Seed abortion in Pongamia pinnata (Fabaceae)

In Pongamia pinnata only one of the two ovules develops into a seed in most of the pods. Since pollen was not found to be limiting and reduced fertilization could not completely explain the observed frequency of seed abortion, it implied an effect of postfertilization factors. Aqueous extracts of developing seeds and maternal tissue (placenta) did not influence abortion in vitro, suggesting that abortion may not be mediated by a chemical. Experimental uptake of 14C sucrose in vitro indicated that both the stigmatic and the peduncular seed have similar inherent capacities of drawing resources, but the peduncular seed is deprived of resources in the presence of the stigmatic seed. This deprivation of the peduncular seed could be offset by supplying an excess of hormones leading to the subsequent formation of two seeds in a pod. The prevalence of single-seeded pods in P. pinnata seems therefore to be a result of competition between the two seeds for maternal resources. The evolutionary significance of single-seeded pods in P. pinnata is discussed with respect to possible dispersal advantage enjoyed by such pods

Cyclopia with shoulder dystocia leading to an obstetric catastrophe: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Cyclopia is a rare fetal malformation characterized by a single palpebral fissure and a proboscis associated with severe brain malformations. Approximately 1.05 in 100,000 births including stillbirths are identified as cyclopean. The prevalence is about one in 11,000 to 20,000 in live births and one in 250 during embryogenesis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-year-old Indian woman of Asian origin, sixth gravida, was referred to the labor room of our hospital. There were no ultrasound examinations performed during this pregnancy as our patient had not received regular antenatal care. We found out that the head of her baby was already outside the vulva but the remaining parts of the baby were not yet delivered. Further examination was carried out and a diagnosis of shoulder dystocia with intrauterine fetal demise was made. A stillborn baby boy of 3.5 kg was delivered using McRoberts' maneuver. The baby was suspected of having features of cyclopia and this was later confirmed by autopsy and anatomic correlation. The mother had a cervical tear which extended into the lower segment of her uterus, thus leading to the rupture of her uterus. There was a massive broad ligament hematoma on the left side of her uterus. A total abdominal hysterectomy was carried out.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound examination might help in detecting cyclopia and preventing complications associated with this condition. However, in developing countries where women do not receive regular antenatal care and do not undergo prenatal diagnosis, such cases will go undetected. In our case report, the occurrence of shoulder dystocia could be coincidental, as no risk factors were previously noted.</p

The MIntAct project—IntAct as a common curation platform for 11 molecular interaction databases

IntAct (freely available at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/intact) is an open-source, open data molecular interaction database populated by data either curated from the literature or from direct data depositions. IntAct has developed a sophisticated web-based curation tool, capable of supporting both IMEx- and MIMIx-level curation. This tool is now utilized by multiple additional curation teams, all of whom annotate data directly into the IntAct database. Members of the IntAct team supply appropriate levels of training, perform quality control on entries and take responsibility for long-term data maintenance. Recently, the MINT and IntAct databases decided to merge their separate efforts to make optimal use of limited developer resources and maximize the curation output. All data manually curated by the MINT curators have been moved into the IntAct database at EMBL-EBI and are merged with the existing IntAct dataset. Both IntAct and MINT are active contributors to the IMEx consortium (http://www.imexconsortium.org

Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of parotid gland: A rare occurrence

Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA) is a rare salivary gland malignant tumor of low aggressiveness, commonly occurring in minor salivary glands. Its occurrence in major salivary gland has been documented albeit rarely. The striking histological feature is architectural diversity combined with benign cytologic features. We report a case of PLGA arising from left parotid in a 25-year-old male patient. On light microscopy, varied patterns were seen .The cells were uniform with bland nuclei. Neural invasion was noted

Kozhikode criteria for diagnosing systemic lupus erythematosus as a hematological disorder

N Arathi,1, PK Sasidharan,1,2 P Geetha1 1Department of Medicine, 2Department of Haematology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India Abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which cells and tissues undergo damage mediated by tissue-binding autoantibodies. At its onset, it may involve one organ alone or more than one organ simultaneously; over a time, additional manifestations due to the involvement of other organs may occur. Our observations have confirmed that hematological manifestations are the commonest initial presentation in SLE. The criteria used till 2012 was the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, which is only a classification criterion and not really for diagnosis; if we rely on ACR criteria, the diagnosis is often delayed. Time required for satisfying all four of the eleven criteria is variable and prolonged. Moreover, hematological manifestations are underrepresented in the ACR criteria. Based on the clinical observations made on patients evaluated in a tertiary center in North Kerala, an alternate diagnostic criterion named the Kozhikode criteria was proposed, especially for the diagnosis of SLE when it presents with hematological manifestations alone. The present study was an attempt to validate the same and to look for any association of diet and lifestyle with the disease.Keywords: SLE, Kozhikode criteria, lifestyle, diet habits, hematological diseas

Perineal scar endometriosis

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. It is a benign condition commonly observed in women of the reproductive age group. It can occur in both pelvic and extra-pelvic sites. Moreover, pelvic endometriosis is relatively common, as compared to extra-pelvic endometriosis. The most frequent site for pelvic endometriosis is ovary. It can also affect rectum, uterosacral ligaments, rectovaginal septum, urinary bladder. Extra-pelvic endometriosis is rare and when it occurs, does so more frequently in surgical scar sites, especially in caesarean section scar. Endometriosis in an episiotomy scar is extremely rare but can lead to significant morbidity in patients due to local infiltration. This condition can be diagnosed by the presence of the classical clinical triad of history of episiotomy, tender nodule at the scar site and cyclical pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a very useful imaging modality to diagnose and assess the deeper extension of the lesion. Herein, we report one such case of episiotomy scar endometriosis in the perineum