Resilience in Child Sexual Abuse: Role of Protective Factors

Child sexual abuse is a major public health problem with significant psychosocial consequences (Afifi & Macmillan, 2011). All child sexual abuse victims do not depict adverse consequences in later life. The variability of impact in a potentially traumatic experience like child sexual abuse is explained by the construct of resilience and it being the outcome of the influence of certain protective factors (Henley, 2010). The present article conceptualizes resilience in the area of child sexual abuse where individual, familial and community level factors are identified as predictors to fostering resilience. Formulation and development of effective interventions to reduce the impairment following child sexual abuse and to foster resilience in children, adolescents and survivors are recommended

OPTIC NEUROPATHY INDUCED BY LOW DOSE OF ETHAMBUTOL: A RARE PRESENTATION

Ethambutol is a bacteriostatic antimicrobial agent used in the treatment of tuberculosis. Optic neuropathy is a potentially severe side effect of ethambutol, which is dose related. Ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy (EON) incidence is 15%, 5% & 1% when taken at 50 mg/kg/day , 25 mg/kg/day & 15 mg/kg/day respectively for 3 months. We report a case of bilateral EON in 20-year-old female after 1 month of exposure to 15 mg/kg/day of ethambutol for tubercular meningitis. Ophthalmologic examination revealed bilateral ill sustained pupillary reactions and optic disc pallor. Deranged color vision test and scotomas on Goldmann perimetry in both eyes, aided in diagnosis.Keywords: Low dose ethambutol, Optic neuropathy, Tuberculosis

Elevated Temperature Plasma Nitriding of CrMoV Tool Steel for the Enhancement of Hardness and Wear Resistance

Elevated temperature plasma nitriding of Cr-Mo-V based tool steel was performed by varying the treatment time to enhance hardness and wear resistance. Steel samples after metallographic polishing were placed on the conducting substrate holder in the nitriding reactor and evacuated to 0.5 Pa pressure. The sample holder was then negatively biased at 250 V to accelerate the ions toward the surface of the samples. A gas mixture of N2 and H2 was then passed into the vacuum chamber to generate the plasma. After plasma generation nitriding was performed at variable temperatures 500oC and 550oC for 6 and 10 hrs. Then X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope/Electron Dispersive Spectroscopic (SEM/EDS) studies were followed to understand the structural modifications. XRD analysis predicted the presence of iron nitrides whereas SEM/EDS had shown the presence of N availability from the surface to the core of the steels. Following the structural characterization hardness and wear resistance were measured by using Vicker’s microhardness tester and ball-on-plate method respectively. It was found that the hardness, case depth, and wear resistance of the steel were significantly enhanced mainly due to nitrogen solid solnution and nitride formation. Thus, it has been proved that a longer time or higher temperature of nitriding may be beneficial for such improvement

Polymorphism of alpha-1-antitrypsin in hematological malignancies

Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) or serine protease inhibitor A1 (SERPINA1) is an important serine protease inhibitor in humans. The main physiological role of AAT is to inhibit neutrophil elastase (NE) released from triggered neutrophils, with an additional lesser role in the defense against damage inflicted by other serine proteases, such as cathepsin G and proteinase 3. Although there is a reported association between AAT polymorphism and different types of cancer, this association with hematological malignancies (HM) is, as yet, unknown. We identified AAT phenotypes by isoelectric focusing (in the pH 4.2-4.9 range) in 151 serum samples from patients with HM (Hodgkins lymphomas, non-Hodgkins lymphomas and malignant monoclonal gammopathies). Healthy blood-donors constituted the control group (n = 272). The evaluated population of patients as well as the control group, were at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the AAT gene (χ2 = 4.42, d.f.11, p = 0.96 and χ2 = 4.71, d.f.11, p = 0.97, respectively). There was no difference in the frequency of deficient AAT alleles (Pi Z and Pi S) between patients and control. However, we found a significantly higher frequency of PiM1M1 homozygote and PiM1 allele in HM patients than in control (for phenotype: f = 0.5166 and 0.4118 respectively, p = 0.037; for allele: f = 0.7020 and 0.6360 respectively, p = 0.05). In addition, PiM homozygotes in HM-patients were more numerous than in controls (59% and 48%, respectively, p = 0.044). PiM1 alleles and PiM1 homozygotes are both associated with hematological malignancies, although this is considered a functionally normal AAT variant

Case Reports1. A Late Presentation of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Beware of TGFβ Receptor Mutations in Benign Joint Hypermobility

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) and dissections are not uncommon causes of sudden death in young adults. Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare, recently described, autosomal dominant, connective tissue disease characterized by aggressive arterial aneurysms, resulting from mutations in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) receptor genes TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. Mean age at death is 26.1 years, most often due to aortic dissection. We report an unusually late presentation of LDS, diagnosed following elective surgery in a female with a long history of joint hypermobility. Methods: A 51-year-old Caucasian lady complained of chest pain and headache following a dural leak from spinal anaesthesia for an elective ankle arthroscopy. CT scan and echocardiography demonstrated a dilated aortic root and significant aortic regurgitation. MRA demonstrated aortic tortuosity, an infrarenal aortic aneurysm and aneurysms in the left renal and right internal mammary arteries. She underwent aortic root repair and aortic valve replacement. She had a background of long-standing joint pains secondary to hypermobility, easy bruising, unusual fracture susceptibility and mild bronchiectasis. She had one healthy child age 32, after which she suffered a uterine prolapse. Examination revealed mild Marfanoid features. Uvula, skin and ophthalmological examination was normal. Results: Fibrillin-1 testing for Marfan syndrome (MFS) was negative. Detection of a c.1270G > C (p.Gly424Arg) TGFBR2 mutation confirmed the diagnosis of LDS. Losartan was started for vascular protection. Conclusions: LDS is a severe inherited vasculopathy that usually presents in childhood. It is characterized by aortic root dilatation and ascending aneurysms. There is a higher risk of aortic dissection compared with MFS. Clinical features overlap with MFS and Ehlers Danlos syndrome Type IV, but differentiating dysmorphogenic features include ocular hypertelorism, bifid uvula and cleft palate. Echocardiography and MRA or CT scanning from head to pelvis is recommended to establish the extent of vascular involvement. Management involves early surgical intervention, including early valve-sparing aortic root replacement, genetic counselling and close monitoring in pregnancy. Despite being caused by loss of function mutations in either TGFβ receptor, paradoxical activation of TGFβ signalling is seen, suggesting that TGFβ antagonism may confer disease modifying effects similar to those observed in MFS. TGFβ antagonism can be achieved with angiotensin antagonists, such as Losartan, which is able to delay aortic aneurysm development in preclinical models and in patients with MFS. Our case emphasizes the importance of timely recognition of vasculopathy syndromes in patients with hypermobility and the need for early surgical intervention. It also highlights their heterogeneity and the potential for late presentation. Disclosures: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Hair Shaft in the Lacrimal Punctum: A Rare Presentation

We report a rare case of 18-year-old male presenting with redness, watering and pain in right eye for past 2 days. He was diagnosed as bacterial conjunctivitis elsewhere and started on gentamycin (0.3%) eye drops four times a day to which symptoms are not relieved. Slit lamp examination of right eye revealed sectoral congestion confined to nasal bulbar conjunctiva temporal to plica semilunaris, which was initially confused with inflamed pinguecula and episcleritis. Careful examination of ocular adnexa led to revelation of hair shaft in the upper lacrimal punctum and timely removal of the hair shaft helped us in alleviation of patients morbidity

Food and feeding habits of <i>Johnius axillaris</i> (Cuvier) off Waltair Coast

103-106Food and feeding habits of J. axillaris (9 to 20.6 cm standard length) were studied from May 1977 to April 1978 using the points, volumetric and frequency of occurrence methods. Crustaceans, mainly composed of prawns, formed the bulk of the stomach contents followed by Squilla, teleosts, polychaetes and crabs in the order of abundance. There was no marked seasonal variation in the average amount of feeding and feeding index. However, the feeding intensity was high during May, June, August and September. The index of preponderance was calculated to grade the food items preferred. Comparison of all the results showed that in a carnivore like J. axillaris the 3 methods are equally useful

First report of the association of the 16SrII-D Phytoplasma subgroup with little leaf disease of crotalaria in Karnataka, India

Smooth rattle pods plants (Crotalaria pallida Aiton. [Fabaceae]) are commonly grown as fodder and green manure in tropical and subtropical regions. In India, they are commonly used as nitrogen fixer in various agro-systems and as a source of various organic residues for soil nutrition enrichment. C. pallida is also used in folk medicine to treat urinary infections and as an anti-inflammatory agent. The extracted oil from the leaves of C. pallida is known for its antimicrobial properties. In January 2016, C. pallida grown in Mysuru area, Karnataka (India) was found associated with a characteristic little leaf disease, which was suggestive of phytoplasma infection. Symptoms also included small, yellow leaves with reduced lamina, stunting, and phyllody. The disease was noticed in the wild as well as in field-grown green manure crop. Approximately 30 to 50 plants from seven fields; that is, 10 to 15 plants randomly selected in 3 to 5 rows, were visually recorded for disease symptoms. Thirty-two out of 282 plants in different fields were estimated with phyllody symptoms, resulting in disease incidence of 11%. Leaf samples from five symptom-bearing plants along with two healthy leaf samples were collected and the DNA was manually extracted using a GenElute Plant Genomic DNA Miniprep Kit (Sigma-Aldrich, USA). PCR was performed to amplify the phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene using P1/P7 primers (Smart et al. 1996). The expected 1.8-kb amplicons were detected from symptomatic Crotalaria samples and none from the asymptomatic ones. The PCR products were purified, sequenced, and the consensus sequence was deposited in GenBank with accession number KX013260 (1,566 bp). It showed a 99% sequence identity with phytoplasma members of the group 16SrII ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia.’ The iPhyClassifier analysis (http://plantpathology.ba.ars.usda.gov/cgi-bin/resource/iphyclassifier.cgi) revealed that the C. pallida phytoplasma (KX013260) had a coefficient of similarity of 1.0 and shared identical RFLP profiles to those of Ca. P. australasia (Y10097), which belongs to the subgroup 16SrII-D. Phytoplasmas of group 16SrII-D have been found affecting various vegetables, crops, and weeds in India, including tomato, brinjal, sesame, and parthenium. Crotalaria species are the reported hosts of several groups of phytoplasma which include 16SrVII-D (C. juncea: shoot proliferation) from Brazil (Flôres et al. 2013); 16SrII-A (C. szemaoensis, C. zanzibarica, C. juncea: witches’-broom) from China (Wang et al. 2007), and 16SrI-B (C. spectabilis, C. tetragona: ‘fasciation’ and witches’-broom) from India (Kumar et al. 2010). To our knowledge, this is the first report of the association of the phytoplasma subgroup 16SrII-D with a disease on C. pallida in India. Recent disease reports and nucleotide sequence submissions revealed that the 16SrII phytoplasmas possess a wide plant host range; particularly economically important Fabaceae pulse crops (Thorat et al. 2016). Understanding the etiology and management of little leaf disease of C. pallida is critical as this may be a potential reservoir for 16SrII phytoplasmas