Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: maternal and fetal outcome and its correlation with serum bile acid levels

Background: Maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes in parturients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) have been retrospectively documented. We aimed to present pregnancy outcomes of parturients with ICP who underwent delivery. The study was conducted during a 1-year period in a tertiary care centre.Methods: Data from 1 January to 31 December 2017 were collected to identify parturients with ICP.Results: Almost 3/4th of births came to a vaginal delivery (76.74%) and only 10 parturients had cesarean delivery. 4 of 10 parturients underwent nonelective cesarean section, while 6 had elective cesarean delivery. 15.15 % vaginal deliveries were instrumental. The most common indications for emergency LSCS and instrumental deliveries was fetal distress followed by failure to progress of labour. Most births occurred at or after 37 weeks of gestation (65%).  Regarding neonatal outcomes in terms of birth weight and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min, they were positive, as well.  None of the babies had Apgar score < 7 at 5 minutes. No case of perinatal death was observed.Conclusions: Although the results were generally positive, larger studies need to be conducted to evaluate the maternal and fetal outcomes in ICP and correlation with serum bile acid levels

A six year appraisal of caesarean delivery at a teaching hospital in Uttarakhand

Background: Caesarean section is one of the commonest surgical procedures worldwide. Its upward trend and its indications in low resource setting makes regular appraisal of the practice necessary.Methods: A retrospective study. Labour ward logbook and case records were looked into, and all information extracted.Results: The prevalence of caesarean section in the study population was 32.18%. The most common indication of caesarean section was previous caesarean section (33%) followed by fetal distress (26.2%).Conclusions: Risk appraisal and all efforts must be geared towards reducing caesarean section rate. Certain measures have been recommended.

High rates of early HBeAg seroconversion and relapse in Indian patients of chronic hepatitis B treated with Lamivudine: results of an open labeled trial

BACKGROUND: The use of Lamivudine in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is well known, however the reported rate of HBeAg sero-conversion and its durability post-treatment have varied considerably. We undertook the present study to study the effect of Lamivudine on HBeAg loss and seroconversion rates in Indian patients of CHB in relation to frequency, predictors and durability. METHODS: We treated 60 patients of e antigen positive CHB (with active viral replication and ongoing necro-inflammatory activity) with Lamivudine. They were followed up by monthly aminotransferases, and 3 monthly HBeAg and anti-HBe. Those who attained HBeAg sero-conversion were advised to discontinue Lamivudine after 6 months and followed up every 3 months thereafter, to see for relapse. Treatment was given for maximum of 3 years if not sero-converted. RESULTS: The annual incremental loss of HBeAg in patients receiving Lamivudine was 25 (41.6%) at end of 1(st )year, 33 (55%) at 2(nd )year and 35 (58.3%) at 3(rd )year. The corresponding rates for full sero-conversion were 17/60 (28.6%), 22/60 (36.6%) and 24/60 (40%) in the 3 years. HBeAg loss correlated with increased pre-therapy ALT levels (p = 0.002) and decreased pretreatment HBV-DNA levels (p = 0.004). The presence of cirrhosis had no influence on the rate of HBeAg loss. Relapse occurred in 35% (7/20) post-treatment at median time of 6 months. CONCLUSION: Indian patients showed a higher rate of HBeAg sero-conversion in the first year of Lamivudine treatment. This correlated with baseline ALT and inversely with HBV-DNA levels. Relapse rate after treatment was high and occurred soon after stopping treatment

Dietary Crocin is Protective in Pancreatic Cancer while Reducing Radiation-Induced Hepatic Oxidative Damage

Pancreatic cancer is one of the fatal causes of global cancer-related deaths. Although surgery and chemotherapy are standard treatment options, post-treatment outcomes often end in a poor prognosis. In the present study, we investigated anti-pancreatic cancer and amelioration of radiation-induced oxidative damage by crocin. Crocin is a carotenoid isolated from the dietary herb saffron, a prospect for novel leads as an anti-cancer agent. Crocin significantly reduced cell viability of BXPC3 and Capan-2 by triggering caspase signaling via the downregulation of Bcl-2. It modulated the expression of cell cycle signaling proteins P53, P21, P27, CDK2, c-MYC, Cyt-c and P38. Concomitantly, crocin treatment-induced apoptosis by inducing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Microarray analysis of the expression signature of genes induced by crocin showed a substantial number of genes involved in cell signaling pathways and checkpoints (723) are significantly affected by crocin. In mice bearing pancreatic tumors, crocin significantly reduced tumor burden without a change in body weight. Additionally, it showed significant protection against radiation-induced hepatic oxidative damage, reduced the levels of hepatic toxicity and preserved liver morphology. These findings indicate that crocin has a potential role in the treatment, prevention and management of pancreatic cancer

Albumin Nano-Encapsulation of Piceatannol Enhances Its Anticancer Potential in Colon Cancer Via Downregulation of Nuclear p65 and HIF-1 alpha

Piceatannol (PIC) is known to have anticancer activity, which has been attributed to its ability to block the proliferation of cancer cells via suppression of the NF-kB signaling pathway. However, its effect on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is not well known in cancer. In this study, PIC was loaded into bovine serum albumin (BSA) by desolvation method as PIC-BSA nanoparticles (NPs). These PIC-BSA nanoparticles were assessed for in vitro cytotoxicity, migration, invasion, and colony formation studies and levels of p65 and HIF-1α. Our results indicate that PIC-BSA NPs were more effective in downregulating the expression of nuclear p65 and HIF-1α in colon cancer cells as compared to free PIC. We also observed a significant reduction in inflammation induced by chemical colitis in mice by PIC-BSA NPs. Furthermore, a significant reduction in tumor size and number of colon tumors was also observed in the murine model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer, when treated with PIC-BSA NPs as compared to free PIC. The overall results indicate that PIC, when formulated as PIC-BSA NPs, enhances its therpautice potential. Our work could prompt further research in using natural anticancer agents as nanoparticels with possiable human clinical trails. This could lead to the development of a new line of safe and effective therapeutics for cancer patients

Correction: Aljabali, A.A.A.; et al. Albumin Nano-Encapsulation of Piceatannol Enhances Its Anticancer Potential in Colon Cancer via down Regulation of Nuclear p65 and HIF-1α. Cancers 2020, 12, 113

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]