specificity to observations using antibodies. This finding may enable triple-stranded DNA investigations to be carried out on a much broader and reproducible scale than hitherto possible using antibodies, where a frequently encountered problem is the difference in detection specificity and sensitivity between one antibody and another.
Regression of Lingual Lymphatic Vessels in Sodium-restricted Mice
Authors: He Lianying , McCluskey Lynnette Phillips
Published: December 2017

Lymphatic vessel networks can expand and regress, with consequences for interstitial fluid drainage and nutrient supply to tissues, inflammation, and tumor spread. A diet high in sodium stimulates hyperplasia of cutaneous lymphatic capillaries. We hypothesized that dietary sodium restriction would have the opposite effect, shrinking lymphatic capillaries in the tongue. Lingual lymphatic capillary density and size was significantly reduced in mice fed a low-sodium diet (0.03%) for 3 weeks compared with control-fed mice. Blood vessel density was unchanged. Despite lymphatic capillary shrinkage, lingual edema was not observed. The effect on lymphatic capillaries was reversible, as lymphatic density and size in the tongue were restored by 3 weeks on a control diet. Lymphatic hyperplasia induced by a high-sodium diet is dependent on infiltrating macrophages. However, lingual CD68+ macrophage density was unchanged by sodium deficiency, indicating that distinct mechanisms may mediate lymphatic regression. Further studies are needed to test whether dietary sodium restriction is an effective, non-invasive co-therapy for oral cancer.
The analysis of various measures of the speed control of the traffic in the cities and settlements of the Republic of Belarus
Authors: Kapski Denis , Korzhova Antonina
Published: December 2017

The results of the analysis of various measures of calm of movement in cities and settlements are presented in the article. The alternative measures of physical and psychological effects on the traffic participants are considered. Particular attention is paid to the application of speed humps. They are installed on the streets of cities and settlements widely. The statistics of road traffic accidents at sites with humps in Minsk are considered. Various aspects of the effect of speed humps on accident rate have been established. And experimental studies of the instantaneous speeds of road vehicles in the installation area of speed humps have been performed. New modifications of speed humps are proposed, the design of which was developed on the basis of research of interactions with the car. Also the study investigated the effect of hump on the accident rate, delays in transportation, changes of speed and flow density. In addition, specific proposals have been developed. They are included in the technical normative legal acts in our country partially. That proposals allows to increase the overall quality of traffic (minimize the total economic, environmental and emergency losses from installation of speed humps). For example, alternative variants of design decisions on improvement of quality traffic safety are considered. In addition, the article considers other measures of forced speed control on streets network of cities and settlements in the country.
Hybrid ports: the role of IoT and CyberSecurity in the next decade
Authors: Chiappetta Andrea
Published: December 2017

The next future will be played on a cyber level, that imposes the need to merge “physical” with “digital in all fields”: phygital will be the future of current world, in many sectors, primarly in the transportation fields. Nowadays ports are doing several investment to provide technical solution to attract freight flows, are they ready to provide an answer to the cyber threat ? This paper wish to present an overview of the main implications related to the cyber threats and maritime transports.
Multi-sited ethnography as a research method for globalization
Küreselleşme üzerine bir araştırma yöntemi olarak çok-sahalı etnografi
Authors: Varol Fatih
Published: December 2017

The globalization process destabilizes the meaning of the key concepts (e.g., site, place, and local) of ethnography because of the increasing impact of world-wide interconnectedness and interdependence. Thus, an ethnographic research conducted in a single place is not helpful to understand the complexity of the globalization process. An ethnographic research needs to take into account the multiplicity of global network and flows that overlap with one another in the global and local to better understand the globalized world. Therefore, the multi-sited ethnography has developed to overcome the risk of avoiding the complexity of the global circulation and its impact on the local. This article examines the development of the multi-sited ethnography to better understand the globalization process. As an example of the multi-sited ethnography, this article examines Carolyn Nordstrom’s ethnographic study of Global Outlaws. Her work highlights the links between the local, national and global by paying attention to the context of multi sites to understand how global capitalism works.Extended English abstract is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file.ÖzetKüreselleşme süreci “yer,” “yerel” ve “alan” gibi kavramlarının anlamını muğlaklaştırmaktadır. Bu nedenle, sınırlı ve dar bir alanda katılımcı gözlem üzerine kurulu klasik etnografik bir saha araştırması küreselleşme sürecinin karmaşıklığını anlamak bakımından yetersiz kalmaktadır. Yalnız, küreselleşmenin genel geçer etkilerinin ötesine geçmek ve günlük hayat üzerindeki etkisinin ortaya çıkarılabilmesi için de saha çalışması oldukça önemli bir metottur. Bu nedenle klasik etnografinin küresel dünyayı anlamada yetersizliğinin üstesinden gelebilmek için son yıllarda küresel akışın ve bağlantının peşinden giden, her bağlantı noktasındaki yerel ve küresel arasındaki etkileşimi ortaya çıkarmaya çalışan çok-sahalı etnografi yeni bir yaklaşım olarak gelişmiştir. Bu makalede öncelikle küreselleşme sürecinin klasik etnografiyi neden yetersiz kıldığı ve çok-sahalı etnografinin neden bir ihtiyaç olarak geliştiği incelenecek, sonrasında ise çok-sahalı etnografiye iyi bir örnek olması bakımında Carolyn Nordstrom’un Global Outlaws adlı çalışması ele alınacaktır.
Qualitative uncertainty principle for the Gabor transform on certain locally compact groups
Authors: Sharma Jyoti , Kumar Ajay
Published: December 2017

Several classes of locally compact groups have been shown to possess a qualitative uncertainty principle for the Gabor transform. These include Moore groups, the Heisenberg group

{\mathbb{H}_{n}}

, the group

{\mathbb{H}_{n}\times D}

(where D is a discrete group) and other low-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups.
Chain-chain complexation and heme binding in haemoglobin with respect to the hydrophobic core structure
Authors: Ptak Magdalena , Banach Mateusz , Wiśniowski Zdzisław , Konieczny Leszek , Roterman Irena
Published: December 2017

Heme binding by proteins and protein-protein complexation are the processes strongly related to the biological activity of proteins. The mechanism of these processes has not been still recognised. These phenomena are presented using haemoglobin as the example. Half of the mature haemoglobin (one α-chain and one β-chain) treated as a dissociation step in haemoglobin degradation reveals a specific change in heme binding after dissociation. This phenomenon is the object of analysis that interprets the structure of both complexes (tetramer and dimer) with respect to their hydrophobic core structure. The results suggest the higher stability of the complex in the form of one α-chain and one β-chain with respect to the hydrophobic core.
Solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis of Zn(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) complexes with 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-(2-(1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazinyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile
Authors: Zaky Rania , Fekri Ahmed
Published: December 2017

Zn(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) complexes with 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-(2-(1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazinyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile (HP) were produced by using ball milling as a mechanochemical technique. The mode of chelation for the isolated complexes was illustrated by several spectroscopic techniques. Also, a computational study was estimated to prove the geometry of the isolated complexes by applying a density function theory method. In addition, its biological activity (antimicrobial and DNA binding) was evaluated.
Sorcin is involved during embryo implantation via activating VEGF/PI3K/Akt pathway in mice
Authors: Gupta Kanchan , Sirohi Vijay Kumar , Kumari Suparna , Shukla Vinay , Manohar Murli , Popli Pooja , Dwivedi Anila
Published: December 2017

Our earlier studies have demonstrated the cyclic variation and also the altered expression of sorcin in endometrium during early-to-mid-secretory phase transition in women with unexplained infertility. The current study was undertaken to establish the functional role of sorcin in endometrial receptivity in mice. Results indicated that sorcin was highly expressed during the window of implantation in mice and functional blockage of sorcin caused significant reduction in number of implanted blastocyst. The receptivity markers (i.e.Integrin β3, HBEGF, IGFBP1, WNT4 and Cyclin E)) were found to be downregulated in sorcin knocked down uterine horn on day 5 as compared to untreated horn. The reduced attachment and expansion of BeWo spheroids on RL95-2 endometrial cells with sorcin knock down, in in vitro model of endometrium–trophoblast interaction further supported these findings. Uterine sorcin expression pattern during estrous cycle and in delayed implantation mice model suggested the upregulation of sorcin by estrogen. The functional blockade of sorcin induced the intracellular Ca+2 levels in endometrial epithelial cells (EECs), which indicated that altered Ca+2 homeostasis might be responsible for implantation failure. Sorcin silencing led to significant reduction in the expression of angiogenic factor VEGF and its downstream effector molecules i.e. PI3K, Akt and NOS. The migratory and invasive properties of HUVECs were abrogated by anti-VEGF or by adding culture media from sorcin blocked EECs, which indicated that sorcin might mediate angiogenesis during implantation. Taken together, sorcin is involved in the regulation of Ca+2-mediated angiogenesis via VEGF/PI3K/Akt pathway in endometrial cells and plays a crucial role in preparing the endometrium for implantation.
FABP4 ELISA Protocol v1
Authors: Li Boya , Yang* Huixia , Zhang Wanyi , Qin Shengtang , Shi Yundi , Wei Yumei , He Yingdong , Yang Wenshuang , Jiang Shiju , Jin Hongyan
Published: December 2017

Plasma FABP4 concentrations were analyzed blinded to their preeclampsia status with BioVendor Human AFABP ELISA (Cat. No: RD191036200R, Biovendor, Modrice, Czech Republic) in our study. The manufacturer reports a normal range of 19.58 ± 16.32 ng/mL (mean ± 2 SD) for 35- to 52-year-old women. The limit of detection of the FABP4 ELISA assay is 0.05 ng/ml. The antibodies used in this ELISA are specific for human AFABP according to the manufacturer.
Empagliflozin: an exciting prospect in the treatment of diabetes
Authors: Srinivas Karthik , George Melvin , Sriram Damal Kandadai
Published: December 2017

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to be a chronic and disabling disease that is associated with high mortality and morbidity. The epidemic burden of diabetes mellitus has increased in developing countries and Asia is considered as the “diabetic epicentre”. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), is characterised by reduced secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta cells independently or associated with reduced response of peripheral tissues to circulating insulin. A proper glycaemic control is essential to delay the micro and macrovascular complications of T2DM. Standard anti-diabetic agents including insulin happen to induce minor to major adverse outcomes in certain populations over prolonged period of administration. Hence there has been a compelling need to develop newer and novel approach to treatment of T2DM. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are a novel category of drugs that happen to reduce glycaemic overload by inducing glycosuria. The safety, efficacy and tolerability profile of these drugs were studied separately under various trials and was approved for use in August 2014 by US-FDA. This review is an attempt to describe the history of SGLT-2 inhibitors, their mechanism of action, safety and efficacy as well as its current status among anti-diabetic agents.
Frequency of stroke patients qualified for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-TPA) and constraints in Zahedan 2016
Authors: Khosravi Alireza , Farzadfard Mohammad-taghi , Abdollahpour Arezoo
Published: December 2017

Background: Brain stroke is one of the common causes of mortality and disability. By introducing r-TPA into the global drug market and its effect on the patients’ prognosis, using this drug is recommended in all patients with ischemic stroke who visited less than 4.5 hours after start stroke symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of stroke patients qualified for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-TPA) and its constraints.Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 244 patients examined with stroke admitted to the neurology of Zahedan city hospital in 2016. Information form were completed with demographic data, transmission method, referral time, CT scan preparation time, and the response of the patients' trials, and finally the data were inserted in SPSS.16 software and analysed by statistical methods.Results: Out of all patients with ischemic stroke, 28 (11.5%) patients had contraindication to receive drug. Of 216 remain patients, 201 patients (93.1%) had no possibility to receive r-TPA due to the loss of gold time and only 15 patients (6.9%) had possibility to receive drug because of visited 4.5 hours before the beginning of symptoms. Of them, 3(20%) patients due to delay in CT scan and test results, had no possibility to receive r-TPA. In summary, of all patients with inclusion criteria, only 12 (5.5%) patients could use the r-TPA in this study.Conclusions: The most important barrier to using r-TPA has been the loss of golden time and training to raise awareness of the society can lead to early referral from the onset of stroke symptoms.
Student’s perspective about pharmacogenomic applications and knowledge in pharmacovigilance domain
Authors: Britto G. Francis , Subash K. R.
Published: December 2017

Background: Pharmacogenomics has is presence now in all major pharmacology text books parallel with another important chapter pharmacovigilance. Pharmacogenomics apart from therapeutic application it can greatly influence standard treatment protocols with prevention of adverse drug reaction. Since the future will be physicians practicing personalized medicine, this study was planned to assess the second year M.B.B.S Students knowledge and their perspective about pharmacogenomic application.Methods: A questionnaire to assess the knowledge about pharmacogenomics and current status of its application is formulated with yes or no, true or false option. The study was conducted on 120 M.B.B.S Students who passed out Pharmacology university exams. The questionnaires answered voluntarily were collected and the data was analysed and with results calculated in percentage.Results: 80% M.B.B.S students had sound knowledge about pharmacogenomics. 100% M.B.B.S student’s doctors were well aware about pharmacogenomics. 13.0% of students were not aware but wanted to know about it, while 7.25% of students were neither aware nor interested about pharmacogenomics.Conclusions: Most of the doctors were aware about the pharmacogenomics theoretically and they need to be updated about its clinical application in their practice by seminars, presentation and workshops.
Study of lipid lowering effects of oral antidiabetic drugs in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Authors: E. Shashikala , Motgi Somnath , B. N. V. Raghawa Rao , Sattar Mohd Abdul
Published: December 2017

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common non-communicable diseases associated with ‘atherogenic dyslipidemia’ The treatment of T2DM often is initiated with oral antidiabetic drugs, most of which not only decrease blood sugar levels effectively but also decrease the lipid levels. Hence the current study is aimed to determine the effectiveness of oral hypoglycemic agents in dealing with associated dyslipidemia.Methods: 150 T2DM patients were divided equally into five groups depending upon the oral antidiabetic drugs they received in solo or in combination for 24 weeks, with equal number of males and females in each group. After the written consent, a detail clinical history, clinical examination, Biochemical investigations including, glycosylated haemoglobin and lipid profile, chest X-ray and ECG were done.Results: After 24 weeks of study, the mean total cholesterol and mean triglycerides decreased significantly (p <0.05 to p <0.01) with monotherapy of metformin and teneligliptin as well as with combination of either metformin and glimepiride or metformin and teneligliptin. The decrease of LDL-C and VLDL-C was not statistically significant with any of the OAD drugs in solo or in combination. Similarly, HDL-C increased significantly (p <0.05) in Group I, III, IV and V; but was most effective with combination therapy. The atherogenic index of plasma also decreased (p <0.05) with metformin or its combination with either teneligliptin or glimepiride.Conclusions: Oral antidiabetic drugs are not only affordable and effective hypoglycemic agents but can also decrease serum lipids and thereby aids in the prevention and management of atherosclerosis and its complications in T2DM.
Students’ attitudes on personal drug selection exercise in writing prescription
Authors: Kumar Manish , Mohan Lalit , Mishra Hitesh , Chandra Akash , Dikshit Harihar
Published: December 2017

Background: This study was developed to know the students’ views regarding personal drug (P-drug) concept in rational prescription of drugs and also giving them training of creating and using personal drug concept.Methods: 40 medical students (5th semester) divided in four groups were involved voluntarily in a three phase, questionnaire based and prospective study. In first and second phase students were taught and asked to derive P-drug using different standard text books and Current Index of Medical Specialties (CIMS) by analyzing efficacy, safety, cost and convenience of drugs used for type II diabetes mellitus. Third phase was designed to know the students’ perception regarding the exercise and difficulties faced in the process of P-drug selection. It contained demographic and 12 questions with answer using Likert scale.Results: Students selected biguanide (metformin) as a P-drug in terms of efficacy, safety, cost and convenience. 95% (36 out of 40) responded in the questionnaire, out of which 92% (33 out of 36) had given answer with mean score ≥4. Overall median score was 4 and Interquartile Range was 4-5. 89% (32) strongly agreed that P-dug selection teaching helped them to understand pharmacology better. Majority (83% or 30) were in favour of introducing P-drug selection exercises in undergraduate pharmacology curriculum.Conclusions: P-drug selection exercise helped students to understand the differences among various drugs used for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus and given them a strong foundation for developing rational use of the medicine in their future career as a doctor.
The effectiveness of yogic breathing to comfort level of first trimester pregnant mothers at community health center of Kragilan district working area, Serang, Banten, Indonesia
Authors: Musfirowati Fifi , Fahrudin Adi , Nursanti Irna
Published: December 2017

Background: Pregnancy is a natural and physiological process. During the process, women will get some physiological, psychological, and social changes which cause discomfort. Techniques of yogic breathing are able to control respiration and mind. The mechanism of physical change is started by conscious relaxation which happens systematically in the body, which then leads into a deeper relaxation. The study intends to examine the effectiveness of yogic breathing to comfort level of pregnant mothers in first trimester.Methods: The study is a quantitative research with quasi experimental design. It employs pre-test and post-test without control group. The samples are 42 pregnant mothers who were selected by purposive sampling technique which is a type of non-probability sampling. The instrument for measuring comfort level was adopted from GCQ (General Comfort Questionnaire). For the analysis of statistical data, McNemar Test is used.Results: The univariate analysis shows proportional data of respondents’ comfort level frequency before the intervention of yogic breathing was given. Most of the respondents (64.3%) were in discomfort category level of their first trimester pregnancy. Meanwhile, the comfort level after getting yogic breathing intervention is increased. Most of the respondents (66.7%) are in comfort level toward their first trimester pregnancy. From bivariate analysis, the researchers obtained difference in the comfort level proportion of first trimester pregnant mothers before and after getting yogic breathing intervention, with p value 0.007.Conclusions: The study suggests that yogic breathing should be continued as an applied intervention in nursing service especially for pregnant mothers who get discomfort within first trimester.
Public transport: a large scale fomite of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: C. S. VinodKumar , Prasad Sonika , Patil Satish , Reddy V. Aditya , Jha Ankita , Kumar K. G Raghu . , V. L. Jayasimha , K. G. Basavarajappa
Published: December 2017

Background: The role of public transport as reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant staphylococci was determined.Methods: 200 swabs were collected from 50 public buses (urban and rural) circulating in Davangere, Karnataka. Swabs collected were inoculated on Blood agar, Mannitol salt agar and MacConkey agar plates. After incubation for 24-48 hours, plates were examined for the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Anti-microbial susceptibility test was performed using oxacillin 1ug disc to detect methicillin resistance as per CSLI guidelines.Results: Out of 40 Staphylococcus aureus isolated 35 isolates were resistant to more than two classes of antibiotics, hence multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Out of 35 MDR isolates, 18 were resistant to oxacillin and cefoxitin. Minimum inhibitory concentration test revealed that out of 35 MDR isolates, 18 isolates had MIC value of ≥ 4µg/ml.Conclusions: The recovery methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from public transport system implies a potential risk for transmission of these bacteria in community.
Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Authors: Jain Karan , Palange Amit A. , Kakrani Arjun Lal , Dhanorkar Akshay S.
Published: December 2017

Background: Diastolic dysfunction has been described as an early sign of diabetic heart muscle disease preceding the systolic damage. The pathogenesis of ventricular dysfunction remains unknown and has been somewhat controversial. So far, very few population-based studies have been carried out in India, to demonstrate the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in diabetic subjects. Hence the present study was done at our tertiary care centre to detect left diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic type 2 diabetes individuals and to use echo-cardiologic assessment as an early detector of left diastolic dysfunction. The aim of this study was to detect left diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic type 2 diabetes individuals and to use echocardiologic assessment as an early detector of left diastolic dysfunction.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 50 patients for echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. E/A <1 and increase in LA size was considered as the evidence of left ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction.Results: 15 (30%) patients were detected with Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction (LVDD) among the 50 patients under study.Conclusions: Diastolic dysfunction in patients with diabetes is present in 30% of patients even when diabetes is present at a younger age, and is of a shorter duration. This dysfunction is suggestive of pre-clinical diabetic cardiomyopathy. E/A, DT and peak A velocity are sensitive indices of diastolic LV dysfunction. Thus, diastolic dysfunction can be used as an early indicator, as it is a precursor to increased LV hypertrophy and clinical left ventricular dysfunction.
Papulosquamous: clinicopathological
Authors: Narayankar Shilpa Laxmikant , Pandit Gopal Ambadasrao
Published: December 2017

Background: Papulosquamous disorders comprise a group of dermatoses that have distinct morphologic features. The characteristic primary lesion of these disorders is a papule, usually erythematous, that has a variable amount of scaling on the surface. Some common papulosquamous dermatoses are Psoriasis, Pityriasis rosea, Lichen planus, Seborrheic dermatitis, Pityriasis rubra pilaris and Parapsoriasis. Drug eruptions, tinea corporis, and secondary syphilis may also have papulosquamous morphology. Because all papulosquamous disorders are characterized by scaling papules, clinical confusion may result during their diagnosis.Methods: The present study of 60 cases of papulosquamous disorders of the skin was carried out in the Department of Pathology of a tertiary care centre from December 2009 to October 2011. In this study, the patients which were clinically diagnosed as papulosquamous disorders of skin, before starting the treatment and attending the outdoor skin department were selected. Histopathological findings were interpreted in light of clinical details.Results: An analysis of the clinical diagnosis with the histopathological diagnosis of papulosquamous disorders of the skin, revealed a positive correlation in 54 (90%) cases and a negative correlation in 6 (10%) cases.Conclusions: Histopathology may not resolve the issue and the picture is more typically ‘compatible with’ rather than ‘diagnostic of’ a clinical diagnosis. In these circumstances an attempt at clinicohistopathological correlation serves as an ideal approach.
Liver fibrosis assessment: a correlation of fibro scan values with gray scale assessment of portal vein
Authors: Pimpalwar Yayati , Rao Akhilesh
Published: December 2017

Background: FibroScan is an expensive modality with excellent accuracy for diagnosis of cirrhosis by measuring liver stiffness. In less developed countries it is not a financially viable method for fibrosis measurement. The aim of this study is to compare and correlate FibroScan values with gray scale sonographic assessment of portal vein calibre diameter which can be done using a basic ultrasonography machine.Methods: Prospective review of 124 patients with chronic liver disease done between Dec 2015 to May 2016 with the objective of correlating FibroScan values with gray scale assessment of portal vein.Results: In our study 50 patients had liver stiffness scores of > or = 7.5 kPa and above. A total of 45 patients had a respiratory phase variation of portal vein calibre of < 20%. Out of these, 37 patients had a liver stiffness score of 7.5 kPa or above. These 37 patients were correctly classified by portal vein calibre variability as having moderate to severe fibrosis. The results of this study revealed a significant correlation (Pearson coefficient, r = -0.617, p= 0.01) between calibre variation of the portal vein and FibroScan scores. We also noted that in presence of mild fibrosis as predicted by lower FibroScan scores, PV calibre variation is not a reliable indicator of mild fibrosis.Conclusions: We propose that, in less developed countries, gray scale assessment of portal vein diameter using any low cost ultrasound machine can be used as an optimal method for predicting moderate to severe liver fibrosis.
Primary lung cancer with metastasis to the ipsilateral breast-a case report
Authors: Saad Abdalla Al-Zawi Abdalla , Ratajczak Andrzej , Idaewor Philip , Elamass Mohamed , Lazarevska Anita , Tan Elizabeth , Barron Marina , Asaad Amira
Published: December 2017

The metastasis of extra-mammary malignancy to breast is extremely rare; literature reports the incidence between 0.4-1.3%. Primary sites include the contralateral breast, leukaemia, lymphoma, malignant melanoma, sarcoma, lung, prostate, ovary, colon and the stomach. Here we present a rare case in which lung cancer was found to metastasise to the breast. Initially the patient presented with chest symptoms and a left breast lump was detected clinically. The radiological and histological investigations confirmed the diagnosis of primary lung cancer with breast metastases. Prognosis of such cases is generally poor.
Aortic dissection with left supraclavicular pulsatile swelling: a rare presentation
Authors: Khandelwal Utkarsh , Kashyap Prashant , Rajpal Deepali , Shah Manhar , Baviskar Ajit , Mathew Manu
Published: December 2017

We are presenting a case of aortic dissection with rare presentation. Patient came with complaints of left sided supraclavicular pulsatile swelling and incidentally was recorded with high blood pressure. After series of investigations he was diagnosed as a case of aortic dissection.
An unusual cause of hemoptysis due to leaking subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to trauma
Authors: Bhatt Yugandhar , Md Abdul Waseem , Zahera Misba
Published: December 2017

Pseudoneurysms of the subclavian artery after blunting thoracic trauma presenting with a complication of hemoptysis are rare, most of which occur early, within days of trauma and represent a challenging surgical problem. Only a few scattered case reports are found in the literature. Here, we present the case of a 36-year-old male, with a history of blunt injury to the chest with right clavicular fracture, a few years back, who presented with cough, hemoptysis and shortness of breath of five days duration. On complete evaluation it was found that these complaints were due to a sub clavian artery pseudo aneurysm in the proximal part, which is compressing on the right upper lobe bronchus and blood leaking into the parenchyma and airways producing the symptoms. He was managed conservatively and stabilized. Later aneurysm resection and anastomosis was done electively. The patient is now asymptomatic and healthy.
Pediatric papillary thyroid carcinoma successfully managed with a multimodal approach
Authors: Pal Rimesh , Dayal Devi , Menon Prema , Muthuvel Balasubramaniyan , Devarapalli Soumya , Mishra Purbasha
Published: December 2017

Malignant tumours of the thyroid gland are rare in children. The tumours tend to be advanced at the time of presentation, but the overall survival is still better as compared to adults. The use of radioiodine ablation or treatment for the post-thyroidectomy gland remnants or recurrences improves patient survival. The reports of a multimodal approach that involves surgery as the primary treatment along with radioiodine ablation (RIA) are rare in the pediatric age group. We describe here a child with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma treated with a multimodal approach.