Clinical Spectrum and Pulmonary Manifestations of Patients with Anti U1RNP Antibody Status.

INTRODUCTION : Overlap syndrome is defined in a patient when a combination of more than one major feature of connective tissue disease is present with a specific serological test1. The common symptoms of overlap syndrome include sclerodactyly, arthritis and Raynaud’s phenomenon. A distinguishable feature in patients with autoimmune disease is the presence of non organ specific auto antibodies to RNA, DNA and to proteins that bind them. For MCTD the well known serological marker is anti U1RNP antibody. The ribonuclear proteins are auto antigens located on small nuclear RNP particles. They are uridine rich. The major action is splicing of pre messenger RNA. Anti U1RNP is associated with features of scleroderma, including Raynaud’s phenomenon. There has been a close association of anti U1RNP antibody with pulmonary fibrosis and negative correlation with renal involvement. MCTD, although an overlap syndrome, does not have any distinctive clinical feature. The components of MCTD (systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus and idiopathic inflammatory myositis) do not occur simultaneously but consecutively over years. Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs in almost all patients with MCTD. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES : 1. To correlate anti U1RNP antibody with the clinical spectrum of Mixed connective tissue disease (according to Kasukawa’s criteria) and Overlap Syndrome. 2. To analyse the association of anti U1RNP antibody with the pulmonary manifestations among Mixed connective tissue disease and Overlap Syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS : All patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were chosen and a detailed history was obtained and complete clinical examination was done. All the enrolled patients were subjected to laboratory investigations (haemogram, biochemical parameters and urine routine), Electrocardiogram, Echocardiography, Ultrasonogram, Upper gastrointestinalscopy and Immunological investigations (C-reactive protein, Rheumatoid factor, anti nuclear antibody and ANA profile 3). Chest x-ray, high resolution computerised tomogram of the chest and pulmonary function tests were done to asses pulmonary involvement of the cases under study. ANA profile 3 was done using Immunoblot method. Inclusion Criteria: Patients with clinical features suggestive of overlap syndrome (systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and myositis) and mixed connective tissue disease were included. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with well defined isolated connective tissue diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Systemic sclerosis, Idiopathic inflammatory myositis, Sjogren’s syndrome. 2. Children below 16 yrs. Descriptive statistical analysis has been carried out in the present study. Results on continuous measurements are presented on Mean SD and results on categorical measurements are presented in percentage. Chi-square test has been used to find the significance of study parameters on categorical scale between two groups. All analyses were two tailed and p<0.05 was considered significant. SPSS version 16.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS : Most number of patients are between second and third decade. Proportion of females with overlap syndrome/mixed connective tissue disease was higher and the ratio of females to males was 20.3:1. Percentage of anti U1RNP antibody positivity was 79.1% and 20.9% of patients were found to be negative for anti U1RNP. Mixed connective tissue disease - 58.14% (n=25), Systemic sclerosis/myositis - 25.58% (n=11), Systemic sclerosis/SLE - 11.66% (n=5), SLE/myositis - 4.66% (n=2). 50% of patients with Overlap Syndrome are positive for anti U1RNP antibody. ILD is more common among MCTD patients compared to Overlap syndrome. The prevalence of PHT is almost equal in both the groups. Raynaud’s phenomenon, the commonest and renal involvement, the least common manifestation in MCTD patients. Arthritis is the commonest feature and renal manifestations scored the least, among Overlap Syndrome group. Proportion of arthritis is higher in anti U1RNP positive group compared to anti U1RNP negative group (91.2% Vs 77.8%) though statistically insignificant (p value>0.05). CONCLUSION : Mixed connective tissue disease and Overlap Syndrome is more common among females. Second and third decades are the susceptible age group for MCTD and Overlap Syndrome. Arthritis is the most prevalent symptom among the anti U1RNP antibody positive Overlap Syndrome group. Raynaud’s phenomenon is the most common clinical feature of MCTD. Statistically significant association was found between Raynaud’s phenomenon and anti U1RNP antibody positivity (p value <0.05). Puffy hands, sclerodactyly and myositis are proportionately higher in anti U1RNP antibody positive group of MCTD and Overlap Syndrome (statistically not significant p value>0.05). Interstitial lung disease is more common among anti U1RNP antibody positive patients in both MCTD and Overlap Syndrome (statistically not significant p value>0.05). Renal manifestations are uncommon in both MCTD and Overlap Syndrome patients. Renal involvement and PHT had no association with the presence of anti U1RNP antibody

Role of Dermatoglyphics in malignant and Potentially Malignant Disorders of the oral cavity: A Cross Sectional study

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study is to identify the genetic predilection of malignant and potentially malignant disorders based on the dermatoglyphics pattern. OBJECTIVES: 1. To compare the dermatoglyphics of A) patients with malignant and potentially malignant disorders of oral cavity, B) patients with habits but without lesion, C) patients without habit and 2. To analyse which dermatoglyphic pattern is common among the patients with malignant and potentially malignant disorders. METHODS: Fingerprints and palm prints were studied in 300 patients from Tamilnadu Government Dental College and Hospital were studied, who were randomly divided into three groups: (A) 100 subjects with OSF, OL and OSCC, (B) 100 patients with habits and no lesions, and (C) 100 healthy controls, for the purpose of finding patterns that could identify patients with PMDs and OSCC. Finger and palm prints were taken by the ink method. Prints were analysed. RESULTS: The results were tested for statistical significance. Weighted kappa statistics were used to evaluate the inter- and intra-observer agreement. It was observed that the arch pattern (9.3%) was pre-dominant in group A compared with control Group B(3.4%) and group C(0.6%) with a decrease in whorl pattern (39.5%) in Group A when compared with the controls group B(45.7%) and group C(50.7%) and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The study group demonstrated an decrease in the mean total finger ridge count and ATD angle as compared to the controls and the result was found to be highly significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dermatoglyphics can be implemented as a screening tool in patients with PMDs and OSCC. Thereby, we can identify patients at increased risk for oral cancer so that risk reduction measures or earlier therapy may be instituted

Assessment of sources and distribution metals in groundwater of Pondicherry region, India

The proposed study investigates the seasonal variation in the concentration and the source of the heavy metals like Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe in the groundwater samples of Pondicherry region. The study results reveal that, the heavy metal concentration is high during South West Monsoon season (SWM) compared to that of North East Monsoon season (NEM). The pH was near neutral and metal load representing most of the samples were low during NEM. Statistical analysis shows that the 63.7 % of the total variance is observed during NEM and 68.9% during SWM. Geographic information system (GIS) tool was considered for the study to understand the environmental pollution status of the groundwater systems of the study area and to identify the groundwater quality parameters. The multivariate statistical analysis explains that the source of trace metal in the groundwater is derived from natural origin except copper and lead as these contaminants were derived from anthropogenic activities. Based on the output of WATEQ4F, several species of heavy metals exist, in which the dominant species are Mn, CuCl2, PbCO3, Fe and Zn

Assessment of seasonal groundwater quality using CHIDAM software in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.

Hard rock aquifer is the most predominant in the southern peninsula exclusively in Tamil Nadu, India. Virudhunagar district is situated in the South west part of Tamil Nadu, mostly of hard rock topography. Groundwater plays a major role in this area contributing to domestic, irrigation and industrial practices. Running down of groundwater by extreme consumption and less recharge in the study area has reduced the level of groundwater. On the other hand, intensive domestic, agriculture and industrial practices impacts the quality of quality of groundwater as well. Hydro geochemistry plays an important role in evaluation of suitability of groundwater for its usage in several purposes. A total of 72 samples from North East Monsoon (NEM) and Post Monsoon (POM) has been analyzed hydrochemically. The irrigation quality parameters such as sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), %Na, Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Kelley’s index and Magnesium hazard were calculated using CHIDAM software 2020 in conjunction with USSL and Doneen diagrams. During NEM, EC and TDS ranges from 273 to 5869 mg/L and 194 to 4159 mg/L and during POM is from 235 to 6850 mg/L and 233.8 to 6916 mg/L. The hydrogeochemical facies represents that Ca-HCO3 and mixed Ca-Mg-Cl facies are predominant during NEM and Na-Cl and mixed Ca-Mg-Cl are predominant during POM. The higher concentration of TDS and EC in the samples reflects the unsuitability of groundwater in both seasons

Communication strategies of a Malaysian politician in Tamil during the COVID-19 pandemic

The world in general was not prepared for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in December 2019, which caused massive deaths. Government officials were forced to impose drastic measures to curb the spread. The Ministry of Health relied on political leaders and government agencies to help disseminate as much health information and the government policies efficiently and effectively. As these representatives or leaders belong to different ethnicities, they are more likely to understand the life circumstances, needs, strengths, and capabilities of multicultural and vulnerable communities, and would be the best people to convey the needed information. Tamils are the third largest community in Malaysia and there is not much research done on Tamil language and communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study aims to observe on how effectively Tamil language and culture influences crisis communication. Effective communication and leadership are central to the management of pandemics and to give the public assurance in order to alleviate their fears and anxiety in having to adapt to the rapidly changing societal and economic landscape. Based on the communication strategies recommended by Hyland-Wood et al (2021), the current study focuses on how a Malaysian Indian politician, Saravanan responds, engages, and communicates with his followers. Seventeen Facebook posts in Tamil on Saravanan’s page were extracted and analysed qualitatively. The strategies utilized by Saravanan showed his resolve and effectiveness in managing crisis. This study will be useful for political leaders, community representatives, and medical practitioners in seeking equitable accessibility to quality health care and well-being of the people

Rapid and Accurate Prediction and Scoring of Water Molecules in Protein Binding Sites

Water plays a critical role in ligand-protein interactions. However, it is still challenging to predict accurately not only where water molecules prefer to bind, but also which of those water molecules might be displaceable. The latter is often seen as a route to optimizing affinity of potential drug candidates. Using a protocol we call WaterDock, we show that the freely available AutoDock Vina tool can be used to predict accurately the binding sites of water molecules. WaterDock was validated using data from X-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations and correctly predicted 97% of the water molecules in the test set. In addition, we combined data-mining, heuristic and machine learning techniques to develop probabilistic water molecule classifiers. When applied to WaterDock predictions in the Astex Diverse Set of protein ligand complexes, we could identify whether a water molecule was conserved or displaced to an accuracy of 75%. A second model predicted whether water molecules were displaced by polar groups or by non-polar groups to an accuracy of 80%. These results should prove useful for anyone wishing to undertake rational design of new compounds where the displacement of water molecules is being considered as a route to improved affinity

Cotton in the new millennium: advances, economics, perceptions and problems

Cotton is the most significant natural fibre and has been a preferred choice of the textile industry and consumers since the industrial revolution began. The share of man-made fibres, both regenerated and synthetic fibres, has grown considerably in recent times but cotton production has also been on the rise and accounts for about half of the fibres used for apparel and textile goods. To cotton’s advantage, the premium attached to the presence of cotton fibre and the general positive consumer perception is well established, however, compared to commodity man-made fibres and high performance fibres, cotton has limitations in terms of its mechanical properties but can help to overcome moisture management issues that arise with performance apparel during active wear. This issue of Textile Progress aims to: i. Report on advances in cotton cultivation and processing as well as improvements to conventional cotton cultivation and ginning. The processing of cotton in the textile industry from fibre to finished fabric, cotton and its blends, and their applications in technical textiles are also covered. ii. Explore the economic impact of cotton in different parts of the world including an overview of global cotton trade. iii. Examine the environmental perception of cotton fibre and efforts in organic and genetically-modified (GM) cotton production. The topic of naturally-coloured cotton, post-consumer waste is covered and the environmental impacts of cotton cultivation and processing are discussed. Hazardous effects of cultivation, such as the extensive use of pesticides, insecticides and irrigation with fresh water, and consequences of the use of GM cotton and cotton fibres in general on the climate are summarised and the effects of cotton processing on workers are addressed. The potential hazards during cotton cultivation, processing and use are also included. iv. Examine how the properties of cotton textiles can be enhanced, for example, by improving wrinkle recovery and reducing the flammability of cotton fibre

Structure-Based Virtual Screening for Drug Discovery: a Problem-Centric Review

Structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) has been widely applied in early-stage drug discovery. From a problem-centric perspective, we reviewed the recent advances and applications in SBVS with a special focus on docking-based virtual screening. We emphasized the researchers’ practical efforts in real projects by understanding the ligand-target binding interactions as a premise. We also highlighted the recent progress in developing target-biased scoring functions by optimizing current generic scoring functions toward certain target classes, as well as in developing novel ones by means of machine learning techniques