Successful management of a patient with severe brady-arrhythmia in peripartum period

Pregnancy is a normal physiological state with hyperdynamic circulation that is characterised by important physiological changes, many of which take place in the cardiovascular system. Few patients with physiological bradycardia may, in the second trimester, feel symptomatic as their blood pressure drops due to a reduction in systemic vascular resistance however, treatment is rarely required. Pathological bradycardia in pregnant women is rare and usually secondary to either Congenital heart block, Myocarditis, or Severe Hypocalcaemia with an incidence as low as 1:20 000 women. Authors present a rare case of severe bradycardia during peripartum period who required LSCS in view of IUGR with Anhydroamnios. On admission her general condition was good her pulse was 42 beats per mins and BP was 170/100 mm of Hg with 1+ protinuria.  A clinical impression of preeclampsia was made. ECG showed sinus bradycardia with no irregularity. 2 DEcho showed no structural lesion in the heart and normal functional capacity so dilated peripartum cardiomyopathy was ruled out. Her serum electrolytes were normal and serum calcium and magnesium was markedly reduced which was corrected. Post operatively on day 4 pulse was mor than 60 and she was transferred out of ICU. The ECG performed on day 6 was normal

Impact of the Heartfulness program on loneliness in high schoolers: Randomized survey study

High levels of loneliness are prominent in teenagers ranging from ages 14–19. The 4-week Self-Care program, offered by the Heartfulness Institute, is designed to develop social–emotional skills and self-observation. This study examined the impact of the Self-Care program on loneliness in high school students in the United States in a randomized, wait-list control trial with baseline and postintervention assessments. High school participants, aged 14–19, were randomized into a control-wait-listed group (n = 54) and a Heartfulness group (n = 54). Both the groups completed the intervention and the presurveys and postsurveys online, assessing their loneliness with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The initial analysis noted the baseline equivalence of the data. A repeated measures ANOVA found a significant time * group interaction, with a significant decrease in loneliness reported in the Heartfulness Intervention group but no significant pre–post difference in the control group. In summary, the short online intervention program consisting of self-care tools decreased loneliness scores in the participants. This study opens up a new valley of possibilities, apart from existing research, and demonstrates that the online intervention used might be helpful to decrease loneliness levels in teens.</p

Alteration in plasma glucose levels in Japanese encephalitis patients

A unique factor, human T cell hypoglycaemic factor (hTCHF), has been shown to produce hypoglycaemia during the convalescent stage in the plasma of patients with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. The present study was undertaken to investigate the ability of T cells from fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of such patients to produce hTCHF. The PBMC, as well as the individual subpopulations, were cultured for 24 h and the culture supernatants (CS) were assayed for hypoglycaemic activity. The activity was observed in the CD8+ T cells. The hypoglycaemia in JE-confirmed patients coincided with the gradual rise in circulating glucagon level, with no significant alterations in insulin, growth hormone and cortisol levels. The hTCHF was purified by ion exchange chromatography and the purified protein was observed as a ∼25 kDa band on SDS-PAGE. Secretory hTCHF in the sera of patients and T cell CS was present in 88% of convalescent serum samples. We conclude that during the convalescent stage of JEV infection, a unique factor, hTCHF, is secreted by activated CD8+ T cells from patients and that this is responsible for the development of hypoglycaemia