Birth Asphyxia - Clinical Experience and Immediate Outcomes

To find out immediate outcome ofneonates with birth asphyxia and its associationwith risk factors.Methods: This cross sectional study included allconsecutive babies admitted with diagnosis of birthasphyxia . Babies with congenital heart disease,congenital malformations and prematurity wereexcluded. Biodata and clinical parameters includingplace of delivery,dai handling,time of arrival inhospital,mode of delivery, grades of hypoxicischemic encephalopathy, outcome in terms ofdischarge and death were recorded.Results: Sixty one patients were included in thestudy. Majority (80.3%) were male..Mothers havingregular antenatal checkup were 65.5%. Eleven (18%)babies were home delivered and 50(82%) in hospitalsetup. In 16.4% babies there was history of daihandling. 60.7% babies were delivered by SVD and39.3 % by C- section. Majority (83.6 %) presentedwithin 6 hours. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathystage I, II and III was seen in 39.3%, 49% and11.5%respectively. Forty eight (78.7%) babies weredischarged and 13(21.3%) died. No evidence ofassociation was found between outcome at dischargeand time of arrival at hospital (p value=0.33)and daihandling (p value= 0.114). Significant associationwas found between outcome at discharge and placeof delivery (p value=0 .031) and outcome at dischargeand hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy stage (pvalue=0.000).Conclusion: Asphyxiated newborns havesignificant short term mortality in association withhome deliveries and hypoxic ischemicencephalopathy stage II

Comparison of Ranson’s Score, BISAP, and CTSI in Predicting the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis

Objective: To use of Ranson’s, BISAP and CTSI scoring system in predicting the severity and outcomes of patients with acute pancreatitis.Patients and Methods: One hundred and six (106) patients of acute pancreatitis were studied prospectively. Data of patient’s baseline demographics, clinical and radiological investigation was collected. BISAP score was calculated by obtaining data within 24 hours of admission, while Ranson score was calculated at the time of admission and at 48 hours of admission. CTSI was based on findings from CT scan of selected patients. Severity of acute pancreatitis was defined in terms of ICU admission, development of associated complications and mortality.ResultsOut of 106 patients, 55.7% were females and 44.3% were male patients. Regarding complications of Acute Pancreatitis, 9 (8.5%) patients were admitted in ICU, complications occurred in 33 (31.1%) patients while mortality occurred in 9 (8.5%) patients. Out of 106 patients 11 patients had Ransons score greater than 3. 04(36.4%) patients required ICU admission, 07(63.6%) patients developed complications and mortality of 5(45.5%) patients occurred. Patients with Bisap score greater 03, 6 (26%) patients required ICU admission, 17 (74%) developed complications and mortality of 8(34.7%) patients occurred. 24 patients underwent CECT abdomen and 4 patients had modified CTSI score of 8 to 10 (severe AP) out of which 4(100%) patients required ICU admission, 4(100%) patients developed complications and mortality occurred in 4(100%) patients. Conclusion: BISAP score is a useful prognostic scoring system for predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis and can be a crucial aid in determining the group of patients that have a high chance of need for intensive care during the course of their illness and therefore need early resuscitation; especially in resource-limited developing countries

Comparison of Ranson’s Score, BISAP, and CTSI in Predicting the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis

Objective: To use of Ranson’s, BISAP and CTSI scoring system in predicting the severity and outcomes of patients with acute pancreatitis.Patients and Methods: One hundred and six (106) patients of acute pancreatitis were studied prospectively. Data of patient’s baseline demographics, clinical and radiological investigation was collected. BISAP score was calculated by obtaining data within 24 hours of admission, while Ranson score was calculated at the time of admission and at 48 hours of admission. CTSI was based on findings from CT scan of selected patients. Severity of acute pancreatitis was defined in terms of ICU admission, development of associated complications and mortality.ResultsOut of 106 patients, 55.7% were females and 44.3% were male patients. Regarding complications of Acute Pancreatitis, 9 (8.5%) patients were admitted in ICU, complications occurred in 33 (31.1%) patients while mortality occurred in 9 (8.5%) patients. Out of 106 patients 11 patients had Ransons score greater than 3. 04(36.4%) patients required ICU admission, 07(63.6%) patients developed complications and mortality of 5(45.5%) patients occurred. Patients with Bisap score greater 03, 6 (26%) patients required ICU admission, 17 (74%) developed complications and mortality of 8(34.7%) patients occurred. 24 patients underwent CECT abdomen and 4 patients had modified CTSI score of 8 to 10 (severe AP) out of which 4(100%) patients required ICU admission, 4(100%) patients developed complications and mortality occurred in 4(100%) patients. Conclusion: BISAP score is a useful prognostic scoring system for predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis and can be a crucial aid in determining the group of patients that have a high chance of need for intensive care during the course of their illness and therefore need early resuscitation; especially in resource-limited developing countries

Synthesis and spectroscopic studies of N, O containing Schiff base ligands and their metal complexes with Zn

In the present work seven Schiff bases have been synthesized by the reaction of anilines and substituted anilines with benzil via condensation reaction. The selected substituted anilines were ortho and meta substituted chloro anilines, ortho and meta substituted methyl anilines and ortho and meta substituted carboxlyic aniline. The substituted anilines were selected to observe the affect of these electron donating and withdrawing group on the Schiff base formation and consequently on the coordination behavior of these ligands with the zinc ion. These Schiff base ligands were complexed with the zinc metal ion. It was observed that all the ligands and complexes formed readily. The resulting Schiff base ligands and their coordination complexes with zinc ion were recrystallized by CH2Cl2/n-hexane (1:10) mixture. All the ligands and zn coordination complexes were characterized by the IR spectroscopy.  The stability of these coordination complexes were observed by UV/Visible spectroscopy. Thermal stability of these complexes was observed by subjecting them to thermogravimetric analysis. Our method of preparation of the Schiff bases and the corresponding metal complexes can be used to prepare similar compounds

Impact of Perceived Influence, Virtual Interactivity on Consumer Purchase Intentions Through the Path of Brand Image and Brand Expected Value

Many researchers are currently showing interest in researching consumers who are purchasing the products with the help of new tools, and new kinds of markets are emerging rapidly. M-commerce is a prevalent mode of marketing and is famous among young people of Pakistan. Current research is planned to check the status of consumer purchase intentions (PIs) using perceived influence, virtual interactivity, brand image, and brand expected value among customers who purchase their products with the help of m-commerce. Data was collected from customers who were engaged in buying with the help of m-commerce by using the convenience sampling technique and 227 complete questionnaires were used in final analysis. This research examines the direct impact of perceived influence, virtual interactivity, brand image, and brand expected value on PIs and finds the indirect effect of brand image and brand expected value on the relationships of perceived influence and virtual interactivity with PIs. Results indicate that all the hypotheses of direct relationships are accepted except the hypothesis for the relation of virtual interactivity with consumer PIs. Virtual interactivity has an insignificant positive impact on consumer PIs. Brand expected value has a strong positive effect on consumer PIs among all. The current study proposed four mediational hypotheses. All the proposed mediational hypotheses are accepted

Genome-wide characterization of the NLR gene family in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and their relatedness to disease resistance

Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich-repeat receptors (NLR), the largest group of genes associated with plant disease resistance (R), have attracted attention due to their crucial role in protecting plants from pathogens. Genome-wide studies of NLRs have revealed conserved domains in the annotated tomato genome. The 321 NLR genes identified in the tomato genome have been randomly mapped to 12 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis and classification of NLRs have revealed that 211 genes share full-length domains categorized into three major clades (CNL, TNL, and RNL); the remaining 110 NLRs share partial domains and are classified in CN, TN, and N according to their motifs and gene structures. The cis-regulatory elements of NLRs exhibit the maximum number of these elements and are involved in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, pathogen recognition, and resistance. Analysis of the phylogenetic relationship between tomato NLRs and orthologs in other species has shown conservation among Solanaceae members and variation with A. thaliana. Synteny and Ka/Ks analyses of Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum tuberosum orthologs have underscored the importance of NLR conservation and diversification from ancestral species millions of years ago. RNA-seq data and qPCR analysis of early and late blight diseases in tomatoes revealed consistent NLR expression patterns, including upregulation in infected compared to control plants (with some exceptions), suggesting the role of NLRs as key regulators in early blight resistance. Moreover, the expression levels of NLRs associated with late blight resistance (Solyc04g007060 [NRC4] and Solyc10g008240 [RIB12]) suggested that they regulate S. lycopersicum resistance to P. infestans. These findings provide important fundamental knowledge for understanding NLR evolution and diversity and will empower the broader characterization of disease resistance genes for pyramiding through speed cloning to develop disease-tolerant varieties

Gelatin-based anticancer drug delivery nanosystems: A mini review

Drug delivery nanosystems (DDnS) is widely developed recently. Gelatin is a high-potential biomaterial originated from natural resources for anticancer DDnS, which can effectively improve the utilization of anticancer drugs and reduce side effects. The hydrophilic, amphoteric behavior and sol-gel transition of gelatin can be used to fulfill various requirements of anticancer DDnS. Additionally, the high number of multifunctional groups on the surface of gelatin provides the possibility of crosslinking and further modifications. In this review, we focus on the properties of gelatin and briefly elaborate the correlation between the properties and anticancer DDnS. Furthermore, we discuss the applications of gelatin-based DDnS in various cancer treatments. Overall, we have summarized the excellent properties of gelatin and correlated with DDnS to provide a manual for the design of gelatin-based materials for DDnS