Isolated oligohydramnios: effects on obstetric and perinatal outcome

Background: Outcome of oligohydramnios has been studied at a large. Varying results have been projected in each study. This study has been done to establish the obstetric and perinatal outcome in pregnancy associated with oligohydramnios as compared to women with normal liquor.Methods: This was a prospective case controlled study done which included 100 women with oligohydramnios who were compared with 100 women with normal liquor. Maternal and perinatal outcome was compared between the two groups.Results: There was a significant difference in the obstetric and perinatal outcomes among the study and control groups. Significant variation was seen in the obstetric outcome with regards to the incidence of induction of labor and mode of delivery (by caesarean section). Both were increased among the study group as compared to the control group. CTG changes, meconium stained liquor, neonatal admissions and observations were more among the study group as compared to control group.Conclusions: Athough there is an increased rate of caesarean section, NICU admission and observation, thick meconium stained liquor and NST changes there is no significant increase in the perinatal morbidity and mortality

Early detection of IUGR: can it prevent stillbirth?

Background: Maternal mortality in India is decreasing with the advances in health care facilities, increase in the number of hospital deliveries, improvement in the transport facilities etc. Present study aimed at to evaluate the causes for antepartum stillbirths.Methods: It is a retrospective study from the case records of the stillbirths that occurred from June 2015 to March 2018. All stillbirths between 28-41 weeks were studies. Stillbirths occurring in twin pregnancies were excluded. The total number of stillbirths that were studied was 102. Results: Most of the IUDs occurred between 28-37 weeks 82 (80.39%). The mean period of gestation at which the stillbirth occurred was 33.84±3.8 weeks. There was more number of male stillborns as compared to female stillborns. When the weight distribution of all stillbirths was compared with weight for gestational age 48 (47.5%) were <10% (SGA) and 46 (45.09%) of stillbirths weighed between 10th and 50th percentile Most of the IUDs were caused due to cord accidents, abruption and as a complication of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.Conclusions: Stillbirths were higher in IUGR fetusus as compared to AGA fetuses. Hence in order to prevent stillbirth it would be mandatory to detect IUGR at an earlier stage and delivery should be planned if the fetus shows any features of compromise. Doppler studies can help in deciding the timing of delivery

Cancer in pregnancy

Cancer in pregnancy though rare is a challenging problem both for patient and obstetrician. It is on rise though pregnancy does not predispose cancer. Persistent symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, discharge etc should be thoroughly evaluated by clinical USG and if necessary by MRI if there is a strong suspicion of malignancy to detect early and treat promptly. A multidisciplinary discussion is necessary. Management depends on type of malignancy, stage, risk factors, histopathology and gestational age. Carcinoma of breast and cervix are common malignancies that occur in pregnancy. It is preferable to postpone surgery and CT till first trimester is completed. A through counseling is essential regarding termination of pregnancy, type of treatment and its effects in mother and fetus and prognosis. Aim should be curative treatment to the mother with some modifications in the treatment keeping in mind maternal and fetal safety

Controlled targeting of different subcellular sites by porphyrins in tumour-bearing mice.

Unilamellar liposomes of dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine can incorporate various porphyrins in either the phospholipid bilayer or the internal aqueous compartment depending on the water-/lipo-solubility of the drug. Intraperitoneal injection of the liposome-bound porphyrins to mice bearing a MS-2 fibrosarcoma results in remarkably more efficient tumour targeting than that obtained by administration of the same porphyrins dissolved in homogeneous aqueous solution. Moreover, also water-insoluble porphyrins can be transported to the tumour via liposomes. Fractionation of liver and neoplastic cells indicates that the subcellular distribution of liposome-delivered porphyrins is also dependent on their solubility properties: thus, relatively polar porphyrins, such as tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine and uroporphyrin, are mainly recovered from the soluble fraction, whereas hydrophobic porphyrins, such as haematoporphyrin or porphyrin esters, preferentially partition in the cytoplasmic membrane. As a consequence, different subcellular sites can be targeted by porphyrins and possibly photodamaged through a suitable choice of the drug-carrier system

Myomectomy in pregnancy: feasibility and safety

Prevalence of myoma in pregnancy is increasing due to advances in imaging technology. Majority are asymptomatic. Symptomatic myomas are usually large, increase in size during pregnancy and give rise to various obstetrical complications. Myomectomy during pregnancy is controversial. The management of fibroids encountered during pregnancy and caesarean section is a therapeutic dilemma. Myomectomy during pregnancy and caesarean section is discouraged traditionally due to fear of miscarriage, uncontrolled bleeding, failure to obliterate the cavity, and ending in hysterectomy. Recent literature suggests myomectomy during pregnancy and caesarean section is safe in well selected cases with experienced obstetrician in a tertiary care center

A baseline survey of dissolved methane in aquifers in Great Britain

Interest in dissolved methane (CH4) concentrations in aquifers in England, Scotland and Wales (‘Great Britain’ or GB) has grown concurrently with interest in the exploitation of unconventional gas sources (UGS). Experience, mainly from North America, has shown the importance of a pre-production baseline against which changes possibly due to UGS extraction can be compared. The British Geological Survey, aided by water utilities, private users and regulators, has compiled a unique dataset for CH4 in groundwaters of GB. This focuses principally on areas where UGS exploration is considered more likely, as indicated by the underlying geology. All the main water supply aquifers (Principal aquifers) were targeted, plus Secondary aquifers where locally important. The average dissolved CH4 concentration across GB in the aquifers sampled was 45 μg/l. Out of a total of 343 sites, 96% showed dissolved CH4 concentrations b100 μg/l, 80% b10 μg/l, and 43% b 1 μg/l. No site had a CH4 concentration above the US Department of the Interior suggested risk action level of 10,000 μg/l. While most sites were sampled only once, a sub set was monitored quarterly to determine the magnitude of seasonal or other variations. Generally these variations were minor, with 84% of sites showing variations within the range 0.5–37 μg/l, but some aquifers where the porosity was primarily fracture-related showed larger changes (0.5–264 μg/l). This may have been due to the nature of sampling at these sites which, unlike the others, did not have installed pumps. Since the regulatory compliance monitoring attending UGS operations will include the measurement of parameters such as dissolved CH4, it is essential that sampling methods are tested to ensure that reliable and comparable datasets can be obtained

The Role of the PAX8/PPARγ Fusion Oncogene in Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is uncommon and exhibits relatively low mortality rates. However, a subset of patients experience inexorable growth, metastatic spread, and mortality. Unfortunately, for these patients, there have been few significant advances in treatment during the last 50 years. While substantial advances have been made in recent years about the molecular genetic events underlying papillary thyroid cancer, the more aggressive follicular thyroid cancer remains poorly understood. The recent discovery of the PAX8/PPARγ translocation in follicular thyroid carcinoma has promoted progress in the role of PPARγ as a tumor suppressor and potential therapeutic target. The PAX8/PPARγ fusion gene appears to be an oncogene. It is most often expressed in follicular carcinomas and exerts a dominant-negative effect on wild-type PPARγ, and stimulates transcription of PAX8-responsive promoters. PPARγ agonists have shown promising results in vitro, although very few studies have been conducted to assess the clinical impact of these agents

Self-managing postoperative pain with the use of a novel, interactive device: a proof of concept study

Background: Pain is commonly experienced following surgical procedures. Suboptimal management is multifactorial. Objectives. The primary objective was to assess whether patients used a device (Navimed) to self-report pain over and above a normal baseline of observations. Secondary outcome measures included comparison of pain scores and patient use of and feedback on the device. Methods: In a prospective randomized controlled trial, elective gynaecological surgery patients received standard postoperative pain care or standard care plus the Navimed, which allowed them to self-report pain and offered interactive self-help options. Results: 52 female patients, 26 in each of device and standard groups, did not differ in the frequency of nurse-documented pain scores or mean pain scores provided to nurses. The device group additionally reported pain on the device (means 18.50 versus 11.90 pain ratings per day, t(32) = 2.75, p < 0.001) that was significantly worse than reported to nurses but retrospectively rated significantly less anxiety. 80% of patients found the device useful. Discussion and Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patients used the Navimed to report pain and to help manage it. Further work is required to investigate the difference in pain scores reported and to develop more sophisticated software

Extra-Mitochondrial CU/Zn Superoxide Dismutase (SOD1) Is Dispensable for Protection Against Oxidative Stress but Mediates Peroxide Signaling in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase (Sod1) is a highly conserved and abundant metalloenzyme that catalyzes thedisproportionation of superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. As a consequence, Sod1serves dual roles in oxidative stress protection and redox signaling by both scavenging cytotoxic superoxideradicals and producing hydrogen peroxide that can be used to oxidize and regulate the activity of downstreamtargets. However, the relative contributions of Sod1 to protection against oxidative stress and redox signaling arepoorly understood. Using the model unicellular eukaryote, Baker\u27s yeast, we found that only a small fraction ofthe total Sod1 pool is required for protection against superoxide toxicity and that this pool is localized to themitochondrial intermembrane space. On the contrary, wefind that much larger amounts of extra-mitochondrialSod1 are critical for peroxide-mediated redox signaling. Altogether, our results force the re-evaluation of thephysiological role of bulk Sod1 in redox biology; namely, we propose that the vast majority of Sod1 in yeast isutilized for peroxide-mediated signaling rather than superoxide scavenging