Computed tomography brain scan findings in eclampsia

Background: Eclampsia is characterized by sudden onset of generalized tonic-clonic convulsion or coma in pregnancy or postpartum unrelated to other cerebral conditions. It is a life-threatening complication of pregnancy; the exact cause is still not conclusively elucidated. Recent studies using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gives valuable neuroimaging findings to determine the prognosis and early management of neurovascular complications that will reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.Methods: This is a prospective study done over 6 months to study population was chosen by eclampsia patients who were admitted through the emergency ward and also indoor patients who developed eclampsia after admission. A total of 50 patients were analyzed. Computed tomography (CT) scan of brain performed after a confinement of fetus and after stabilizing the mother. Maternal and fetal outcomes were observed in these cases.Results: A total of 50 eclampsia patients and their CT scan findings were studied. In these positive CT scan findings were noticed in 23 patients. 1 patient expired with massive cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral oedema (40%) was the most common CT scan finding and the most common area is the parietal lobe (32%) followed by the occipital (8%) and frontal 4% and all lobes (1%).Conclusions: CT scan findings provide valuable information about the neurovascular complication in eclampsia patients, early diagnosis and prompt management of these complications will reduce maternal and perinatal mortality to some extent

A novel Ag/Carrageenan-gelatin hybrid hydrogel nanocomposite and its biological applications : preparation and characterization

A novel biohybrid hydrogel nanocomposite made of natural polymer carrageenan and gelatin protein were developed. The silver nanoparticles were prepared using the carrageenan polymer as reduction and capping agent. Here, the Ag/Carrageenan was combined with gelatin hydrogel using glutaraldehyde having a cross-link role in order to create the biohybrid hydrogel nanocomposite. The manufactured composite performances were anaylised by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) methods. The swelling behaviour of the Ag/Carrageenan-gelatin hybrid hydrogel nanocomposite was also analyzed. The antibacterial activity was tested against human pathogens viz. S.agalactiae 1661, S. pyogenes 1210 and E. coli. The bacterial cell wall damage of S.agalactiae 1661 was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The cytotoxic assay was performed against the A549 lung cancer cells

Improvement of two traditional Basmati rice varieties for bacterial blight resistance and plant stature through morphological and marker-assisted selection

Bacterial blight (BB) is a major production threat to Basmati, the aromatic rice prized for its unique quality. In order to improve the BB resistance of two elite, traditional BB-susceptible Basmati varieties (Taraori Basmati and Basmati 386), we utilized the strategy of limited marker-assisted backcrossing for introgression of two major BB resistance genes, Xa21 and xa13, coupled with phenotype-based selection for improvement of their plant type and yield. Improved Samba Mahsuri, an elite high-yielding, fine-grain-type BB-resistant rice variety served as donor for BB resistance. Backcross-derived improved Basmati lines at BC1F5 possessing a single resistance gene (i.e. either Xa21 or xa13) displayed moderate resistance to BB, while lines possessing both Xa21 and xa13 showed significantly higher levels of resistance. Two-gene pyramid lines (Xa21 + xa13) possessing good grain and cooking quality similar to their respective traditional Basmati parents, short plant stature (<110 cm plant height) and higher grain yield than the recurrent parent(s) were identified and advanced. This work demonstrates the successful application of marker-assisted selection in conjunction with phenotype-based selection for targeted introgression of multiple resistance genes into traditional Basmati varieties along with improvement of their plant stature and yield

Bridging the gap in 1 st year dental material curriculum: A 3 year randomized cross over trial

Background: Case-oriented small group discussions (COSGDs) can help students to correlate and integrate the basic science of dental materials into clinical application. We used COSGDs along with didactic lectures in dental material curriculum and hypothesized that case-oriented group discussions would be more effective than traditional lecture alone in terms of performance of students, student perception on the above two teaching methodologies and the feasibility in classes of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Methods: A total of 170 students were taught using both COSGD and didactic lecture in a randomized controlled crossover trial design. Their performance was assessed through multiple-choice questions (MCQs) as part of the formative assessment, and their perception was assessed through Likert scale questionnaire. Results: The mean difference in the scores between case-oriented group discussions with lecture and didactic lecture showed significant difference only in few topics. Around 94-96% of students perceived COSGD with didactic lecture help them understand theory better; 76-92% of students feel more comfortable asking questions in a group discussion; 89-98% of students feel such discussions motivate them and 91-100% of students agree that discussions make the subject interesting in the respective years of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Conclusion: Effectiveness of COSGD in terms of scores through MCQs is comparable to traditional lecture. However, most of the students perceive COSGD help them understand the theory better; co-relate clinically; more motivating and interesting than a traditional lecture. Feasibility in institution needs more time and resources to conduct COSGD within the dental material curriculum

Units of the semisimple group algebras FqSL(2,8) and FqSL(2,9)

In this paper, we characterize the structure of the unit group of the semisimple group algebras FqSL(2, 8) and FqSL(2, 9) of the special linear groups of 2 × 2 matrices with determinant 1 over the finite fields of order 8 and 9, respectively

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Not AvailableCinnamomum verum J. Presl and Curcuma longa L. have many biologically active metabolites, such as sterpenoids, phenolics with proven health benefits. The present study was undertaken to analyze the effect of cinnamon and turmeric extract on growth, blood parameters, and metabolic enzyme activities of albino Wistar rats. Methanol extract of cinnamon and turmeric mixture was supplemented in rat feed at 2.5 and 5% concentration, respectively and administered for 30 days. During the course of study, body weight, feed given, feed consumed data were collected at regular intervals. After the experimental period, animals were sacrificed, tissues separated, homogenized and assayed for the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-s-transferase (GST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), alanine aminotransferase (AAT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The results showed significant increase in liver catalase activity of treated animals and no significant changes in LDH, MDH, ALT and AST. No abnormalities were observed in the histopathology staining of tissue section. Overall, output of the present study could be useful for production of spices based antioxidant rich products for human health.Not Availabl