Efficacy and safety of oral mifepristone for cervical priming and induction of labor in term pregnancy

Background: The objectives of the study was to assess the efficacy of mifepristone in priming the cervix/inducing labor over next 96 hrs in term pregnancy.Methods: In this single blind randomized controlled trial 200 women with term pregnancy beyond 39 weeks and Bishop’ score <6 were randomly allocated into two groups. Tab Mifepristone 400 mg orally was given to women in study group (n=100) and no intervention in control group (n=100). On follow up one case was lost in control group. All women were observed for change in the bishop’s score or onset of labor in next 96 hrs. If Bishop’s score was <6, the choice of induction was left on the clinician/patient.Results: Mean induction to delivery interval, duration of active phase and improved Bishop score were 79.35±53.43 hr, 2.47±1.23 hr, 6.68±1.69 for study group versus 148±65.66 hr, 3.09±1.45 hr, 5.8±2.15  for control group (p value is <0.001) respectively.  Seventy one (71%) women in study group and 39 (39.3%) women in control group delivered vaginally within 96 hrs without any need of augmentation. There were 9 (9%) caesareans in study group and 24 (24.2%) caesareans in control group but no instrumental delivery in both groups. There was no statistically difference in perinatal outcomes between two groups.Conclusions: Mifepristone is an effective drug for cervical ripening and initiation of labor when given in term pregnancy beyond 39 weeks with poor Bishop’s score (<6) and appearing to reduce need for other agent for augmentation of labor

Atrial Fibrillation and Perioperative Inflammation (FIBRILLAMMED Study): A Retrospective Analysis of the Predictive Role of Preoperative Albumin-Adjusted Platelet-Leukocytic Indices in OPCABG

Objective:New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF), an important postoperative complication, has pertinent inflammatory links. Motivated by the encouraging literature on the prognostic role of hypoalbuminemia, leukocytic indices [LIs: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR)], systemic inflammation response index (SIRI=NLR×monocyte) and platelet-leukocytic indices [PLIs: platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR)], systemic immune inflammation index (SII=NLR×platelet), aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI=NLR×platelet×monocyte), we sought to investigate the NOAF-predictive value of preoperative albumin-adjusted indices (aa-LIs and aa-PLIs) in an off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) setting.Methods:Of 899 patients, 151 patients (16.79%) developed the primary outcome i.e. NOAF that was analyzed further retrospectively for its predictors instead of the highlighted text perioperative data of 899 patients undergoing elective OPCABG, were retrospectively analyzed. The study participants were categorized into non-NOAF and NOAF groups (defined as new-onset atrial arrhythmia with irregular RR interval with indistinct P wave in the first week postoperatively).Results:One hundred and fifty-one patients (16.79%) developed NOAF. On univariate analysis: age, smoker status, The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II, systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prior congestive heart failure (CHF), and a higher preoperative NLR, PLR, SII, and albumin were significant predictors of NOAF. While age, CHF, and EuroSCORE II retained predictive significance in multivariate analysis, LI-PLIs and albumin did not emerge as independent NOAF predictors. Notably, aa-NLR, aa-PLR, and aa-SII independently predicted NOAF on the computation of model-estimates in the regression analysis (Odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 31.05;15.75-70.61, 1.04;1.02-1.05, 1.12;1.10-1.14, respectively, P < 0.001). aa-NLR ≥1.32, aa-PLR ≥52.64, and aa-SII ≥344.38 predicted NOAF with the respective AUC;sensitivity;specificity of 0.66;63.6%;73.3%, 0.63;66.2%;59.0%, and 0.65;58.3%;78.2%. Preoperative aa-NLR, aa-PLR and aa-SII also positively correlated with CHA2DS2-VASc score (R=0.40, 0.45 and 0.42; P < 0.001).Conclusion:The independent NOAF predictive value of aa-NLR, aa-PLR, and aa-SII reiterates the inflammatory relationship of the arrhythmic complication following OPCABG

Synthesis and Properties of Ferrocene Aza-BODIPYs

by Naresh Balsukuri and Iti Gupt

Donor-Acceptor (D-A) type systems based on Porphyrins/Corroles and NIR-azaBODIPYs

by Naresh Balsukuri and Iti Gupt

Synthesis and photophysical studies of covalently linked porphyrin-21-thiaporphyrin dyads

The synthesis and photophysical properties of four covalently linked unsymmetrical porphyrin dyads containing two different porphyrin cores such as N4 and N3S are reported. The covalently linked dyads were prepared by the coupling of appropriate porphyrin having ethynylphenyl functional group at meso-position with porphyrin having iodophenyl or bromo functional group at meso-position under mild palladium coupling conditions. The photophysical study indicated an intramolecular singlet–singlet energy transfer from N4/ZnN4 porphyrin sub-unit to N3S porphyrin sub-unit in all four dyads with an efficiency of energy transfer process was typically greater-or-equal, slanted97%. To probe the role of linker in through bond electronic communication between the two porphyrin sub-units in dyads, the linker was varied from diphenylethyne to phenylethyne and the study revealed that the energy transfer rates and efficiencies were much higher for phenylethyne-bridged porphyrin dyads compared with diphenylethyne-bridged porphyrin dyads.© Elsevie

Ferrocenyl substituted Aza-BODIPY dyes

by Naresh Balsukuri and Iti Gupt