Clinical Spectrum of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections: A Single-Center Study

A retrospective observational study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical profile of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a tertiary care hospital. Patients <18 years, kidney-transplant recipients, those on immunosuppressive agents and pregnant patients were excluded. Patients with ≥2 episodes of culture positive UTIs were included. Demographic details, investigations and treatment were recorded. Out of total 48 patients, 18 were female and 30 male. The common manifestations were acute pyelonephritis (52%), emphysematous pyelonephritis (20%) and cystitis (25%). Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (48%) was the most frequent organism isolated followed by Klebsiella spp. (29%) and Pseudomonas spp. (23%). Recurrent episodes of UTI with same organisms were noted in 62% patients. Death occurred in 12.5% patients due to septic shock. Renal calculi (24%) and double J (DJ) stent placement (30%) were associated with recurrent UTIs, though this was not statistically significant. Resistance to higher antibiotics (colistin, carbapenems, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefoperazone-sulbactam, third-generation cephalosporins) (65.4%, r = 0.81), diabetes (62.5%, r = 0.79), urological procedure (39.5%, r = 0.68), prior hospitalization (75%, r = 0.84), history of UTI prior to the study period (44%, r = 0.72) and need for per urethral catheter (PUC) beyond 7 days (35%, r = 0.74) had significant correlation with recurrent UTIs

Solar power as remunerative crop

Anand, the small Gujarat town that gave India its dairy cooperave movement, has now spawned a new cooperave that may well grow into a genre of its own. The Dhundi Solar Pump Irrigators' Cooperave Enterprise (SPICE) provides the proof of concept for promong Solar Power as a Remunerave Crop (SPaRC). We argue that SPaRC presents the best chance of taming western India's groundwater anarchy, of improving the finances of power distribuon companies, of curtailing the carbon footprint of our agriculture and of creang a new, risk-free source of serious cash income for India's farmers

Promoting solar irrigation service providers in Ganga basin: jobs, affordable irrigation and accelerated green revolution

The plains of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin, encompassing Bangladesh, Nepal terai and eastern India, are home to a quarter of the world’s rural poor. The basin’s copious aquifers are the biggest hope for millions of smallholders locked into unviable agriculture. Studies suggest shallow groundwater wells can support 2.5 crops/year in much of the basin without threat of depletion. Yet, cropping intensities hover around 1.2- 1.5 in most parts. Rapid expansion in shallow tubewell irrigation has begun to show productivity improvement for tubewell owners, but marginal farmers and tenants remain in a disadvantageous position in this tubewell irrigation economy

Efficacy of botulinum toxin in masseter muscle hypertrophy for lower face contouring

Background Masseter muscle hypertrophy (MMH) usually presents with cosmetic concerns as it may lead to widening of the lower face. Apart from the traditional surgical approaches, botulinum toxin type A (BTA) injection is a non-invasive treatment option available. There are no standard guidelines for this procedure. Objectives To study the efficacy of botulinumtoxin A in MMH for lower face contouring. Methodology The Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE, Google-scholar, Science-Direct database, and ResearchGate from inception until September 2021 were searched using the keywords “botulinumtoxin type A,” “masseter muscle hypertrophy,” “lower face contouring,” and “masseter botox.” All available retrospective and prospective studies, case-series, case-reports, and expert reviews were included with an emphasis on efficacy of BTA in MMH and units injected into the muscle, points of placement, adverse events, and the duration of its effect. Reference lists of the resultant articles, as well as relevant reviews, were also searched. Result 40 articles were shortlisted for the review, of which 14 studies with sample-size ≥10 in accordance with the study requirements were summarized in a tabular form for analysis and easy comparison and reference. Conclusion BTA injection is a non-invasive, safe, and effective treatment for MMH. The optimum number of BTA units could not be ascertained due to wide variability in the studies as well as ethnicity of patients and extent or some measurement of MMH. The points of placement of injection should be well within the boundaries of the masseter muscle. The maximum effect of BTA after a single injection session is usually seen in ~3 months, and the duration may last for 6–12 months. Multiple injection sessions may be required to maintain a long-term effect. Injection technique and total number of injection units of neuromodulator must be individualized for each patient

Regional variation in pig farmer awareness and actions regarding Japanese encephalitis in Nepal : implications for public health education

The objective was to explore regional variations in farmer awareness and actions towards Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Nepal; the association of awareness and actions with farm and farmer variables; and the implications for public health education and extension services. Social factors such as literacy, gender, and cultural practices were associated with farmer attitudes, knowledge and practices for JE control. The low uptake of vaccine and lack of infrastructure or financial capacity to house pigs adequately suggest that farmer personal protection should be a priority for education. JE is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease with pigs as the amplifying hosts

Nutrition for the ageing brain: towards evidence for an optimal diet

As people age they become increasingly susceptible to chronic and extremely debilitating brain diseases. The precise cause of the neuronal degeneration underlying these disorders, and indeed normal brain ageing remains however elusive. Considering the limits of existing preventive methods, there is a desire to develop effective and safe strategies. Growing preclinical and clinical research in healthy individuals or at the early stage of cognitive decline has demonstrated the beneficial impact of nutrition on cognitive functions. The present review is the most recent in a series produced by the Nutrition and Mental Performance Task Force under the auspice of the International Life Sciences Institute Europe (ILSI Europe). The latest scientific advances specific to how dietary nutrients and non-nutrient may affect cognitive ageing are presented. Furthermore, several key points related to mechanisms contributing to brain ageing, pathological conditions affecting brain function, and brain biomarkers are also discussed. Overall, findings are inconsistent and fragmented and more research is warranted to determine the underlying mechanisms and to establish dose-response relationships for optimal brain maintenance in different population subgroups. Such approaches are likely to provide the necessary evidence to develop research portfolios that will inform about new dietary recommendations on how to prevent cognitive decline

Iron Uptake via DMT1 Integrates Cell Cycle with JAK-STAT3 Signaling to Promote Colorectal Tumorigenesis

Dietary iron intake and systemic iron balance are implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, but the means by which iron contributes to CRC are unclear. Gene expression and functional studies demonstrated that the cellular iron importer, divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), is highly expressed in CRC through hypoxia-inducible factor 2alpha-dependent transcription. Colon-specific Dmt1 disruption resulted in a tumor-selective inhibitory effect of proliferation in mouse colon tumor models. Proteomic and genomic analyses identified an iron-regulated signaling axis mediated by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), JAK1, and STAT3 in CRC progression. A pharmacological inhibitor of DMT1 antagonized the ability of iron to promote tumor growth in a CRC mouse model and a patient-derived CRC enteroid orthotopic model. Our studies implicate a growth-promoting signaling network instigated by elevated intracellular iron levels in tumorigenesis, offering molecular insights into how a key dietary component may contribute to CRC

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2–4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease