An observational study of fetomaternal outcome in euthyroid women with anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies at tertiary care hospital

Background: Several changes are observed in maternal thyroid function during pregnancy and failure to adapt to these physiological changes results in thyroid dysfunction, especially if complicated by the presence of thyroid antibodies. The presence of TPO-Ab is associated with increased rate of pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm delivery, placental abruption, pregnancy-induced hypertension, intrauterine death and low birth weight. Objective of this study was to study the effect of anti-TPO Ab positivity on pregnancy outcome and estimate the prevalence of anti-TPO Ab in euthyroid obstetric women.Methods: This observational study enrolled 500 euthyroid pregnant women, age 20-35 years, up to 20 weeks gestation. Venous blood samples collected and analyzed for the anti TPO Ab levels. On the basis of anti TPO Ab positivity they were divided into two groups, anti-TPO Ab positive and Ab negative group. These two groups were followed up till delivery or abortion and compared for maternal and fetal outcomes.Results: Prevalence of anti-TPO antibody positivity was 5.2% in euthyroid obstetric women. Most of anti-TPO Ab positive women were overweight. There were higher numbers of miscarriage (11.54%) in anti-TPO Ab positive euthyroid pregnancies than (2.53%) in antibody negative women. Incidence of low birth weight babies was 4-fold higher in anti-TPO Ab positive women. More than two-fold increase in incidence of placental abruption in anti-TPO Ab positive women. Parity, anaemia, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, GDM, PROM, PPH, low Apgar scores, NICU admission, IUD and neonatal death were not significantly associated with anti-TPO Ab positivity.Conclusions: Anti TPO Ab positivity significantly associated with pre-pregnancy BMI, miscarriage rates and low birth weight of newborns.

Physical and optical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols during ICARB at Manora Peak, Nainital: a sparsely inhabited, high-altitude location in the Himalayas

Collocated measurements of the optical and physical properties of columnar and near-surface aerosols were carried out from Manora Peak, Nainital (a sparsely inhabited, high altitude location, ~2 km above mean sea level, in the Himalayas), during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB) under the Geosphere Biosphere Programme of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO-GBP). Under this, observational data of spectral aerosol optical depths (AOD), mass concentration of aerosol black carbon (MB ), mass concentration (MT ) and number concentration (Nt ) of composite (total) aerosols near the surface and meteorological parameters were collected during the period February 15 to April 30, 2006. Though very low (<0.1 at 500 nm) AODs were observed during clear days, as much as a four-fold increase was seen on hazy days. The Ångström exponent (α), deduced from the spectral AODs, revealed high values during clear days, while on hazy days α was low; with an overall mean value of 0.69 ± 0.06 for the campaign period. BC mass concentration varied between 0.36 and 2.87 μg m-3 and contributed in the range 0.7 to 1.8% to the total aerosol mass. Total aerosol number concentration and BC mass concentration showed diurnal variation with a midnight and early morning minimum and a late afternoon maximum; a pattern quite opposite to that seen in low altitude stations. These are attributed to the dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer

Short-period modulations in aerosol optical depths over the central Himalayas: role of mesoscale processes

Multiyear measurements of spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) were made at Manora Peak in the central Himalaya Range (29°22N, 79°27E, ~1950 m above mean sea level), using a 10-channel multiwavelength solar radiometer for 605 days during January 2002-December 2004. The AODs at 0.5μm were very low (≤0.1) in winter and increased steeply to reach high values (~0.5) in summer. It was observed that monthly mean AODs vary significantly (by more than a factor of 6) from January to June. Strong short-period fluctuations (within a daytime) were observed in the AODs. Further investigations of this aspect have revealed that boundary layer dynamics plays a key role in transporting aerosols from the polluted valley region to higher altitudes, causing large contrast in AODs between forenoon and afternoon. The seasonal variations in AODs, while examined in conjunction with synoptic-scale wind fields, have revealed that the transport of dust aerosols from arid regions to the valley regions adjacent to the observational site and their subsequent transport upward by boundary layer dynamics are responsible for the summer increases

Characteristics of Aerosol Spectral Optical Depths over Manora Peak, Nainital −- A High Altitude Station in the Central Himalayas

We present, for the first time, spectral behaviour of aerosol optical depths (AODs) over Manora Peak, Nainital located at an altitude of $\sim$ 2 km in the Shivalik ranges of central Himalayas. The observations were carried out using a Multi-Wavelength solar Radiometer during January to December 2002. The main results of the study are extremely low AODs during winter, a remarkable increase to high values in summer and a distinct change in the spectral dependencies of AODs from a relatively steeper spectra during winter to a shallower one in summer. During transparent days, the AOD values lie usually below 0.08 while during dusty (turbid) days, it lies between 0.08 to 0.69 at 0.5 $\mu$m. The average AOD value at 0.5 $\mu$m during winters, particularly in January and February, is $\sim 0.03\pm0.01$. The mean aerosol extinction law at Manora Peak during 2002 is best represented by $0.10 \lambda^{-0.61}$. However during transparent days, which almost covers 40% of the time, it is represented by $0.02 \lambda^{-0.97}$. This value of wavelength exponent, representing reduced coarse concentration and presence of fine aerosols, indicates that the station measures aerosol in the free troposphere at least during part of the year.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, significantly shortened, main conclusions unchanged, accepted for publication in Jr. of Geophys. Reasearch - Atmosphere

High-resolution climate change scenarios for India for the 21st century

A state-of-art regional climate modelling system, known as PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies) developed by the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, is applied for India to develop high-resolution climate change scenarios. The presentday simulation (1961-1990) with PRECIS is evaluated, including an examination of the impact of enhanced resolution and an identification of biases. The RCM is able to resolve features on finer scales than those resolved by the GCM, particularly those related to improved resolution of the topography. The most notable advantage of using the RCM is a more realistic representation of the spatial patterns of summer monsoon rainfall such as the maximum along the windward side of the Western Ghats. There are notable quantitative biases in precipitation over some regions, mainly due to similar biases in the driving GCM. PRECIS simulations under scenarios of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and sulphate aerosols indicate marked increase in both rainfall and temperature towards the end of the 21st century. Surface air temperature and rainfall show similar patterns of projected changes under A2 and B2 scenarios, but the B2 scenario shows slightly lower magnitudes of the projected change. The warming is monotonously widespread over the country, but there are substantial spatial differences in the projected rainfall changes. West central India shows maximum expected increase in rainfall. Extremes in maximum and minimum temperatures are also expected to increase into the future, but the night temperatures are increasing faster than the day temperatures. Extreme precipitation shows substantial increases over a large area, and particularly over the west coast of India and west central India

Coherent coupling between radio frequency, optical, and acoustic waves in piezo-optomechanical circuits

The interaction of optical and mechanical modes in nanoscale optomechanical systems has been widely studied for applications ranging from sensing to quantum information science. Here, we develop a platform for cavity optomechanical circuits in which localized and interacting 1550 nm photons and 2.4 GHz phonons are combined with photonic and phononic waveguides. Working in GaAs facilitates manipulation of the localized mechanical mode either with a radio frequency field through the piezo-electric effect, or optically through the strong photoelastic effect. We use this to demonstrate a novel acoustic wave interference effect, analogous to coherent population trapping in atomic systems, in which the coherent mechanical motion induced by the electrical drive can be completely cancelled out by the optically-driven motion. The ability to manipulate cavity optomechanical systems with equal facility through either photonic or phononic channels enables new device and system architectures for signal transduction between the optical, electrical, and mechanical domains

Aerosol Characteristics at a High Altitude Location in Central Himalayas: Optical Properties and Radiative Forcing

Collocated measurements of the mass concentrations of aerosol black carbon (BC) and composite aerosols near the surface were carried out along with spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) from a high altitude station, Manora Peak in Central Himalayas, during a comprehensive aerosol field campaign in December 2004. Despite being a pristine location in the Shivalik Ranges of Central Himalayas, and having a monthly mean AOD (at 500 nm) of 0.059 $\pm$ 0.033 (typical to this site), total suspended particulate (TSP) concentration was in the range 15 - 40 micro g m^(-3) (mean value 27.1 $\pm$ 8.3 micro g m^(-3)). Interestingly, aerosol BC had a mean concentration of 1.36 $\pm$ 0.99 micro g m^(-3), contributed to ~5.0 $\pm$ 1.3 % to the composite aerosol mass. This large abundance of BC is found to have linkages to the human activities in the adjoining valley and to the boundary layer dynamics. Consequently, the inferred single scattering albedo lies in the range of 0.87 to 0.94 (mean value 0.90 $\pm$ 0.03), indicating significant aerosol absorption. The estimated aerosol radiative forcing was as low as 4.2 W m^(-2) at the surface, +0.7 W m^(-2) at the top of the atmosphere, implying an atmospheric forcing of +4.9 W m^(-2). Though absolute value of the atmospheric forcing is quite small, which arises primarily from the very low AOD (or the column abundance of aerosols), the forcing efficiency (forcing per unit optical depth) was $\sim$88 W m^(-2), which is attributed to the high BC mass fraction.Comment: 32 Pages, Accepted in JGR (Atmosphere

Accurate Whole-Genome Sequencing and Haplotyping from 10 to 20 Human Cells

Recent advances in whole genome sequencing have brought the vision of personal genomics and genomic medicine closer to reality. However, current methods lack clinical accuracy and the ability to describe the context (haplotypes) in which genome variants co-occur in a cost-effective manner. Here we describe a low-cost DNA sequencing and haplotyping process, Long Fragment Read (LFR) technology, similar to sequencing long single DNA molecules without cloning or separation of metaphase chromosomes. In this study, ten LFR libraries were made using only ~100 pg of human DNA per sample. Up to 97% of the heterozygous single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were assembled into long haplotype contigs. Removal of false positive SNVs not phased by multiple LFR haplotypes resulted in a final genome error rate of 1 in 10 Mb. Cost-effective and accurate genome sequencing and haplotyping from 10-20 human cells, as demonstrated here, will enable comprehensive genetic studies and diverse clinical applications

A preliminary randomized double blind placebo-controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin for Japanese encephalitis in Nepal

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus found across Asia that is closely related to West Nile virus. There is no known antiviral treatment for any flavivirus. Results from in vitro studies and animal models suggest intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) containing virus-specific neutralizing antibody may be effective in improving outcome in viral encephalitis. IVIG's anti-inflammatory properties may also be beneficial. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a pilot feasibility randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of IVIG containing anti-JEV neutralizing antibody (ImmunoRel, 400mg/kg/day for 5 days) in children with suspected JE at two sites in Nepal; we also examined the effect on serum neutralizing antibody titre and cytokine profiles. 22 children were recruited, 13 of whom had confirmed JE; 11 received IVIG and 11 placebo, with no protocol violations. One child (IVIG group) died during treatment and two (placebo) subsequently following hospital discharge. Overall, there was no difference in outcome between treatment groups at discharge or follow up. Passive transfer of anti-JEV antibody was seen in JEV negative children. JEV positive children treated with IVIG had JEV-specific neutralizing antibody titres approximately 16 times higher than those treated with placebo (p=0.2), which was more than could be explained by passive transfer alone. IL-4 and IL-6 were higher in the IVIG group. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A trial of IVIG for JE in Nepal is feasible. IVIG may augment the development of neutralizing antibodies in JEV positive patients. IVIG appears an appealing option for JE treatment that warrants further study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01856205