Correlation of serum androgen and gonadotropin with anti-mullerian hormone in polycystic ovarian syndrome in Eastern Indian population

Background: Ovarian steroidogenesis requires gonadotropin stimulation, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) is a key factor in the hyperandrogenaemia of the polycystic ovary syndrome. Progesterone is the primary regulator of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) pulse frequency; however, in the polycystic ovary syndrome, the GnRH pulse generator is relatively resistant to the negative feedback effects of progesterone.  Study aims to evaluate the association of Anti-mullerian hormone with serum androgen and gonadotropin level in adolescents and young women of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).Methods: This was a single centre observational Cross-sectional study carried out in the department of Endocrinology and metabolism, Medical College, Kolkata from March 2017 to January 2019. Total number of study subjects were 207 out of which 138 were cases.Results: The AMH had strong positive correlation with serum testosterone in both case and control groups (r 0.542, p<0.001 and r 0.57, p<0.001) respectively .After the adjustment of age and BMI , the AMH moderately positive  but extremely significant correlation with serum testosterone as compare to control.Conclusions: Hyperandrogenaemia and higher ratio of LH and FSH associated with higher serum AMH level is associated with the higher serum AMH in polycystic ovarian syndrome

Networth exposure to interest rate risk: An empirical analysis of Indian commercial banks

In the Basel II era, management of interest rate risk in the banking book has become significant. In the first study of its kind, we develop a simulation based driver-driven approach to estimate the impact of interest rate volatility on the networth of Indian banks during the period 2002-2004. We derive the interest rates that drive changes in deposit and prime lending rates (PLR). Then we perform Monte Carlo simulation and multiple regressions, on these driver rates, to obtain simulated shocks to deposit rates and PLR. We use these simulated shocks to get the 99% worst EVE loss for the sample banks. These losses are much larger than what the existing literature suggests. This is because, apart from repricing risk, we are the first to find evidence of significant basis risk. Our results have important policy implications both for banks and regulators.Interest rate risk in banks Risk management Simulation Driver-driven variables

Tale of two rare diseases

Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) phenotype is variable & various genes have been decribed in association with IHH.We describe association of IHH with mosaic trisomy 13. A 20 year old male presented with lack of development of secondary sexual characters, normal height, micropenis, small testes, gynaecomastia, absence of axillary and pubic hairs, hyposmia,synkinesis, bilateral horizontal nystagmus and high arched palate. Investigations showed low gonadotropin,low total testosterone, LH after stimulation with 100 mcg tryptorelin sc was 11.42 mU/mL at 40 min. MRI of hypothalamo-pituitary region showed normal olfactory bulb and tract but shallow olfactory sulcus . Karyotype showed homologous Robertsonian translocation of chromosome 13. This case fits classical IHH except for LH rise on stimulation.Features of Patau syndrome which is associated with trisomy 13 are absent in our case. Mosaic trisomy 13, which can otherwise be rare incidental finding , has not been described in association with IHH.Causal association of novel mutation on chromosome 13 leading to aforementioned phenotype cannot be rule out

11β Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase – 1 activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a comparative study

Abstract Background A comparative study of 11 β HSD 1 activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects with respect to fasting blood glucose and other metabolic parameters was conducted. Methods A case control experimental study was performed enrolling thirty type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and thirty age, gender and BMI matched controls using cortisone acetate test. Results The rise of serum cortisol after oral 25 mg cortisone acetate from baseline (dexamethasone suppressed level) is higher in subjects with type 2 diabetes and is associated with exercise, BMI, SGOT but not daily calorie intake, lipid parameters and thyroid status. Fasting blood glucose after overnight 1 mg oral dexamethasone is a strong predictor of 11HSD1 activity, irrespective of presence of type 2 diabetes. Conclusion 11β HSD 1 activity is higher in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects, especially those who are lean. Future 11 β HSD 1 inhibitors targeting metabolic syndrome, will be most useful in those with increased fasting blood glucose. The role of DHEAS and vitamin D status needs to be explored

Emergence of Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Strains of Vibrio cholerae Isolated from Hospitalized Patients with Acute Diarrhea in Calcutta, India

The problem of antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms causing diarrheal diseases in both developed and developing countries continues to be alarming. Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the life-threatening disease cholera. Plasmid-encoded high-level resistance to ampicillin, kanamycin, streptomycin, sulfonamide, tetracycline, trimethoprim, and gentamicin has been demonstrated among strains of V. cholerae O1 isolated from Bangladesh, India, and Latin America. Fluoroquinolones have excellent activity against all pathogenicVibrio species, and clinical trials have found norfloxacin to be effective for the treatment of cholera in adults and in children. Antimicrobial susceptibility analysis of 212 strains of V. cholerae isolated from patients with acute watery diarrhea admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Calcutta, India, between March 1996 and September 1996 was performed by the disk diffusion technique with commercial discs (Hi-Media, Bombay, India). Characterization of strains as susceptible, intermediately resistant, or resistant was based on the size of the inhibition zones around each disc according to the manufacturer's instructions, which matched the interpretive criteria recommended by World Health Organization. Strains showing intermediate zones of inhibition were interpreted as resistant on the basis of previous MIC studies conducted with V. cholerae. MICs of norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin were determined by the agar dilution method with Mueller-Hinton agar according to standard procedures. V. cholerae strains resistant to norfloxacin and cirprofloxacin began appearing in late 1995, and strains resistant to fluoroquinolones started increasing from July 1996, with a steady decrease in the zone of inhibition. To date, resistance to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin is restricted to the non-O1 non-O139 serogroups of V. cholerae (Table1). This prompted us to examine the activity of three more fluoroquinolones against V. choleraenon-O1 non-O139 strains (Table 1). Of the 69 strains examined, 14.5, 10.1, and 11.6% showed reistance to lomefloxacin, pefloxacin, and ofloxacin, respectively. Among the O1 and O139 serogroups isolated in 1996, a contrasting pattern of resistance to different antibiotics was observed, with the most common (71%) drug resistance in V. cholerae O1 strains being to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole, furazolidone, neomycin, nalidixic acid, and streptomycin, while the most common (66%) resistance pattern in V. cholerae O139 was ampicillin, furazolidone, neomycin, and streptomycin

Controlled Shear Flow Directs Osteogenesis on UHMWPE-Based Hybrid Nanobiocomposites in a Custom-Designed PMMA Microfluidic Device

The combinatorial influence of a biophysical cue (substrate stiffness) and biomechanical cue (shear flow) on the osteogenesis modulation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is studied for bone regenerative applications. In this work, we report stem cell differentiation on an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-based hybrid nanobiocomposite [reinforced with a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and/or nanohydroxyapatite (nHA)] under a physiologically relevant shear flow (1 Pa) in a custom-built microfluidic device. Using a genotypic assessment with qRT-PCR and phenotypic assessment through analysis of cytoskeletal remodelling and marker proteins, the role of shear on the progression of osteogenesis modulation has been quantitatively established with statistically significant differences between nHA-reinforced and MWCNT-reinforced UHMWPE. Early-stage (alkaline phosphatase activity at day 8), middle-stage (matrix collagenation at day 14), and late-stage (matrix calcification at day 20) events were analyzed using mRNA expression changes of a limited cell volume after microfluidic culture experiments. The conventional Petri dish culture (static) exhibited an increased osteogenesis for nanoparticle-reinforced UHMWPE, irrespective of the type of nanoparticle. The shear-mediated culture experiments resulted in noticeable differences in the degree of osteogenesis with MWCNT being more effective than nHA reinforcement. The shear-mediated osteogenesis has been attributed to the skewed cellular morphology with a higher cell adhesion (vinculin expression) on UHMWPE and nHA than that of UHMWPE and MWCNT. The signatures of the cytoskeletal changes are reflected in terms of left-to-right (L-R) chirality as well as alignment and pattern of actin fibers. Moreover, stemness (vimentin expression) was found to be decreased because of differentiation. The electrophysiological analysis using patch clamp experiments also revealed a higher inward calcium current and intracellular calcium activity for the cells grown on the UHMWPE and nHA nanobiocomposite under shear. Overall, the present study conclusively establishes the synergistic role of substrate stiffness and shear on osteogenesis of hMSCs, in vitro

Molecular Epidemiology of Reemergent Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal in India

We report the prevalence of the O139 serogroup in Calcutta, India, after its reemergence in August 1996 and the spread of the reemerged clone to other parts of the country by using previously established molecular markers. Phenotypically, the reemerged Vibrio cholerae O139 displayed a difference compared to those that appeared in late 1992 and 1993 in that the current O139 strains are sensitive to co-trimoxazole. Ribotyping with the enzyme BglI produced two rRNA restriction patterns in the O139 strains isolated after August 1996, and these patterns were identical to those exhibited by strains of O139 isolated in 1992. Three clones of V. cholerae O139 are currently prevailing in the country, with strains exhibiting three bands after HindIII digestion and hybridization with a ctxA probe being dominant. The reemergence of V. cholerae O139 in Calcutta after a 32-month quiescent period reestablishes the O139 serogroup as an entity which is likely to play a crucial role in the temporal antigenic variations among the serogroups of V. cholerae causing cholera