Determination of Rx expression in the adult mouse retina and delineation of the Rx mediated gene regulation

The Retinal homeobox gene, Rx, is expressed in the anterior neural plate and the optic vesicle shows Rx expression throughout development. Rx is required for the proliferation of retinal progenitor cells during eye development.;Our expression studies of the Rx gene in the adult mouse retina show Rx expression in the Photoreceptor and inner nuclear layer of the adult neural retina and ciliarybody. The cotransfection assays indicate that Rx supports the transcription of neural retinal markers, as well as the RPE-markers. Therefore we characterize Rx as a proliferation marker for the entire optic vesicle region.;To determine the mechanism of Rx-mediated regulation of its target genes, we studied the BMP-4 promoter sequence. The mutation in one PCE-1 site significantly reduced the activity of BMP-4 promoter. Also the construct with all three PCE-1 mutated sites, show decreased activity. The 3\u27 end of the promoter by itself also shows reduced promoter activity

Oseltamivir induced sinus bradycardia: an area of potential concern

Oseltamivir was approved for the prevention and treatment of influenza in 1999 by the USFDA (US Food and Drug Administration). The use of Oseltamivir is increasing rapidly all over the world, especially after the 2009 “Swine Flu” pandemic. Less data is published as far as the cardiovascular side effects of Oseltamivir are concerned, but it could be associated with some serious cardiovascular side effects. This study presented a case series of 5 cases suspected to be suffering from seasonal influenza H1N1 (“Swine Flu”), who developed sinus bradycardia while they were on Oseltamivir therapy

Comparison of efficacy and safety of thiocolchicoside and pregabalin in the treatment of acute non-specific low back pain: an open label randomized prospective study

Background: The present study was undertaken to study the efficacy and safety of thiocolchicoside, a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant, GABA mimetic drug and pregabalin, an anti-epileptic, GABA mimetic drug in the treatment of acute non-specific low back pain.Methods: The study was carried out at the orthopaedic outpatient department of our hospital. 80 patients were included during the study period of two months. Out of the 80, 40 were given pregabalin 75 mg 1hs and the rest were given thiocolchicoside 8 mg bd by the prescribing doctor. Patients, aged between 18-60 years having non-radiating low back pain for less than 7 days were selected. The data was collected in a proforma which included the patient’s details and the prescribed drugs. The patients were also given notepads to record adverse effects. On day 1, the pain was measured on visual analogue scale. After a week, follow up was done and decrease in pain was measured on the visual analogue scale.Results: There was significant difference between pre and post visual analogue scale score in both the groups with a p-value of less than 0.0001. But the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p-value 0.0664). In both the groups, patients did not report any adverse effects. Pregabalin has a slower onset than thiocolchicoside however has better efficacy. In India, where the drug abuse risk is higher, pregabalin is a safer choice as skeletal muscle relaxants (thiocolchicoside) should not be given for more than a week.Conclusions: Pregabalin has better efficacy in treatment of acute non-specific low back pain as compared to thiocolchicoside

Performance Prediction and Optimization of Nanofluid-Based PV/T Using Numerical Simulation and Response Surface Methodology

A numerical investigation was carried out in ANSYS Fluent® on a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system with MXene/water nanofluid as heat transfer fluid (HTF). The interaction of different operating parameters (nanofluid mass fraction, mass flow rate, inlet temperature and incident radiation) on the output response of the system (thermal efficiency, electrical efficiency, thermal exergy efficiency, and electrical exergy efficiency) was studied using a predictive model generated using response surface methodology (RSM). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to evaluate the significance of input parameters affecting the energy and exergy efficiencies of the nanofluid-based PV/T system. The nanofluid mass flow rate was discovered to be having an impact on the thermal efficiency of the system. Electrical efficiency, thermal exergy efficiency, and electrical exergy efficiency were found to be greatly influenced by incident solar radiation. The percentage contribution of each factor on the output response was calculated. Input variables were optimized using the desirability function to maximize energy and exergy efficiency. The developed statistical model generated an optimum value for the mass flow rate (71.84 kgh−1), the mass fraction (0.2 wt%), incident radiation (581 Wm−2), and inlet temperature (20 °C). The highest overall energy and exergy efficiency predicted by the model were 81.67% and 18.6%, respectively

Compassionate use of remdesivir in pregnancy: a case series

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in an unprecedented global healthcare crisis. One special population that poses a challenge is pregnant women with COVID-19. However, there is limited data on treatment options for severe coronavirus disease in pregnancy. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, is currently being studied as a potential treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia. Nevertheless, pregnant women are also being excluded from various clinical trials for the disease. There are some studies mentioned in the literature which have shown no adverse effects of remdesivir during pregnancy. In this study, we present four serial cases of COVID-19 in pregnant women with moderate to severe symptoms who were treated with remdesivir. All of the them showed positive fetal outcome without any birth defects or malformations. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the biosafety and effects of remdesivir in pregnant women

Pre-pregnancy weight and weight gain during pregnancy are important determinants in the endocrine modulation of fetal growth restriction

Objective: Pre-pregnancy weight, nutritional status, and the amount of weight gained during pregnancy, are extremely useful indicators of fetal growth and outcome. Suboptimal maternal nutrition could have a direct effect on the organs of the developing fetus and/or affect the endocrine milieu in the maternal feto-placental unit resulting in "fetal growth restriction" which may be a significant risk factor for adult onset disease. We investigated endocrine adaptation by the fetus to overcome the growth disadvantage caused due to poor weight gain in pregnancy as a result of maternal nutritional restriction. Materials & methods: We examined the quantitative variations in hormonal profiles in paired maternal and cord blood samples obtained from mothers and their neonates who were classified based on maternal weight gain during the entire pregnancy. Results: 1) A total of 37.4 % mothers gained less than 6 kg during the entire pregnancy. 2) Anthropometric parameters measured in the mothers indicate that these mothers were nutritionally restricted both prior to and during pregnancy. 3) We observed increased levels of growth hormone, placental lactogen, prolactin and thyroxine (T4) and decreased levels of insulin in the cord blood of neonates and decreased insulin and TSH levels in maternal blood in the study group (< 6kg weight gain during pregnancy) as compared to the control group (> 6kg weight gain during pregnancy). Conclusion: Our results suggest that insufficient weight gain in pregnancy due to suboptimal maternal nutritional status results in fetal adaptation to a growth restricted environment by modulation of the pituitary-thyroid axis thereby altering the endocrine milieu resulting in significant "fetal growth restriction"