A rare case of an ovarian ectopic pregnancy

Ovarian pregnancy is a rare form of the non-tubal ectopic pregnancy accounting for 3% of all ectopic pregnancies (incidence: 1.38-1.5%). Diagnosis is mostly missed and patients usually present with hemoperitoneum and shock since ovaries have rich blood supply. We report a case of a 42-year-old G4P3L3 with 6 weeks of amenorrhea with severe pain in abdomen, giddiness, spotting p/v. Beta hCG was 5380 mIU/ml, hemoglobin (Hb): 4 gm%, with ultrasonography (USG) was s/o left adnexal mass with massive hemoperitoneum. Patient taken for emergency exploratory laparotomy with Intraoperative findings showing massive hemoperitoneum with b/l tubes being normal, left ovary having 1.5 cm cystic mass which was bleeding. Left partial oophorectomy with D and C done. Histopathology report suggestive of normal tubes and ovary with syncytiotrophoblast s/o ruptured ovarian ectopic pregnancy

COFORMER SELECTION: AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN COCRYSTAL FORMATION

Cocrystals are multicomponent system in which one component is Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and another is called coformer. So coformer selection is one of the main challenge in cocrystal development which is compatible with API. A general approach to coformer selection is by tactless†cocrystal screening, whereby a predetermined library of pharmaceutically acceptable/approved compounds is used to attempt cocrystallization. In cocrystal development one of the approach of coformer selection is based on trial and error. Other approaches are supramolecular synthon approach which utilizes Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) to effectively prioritize coformers for crystal form screening, Hansen solubility parameter and knowledge of hydrogen bonding between coformer and API. In this review, all the parameters are explain and correlate with each other and with cocrystal formatio

Analytical Tool for Determination of traces of Cu (II)

Heavy metals are widely existent in the contaminated environments. Copper is an essential metal for plants, microorganisms, animals and human beings to perform specific biological functions. As a toxicant at elevated levels of biologically available form, it produces a physiological response. Hence there is a need for rapid and sensitive methods for the analytical determination of copper. The aim of this article is to propose a rapid, selective and sensitive method for the determination of trace amounts copper (II). We aim to develop paptodes based on RGB analysis for copper determination and removal. A new optical analytical method, “digital RGB Analysis” is proposed instead of the conventional optical method, “spectrophotometry”. MATLAB image processing tool can transform the color information into digital RGB values that can be treated as analytical information. The Paper optode has been prepared by immobilizing resorcinol and oxalic acid 1:1 solution on chromatographic (TLC) strip and heating for 15min at 80-900C. The obtained color pattern was analyzed using image processing tool of MATLAB software to determine copper (II). All parameters affecting intensity on optode have been optimized. The proposed sensor was linear in the range 0.012-8.4µg mL-1 {12 µL of 1-700 µg mL-1). The minimum detection limit was found 15ng mL-1.The proportionality in intensity of the spot color on the optodes loaded with varying amounts of copper suggests its potential applications for environmental monitoring. The paptode can also be used for pollutant check at home. Thus the paper optode has great potential for this purpose. Key Words: MATLAB, RGB analysis, Heavy metals, optical analytical method, TLC strip

Determination of Nitrate in Polluted Water with New Coupling Reagent Hydroxamic Acids : A Rapid and High Potential Reagent for Trace Determination of Nitrate in Polluted Water

A rapid, stable and direct visible spectrophotometric method, based on the quantitative nitration of hydroxamic acids in concentrated sulphuric acid, is described for determination of nitrate in water samples from different sites of Bhopal. The nitration product was extracted in n-hexane and yellow complex formed was determined at 462 nm, 458 nm and 450 nm for N-PBHA, N-PClPBHA and N-PClPCHA, respectively. The calibration graph was linear over the range of 0.0001965-0.002751, 0.001965-0.03931 and 0.001965-0.02554 µg/25 ml for N-PBHA, N-PClPBHA and N-PClPCHA, respectively. The molar absorptivities were found to be 3.81x106, 2.65x105 and 4.11x105 L mol-1 cm-1 for the above three hdroxamic acids. The accuracy of method did not depend on nitrate contents. Key words: Nitrate, Hydroxamic acid, Water, Spectrophotometry, Potential.

Can biowarfare agents be defeated with light?

Biological warfare and bioterrorism is an unpleasant fact of 21st century life. Highly infectious and profoundly virulent diseases may be caused in combat personnel or in civilian populations by the appropriate dissemination of viruses, bacteria, spores, fungi, or toxins. Dissemination may be airborne, waterborne, or by contamination of food or surfaces. Countermeasures may be directed toward destroying or neutralizing the agents outside the body before infection has taken place, by destroying the agents once they have entered the body before the disease has fully developed, or by immunizing susceptible populations against the effects. A range of light-based technologies may have a role to play in biodefense countermeasures. Germicidal UV (UVC) is exceptionally active in destroying a wide range of viruses and microbial cells, and recent data suggests that UVC has high selectivity over host mammalian cells and tissues. Two UVA mediated approaches may also have roles to play; one where UVA is combined with titanium dioxide nanoparticles in a process called photocatalysis, and a second where UVA is combined with psoralens (PUVA) to produce “killed but metabolically active” microbial cells that may be particularly suitable for vaccines. Many microbial cells are surprisingly sensitive to blue light alone, and blue light can effectively destroy bacteria, fungi, and Bacillus spores and can treat wound infections. The combination of photosensitizing dyes such as porphyrins or phenothiaziniums and red light is called photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photoinactivation, and this approach cannot only kill bacteria, spores, and fungi, but also inactivate viruses and toxins. Many reports have highlighted the ability of PDT to treat infections and stimulate the host immune system. Finally pulsed (femtosecond) high power lasers have been used to inactivate pathogens with some degree of selectivity. We have pointed to some of the ways light-based technology may be used to defeat biological warfare in the future

Removal of a Three Piece Foreign Body from a Child's Lung

Foreign body aspiration can be a life-threatening event especially in young children because they have smaller diameters of airway lumen, moreover, the delay in the diagnosis and subsequent therapeutic intervention can further increase the risk of morbidity. A retained foreign body can result in inflammatory response and granulation tissue formation around the object which make the foreign body removal difficult. In such situations surgical intervention is usually needed but with interventional pulmonology modalities we can restrict the need for surgery. Rigid bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia is the gold standard of diagnosis and management of foreign body aspiration. However, nowadays flexible bronchoscopy is more widely available and most pulmonary physicians are trained in its use so it can be used to remove such foreign bodies. We hereby report a case of a neglected foreign body which remained in the bronchus of a child for 11 days, successfully removed by flexible bronchoscopy

Aging and obesity prime the methylome and transcriptome of adipose stem cells for disease and dysfunction

The epigenome of stem cells occupies a critical interface between genes and environment, serving to regulate expression through modification by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We hypothesized that aging and obesity, which represent major risk factors for a variety of diseases, synergistically modify the epigenome of adult adipose stem cells (ASCs). Using integrated RNA- and targeted bisulfite-sequencing in murine ASCs from lean and obese mice at 5- and 12-months of age, we identified global DNA hypomethylation with either aging or obesity, and a synergistic effect of aging combined with obesity. The transcriptome of ASCs in lean mice was relatively stable to the effects of age, but this was not true in obese mice. Functional pathway analyses identified a subset of genes with critical roles in progenitors and in diseases of obesity and aging. Specifically, Mapt, Nr3c2, App, and Ctnnb1 emerged as potential hypomethylated upstream regulators in both aging and obesity (AL vs. YL and AO vs. YO), and App, Ctnnb1, Hipk2, Id2, and Tp53 exhibited additional effects of aging in obese animals. Furthermore, Foxo3 and Ccnd1 were potential hypermethylated upstream regulators of healthy aging (AL vs. YL), and of the effects of obesity in young animals (YO vs. YL), suggesting that these factors could play a role in accelerated aging with obesity. Finally, we identified candidate driver genes that appeared recurrently in all analyses and comparisons undertaken. Further mechanistic studies are needed to validate the roles of these genes capable of priming ASCs for dysfunction in aging- and obesity-associated pathologies

Can nanotechnology potentiate photodynamic therapy?

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses the combination of nontoxic dyes and harmless visible light to produce reactive oxygen species that can kill cancer cells and infectious microorganisms. Due to the tendency of most photosensitizers (PS) to be poorly soluble and to form nonphotoactive aggregates, drug-delivery vehicles have become of high importance. The nanotechnology revolution has provided many examples of nanoscale drug-delivery platforms that have been applied to PDT. These include liposomes, lipoplexes, nanoemulsions, micelles, polymer nanoparticles (degradable and nondegradable), and silica nanoparticles. In some cases (fullerenes and quantum dots), the actual nanoparticle itself is the PS. Targeting ligands such as antibodies and peptides can be used to increase specificity. Gold and silver nanoparticles can provide plasmonic enhancement of PDT. Two-photon excitation or optical upconversion can be used instead of one-photon excitation to increase tissue penetration at longer wavelengths. Finally, after sections on in vivo studies and nanotoxicology, we attempt to answer the title question, “can nanotechnology potentiate PDT?”National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (RO1 AI050875)United States. Air Force (Medical Free Electron Laser Program (FA9550-04-1-0079)

Rapid appraisal of IPP-VI training of ANMs in Uttar Pradesh

This report provides findings of a rapid appraisal of the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) training program in Uttar Pradesh, India. The appraisal was undertaken by the Population Council and State Innovations in Family Planning Agency (SIFPSA). As SIFPSA is in the process of planning a training program to strengthen the technical skills and competence of ANMs and update their contraceptive knowledge, it was felt that a rapid appraisal of the training program would help in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of previous training efforts. The ANM training initiatives of SIFPSA would then build upon the experiences gained from earlier training programs and the existing training needs of ANMs. The emphasis was on improving ANMs\u27 technical and counseling skills by providing on-the-job practical training. The program was a three-week skill-based training, during which ANMs were attached to a CHC/PPC or a district hospital. This was followed by one week of training at an ANM Training Centre in IEC and counseling. The objective was to review how the training program was organized and how it helped improve the technical skills and competence of ANMs

Cross-site comparison of ribosomal depletion kits for Illumina RNAseq library construction

Background Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) comprises at least 90% of total RNA extracted from mammalian tissue or cell line samples. Informative transcriptional profiling using massively parallel sequencing technologies requires either enrichment of mature poly-adenylated transcripts or targeted depletion of the rRNA fraction. The latter method is of particular interest because it is compatible with degraded samples such as those extracted from FFPE and also captures transcripts that are not poly-adenylated such as some non-coding RNAs. Here we provide a cross-site study that evaluates the performance of ribosomal RNA removal kits from Illumina, Takara/Clontech, Kapa Biosystems, Lexogen, New England Biolabs and Qiagen on intact and degraded RNA samples. Results We find that all of the kits are capable of performing significant ribosomal depletion, though there are differences in their ease of use. All kits were able to remove ribosomal RNA to below 20% with intact RNA and identify ~ 14,000 protein coding genes from the Universal Human Reference RNA sample at >1FPKM. Analysis of differentially detected genes between kits suggests that transcript length may be a key factor in library production efficiency. Conclusions These results provide a roadmap for labs on the strengths of each of these methods and how best to utilize them. Keywords: RNAseqr; RNA depletion; Illumina; NGS; ABRF; TranscriptomicsNational Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Grant P30-CA14051)National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Grant P30-ES002109