Evaluating the role of hemogram based parameters in febrile seizures

Background: One of the most common childhood neurological disorders is febrile seizures (FS). Parents may have trouble describing the events pertaining to seizures, which might lead to aberrations in the diagnosis and classification of FS. Hence, objective biomarkers to predict and classify FS will be clinically beneficial. The aim of this study was to evaluate role of hemogram based parameters (NLR, PLR, RDW, MPV) in the outcome of children with febrile seizures (FSs) and in differentiating between simple and complex febrile seizures. Methods: A total of 50 patients with FSs (group A) who were hospitalized in our hospital were selected. Fifty patients with fever and without seizures (group B). The results of hemogram were collected retrospectively and analysed. Results: The hemogram analysis showed that hemoglobin (Hb) in group A was significantly lower than in the group B (p<0.05). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), MPV and RDW in group A was significantly higher than in group B. The MPV and NLR values in the CFS group was higher in comparison to SFS group (p<0.05). Conclusions: As statistically significant differences were found in the hemogram parameters like HB, RDW, MPV, NLR PLR between febrile seizure group and non-febrile seizure group, these parameters can aid in diagnosing the same. High NLR and MPV levels may be able to serve as simple yet effective laboratory indicator for distinguishing between simple and complex febrile seizures

Eating Disorders among Indian Adolescents

Objective: To assess and compare the prevalence and risk for eating disorders (ED) among middle and late adolescents in India.Materials and Methods: A prospective study conducted among 1855 adolescents of age group 14 years to 19 years from four schools and three colleges in Mangalore city. A standardized structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the subjects’ attitude toward and preoccupation with food, dieting, eating, physical appearance, and personal control over eating. Eating Attitudes Test questionnaire (EAT-26), consisting of 26 questions that assess the symptoms and concerns that are characteristic of eating disorders and four additional questions to asses weight control behavior patterns adapted. Participants who scored 20 and above on EAT were considered to have eating disorder that would require professional attention.Results: 1855 students participated in the study and completed the self-report EAT-26. Among the study participants, 47.3% were in mid-adolescence and 52.7% in late-adolescent age group respectively. 26.7% of participants scored 20 and above; scores attained were correlated with the behavioral patterns adapted which was found to be statistically significant, indicating a high risk for development of eating disorders among adolescents. Higher prevalence of eating disorder was noted in those with increased BMI (p-value <0.0001) but age and gender did not have a significant influence.Conclusion: Eating disorders and subthreshold eating conditions are prevalent in sample of Indian adolescents and were strongly associated with psychological, behavioral and socio-environmental domains, which show the necessity of initiating routine screening programs and intervention programs to control eating disorders among Indian adolescents. Further evaluation, counseling and follow-up with a qualified professional is essential to rule out any underlying cause for eating disorder

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Cross-kink wave, solitary, dark, and periodic wave solutions by bilinear and He's variational direct methods for the KP-BBM equation

This paper deals with cross-kink waves in the (2+1)-dimensional KP-BBM equation in the incompressible fluid. Based on Hirota's bilinear technique, cross-kink solutions related to KP-BBM equation are constructed. Taking the special reduction, the exact expression of different types of solutions comprising exponential, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions is obtained. Moreover, He's variational direct method (HVDM) based on the variational theory and Ritz-like method is employed to construct the abundant traveling wave solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional generalized Hirota-Satsuma-Ito equation. These traveling wave solutions include kinky dark solitary wave solution, dark solitary wave solution, bright solitary wave solution, periodic wave solution and so on, which are all depending on the initial hypothesis for the Ritz-like method. In continuation, the modulation instability is engaged to discuss the stability of the obtained solutions. Moreover, the rational tan(theta/2) method on the generalized Hirota-Satsuma-Ito equation is investigated. The applicability and effectiveness of the acquired solutions are presented through the numerical results in the form of 3D and 2D graphs. A variety of interactions are illustrated analytically and graphically. The influence of parameters on propagation is analyzed and summarized. The results and phenomena obtained in this paper enrich the dynamic behavior of the evolution of nonlinear waves

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Not AvailableIron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn) are the key elements required for many of the biological process in plants and animals. Transporter proteins are essential for uptake, transport and accumulation for Fe and Zn in plants. The present investigation was undertaken to study and compare the structural and functional diversity and evolutionary significance of the yellow stripe-like (YSL) transporters through in-silico tools in five species (barley, Brachypodium, foxtail millet, maize and rice) of Poaceae. One hundred and two YSL transporters collected from public databases were used in the analysis. All YSL transporters possessed PF03169 domain which belongs to the oligo peptide transporters (OPT) super family. Molecular weight of YSL proteins ranged from 11.10 to 84.70 kDa while pI values ranged from 4.99 to 11.64. Scondary structure analysis identified that, alpha helix and random coils were the most common structures of the YSL proteins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the YSL transporters are highly conserved in these five grass species. Comparative mapping of genes of YSL transporters showed maximum synteny between Brachypodium and barley (30%) followed by Brachypodium and rice (25%). Neutrality test has in fact revealed the positive or Darwinian selection on YSL transporters. The results of the present investigation provided a significant understanding of the structural and biological role of YSL transporters as well as the evolutionary pattern in Poaceae family.Department of Science and Technology, Government of IndiaDepartment of Science & Technology (India) [DST/INSPIRE/2011/IF110504]; ICAR-NPTC on Functional Genomics (Maize component: 21-22

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Mapping QTLs for Salt Tolerance in Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.) by Bulked Segregant Analysis of Recombinant Inbred Lines Using 50K SNP Chip

<div><p>Soil salinity is a major constraint to rice production in large inland and coastal areas around the world. Modern high yielding rice varieties are particularly sensitive to high salt stress. There are salt tolerant landraces and traditional varieties of rice but with limited information on genomic regions (QTLs) and genes responsible for their tolerance. Here we describe a method for rapid identification of QTLs for reproductive stage salt tolerance in rice using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) of bi-parental recombinant inbred lines (RIL). The number of RILs required for the creation of two bulks with extreme phenotypes was optimized to be thirty each. The parents and bulks were genotyped using a 50K SNP chip to identify genomic regions showing homogeneity for contrasting alleles of polymorphic SNPs in the two bulks. The method was applied to ‘CSR11/MI48’ RILs segregating for reproductive stage salt tolerance. Genotyping of the parents and RIL bulks, made on the basis of salt sensitivity index for grain yield, revealed 6,068 polymorphic SNPs and 21 QTL regions showing homogeneity of contrasting alleles in the two bulks. The method was validated further with ‘CSR27/MI48’ RILs used earlier for mapping salt tolerance QTLs using low-density SSR markers. BSA with 50K SNP chip revealed 5,021 polymorphic loci and 34 QTL regions. This not only confirmed the location of previously mapped QTLs but also identified several new QTLs, and provided a rapid way to scan the whole genome for mapping QTLs for complex agronomic traits in rice.</p></div