Hypothyroidism and early pregnancy loss: an overview

Background: Thyroid disorders are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and can lead to spontaneous miscarriages.Methods: One hundred and four women with early pregnancy loss were enrolled in this study and thyroid profile was done. Thyroid status of women was established on the basis of standard cut-off levels. Prevalence of hypothyroidism (both overt and subclinical) was calculated.Results: The mean TSH level was 2.3±1.3 μIU/l. Twenty two women had increased TSH level (>2.5 μIU/l) accounting to 21.15% of total women and rest 78.84% women were euthyroid. 15.38% of women presenting with early pregnancy loss were overt hypothyroid and 5.76% of women had subclinical hypothyroidism. The mean TSH level in hypothyroid group was 4.9±2.1.Conclusions: Hypothyroidism if untreated can lead to first trimester abortions. All pregnant women should be screened for thyroid disorders in their first visit and treatment should be started at the earliest

SUBLINGUAL DRUG DELIVERY: AN INDICATION OF POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE ROUTE

Sublingual literally meaning is under the tongueâ€, refers to a method of administrating substance via mouth in such a way that the substance is rapidly absorbed via blood vessels under tongue. Sublingual route is a useful when rapid onset of action is desired with better patient compliance than orally ingested tablets. Drugs that are given sublingually reach directly in to the systemic circulation through the ventral surface of the tongue and floor of the mouth. The portion of drug absorbed through the sublingual blood vessels bypasses the hepatic firstâ€pass metabolic processes giving acceptable bioavailability. As nowadays most of the people need effective relief within a short period of time so sublingual is the most suitable form of administration. New sublingual technologies address many pharmaceutical and patient needs, ranging from enhanced lifeâ€cycle management to convenient dosing for paediatric, geriatric, and psychiatric patients with dysphagia

Development of Virtual Resistance Meters using LabVIEW

This paper presents the development of three virtual resistance meters using LabVIEW. The unknown resistance is measured in terms of a known resistance of high accuracy by employing (a) a real dc voltage source, (b) a real dc current source, and (c) a virtual dc voltage source. In each case, ratio of two voltage signals is acquired by a single-ADC based multichannel data acquisition card. Therefore error of the ADC gets cancelled, when ratio of two voltages is used in the final calculation of the value of unknown resistance. The first two VRMs use a real excitation source and are thus semi-virtual instruments, whereas the third one is fully-virtual as the excitation source is also implemented in the LabVIEW software along with DAC section of the data acquisition card. The three virtual resistance meters have been successfully implemented. The principle of ratio-metric measurement used makes the accuracy (uncertainty) of final measurement free from the uncertainties of the ADC, the DAC and the excitation source. Standard deviations of the readings taken with the three VRMs have been evaluated and compared. It is concluded that the fully-virtual instrument has the lowest and excellent value of standard deviation

FAST DISSOLVING TABLET USING SOLID DISPERSION TECHNIQUE: A REVIEW

Fast dissolving tablets are also called as mouth-dissolving tablets, melt-in mouth tablets, orodispersible tablets, quick dissolving etc. Fast dissolving tablets are those when put on tongue disintegrate instantaneously releasing the drug, which dissolve or disperses in the saliva. The faster the drug dissolved into solution, quicker the absorption and onset of clinical effect. Oral routes of drug administration have wide acceptance up to 50-60% of total dosage forms. Fast dissolving tablet containing solid dispersion was developed to improve the dissolution of drug and stability of solid dispersion. They are disintegrating and/or dissolve rapidly in the saliva without the need for water. Thus it is regarded as the safest, most convenient and most economical method of drug delivery having the highest patient compliance. The later part of the article focus on the progress in methods of manufacturing, evaluation and various latest technologies involved in the development of Fast dissolving tablets. Solid dispersion is basically a drug–polymer two-component system; the drug–polymer interaction is the determining factor in its design and performance. It also discusses about modern characterization technique to characterize solid dispersion. In this review, it is intended to discuss the recent advances related on the area of solid dispersion technology. Different methods are also been used for preparation of solid dispersions such as Melting method, Solvent method, Melting solvent method, Melt extrusion method, lyophilisation Technique, Melt Agglomeration Process, The Use Of Surfactant, Electro spinning and Super Critical Fluid Technology. The introduction of fast dissolving dosage forms has solved some of the problems encountered in administration of drugs to the pediatric and elderly patient, which constitutes a large proportion of the world's population. Solid dispersions have attracted considerable interest as an efficient means of improving the dissolution rate and hence the bio availability of a range of poorly water-soluble drugs. The focus of one part of the review article is based on solid dispersion mainly advantages, disadvantages, types, the method of preparation, and characterization of the solid dispersion at laboratory and industrial level

Ultrasound guided detection of position of post partum intra uterine contraceptive device and its relation to complications

Background: Worldwide, Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) is one of the most commonly used reversible methods of contraception among married women of reproductive age. It is the second most commonly used forms of contraception, ranking second only to female sterilization. Proper positioning of Copper containing IUCD is of utmost importance for efficacy and safety. The immediate postpartum period, after a birth but prior to discharge from the hospital is an important but under utilized time frame to initiate contraceptives, specially long acting contraceptives such as intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD). To study the location of Copper IUCD by ultrasound, relationship between position and complaints, failure rate and expulsion rate in post-partum IUCD cases.Methods: The study was prospective, analytical study conducted on 200 women for one year.  IUCD insertion was done in two groups; group A (normal delivery, postplacental) and group B (caesarean section, intracaesarean). On ultrasonography, position and distance of IUCD from fundus of uterus was measured. Outcome measures were expulsion, complication and failure rate upto six months. Informed consent was taken from each participant and ethical justification for the study was sought.Results: Majority of the patients were in age group of 21-25 years. Multigravidae patients had more acceptability of IUCD than primigravidae. More than half of IUCD insertion was done by senior residents (56%). Malpositions were more common in vaginal delivery (62%) than caesarean section (28%). Most common malposition was mid cavity and least common was oblique. Most common complaint was pain abdomen and least common was expulsion.Conclusions: Sonography can be used as an adjunct to clinical examination to examine the position of the IUCD. Ultrasonography done after PPIUCD insertion helps in determining, whether PPIUCDs are placed in normal position or malposition. Malpositioned PPIUCDs have more complications as compared to normally placed IUCD

Cellular and Molecular Impact of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles

Toxicity and biocompatibility of silver nanoparticles are of a major concern due to their extensive production regardless of their application in current industries. Information about toxicology or biocompatibility is crucial regarding their proper utilization and application in clinical as well as environmental aspect. This chapter describes in detail about the different techniques and technology of synthesis of silver nanoparticles and explains their different physiochemical properties in context of the current research scenario. Further, it also explains the biocompatibility and toxicity of silver nanoparticles at cellular and molecular aspects. The mechanism of their toxicity has been described keeping in view of the recent research done. In brief, it reveals detail knowledge of the cellular and molecular impact of silver nanoparticles

Comparative analysis of fibreoptic bronchoscope aided cytohistological techniques in diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions of lung

Background: Morbidity and mortality from chronic lung diseases are increasing worldwide. A combination of various cytological and histopathological techniques are required for the high diagnostic accuracy. This study aims to evaluate and compare diagnostic accuracy of fiberoptic bronchoscope aided cytohistological techniques such as BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage), TBNA (Transbronchoscopic needle aspiration) and FB (forceps biopsy) in diseases of lung. Method: A prospective study conducted on 100 patients with symptoms and signs of various respiratory diseases who underwent fibreoptic bronchoscopy. Diagnostic accuracy of various samples alone and in combination were analysed. Results: Sensitivity of BAL-24%, TBNA 64% and FB 66%. Addition of BAL to FB increased the sensitivity to 69%. Addition of BAL to TBNA increased the sensitivity to 70%. Sensitivity of cytological methods (FB and TBNA) 90%. Addition of both BAL and TBNA to FB increased overall senstivity to 93%. FB the most specific amongst the three techniques with specificity of 94% followed by TBNA (59.4%) and BAL (50%). Conclusions: There are variable results regarding diagnostic yields and utilities of various fibre-optic bronchoscope aided cytohistological techniques but there combination adds the yields. Thus a combination of various cytohistological samples should be taken in a patient undergoing fiberoptic bronchoscopic examination to increase the diagnostic yield, to cut short the diagnostic time and early start of treatment

Dephosphorylation of YB-1 is Required for Nuclear Localisation During G2 Phase of the Cell Cycle

Elevated levels of nuclear Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) are linked to poor prognosis in cancer. It has been proposed that entry into the nucleus requires specific proteasomal cleavage. However, evidence for cleavage is contradictory and high YB-1 levels are prognostic regardless of cellular location. Here, using confocal microscopy and mass spectrometry, we find no evidence of specific proteolytic cleavage. Doxorubicin treatment, and the resultant G2 arrest, leads to a significant increase in the number of cells where YB-1 is not found in the cytoplasm, suggesting that its cellular localisation is variable during the cell cycle. Live cell imaging reveals that the location of YB-1 is linked to progression through the cell cycle. Primarily perinuclear during G1 and S phases, YB-1 enters the nucleus as cells transition through late G2/M and exits at the completion of mitosis. Atomistic modelling and molecular dynamics simulations show that dephosphorylation of YB-1 at serine residues 102, 165 and 176 increases the accessibility of the nuclear localisation signal (NLS). We propose that this conformational change facilitates nuclear entry during late G2/M. Thus, the phosphorylation status of YB-1 determines its cellular location

Critical Role for Cold Shock Protein YB-1 in Cytokinesis

High levels of the cold shock protein Y-box-binding protein-1, YB-1, are tightly correlated with increased cell proliferation and progression. However, the precise mechanism by which YB-1 regulates proliferation is unknown. Here, we found that YB-1 depletion in several cancer cell lines and in immortalized fibroblasts resulted in cytokinesis failure and consequent multinucleation. Rescue experiments indicated that YB-1 was required for completion of cytokinesis. Using confocal imaging we found that YB-1 was essential for orchestrating the spatio-temporal distribution of the microtubules, β-actin and the chromosome passenger complex (CPC) to define the cleavage plane. We show that phosphorylation at six serine residues was essential for cytokinesis, of which novel sites were identified using mass spectrometry. Using atomistic modelling we show how phosphorylation at multiple sites alters YB-1 conformation, allowing it to interact with protein partners. Our results establish phosphorylated YB-1 as a critical regulator of cytokinesis, defining precisely how YB-1 regulates cell division

Critical Role for Cold Shock Protein YB-1 in Cytokinesis

High levels of the cold shock protein Y-box-binding protein-1, YB-1, are tightly correlated with increased cell proliferation and progression. However, the precise mechanism by which YB-1 regulates proliferation is unknown. Here, we found that YB-1 depletion in several cancer cell lines and in immortalized fibroblasts resulted in cytokinesis failure and consequent multinucleation. Rescue experiments indicated that YB-1 was required for completion of cytokinesis. Using confocal imaging we found that YB-1 was essential for orchestrating the spatio-temporal distribution of the microtubules, β-actin and the chromosome passenger complex (CPC) to define the cleavage plane. We show that phosphorylation at six serine residues was essential for cytokinesis, of which novel sites were identified using mass spectrometry. Using atomistic modelling we show how phosphorylation at multiple sites alters YB-1 conformation, allowing it to interact with protein partners. Our results establish phosphorylated YB-1 as a critical regulator of cytokinesis, defining precisely how YB-1 regulates cell division