A Study on Impact of Maternal Obesity on Pregnancy Outcome

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to analyse whether obese women have an increased risk of pregnancy complications and adverse foetal outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant mothers attending antenatal out- patient department at Raja Mirasudhar Hospital, Thanjavur medical college hospital were selected based on inclusion and exclusion creiteria. Hundred non- obese pregnant women and hundred obese pregnant women were allotted to the control and study group respectively. In the study group, women were allotted according to the class of obesity: CLASS I - BMI 30 to 34.9 Kg/m2, CLASS II - BMI 35 to 39.9 Kg/m2, CLASS III - BMI > 40 Kg/m2. In all women a detailed history followed by complete general and physical examination was done. Relevant haematological, biochemical investigations, USG were done. They were followed up to delivery and postpartum until discharge and outcome studied. RESULTS: In our study obese pregnant woman belonged to older age group and were with increased parity. The incidence of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension were 13% and 28%. Our study showed increased induction and caesarean section rate in the obese group (control- 10% obese – 48% with p<0.001) compared to control group. In our study 22% of babies born to obese mothers required NICU admissions compared to 7% in the control group with p < 0.001.Early neonatal death constituted 2% in the obese group. CONCLUSION: Our study showed an increased incidence in the morbidities in both obese women and fetus compared to normal BMI pregnant woman. This indicates the importance of pre - conceptional counselling which is the appropriate time for creating awareness regarding the hazards of obesity in pregnancy and ideal time for the interventional measures to be sought. Greater significance and awareness needs to be placed on the importance of normal weight before pregnancy

Ancestry Specific variation in neuropsychological disorders among the South Asian population

The enormous genetic diversity in South Asia resulting from a long and complex admixture history resulted in the emergence of variation in various traits and variations in disease susceptibility. Neuropsychological disorders are one such example that shows variation at the population level. In this study, we aimed at understanding the variation in neuropsychological disorders at the population level among South Asian populations by curating, comparing and contrasting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), known to be associated with the same. Whole-genome data comprising of 1662 South Asians, belonging to 241 distinct populations were obtained from the database of Dr. David Reich, Harvard Medical School, USA. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the Ancestral Tibeto Burman (ATB) genomes form a distinct and distinguishable cluster for the SNPs known to be associated with neuropsychological disorders. Identical By Descent (IBD) analysis showed that out of the top seven populations in terms of IBD sharing, six are from Southern India indicating that these populations may have undergone a recent selective sweep for these SNPs. Further, out of the top ten genomes, according to the number of genomes fixed for the minor alleles, seven were from Southern India. Furthermore, several indigenous populations from South India depicted high F values (&gt;0.25) for SNPs associated with neuropsychological disorders, indicating higher susceptibility for neuropsychological disorders among these South Indian populations. Interestingly, we found that most of the SNPs, fixed for the alternative alleles, were also found to be fixed among the ancient genomes from Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), indicating that these SNPs likely got transmitted to various modern-day South Indian populations from IVC

Spatial distribution of Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795) of the Northern Indian Ocean in a changing climate

Globally, ocean climate is changing at unprecedented rates. Shifts of species distribution towards the northern latitudes are evident in many seas. The Northern Indian Ocean is warming at an alarming rate as compared to the other oceans. The increased rate of warming will cause substantial responses in the distribution of the pelagic fish species. Many fishes of the family Clupeidae form the mainstay of the marine fisheries of the countries bordering the Northern Indian Ocean. Nematalosa nasus is one of the important pelagic fish found in the region. This study tries to understand the distributional shifts of this species from the region in two future climate scenarios (RCP 6.0 & 8.5). The results indicate a higher influence of the current vector and mean temperature on the distribution of this species. A northward shift in the distribution range is observed in both the future scenarios as compared to the predicted current distribution

Intracellular immune sensing promotes inflammation via gasdermin D–driven release of a lectin alarmin

Inflammatory caspase sensing of cytosolic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers pyroptosis and the concurrent release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Collectively, DAMPs are key determinants that shape the aftermath of inflammatory cell death. However, the identity and function of the individual DAMPs released are poorly defined. Our proteomics study revealed that cytosolic LPS sensing triggered the release of galectin-1, a β-galactoside-binding lectin. Galectin-1 release is a common feature of inflammatory cell death, including necroptosis. In vivo studies using galectin-1-deficient mice, recombinant galectin-1 and galectin-1-neutralizing antibody showed that galectin-1 promotes inflammation and plays a detrimental role in LPS-induced lethality. Mechanistically, galectin-1 inhibition of CD45 (Ptprc) underlies its unfavorable role in endotoxin shock. Finally, we found increased galectin-1 in sera from human patients with sepsis. Overall, we uncovered galectin-1 as a bona fide DAMP released as a consequence of cytosolic LPS sensing, identifying a new outcome of inflammatory cell death.Fil: Russo, Ashley J.. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Vasudevan, Swathy O.. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Mendez Huergo, Santiago Patricio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Kumari, Puja. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Menoret, Antoine. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Duduskar, Shivalee. Jena University Hospital; AlemaniaFil: Wang, Chengliang. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Pérez Sáez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Fettis, Margaret M.. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Li, Chuan. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Liu, Renjie. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Wanchoo, Arun. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Chandiran, Karthik. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Ruan, Jianbin. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Vanaja, Sivapriya Kailasan. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Bauer, Michael. Jena University Hospital; AlemaniaFil: Sponholz, Christoph. Jena University Hospital; AlemaniaFil: Hudalla, Gregory A.. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Vella, Anthony T.. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Zhou, Beiyan. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Deshmukh, Sachin D.. Jena University Hospital; AlemaniaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Rathinam, Vijay A.. UConn Health School of Medicine; Estados Unido

Botany, chemistry, and pharmaceutical significance of Sida cordifolia: a traditional medicinal plant

Sida cordifolia Linn. belonging to the family, Malvaceae has been widely employed in traditional medications in many parts of the world including India, Brazil, and other Asian and African countries. The plant is extensively used in the Ayurvedic medicine preparation. There are more than 200 plant species within the genus Sida, which are distributed predominantly in the tropical regions. The correct taxonomic identification is a major concern due to the fact that S. cordifolia looks morphologically similar with its related species. It possesses activity against various human ailments, including cancer, asthma, cough, diarrhea, malaria, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, obesity, ulcer, Parkinson’s disease, urinary infections, and many others. The medical importance of this plant is mainly correlated to the occurrence of diverse biologically active phytochemical compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and steroids. The major compounds include β-phenylamines, 2-carboxylated tryptamines, quinazoline, quinoline, indole, ephedrine, vasicinone, 5-3-isoprenyl flavone, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone, and 6-(isoprenyl)- 3-methoxy- 8-C-β-D-glucosyl-kaempferol 3-O-β-D-glucosyl[1–4]-α-D-glucoside. The literature survey reveals that most of the pharmacological investigations on S. cordifolia are limited to crude plant extracts and few isolated pure compounds. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate many other unexplored bioactive phytoconstituents with evidences so as to justify the traditional usages of S. cordifolia. Furthermore, detailed studies on the action of mechanisms of these isolated compounds supported by clinical research are necessary for validating their application in contemporary medicines. The aim of the present chapter is to provide a detailed information on the ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects of S. cordifolia

The Ayurvedic drug, Ksheerabala, ameliorates quinolinic acid-induced oxidative stress in rat brain

One of the mechanisms of neurotoxicity is the induction of oxidative stress. There is hardly any cure for neurotoxicity in modern medicine, whereas many drugs in Ayurveda possess neuroprotective effects; however, there is no scientific validation for these drugs. Ksheerabala is an ayurvedic drug which is used to treat central nervous system disorders, arthritis, and insomnia. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of Ksheerabala on quinolinic acid-induced toxicity in rat brain. The optimal dose of Ksheerabala was found from a dose escalation study, wherein it was found that Ksheerabala showed maximum protection against quinolinic acid-induced neurotoxicity at a dose of 15 µL/100 g body weight/day, which was selected for further experiments. Four groups of female albino rats were maintained for 21 days as follows: 1. Control group, 2. Quinolinic acid (55 µg/100 g body weight), 3. Ksheerabala (15 µL/100 g body weight), 4. Ksheerabala (15 µL/100 g body weight) + Quinolinic acid (55 µg/100 g body weight). At the end of the experimental period, levels of lipid peroxidation products, protein carbonyls, and activities of scavenging enzymes were analyzed. The results revealed that quinolinic acid intake caused enhanced lipid and protein peroxidation as evidenced by increased levels of peroxidation products such as malondialdehyde, hydroperoxide, conjugated dienes, and protein carbonyls. On the other hand, the activities of scavenging enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase as well as the concentration of glutathione were reduced. On coadminstration of Ksheerabala along with quinolinic acid, the levels of all the biochemical parameters were restored to near-normal levels, indicating the protective effect of the drug. These results were reinforced by histopathological studies

A survey of treatment practices in management of chronic urticaria patients among dermatologists of India

Introduction: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a frequent problem encountered by dermatologists where treatment response is often unsatisfactory. This exerts a heightened responsibility on dermatologists to tailor their treatments according to each patient. Aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic, diagnostic approaches of Indian dermatologists to CSU patients and the need to further generate a base for the creation of Indian urticaria guidelines. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among practicing dermatologists of India. Conclusions: At the end of this questionnaire-based study, we concluded that there is a wide variation in the treatment practices among practicing dermatologists of India