Association between maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus and their related outcomes

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has a direct correlation with maternal body mass index (BMI). Pre-pregnancy BMI is ideal for studying the outcomes of obesity in pregnancy. Unlike the west, in countries like India, pregnant women approach health facilities during first trimester making it appropriate to consider first trimester BMI, as a parameter to study outcome variables. In this study we correlate BMI and GDM in pregnancy as GDM has significant impact on mother and baby. Aim of study was to study maternal and neonatal outcomes in obese women who have conceived among two groups, GDM and non-GDM. Methods: Observational study conducted at tertiary care teaching hospital over a one-year period (2021-2022). All pregnant women in first trimester with Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥30, calculated in first visit, was included in this study for follow-up. According to the results of GDM screening at 24-28 weeks of gestation by DIPSI method, pregnancies were divided into the GDM and non-GDM group. They were observed for risk of GDM. The obstetric and neonatal outcomes were noted and compared between the two groups. Data was analysed using SPSS software. Results: Mean BMI (32.79±1.47) among GDM group is greater than Non GDM (31.15±1.22), with p-value 0.00005 is significant. In obstetric outcomes, GDM is associated with increased incidence of preterm deliveries (p-value=0.004), gestational hypertension (p-value=0.002). In case of perinatal outcomes, increase incidence of hyperbilirubinemia (p-value=0.002), hypoglycemia (p-value=0.048) and sepsis (p value=0.046) in neonates born to GDM is seen. Conclusions: BMI calculation in early pregnancy is good indicator to monitor for complications in pregnancy including GDM. Therefore, identification of patients with high BMI and GDM requires regular follow up during pregnancy so that early intervention minimises complications.

Modulatory Potentials of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammatory diseases (bronchitis, irritable bowel diseases, psoriasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, conjunctivitis, hepatitis, rhinitis, etc.) are increasingly becoming the cause of health concern across the world. For both developed and developing countries, the public health cost attached to the management of these complications is increasing each year. Control of diet is one of the critical strategies to improve the therapeutic potentials of clinically proven drugs. Among the dietary factors, bioactive lipids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids, elicit essential effects of modulating signaling pathways that could provide a beneficial effect in individuals suffering from various inflammatory complications. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, both n-3 and n-6 fatty acids exhibit differential effects, and their dietary ratio plays a significant role in the overall impact in an individual. This is most evident with the fact that the decrease in the n-3 intake in recent times has significantly contributed to the severity of chronic inflammation. The mechanism by which these fatty acids and bioactive unsaponifiable embedded in the dietary oils modulate the critical genes, thereby alter the pathology of inflammatory complications is under study for many decades. In this chapter, the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids and their modulatory effects on some of the significant inflammatory complications are discussed

Leukemic pleural effusion in AML-M0: Unusual presentation

Extramedullary disease in AML-M0 is a rare occurrence. It is even rarer to encounter breathlessness as primary presenting complaint secondary to a leukemic pleural effusion. Leukemic pleural effusion occurs rarely in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with minimal differentiation. Patients with AML usually present with weakness, hemorrhage, and recurrent infections. The highest incidence of extramedullary leukemic manifestation is seen in monocytic AML. Here, we report the case of an 18-year-old male who presented withbreathlessness and vocal cord palsy. Examination and investigation established diagnosis of an acute myeloid leukemia M0 with leukemic pleural effusion

A comparative study of knowledge,attitude and practice of self-medication among medical and para medical students in a medical college,Mangaluru,Karnataka, India

Background: Self-medication is defined as use of medicines without a doctor’s prescription and is frequently practiced among students in professional colleges. The purpose of this study was to compare the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among second year medical and paramedical students in K. S Hegde Medical Academy, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India.Methods: A prospective, observational, questionnaire based study conducted where two groups of students, Medical and Paramedical were interviewed with a prevalidated questionnaire. Demographic data and questions regarding knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication were included. Details and purpose of the study was explained to the students. The collected data was analysed statistically and the comparison between the two groups was done.Results: Total 247 students were involved in the study, group I consisting of 135 medical students and group II consisting of 112 paramedical students. All the students have practiced self-medication, however only 47.3% students agree with the practice. Accordingly, there are significant differences among the two groups in terms of reasons to choose self-medication and awareness about generic and brand names of drugs. Knowledge and practice about use of a particular drug for a particular condition was not balanced among the two groups.Conclusions: Self-medication is a common form of health care with potential benefits and hazards. Hence, it is very important to increase the awareness about the advantages and disadvantages of self-medication in medical college students to improve their knowledge, attitudes and practices of self-medication and eventually to increase the awareness in the society

RNA binding proteins as mediators of pathological cardiac remodeling

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play a central in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, which can account for up to 50% of all variations in protein expression within a cell. Following their binding to target RNAs, RBPs most typically confer changes in gene expression through modulation of alternative spicing, RNA stabilization/degradation, or ribosome loading/translation rate. All of these post-transcriptional regulatory processes have been shown to play a functional role in pathological cardiac remodeling, and a growing body of evidence is beginning to identify the mechanistic contribution of individual RBPs and their cardiac RNA targets. This review highlights the mechanisms of RBP-dependent post-transcriptional gene regulation in cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts and our current understanding of how RNA binding proteins functionally contribute to pathological cardiac remodeling

RESPONSE OF LOCAL POTATO CULTIVARS TO LATE BLIGHT DISEASE (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

Developing host resistance is an economic and long-term approach to disease management; however, resistance reactions that differ depending on the genotypes. Potato late blight is the devastating disease caused due to Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary.  In order to identify late blight resistance in potato genotypes, seven local potato cultivars (Bardiya Rato Local, Bardiya Seto Local, Cardinal, Deukhuri Rato Local, Deukhuri Seto Local, Kailali Local and Khumal Ujjowal) were evaluated in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications during October 2018 to January 2019 on naturally infested soils in Deukhuri, Dang, Nepal. Results showed that significantly the highest disease incidence (99.17%), and the highest disease severity (88%) were found on Cardinal followed by Deukhuri Rato Local (64%), and Deukhuri Seto Local (60%). Potato cultivar namely Khumal Ujjowal was moderately resistant, whereas Deukhuri Rato local and Deukhuri Seto Local were susceptible to late blight disease. Significantly the highest yield (12.67 t ha-1) was produced by Khumal Ujjowal followed by Bardiya Rato Local (10.78 t ha-1) and Bardiya Seto Local (9.40 t ha-1). The disease incidence and Area under disease progressive curve (AUDPC) value was negatively co-related with the tuber yield. The potato cultivar Khumal Ujjowal followed by Bardiya Rato Local were found moderately resistant to late blight disease in Deukhuri conditions. This study suggests that potato cultivar Bardiya Rato Local can be grown for higher tuber production in Dang and similar topographic regions.DOI: 10.37637/ab.v3i1.46

Amoxicillin induced toxic epidermal necrolysis: a case report

Adverse reactions are the recognized hazards of drug therapy and they can occur with any class of drugs and many studies revealed that the incidence is more in case of antibiotics. Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum, bactericidal, beta lactam antibiotic, commonly used to combat various infections. Penicillin group of drugs are known to cause cutaneous drug eruptions especially in paediatric population. Most of the time, these eruptions are mild in nature, however, sometimes they represent the early manifestation of rare, severe drug-induced cutaneous reactions, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare, life threatening dermatological disorder that is usually induced by medications. Seventy percent of the cases of TEN are drug induced, most commonly implicated drugs being anticonvulsants, antibiotics and non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Here, we report a case of toxic epidermal necrolysis induced by amoxicillin in a 12 year old male patient. Treatment with strong antibiotics, immunosuppressant and other supportive measures helped in recovery of the patient. The case is being reported to emphasize the need for efficient pharmacovigilance in order to motivate adverse drug reaction reporting so as to gather more and more data regarding adverse drug reactions. Through this report, we also seek the support of every-one concerned, to detect and, if possible, prevent adverse reactions to drugs

Molecular characterization of Indian potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties for cold-induced sweetening using SSR markers

Cold-induced sweetening developed during storage of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) at low temperature is a crucial factor influencing the processing quality of potato tubers and remains one of the principal concerns of potato processing industry. Developing CIS-resistant genotypes is the most effective method to cope with this stress. In this study, the genetic diversity of 11 Indian potato varieties with different reactions to CIS was assessed using 10 SSR primers. The primers detected a total of 42 alleles arranged in 44 different configurations, among which 37 alleles (88%) were polymorphic. The polymorphic information content (PIC) value of the SSR locus ranged from 0.473 to 0.787 thus indicating a high utility of these markers for study of genetic diversity in potato. A number of polymorphic fragments appeared to be specific to a given sugar-forming group. Primer Sti007 generated one fragment Sti007131bp present only in all the high sugar-forming varieties. The dendrogram derived from Dice’s similarity coefficients among the 11 varieties could partially but efficiently differentiate close parents and sugar-forming groups among the varieties. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of SSR markers to assess the genetic variation among potato cultivars in order to develop molecular markers associated with CIS to improve potato breeding programs

A comparative study to determine clinical and spirometric profile among patients of asthma in different body mass index groups

Background: Overweight and obesity is the most common co-morbidity and disease modifier of asthma; it has been associated with increased risk of asthma exacerbations, worse respiratory symptoms and poor asthma control. The objective of study was to determine the relation of body mass index (BMI) with the level of asthma control and to study the clinical presentation and spirometric profile of asthma patients from different BMI groups. Materials and methods: The descriptive prospective study done among confirmed asthmatic patients who were attending the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, outpatient department (OPD) and inpatient department (IPD). The study was demographic, clinical and spirometric parameters in asthmatic patients who were on optimal pharmacotherapy among different BMI categories. Results: Total 144 diagnosed asthma patients were included; the overall mean age of the study group was 34.27 ± 11.7 years and the majority of patients 50 (34.72%) were between 18-27 years of age group. Moderate asthma (FEV1 60-79) was observed to be the most common in all BMI groups. The severe asthma (FEV1 30kg/m2 in asthma patients (p=0.27). Conclusions: The poor control of asthma was significantly frequent in the overweight and obese BMI group, regardless of the findings of no differences in spirometry. Our results suggest that obese individuals with asthma show a higher incidence of one-year follow-up hospitalization due to exacerbation symptoms than non-obese individuals

Systematic analyses with genomic and metabolomic insights reveal a new species, Ophiocordyceps indica sp. nov. from treeline area of Indian Western Himalayan region

Ophiocordyceps is a species-rich genus in the order Hypocreales (Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) depicting a fascinating relationship between microbes and insects. In the present study, a new species, Ophiocordyceps indica sp. nov., is discovered infecting lepidopteran larvae from tree line locations (2,202–2,653 m AMSL) of the Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, Indian Western Himalayan region, using combinations of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. A phylogeny for Ophiocordyceps based on a combined multigene (nrSSU, nrLSU, tef-1α, and RPB1) dataset is provided, and its taxonomic status within Ophiocordycipitaceae is briefly discussed. Its genome size (~59 Mb) revealed 94% genetic similarity with O. sinensis; however, it differs from other extant Ophiocordyceps species based on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic relationships, and genetic distance. O. indica is identified as the second homothallic species in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae, after O. sinensis. The presence of targeted marker components, viz. nucleosides (2,303.25 μg/g), amino acids (6.15%), mannitol (10.13%), and biological activity data, suggests it to be a new potential source of nutraceutical importance. Data generated around this economically important species will expand our understanding regarding the diversity of Ophiocordyceps-like taxa from new locations, thus providing new research avenues