Diagnostic issues in abdominal tuberculosis

Objective: To analyze the modes of presentation and diagnostic issues in the management of abdominal tuberculosis at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country, where most of the established diagnostic modalities are available.SETTING: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.Methods: This study is a retrospective review of medical records of all inpatients, diagnosed to have abdominal tuberculosis, from January 1991 to December 1997. The data was collected and particularly analyzed for spectrum of presentation and role of various diagnostic modalities. Of special interest was the sub-group of patients, who after all investigations did not have a firm diagnosis. Following a literature review recommendations have been developed for empiric antituberculous therapy in such patients.Results: A total of 135 patients were diagnosed to have abdominal tuberculosis with a mean age of 34 years and a male to female ratio of 1:2. Ninety-six (71%) patients presented with chronic abdominal symptoms, while 39 (29%) presented as an acute surgical emergency mandating exploratory laparotomy. A tissue-based diagnosis was established in 95 (70.30%) patients, while radiological diagnosis was made in 30 (22.2%) patients. In 10 (7.4%) patients all investigations undertaken could not reveal a final diagnosis; these were treated empirically on the basis of a strong clinical suspicion.CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis can be made confidently in most of the cases. There may be a small group of patients where diagnosis cannot be made despite appropriate investigations and a therapeutic trial of ATT may be considered with close monitoring according to a pre-fixed protocol

Study of the histidine complex of uranium(IV): synthesis, spectrophotometric, magnetic and electrochemical properties

We synthesized the novel histidine complex of uranium(IV). A 1:3 mole ratio was found between metal and ligand by the mole ratio method, while –NH2 and –COO– groups of histidine behave as coordinating sites. The IR spectra confirmed the lone pair donating or coordinating sites. The elemental analysis confirmed the stoichiometry. The bathochromic shift with an increase in the optical density in the UV-Visible range indicated that the compound and its central metal ion hold uniform electronic charge distribution. The electrochemical results indicated a quasi-reversible (neither completely reversible nor completely irreversible) oxidation of the complex to its uranium(V) product at the platinum working electrode. The quasi-reversible process shows a comparatively slow electron transfer (ET) rate with the heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant ‘ks’ (3.4 ×  10–4 cm s-1) at 50 mV s-1 and 305 ± 0.5 K. The kinetics such as diffusion and charge transfer lead the reaction with an ECE (electrochemical–chemical–electrochemical) mechanism. The thermodynamic parameters of activation such as ΔH*; 4.257 kJ mol–1, ΔS*; -2.519 × 10–3 J mol–1 K–1 and ΔG* 4.26 kJ mol–1 helped to propose an associative mechanism of the electron transfer at the platinum working electrode.                     KEY WORDS: Uranium, Histidine, Spectroscopy, Electrochemistry, Kinetics   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2020, 34(3), 557-569.  DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v34i3.1

Madura foot

No Abstract. South African Medical Journal Vol. 97 (9) 2007: pp. 834-83

Progenitor cells in auricular cartilage demonstrate promising cartilage regenerative potential in 3D hydrogel culture

The reconstruction of auricular deformities is a very challenging surgical procedure that could benefit from a tissue engineering approach. Nevertheless, a major obstacle is presented by the acquisition of sufficient amounts of autologous cells to create a cartilage construct the size of the human ear. Extensively expanded chondrocytes are unable to retain their phenotype, while bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) show endochondral terminal differentiation by formation of a calcified matrix. The identification of tissue-specific progenitor cells in auricular cartilage, which can be expanded to high numbers without loss of cartilage phenotype, has great prospects for cartilage regeneration of larger constructs. This study investigates the largely unexplored potential of auricular progenitor cells for cartilage tissue engineering in 3D hydrogels

Antidepressant screening and flavonoids isolation from Eremostachys laciniata (L) Bunge

Eremostachys laciniata (L) Bunge (Lamiaceae), a rich source of flavonoids, has been investigated for chemical constituents and in vivo antidepressant property using forced swim test (FST) model. Five important compounds were isolated, including luteolin (1), apigenin (2), 5,8-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone (3), 5,7-dihydroxy-6,8-dimethoxyflavone (4) and luteolin 7-O-â-glucoside (5). Compound 3 and 4 were isolated for the first time from the plant. A profound antidepressant action was observed for the crude extract at low doses, followed by a state of depression at higher doses. The initial antidepressant-like property of the plant may be attributed to the presence of apigenin like compounds; where as, an increase in immobility time observed at higher doses of the extract may be due to the sedative and calming effect of luteolin present in the plant. E. laciniata may be a potential source for the isolation of important natural products with antidepressant-like properties.Key words: Eremostachys laciniata, antidepressant, apigenin

Relativistic Quantum Games in Noninertial Frames

We study the influence of Unruh effect on quantum non-zero sum games. In particular, we investigate the quantum Prisoners' Dilemma both for entangled and unentangled initial states and show that the acceleration of the noninertial frames disturbs the symmetry of the game. It is shown that for maximally entangled initial state, the classical strategy C (cooperation) becomes the dominant strategy. Our investigation shows that any quantum strategy does no better for any player against the classical strategies. The miracle move of Eisert et al (1999 Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 3077) is no more a superior move. We show that the dilemma like situation is resolved in favor of one player or the other.Comment: 8 Pages, 2 figures, 2 table

Evaluation of wheat by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

In this study 15 wheat varieties namely Nacozari-76, Ouqab, Tatar-96, Bakhtawar-92, Yecura-70, Raj, Bakkar, Sulilman-96, Pirsabak-05, Maria, Khyber-87, Fakhr-e-Sarhad, Pirsabak-04, Inqulab-91 and Rawal-87 were evaluated for analysis of variability in seed storage proteins by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Electrophorogram for each variety were scored and presence or absence of each band noted and was entered in a binary data matrix. Based on the data of SDS-PAGE gels cluster analysis was performed to check the variations among varieties. The overall result shows low degree of heterogeneity however different varieties reveal differential protein banding pattern. It is concluded that SDS-PAGE analysis of wheat endosperm protein is useful for evaluation of genetic variability and cultivars identification that help in wheat breeding program