Epidermoid Cysts of Face: Clinicopathological Presentation and a report of four cases.

ABSTRACT: Epidermoid cysts represent the most common cutaneous cysts. While these may occur anywhere on the body, they occur most frequently on the face, scalp, neck and trunk. A report of four cases and their clinicopathological features are described in this article

Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height

Height is a highly heritable, classic polygenic trait with ~700 common associated variants identified so far through genome - wide association studies . Here , we report 83 height - associated coding variants with lower minor allele frequenc ies ( range of 0.1 - 4.8% ) and effects of up to 2 16 cm /allele ( e.g. in IHH , STC2 , AR and CRISPLD2 ) , >10 times the average effect of common variants . In functional follow - up studies, rare height - increasing alleles of STC2 (+1 - 2 cm/allele) compromise d proteolytic inhibition of PAPP - A and increased cleavage of IGFBP - 4 in vitro , resulting in higher bioavailability of insulin - like growth factors . The se 83 height - associated variants overlap genes mutated in monogenic growth disorders and highlight new biological candidates ( e.g. ADAMTS3, IL11RA, NOX4 ) and pathways ( e.g . proteoglycan/ glycosaminoglycan synthesis ) involved in growth . Our results demonstrate that sufficiently large sample sizes can uncover rare and low - frequency variants of moderate to large effect associated with polygenic human phenotypes , and that these variants implicate relevant genes and pathways

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

A Review: Image Segmentation Using Genetic Algorithm

Abstract — Image segmentation is an important and difficult task of image processing and the consequent tasks including object detection, feature extraction, object recognition and categorization depend on the quality of segmentation process. In this paper we suggest Genetic Algorithm to solve the problem of image segmentation. The problem was treated as optimization problems based GA. GAs is used to segment an image by using an optimization function without any threshold values. GAs based image segmentation can provide more accurate results than traditional segmentation methods. The genetic procedure provided a faster convergence to the optimal solution. This is because the sampling strategy allows exploring the solution space by a strategy that is not biased. The preliminary results indicate that GA-based methods perform better than the traditional methods in terms of quality. Also, by developing hybrid algorithms such as GAs and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) we can reduce the processing time and increase the visual quality of the final segmentation underscoring the advantages of hybrid algorithms

Електроміографічний аналіз удару відкритою ракеткою в настільному тенісі з використанням різних матеріалів м’яча

Research purpose. This study aimed to determine the EMG analysis of forehand topspin using different ball materials.  Materials and methods. For the purposes of this study, seven male university-level table tennis players who were right-hand dominant players (age 21.1 ± 2.4 years, height 162.6 ± 6.8 cm, mass 61.8 ± 3.2 kg) with at least 6 years of playing experience were selected. The selected participants were physically active and had no physical injuries. The study was approved by the research committee. Pectoralis Major (PM), Deltoid Anterior (DA), Latissimus Dorsi (LD), Biceps Brachii (BB), Extensor Carpi Radialis (ECR), Flexor Carpi Radialis (FCR) muscles were selected for the electromyographical study. One of the EMG signals variable Root Mean Square was measured in all muscles, through which the maximum muscle involvement was evaluated. For each assessed muscle and both ball materials, the mean value of Root Mean Square EMG signals was computed. For descriptive statistics, minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation were used, and a t-test was used as a statistical technique.  Results. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results of the study showed no significant difference in EMG variable Root Mean Square between celluloid and poly plastic ball material on selected muscles.  Conclusions. We conclude that the biceps brachii and extensor carpi radialis are important muscles for the forehand topspin because they are responsible for flexion of the arm and work strongly in the action of gripping in the performance of quick forehand spin strokes.Мета дослідження. Дослідження мало на меті встановлення показників ЕМГ-аналізу удару відкритою ракеткою з верхнім обертанням з використанням різних матеріалів м’яча.  Матеріали та методи. Для складання цього дослідження були відібрані сім гравців у настільний теніс рівня університетської спортивної команди чоловічої статі, які володіли правою рукою краще, ніж лівою, (вік 21,1 ± 2,4 року, зріст 162,6 ± 6,8 см, вага 61,8 ± 3,2 кг) та мали принаймні 6 років досвіду гри. Відібрані учасники були фізично активними та не мали фізичних травм. Дослідження було затверджене комітетом із наукових досліджень. Для електроміографічного дослідження були вибрані такі м’язи: великий грудний м’яз (Pectoralis Major, PM), передній пучок дельтоподібного м’яза (Deltoid Anterior, DA), найширший м’яз спини (Latissimus Dorsi, LD), двоголовий м’яз плеча (Biceps Brachii, BB), променевий м’яз-розгинач зап’ястка (Extensor Carpi Radialis, ECR), променевий м’яз-згинач зап’ястка (Flexor Carpi Radialis, FCR). Середньоквадратичне значення змінної одного з ЕМГ-сигналів вимірювали на всіх м’язах, завдяки чому оцінювали максимальну задіяність м’язів. Для кожного оцінюваного м’яза та обох матеріалів м’яча обчислювали середнє значення середньоквадратичних значень ЕМГ-сигналів. Для описової статистики використовували мінімальні, максимальні, середні значення та величину стандартного відхилення, а як статистичний метод використовували t-критерій Стьюдента.  Результати. Рівень значущості був заданий значенням 0.05. Результати дослідження показали відсутність суттєвої відмінності в середньоквадратичному значенні змінної ЕМГ на вибраних м’язах між такими матеріалами м’яча, як целулоїд і полімерна пластмаса.  Висновки. Ми дійшли висновку про те, що двоголовий м’яз плеча та променевий м’яз-розгинач зап’ястка є важливими м’язами для виконання удару відкритою ракеткою з верхнім обертанням, тому що вони відповідають за згинання руки та інтенсивно працюють у процесі дії з міцного утримування під час виконання швидких ударів відкритою ракеткою з обертанням

Association of Helicobacter pylori infection with type 2 diabetes

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and subsequent insulin resistance and epidemiologically linked to type 2 diabetes. Objectives: To study the prevalence rate of H. pylori infection in type 2 diabetes and its relation with HbA1C levels. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional case-control study, 80 patients (≥18 years) who met the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria for diabetes were recruited. Similarly, 60 age, sex, and education matched healthy controls were taken. They were tested for H. pylori infection by rapid urease test, histological examination of antral endoscopic biopsy specimens and serology. The relationship between H. pylori infection and levels of plasma glucose and HbA1C was assessed. Results: Out of the 80 patients of type 2 diabetes, H. pylori infection was found in 62 (77.5%) while it was present in only 35 (58.3%) of 60 controls, which was found to be significant (Chi-square test: 5.919, df = 1, P value = 0.015). Mean HbA1C among diabetics with H. pylori infection was 8.19 ± 1.16% and without H. pylori infection was 6.9 ± 0.84% (t = 4.3872, P value = 0.0001). Conclusions: Prevalence of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in diabetes as compared to controls. Presence of H. pylori infection significantly correlated with the level of HbA1C

Role of Cannomys badius as a Natural Animal Host of Penicillium marneffei in India

Infection by Penicillium marneffei in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in India has recently been described; the aim of our study was to survey wild rodents and their associated environment in order to identify the natural populations of this fungus. Surveys recovered P. marneffei from the internal organs of 10 (9.1%) of 110 bamboo rats (Cannomys badius) examined from Manipur state, India, an area endemic for penicilliosis marneffei. Identification of the isolates was based on a detailed study of their morphological characteristics, in vitro conversion to fission yeast form, and exoantigen tests. Multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) of the isolates revealed five genotypes. No genotypes were shared between sample sites, and all bamboo rats were infected with a single genotype within sample sites, demonstrating spatial genetic heterogeneity. One MLMT genotype was identical to that seen in a human isolate, suggesting that either coinfection from a common source or host-to-host transmission had occurred. This demonstrates the utility of an MLMT-based approach to elucidating the epidemiology of P. marneffei