Latitudinal patterns of diversity in the world collection of pearl millet landraces at the ICRISAT genebank

The genebank at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India conserves a total of 19,063 pearl millet landraces from latitudes ranging from 33.00° in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) to 34.37° in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). In the present study, the NH was found to be the major region for growing pearl millet landraces (80.5%). More landraces were found at lower latitudes ( < 20°) in both hemispheres than at higher latitudes. The latitude range of 10°–15° in the NH and 15°–20° in the SH were found to be important source regions for the prevalence of pearl millet, with 39.6% and 13.1% in the world collection of landraces, respectively. Landraces from lower-latitude regions on either side of the equator varied widely for all traits. Landraces from the 5°–10°N latitude region flowered late and grew tall in the rainy and post-rainy seasons and produced more tillers. Landraces from the 10°–15°N latitude region produced few tillers and had long and thick panicles with larger seeds. Long-bristled bird-resistant landraces were considerable at latitudes of 10°–15°S and 20°–25°S. The minimum temperature at the collection sites was found to be one of the important factors for determining the patterns of the prevalence of pearl millet across the latitudes. Late-maturing, tall and high-tillering landraces from lower-latitude regions were better sources for fodder production. Early-maturing landraces producing long and thick panicles with large seeds from mid-latitude regions (15°–20°) in both hemispheres were useful for developing high-yielding cultivars. Using the latitudinal patterns of diversity in pearl millet landraces, missions may be launched to explore high-diversity, under-collected and threatened areas for the collection of materials of interest at latitudes of 15°–20°

Idiopathic colonic calcification: a case report [Idiopathische Kalkeinlagerung im Colon: ein Fallbericht]

[english] We describe diffuse colonic calcification detected on CT scan of the abdomen in a young female patient who presented to our clinic with vague intermittent abdominal pain of four weeks duration. Her investigative profile was normal and her colonoscopy did not reveal any mucosal changes. Colonic calcification has been known to occur mostly as a result of ischemic phenomenon but the index case had no such features or any other predisposing factor. The patient is currently symptom-free and is following our clinic for the last 8 months. After the review of literature and thorough investigations her colonic calcification remains unexplained.<br>[german] Wir berichten über eine diffuse Kalkeinlagerung im Colon einer jungen Frau, die beim CT des Abdomens entdeckt wurde. Die Patientin wurde wegen unklarer, wiederholt auftretender Bauchschmerzen von 4 Wochen Dauer in unserer Klinik vorgestellt. Die allgemeine Untersuchung ergab einen regelrechten Befund, bei der allgemeinen Colonoskopie wurden keine Mucosa-Schäden gefunden. Verkalkungen im Colon wurden bisher als Folge von Ischämien angenommen, aber im vorliegenden Fall gab es keine derartigen Hinweise oder andere prädisponierende Faktoren. Die Patientin ist derzeit frei von Beschwerden und wird von unserer Klinik seit 8 Monaten überwacht. Nach Durchsicht der Literatur und gründlicher Untersuchung bleibt die Ursache der Verkalkung im Colon nicht erklärbar

Circulation of single serotype of Dengue Virus (DENV-3) in New Delhi, India during 2016: A change in the epidemiological trend

Background: Dengue is a rapidly emerging arthropod borne viral infection affecting tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Dengue is an acute febrile illness but sometimes causes more fatal complications like dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Delhi, the capital of India has become hyper endemic for dengue virus because all the four serotypes are circulating here. Methods: The present study describes the identification of dengue virus from clinical samples collected from the suspected dengue patients from New Delhi, India during 2016. The CprM region of Dengue virus genome was analyzed for phylogenetic, selection pressure and Shannon entropy analyses. Results: The present study reports circulation of a single serotype (DENV-3) in New Delhi, during 2016. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that Indian subcontinent (genotype III) of DENV-3 was circulating in Delhi during this period. Neutral selection pressure in the analyzed region revealed relatively conserved nature of this part of the Dengue virus genome. Amino acid at 31 was positively selected and had high entropy value suggesting probability of variation at this position. Conclusions: The changing trend in circulation of dengue virus serotypes necessitates the continuous epidemiological surveillance for the dengue outbreaks in this region. Keywords: Dengue virus, Epidemiology, Phylogenetic analysis, Selection pressure, Entropy analysi

Modified fiber optic sensor for highly precise identification of mercuric ion (Hg2+) concentrations in aqueous solution

A fiber optic sensor for monitoring mercuric (Hg2+) ions in the aqueous sample have been developed based on modified cladding. To fabricate a D-shaped sensing zone onto the multimode optical fiber lengthwise polishing was utilized using a mechanical end and edge polishing system. The produced sensing region has dimensions of 10 mm × 125 μm × 62 μm (l × w × h). A 2 μm thin layer of Al2O3 nanoparticles sensitized with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol was deposited onto the sensing element of multimode fiber optic sensor to make it sensitive and selective for Hg2+ ions. The analytical results demonstrate that the sensing device has a linear response for Hg2+ ions concentration over a range from 4 to 16 ppm along with a 4 ppm limit of detection in an aqueous sample at room temperature. The selectivity of the sensor is examined for the recognition of Hg2+ ions in presence of other cations such as zinc and/or lead ions up to 16 ppm in an aqueous solution. The main merits of this fabricated sensor are easy and safe installation, rapid response, enhanced linear response range, and better selectivity towards Hg2+ ions

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine