In vitro propagation of Aloe barbadensis Miller, a miracle herb

Aloe vera has valuable medicinal properties and is commercially used inpharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. An efficient micro propagation method hasbeen developed in Aloe vera plants using the shoot tip explants cultured on MS mediumwith different phyto hormonal supplements for shoot proliferation and rooting. Theshoot proliferation was found best (80%) in the MS medium containing Benzyl aminopurine (BAP) 2.0 mg/L. Seventy percent of adventitious root formation was observed inhalf strength MS medium supplemented with Indole butyric acid (IBA). After two weeks,in vitro grown plants were transferred to the poly-cups containing 1:1 ratio of soil an

Influence of SLC22A1 gene polymorphisms on gastrointestinal adverse effects with metformin therapy in South Indian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Background: Metformin, a first-line agent in Type 2 diabetes mellitus, causes gastrointestinal adverse effects in 20-30% of patients, leading to discontinuation in 5-10% of them. Organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) encoded by SLC22A1, transports metformin from the enterocytes into the bloodstream. Reduced function OCT1 variants could lead to increased luminal concentration of metformin leading to gastrointestinal adverse effects. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the SLC22A1 gene were studied in this cross-sectional study with cases and controls. Objective was to determine the association between genetic polymorphisms rs628031 (1222A>G) and rs622342 (1386C>A) in SLC22A1 gene and gastrointestinal adverse effects to metformin therapy in South Indian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Methods: The study was conducted in JIPMER, Puducherry, India in T2DM patients (n=300) of South Indian origin, who were categorized into case (N=100) and control (N=200) groups, based on their gastrointestinal tolerance to metformin. DNA was extracted from the patients using whole blood by phenol-chloroform method and genotyping was done using real-time PCR. Results: Minor allele frequency of rs628031 (A allele) and rs622342 (C allele) were 33.8% and 26.5% respectively. Genotype frequencies did not differ significantly between the case and control groups (rs628031, p=0.45, rs622342, p=0.28). Female gender (AOR 3.77; 95% CI 2.07, 6.85; p<0.001) and proton pump inhibitor usage (AOR 7.66; 95% CI 3.01, 19.47; p<0.001) had higher association with metformin intolerance. Conclusions: No significant association was found between the genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs628031 and rs622342) in the SLC22A1 gene and gastrointestinal adverse effects to metformin therapy in South Indian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Limb salvage after delayed arterial repair in compound Grade III C fracture humerus: a case report

A combination of brachial artery injury and fracture shaft of humerus is a rare phenomenon. There is a general apprehension regarding survival of a limb after vascular injury. Only few studies exist in literature that discuss about the survival of such limbs. Our case is a 56 years old female patient who presented three hours after sustaining injury in the form of fracture shaft of humerus and complete transection of brachial artery distal to the origin of profunda brachii. Even though Doppler USG done initially revealed flow in the vessels distal to the injury, a CT Angiogram done later revealed cutting of the brachial artery. This prompted us to perform brachial artery exploration and repair. post operatively, digital subtraction angiography showed absence of flow in the brachial artery but limb survived due to extensive collateral circulation. Even after the golden period of vascular repair has lapsed, arterial repair is recommended if there is no evidence of gangrene. This should be supplemented with adequate systemic anticoagulants and/or fasciotomy

Prevalence and Impact of Thyroid Disorders on Maternal Outcome in Asian-Indian Pregnant Women

Aims. To establish the prevalence and the effect of thyroid dysfunction on pregnancy outcomes in Asian-Indian population. Subjects and Methods. The study cohort comprised of 483 consecutive pregnant women in the first trimester attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary center in Mumbai, India. Thyroid hormone levels and thyroid peroxidase antibody were estimated. Patients with thyroid dysfunction were assessed periodically or treated depending on the severity. Subjects were followed until delivery. Results. The prevalence of hypothyroidism, Graves' disease, gestational transient thyrotoxicosis, and thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) was 4.8% (n = 24), 0.6% (n = 3), 6.4 % (n = 31), and 12.4% (n = 60), respectively. Forty percent of the hypothyroid patients did not have any high-risk characteristics. Hypothyroidism and TAI were associated with miscarriage (P = 0.02 and P = 0.001, resp.). Conclusions. The prevalence of hypothyroidism (4.8%) and TAI (12.4%) is high. TAI and hypothyroidism were significantly associated with miscarriage

A survey on burnout and depression risk among anaesthetists during COVID-19 : the tip of an iceberg?

The recent article by Heath et al. [1] is a timely one, which addresses the need for solutions to minimise the adverse psychological impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic. In the midst of this public health crisis, anaesthetists are at the frontline of the ‘war’ against the virus, and hence at great risk of suffering from mental and emotional harm, akin to a ‘parallel pandemic’ [2]. Due to the nature of the work of anaesthetists in managing patients in acute and critical care, with special emphasis on airway management and ventilatory support, their work‐load worldwide has increased during the pandemic, predisposing to burnout. Also, as the clinicians responsible for airway management, anaesthetists are among those at greatest risk of contracting COVID‐19 [3], and with this risk comes worry and anxiety, contributing to further psychological distress. In view of the multiple psychological challenges faced by anaesthetists worldwide, we sought to define the problem by investigating the prevalence of burnout and depression risk among anaesthetists in a nationally designated exclusive COVID‐19 hospital

A survey on burnout and depression risk among anaesthetists during COVID-19: the tip of an iceberg?

The recent article by Heath et al. [1] is a timely one, which addresses the need for solutions to minimise the adverse psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of this public health crisis, anaesthetists are at the frontline of the ‘war’ against the virus, and hence at great risk of suffering from mental and emotional harm, akin to a ‘parallel pandemic’ [2]. Due to the nature of the work of anaesthetists in managing patients in acute and critical care, with special emphasis on airway management and ventilatory support, their work-load worldwide has increased during the pandemic, predisposing to burnout. Also, as the clinicians responsible for airway management, anaesthetists are among those at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 [3], and with this risk comes worry and anxiety, contributing to further psychological distress. In view of the multiple psychological challenges faced by anaesthetists worldwide, we sought to define the problem by investigating the prevalence of burnout and depression risk among anaesthetists in a nationally designated exclusive COVID-19 hospital

A Qualitative Evaluation of IoT-driven eHealth: Knowledge Management, Business Models and Opportunities, Deployment and Evolution

eHealth has a major potential, and its adoption may be considered necessary to achieve increased ambulant and remote medical care, increased quality, reduced personnel needs, and reduced costs potential in healthcare. In this paper the authors try to give a reasonable, qualitative evaluation of IoT-driven eHealth from theoretical and practical viewpoints. They look at associated knowledge management issues and contributions of IoT to eHealth, along with requirements, benefits, limitations and entry barriers. Important attention is given to security and privacy issues. Finally, the conditions for business plans and accompanying value chains are realistically analyzed. The resulting implementation issues and required commitments are also discussed based on a case study analysis. The authors confirm that IoT-driven eHealth can happen and will happen; however, much more needs to be addressed to bring it back in sync with medical and general technological developments in an industrial state-of-the-art perspective and to get recognized and get timely the benefits

Mechanical, pH and Thermal Stability of Mesoporous Hydroxyapatite

The stability of mesoporous hydroxyapatite (HAP) powder was studied following treatments of ultrasound, pH and heating. HAP was found to be mechanically stable up to (and including) 1 h continuous ultrasonic treatment in water. The HAP structure was also stable to pH, evidenced by practically identical XRD and FTIR spectra over the pH range 2–12. The surface area increased progressively with increasing acidity, reaching a maximum of 121.9 m 2 g −1 at pH 2, while alkaline conditions decreased the surface area to a minimum of 55.4 m 2 g −1 at pH 12. Heating in air had a significant influence on the structural and morphological properties of HAP, which underwent dehydroxylation to form oxyhydroxyapatite (OHAP) at temperatures ≥ 650 °C, and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) ≥750 °C. The surface area decreased at elevated temperatures due to agglomeration of HAP crystals by sintering, which was associated with an increased particle size