Outcome of pulmonary hypertension in patient on dialysis following kidney transplantation: an observational study

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common among patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who are on dialysis and PH is associated with higher mortality rates among these patients. The impact of kidney transplantation on pulmonary hypertension is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of successful kidney transplantation on pulmonary arterial hypertension in these patients on dialysis.Methods: The study was conducted on patients who underwent kidney transplantation in Department of Nephrology PSGIMSR. Patients with pulmonary hypertension pre transplant were taken up for the study after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria and after obtaining consent. Demographic, clinical information and laboratory results were collected. The assessment of PH was done by Doppler echocardiography pre transplant and   3 and 6 months after transplant during follow up.Results: The prevalence of PH was 40%. The mean age of study population was 42 ± 8.7 years. The mean dialysis duration of study population was 32±8 months. 54.5% were male. 45.5% were female. Out of the 55 transplant recipients, 22 patients had elevated PASP on preoperative echocardiography examination.  Compared to pre-transplant values, a significant decrease was observed in mean SPAP values and the severity of pulmonary hypertension 3 and6 months postoperative follow up (p<0.003).Conclusions: The prevalence of pre-operative PH among dialysis patient was high. Kidney transplantation leads to considerable improvement in pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients on dialysis

A study of factors determining outcome of acute kidney injury patients requiring hemodialysis

Background: High mortality rate in acute kidney injury (AKI) has interested many authors to conduct studies about factors predicting its outcome. The need for both dialysis and ICU care defines a group of critically ill patients who may have poor prognosis and consume vast amounts of resources. In this study we determine the variables predicting the outcome of patients with severe acute kidney failure requiring haemodialysis and to ascertain the aetiology of acute kidney injury in this group.Methods: We prospectively analysed 114 patients admitted with severe renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy over a period of one year. The influence of various factors such as demographic variables, pre morbidities, details of admission, clinical presentation and extent of organ dysfunction on the clinical outcome such as mortality and progression to end stage kidney disease were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 12 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill).Results: Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that parameters such as chronic liver disease, preexisting heart disease, mechanical ventilation and vasopressor requirement, oliguria, sepsis, hepatorenal syndrome, cardiogenic shock and admission in ICU were associated with high mortality (p<0.05). Of the 114 patients, 49 died (42.98%), 61 (53.5%) were dialysis independent and 4 patients (3.5%) progressed to end stage renal disease (ESRD).Conclusions: AKI patients requiring hemodialysis were associated with high hospital mortality.  Patients who were diagnosed to have acute glomerulonephritis especially rapidly progressing glomerulonephritis as the cause of AKI were more prone to ESRD. Most survivors were dialysis independent at the time of discharge

Biogenic silver nanoparticles mediated by Broussonetia papyrifera: anticancer and antimicrobial activity against pathogenic organisms

Objective: To evaluate the potential aspects of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles mediated by Broussonetia papyrifera against the human pathogens. The same is acknowledged to have high efficiency in the field of Pharmaceutical industry.Methods: The 1Mm of AgNO3 is prepared and mixed with appropriate volume of plant extract and reaction volume was made up to 100 ml. the physical   characterization of AgNPs was done. The anti-microbial activity was done against dread pathogens. Cytotoxic activity of the AgNPs was investigated against breast and lung cancer cell lines.Results: The FESEM and EDAX of the microscopic level showed the particle surface measurements around 44 nm to 50 nm. The XRD investigations are being an evidence for the crystalline structure of the AgNPs with 30 nm. The bacterial pathogen Rhodococcus rhodochrous showed the maximum zone of inhibition (11.8±0.447). The A549 human lung cancer cell line and MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line were tested against the toxicity of AgNPs. The toxicity of AgNPs was valued and corresponding IC50 for Lung cancer (A549) is 12.95± 0.05 µg/mL and Breast cancer (MCF-7) is 10.75± 0.05 µg/mL respectively.Conclusion: The present research denotes that biomolecules derived AgNPs have larger impact as antimicrobials in the biomedical field. Since the aggressive chemicals are not involved AgNPs production, these bio-substances can of alternative medicine to resistant once. The in-vitro experiments exhibits the therapeutic effect of this AgNPs based on the ambient concentration on the process.Â

An Observational Cohort Study of Clinicopathological Features and Outcomes of Crescentic Glomerulonephritis.

INTRODUCTION : Crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) is a renal pathological entity manifested clinically as rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) in majority of the patients. Sometimes the clinical term RPGN and the pathological term CrGN are used interchangeably. It is a well defined condition occurring in a wide variety of primary glomerular disease and systemic conditions. Without treatment, CrGN rapidly progress to end stage renal disease within weeks to months. There is no consensus on how many glomeruli should have crescents to use the term crescentic GN. Most of the literatures have defined >50% crescents in biopsy as crescentic GN. Only very few studies1,2 have included the presence of <50% crescents as crescentic glomerulonephritis. The percentage of crescents in renal biopsy can vary with the timing of biopsy and the plane of cut during processing of the specimen. So considering the presence of >50% crescents alone as CrGN may underestimate the disease burden, treatment requirement and hence the outcome. AIM : To study clinical, biochemical, histological characteristics and outcomes of patient with crescentic glomerulonephritis MATERIALS and METHODS : It is a retrospective observational study. Study population were biopsy proven crescentic glomerulonephritis patients from Jan 2006 to December 2012. Initial demographic, clinico biochemical features, renal biopsy findings, dialysis requirement, treatment started and complications were collected. Follow up data regarding their dialysis requirement, Creatinine status, proteinuria and complications if any were collected till February 2014 at various intervals. Data was analyzed for whole cohort and Immune complex and Non immune complex crescentic GN were compared . RESULTS : A total of 265 patients between Jan 2006-Dec 2012 whose renal biopsies were reported as having more than 10% crescents were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 40.14 ± 14.34 years with median follow up period of 3(1-83) months. Females constituted 57% of the cohort, with a Female: Male ratio of 1.3:1. The commonest type of crescentic glomerulonephritis in our study was immune complex GN with Lupus nephritis being the most common cause accounting for 26% of total cohort. Next to lupus, pauci immune ANCA negative glomerulonephritis accounts for 18.9% of patients. When compared to Immune complex crescentic GN(ICCGN) patients Non immune complex crescentic GN(NICCGN) patients were older, anuric and had less extra renal manifestation except hemoptysis, lesser proteinuria, severe renal failure and more glomerular necrosis and severe IFTA in biopsy at presentation. CONCLUSIONS : Immune complex CGN was the commonest type. Non ICCGN patient had severe renal failure and less proteinuria and more dialysis dependency than ICCGN

wFleaBase: the Daphnia genome database

BACKGROUND: wFleaBase is a database with the necessary infrastructure to curate, archive and share genetic, molecular and functional genomic data and protocols for an emerging model organism, the microcrustacean Daphnia. Commonly known as the water-flea, Daphnia's ecological merit is unequaled among metazoans, largely because of its sentinel role within freshwater ecosystems and over 200 years of biological investigations. By consequence, the Daphnia Genomics Consortium (DGC) has launched an interdisciplinary research program to create the resources needed to study genes that affect ecological and evolutionary success in natural environments. DISCUSSION: These tools include the genome database wFleaBase, which currently contains functions to search and extract information from expressed sequenced tags, genome survey sequences and full genome sequencing projects. This new database is built primarily from core components of the Generic Model Organism Database project, and related bioinformatics tools. SUMMARY: Over the coming year, preliminary genetic maps and the nearly complete genomic sequence of Daphnia pulex will be integrated into wFleaBase, including gene predictions and ortholog assignments based on sequence similarities with eukaryote genes of known function. wFleaBase aims to serve a large ecological and evolutionary research community. Our challenge is to rapidly expand its content and to ultimately integrate genetic and functional genomic information with population-level responses to environmental challenges. URL:

EFFECT OF BENZOIN RESIN ON THE SERUM BILIRUBIN LEVELS IN TEMPORARY JAUNDICE INDUCED BY PHENYLHYDRAZINE: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Bilirubin is the degradation product of heme, thebulk of which is derived from hemoglobin of senescenterythrocytes and hepatic hemoproteins. Bilirubin ispotentially toxic, but is normally rendered harmless bybinding to plasma albumin, and efficient hepatic clearance.Jaundice, (also known as icterus) is a yellowishpigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes overthe sclerae (whites of the eyes), and other mucousmembranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia (increased levelsof bilirubin in the blood). Complications of jaundiceinclude sepsis especially cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis,pancreatitis, coagulopathy, renal and liver failure.Treatment of rats with Phenylhydrazine 5 mg/ kg bodyweight for five days resulted in the development ofjaundice as BR level was found to be higher than 2 mg/dL.Bilirubin lowering potential of Benzoin ethyl alcoholextract was evaluated in temporarily jaundiced adultwistar rats. Treatment of these rats with Benzoin extractfor seven days reduced the BR level significantly to thenormal value. Whereas smaller dose (10mg/kg bodyweight) resulted in the reduction in BR level from 2.51 ±0.02 to 0.90 ± 0.01 mg/dL, higher doses of 20 and 40mg/kg body weight were found to be more effective inreducing the bilirubin level from 2.54 ± 0.01 to 0.82 ±0.01 mg/dL and from 2.49±0.02 to 0.66±0.01 mg/dL,respectively. Therefore, Benzoin ethyl alcohol extract canbe used to reduce bilirubin concentration to a normal levelin jaundiced subjects

Performance Analysis of Process Parameters on Machining Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) Alloy Using Abrasive Water Jet Machining Process

AbstractOwing to its light weight and corrosive resistant, Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) alloy is mainly utilized in fabricating medical device applications. Since it has high strength, it is very difficult to machine alloy using conventional machining. In the present study, an endeavor has been made to machine titanium alloy using AWJM process. Since the process involves with less heat affect zone and higher material removal, it is possible to enhance machinability of workpiece. It has attempted to find the influence of process parameters on surface roughness and topography for enhancing the process. It has been observed that the abrasive flow rate and standoff distance has the most significant role on determining surface quality

Exploration of genetic variability in Garcinia [Garcinia gummi-gutta L.(Robson)] germplasm based on growth, yield and quality traits

Eleven Garcinia germplasm along with local check of Pechiparai were evaluated and underwent principal component analysis to assess genetic divergence and variation patterns during 2019 to 2022. The first two principal components, contributing significant Eigen values, explained 71.20% of the total variability. The Acc. Gg 9 was the top performer, exhibiting favourable yield and growth traits with lower pest and disease incidence, high biochemical compounds viz., hydroxy citric acid and tartaric acid compared to local check. Cluster analysis revealed four major clusters, offering diversity for breeding programs. Correlation studies highlighted traits such as number of fruits per tree, rind thickness, and tartaric acid showing significant positive correlations with yield per tree. Selection based on identified key traits was deemed crucial for enhancing effectiveness. Additionally, DNA fingerprinting analysis indicated the potential use of RAPD markers (OPA03570) for differentiating Kudampuli cultivar PPI (K) 1 from the local check. Overall, the present investigation provides insights into optimizing Garcinia breeding programs, emphasizing trait-based selection and DNA fingerprinting for varietal differentiation