Partial purification and characterization of polygalacturonase-inhibitor proteins from pearl millet

Polygalacturonase-inhibitor proteins (PGIPs) are plant cell wall glycoproteins, involved in the inhibition of microbial endo-polygalacturonases (EPGs). The present study involved activity guided partial purification of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] protein extract by cation exchange chromatography, which resulted in two pooled protein peaks – Peak-A and Peak-B, both of which showed inhibitory activity against the Aspergillus niger EPG. Protein separation of the two peaks by gel electrophoresis showed prominent bands between 29 and 43 kDa, consistent with the molecular weights of the known plant PGIPs. The two PGIP peaks were further studied for their inhibitory activities with respect to three parameters viz., inhibitor concentration, pH and temperature effects. Enzyme inhibition was partial and increased with inhibitor concentration. The Peak-B was found to be the more active inhibitor of the two. The results indicate the presence of at least two isoforms of PGIP in pearl millet. This is the first such study to be undertaken in understanding the presence of the PGIPs in millets.Key words: Cation-exchange chromatography, endo-polygalacturonase, inhibitor concentration, pearl millet,polygalacturonase-inhibitor protein

Laparoscopic classification of the impalpable testis: an update

Purpose We present a classification for the nonpalpable testis (NPT) based on laparoscopic findings and suggest guidelines for the interpretation of these findings.Patients and methods From October 2002 to December 2010, 121 patients with NPT underwent laparoscopy at two tertiary centers of Pediatric surgery in Egypt. The lower abdomen and pelvis were inspected to identify the following structures and their inter-relationships: the internal inguinal ring (and its patency), spermatic vessels, vas deferens, and testis. The laparoscopic findings were documented by one of the authors who attended all procedures, and video recordings were available in some cases. Further management was dependent on laparoscopic findings, classification, and plan of treatment.Results The study included 117 patients with 142 nonpalpable testes. Their mean age was 4.9 years. Among patients with unilateral NPT, a contralateral palpable undescended testicle was always associated with a viable NPT (100%), whereas a contralateral scrotal testis had an equal chance (50%) of finding a viable NPT, without a significant difference whether it was right or left sided.Conclusion Failure of normal testicular descent leads to a spectrum of anatomical variations that can be precisely and safely defined by laparoscopy in about two-thirds of patients with nonpalpable testes. In the remaining one-third of patients, including inguinal exploration after laparoscopy can help us to exclude a missed viable inguinal testis.Keywords: cryptorchidism, laparoscopy, testi

The hidden salmon patch: ocular lymphoma mistaken as Vogt Koyanagi disease

Ocular inflammation from various causes may have similar clinical presentation thus careful clinical evaluations are mandatory particularly when the disease appear to be resistant to treatment. This paper reports a case of ocular lymphoma which was initially treated as Vogt Koyanagi Harada disease at a different centre. A 65-year-old Sudanese man complained of gradual worsening left eye vision. Careful ocular and slit lamp examination revealed a conjunctival lesion with choroidal infiltration as well as exudative retinal detachment. Computed tomography scan (CT scan) showed left eye axial proptosis, and a homogenous enhancing mass at the posterior coat of the globe. Tissue biopsy of the conjunctival lesion revealed marginal Zone B cell (MALT type), low grade, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. AS the ocular signs and symptoms progressed, chemotherapy was initiated. The proptosis, exudative retinal detachment, disc hyperemia and swelling improved after chemotherapy. The post treatment CT scan showed reduction of the posterior ocular coat mass. The possibility of malignant lymphoma should be considered in patients with resistant uveitis despite administration of corticosteroid. Ocular lymphoma is an indolent tumour with good prognosis. Careful ocular examination, adequate imaging studies followed by early surgical biopsy will contribute to early diagnosis

Severe ectoparasitism and parasitic gastroenteritis in a two month old Sokoto red kid: A case report

A two month old red Sokoto kid that weighed 3kg from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Farm, Dabagi, was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, with the complaints of debility and recumbency. Physical examination revealed severe infestation with ticks of both sexes identified as Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma rufipes, Amblyomma variegatum and the louse Linognathus stenopsis. Examination of the blood suggested anaemia and revealed mild infection with Anaplasma ovis. After management for a day, the animal died. At post-mortem, Haemonchus spp. and Oesophagostomum spp. were found infesting the abomasum and caecum respectively. This paper discusses the implication of the condition to the animal production and how best to control it in established farms like the University farm

Cancer of the Cervix in Unscreened West African Women

Background: Cancer of the cervix remains an important health problem amongst women worldwide. Widespread comprehensive cervical cancer control programs have resulted in a marked reduction in the incidence and mortality in most developed countries. Developing countries bear over 80% of the global burden, with only 5% of the global resources for the control of cancer. Majority of the cases in these countries present late and are incurable at the time of diagnosis.Aim: To review the presentation and histopathological types of cervical cancer cases seen in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, over a sixteen-year period (1995–2010).Materials and Methods: Case records of histopathologically diagnosed cases of cancer of the cervix were retrieved. Demographic data, stage of the tumor at presentation, and histopathologic type were extracted. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: Six hundred and sixty gynecological cancers were seen during the study period, with cancer of the cervix accounting for 58.5% (386/660) cases. Among these cases with cancer of the cervix 71.1% (275/386) were grand multiparous and majority 89.7 % 346/386 presented with advanced disease. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounted for 86.3% (333/386) of the cancers, adenocarcinoma contributed 12.4%,(48/386) and others contributed 1.3% (5/386).Conclusion: Cancer of the cervix is the commonest gynecological cancer at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria. SCC is the commonesthistological type. Keywords: Africa, cervical cancer, screenin

Cornelia-de Lange syndrome in an Egyptian infant with unusual bone deformities

We report a 4 month old female infant with the typical features of Cornelia-de Lange syndrome. What was striking in our patient was the presence of skeletal anomalies not reported previously. These included arachnodactly of both fingers and toes, flexion of thumbs at metacarpophalengeal joints, bilateral short big toes, angulation of the lower part of the bones of right forearm and both legs with multiple skin folds. Also biochemical and X-ray evidence of rickets was detected mostly due to malnutrition and failure to thrive. The patient died at the age of 5 months with bronchopneumoniaand gastroenteritis

Presence of Spotters Improves Bench Press Performance: A Deception Study.

Sheridan, A, Marchant, DC, Williams, EL, Jones, HS, Hewitt, PA, and Sparks, SA. Presence of spotters improves bench press performance: a deception study. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2017-Resistance exercise is a widely used method of physical training in both recreational exercise and athletic populations. The use of training partners and spotters during resistance exercise is widespread, but little is known about the effect of the presence of these individuals on exercise performance. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of spotter presence on bench press performance. Twelve recreationally trained participants (age, 21.3 ± 0.8 years, height, 1.82 ± 0.1 m, and weight, 84.8 ± 11.1 kg) performed 2 trials of 3 sets to failure at 60% of 1 repetition maximum on separate occasions. The 2 trials consisted of spotters being explicitly present or hidden from view (deception). During the trials, total repetitions (reps), total weight lifted, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and self-efficacy were measured. Total reps and weight lifted were significantly greater with spotters (difference = 4.5 reps, t = 5.68, p < 0.001 and difference = 209.6 kg, t = 5.65, p < 0.001, respectively). Although RPE and local RPE were significantly elevated in the deception trials (difference = 0.78, f = 6.16, p = 0.030 and difference = 0.81, f = 5.89, p = 0.034, respectively), self-efficacy was significantly reduced (difference = 1.58, f = 26.90, p < 0.001). This study demonstrates that resistance exercise is improved by the presence of spotters, which is facilitated by reduced RPE and increased self-efficacy. This has important implications for athletes and clients, who should perform resistance exercise in the proximity of others, to maximize total work performed

Targeting BTK for the treatment of FLT3-ITD mutated acute myeloid leukemia

Approximately 20% of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have a mutation in FMS-like-tyrosine-kinase-3 (FLT3). FLT3 is a trans-membrane receptor with a tyrosine kinase domain which, when activated, initiates a cascade of phosphorylated proteins including the SRC family of kinases. Recently our group and others have shown that pharmacologic inhibition and genetic knockdown of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) blocks AML blast proliferation, leukaemic cell adhesion to bone marrow stromal cells as well as migration of AML blasts. The anti-proliferative effects of BTK inhibition in human AML are mediated via inhibition of downstream NF-κB pro-survival signalling however the upstream drivers of BTK activation in human AML have yet to be fully characterised. Here we place the FLT3-ITD upstream of BTK in AML and show that the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib inhibits the survival and proliferation of FLT3-ITD primary AML blasts and AML cell lines. Furthermore ibrutinib inhibits the activation of downstream kinases including MAPK, AKT and STAT5. In addition we show that BTK RNAi inhibits proliferation of FLT3-ITD AML cells. Finally we report that ibrutinib reverses the cyto-protective role of BMSC on FLT3-ITD AML survival. These results argue for the evaluation of ibrutinib in patients with FLT3-ITD mutated AML

Business process modelling and visualisation to support e-government decision making: Business/IS alignment

© 2017 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57487-5_4.Alignment between business and information systems plays a vital role in the formation of dependent relationships between different departments in a government organization and the process of alignment can be improved by developing an information system (IS) according to the stakeholders’ expectations. However, establishing strong alignment in the context of the eGovernment environment can be difficult. It is widely accepted that business processes in the government environment plays a pivotal role in capturing the details of IS requirements. This paper presents a method of business process modelling through UML which can help to visualise and capture the IS requirements for the system development. A series of UML models have been developed and discussed. A case study on patient visits to a healthcare clinic in the context of eGovernment has been used to validate the models

Patterns of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy among a multiracial population in a Malaysian hospital

Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is a retinal disorder characterized by aneurismal polypoidal lesions in choroidal vasculature. PCV appears to preferentially affect pigmented individuals and is considerably high among Asians. Most reports on patterns of PCV around Asia are based on a homogenous race (e.g. Chinese, Japanese) and very few descriptions from a multiracial population like those seen in Malaysia. The present study aimed to describe the demographic features, clinical and investigative characteristics of PCV in a multiracial group at Universiti Kebangsaaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). Ninety one eyes of 86 PCV patients, comprising of Chinese (65.1%), Malays (31.4%), Indians (2.3%) and Eurasian (1.2%) were retrospectively reviewed. All underwent complete ophthalmic examination and investigations. Mean patient age was 70.4 years with a male preponderance (59.3%), and mostly unilateral presentation (94.1%). The logMAR mean presenting visual acuity was 0.78 ± 0.64. Polypoidal vascular lesions were located generally within the macula area (86.8%), manifesting mainly as submacular hemorrhage (59.3%). Interestingly a number of eyes (43.9%) had associated drusen. Optical coherence tomography largely demonstrated exudative changes (75.9%) and almost all patients (97.7%) had loss of external limiting membrane (ELM) and IS/OS interface. On indocyanine green angiography, majority of eyes had multiple polyps (82.4%) with ‘cluster’ (58.2%) being the commonest configuration. In conclusion, although the patterns of PCV in UKMMC were mainly similar to other Asian patients, a number of our patients had associated drusen. This indicates that PCV in our population could be a variant of neovascular age related macular degeneration and not solely idiopathic in nature