Planning, conduct and evaluation of controlled clinical trials

The controlled clinical trial is now a well-accepted method of measuring the relative efficacies of different therapeutic regimens for many diseases. Although its usefulness is widely appreciated, there is an insufficient awareness of the rationale and the methodology of the controlled clinical trial - that is, the reasons underlying it and the procedures involved in the execution. By taking examples from the field of pulmonary tuberculosis, the issues involved can be clearly set out

Modeling charge transport in Swept Charge Devices for X-ray spectroscopy

We present the formulation of an analytical model which simulates charge transport in Swept Charge Devices (SCDs) to understand the nature of the spectral redistribution function (SRF). We attempt to construct the energy-dependent and position dependent SRF by modeling the photon interaction, charge cloud generation and various loss mechanisms viz., recombination, partial charge collection and split events. The model will help in optimizing event selection, maximize event recovery and improve spectral modeling for Chandrayaan-2 (slated for launch in 2014). A proto-type physical model is developed and the algorithm along with its results are discussed in this paper.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, Proc. SPIE 8453, High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy

A RARE SEROTYPE SALMONELLA WELTEVREDEN CAUSING ENTERIC FEVER IN AN HIV POSITIVE PATIENT IN MANGALORE

Enteric fever is endemic in India. Usually caused by Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi and Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi A. Enteric fever due to non typhoidal salmonellae is rare. We report an extremely rare case of enteric fever caused by Salmonella enterica serotype Weltevreden in a HIV positive 27 year old male

A study of clinical and functional outcome of primary total knee arthroplasty using posterior cruciate substitute design

Background: To study the clinical and functional outcome in a consecutive series of Total Knee Arthroplasty using Posterior cruciate substituting (PS) design using the Knee Society Score(KSS). The objectives of the study was 1) To assess the improvement in pain relief post-operatively, stability, mobility of the joint and to assess the correction of deformities. 2) To compare the knee clinical score (KCS) pre-operatively and post-operatively. 3) To compare the knee functional score (KFS) pre-operatively and post-operatively. 4) To assess the radiological outcome of total knee arthroplasty. 5) To study the association between the KCS and the KFS.Methods: The study was conducted on patients who have undergone Primary total knee replacement, in Department of Orthopaedics, KIMS hospital from June 2014 to February 2017. The patient was assessed clinically, functionally using the Knee Society Score and a radiographic evaluation was done. These evaluations were performed at 6weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks and 1year follow up visits.Results: At 1 year follow up of 60 knees, the average pre-op knee clinical score and functional score of 24.7 and 41.2 improved to an average post-op score of 89.9 and 87.8 respectively. Knee clinical and functional score grade of excellent to good was seen in 96.7% (58 knees of 60). Significant association was seen between KCS and KFS. 5 patients had delayed wound healing and one patient had deep infection. Alignment of prosthesis was found satisfactory in all patients. Flexion deformity, valgus and varus correction achieved in all the patients. Conclusions: Total knee arthroplasty using posterior cruciate substituting designs resulted in excellent relief of pain, range of motion, restoration of function, low prevalence of patellofemoral complications and continues to function well during the follow-up period. Improvement in clinical score correlated significantly with improvement in functional score. Knee society scoring system effective in evaluating clinical, functional and radiological outcomes.

Tunneling and Non-Universality in Continuum Percolation Systems

The values obtained experimentally for the conductivity critical exponent in numerous percolation systems, in which the interparticle conduction is by tunnelling, were found to be in the range of $t_0$ and about $t_0+10$, where $t_0$ is the universal conductivity exponent. These latter values are however considerably smaller than those predicted by the available ``one dimensional"-like theory of tunneling-percolation. In this letter we show that this long-standing discrepancy can be resolved by considering the more realistic "three dimensional" model and the limited proximity to the percolation threshold in all the many available experimental studiesComment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Role of TRPV6 in Mitigating Alcohol-Induced Disruption of Tight Junctions, Barrier Function, and Hepatic Injury

Background: Persistent alcohol consumption is widely recognized as a precursor to alcoholic liver disease. However, the intriguing observation persists that only a minority, approximately 20%, of individuals with alcohol use disorder succumb to this liver ailment. The factors contributing to this variability remain elusive. Studies indicate that individuals with alcoholic liver disease exhibit endotoxemia, with endotoxins primarily originating from colonic microflora. Moreover, these patients manifest disruptions in epithelial tight junctions, leading to compromised barrier function in the gastrointestinal tract. In this context, the transient receptor vanilloid receptor 6 (TRPV6) emerges as a crucial regulator of calcium absorption and transport, particularly in epithelial cells within the gastrointestinal tract. Research strongly suggests that suppressing the TRPV6 channel in Caco-2 cells can alleviate alcohol-induced disruption of tight junctions and barrier function. Methods, Results, and Conclusions: A scientific study subjected adult wild-type and Trpv6-/- mice to chronic alcohol feeding. Barrier function was assessed through in vivo measurement of inulin permeability, while tight junctions (TJ) and adherens junctions (AJ) integrity were evaluated using immunofluorescence microscopy. Systemic responses were analysed by assessing endotoxemia, systemic inflammation, and liver damage. Our findings highlight that alcohol induces the redistribution of tight junctions and adherens junctions, closely associated with the presence of TRPV6. Crucially, experiments with murine models reveal that the absence of TRPV6 mitigates alcohol-induced disruption of tight junctions, adherens junctions, gut barrier integrity, endotoxin absorption, and subsequent liver damage. Additionally, enteroids and colonoids generated from mice demonstrate that alcohol and its metabolite, acetaldehyde, increase the permeability of these organoids. Interestingly, organoids derived from TRPV6 knockout animals exhibit resistance to heightened permeability. Collectively, these findings suggest a pivotal role for the TRPV6 channel in mediating alcohol-induced damage to the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Our research provides valuable insights into potential mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced liver disease and emphasizes the significance of TRPV6 as a promising target for further exploration and potential therapeutic interventions

Unusually heavy catches of ribbon fish close to the shore at Visakhapatnam

Very heavy catches of ribbonfish were observed quite close to the shore at Visakhapatnam for a very short duration. Observations were made on this fishery and certain important biological aspects Ribbonfish do not generally come very close to the shore. As such they are vei7 rarely caught in the shore-seines. They are normally caught in boatseines operating 3-4 km away from the shore and in trawl nets. It is possible that the ribbon fish shoal after spawning hit the shore chasing their food consisting of Stolephorus sp, Leiognathus sp. Etc. Which might have been moving closer to the Shore to avoid the cold upwelled water

Examination of smears for tubercle bacilli by Fluorescence Microscopy

IN underdeveloped countries, laboratory facilities for the bacteriological diagnosis of tuberculosis are at present, very limited. Cultural methods are unlikely to be used on a large scale for many years to come. It is, therefore, important to investigate the most economical method of examining smears for tubercle bacilli. Fluorescence microscopy was introduced by Hagemann (1937) and has since been described by many authors, including Tanner (1941, 1948), Lind and Shaughnessy (1941), Lempert (1944), Norman and Jelks (1945), Clegg and Foster-Carter (1946), Wilson (1952), Von Haebler and Murray (1954), and Needham (1957). The great advantage claimed for this method is that stained bacilli can be detected using a much lower magnification than with the usual Ziehl-Neelsen method. Considerable time is saved in examining smears and larger areas can be searched. The method has not been widely employed for two reasons. In the first place, the light source must be very bright and many of the optical systems described previously have only supplied sufficient light if the equipment was used in a darkened room. Secondly, some workers (Ritterhoff and Bowman, 1945; Kuster, 1939; Holm and Plum, 1943) consider that false positive results can be obtained, since some smears may contain small naturally fluorescent particles which can be confused with bacilli. Equipment for fluorescence microscopy that can be used in normal daylight has been in use at the Tuberculosis Chemotherapy Centre, Madras, for over two years. When it was first introduced, a comparison between this method and the conventional Ziehl-Neelsen method was undertaken to test their relative sensitivities, and to see whether fluorescence microscopy yielded false positive results. The results of this comparison are described

A qualitative test for the determination of isoniazid acetylator phenotype

A qualitative test procedure for phenotyping isoniazid acetylators is described. It is based on a colour reaction which depends on the free sulphadimidine content in the total urine excreted over any one-hour period between 21 and 26 hours following a dose of sulphadimidine 1.0 or 1.5 g. depending on body-weight. The test correctly classified 96 per cent of 109 slow and 96 per cent of 68 rapid inactivators. Storage of urine samples at room-temperature up to 14 days did not affect the accuracy of the results