A study of prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding

Background: Thyroid gland is the most vital endocrine organ which plays a major role in growth, development, metabolism and function of almost every organ of our body. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can result in menstrual irregularities. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) is one of the most common, yet complicated clinical presentation. It occurs in 10-20% of women between 15-50 years of age. Timely detection of thyroid dysfunction in patients presenting with AUB and their proper management can prevent unnecessary surgical interventions. This study was done to analyze the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with AUB and also to look for different menstrual patterns associated with thyroid dysfunction.Methods: This is a prospective study conducted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Government Medical College, Manjeri, Kerala, India. Total 200 patients were recruited into present study after satisfying all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Complete history was taken followed by a thorough examination. Baseline investigations and T3, T4, TSH was performed in all patients. Results were analyzed.Results: As per present study, majority of the patients with AUB were from the age group of 35-49 years (43%). In patients with AUB with thyroid dysfunction, prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism was most common followed by hypothyroidism. According to our study thyroid dysfunction was most commonly seen in the age group of 35-49 years, and the most common presentation being menorrhagia.Conclusions: Timely diagnosis and proper management of thyroid dysfunction in women with AUB can avoid variety of non-specific and ineffective diagnostic and therapeutic procedures

Gas Exchange Characteristics in Tectona grandis L. Clones under Varying Concentrations of CO2 Levels

The Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore, India functioning under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehara Dun, has a long term systematic tree improvement program for Tectona grandis aimed to enhancing productivity and screening of clones for site specific. In the process, twenty clones of T. grandis L. were studied for the physiological parameters and water use efficiency with reference to the elevated CO2 levels. CO2 enrichment studies in special chambers help in understanding the changes at individual level, and also at physiological, biochemical and genetic level. It also provides valuable information for establishing plantations at different geographic locations. Considerable variations were observed when the selected 20 clones of T. grandis were subjected to physiological studies under elevated CO2 conditions (600 and 900 mol mol-1). Eight clones exhibited superior growth coupled with favorable physiological characteristics including high photosynthetic rate, carboxylation and water use efficiency under elevated CO2 levels. Clones with minimal variation in physiological characteristics under elevated levels of CO2 suggest their ability to overcome physiological stresses and adapt to varying climatic conditions

Fabrication of Surface Micromachined AlN Piezoelectric Microstructures and its Potential Apllication to RF Resonators

We report on a novel microfabrication method to fabricate aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric microstructures down to 2 microns size by a surface micromachining process. Highly c-axis oriented AlN thin films are deposited between thin Cr electrodes on polysilicon structural layers by rf reactive sputtering. The top Cr layer is used both as a mask to etch the AlN thin films and as an electrode to actuate the AlN piezoelectric layer. The AlN layer is patterned anisotropically by wet etching using a TMAH (25%) solution. This multilayer stack uses silicon-di-oxide as a sacrificial layer to make free-standing structures. One-port scattering paramenter measurement using a network analyzer show a resonant frequency of 1.781 GHz on a clamped-clamped beam suspended structure. The effective electromechanical coupling factor is calculated as 2.4 % and the measured bandwidth is 13.5 MHz for one such a doubly clamped beam (990x30) μm2

Fish aggregating devices - A means to Augment fish Catch

Fish aggregating devices help to transform coastal fisheries from a hunting and collecting activity to a breeding and cultivating activity. If this is so, the system is not only a means to enhance fish catch but also is a means fo augment natural production

A Morphometric study of medial meniscus of knee joint in human cadavers

INTRODUCTION: The menisci are crescentic, intra capsular, fibro cartilaginous laminae. They serve to widen and deepen the tibial articular surfaces that receive the femoral condyles. Medial meniscus is semi-circular in shape and lines the medial part of the articular surface of the tibia. The menisci act as shock absorbers and also function to transmit the body weight evenly across the knee joint and provide stability to the joint. The most common injuries of the knee are the meniscal injury. Menisci play important role in knee joint biomechanics. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the morphometric data of human medial meniscus, document variation in medial meniscus dimensions between genders and to evaluate symmetry in medial meniscus measurements between the two sides and to compare it with that of the previous literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 25 embalmed cadavers were selected from the cadavers allotted to I MBBS students in the Institute of Anatomy, Madras Medical College, and Chennai from which 50 specimens of medial meniscus were taken for the study. The medial menisci from 50 knee joints of 25 adult cadavers were properly dissected and dried. There were 12 male and 13 female cadavers. The morphological parameters of the medial meniscus were measured. The parameters are measured using measuring tape, threads, graph paper, digital vernier callipers, linear scale, pin, electronic weight scale and compared with other studies. In the present study the following parameters are measured and analysed, 1. Width of medial meniscus, 2. Thickness of medial meniscus, 3. Outer circumference of medial meniscus, 4. Inner circumference of medial meniscus, 5. Area of medial meniscus, 6. Ratio of medial meniscus area to tibial plateau area, 7. Weight of medial meniscus. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study are compared with the findings of other similar studies conducted in other countries and different parts of India. This cadaveric study is useful in such a way that actual dimensions of menisci are calculated instead of a radiological one. This study was a systematic effort to quantitatively and statistically characterize the morphometry of medial meniscus. The present study provides a comprehensive set of quantitative measures of menisci which may be of help for designing artificial meniscal prostheses and for improvement of commonly used knee prostheses

Clinical Spectrum of Hirayama Disease in Tertiary Care Hospital

INTRODUCTION Juvenile muscular atrophy of the unilateral upper limb localized to hand and forearm was first reported independently in 1959 from Tokyo by Keizo Hirayama [et. al] and Takagi, Okabe. Benign monomelic amyotrophy (BMA) is considered a less common form of motor neuron disease of as yet unknown cause. In view of the first such case being reported by Keizo Hirayama, this disease is now being referred to as Hirayama disease. The clinical features of Hirayama disease were summarized based on previous studies (15-19). This disease affects people in their teenage or early second decade, it preferentially affects the males (male to female ratio = 20:1). There have been rare case reports of Familial occurrence, six pairs have been reported till date in over 300 case reports from Japan. Description of patients presenting with similar complaints has been reported differently by authors. Each author had given a different name to describe the disease they were reporting as the etiology of this disease is largely unknown. This confusion in disease categorization led to the emergence of multiple synonyms for this spectrum of clinical syndromes. AIM OF THE STUDY: 1. To study the clinical, nerve conduction and radiological profile of patients diagnosed to have Hirayama disease. OBJECTIVES: 1. To study the clinical profile of Hirayama disease. 2. To study the changes in Nerve conduction study parameters, with respect to median and ulnar f wave study in the neutral position of the neck and flexed position of the neck in patients with Hirayama disease and to compare its significance between the 2 neck position and also with controls. 3. To study the MRI changes in patients with Hirayama disease in neck neutral position and neck flexion position. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study Design: Retrospective and prospective study. Setting: Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. Study population: All patients with clinical suspicion of HD between Jan 2011 to Jan 2013 were included in the study. Inclusion criteria: 1) All patients with hand muscle wasting for whom the etiology could not be ascertained on standard evaluation for secondary motor neuron disease. 2) Weakness and wasting predominantly in one or both upper limbs. 3) Absence of cranial nerve, sphincter or cerebellar deficits. 4) 5 control subjects, age matched, with no neurological illness, Exclusion criteria: 1) Patients with focal upper limb atrophy and weakness due to focal disease of nerve, muscle, bone, or maldevelopmental diseases. 2) Patients of Hansen’s disease. 3) Patients diagnosed to have traumatic, infectious, vasculitic and metabolic plexopathy or neuropathy with hand wasting. RESULTS: • Males are predominantly affected with M : F = 7 : 1 • 70% of patients have bilateral involvement. • 55% of patients have predominant right hand involvement. • Average age at onset of first symptom is 18.9 years. • Overnight exposure to cold environment induced worsening of weakness was seen in 25% of patients. This phenomenon is seen in patients with disease duration of less than 18 months. • In this study 19% patients had transient sensory disturbance usually associated with phenomenon of cold paresis. • Hirayama disease predominantly involves distal upper limbs, but in this study 35% of patients additionally had proximal upper limb involvement. • In this study brisk DTR was observed in 35% of patients. • Proximal muscle fasciculation was present in 25% of patients. • Ulnar nerve F latency is prolonged and is accentuated significantly in neck flexion. • Median F latency is also prolonged but is not significantly accentuated on neck flexion. CONCLUSION In this study, in addition to the features originally described by Kiezo Hirayama, atypical features such as bilateral involvement, proximal muscle wasting, sensory symptoms, fasciculation and brisk DTR were observed. This study also concludes that in Hirayama disease ulnar nerve conduction studies of mild prolongation of the f wave latency which is accentuated on neck flexion will characterize this disease. This feature can be used as a monitoring parameter and also to objectively record progress during therapy. MRI of the cervical spine in Hirayama disease patients with neck in neutral position is often reported as normal. It is an essential tool to rule out secondary treatable causes of compressive or non compressive myelopathy. Dynamic neck flexion MRI highlights the characteristic features of Hirayama disease. In this study despite the smaller sample size it can be concluded that the presence of atypical features, predominant right hand involvement in young males, ulnar f wave changes and MRI changes are characteristic features and not pathology of the disease. The pathogenesis of Hirayama disease is still an enigma wrapped in a mystery with a possibility of segmental neuronal damage due to mechanical disturbance of integuments, vascular compromise and / or degenerative processes. Hence decompressive procedures are debated. To facilitate preservation of hand function and quick rehabilitation, cervical collar application may be of immense help to patients with` Hirayama disease

REVIEW OF MODERN PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

The imminent prospect of the first approval of a plant-made pharmaceutical (PMP) for human use could herald a new era for applied plant science, after a decade of public backlash against genetically modified crops, particularly in Europe. Yet, the general resistance to genetically modified organisms might have done plant biotechnology a favour in the long run, by forcing it to adopt more-rigorous procedures for efficacy and safety in line with the pharmaceutical industry. This could, in turn, lead to renewed vigour for plant science, with the promise of developing not only food crops that deliver benefits to consumers and producers, but also a wide range of new pharmaceuticals. This is certainly the view of David Aviezer, CEO of Protalix, an Israeli company that has developed what could become the first recombinant therapeutic protein from plants to treat Gaucher disease. The protein is called taliglucerase alpha; it is a recombinant human form of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase that is produced in genetically engineered carrot cells. This enzyme has a crucial role in the breakdown of glycolipids in the cell membrane and is either used to provide energy or for cellular recognition. Deficiency of this enzyme causes accumulation of lipids with a variety of effects including premature death. &nbsp

Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides in crustacean tissues occur both in free state as well as bound to proteins. The free polyasccharides are invariably glycogen.. The protein bound sugars may be determined after precipitating the protein (Saravanan, 1979)