Ameliorative effect of ethanolic extract of roots of Tetracera akara (Burm. f.) Merr. on D-galactosamine induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats by downregulation of inflammatory mediators like TNFα, COX-2 and iNOS

161-171Tetracera akara, a climbing shrub locally called Nennalvalli or Pattuvalli, is an ethnomedicinal plant used by Kani tribe of Kerala to treat chronic liver disorders and inflammatory conditions.  The present study was aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract of roots of Tetracera akara root on D-Galactosamine induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced in Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of D-GalN (400 mg/kg in saline) in Wistar rats. Ethanolic extract of T. akara root (TA ETH) was administered to the experimental rats in varying doses of (50, 150 and 300 mg/kg/day), p. o. for 7 days. The hepatoprotective effect was evaluated by the estimation of biochemical markers of hepatic injury, anti-oxidant status of the liver by estimating hepatic catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione and malondialdehyde, gene and protein expression level of inflammatory marker genes and histopathological evaluation of experimental animals. Administration of TA ETH (150 and 300 mg/kg) significantly (P ≤0.05) restored the levels of serum bilirubin, protein and other hepatic enzymes almost comparable to the standard drug Silymarin-treated groups. The levels of antioxidant enzymes like SOD and CAT were elevated and lipid peroxidation was inhibited as evident from the reduced levels of MDA. The gene expression studies by quantitative PCR method showed that TA ETH significantly (P ≤0.05) downregulated pro inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory COX-2 genes and upregulated IL 10 gene levels in D-GalN induced liver tissue, which was further confirmed in protein estimation by ELISA method. The histopathological observations were in correlation with the biochemical findings showing the presence of normal hepatic architecture, which further evidenced the hepatoprotective effect of TA ETH. Ethanolic extract of the root of T. akara possesses significant hepatoprotective activity mainly by scavenging reactive free radicals, boosting the endogenous antioxidant system in liver and inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediator like TNF α, COX-2, iNOS and promoting the anti-inflammatory IL 10, thus substantiating the tribal claim

Observed anomalous upwelling in the Lakshadweep Sea during the summer monsoon season of 2005

Repeat near-fortnightly expendable bathythermograph (XBT) transects made along Kochi-Kavaratti (KK) shipping lane in the Lakshadweep Sea (LS) during 2002–2006 are examined to describe the observed year-to-year variability of upwelling during summer monsoon season (SMS). Among all the years, the upwelling characterized by up-sloping of 25°C isotherm is relatively weaker and persisted until November during SMS of 2005 and is stronger during the SMS of 2002. As a result of prolonged upwelling, the sea surface temperature has shown cooling extending into the postmonsoon season. The estimated marine pelagic fish landings along the southwest coast of India (SWCI) have also shown increase until December. The governing mechanisms both in terms of local and remote forcings are examined to explain the observed anomalous upwelling during SMS of 2005. The equatorward alongshore wind stress (WS) along the KK XBT transect persisted in a transient manner beyond September only during SMS of 2005. The westerly wind bursts over the equator during the winter of 2004–2005 are both short-lived and relatively weaker triggering weaker upwelling Kelvin waves that propagated into LS in the following SMS of 2005. The observed distribution of negative sea surface height anomaly in the LS is relatively weaker during the SMS of 2005 and lasted longer. The correlation analysis suggests that the local alongshore WS off the SWCI and the remote forcing from the southern coast of Sri Lanka has greater influence on the observed interannual variability of upwelling in the LS when compared to the remote forcing from the equator

Adenocarcinoma Lung Presenting with Bilateral Chylothorax and SVC Thrombosis

Chylothorax is a rare clinical entity characterized by a milky white fluid within the pleural space. It is a rare condition in which damage or obstruction of the thoracic duct results in chyle leakage into the pleural space. The most common causes are surgical or nonsurgical trauma, neoplasms, tuberculosis and venous trombosis. Lymphoma accounts for 70% of the neoplastic cause, while other malignant causes are very rare. Chylothorax occurs most commonly on the right side and B/L chylothorax is a very rare presentation. We present a case of B/L chylothorax secondary to adenocarcinoma of lung

CT Guided Transthoracic Lung Biopsy - An Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre Hospital

Background: In 1883, Leyden described percutaneous lung biopsy, but it was not until 1970’s that image guided fine needle chest biopsy gained widespread acceptance. Haaga and Alfidi reported CT-guided thoracic biopsy in 1976. Currently, CT-guided core biopsy is playing an increasing role in the diagnosis of benign as well as malignant diseases, cellular differentiation, somatic mutation analysis, and molecular finger print analysis. Small tissue biopsy obtained through minimally invasive methods have become the primary diagnostic tools for the pathologic characterization and testing of lung masses Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and complications of CT guided transthoracic lung (core) biopsy in radiologically visible lung lesions Materials and methods: One hundred and one patients who underwent CT guided transthoracic needle aspiration lung biopsy (TNAB) for radiologically visible lung lesions were studied. After obtaining informed consent, the patient was appropriately positioned depending on the site of the lesion. A coaxial 18G biopsy needle (by cook) was used for biopsy. An immediate CT screening was done post procedure to r/o complications. Results: Transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy was diagnostic in 88% (89/ 101) of patients. In case of malignancy even the histological type of tumor was known and adequate tissue was present for molecular sampling. The complication rate (pneumothorax) following CT guided biopsy was 5% (5/101)with 1%(1/101)requiring ICD insertion. One patient had minimal haemoptysis which subsided with conservative management. Conclusion: CT guided lung biopsy is a safe, cost effective and useful procedure for determination of different lung lesions with diagnostic challenge. The complication rates are very few in experienced hands

A microbent fiber optic pH sensor

Optical fiber sensors developed for measuring pH values usually employ an unclad and unstrained section of the fiber. In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication of a microbent fiber optic sensor that can be used for pH sensing. In order to obtain the desired performance, a permanently microbent portion of a plastic optic fiber is coated with a thin film of dye impregnated sol–gel material. The measurements are simultaneously carried out in two independent detection schemes viz., the bright field detection configuration for detecting the core modes and dark field detection configuration, for detecting the cladding modes. The results of measurements of core mode-power and cladding mode-power variation with change in pH of a solution surrounding the coated portion of the fiber is presented. This paper thus demonstrates how a bare plastic fiber can be modified for pH sensing in a simple and cost effective manner

Erosion of esophageal stent into left main bronchus causing airway compromise

Covered or uncovered self-expanding metal stents are currently used for the palliative treatment of neoplastic esophageal strictures or compressions and esophageal leaks or fistulas due to malignancies. Erosion of esophageal stents into the respiratory tract is a rare complication and that too has been reported mostly as an early complication within few days or weeks. Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old female, who presented with a late complication of an esophageal stent eroding into the left main bronchus causing respiratory distress. She was stented for a benign corrosive esophageal stricture following caustic soda ingestion 3 years ago. She underwent a thoracotomy and closure of esophagobronchial fistula along with laparoscopic esophagectomy and gastric pull through. Postoperatively, patient developed an anastomotic leak which was corrected by placing a temporary stent

Deriving a denudation index for terrestrial meteorite impact craters using drainages as proxies

Meteorite impact craters are morphologic features that can develop characteristic radial, centripetal, and concentric drainage patterns. With age, fluvial activity denudes this morphologic feature, thereby erasing the evidence of a prominent geologic event. Apart from morphology and age, the target lithology and climate also influence crater denudation. In this study, we derive an index, called the Denudation Index (DI), which is a measure of rim degradation caused by fluvial activity. DI was derived by summing the average of first order drainages that retains radial and centripetal patterns to the total number of streams. DI was obtained through the extraction of drainages from digital elevation models (DEM) for 71 craters formed since the Phanerozoic eon. The DI was correlated with the morphology, age, lithology and paleoclimate. Paleoclimatic data corresponding to each crater was generated by reconstructing the crater paleo-positions through GPlates and superimposing the same to the Scotese\u27s Global Climate Model with an interval of 1 Ma. The study revealed that denudation is more prominent in a complex crater\u27s formation on a crystalline target rock than in simple crater on a sedimentary target. Craters in the equatorial rainy climate are more denudating than other climates. Thus, this study provides a new, rather novel, method of expressing the denudation of a crater. Furthermore, this study shows that the drainage network is a unique signature that can be used for depicting the denudation of morphologic features, especially a prominent one like the meteorite impact crater

Meteorite impact crater positions based on paleo-positions and its unrestrained latitudinal distribution

The paleo-positions of terrestrial meteorite impact craters along with distance and displacement registered since formation due to plate tectonics were deciphered using GPlates, an interactive GIS-based plate tectonic reconstruction and modeling software. The results of the study are intriguing as several craters have traversed across the globe, both from the Eastern to Western hemisphere and from the Southern to Northern hemisphere, and vice versa. The oldest crater studied was Foelsche, which traversed from the Southern to Northern hemisphere and from the Western to Eastern hemisphere while covering a distance of 39080 km in the past 981 million years and recording a relatively shorter displacement of 10470 km. On the other hand, Jänisjärvi and Suvasvesi South have traveled longer distances (27781 and 29050 km, respectively) and are among the most displaced craters (17400 and 16988 km, respectively). Similarly, the paleo-position, distance, and displacement for all craters, with ages \u3c1100 \u3eMa, were computed in the study. Based on the derived paleo-position, we have accessed the possibility of any selective distribution of craters across different latitudinal segments. As Earth is a planet that recorded dynamic variations in the terrestrial surface area across different geological ages, calculating the same was an arduous task. The land area within each of the three latitudinal segments, viz. 0–30°, 30–60°, and 60–90°, in which a crater formed was calculated for the geological time corresponding to an impact cratering event. This calculated land area within the respective latitudinal zone at each instance of a crater\u27s formation was then compared with the total land area on Earth. The results showed that 0–30° and 30–60° segments have equal crater frequencies whereas the 60–90° segment has a lesser frequency. The latitudinal crater distribution on Earth was then compared with Moon and Mars. The results revealed that there is a non-selective distribution of terrestrial impact craters across different latitudinal segments, indicating a non-perceivable latitudinal dependency for impact events