Genetically engineered cardiac pacemaker: stem cells transfected with HCN2 gene and myocytes - a model

Artificial biological pacemakers were developed and tested in canine ventricles. Next steps will require obtaining oscillations sensitive to external regulations, and robust with respect to long term drifts of expression levels of pacemaker currents and gap junctions. We introduce mathematical models intended to be used in parallel with the experiments. The models describe human mesenchymal stem cells ({\it hMSC}) transfected with HCN2 genes and connected to myocytes. They are intended to mimic experiments with oscillation induction in a cell pair, in cell culture and in the cardiac tissue. We give examples of oscillations in a cell pair, in a 1 dim cell culture, and oscillation dependence on number of pacemaker channels per cell and number of gap junctions. The models permit to mimic experiments with levels of gene expressions not achieved yet, and to predict if the work to achieve this levels will significantly increase the quality of oscillations. This give arguments for selecting the directions of the experimental work

Precarious Inclusions; Re-Imagining Disability, Race, Masculinity and Nation in My Name Is Khan

This paper will critically examine how dominant cultural scripts about disability are reinforced and complicated in the Bollywood film, My Name is Khan (Johar, 2010). An examination of the film's themes demonstrates that My Name is Khan allows for a nuanced analysis of disability, race, masculinity and nation

LA RACE ET L’AFFOLEMENT : LA LOCALISATION DES EXPÉRIENCES DES PERSONNES RACIALISÉES AYANT DES HISTORIQUES PSYCHIATRIQUES AU CANADA ET AUX ÉTATS-UNIS

The intersectional social construction of race and madness has significantly shaped the lived experiences of racialized people with psychiatric histories. Unfortunately, there are few studies that consider the intersections between race and madness, and fewer still that locate these intersections within the social and political contexts of colonization, Canadian and American settler states, and immigration. The primary purpose of this article is to provide a review of the literature that looks at the intersections of race and madness in Canada and the US. In particular, the author will highlight common themes that are articulated in this literature. The second goal of this article is to locate the experiences of racialized people with psychiatric histories within the socio-historical context from which they arise. The author will argue that race and madness have been mutually socially constructed in Canadian and American society. Further, the author will illustrate that psychiatric constructions of racialized people have allowed for the rationalization and justification of both historical and ongoing colonial and imperialist domination, slavery, and exclusionary immigration policies.La construction sociale intersectionnale de la race et l’affolement a formé significativement les expériences vécues des personnes racialisées ayant des historiques psychiatriques. Malheureusement, il n’existe pas trop d’enquêtes qui abordent l’intersection entre la race et l’affolement, et encore moins qui se situent dans les contextes sociaux et politiques de la colonisation, des états coloniaux canadiens et américains, et de l’immigration. La raison d’être de cet article sera donc de fournir un survol des informations concernant l’intersection entre la race et l’affolement au Canada et aux Etats-Unis. L’auteur soulignera les thèmes communs qui se trouvent dans cette littérature. Le second but de cet article sera de localiser les expériences des personnes racialisées ayant des historiques psychiatriques dans un contexte socio-historique. L’auteur constatera que la race et l’affolement ont été construits socialement en société canadienne et américaine. De plus, l’auteur démontrera que les constructions psychiatriques des personnes racialisées ont permis la rationalisation et la justification de la domination coloniale et impérialiste, de l’esclavage, et des politiques de l’immigration non-inclusives, ces trois étant soit historique, soit actuelle

A study of various cesarean section techniques at a government tertiary care centre: Misgav Ladach cesarean section versus Pfannenstiel cesarean section

Background: It is important to examine every step in any surgery to identify and evaluate its imortance, necessity and purpose with a view to find its better alternatives if they can be found at all. The most appropriate surgical procedure is the one which takes minimum time to be complete, simplest to perform, causing least damage and least complication for the patient. Present study was undertaken to assess the benefits of the Misgav Ladach cesarean section technique in comparison to the conventional Pfannenstiel technique in the tertiary care hospital and evaluate the operative parameters like efficacy, safety, duration of surgery, blood loss, need for suture material, post-operative pain and post-operative stay in hospital.Methods: All the women posted for emergency cesarean section in the Obstetrics OT at Sir T Hospital, Bhavnagar, Gujarat were included in this study. Some of the common indications at our hospital for cesarean section were fetal distress, cephalopelvic disproportion, failure of progress of labour, breech presentation, previous cesarean section and failed induction. Informed consent was taken. All the patients were randomly allocated to two groups with 50 women in each group. Group 1 Pfannenstiel incision and Group 2 Misgav Ladach.Results: The duration of surgery, blood loss and post-operative pain were significantly less in the Misgav Ladach group (P<0.001).Conclusions: Misgav Ladach technique of cesarean section has many advantages and should be used routinely

Agnus Dei

This is a film review of Agnus Dei (2016) directed by Anne Fontaine

Disappointment after hysterectomy: a stressful situation

Background: The overall incidence of hysterectomy in India is 7% which is lower as compared to other countries like U.S. which is around 9%. But recently, there is upsurge in the prevalence of hysterectomy. The reason for this may be due to reduced hospital stay and cost. Also, now a days hysterectomy by any modality is increasingly accepted by the professionals and the professional associations and gatherings like conferences as the sole treatment for any benign condition in compare to other modalities of treatment. An attempt was made here in this study to analyse the after-effects of hysterectomy. The overall aim of this study was to describe and investigate postoperative complications and the corrective surgeries being done for them.Methods: It is a retrospective statistical hospital-based study of relaparotomy done in post hysterectomised patients who came to Sir T General Hospital, Bhavnagar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study was done for the duration of 6 months from October 2016 to March 2017; during the time total of 55 patients were followed for this study that underwent resurgery for their problems.Results: The incidence of Laparotomy following hysterectomy was 42.5% and the incidence of corrective surgeries for urinary symptoms and vault prolapse was 57.5% including the highest incidence of Anterior colporrhaphy with Posterior colpoperineorrhaphy being 21.2%. The occurrence of problems was more in the patients who had undergone Abdominal hysterectomy (62.5%) in comparison to those who underwent Vaginal hysterectomy (32.5%).Conclusions: Oopherectomy should be encouraged with hysterectomy after menopause to reduce incidence of Laparotomy following hysterectomy

Evaluation of Internal Markers for Predicting Digestibility and Fecal Output by Cattle Fed Bermudagrass Hays of Varying Quality

The potential of in situ rumen undegradable dry matter (RUDM), indigestible neutral-detergent fiber (INDF), indigestible acid-detergent fiber (IADF), acid-detergent insoluble ash (ADIA), alkaline-peroxide lignin (APL), and acid-detergent lignin (ADL) to predict digestibility (DMD) and fecal output (FO) by cattle fed bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] hay-diets categorized by their low (L), medium low (ML), medium high (MH), or high (H) CP concentrations (79, 111, 131, and 164 g/kg DM, respectively) was evaluated. The second objective was to evaluate the effects of time (0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 h) of fecal sampling on the prediction of FO and DMD. A replicated 4 × 4 Latin-Square with one period missing was employed where diets were offered in three 15-d periods to provide 2 replicates per diet per period (n = 24). Actual DMI, FO, and DMD were determined based on hay offered, orts, and feces excreted. Hay, orts, and feces were analyzed for RUDM, INDF, IADF, ADL, APL, and ADIA concentrations. Fecal recoveries of internal markers were expressed as the ratio of the quantity of marker excreted per unit of marker consumed. Estimate of FO and DMD were calculated by the marker ratio technique. All in situ markers and ADL recoveries differed from 1. Estimates of DMD were underestimated while FO estimates were overestimated for all in situ markers. Recovery of APL tended to differ from 1, but ADIA recovery was not different from 1. Estimates of FO and DMD derived using APL and ADIA were not different from TC. Time of sampling affected the concentration of IADFa while ADIA and APL concentrations in fecal samples were not different. Estimates of FO and DMD by all fecal sampling times and their different combinations were not different from actual FO and DMD. Therefore APL and ADIA have the potential to predict FO and DMD of bermudagrass of various qualities fed to cattle and fecal sampling time may not be an issue when using internal markers