Ocular motor nerve palsy: A study on the etiology, clinical course and recovery pattern

AIM OF THE STUDY: To study the frequency of the ocular motor nerves namely, 3rd, 4th and 6th cranial nerve palsies either isolated or combined and to analyse the etiological and recovery pattern of the nerve palsies and the factors influencing the recovery MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a prospective study including 68 patients attending the ophthalmology OPD with either isolated or combined palsies of 3, 4 and 6th cranial nerves with the onset of palsy within one month period. The clinical diagnosis of the nerve palsies was arrived after obtaining a detailed history and a thorough CNS and ocular examination including the assessment of the lid position, pupils and degree of limitation of extra ocular movements was performed. Hematological investigations were done and neuroimaging was ordered whenever indicated. Patients were categorised into various etiological groups and were analysed with various factors. Patients were monitored for signs of recovery in function at regular intervals for a maximum of 6 months and the pattern of recovery and the factors influencing it were analysed. RESULTS: There was a male preponderance with 70% cases being males. The mean age of the subjects was 46.56±14.28years ranging from 9 to 74 years. Majority (94%) of the cases were unilateral. The most common age group affected was between 51-60 years. The most common presenting symptom was diplopia (50%). Abducens nerve was the commonest nerve palsy (51.5%), followed by 3rd nerve (30.9%), multiple nerve palsy (14.7%) and trochlear nerve palsy (2.9%).The most frequent etiology observed was microvascular in nature (44.1%) followed by trauma (23.5%). Patients in the 6th decade were commonly affected by the microvascular nerve palsy. Pupil was involved in around 48% patients with 3rd nerve palsy was more common (80%) in non microvascular causes, especially traumatic and neoplastic cases. The overall recovery rate was 83% and there was no statistically significant difference between the recovery of different nerve palsies. Patients with a small initial degree of limitation of ocular movements had a better recovery rate. CONCLUSION: Abducens nerve palsy was the most frequent and microvascular etiology was found to be the most common cause of nerve palsy followed by trauma. The overall recovery rate was 83%. Only the initial degree of limitation of movement was significantly associated with the recovery

Antibacterial and anti-HIV activity of extracellular pigment from Streptomyces sp. S45 isolated from Sabarimala forest soil, India

Actinobacteria, particularly from under-studied habitats, are often endowed with diverse biological properties. In the present study, about 17 actinobacterial strains were isolated from Sabarimala forest an understudied ecosystem in Western Ghats, India and screened for their pigment producing potential. Pinkish brown soluble pigment producing Streptomyces sp. strain S45 was selected and screened for antibacterial and anti-HIV activity. The bioactivity of ethyl acetate extract of the strain S45 showed maximum zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 (17.3±0.4 mm) and Bacillus cereus (15.6±0.6 mm). Also, it showed anti-HIV activity with the IC50 value of 8.75 µg/mL. The bioactive pigment isolated from the strain S45 was partially purified and characterized using UV absorption. In bio-autography, an antibacterial compound found to be active against S. aureus ATCC 29213 and its MIC values ranged between 25-1.56 µg/mL. Variables such as glucose, rhamnose, soybean meal and CaCl2, pH 7 and temperature 30℃ were found to influence bioactive pigment production. Potential strain S45 was identified as Streptomyces species on the basis of microscopic, cultural, physiological and 16SrRNA analysis. Results suggest that the Streptomyces sp. S45 strain explored in this study could be a promising candidate for isolation of antibacterial and anti HIV pigment

Antibacterial and anti-HIV activity of extracellular pigment from Streptomyces sp. S45 isolated from Sabarimala forest soil, India

861-868Actinobacteria, particularly from under-studied habitats, are often endowed with diverse biological properties. In the present study, about 17 actinobacterial strains were isolated from Sabarimala forest — an understudied ecosystem in Western Ghats, India and screened for their pigment producing potential. Pinkish brown soluble pigment producing Streptomyces sp. strain S45 was selected and screened for antibacterial and anti-HIV activity. The bioactivity of ethyl acetate extract of the strain S45 showed maximum zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 (17.3±0.4 mm) and Bacillus cereus (15.6±0.6 mm). Also, it showed anti-HIV activity with the IC50 value of 8.75 µg/mL. The bioactive pigment isolated from the strain S45 was partially purified and characterized using UV absorption. In bio-autography, an antibacterial compound found to be active against S. aureus ATCC 29213 and its MIC values ranged between 25-1.56 µg/mL. Variables such as glucose, rhamnose, soybean meal and CaCl2, pH 7 and temperature 30℃ were found to influence bioactive pigment production. Potential strain S45 was identified as Streptomyces species on the basis of microscopic, cultural, physiological and 16SrRNA analysis. Results suggest that the Streptomyces sp. S45 strain explored in this study could be a promising candidate for isolation of antibacterial and anti HIV pigment

Formulation, development and evaluation of Microsponge loaded Topical Gel of Nystatin

Nystatin containing microsponge as active constituent (API) in different formulations by changing the proportions of drug (Nystatin), polymer (ethyl cellulose), emulsifier (Poly vinyl alcohol) were obtained successfully using quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method. These formulations were studied for particle size and physical characterization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed the microsponges porous and spherical in shape. The physical characterization showed that microsponge formulation coded by P6 showed a better loading efficiency and production yield. This microsponge formulation was prepared as gel in carbopol and studied for pH, viscosity, spreadability, drug content, in-vitro release. The microsponge formulation gel, F3 showed viscosity3465.84cps,spreadability of 26.22g cm/s and drug content of 89.65%. The nystatin microsponge gel formulations showed an appropriate drug release profile. F3 released 81.03% of drug at 12 hours. Keywords: Microsponge, Solvent diffusion method, Scanning electron microscope, Nystatin microsponge gel

A conceptual model for action and design research

Organizational research has a pattern of special characteristics which make a clear distinction from other research paradigms. When using these approaches – based on Action and Design – the Interpretivist, Constructivist, and Participatory perspectives dominate. They have already proven to have strong foundations, which turn these paradigmatic approaches into effective ways for getting knowledge, doing things, and promoting change within organizational settings. It combines the traditional scientific, engineering, and organization development approaches, depicting how an organization can, simultaneously, solve multidimensional problems and produce actionable knowledge, effective change and useful artifacts. It has been developed using a Design Science Research approach, tested in a major organizational change program (Henriques, 2015; Henriques & ONeill, 2014), and successfully used to teach research methods essentials to Master and DBA students.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Whole genome landscapes of uveal melanoma show an ultraviolet radiation signature in iris tumours

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular tumour in adults and despite surgical or radiation treatment of primary tumours, ~50% of patients progress to metastatic disease. Therapeutic options for metastatic UM are limited, with clinical trials having little impact. Here we perform whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 103 UM from all sites of the uveal tract (choroid, ciliary body, iris). While most UM have low tumour mutation burden (TMB), two subsets with high TMB are seen; one driven by germline MBD4 mutation, and another by ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure, which is restricted to iris UM. All but one tumour have a known UM driver gene mutation (GNAQ, GNA11, BAP1, PLCB4, CYSLTR2, SF3B1, EIF1AX). We identify three other significantly mutated genes (TP53, RPL5 and CENPE)

Dynamics of Hot QCD Matter -- Current Status and Developments

The discovery and characterization of hot and dense QCD matter, known as Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), remains the most international collaborative effort and synergy between theorists and experimentalists in modern nuclear physics to date. The experimentalists around the world not only collect an unprecedented amount of data in heavy-ion collisions, at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, USA, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland but also analyze these data to unravel the mystery of this new phase of matter that filled a few microseconds old universe, just after the Big Bang. In the meantime, advancements in theoretical works and computing capability extend our wisdom about the hot-dense QCD matter and its dynamics through mathematical equations. The exchange of ideas between experimentalists and theoreticians is crucial for the progress of our knowledge. The motivation of this first conference named "HOT QCD Matter 2022" is to bring the community together to have a discourse on this topic. In this article, there are 36 sections discussing various topics in the field of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and related phenomena that cover a snapshot of the current experimental observations and theoretical progress. This article begins with the theoretical overview of relativistic spin-hydrodynamics in the presence of the external magnetic field, followed by the Lattice QCD results on heavy quarks in QGP, and finally, it ends with an overview of experiment results.Comment: Compilation of the contributions (148 pages) as presented in the `Hot QCD Matter 2022 conference', held from May 12 to 14, 2022, jointly organized by IIT Goa & Goa University, Goa, Indi

“We wouldn’t of made friends if we didn’t come to Football United”: the impacts of a football program on young people’s peer, prosocial and cross-cultural relationships

Background Sport as a mechanism to build relationships across cultural boundaries and to build positive interactions among young people has often been promoted in the literature. However, robust evaluation of sport-for-development program impacts is limited. This study reports on an impact evaluation of a sport-for-development program in Australia, Football United®. Methods A quasi-experimental mixed methods design was employed using treatment partitioning (different groups compared had different levels of exposure to Football United). A survey was undertaken with 142 young people (average age of 14.7 years with 22.5% of the sample comprising girls) in four Australian schools. These schools included two Football United and two Comparison schools where Football United was not operating. The survey instrument was composed of previously validated measures, including emotional symptoms, peer problems and relationships, prosocial behaviour, other-group orientation, feelings of social inclusion and belonging and resilience. Face to face interviews were undertaken with a purposeful sample (n = 79) of those who completed the survey. The participants in the interviews were selected to provide a diversity of age, gender and cultural backgrounds. Results Young people who participated in Football United showed significantly higher levels of other-group orientation than a Comparison Group (who did not participate in the program). The Football United boys had significantly lower scores on the peer problem scale and significantly higher scores on the prosocial scale than boys in the Comparison Group. Treatment partitioning analyses showed positive, linear associations between other-group orientation and total participation in the Football United program. A lower score on peer problems and higher scores on prosocial behaviour in the survey were associated with regularity of attendance at Football United. These quantitative results are supported by qualitative data analysed from interviews. Conclusions The study provides evidence of the effects of Football United on key domains of peer and prosocial relationships for boys and other-group orientation for young people in the program sites studied. The effects on girls, and the impacts of the program on the broader school environment and at the community level, require further investigation