High origin of left testicular artery associated with accessory renal artery and renal cyst; a cadaveric observation

The variation in origin of the testicular artery is not uncommon, few reports about a high origin from the abdominal aorta exist in the literature. The renal artery is known to exhibit variations in its number and position. The knowledge of this variation will help the radiologists and surgeons in avoiding clinical complication during interventions. During routine dissection teaching to first year MBBS students at Sapthagiri Medical College, Bangalore we found variation in vascular pattern of testicular and renal artery associated with renal cyst. Photographs of the variations were taken. There was high origin of left testicular artery and accessory left renal artery associated with bilateral simple renal cyst in adult Male cadaver aged around 60years.There was also prehilar division of right renal artery associated with renal cyst. Anomalies in the origin, course and number of testicular artery were observed in 4.7 percent of cases. Additional renal vessels are known as the accessory renal artery and their incidence varies between 9-76%. In the present case there was high origin of left testicular artery associated with accessory renal artery and renal cyst. This anatomical knowledge of the presence of accessory renal artery and high origin of testicular artery in this case is important for radiologists, surgeons and urologist in their clinical practice

ANATOMICAL STUDY OF NUTRIENT FORAMINA IN LONG BONES OF HUMAN UPPER AND LOWER LIMBS

Aims and Objectives: The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) To determine the number, location, position, and direction of nutrient foramina in the shaft of long bones. (2) To determine the foraminal index of the long bones. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, undertaken on dry cadaveric human long bones of unknown age and sex from the Department of Anatomy, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore. The duration of study was 2 years. In this study, 350 human long bones which include the clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna from the upper extremity; femur, tibia, and fibula from the lower extremity were examined in detail for the number, position, location, and directions of the nutrient foramen. For statistical purposes, p<0.05 was taken as significant. Results: All the bones had single nutrient foramina and a higher percentage of double nutrient foramina was seen in femur. The most common position was the middle one-third of the shaft and the surface distribution was different in different bones. All the bones had the nutrient foramina, which were directed away from the growing end. The mean foraminal index for clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna was 52.85±9.24, 56.92±6.57, 34.80±6.07, and 36.0±5.85, respectively. Mean foraminal index for femur, tibia, and fibula was 43.54±10.32, 32.37±3.1, and 51.68±9.77. Conclusion: Knowledge of nutrient foramina of long bones is crucial for orthopedic surgery, forensic identification, obtaining vascularized bone grafts, and treating trauma or malignant bone conditions

Depression and Cognitive Impairment among Community-dwelling Older adults in Southern India

Background: Depression and cognitive impairment are two psychosocial health problems significantly affecting the quality of life of older adults across the globe. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychosocial morbidities among older adults in a rural community of coastal Karnataka, India, and to determine the socio-demographic correlates of these morbidities.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in rural and semi-urban Udupi taluka, in southern India. A total of 1,832 men and women aged ≥60 years were surveyed from 2015 to 2017 using a simple random method. Data was collected from the participants through an interviewer-administered pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire, Geriatric depression scale-Short version, and Everyday Abilities Scale India, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Prevalence of depression and cognitive impairment among the study participants were reported, and significant sociodemographic predictors of these morbidities were determined using multivariate analysis.Results: Prevalence of depression and cognitive impairment were 38.7% and 49.1%, respectively, among older adults. Low literacy, low socioeconomic status, and unemployment were significant predictors of depression, while only low literacy was found to be the predictor of cognitive impairment. Further, being employed in old age showed a protective effect on their cognitive health.Conclusion: Psychosocial problems were highly prevalent among community-dwelling older adults. Improving their general health conditions, getting them involved in social activities tailored to their abilities and preferences, and ensuring economic independence through social security measures would pave the way in enhancing the mental health of older adults in southern India

Comparison of Physiological and Biochemical Autonomic Indices in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background and objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neuro-developmental disorder and it has been suggested that symptoms of ASD are associated with neural networks that regulate the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). However, the nature of autonomic atypicalities in ASDs remain largely unknown. Measures like Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and urinary Vanillylmandelic Acid (VMA) estimation are sensitive and non-invasive physiological and biochemical indicators of autonomic nervous activity. This study aimed to compare the physiological and biochemical autonomic indices in children with and without ASD. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 40 children with autism and 40 Typically Developing (TD) children were recruited. Measures of physiological autonomic index were assessed by the analysis of short term HRV, and the urinary levels of VMA estimation was used as a biochemical autonomic index. Results: Cardiac sympathetic activity assessed by Low Frequency (nu) of HRV was significantly higher in the ASD group in comparison with the TD group (p = 0.006). On the contrary, both the High Frequency (abs) and (nu) of HRV were found to be significantly lower in autistic children (p = 0.034 and p = 0.000) than controls. Autistic children also exhibited a significantly higher level (p = 0.049) of VMA concentration compared to TD children. Conclusion: The study concludes that children with ASD exhibit lower cardio-vagal activity as measured by HRV and increased sympathetic activity as assessed by urinary VMA compared to that of TD children. The core autistic symptoms exhibited by children with ASD could be due to the differences in baseline arousal or stress which might be associated with autonomic dysfunction. Further studies are needed to examine the association of this autonomic dysregulation with ASD symptoms and comorbidities

Prophylactic and therapeutic potential of tender coconut water intervention on antioxidant status in electron beam irradiated Swiss albino mice

656-661Ionizing radiation induces oxidative stress due to free radicals production. The in vitro study has shown that tender coconut water (TCW) of West Coast tall variety exhibits potent antioxidant property. Here, we attempted to evaluate the potency of TCW in reducing radiation induced oxidative stress in the mice model. The LD50/30 dose of electron beam radiation (EBR) for Swiss albino mice was assessed and was found to be 9.33Gy. Therefore, a sublethal dose of 6Gy was selected for further intervention studies to assess the levels of antioxidants. To evaluate the effective dose, the mice were irradiated with a lethal dose of 10Gy with the oral intervention of 50, 100 and 200 µL of TCW/20 g body wt. of mice. Findings of the study suggest that 100 µL/20 g body wt. was found to be effective in decreasing the mortality of irradiated mice. Further, intervention with TCW significantly increased the antioxidant levels compared to that of radiation control group. The results suggest that TCW exhibits radioprotective activity by potentiating the antioxidant levels in mice exposed to a sublethal dose of whole body EBR