Postpartum eclampsia: a clinical study

Background: Eclampsia, an enigmatic multisystem complication of pregnancy, is commonly defined as new onset of grand mal seizure activity and/or unexplained coma during pregnancy or postpartum. Eclampsia is associated with maternal deaths ranging from, 1.8% in developed to 14% in developing countries respectively. The worldwide incidence of delayed postpartum eclampsia is on an increasing trend, now at 16-18%, of all eclamptic seizures. Objective was to study the clinical findings and morbidity, associated with postpartum eclampsia and its correlation with neuroimaging- in our institute- SRIHER, Chennai.Methods: This is a retrospective study from a period of June 2016 to June 2021, in SRIHER, Chennai. Case records of all patients with postpartum eclampsia were analysed.Results: A total of 35 patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were studied, out of which 55% of patients were diagnosed with hypertension or preeclampsia antenatally, and 45% presented as atypical eclampsia. In our institution, Postpartum eclampsia commonly occurred in the age group of 26-30 years of age (51.4%); was common after lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) (71.4%); most commonly occurred immediate postpartum (42.8%). Most common prodromal symptom was headache (77%), followed by blurring of vision (37%). Most common magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) finding was posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) (69%). 17% patients required intensive care unit (ICU) care. There was no mortality associated with postpartum eclampsia in the study period.Conclusions: This study emphasises that a high index of suspicion and a multidisciplinary approach effectively reduces mortality and morbidity associated with postpartum eclampsia. Neuroimaging is of robust help in the diagnosis and management of postpartum eclampsia.

Putting Women's Health Care Disparities on the Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the State Level

Assesses the racial/ethnic disparities in women's health status, access to and utilization of health care, and social factors such as poverty and gender wage gap by state. Examines how healthcare payment and worker shortages affect access to care

Automation for calibrating a precision current source by Ohm’s law method

We present the design of a program developed in LabVIEW for automating the calibration of a precision current source by the Ohm’s law method. The program in addition to automating the instrument setup and measurement performs uncertainty computations in accordance with guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) and produces the calibration report and saves a record of the calibration process with all relevant information. The program has been tested for calibrating Keithley 6430 remote source meter in the current range of 1nA to 100 mA. While there are several benefits from the automation, but the most significant one is the achievement of low uncertainties in calibrating the current source

Genetic Divergence in Guinea grass (\u3cem\u3ePanicum maximum\u3c/em\u3e Jacq.)

Guinea grass is ideal forage crop and grows well on a wide variety of soil and even under light shade of tree and bushes and can survive long dry spell and quick moving fires which does not harm underground root. In order to improve productivity, adaptability and quality of Guinea grass, it is important to understand the genetic diversity which exists in the population which also helps in their conservation and germplasm management (Tiwari and Chandra, 2010). The present study was undertaken to estimate the amount of diversity among 37 germplasm accessions (Panicum maximum Jacq.) and to identify diverse genotypes for breeding programmes for better yield and quality

Polypharmacy and Multimorbidity Among Medicaid Enrollees: A Multistate Analysis

The purpose of this study is to explore the associations between polypharmacy and multimorbidity using conventional and novel measures of polypharmacy. In this cross-sectional study, data on fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid enrollees with at least 1 chronic condition and aged 18–64 years (N = 38,329) were derived from the 2010 Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) files of Maryland and West Virginia. Polypharmacy, by the authors\u27 novel definition, was determined as simultaneous use of ≥5 drugs for a consecutive period of 60 days. Multimorbidity was defined as having ≥2 chronic conditions based on the US Department of Health and Human Services framework. The association between multimorbidity and polypharmacy was examined with chi-square tests and logistic regression. Polypharmacy prevalence was estimated at 50.9% using the novel definition, as compared to 16.7% and 64.9% for the 2 commonly used conventional measures, respectively. For all 3 definitions, individuals with multimorbidity were more likely to have polypharmacy than those without multimorbidity (P \u3c 0.001). The authors also consistently found, using all definitions, that those who were older, female, white, and eligible for Medicaid because of cash assistance were more likely to have polypharmacy (all P \u3c 0.001). Polypharmacy was highly prevalent and significantly associated with multimorbidity among Medicaid FFS enrollees irrespective of the definitions used. The new measure may provide a more comprehensive and accurate estimation of polypharmacy than the conventional measures. These findings suggest the need for a paradigm shift from disease-specific care to patient-centered collaborative care to manage patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy

The dichotomy of China Global Television Network’s news coverage

Although much is made of the universalisation of ‘US-style’ journalism around the world and Chinese journalists’ shared professional values with counterparts in liberal-democratic countries (Zhang, 2009), the effect of these trends on journalism in China is yet to be fully explored. Using the 2015 Tianjin blasts as a case study, this article investigates China Global Television Network (CGTN) and CNN International’s coverage of the disaster. The empirical study finds that despite their overlapping news values, the two networks’ opposing ideological objectives contributed to different framings of the Tianjin blasts. Although CGTN, as a symbol of Chinese media’s presence on the world stage, has clearly travelled far from its past era of party-line journalism, it still hesitates to apportion responsibility to those in power. The authors argue that CGTN is increasingly torn by its dichotomous role as a credible media competing for audience attention on the world stage, and a vital government propaganda organ domestically

A Plasmodium‐like virulence effector of the soybean cyst nematode suppresses plant innate immunity

• Heterodera glycines, the soybean cyst nematode, delivers effector proteins into soybean roots to initiate and maintain an obligate parasitic relationship. HgGLAND18 encodes a candidate H. glycines effector and is expressed throughout the infection process. • We used a combination of molecular, genetic, bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses to determine the role of HgGLAND18 during H. glycines infection. • HgGLAND18 is necessary for pathogenicity in compatible interactions with soybean. The encoded effector strongly suppresses both basal and hypersensitive cell death innate immune responses, and immunosuppression requires the presence and coordination between multiple protein domains. The N-terminal domain in HgGLAND18 contains unique sequence similarity to domains of an immunosuppressive effector of Plasmodium spp., the malaria parasites. The Plasmodium effector domains functionally complement the loss of the N-terminal domain from HgGLAND18. • In-depth sequence searches and phylogenetic analyses demonstrate convergent evolution between effectors from divergent parasites of plants and animals as the cause of sequence and functional similarity

In Vitro

Root canal sealers that possess good antimicrobial property can prevent residual and recurrent infection and contribute to successful endodontic therapy. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of four endodontic sealers, AH Plus, Tubliseal EWT, EndoRez, and iRoot SP, against three different microorganisms, E. faecalis, C. albicans, and S. aureus, by direct contact test. 10 μL microbial suspensions were allowed to directly contact the four endodontic sealers for 1 hr at 37°C. Subsequently microbial growth was measured spectrophotometrically every 30 min for 18 hours. The microbial suspensions were simultaneously tested to determine the antimicrobial effect of components which are capable of diffusing into the medium. The results revealed that AH Plus and iRootSP had significantly higher antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis. AH Plus and Tubliseal EWT showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity against C. albicans and S. aureus compared to iRoot SP and EndoRez. EndoRez showed the least antimicrobial activity against all the three microorganisms. Inhibition of microbial growth is related to the direct contact of microorganisms with the sealers. In conclusion AH Plus had significantly higher antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis, C. albicans, and S. aureus

Effects of isopropanol on collagen fibrils in new parchment

Background: Isopropanol is widely used by conservators to relax the creases and folds of parchment artefacts. At present, little is known of the possible side effects of the chemical on parchments main structural component- collagen. This study uses X-ray Diffraction to investigate the effects of a range of isopropanol concentrations on the dimensions of the nanostructure of the collagen component of new parchment. Results: It is found in this study that the packing features of the collagen molecules within the collagen fibril are altered by exposure to isopropanol. The results suggest that this chemical treatment can induce a loss of structural water from the collagen within parchment and thus a rearrangement of intermolecular bonding. This study also finds that the effects of isopropanol treatment are permanent to parchment artefacts and cannot be reversed with rehydration using deionised water. Conclusions: This study has shown that isopropanol induces permanent changes to the packing features of collagen within parchment artefacts and has provided scientific evidence that its use to remove creases and folds on parchment artefacts will cause structural change that may contribute to long-term deterioration of parchment artefacts. This work provides valuable information that informs conservation practitioners regarding the use of isopropanol on parchment artefacts