Invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures: a developing countries’ perspective

Background: Antenatal procedures are effective prenatal diagnostic tool for detection of fetal disorders. They have been practiced since time long, still in developing countries like India they are yet to find a place. Here, we report our experience with antenatal procedures from a single medical centre, focusing on the indications and outcome of invasive prenatal procedures.Methods: This is retrospective observational study was conducted on pregnant women presenting at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences; Lucknow, India between July 2009 and September 2013 was conducted. The data were analyzed to find out the indications, gestational age, complications and outcome of diagnostic prenatal testing.Results: Antenatal diagnostic procedures include amniocentesis, chorionic villous sampling, cordocentesis, vesicocentesis and paracentesis. There were 473 total number of procedures done during this period, of which 53 (11.2%) were CVS, 315 (66.5%) were amniocentesis, 72 (15.2%) were cordocentesis, 21(4.4%) were vesicocentesis and 7 (1.4%) were paracentesis. Out of total procedures 47 (9.9%) procedures results were abnormal while 426 had normal results. In abnormal result group, 24 patients (51%) were of gestational age of less than or equal to 20 weeks. All those with lethal / major malformation underwent termination of pregnancy where gestational age of less than 20 weeks.Conclusions: With appropriate prenatal invasive test were able to prevent birth of affected fetus which is of huge importance considering the patients who give birth to abnormal babies only to see them suffering and frequently dying also. Prenatal invasive test were able to prevent this psychological, mental as well as physical trauma in these patients

Acceptance of non-invasive prenatal testing by cell free foetal DNA for foetal aneuploidy in a developing country: experience at a tertiary care centre in India

Background: Non-invasive prenatal testing is a new technique which is deepening its root all over the world. Its tremendous potential lies in its ability of using cell free fetal DNA from the plasma of pregnant women. However, to what extent the technology has reached to a common person is also to be given a thought. hence the study was planned to assess the acceptability of non-invasive prenatal testing in Indian settings, to study about the awareness and baseline knowledge about Down’s syndrome, to study the correlation between various indications of prenatal testing for aneuploidy and results of noninvasive prenatal testing.Methods: Noninvasive cell free fetal NA testing for aneuploidy was an informed patient choice after pre-test counseling. Patients with a positive test result were offered invasive prenatal diagnosis for confirmation of test results.Results: The diagnostic potential of cell free DNA for fetal aneuploidy matched equally with invasive tests avoiding slight but yet considerable risk of invasive tests. However, we found that, 90 % of patients in a tertiary centre hospital in India were not aware of trisomy 21 and various options available for prenatal screening for aneuploidy.Conclusions: Newer genomic technology involving cell free maternal DNA is a new storm in prenatal diagnosis. Its application in clinical practice is the need of the hour, however, the lack of awareness, high cost and unavailability of the test in the country appears to be a major limiting factor for its poor acceptability

The epidemiological and neurological risk factors of Japanese encephalitis virus in the population of Assam, Northeast India

Japanese encephalitis is one of the world's most common public health issues, particularly it is prevalent in the north-eastern Indian states of Assam. This study aimed to find out the risk factors linked to clinical and epidemiological characteristics. A total of 245 cases were found as PCR-positive in Assam. The most common clinical symptoms were fever (87%), seizure (65%), altered sensorium (60%), cold with shivering (74%), vomiting (68%), throat irritation (31%), cough (67%), chest pain (10%), joint pain (18%), mouth ulcer (18%), diarrhea (29%), pain in the abdomen (42.9%), runny nose (64%), redness in eyes (78%), jaundice (25%), and blood in the sputum (25%).   Further, the neurological symptoms included vision problems (66.5%), hearing difficulties (55 %), neck stiffness (62%), limb numbness (65%), dizziness (77%), headaches (75.5%), speaking difficulties (63%), hydrophobia (47%), and abnormal behavior (66%). The epidemiological risk factors included contact with pigs (57%), bats (21%), cattle (32%), and rates (66%). In addition, 24.5% of patients observed the death of animals/birds. The protection measure included window screening, sleeping under a mosquito net, and use of insect repellent while sleeping in open compounds (29%) and floods (63%) are considered important risk factors. JE-positive cases include daily habits like working in agriculture fields (28%), in standing water (16%), swimming in nearby lakes (24%), traveling outside their village (40%), and wearing shirts while working in the field (20%), storing water in open containers in or outside the house (62%). These were the epidemiological factors that affected the abundance of the potential mosquito vectors of the JE infection

Early Detection of Fetal Malformation, a Long Distance Yet to Cover! Present Status and Potential of First Trimester Ultrasonography in Detection of Fetal Congenital Malformation in a Developing Country: Experience at a Tertiary Care Centre in India

Background. Early detection of malformation is tremendously improved with improvement in imaging technology. Yet in a developing country like India majority of pregnant women are not privileged to get timely diagnosis. Aims and Objectives. To assess the present status and potential of first trimester ultrasonography in detection of fetal congenital structural malformations. Methodology. This was a retrospective observational study conducted at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences. All pregnant women had anomaly scan and women with fetal structural malformations were included. Results. Out of 4080 pregnant women undergoing ultrasound, 312 (7.6%) had fetal structural malformation. Out of 139 patients who were diagnosed after 20 weeks, 47 (33.8%) had fetal structural anomalies which could have been diagnosed before 12 weeks and 92 (66.1%) had fetal malformations which could have been diagnosed between 12 and 20 weeks. Conclusion. The first trimester ultrasonography could have identified 50% of major structural defects compared to 1.6% in the present scenario. This focuses on the immense need of the hour to gear up for early diagnosis and timely intervention in the field of prenatal detection of congenital malformation

Invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures: a developing countries' perspective

Background: Antenatal procedures are effective prenatal diagnostic tool for detection of fetal disorders. They have been practiced since time long, still in developing countries like India they are yet to find a place. Here, we report our experience with antenatal procedures from a single medical centre, focusing on the indications and outcome of invasive prenatal procedures.Methods: This is retrospective observational study was conducted on pregnant women presenting at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences; Lucknow, India between July 2009 and September 2013 was conducted. The data were analyzed to find out the indications, gestational age, complications and outcome of diagnostic prenatal testing.Results: Antenatal diagnostic procedures include amniocentesis, chorionic villous sampling, cordocentesis, vesicocentesis and paracentesis. There were 473 total number of procedures done during this period, of which 53 (11.2%) were CVS, 315 (66.5%) were amniocentesis, 72 (15.2%) were cordocentesis, 21(4.4%) were vesicocentesis and 7 (1.4%) were paracentesis. Out of total procedures 47 (9.9%) procedures results were abnormal while 426 had normal results. In abnormal result group, 24 patients (51%) were of gestational age of less than or equal to 20 weeks. All those with lethal / major malformation underwent termination of pregnancy where gestational age of less than 20 weeks.Conclusions: With appropriate prenatal invasive test were able to prevent birth of affected fetus which is of huge importance considering the patients who give birth to abnormal babies only to see them suffering and frequently dying also. Prenatal invasive test were able to prevent this psychological, mental as well as physical trauma in these patients

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against a local isolate of classical swine fever virus

459-463<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against a classical swine fever virus (CSFV; subgenogroup 1:1) isolate from Assam, India were produced and characterized. Four fusions of myeloma cells (SP2/0Ag) were made with spleenocytes of 8-10 weeks old BALB/C mice immunized with the viral antigen. Several hybridoma clones secreting antibodies to the virus were obtained after four fusions, but five hybridoma clones secreting antibody specific to the virus could be stabilized. All the mAbs belong to the IgG2a isotype. Except one, none of the four mAbs showed cross reaction with bovine viral diarrhoea virus and border disease virus (BDV). One mAb showed cross reaction with BDV. All the four mAbs specific to CSFV showed reactivity with the parental virus in immunoperoxidase test (IPT) and with a single protein band (molecular weight 55 kD approximately) of the virus in western blotting. In neutralization peroxidase linked assay (NPLA) all the mAbs reacted with 13 CSFV local isolates as well as with the cell culture adapted lapinized vaccine virus strain belonging to the subgenogroup 1:1. This is the first report on production and characterization of mAbs against CSFV in India.</span

Addressing Challenges and Opportunities: A Critical Assessment of RFID Adoption in Agriculture

This review paper critically assesses the challenges and opportunities associated with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) adoption in agriculture. RFID technology has the potential to revolutionize agricultural processes, offering benefits such as improved supply chain management, enhanced livestock tracking, and data-driven decision-making. However, its implementation also faces various obstacles, including technical, economic, and integration challenges. Through an in-depth analysis, this review explores the socio-economic and environmental implications of RFID adoption, considering its impact on labor dynamics, job displacement, rural communities, energy consumption, and waste generation. The paper concludes with insights into the future prospects of RFID integration in agriculture and provides strategic recommendations for overcoming challenges and ensuring responsible adoption