Dexamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory morbidity before elective cesarean section at term

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the principal cause of early neonatal morbidity and mortality. Objective: The current study aims to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone administration 48 hours before elective cesarean section (CS) at term on neonatal respiratory morbidity. Methods: The current study was a case-control study conducted between June 2015 and November 2015. Women who attended the labor ward in Sohag University Hospital, Egypt, after 37 weeks of gestation for elective CS were approached for participation. The patients received 2 intramuscular doses of 12 mg dexamethasone 12 hours apart in the 48 hours before CS (N=246). The control group included women who did not receive dexamethasone before CS during the same period of the study (N=275). Results: No significant differences were detected between the study and control groups with regard to age, parity or gestational age at delivery. There was a significantly higher number of neonates with RDS and transient tachypnea in the control group compared to the study group (p=0.001). The rate of neonatal admission to the neonatal care unit (NICU) was significantly lower in the study group (p=0.001). Conclusions: Prophylactic dexamethasone administration before elective CS at term significantly reduces neonatal respiratory morbidity and admission to NICU

Dexamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory morbidity before elective cesarean section at term

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the principal cause of early neonatal morbidity and mortality. Objective: The current study aims to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone administration 48 hours before elective cesarean section (CS) at term on neonatal respiratory morbidity. Methods: The current study was a case-control study conducted between June 2015 and November 2015. Women who attended the labor ward in Sohag University Hospital, Egypt, after 37 weeks of gestation for elective CS were approached for participation. The patients received 2 intramuscular doses of 12 mg dexamethasone 12 hours apart in the 48 hours before CS (N=246). The control group included women who did not receive dexamethasone before CS during the same period of the study (N=275). Results: No significant differences were detected between the study and control groups with regard to age, parity or gestational age at delivery. There was a significantly higher number of neonates with RDS and transient tachypnea in the control group compared to the study group (p=0.001). The rate of neonatal admission to the neonatal care unit (NICU) was significantly lower in the study group (p=0.001). Conclusions: Prophylactic dexamethasone administration before elective CS at term significantly reduces neonatal respiratory morbidity and admission to NICU

The use of Cattapa Leaves Terminalia cattapa as Preventive and Curative Methods in Patin Catfish Pangasionodon hypophthalmus Infected With Aeromonas hydrophila

Motile Aeromonad Septicaemia (MAS) caused by Aeromonas hydrophila induced serious epidemics of ulcerative disease in freshwater fish including patin catfish Pangasionodon hypophthalmus. In vitro study for antibacterial test of cattapa leaves Terminalia cattapa (TC) were done previous to the in vivo test. The in vitro susceptibility test was performed at the dosages of 30, 60 and 90 g/l TC. At the in vivo test, fish were injected intramusculary with TC at the dosages of 60 g/l for the prevention and 120 g/l for curative efficacy. Results from blood picture, clinical sign and mortaliyt showed that TC were better and more effective as preventive than curative for MAS in patin catfish. Keywords :  Terminalia cattapa, Aeromonas hydrophila, patin catfish   ABSTRAK Penyakit MAS (Motile Aeromonad Septicaemia) yang disebabkan oleh Aeromonas hydrophila sering menyebabkan wabah penyakit tukak pada ikan-ikan air tawar termasuk pada ikan patin Pangasionodon hypophthalmus. Uji antibakteri secara in vitro dari daun ketapang Terminalia cattapa (TC) dilakukan sebelum uji in vivo. Pada uji in vitro dilakukan pengujian aktivitas antibakteri TC terhadap A. Hydrophila pada dosis TC 30, 60 dan 90 g/l. Pada uji in vivo, ikan diinfeksi secara intramuskular dengan TC, untuk pencegahan dengan dosis 60 g/l TC dan pengobatan pada dosis 120 g/l TC. Hasil yang diperoleh dari gambaran darah, gejala klinis dan kematian ikan patin menunjukkan bahwa TC lebih baik dan sangat efektif untuk pencegahan daripada pengobatan untuk penyakit MAS pada ikan patin. Kata kunci: Terminalia cattapa, Aeromonas hydrophila, ikan pati

Uveitis Associated with Monogenic Autoinflammatory Syndromes in Children

Monogenic autoinflammatory syndromes (MAISs), are caused by pathogenic genetic variants in the innate immune system, leading to dysregulation and aberrant inflammasome activation spontaneously or with minimal triggering. The diagnosis and treatment of MAISs can be intricate, relying on an increased recognition of potential differential diagnoses. This review examines the clinical features of MAIS, with a special focus on uveitis. It also evaluates treatment options and assesses the effects of activating molecular and cytokine pathways

Piezoelectric properties of Mg doped ZnO thin film using sol-gel method and spin coating

This reports about the synthesis of Mg doped ZnO thin film using spin-coating techniques through sol-gel method. For studying piezoelectric properties, optical properties and morphology, the prepared Mg doped ZnO thin film samples were characterized using Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Ultrasonic Vibrator. The particle size was evaluated using Scherrer’s formula from XRD patterns. The results show the crystallite size decreased with increasing Mg concentrations. The optical properties showed that sample exhibit a blue shift in absorption in UV spectra indicating good optical properties. The morphology of grain size microstructure was observed from FESEM with results the grain size of the samples decreased with increasing Mg doping. The piezoelectric properties were evaluated using ultrasonic vibrator and multimeter to obtain potential difference for each sample. The results obtained that potential difference increase with increasing Mg contents and higher rotation of spin speed was used

Wolbachia Infection Decreased the Resistance of Drosophila to Lead

Background: The heavy metal lead has been shown to be associated with a genotoxic risk. Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism commonly utilized in genetic toxicology testing. The endosymbionts — Wolbachia are now very common in both wild populations and laboratory stocks of Drosophila. Wolbachia may induce resistance to pathogenic viruses, filarial nematodes and Plasmodium in fruit fly and mosquito hosts. However the effect of Wolbachia infection on the resistance of their hosts to heavy metal is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: Manipulating the lead content in the diet of Drosophila melanogaster, we found that lead consumption had no different effects on developmental time between Wolbachia-infected (Dmel wMel) and –uninfected (Dmel T) flies. While in Pb-contaminated medium, significantly reduced amount of pupae and adults of Dmel wMel were emerged, and Dmel wMel adults had significantly shorter longevity than that of Dmel T flies. Lead infusion in diet resulted in significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in Dmel T flies (P,0.05), but not in Dmel wMel flies. Correspondingly, lead cultures induced a 10.8 fold increase in malonaldehyde (MDA) contents in Dmel T larvae (P,0.05). While in Dmel wMel larvae, it resulted in only a 1.3 fold increase. By quantitative RT-PCR, we showed that lead infused medium caused significantly increased expression level of relish and CecA2 genes in Dmel T flies (P,0.01). Lead cultures did not change dramatically the expression of these genes in Dmel wMel flies

Repeatability of Foveal Measurements Using Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography Segmentation Software

PURPOSE: To investigate repeatability and reproducibility of thickness of eight individual retinal layers at axial and lateral foveal locations, as well as foveal width, measured from Spectralis spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans using newly available retinal layer segmentation software. METHODS: High-resolution SD-OCT scans were acquired for 40 eyes of 40 young healthy volunteers. Two scans were obtained in a single visit for each participant. Using new Spectralis segmentation software, two investigators independently obtained thickness of each of eight individual retinal layers at 0°, 2° and 5° eccentricities nasal and temporal to foveal centre, as well as foveal width measurements. Bland-Altman Coefficient of Repeatability (CoR) was calculated for inter-investigator and inter-scan agreement of all retinal measurements. Spearman's ρ indicated correlation of manually located central retinal thickness (RT0) with automated minimum foveal thickness (MFT) measurements. In addition, we investigated nasal-temporal symmetry of individual retinal layer thickness within the foveal pit. RESULTS: Inter-scan CoR values ranged from 3.1μm for axial retinal nerve fibre layer thickness to 15.0μm for the ganglion cell layer at 5° eccentricity. Mean foveal width was 2550μm ± 322μm with a CoR of 13μm for inter-investigator and 40μm for inter-scan agreement. Correlation of RT0 and MFT was very good (ρ = 0.97, P 0.05); however this symmetry could not be found at 5° eccentricity. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate excellent repeatability and reproducibility of each of eight individual retinal layer thickness measurements within the fovea as well as foveal width using Spectralis SD-OCT segmentation software in a young, healthy cohort. Thickness of all individual retinal layers were symmetrical at 2°, but not at 5° eccentricity away from the fovea

Estimating genomic instability mediated by Alu retroelements in breast cancer

Alu-PCR is a relatively simple technique that can be used to investigate genomic instability in cancer. This technique allows identification of the loss, gain or amplification of gene sequences based on the analysis of segments between two Alu elements coupled with quantitative and qualitative analyses of the profiles obtained from tumor samples, surgical margins and blood. In this work, we used Alu-PCR to identify gene alterations in ten patients with invasive ductal breast cancer. Several deletions and insertions were identified, indicating genomic instability in the tumor and adjacent normal tissue. Although not associated with specific genes, the alterations, which involved chromosomal bands 1p36.23, 1q41, 11q14.3, 13q14.2, occurred in areas of well-known genomic instability in breast and other types of cancer. These results indicate the potential usefulness of Alu-PCR in identifying altered gene sequences in breast cancer. However, caution is required in its application since the Alu primer can produce non-specific amplification

Double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, using a nitric oxide releasing patch: PATHON

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diabetes Mellitus constitutes one of the most important public health problems due to its high prevalence and enormous social and economic consequences. Diabetic foot ulcers are one of the chronic complications of diabetes mellitus and constitute the most important cause of non-traumatic amputation of inferior limbs. It is estimated that 15% of the diabetic population will develop an ulcer sometime in their lives. Although novel therapies have been proposed, there is no effective treatment for this pathology. Naturally produced nitric oxide participates in the wound healing process by stimulating the synthesis of collagen, triggering the release of chemotactic cytokines, increasing blood vessels permeability, promoting angiogenic activity, stimulating the release of epidermical growth factors, and by interfering with the bacterial mitochondrial respiratory chain. Topically administered nitric oxide has demonstrated to be effective and safe for the treatment of chronic ulcers secondary to cutaneous leishmaniasis. However, due to their unstable nitric oxide release, the topical donors needed to be applied frequently, diminishing the adherence to the treatment. This difficulty has led to the development of a multilayer polymeric transdermal patch produced by electrospinning technique that guarantees a constant nitric oxide release. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this novel nitric oxide releasing wound dressing for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.</p> <p>Methods and design</p> <p>A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, including 100 diabetic patients was designed. At the time of enrollment, a complete medical evaluation and laboratory tests will be performed, and those patients who meet the inclusion criteria randomly assigned to one of two groups. Over the course of 90 days group 1 will receive active patches and group 2 placebo patches. The patients will be seen by the research group at least every two weeks until the healing of the ulcer or the end of the treatment. During each visit the healing process of the ulcer, the patient's health status and the presence of adverse events will be assessed. Should the effectiveness of the patches be demonstrated an alternative treatment would then be available to patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NCT00428727.</p