Study of demographic features in retropositive pregnant women

Background: Study of demographic features like age, educational status of the patient and her husband, occupation of the patient and her husband and religion of the retropositive pregnant women compared to controls.Methods: In this prospective study patients were selected from Vani Vilas Hospital attached to Bangalore Medical College attending the antenatal Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The study period was for 2 years. The study group comprised of 100 HIV seropositive patients. The control group comprised of 100 HIV seronegative patients. At enrollment, data collection of demographic features like age, educational status of the patient and her husband, occupation of patient and her husband, and religion of the retropositive pregnant women compared to controls.Results: The minimum and maximum age in the study group was 18 and 36 years respectively and in the control group 17 and 35 years respectively. Around 73% of pregnant women in the study group were below 25 years of age. 89% of pregnant women in the study group were Hindus. Around 36% of women in the study group were illiterate compared to 21% in the control group. Around 45% of women in the control group have studied till secondary school. In this study, most of the women in both the groups were housewives. There was one commercial sex worker and 8 women had polygamous relationship in the study group. The occupational pattern of the husbands was analyzed and 34% of the husbands of HIV positive women were drivers. 56% of the husbands in the study group admitted to have had multiple sexual partners, whereas only 9% admitted so, in the control group.Conclusions: Retropositive pregnant women were younger; most of them were house wives. Husbands of retropositive pregnant women were drivers and most of them had multiple sexual partners

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) in sheep: an update on epidemiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) is a spontaneous lung tumor in sheep caused by Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) belonging to the Retroviridae. The primary aim of this review work is to give brief insights into the epidemiological aspects of OPA based on a meta-analysis of available research work. This review article also discussed pathogenesis, diagnostic tests and control strategies available for OPA in Sheep. This will help in developing future strategies for disease-free status in India. This disease is endemic in Europe, Africa, Asia, and American continents, causing significant economic losses due to chronic respiratory illness and persistent infections in flocks. The virus is unique among retroviruses with selective affinity to lungs and is the only virus known to cause spontaneous lung tumors in sheep. The incubation time ranges for sheep with naturally occurring OPA ranged from one to four years. There are two pathological forms of the disease: classical and atypical. At an early stage, OPA is difficult to detect in sheep due to a lack of preclinical diagnostic methods, as JSRV is poorly immunogenic and doesn't induce an immune response. PCR, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry are recommended methods for OIE diagnosis. To become a JSRV-free country, mandatory surveillance, detection, and removal of positive animals are required, as OPA is difficult to control due to a lack of vaccines and preclinical diagnostic tests. Due to its similar histological and molecular pathogenesis to that of human lung cancer, OPA is considered an ideal large animal model of human lung adenocarcinoma

A new model for diabetes-focused capacity building – lessons from Sri Lanka

Abstract Sri Lanka is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of people with diabetes mellitus (DM) due to population growth and aging. Physician shortages, outdated technology, and insufficient health education have contributed to the difficulties associated with managing the burden of disease. New models of chronic disease management are needed to address the increasing prevalence of DM. Medical students, business students, and faculty members from the University of Michigan partnered with the Grace Girls’ Home, Trincomalee General Hospital, and Selvanayakapuram Central Hospital to identify and train diabetes-focused medical assistants (MAs) to collect and enter patient data and educate patients about their disease. Return visits to these MAs were encouraged so that patient progress and disease progression could be tracked longitudinally. Data entry was conducted through a cloud-based mechanism, facilitating patient management and descriptive characterization of the population. We implemented this pilot program in June 2016 in coordination with Trincomalee General Hospital and Selvanayakapuram Central Hospital. Over a 12-month period, 93 patients were systematically assessed by the medical assistants. All patients received education and were provided materials after the visit to better inform them about the importance of controlling their disease. Fifteen percent (14/93) of patients returned for follow-up consultation. Trained MAs have the potential to provide support to physicians working in congested health systems in low-resource settings. Public investment in training programs for MAs and greater acceptance by physicians and patients will be essential for handling the growing burden associated with chronic illnesses like DM. Trained MAs may also play a role in improved patient education and awareness regarding diabetes self-management.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146742/1/40842_2018_Article_74.pd

Protein kinases orchestrate cell cycle regulators in differentiating BeWo choriocarcinoma cells

Abstract Choriocarcinoma, a trophoblastic neoplasia, occurs in women as an incidence of abnormal pregnancy. BeWo choriocarcinoma cells derived from the abnormal placentation are a suitable model system to study the factors associated with differentiation, invasion and other cellular events as an alternative to clinical samples. Many protein kinases orchestrate the complex events of cell cycle and in case of malignancy such regulators are found to be mutated. In the present study, BeWo cells treated with forskolin (Fo) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) were used to study the role of PKA (protein kinase A) and PKC (protein kinase C), respectively, on the expression pattern of differentiation-related genes, membrane markers, PKC isoforms and cell cycle regulators. The effect of Fo and PMA on the cell proliferation was assessed. Progressive induction of alkaline phosphatase level and formation of multinucleated differentiated cells were observed in the cells treated with Fo. Exposure of cells to Fo and PMA induced the mRNA transcripts of α-hCG, β-hCG and endoglin and down-regulates E-cadherin at mRNA and protein levels. Synergistic levels of both up- and down-regulated genes/proteins were observed when cells were treated with the combination of Fo and PMA. The mRNA levels of cyclin D1, cyclin E1, p21, Rb, p53, caspase-3 and caspase-8 decreased gradually during differentiation. Fo significantly inhibited the protein levels of PCNA, Rb, PKC-α and PMA stimulated mRNA expression of PKC-ε and PKC-δ. Further, failure in the activation of essential components of the cell cycle machinery caused G2/M phase arrest in differentiating BeWo cells

Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-Adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017 : A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study

Importance: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-Adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care. © 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Activities in the spinel solid solution Fe_XMg_1−XAl₂O₄

Activities in the spinel solid solution Fe_XMg_1−XAl₂O₄ saturated with α-Al₂O₃ have been measured for the compositional range 0<X<1 between 1100 and 1350 K using a bielectrolyte solid-state galvanic cell, which may be represented as Pt, Fe + Fe_XMg_1−X Al₂O₄+α-Al₂O₃//(Y₂O₃)ThO₂/(CaO)ZrO₂//Fe + FeAl₂O₄+α-Al₂O₃, Pt Activities of ferrous and magnesium aluminates exhibit small negative deviations from Raoult’s law. The excess free energy of mixing of the solid solution is a symmetric function of composition and is independent of temperature: ΔG^E=−1990 X(1−X) J/mol. Theoretical analysis of cation distribution in spinel solid solution also suggests mild negative deviations from ideality. The lattice parameter varies linearly with composition in samples quenched from 1300 K. Phase relations in the FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃ system at 1300 K are deduced from the results of this study and auxiliary thermodynamic data from the literature. The calculation demonstrates the influence of intracrystalline ion exchange equilibrium between nonequivalent crystallographic sites in the spinel structure on intercrystalline ion exchange equilibrium between the monoxide and spinel solid solutions (tie-lines). The composition dependence of oxygen partial pressure at 1300 K is evaluated for three-phase equilibria involving the solid solutions Fe + Fe_XMg_1−X Al₂O₄+α-Al₂O₃ and Fe + Fe_yMg_1−Y O+Fe_XMg_1−X Al₂O₄. Dependence of X, denoting the composition of the spinel solid solution, on parameter Y, characterizing the composition of the monoxide solid solution with rock salt structure, in phase fields involving the two solid solutions is elucidated. The tie-lines are slightly skewed toward the MgAl₂O₄ corner

Study of demographic features in retropositive pregnant women

Background: Study of demographic features like age, educational status of the patient and her husband, occupation of the patient and her husband and religion of the retropositive pregnant women compared to controls.Methods: In this prospective study patients were selected from Vani Vilas Hospital attached to Bangalore Medical College attending the antenatal Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The study period was for 2 years. The study group comprised of 100 HIV seropositive patients. The control group comprised of 100 HIV seronegative patients. At enrollment, data collection of demographic features like age, educational status of the patient and her husband, occupation of patient and her husband, and religion of the retropositive pregnant women compared to controls.Results: The minimum and maximum age in the study group was 18 and 36 years respectively and in the control group 17 and 35 years respectively. Around 73% of pregnant women in the study group were below 25 years of age. 89% of pregnant women in the study group were Hindus. Around 36% of women in the study group were illiterate compared to 21% in the control group. Around 45% of women in the control group have studied till secondary school. In this study, most of the women in both the groups were housewives. There was one commercial sex worker and 8 women had polygamous relationship in the study group. The occupational pattern of the husbands was analyzed and 34% of the husbands of HIV positive women were drivers. 56% of the husbands in the study group admitted to have had multiple sexual partners, whereas only 9% admitted so, in the control group.Conclusions: Retropositive pregnant women were younger; most of them were house wives. Husbands of retropositive pregnant women were drivers and most of them had multiple sexual partners

Sertoliform Endometrioid Tumor of Ovary Presenting as Torsion

Sertoliform endometrioid carcinoma of the ovary (SEC) is an uncommon variant that bears histologic similarity to sertoli and sertoli-leydig cell tumors. We report an interesting case of SEC in a 55-year-old female with a left ovarian mass with torsion. Histology revealed an SEC, featuring foci of typical endometrioid carcinoma, and areas composed of uniform, small, hollow tubules lined by columnar cells with apical cytoplasm. Tumor cells were strongly immunoreactive for EMA and cytokeratin but negative for inhibin; thus, confirming the diagnosis of SEC ovary. Recognition of this tumor is important as it is a well-differentiated, low-grade malignancy that displays good prognosis when confined to the ovary