Study of the variation in the relations of recurrent laryngeal nerve to the thyroid gland and its vascular pedicles

AIM OF THE STUDY: A sound knowledge of the normal human anatomy and common variations in it are very important to a physician and gives a major contribution to the skill and success of a surgeon. This is especially true for a surgeon, operating on the neck because it is one of the most difficult areas to operate upon, there being a very little space. The recurrent laryngeal nerve innervates the intrinsic muscles of the larynx. These muscles are important in the production and modulation of the phonation component of the voice. During the course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in the neck, the nerve is intimately related to the inferior thyroid artery and its branches. The relation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve to the inferior thyroid artery and its branches is highly variable. This makes the recurrent laryngeal nerve, extremely vulnerable to injury during the surgical manipulation of the neck, especially in the surgeries involving the thyroid gland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study materials are a) 20 cadavers, b) 15 post mortem en-bloc specimens, c) 10 patients who underwent partial or total thyroidectomies, d) 5 still born fetuses. A) DISSECTION ROOM CADAVERS: All the 20 cadavers (12 males and 8 females) had been embalmed with 10% formalin solution containing 4% formalin for 3 months, prior to dissection. B) POST MORTEM EN-BLOC SPECIMENS: 15 post mortem en-bloc specimens (13 males and 2 females) were collected from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Government Stanley medical college and studied by conventional dissection method. C) CLINICAL STUDY: Subjects included 10 patients; all females, who underwent partial or total thyroidectomies in the surgical operation theatre, Department of surgery, Government Stanley medical college, Chennai. D) Foetal study: 5 still born fetuses (2 males and 3 females) were obtained from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, RSRM Hospital, Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai. All were embalmed with 10% formalin solution and studied. METHODS: 1. DISSECTION METHOD: The dissection was carried out according to the methodology prescribed in the Cunningham’s Practical Manual. The skin was incised by a vertical incision extending from the symphysis menti to the supra sternal notch. The incision was extended laterally along the lower border of the base of the mandible up to the angle of the mandible. Two triangular laps were reflected on both sides up to the anterior border of the Sternocleidomastoid muscle. The superficial fascia with Platysma was incised and reflected along the line of the skin incision, after noting the position of the anterior jugular veins. The investing layer of the deep cervical fascia was then lifted up using a forceps and incised vertically. It was followed laterally up to its fusion with the Carotid sheath deep to the Sternocleidomastoid muscle on either side. The Sternothyroid and the superior belly of the omohyoid were cleared from their fascial covering. Their nerve supply from the Ansa cervicalis, entering their lateral border was noted. They were then divided in the middle 1/3rd just distal to their nerve supply and reflected. The Sternothyroid muscle was then exposed and carefully incised in the middle one third and was reflected. This exposed the pretracheal fascia and the thyroid gland. 2. CLINICAL STUDY: The steps of the partial and total thyroidectomies were observed on 10 patients in the surgical theatre. The following parameters of the recurrent laryngeal nerve were noted a. Relation to the tracheo oesophageal groove. b. Relation to the inferior thyroid artery and its branches. 3. FOETAL STUDY: All the still born fetuses were dissected in the anterior triangle of the neck. An attempt was made to identify the recurrent laryngeal nerves on both sides and to study them in relation to the same parameters as that mentioned for adult specimens. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the anatomy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve has been analyzed under the parameters described by the eminent authors in the field of Anatomy. Analysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was done separately on both sides of the neck and in both the sexes. The recurrent laryngeal nerve has been analyzed based on its origin, course and the intimate relationship with the inferior thyroid artery and its branches. The dissection findings of cadavers, post mortem specimens and fetuses have been supported by the clinical studies. The results of the present study have coincided with many of the previous eminent authors. The present study has also mentioned the vulnerable and high risk positions of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the reasons for the same in the surgical point of view. It is sincerely hoped that the results of the present study will be a guide and will be of great help to the surgeons performing partial and total thyroidectomies

Preclinical Study of Siddha Drug Pavalaveerachunnam for it’s Hepatoprotective, Hypolipidemic, Diuretic and Lithotriptic Activities.

The study of the drug “PAVALAVEERACHUNNAM” is taken from The Pharmacopoeia of Siddha Research Medicines” Authored by Shanmugavelu.M. In siddha system of medicine many formulations are available for the management of Liver disease,Jaundice (Kamalai), Gallstones, Billiarystones, Hepatic stones. Chunnam is a specialized medicine in siddha system. In current research an attempt is made to investigate, “PAVALAVEERACHUNNAM” for its Hepatoprotective, Hypolipidemic, Diuretic, Lithotriptic activities.Scientific studies reveal that higher order medicines of Siddha like Parpam ,Chenduram, Kattu, Pathangam ,Kalangu and Chunnam contain nano particle. They have high therapeutic value in treating challenging diseases.The aim of this study is to do a scientific review to validate the safety and efficacy of ‘PAVALAVEERACHUNNAM’ for Hepatoprotective by pre-clinical studies.The trial drug PavalaveeraChunnam is a mineral, animal formulation, selected from the text book of THE PHARMACOPEIA OF SIDDHA RESEARCH MEDICINES for Hepatoprotective, Hypolipidemic, Diuretic, Lithotriptic activities and the results supported the study. From the literature review, Physico-chemical analysis, Chemical analysis, Pharmacological studies, Anti Microbiology activities, Instrumental analysis and toxicological studies it is concluded that the test drug of PVC is safe and effective for Liver Diseases and in safer to continue even for a long duration

Onion growth monitoring system using internet of things and cloud

Many real-time apps acknowledge the different advancements made in many sectors through the usage of new technologies. Using Wireless Sensor Networks and Think speak Cloud; this research paper proposes a remote internet of things (IoT) based onion growth monitoring approach. With the use of the internet of things and wireless sensor networks, the suggested study work improves the traditional approach to onion growing in rural areas. This study proposes the creation and deployment of a thermal-based Internet of Things system within onion farms, with the goal of managing devices such as fans and heaters according to the ideal range of onion production and good onion growth

Acetylation and phosphorylation of human TFAM regulate TFAM-DNA interactions via contrasting mechanisms

Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is essential for the maintenance, expression and transmission of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). However, mechanisms for the post-translational regulation of TFAM are poorly understood. Here, we show that TFAM is lysine acetylated within its high-mobility-group box 1, a domain that can also be serine phosphorylated. Using bulk and single-molecule methods, we demonstrate that site-specific phosphoserine and acetyllysine mimics of human TFAM regulate its interaction with non-specific DNA through distinct kinetic pathways. We show that higher protein concentrations of both TFAM mimics are required to compact DNA to a similar extent as the wild-type. Compaction is thought to be crucial for regulating mtDNA segregation and expression. Moreover, we reveal that the reduced DNA binding affinity of the acetyl-lysine mimic arises from a lower on-rate, whereas the phosphoserine mimic displays both a decreased on-rate and an increased off-rate. Strikingly, the increased off-rate of the phosphoserine mimic is coupled to a significantly faster diffusion of TFAM on DNA. These findings indicate that acetylation and phosphorylation of TFAM can fine-tune TFAM-DNA binding affinity, to permit the discrete regulation of mtDNA dynamics. Furthermore, our results suggest that phosphorylation could additionally regulate transcription by altering the ability of TFAM to locate promoter sites

Rapid and Accurate Prediction and Scoring of Water Molecules in Protein Binding Sites

Water plays a critical role in ligand-protein interactions. However, it is still challenging to predict accurately not only where water molecules prefer to bind, but also which of those water molecules might be displaceable. The latter is often seen as a route to optimizing affinity of potential drug candidates. Using a protocol we call WaterDock, we show that the freely available AutoDock Vina tool can be used to predict accurately the binding sites of water molecules. WaterDock was validated using data from X-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations and correctly predicted 97% of the water molecules in the test set. In addition, we combined data-mining, heuristic and machine learning techniques to develop probabilistic water molecule classifiers. When applied to WaterDock predictions in the Astex Diverse Set of protein ligand complexes, we could identify whether a water molecule was conserved or displaced to an accuracy of 75%. A second model predicted whether water molecules were displaced by polar groups or by non-polar groups to an accuracy of 80%. These results should prove useful for anyone wishing to undertake rational design of new compounds where the displacement of water molecules is being considered as a route to improved affinity

Cotton in the new millennium: advances, economics, perceptions and problems

Cotton is the most significant natural fibre and has been a preferred choice of the textile industry and consumers since the industrial revolution began. The share of man-made fibres, both regenerated and synthetic fibres, has grown considerably in recent times but cotton production has also been on the rise and accounts for about half of the fibres used for apparel and textile goods. To cotton’s advantage, the premium attached to the presence of cotton fibre and the general positive consumer perception is well established, however, compared to commodity man-made fibres and high performance fibres, cotton has limitations in terms of its mechanical properties but can help to overcome moisture management issues that arise with performance apparel during active wear. This issue of Textile Progress aims to: i. Report on advances in cotton cultivation and processing as well as improvements to conventional cotton cultivation and ginning. The processing of cotton in the textile industry from fibre to finished fabric, cotton and its blends, and their applications in technical textiles are also covered. ii. Explore the economic impact of cotton in different parts of the world including an overview of global cotton trade. iii. Examine the environmental perception of cotton fibre and efforts in organic and genetically-modified (GM) cotton production. The topic of naturally-coloured cotton, post-consumer waste is covered and the environmental impacts of cotton cultivation and processing are discussed. Hazardous effects of cultivation, such as the extensive use of pesticides, insecticides and irrigation with fresh water, and consequences of the use of GM cotton and cotton fibres in general on the climate are summarised and the effects of cotton processing on workers are addressed. The potential hazards during cotton cultivation, processing and use are also included. iv. Examine how the properties of cotton textiles can be enhanced, for example, by improving wrinkle recovery and reducing the flammability of cotton fibre

Structure-Based Virtual Screening for Drug Discovery: a Problem-Centric Review

Structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) has been widely applied in early-stage drug discovery. From a problem-centric perspective, we reviewed the recent advances and applications in SBVS with a special focus on docking-based virtual screening. We emphasized the researchers’ practical efforts in real projects by understanding the ligand-target binding interactions as a premise. We also highlighted the recent progress in developing target-biased scoring functions by optimizing current generic scoring functions toward certain target classes, as well as in developing novel ones by means of machine learning techniques

Effects of Mineral Admixtures, Water Binder Ratio and Curing on Compressive Strength of Concrete

Considerable research has focused on the effect of mineral admixtures on concrete during the past two decades. Suitable addition of mineral admixtures like fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), metakaolin (MK) etc., in concrete improves strength and durability characteristics of concrete. This paper presents the laboratory investigation on the effects of mineral admixtures and water binder ratio on compressive strength is discussed. The study was conducted for three different mineral admixtures namely; FA, SF and Mk with different water cement ratios of 0.32, 0.35, 0.4 and 0.5. The admixture proportion varies from 0 to 15% with an increment of 5% for SF and MK and 10 to 30% with an increment of 10% for FA. The compressive strengths were determined at the age of 3, 7, 14, 28 and 90 days with and without admixture and a comparative study was also made. From the results it is concluded that FA based concrete offered more strength for lower water cement ratios (0.32 & 0.35) and MK modified concrete showed greater strength for higher water cement ratios (0.4 & 0.5). The strength enhancement of SF concrete was more or less similar for all water cement ratios. The outcome of this research work provides an optimal and economical mix for better strength