Terceiras Sesióis d'Estudio del Occidente (A Caridá (El Franco), 19 y 20 de octubre de 2012)

The study explored the attitude and behavior of general people towards suicide with particular focus on role of counseling for suicide prevention in Bangladesh. Seventeen national newspapers were reviewed to look at the extent of suicide in Bangladesh and opinion of 50 people from different age, sex and profession was collected through Focus Group Discussions and an individual questionnaire. The analysis of reported news revealed that women committed suicide 5.68 times higher than men did; married people committed suicide more than unmarried people did. The data also revealed that the number of suicide is highest at age range of 16 to 20 years and family conflict is the number one cause of suicide in Bangladesh. Hanging from the ceiling and poison are the most popular method for committing suicide. Focused group discussions revealed a common belief of suicide as a sin and considered not as a right decision. All the participants undoubtedly believed that counseling is helpful in preventing suicidal behavior. The result of personal questionnaire showed that 20% of the participants thought about ending their life in their lifetime

Effect of vaginal progesterone in combination with cervical cerclage on improved gestational age and perinatal outcome in twin pregnancy: A prospective randomized study

Background: Prematurity is the second leading cause of death in the first month of life. Objective of present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of vaginal progesterone and cervical cerclage each alone and in combination in improving gestational age in twin pregnancy and its subsequent impact on perinatal outcome.Methods: A sample size of seventy-five patients has been calculated out of those recruited from outpatient clinic at menoufia university hospital. All fulfilled eligibility criteria of having a twin pregnancy with a history of spontaneous preterm labour, or with a sonographic short cervical length <25mm in mid trimester. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1 (N-25): received vaginal progesterone supplementation of 200 mg from 20 weeks until 34 weeks of gestation. Group2 (N-25): were remedied with cervical cerclage of Mc Donald type at 14-16 weeks of gestation Group 3 (N-25): received both vaginal progesterone as well as cervical cerclage. The primary outcome measure was spontaneous delivery between 34-37 weeks of gestation. Secondary outcomes were delivery prior 34 weeks of gestation as well as some parameters of neonatal morbidity and mortality.Results: There was a statistically significant higher gestational age in combination group when compared to progesterone group or cerclage group (P<0.001). Comparison between progesterone and cerclage groups did not reach statistical significance(P=-0.85). Both progesterone and cerclage groups demonstrated significantly lower birth weights, lower Apgar scores and a higher NICU admission rate than in combination group(P<0.001), while such significant difference did not exist between progesterone and cerclage groups.Conclusions: Combination of vaginal progesterone and cervical cerclage can improve gestational age at delivery as well as some parameters of perinatal morbidity and mortality in twin pregnancy

Effect of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Agonist (Pioglitazone) and Methotrexate on Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis (Experimental and Clinical Study)

Objective To investigate the combined effect of both pioglitazone and methotrexate on disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis in a biphasic study; experimental and clinical. Methods Experimentally: 50 rats were divided into 5 equal groups; controls, experimental arthritis, methorexate treated (0.1 mg/Kg daily), pioglitazone-treated (10 mg/kg daily), and methotrexate and pioglitazone treated. Clinically: forty-nine diabetic rheumatoid arthritis patients were included. Patients group consisted of 28 patients and they received pioglitazone 30 mg orally beside their usual treatment. Control group consisted of 21 patients and they continued their usual treatment plus placebo. Disease activity was assessed using DAS28 score. Patients were followed up for 3 months. Results Pioglitazone produced a significant improvement of serum oxidative stress parameters ( P < 0.05), and inflammatory cytokines in the treated arthritic group ( P < 0.05). Clinically, the pioglitazone treated group showed significant improvement in DAS28 ( P = 0.001) and C-reactive protein ( P < 0.0001) compared to placebo group. Conclusion The concomitant use of the PPAR γ agonist pioglitazone and methotrexate appears to be promising therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis patients

Comparative nutritional analysis between Vigna radiata and Vigna mungo of Pakistan

Vigna radiata (mung bean) and Vigna mungo (mash bean) of the family Fabaceae are among staple food in Pakistan. The experiments were conducted on these beans to determine the proximate composition such as moisture, ash, fibre, fat and protein content. The protein isolates from V. radiata and V. mungo was prepared and their functional properties (foaming, nitrogen solubility index and SDS gel electrophoresis) were also analyzed. All biochemical constituents were analyzed using official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (2005). Results show that they have high protein content and play significant role in human nutrition. These beans have high nitrogen solubility and less fat content; which is a characteristic generally needed for healthy food. This research concluded that V. radiata has high percentage of moisture (9.74 ± 0.19), fat (1.35 ± 0.048) and protein content (22.5 ± 0.24) as compared to V. mungo (7.9 ± 0.06, 1.01 ± 0.01, 21.3 ± 0.24, respectively). 54 and 33% of protein isolates were made from V. radiata and V. mungo, respectively. The functional properties analysis enhances their acceptability in food industry.Key words: Vigna radiata, Vigna mungo, protein isolate, foam stability

Characterization of the multidrug efflux transporter styMdtMfrom Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi

Salmonellae are foodborne pathogens and the major cause of gastroenteritis in humans. Salmonellae express multidrug efflux transporters that play a key role in their drug resistance, which is becoming an increasing problem for therapeutic intervention. Despite their biomedical importance, the mechanisms underlying substrate transport by multidrug efflux transporters remain poorly understood. Here, we describe the first characterization of a multidrug transporter belonging to the major facilitator superfamily from the genus Salmonella. We show that several clinical Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates constitutively express the styMdtM (STY4874) gene, which encodes a known multidrug-resistance (MDR) transporter. Guided by the structure of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) homolog, we studied two residues critical for substrate transport, Asp25 and Arg111. Mutation of Asp25 to glutamate did not affect the transport function of styMdtM, whereas mutation to alanine reduced its transport activity, suggesting that a negative charge at this position is critical for substrate translocation across the membrane. Substrate-affinity measurements by intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the Asp25Ala mutant retained its capacity to bind substrate, albeit at a lower level. Mutation of Arg111 to alanine resulted in a decrease in secondary structure content of the transporter, and mutation to lysine completely destabilized the structure of the transporter. A homology model of styMdtM suggests that Arg111 is important for stabilizing the transmembrane domain by mediating necessary interactions between neighboring helices. Together, our studies provide new structural and mechanistic insights into the Salmonella MDR transporter styMdtM

Advances in Nematode Identification: A Journey from Fundamentals to Evolutionary Aspects

Nematodes are non-segmented roundworms evenly distributed with various habitats ranging to approximately every ecological extremity. These are the least studied organisms despite being the most diversified group. Nematodes are the most critical equilibrium-maintaining factors, having implications on the yield and health of plants as well as well-being of animals. However, taxonomic knowledge about nematodes is scarce. As a result of the lack of precise taxonomic features, nematode taxonomy remains uncertain. Morphology-based identification has proved inefficacious in identifying and exploring the diversity of nematodes, as there are insufficient morphological variations. Different molecular and new evolving methodologies have been employed to augment morphology-based approaches and bypass these difficulties with varying effectiveness. These identification techniques vary from molecular-based targeting DNA or protein-based targeting amino acid sequences to methods for image processing. High-throughput approaches such as next-generation sequencing have also been added to this league. These alternative approaches have helped to classify nematodes and enhanced the base for increased diversity and phylogeny of nematodes, thus helping to formulate increasingly more nematode bases for use as model organisms to study different hot topics about human well-being. Here, we discuss all the methods of nematode identification as an essential shift from classical morphometric studies to the most important modern-day and molecular approaches for their identification. Classification varies from DNA/protein-based methods to the use of new emerging methods. However, the priority of the method relies on the quality, quantity, and availability of nematode resources and down-streaming applications. This paper reviews all currently offered methods for the detection of nematodes and known/unknown and cryptic or sibling species, emphasizing modern-day methods and budding molecular techniques

The influence of the accessory genome on bacterial pathogen evolution

Bacterial pathogens exhibit significant variation in their genomic content of virulence factors. This reflects the abundance of strategies pathogens evolved to infect host organisms by suppressing host immunity. Molecular arms-races have been a strong driving force for the evolution of pathogenicity, with pathogens often encoding overlapping or redundant functions, such as type III protein secretion effectors and hosts encoding ever more sophisticated immune systems. The pathogens’ frequent exposure to other microbes, either in their host or in the environment, provides opportunities for the acquisition or interchange of mobile genetic elements. These DNA elements accessorise the core genome and can play major roles in shaping genome structure and altering the complement of virulence factors. Here, we review the different mobile genetic elements focusing on the more recent discoveries and highlighting their role in shaping bacterial pathogen evolution