Microbiological profile of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is the presence of actively multiplying bacteria within the urinary tract in the absence of any symptoms. Anatomical and physiological changes make women more susceptible to UTI in pregnancy. The objective of present study was to determine the percentage of pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria and its microbiological profile.Methods: A total of 555 antenatal women who had no clinical features of urinary tract infection were recruited for this study over a period of one year. Clean catch mid-stream urine sample was collected and semi quantitatively cultured immediately. Significant bacteriuria was identified and antibiotic sensitivity found out by conventional methods.Results: Significant growth was observed in 26 samples. There was no association between age, parity, gravidity, period of gestation and asymptomatic bacteriuria. Gram stain was found to be the best screening test. Escherichia coli were the commonest organism isolated. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were the most resistant organisms.Conclusions: Escherichia coli, the most common organism isolated, was resistant to most of the commonly used antibiotics. Wet film examination, the most commonly used screening test in our set up, was less sensitive and specific. So culture has to be done in all antenatal cases for screening asymptomatic bacteriuria of pregnancy

A clinical study to assess the patterns of muco-cutaneous changes in newborns during the first five days after birth

Background: Skin is the largest organ in the human body accounting for approximately 13% of the neonatal body weight as compared to 3% of the adult weight. It is the most visible and easily accessible organ of the body. Objective: To study the patterns of muco-cutaneous changes in newborns during the first 5 days after birth. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in postnatal wards of department of Obstetrics and gynaecology and neonatal unit of department of Paediatrics of a tertiary care teaching hospital. All the newborns within first 5 days after birth, irrespective of gender, underlying disease and general condition of the baby were included in the study. All the newborns were examined within 24 h of birth and followed up till 4 days after birth and the findings were noted in the preformed case-study proforma. Results: The present study was conducted on 200 newborns with cutaneous lesions. The muco-cutaneous diseases were divided into physiological, transient and pathological diseases. Among these newborns 114 (57%) were males, and 86 (43%) were females. The most common manifestations observed were Mongolian spots 156 (78%), sebaceous gland hyperplasia 81 (40.5%), Epstein pearls 79 (39.5%), milia 43 (21.5%), physiological jaundice 16 (8%), vernix caseosa 14 (7%), erythema toxicum 13(6.5%), salmon patch 5 (2.5%), hypertrichosis/lanugo 2 (1%), sucking blisters 1 (0.5%) and bacterial infection of Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome 1 (0.5%). Conclusion: Muco-cutaneous manifestations are very common in neonates but as these are the transient conditions, so no intervention is required. Early recognition of these lesions is important to distinguish them from more serious skin disorders

Absence of the Autophagy Adaptor SQSTM1/p62 Causes Childhood-Onset Neurodegeneration with Ataxia, Dystonia, and Gaze Palsy

Peer reviewe

Comparison of Analysis Specifications and Practices for Diaphragm Wall Retaining System

Diaphragm walls are deep embedded earth retaining structures. They also act as a part of the foundation. Geotechnical codes of practice from various countries provide procedures for the analysis of deep foundations. Not many standards are available that directly regulate the analysis of diaphragm walls. This paper compares the analysis of diaphragm walls performed using the foundation codes of different countries. Codes including EN 1997-1, BS 8002, BS 8004, BS EN 1538, AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, AS 4678, AS 5100.3, Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual, CAN/CSA S6, IS 9556 and IS 4651 are chosen for the study. Numerical studies and calculations are done using the finite element software Plaxis 2d. Comparative study is performed based on the values of displacements and the forces developed. Study also evaluates the effect of differences in partial safety factors. The outcome of research emphasises the need for development of comprehensive analysis procedures

Sézary cell

non

A cross sectional study on antipsychotic induced amenorrhoea in women attending a tertiary care centre in South India

Background: Absence of menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age group could be physiological or pathological. Ascertaining the cause for this is a common clinical scenario faced by physicians. It is also a common clinical problem in women who are on treatment with antipsychotic medication. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the occurrence of antipsychotic induced amenorrhoea among women aged 18-45 years, attending outpatient services of a tertiary care setting, the factors associated and to assess the effective strategies of treatment.Methods: Retrospective chart review of clinical details of women in the reproductive age group who fulfilled the inclusion criteria was carried out. They were divided into two groups: Group A included 84 women with antipsychotic induced amenorrhea and Group B included 94 women on antipsychotics and had normal menstrual cycles. Various factors and strategies which worsened or alleviated the symptoms were noted.Results: Women who were less than 35 years of age, on antipsychotic treatment for more than two years duration (52;83.9%) and those who were on treatment with Risperidone (69;73.4%) were identified as having the risk of developing antipsychotic induced amenorrhoea. The strategy of switch of medication to prolactin sparing antipsychotic was more effective in regularising the menstrual cycles (43;87.8%).Conclusions: In women presenting with amenorrhoea, a possible medication induced aetiology need to be considered, especially use of antipsychotics. Further understanding of the complexities of this relationship may help to guide the assessment and proper treatment of women with antipsychotic related amenorrhoea

Chronic myeloid leukemia presenting as spontaneous hemoperitoneum at diagnosis in an adolescent girl: A case report with review of literature

Spontaneous hemoperitoneum as an initial presentation of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is rare and however if that occurs it is usually due to splenic hemorrhage. Corpus luteal hemorrhage which is common in child bearing women is a rare etiology of spontaneous hemoperitoneum in CML and it is rare in adolescent girls. We report an adolescent girl with CML presented with corpus luteal hemorrhage causing hemoperitoneum which to our best knowledge has never been reported before in literature. She was managed conservatively for hemoperitoneum and imatinib for CML. She is well with 1 year of follow-up now

Ablation of a Single N-Glycosylation Site in Human FSTL 1 Induces Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Cardiac Regeneration

Adult mammalian hearts have a very limited regeneration capacity, due largely to a lack of cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation. It was recently reported that epicardial, but not myocardial, follistatin-like 1 (Fstl1) activates CM proliferation and cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI). Furthermore, bacterially synthesized human FSTL 1 (hFSTL1) was found to induce CM proliferation, whereas hFSTL1 synthesized in mammals did not, suggesting that post-translational modifications (e.g., glycosylation) of the hFSTL1 protein affect its regenerative activity. We used modified mRNA (modRNA) technology to investigate the possible role of specific hFSTL1 N-glycosylation sites in the induction, by hFSTL1, of CM proliferation and cardiac regeneration. We found that the mutation of a single site (N180Q) was sufficient and necessary to increase the proliferation of rat neonatal and mouse adult CMs in vitro and after MI in vivo, respectively. A single administration of the modRNA construct encoding the N180Q mutant significantly increased cardiac function, decreased scar size, and increased capillary density 28 days post-MI. Overall, our data suggest that the delivery of N180Q hFSTL1 modRNA to the myocardium can mimic the beneficial effect of epicardial hFSTL1, triggering marked CM proliferation and cardiac regeneration in a mouse MI model. Keywords: cardiomyocytes proilferation, cardiac regeneration, gene therap

Pediatric hematological malignancy: Identification of issues involved in the road to diagnosis

Introduction: Childhood malignancy, although a rare phenomenon, is still the leading cause of mortality in the pediatric population. Early diagnosis and treatment are imperative for the achievement of optimal prognosis. The study of factors facilitating the delay in diagnosis is thus of utmost importance, to both shorten the diagnostic delay and allow for early therapeutic intervention, facilitating a higher prognosis. Objective: To assess the referral pattern and the identification of potential delays in the diagnosis of childhood malignancy in a developing country. Methodology: The study was conducted in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology department of Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India. The study included randomly selected 70 pediatric patients diagnosed with a hematological malignancy, from July 2012-August 2013. The parents were interviewed using a prepared questionnaire about patient symptomatology, interaction with healthcare providers, final diagnosis, and referral details. Data were statistically analyzed using Statistica® (STATsoft). Results: 70 patients were included in the study (69% boys, 31% girls). The diagnostic delay was primarily due to the delay experienced in the healthcare system, with a mean delay of 26 days (Median: 18; Range: 5-39). Those from a lower socioeconomic background and whom opted for a non-allopathic treatment approach experienced higher diagnostic delays. Diagnostic time was significantly shorter for those who visited a pediatrician versus the patients who visited a general physician or super specialties (P = 0.043). Conclusions: Diagnostic delay is often associated with an extensive disease presentation, an aggressive therapeutic approach, and has a negative impact on patient prognosis. To lower mortality rate and facilitate a favourable prognosis, diagnosis requires a high degree of clinical suspicion and immediate intervention