The effect of antidepressants on rodent brain glucocorticoid systems

The aetiology of depression and mechanisms of action of antidepressant drugs continue to be evasive. Evidence suggests that alterations in brain corticosteroid receptors may be a crucial factor in these events. Previous measurements of corticosteroid receptors (CR) and CR mRNA in animal tissues following stress and/or antidepressant administration have not attempted to measure CR in intact animals using different antidepressants, in various tissues or in putative animal models of stress. The following investigations were aimed at quantifying CR and plasma corticosterone concentrations using radioligand binding and high performance liquid chromatography or radio-immunoassays, respectively. Behavioural investigations conducted in animal models of stress were extended to study the effects of antidepressants. Antidepressant administration to intact animals had various effects. Cortical CR were increased after 14 days of DMI; paroxetine induced a reduction in cortical CR after 14 days; no changes were observed following venlafaxine for up to 28 days. There were no significant changes in CR binding parameters in the hippocampus, striatum or hypothalamus following antidepressant administration. CR in the thymus were reduced following paroxetine. No significant effects of olfactory bulbectomy or antidepressant administration were observed on CR binding parameters. However, significant increases in locomotor activity were observed in bulbectomised rats, which were attenuated by chronic, antidepressant treatment. In a putative stress model involving chronic exposure of mice to predator odour, no significant effects were observed on locomotor activity following predator exposure and/or antidepressant administration. Sucrose intake was decreased, representing a possible anhedonic response to chronic predator stress. Predator stress and/or antidepressant administration had no significant effects on cortical or hippocampal CR binding or plasma corticosterone concentrations. The results of these investigations demonstrate that CR alterations observed in stress/depression are not reflected in the chosen animal models. CR changes following chronic antidepressant administration, though forming part of a biochemical cascade, are not likely to constitute a common mechanism of action for antidepressant drugs

Developmental delay in children with severe acute malnutrition and its association with Vitamin B12 deficiency

Background: There are high rates of developmental delay (DD) in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Vitamin B12 is mandatory for the myelination of brain during the early childhood period. Objective: The objective of the study was to find out the percentage of DD in SAM and its association with Vitamin B12 deficiency. Materials and Methods: A prospective, observational study was done in SAM children aged 0–60 months who were admitted in Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre. Developmental assessment was done by Vineland Social Maturity Scale and developmental quotient <70 was considered as DD. Results: DD was found in 55.3% of children. Vitamin B12 deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency were found in 14.6%, 24.3%, and 50.5% of children, respectively, and Vitamin B12 level was not significantly associated with DD in children with SAM (p=0.290). Conclusion: More than half of SAM children had DD and it was not significantly associated with Vitamin B12 levels

Caffey Disease in Infancy: A diagnostic dilemma for primary care physicians

Caffey disease is a rare and self-limiting condition characterised by cortical hyperostosis with inflammation of adjacent fascia and muscles. It usually presents in infancy and clinical features include hyperirritability, acute inflammation with swelling of overlying soft tissues and subperiosteal new bone formation. Awareness of the existence of this rare condition and its typical clinical and radiological profile will avoid unnecessary investigations and treatment and help the physician to explain its good prognosis to parents of affected children. We report a three-month-old male infant who presented to the Outpatient Paediatrics Department at Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad, India, in 2018 with a right shoulder mass, decreased upper limb movements and irritability. The patient was treated with ibuprofen and paracetamol. Irritability and limitation of movement improved over a treatment period of two weeks.Keywords: Caffey Disease; Infant; Prostaglandin E1; Thrombocytosis; Case Report; India

A comparison of immunohistochemical assays and FISH in detecting the ALK translocation in diagnostic histological and cytological lung tumor material.

Introduction:Detection of the ALK rearrangement in a solid tumor gives these patients the option of crizotinib as an oral form of anticancer treatment. The current test of choice is fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), but various cheaper and more convenient immunohistochemical (IHC) assays have been proposed as alternatives.Methods:Fifteen FISH-positive cases from patients, seven with data on crizotinib therapy and clinical response, were evaluated for the presence of ALK protein using three different commercially available antibodies: D5F3, using the proprietary automated system (Ventana), ALK1 (Dako), and 5A4 (Abcam). A further 14 FISH-negative and three uncertain (<15% rearrangement detected) cases were also retrieved. Of the total 32 specimens, 17 were excisions and 15 were computed tomography-guided biopsies or cytological specimens. All three antibodies were applied to all cases. Antibodies were semiquantitatively scored on intensity, and the proportion of malignant cells stained was documented. Cutoffs were set by receiver operating curve analysis for positivity to optimize correct classification.Results:All three IHC assays were 100% specific but sensitivity did vary: D5F3 86%, ALK 79%, 5A4 71%. Intensity was the most discriminating measure overall, with a combination of proportion and intensity not improving the test. No FISH-negative IHC-positive cases were seen. Two FISH-positive cases were negative with all three IHC assays. One of these had been treated with crizotinib and had failed to show clinical response. The other harbored a second driving mutation in the EGFR gene.Conclusions:IHC with all three antibodies is especially highly specific (100%) although variably sensitive (71%-86%), specifically in cases with scanty material. D5F3 assay was most sensitive in these latter cases. Occasional cases are IHC-positive but FISH-negative, suggesting either inaccuracy of one assay or occasional tumors with ALK rearrangement that do not express high levels of ALK protein

CRITICAL MENTORING IN STEM LAB**

There is a lack of effective approaches and guidelines for mentoring undergraduate students who experience marginalization in STEM research in culturally responsive ways. The dearth of research in this area poses the following question: What mentoring practices are used on undergraduates who experience marginalization in STEM research? To address this issue, we will use a mixed-methodology approach to observe, measure, and understand how students, faculty, and staff at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) engage in culturally responsive mentoring (CRM) practices. The Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) will be used as a guide to understand undergraduates who experience marginalization in STEM. The undergraduates who experience marginalization in STEM is analyzed through the results of the College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) survey. Data from the CSMS survey was collected on the experiences of undergraduate research fellows, faculty, and staff and will be used to aid in program development by highlighting mentoring components that undergraduate students may not be receiving at their institutions. Demographic information is also considered when looking at the CSMS data, such as the ways in which mentoring practices differ according to gender. The results of this study will provide insight on the current mentoring practices and how they are impacting undergraduate students who experience marginalization in STEM, which can lead to further studies on this topic

CRITICAL MENTORING IN STEM LAB**

There is a lack of effective approaches and guidelines for mentoring undergraduate students who experience marginalization in STEM research in culturally responsive ways. The dearth of research in this area poses the following question: What mentoring practices are used on undergraduates who experience marginalization in STEM research? To address this issue, we will use a mixed-methodology approach to observe, measure, and understand how students, faculty, and staff at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) engage in culturally responsive mentoring (CRM) practices. The Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) will be used as a guide to understand undergraduates who experience marginalization in STEM. The undergraduates who experience marginalization in STEM is analyzed through the results of the College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) survey. Data from the CSMS survey was collected on the experiences of undergraduate research fellows, faculty, and staff and will be used to aid in program development by highlighting mentoring components that undergraduate students may not be receiving at their institutions. Demographic information is also considered when looking at the CSMS data, such as the ways in which mentoring practices differ according to gender. The results of this study will provide insight on the current mentoring practices and how they are impacting undergraduate students who experience marginalization in STEM, which can lead to further studies on this topic

Evaluation of role of fixed orthodontics in changing oral ecological flora of opportunistic microbes in children and adolescent

Objective: To determine the prevalence and counts of Streptococcus mutans and Candida species in orthodontic fixed appliance therapy patients and comparison of the efficiency of manual and electronic toothbrushes on minimizing plaque by reducing S. mutans and Candida species in above-mentioned patients. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on total number of sixty patients scheduled for orthodontic treatment (age group: 13–18). Plaque samples were collected to determine oral carriage of S. mutans and Candida of these patients, and readings were noted at T0 (before appliance placement), 2nd and 3rd month after the placement of appliances (T1 and T2). Counts of S. mutans were determined using Dentocult SM kit. Candida was cultured on Sabouraud's dextrose agar. The participants in the study group (orthodontic patients) were then divided into two groups each of 30: Group 1 (manual toothbrush), Group 2 (electronic toothbrush), and plaque samples were taken at the end of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd month to determine the efficacy of manual versus electronic toothbrushes. Results: After orthodontic treatment, colonization of S. mutans and Candida increased dramatically. Results for S. mutans counts and Candida clearly showed superiority of electronic tooth brushing over manual tooth brushing during orthodontic treatment. Conclusion: Results clearly showed that orthodontic appliances increase colonization of S. mutans and Candida albicans in oral cavity over the period of treatment time which can be controlled with proper timely brushing. The study also concludes superiority of electronic tooth brushing over manual tooth brushing