An implementation program for Foundation Course in Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum

After a gap of nearly two decades, Medical Council of India (MCI) has revised, rather revamped, the Undergraduate (UG) medical curriculum, making it competency based (CBME) and learner centric

Students’ feedback on the foundation course in competency based medical education curriculum

The Medical Council of India (MCI) has formulated a new Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduates with an objective of making medical education outcome based. A one month long Foundation Course (FC) is a hallmark of this CBME which is implemented during the first month of first professional MBBS studies. The objective is to acquaint, allay apprehension and prepare freshers for further studies using andragogical and heutagogical approaches. The MCI also released the guidelines for the medical colleges for uniform conduct of FC across the country. The FC was divided into six modules, i.e. Orientation Module, Skills Module, Community orientation module, Professional Development and Ethics Module (P and E), Enhancement of Language and Computer Skills Module, and Sports and extracurricular activities. A total of 175 hours were allotted to these modules. Like every institute, our institute also developed the implementation program and time-table of FC using MCI guidelines and taking into account the available resources.  The FC at our institute was conducted from 1st August 2019 to 31st August 2019 and was meticulously planned and implemented. The effective implementation  required committed efforts of 30 faculty members (12 Professors, 11 Associate Professors and 7 Assistant Professors), two language and one fine arts teacher,  and 4 non-teaching members  (Librarian, IT-personnel, Coach for sports and motivational Guru). The students were trained to write reflections daily in their log - books which are being analysed further.

A REVIEW ON DISSOCIATIVE PERSPECTIVE OF ATTENTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Purpose of the study: To answer the two existing controversies regarding attention and consciousness as brain processes. 1) Can one be aware of objects or events without attending to it? 2) Can one attend to objects or events without being aware of it? And also how top-down attention and awareness have opposing functions. Methodology: This article is a systematic review of the relationship between visual attention and awareness. An extensive elaborate study on concepts relating to attention and consciousness dissociation has been done. In this article we also narrow it down to experimental design that requires independent manipulation of each. Which include top-down attention and awareness aspect of consciousness? Main Findings: Many researches have been put forward supporting the independent nature of attention from awareness using sophisticated experimental and physiological shreds of evidence. On the other hand, some researches still stick to the contemporary common-sense notion of no awareness no attention. Our evaluation suggests an independent nature of attention and awareness. Application: This article intends to give a clear perspective of the ongoing debate on the relationship between attention and consciousness. Simplification of both umbrella terms will give basis for building more empirical evidence. Novelty: Further, this article put forward studies on both sides of debate aiming to bridge the gap to get a conclusive outlook in the future

Extracranial arterio-venous malformation presenting as a scalp swelling

It is a challenge to diagnose and treat extracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) because of complex vascular malformations. AVMs are congenital vascular shunts with long standing expansion of vascular channels, collateralization of microcirculation and localized tissue infiltration. Even though the exact etiopathogenesis of AVMs remains undefined however newer genetic/molecular basis of the same are evolving. Any age can be affected by AVMs however it is seen to increase in dimension after an early period of inactivity. They may present at any age following an early quiescent period. Diagnosis is based on vascular staining, soft tissue expansions, progressive growth/ warmth and pulsations

Evaluating diaphragmatic dysfunction and predicting non-invasive ventilation failure in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in India

Background Baseline diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) at the initiation of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) correlates positively with subsequent intubation. We investigated the utility of DD detected 2 hours after NIV initiation in estimating NIV failure in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients. Methods In a prospective-cohort design, we enrolled 60 consecutive patients with AECOPD initiated on NIV at intensive care unit admission, and NIV failure events were noted. The DD was assessed at baseline (T1 timepoint) and 2 hours after initiating NIV (T2 timepoint). We defined DD as ultrasound-assessed change in diaphragmatic thickness (ΔTDI) <20% (predefined criteria [PC]) or its cut-off that predicts NIV failure (calculated criteria [CC]) at both timepoints. A predictive-regression analysis was reported. Results In total, 32 patients developed NIV failure, nine within 2 hours of NIV and remaining in the next 6 days. The ∆TDI cut-off that predicted NIV failure (DD-CC) at T1 was ≤19.04% (area under the curve [AUC], 0.73; sensitivity, 50%; specificity, 85.71%; accuracy; 66.67%), while that at T2 was ≤35.3% (AUC, 0.75; sensitivity, 95.65%; specificity, 57.14%; accuracy, 74.51%, hazard ratio, 19.55). The NIV failure rate was 35.1% in those with normal diaphragmatic function by PC (T2) versus 5.9% by CC (T2). The odds ratio for NIV failure with DD criteria ≤35.3 and <20 at T2 was 29.33 and 4.61, while that for ≤19.04 and <20 at T1 was 6, respectively. Conclusions The DD criterion of ≤35.3 (T2) had a better diagnostic profile compared to baseline and PC in prediction of NIV failure

Integrating transcriptomic and proteomic data for accurate assembly and annotation of genomes

© 2017 Wong et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. Complementing genome sequence with deep transcriptome and proteome data could enable more accurate assembly and annotation of newly sequenced genomes. Here, we provide a proof-of-concept of an integrated approach for analysis of the genome and proteome of Anopheles stephensi, which is one of the most important vectors of the malaria parasite. To achieve broad coverage of genes, we carried out transcriptome sequencing and deep proteome profiling of multiple anatomically distinct sites. Based on transcriptomic data alone, we identified and corrected 535 events of incomplete genome assembly involving 1196 scaffolds and 868 protein-coding gene models. This proteogenomic approach enabled us to add 365 genes that were missed during genome annotation and identify 917 gene correction events through discovery of 151 novel exons, 297 protein extensions, 231 exon extensions, 192 novel protein start sites, 19 novel translational frames, 28 events of joining of exons, and 76 events of joining of adjacent genes as a single gene. Incorporation of proteomic evidence allowed us to change the designation of more than 87 predicted noncoding RNAs to conventional mRNAs coded by protein-coding genes. Importantly, extension of the newly corrected genome assemblies and gene models to 15 other newly assembled Anopheline genomes led to the discovery of a large number of apparent discrepancies in assembly and annotation of these genomes. Our data provide a framework for how future genome sequencing efforts should incorporate transcriptomic and proteomic analysis in combination with simultaneous manual curation to achieve near complete assembly and accurate annotation of genomes

Seminal Plasma Heparin Binding Proteins Improve Semen Quality by Reducing Oxidative Stress during Cryopreservation of Cattle Bull Semen

Heparin binding proteins (HBPs) are produced by accessory glands. These are secreted into the seminal fluid, bind to the spermatozoa at the time of ejaculation, favour capacitation, acrosome reaction, and alter the immune system response toward the sperm. The present study was conducted with an objective to assess the effect of purified seminal plasma-HBPs (SP-HBPs) on cross bred cattle bull sperm attributes during two phases of cryopreservation: Pre freezing and freezing-thawing. SP-HBPs were purified from pooled seminal plasma by heparin affinity chromatography. Three doses of SP-HBPs i.e. 10, 20, 40 μg/mL semen were standardized to find out the optimum dose and 20 μg/mL was found to be an optimum dose. Semen as such and treated with SP-HBPs was diluted with sodium citrate-egg yolk diluter and cryopreserved as per the standard protocol. Sperm parameters i.e. motility, viability, Hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST), acrosome damage, in vitro capacitation and lipid peroxidation were evaluated in SP-HBP treated and untreated (control) semen at both phases of cryopreservation. A considerable variation in percent sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity (HOST), acrosome damage, acrosome reaction and lipid peroxidation was observed at both phases among the bulls irrespective of the treatment. Incubation of neat semen with 20 μg/mL SP-HBP before processing for cryopreservation enhanced the average motility, viability, membrane integrity by 7.2%, 1.5%, 7.9%, and 5.6%, 6.6%, 7.4% in pre-frozen and frozen-thawed semen in comparison to control. There was also an average increase of 4.1%/3.9% in in vitro capacitation and acrosome reaction in SP-HBPs-treated frozen-thawed semen as compared to control. However, binding of SP-HBPs to the sperm declined acrosome damage and lipid peroxidation by 1.3%/4.1% and 22.1/32.7 μM/109 spermatozoa in SP-HBP treated pre-frozen/frozen-thawed semen as compared to control, respectively. Significant (p<0.05) effects were observed only in motility, HOST and in vitro acrosome reaction. It can be concluded that treatment of neat semen with SP-HBPs before cryopreservation minimized the cryoinjury by decreasing the generation of reactive oxygen species

Multiple alternative splicing of Dmrt1 during gonadogenesis in Indian mugger, a species exhibiting temperature-dependent sex determination

Dmrt1 is an evolutionarily conserved gene having important role in the sex determination from lower vertebrates to mammals. Recent studies show transcriptional diversity for this important gene during gonadal differentiation in a few vertebrate species having genetic sex determination (GSD). In this study, we show for the first time that the transcriptional diversity of Dmrt1 is also found in the Indian mugger that exhibits temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). We report here isolation and characterization of eight novel isoforms of Dmrt1 from Crocodylus palustris, along with its genomic locus that is referred as, cpDmrt1. Further, by sequence comparisons of cpDmrt1 and its expressed isoforms, we demonstrate that all the isoforms are generated by alternative splicing, exonization of intronic sequences and alternative polyA sites from the same locus. The eight transcripts range from 494 to 2060 bp and encode six predicted proteins having the characteristic DM domain of Dmrt1. The major heterogeneity in the isoforms and their predicted proteins is seen only in their C-termini and 3'-UTRs, which do not match with any similar sequences reported for other vertebrates. The cpDmrt1 expression was seen mainly in developing GAM (genital ridge-adrenal-mesonephros complex) with significant upregulation only in male embryos from the start of the temperature sensitive period (TSP). More significantly, ˜70% of this expression was contributed by only one isoform (cpDmrt1e) that also has a unique 15 amino acid domain towards its C-terminal. cpDmrt1 expression was also detected at a lower level in brain and developing kidney. The study thus provides the first account of Dmrt1 locus, its transcriptional diversity and sex-specific expression in Indian mugger, a TSD species

Valorizations of Marigold Waste for High-Value Products and Their Industrial Importance: A Comprehensive Review

The municipal authorities in developing nations face serious challenges in marigold flower garbage management. The primary issue is that they never are reused after prayers. Flower waste of Tagetes erecta, T. patula, and Calendula officinalis L. are commonly used for carotenoid and flavonoid extractions and, subsequently, used for incense stick and biogas production. Marigold plants are also used for phytoremediation during their growth stage. The lutein industry is booming due to its increasing market demand, expected to reach ~2121.2 billion tons by 2022, where marigolds are a major contributor globally. The process of isolating lutein from saponified marigold oleoresin yields a product with 70–85% purity. Lutein is a major xanthophyll (70–88%) of marigold petals, and a maximum of 21.23 mg/g of lutein was extracted. This review discusses the properties of selective marigold species, their compositions, and the extraction of different flavonoids and carotenoids, especially lutein. Moreover, different extraction methods of marigold lutein, the collection of marigold waste, and their subsequent utilization to derive several value-added products are discussed. Among physical treatments, ultrasonic-assisted extraction and enzymatic treatment with 5% solids loading were the maximum-yielding methods

Pineapple leaves waste — a potential feedstock for production of value-added products in biorefinery

729-738The pineapple leaves (PL) left over in the fields after pineapple harvest or burnt out, generate waste which contributes to the release of greenhouse gases. As pineapple is one of the most harvested crops in the world, the quantity of pineapple trash and its disposal methods are challenging. The composition of PL waste makes it unique to encounter the increasing demand for renewable energy and other useful products. This review is focused on the production of different biorefinery products and miscellaneous products from PL waste. The high cellulose content in PL makes it a potential feedstock for the production of different biorefinery products like bioethanol, oligosaccharides, nitrocellulose, and humic acid apart from this, waste is also useful for the production of different products like pineapple leaf fibres, fake eyelashes, organic leather, pulp and paper. Although the opportunities, future perspectives, and challenges concerning PL waste utilization to value-added goods were also addressed. It has been demonstrated that pineapple waste conversions lower waste creation, and the products produced by the conversion would promote the ‘waste-to-wealth’ notion