Communication outcomes following cochlear implantation in a child with cystic cochleovestibular anomaly

AbstractCochlear implantation is one of the best amongst the various management options available for children and adults with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Inner ear and internal auditory canal (IAC) malformations accounts to approximately 25% of congenital sensorineural hearing loss in children. The primary goal of this report was to evaluate the communication outcomes after cochlear implantation in a child with cystic cochleovestibular anomaly (CCVA). The child was evaluated through various standardized outcome measures at regular intervals to track the progress in terms of auditory and spoken language skills. The scores on Categories of Auditory Perception (CAP), Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS), Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR), Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS), and listening and spoken language skills showed a significant leap in 12 months duration post implantation. The report thus highlights and correlates the significant progress in auditory and spoken language skills of the child with congenital malformations to appropriate auditory rehabilitation and intensive parental training

Modelling Stock Market Volatility During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from BRICS Countries

The objective of the research paper is to identify the stock market volatility pattern of BRICS countries during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is based on the time series data, which consists of the daily closing price of the BRICS countries' index for a two-year (pandemic) period from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2021. Both the symmetric and asymmetric models of Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) have been employed in the study to investigate whether volatility changes over the pandemic period. The result of the GARCH-M (1,1) model evidenced the presence of a positive and insignificant risk premium. Based on the empirical work carried out using the market index of BRICS countries, it was found from EGARCH (1,1), and TGARCH (1,1) models that there exists a leverage effect in the countries, viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Since the stock price during the pandemic period triggered the entire financial market, the investors, fund managers and portfolio managers should be more aware of the uncertainty and need to adjust their investments accordingly

Retroperitoneal pelvic schwannoma in pregnancy: a case report

Solitary nerve sheath tumor such as Benign schwannomas arising in the pelvic retro peritoneum is infrequently reported. Retroperitoneal location accounts for 0.3-3.2% of primary schwannomas. We report a case of benign retroperitoneal pelvic schwannoma in pregnancy that was incidentally diagnosed when it presented with Preterm premature rupture of membranes and mechanical obstruction for labour. She underwent caesarean section and delivered a healthy baby. She was evaluated in the postoperative period by computerized tomography (CT) imaging studies and CT guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was not diagnostic. Complete surgical excision of the tumor was achieved in the postpartum period. The adjacent vascular and urinary channels sustained no injuries and she had no neurologic deficit. Histology revealed spindle cell neoplasm composed of interlacing fascicles and sheets of spindle cell with focal areas of nuclear palisading and thick walled blood vessels. Immunohistochemistry was positive for S 100 suggesting schwannoma. Retroperitoneal location of schwannomas is rare and surgery is curative. Prognosis is good, since recurrence is rare.

Analysis of growth rate and supply response of cocoa in Tamil Nadu, India: Nerlovian adjustment model

The present study focussed on the growth rate of area, production and productivity of cocoa in Tamil Nadu and estimated the impact of cocoa allocation decision, price variation and its supply in selected districts. The study employed the CAGR, Nerlovian model using the secondary data from 2011-12 to 2020-21. A positive significant growth in the area (40.24%) and production (34.60%) was witnessed in the Coimbatore district, while Thanjavur district showed a decline in the growth rate of cocoa. The area response concluded by lagged values of area and price significantly influenced the current year area in Coimbatore. The lagged productions were positively significant for both the districts and inferred that the increase in the price with one per cent level with the respective rise in price variability in Coimbatore district and opposite trend in Thanjavur district. The study suggested improving cocoa productivity and smoothing out variability in domestic prices can help boost farmers’ confidence in cocoa cultivation. The government provided the subsidy for transportation of the beans from one place to another, procurement centres in cocoa growing districts in Tamil Nadu and supplying the HYV to increase production, developing crop insurance schemes for cocoa during uncertain conditions and establishing facilities for the distribution of beans through Farmer Producer Companies (FPO), as well as attracting foreign consumers by improving bean quality

Multivariate Analysis of Acinetobacter Species in a Tertiary Care Hospital

INTRODUCTION : Acinetobacter is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen primarily associated with Hospital-acquired infections. Multi-drug Resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter has increasingly become a formidable antigen in nosocomial and community acquired infections. So much so, that in recent years it has been designated as a red alert human pathogen generating alarm among the medical personnel. AIM : The aim of the study is to isolate , identify the Acinetobacter species from various clinical samples and to demonstrate its antimicrobial resistance pattern with special emphasis on molecular characterization of Carbapenemase producing strains in our hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Total 103 isolates of Acinetobacter species were isolated. They were tested for ESBL and CARBAPENEMASE production by phenotypic and genotypic methods. RESULTS ; Acinetobacter species was the most common species isolated. ESBL producers were 45%. Multi- drug resistant was 40%. XDR were 20%. Acinetobacter species showed high level resistance to Cephalosporins,Aminoglycosides and Fluoroquinolones.20% of isolates were Carbapenem resistant and they were subjected to phenotypic methods such as Modified Hodge test and Double disk synergy test.75% of isolates were positive by Modified Hodge test. Molecular characterisation of OXA-Carbapenemases and MBL was done. It was found that OXA-51 and OXA-23 were present 100% in 20 of Carbapenem resistant isolates. blaVIM and blaIMP were also identified. blaVIM was present in 10% of isolates. CONCLUSION : Acinetobacter is recently emerging as a major cause of Hospital acquired infections. Its ability to cause infection in the healthy host and to develop multi-drug resistance is of grave concern. Among them A.baumannii is the most frequently encountered species which is commonly associated with ICU infections and a high mortality rate. Now a days emerging resistance to the Carbapenem drug has become a challenge to treat the patients. Hence therapeutic options are limited to last line antimicrobials like Colistin and Polymyxin. Treatment with these drugs are not without adversities. Carbapenem resistance in A.baumannii is due to OXA Carbapenemases blaOXA-23 and blaOXA-51. Hence phenotypic identification and molecular characterization of these resistant isolates is necessary. The only alternative left is stringent infection control plus antibiotic stewardship program which limits the spread of resistant mechanisms by using the available antimicrobials. A simultaneous existence of different classes of Carbapenemases is a major problem to encounter with and hence detection methods are required for each of these. In outbreaks, an initial screening of the Carbapenemase producers will help to organize interventions and early therapies. Further awareness should be created to good housekeeping and control of the equipment, including equipment decontamination. Strict attention to hand washing should be undertaken to control the spread of Acinetobacter in Hospitals

Long-Run and Short-Run Causality between Stock Price and Gold Price: Evidence of VECM Analysis from India

ABSTRACT: The prime objective of the study is to identify the long-run and short-run relationship between Indian stock price viz., BSE SENSEX (hereafter named as BSE) and gold price (GOLD) in India. The daily closing price data were collected for the period of ten years ranging from 1 st April 2004 to 31 st March 2014 with 2490 observations. The study employed two models: Model one used GOLD as dependent variable and BSE as independent variable and the other model is vice versa. First, the stationarity of the data is checked through Augmented Dickey Fuller test, and then Johansen cointegration test and Vector error correction model (VECM) are employed for analysis. Using Augmented Dickey Fuller test, it was found that the series are not stationary at level, but the same becomes stationary at first differencing. The results of Johansen cointegration test revealed that Indian stock market (SENSEX) is significantly and positively cointegrated with the gold price (GOLD) which leads the way to run the VECM. The results from the VECM (in model one) provides evidence for the existence of long-run relationship between BSE and GOLD, while there is no short-run causal relationship running from BSE and GOLD. On the other hand, there is no long-run as well as short-run relationship between the two variables (in model two)

Screening and management of anemia in adolescent girls in lower socioeconomic strata

INTRODUCTION: Adolescence is a time of intense physical, psychosocial and cognitive development. Increased nutritional need at this junction relate to the fact that the adolescents gain upto 50 % of their adult weight, more than 20 % of their adult height and 50% of their adult skeletal mass during this period. The iron needs are high in adolescent girls because of the increased requirements for expansion of blood volume associated with the adolescent growth spurts and the onset of menstruation.[Clinical medicine and Research] India has the highest prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among women in the world especially adolescent girls. 60-70% of Indian adolescent girls are anemic [International centre for research on women and the Institute of health management- pachod] The percentage of Indian adolescent girls who were anemic was reported as 73.7% by Chaturvedi et al, 61.9% in urban areas and 85.4% in rural areas. AIM OF THE STUDY: 1. To assess the Hb status of adolescent girls from lower socio economic strata of society. 2. To identify the attributable causes of anemia in these adolescent girls. 3. To counsel on the impact of anemia and to educate them and the importance of regular iron intake. 4. To appropriately treat anemia in whom it was deducted. 5. To reassess the Hb status at three months interval for 1 year. 6. To encourage the regular intake of iron. 7. To popularise adolescent girls about consuming locally available, economically affordable iron rich foods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at Institute of Social Obstetrics and Govt. Kasthurba Gandhi Hospital (ISO and Govt. KGH), Triplicane, Chennai, Outpatient Department. period of study: From April 2007 to April 2008. Study Population: 500 Adolescent girls between 12-19 years of age belonging to lower socioeconomic strata were included in the study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age between 12 and 19 years of age. 2. Belonging to lower socioeconomic strata. 3. No known hematological lesion. 4. Not pregnant at the time of intervention. 5. Not on IFA Supplementation. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Girls 19yeras of age. 2. Pregnant woman. 3. H/o bleeding tendency. 4. On long time medications which might produce hematological complications. 5. H/o menstrual disturbances. 6. H/o malarial fever in the recent past. 7. Not willing to consume IFA tablets. 8. Not sure about follow up visits. 9. Not willing for changing food habits. SUMMARY: This study conducted at ISO-KGH, Chennai is to screen the adolescent girls in lower socioeconomic status for anemia. Among 500 girls screened, 340 (68%) were found to be anemic under various degrees. All the girls showed significant improvement in Hb levels and reached normal level after IFA supplementation and deworming. Severely anemic girls needed a longer time of IFA supplementation. In this study, lower socioeconomic status, hookworm infestation, increasing age were found to be attributable causes of anemia. There is significant improvement in the knowledge about anemia after counseling. CONCLUSION: Adolescence is an oppurtune time for interventions to address anemia. In addition to growth needs, girls need to improve iron status before pregnancy. Preventing iron deficiency and increasing iron stores in adolescent girls can improve their iron status in preparation for pregnancy and benefit their current health and well being. Treating anemia in adolescent girls is a primordial prevention there by reducing anemia complicating pregnancies and hence maternal mortality and morbidity to a great extent. This study shows the prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls in lower socioeconomic strata. Hence there is an urgent need to improve their iron status by planning intervention programme that would increase the hemoglobin levels through prophylaxis treatment, dietary modification and helminthic control

Select pyrimidinones inhibit the propagation of the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum, the Apicomplexan parasite that is responsible for the most lethal forms of human malaria, is exposed to radically different environments and stress factors during its complex lifecycle. In any organism, Hsp70 chaperones are typically associated with tolerance to stress. We therefore reasoned that inhibition of P. falciparum Hsp70 chaperones would adversely affect parasite homeostasis. To test this hypothesis, we measured whether pyrimidinone-amides, a new class of Hsp70 modulators, could inhibit the replication of the pathogenic P. falciparum stages in human red blood cells. Nine compounds with IC50 values from 30 nM to 1.6 μM were identified. Each compound also altered the ATPase activity of purified P. falciparum Hsp70 in single-turnover assays, although higher concentrations of agents were required than was necessary to inhibit P. falciparum replication. Varying effects of these compounds on Hsp70s from other organisms were also observed. Together, our data indicate that pyrimidinone-amides constitute a novel class of anti-malarial agents. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Subtyping of renal cortical neoplasms in fine needle aspiration biopsies using a decision tree based on genomic alterations detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization

Objectives: To improve the overall accuracy of diagnosis in needle biopsies of renal masses, especially small renal masses (SRMs), using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and to develop a renal cortical neoplasm classification decision tree based on genomic alterations detected by FISH. Patients and Methods: Ex vivo fine needle aspiration biopsies of 122 resected renal cortical neoplasms were subjected to FISH using a series of seven-probe sets to assess gain or loss of 10 chromosomes and rearrangement of the 11q13 locus. Using specimen (nephrectomy)-histology as the ‘gold standard’, a genomic aberration-based decision tree was generated to classify specimens. The diagnostic potential of the decision tree was assessed by comparing the FISH-based classification and biopsy histology with specimen histology. Results: Of the 114 biopsies diagnostic by either method, a higher diagnostic yield was achieved by FISH (92 and 96%) than histology alone (82 and 84%) in the 65 biopsies from SRMs (<4 cm) and 49 from larger masses, respectively. An optimized decision tree was constructed based on aberrations detected in eight chromosomes, by which the maximum concordance of classification achieved by FISH was 79%, irrespective of mass size. In SRMs, the overall sensitivity of diagnosis by FISH compared with histopathology was higher for benign oncocytoma, was similar for the chromophobe renal cell carcinoma subtype, and was lower for clear-cell and papillary subtypes. The diagnostic accuracy of classification of needle biopsy specimens (from SRMs) increased from 80% obtained by histology alone to 94% when combining histology and FISH. Conclusion: The present study suggests that a novel FISH assay developed by us has a role to play in assisting in the yield and accuracy of diagnosis of renal cortical neoplasms in needle biopsies in particular, and can help guide the clinical management of patients with SRMs that were non-diagnostic by histology