Spatial Distribution of Rainy Season Fallows in Madhya Pradesh: Potential for Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Land Degradation

Madhya Pradesh in Central India is endowed with vertisols and associated soils along with assured rainfall(700-1200 mm yr-1). The vertisols contain high (40-60%) montmorillintic clay and exhibit typical swelling and shrinking characteristic under moist and dry conditions. Vertisols have poor hydraulic conductivity and consequently, are frequently poorly drained. Traditionally farmers grow a secured post-rainy season crop on stored soil moisture and keep the fields fallow during rainy season. The most dense region of rainy season following in semi-arid tropical India covers areas endowed with vertisols. Realizing the potential of vertisols in supporting a short-duration crop during rainy season, which otherwise is left fallow, a pilot study was taken up by ICRISAT to delineate the rainy season (Kharif) fallows in Madhya Pradesh. The Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-IC/-ID/-P3) Wide Field Sensor (WiFS) data acquired during peak kharif, post-kharif, mid-rabi cropping season was used. The analytical approach employed involves geo-referencing and radiometric normalization of multi-temporal WiFS data, and delineation of kharif fallows in a Silicon Graphic Work Station using ERDAS/IMAGINE software and a per-pixel Gaussian maximum likelihood algorithm and limited field check. While mid-kharif and post-kharif season WiFS data enabled detection of lands that remain fallow during kharif season, mid-rabi season WiFS data allowed further verification of the delineation since such lands have been found supporting mostly wheat crop during rabi season. An estimated area of 2.02 million ha, accounting for 6.57% of the total area of the state is lying fallow. Utilization of kharif fallows for short-duration pulse crops like soybean may help not only to boost agriculture production but also to improve the sustainability of the agro-ecosystem and minimize land degradation

An unusual case of persistent groin pain after total hip arthroplasty: a case report

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Arthroplasty is a well-established routine elective surgical procedure in orthopaedics. To a great extent, diagnosis, treatment and post-operative rehabilitation in these patients is standardised. In a busy clinic, surgeons from time to time tend to focus their attention on common causes of joint pain, but it may lead them to overlook sinister but less common pathologies. Here we report a case of a patient with groin pain due to pre-operatively undetected pelvic metastases from a pyeloureteral carcinoma who underwent total hip arthroplasty. There are several case reports which deal with primary or secondary tumours which were either discovered at the time of replacement surgery or developed at the site of prosthesis years after total hip or knee replacement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in which a metastatic cancer was missed pre-operatively and intra-operatively both by the radiologist and by the orthopaedic surgeon and should be reported so that surgeons are reminded to be careful when dealing with seemingly routine cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 79-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the arthroplasty clinic with groin pain. Initial radiographs showed subtle bilateral abnormalities in the pelvis. Neither the radiologist nor the orthopaedic surgeon recognized it. A diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hip was established, and she underwent total hip arthroplasty. Despite initial improvement, the patient came back with worsening hip pain three months later. Further radiological examination revealed multiple metastatic lesions throughout the pelvis due to a pyeloureteral carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: This case report emphasizes the importance of meticulous, unbiased pre-operative assessment of patients and their radiographs, even in so-called routine clinical cases. Often subtle radiological changes are classed as normal, especially if they are bilateral. Further radiological imaging should be recommended in all cases where unexplained clinical features or radiological findings are present

Molecular Characterization of Clinical Isolates of Aeromonas Species from Malaysia

Background: Aeromonas species are common inhabitants of aquatic environments giving rise to infections in both fish and humans. Identification of aeromonads to the species level is problematic and complex due to their phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity. Methodology/Principal Findings: Aeromonas hydrophila or Aeromonas sp were genetically re-identified using a combination of previously published methods targeting GCAT, 16S rDNA and rpoD genes. Characterization based on the genus specific GCAT-PCR showed that 94 (96%) of the 98 strains belonged to the genus Aeromonas. Considering the patterns obtained for the 94 isolates with the 16S rDNA-RFLP identification method, 3 clusters were recognised, i.e. A. caviae (61%), A. hydrophila (17%) and an unknown group (22%) with atypical RFLP restriction patterns. However, the phylogenetic tree constructed with the obtained rpoD sequences showed that 47 strains (50%) clustered with the sequence of the type strain of A. aquariorum, 18 (19%) with A. caviae, 16 (17%) with A. hydrophila, 12 (13%) with A. veronii and one strain (1%) with the type strain of A. trota. PCR investigation revealed the presence of 10 virulence genes in the 94 isolates as: lip (91%), exu (87%), ela (86%), alt (79%), ser (77%), fla (74%), aer (72%), act (43%), aexT (24%) and ast (23%). Conclusions/Significance: This study emphasizes the importance of using more than one method for the correct identification of Aeromonas strains. The sequences of the rpoD gene enabled the unambiguous identication of the 9

Comparison of ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI in potential optimization of trial outcomes in primary Sjögren’s syndrome: examination of data from the UK Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Registry

OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of the Clinical EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ClinESSDAI), a version of the ESSDAI without the biological domain, for assessing potential eligibility and outcomes for clinical trials in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), according to the new ACR-EULAR classification criteria, from the UK Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Registry (UKPSSR). METHODS: A total of 665 patients from the UKPSSR cohort were analysed at their time of inclusion in the registry. ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI were calculated for each patient. RESULTS: For different disease activity index cut-off values, more potentially eligible participants were found when ClinESSDAI was used than with ESSDAI. The distribution of patients according to defined disease activity levels did not differ statistically (chi2 p = 0.57) between ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI for moderate disease activity (score ≥5 and <14; ESSDAI 36.4%; ClinESSDA 36.5%) or high disease activity (score ≥14; ESSDAI 5.4%; ClinESSDAI 6.8%). We did not find significant differences between the indexes in terms of activity levels for individual domains, with the exception of the articular domain. We found a good level of agreement between both indexes, and a positive correlation between lymphadenopathy and glandular domains with the use of either index and with different cut-off values. With the use of ClinESSDAI, the minimal clinically important improvement value was more often achievable with a one grade improvement of a single domain than with ESSDAI. We observed similar results when using the new ACR-EULAR classification criteria or the previously used American-European Consensus Group (AECG) classification criteria for pSS. CONCLUSIONS: In the UKPSSR population, the use of ClinESSDAI instead of ESSDAI did not lead to significant changes in score distribution, potential eligibility or outcome measurement in trials, or in routine care when immunological tests are not available. These results need to be confirmed in other cohorts and with longitudinal data

Autonomic symptoms are common and are associated with overall symptom burden and disease activity in primary Sjögren's syndrome

Objectives - To determine the prevalence of autonomic dysfunction (dysautonomia) among patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) and the relationships between dysautonomia and other clinical features of PSS. Methods - Multicentre, prospective, cross-sectional study of a UK cohort of 317 patients with clinically well-characterised PSS. Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction were assessed using a validated instrument, the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale (COMPASS). The data were compared with an age- and sex-matched cohort of 317 community controls. The relationships between symptoms of dysautonomia and various clinical features of PSS were analysed using regression analysis. Results - COMPASS scores were significantly higher in patients with PSS than in age- and sex-matched community controls (median (IQR) 35.5 (20.9–46.0) vs 14.8 (4.4–30.2), p32.5, a cut-off value indicative of autonomic dysfunction. Furthermore, the COMPASS total score correlated independently with EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (a composite measure of the overall burden of symptoms experienced by patients with PSS) (β=0.38, p<0.001) and disease activity measured using the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (β=0.13, p<0.009). Conclusions - Autonomic symptoms are common among patients with PSS and may contribute to the overall burden of symptoms and link with systemic disease activity

BiofOmics: A Web Platform for the Systematic and Standardized Collection of High-Throughput Biofilm Data

Background: Consortia of microorganisms, commonly known as biofilms, are attracting much attention from the scientific community due to their impact in human activity. As biofilm research grows to be a data-intensive discipline, the need for suitable bioinformatics approaches becomes compelling to manage and validate individual experiments, and also execute inter-laboratory large-scale comparisons. However, biofilm data is widespread across ad hoc, non-standardized individual files and, thus, data interchange among researchers, or any attempt of cross-laboratory experimentation or analysis, is hardly possible or even attempted. Methodology/Principal findings This paper presents BiofOmics, the first publicly accessible Web platform specialized in the management and analysis of data derived from biofilm high-throughput studies. The aim is to promote data interchange across laboratories, implementing collaborative experiments, and enable the development of bioinformatics tools in support of the processing and analysis of the increasing volumes of experimental biofilm data that are being generated. BiofOmics data deposition facility enforces data structuring and standardization, supported by controlled vocabulary. Researchers are responsible for the description of the experiments, their results and conclusions. BiofOmics curators interact with submitters only to enforce data structuring and the use of controlled vocabulary. Then, BiofOmics search facility makes publicly available the profile and data associated with a submitted study so that any researcher can profit from these standardization efforts to compare similar studies, generate new hypotheses to be tested or even extend the conditions experimented in the study. Significance BiofOmics novelty lays on its support to standardized data deposition, the availability of computerizable data files and the free-of-charge dissemination of biofilm studies across the community. Hopefully, this will open promising research possibilities, namely: the comparison of results between different laboratories, the reproducibility of methods within and between laboratories, and the development of guidelines and standardized protocols for biofilm formation devices and analytical methods.The financial support from the Institute of Biotechnology and Bioengineering - Center of Biological Engineering (IBB-CEB), Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) and European Community fund FEDER (Program COMPETE), project PTDC/SAU-ESA/646091/2006/FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007480 and PhD grant of Idalina Machado (SFRH/BD/31065/2006) are gratefully acknowledged. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Incidence of intussusception in Singaporean children aged less than 2 years: A hospital-based prospective study

10.1186/1471-2431-13-161BMC Pediatrics131-BPME

Molecular Characteristics of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases and qnr Determinants in Enterobacter Species from Japan

The incidence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) has been increasing worldwide, but screening criteria for detection of ESBLs are not standardized for AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae such as Enterobacter species. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of ESBLs and/or AmpC β-lactamases in Japanese clinical isolates of Enterobacter spp. and the association of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants with ESBL producers. A total of 364 clinical isolates of Enterobacter spp. collected throughout Japan between November 2009 and January 2010 were studied. ESBL-producing strains were assessed by the CLSI confirmatory test and the boronic acid disk test. PCR and sequencing were performed to detect CTX-M, TEM, and SHV type ESBLs and PMQR determinants. For ESBL-producing Enterobacter spp., pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed using XbaI restriction enzyme. Of the 364 isolates, 22 (6.0%) were ESBL producers. Seven isolates of Enterobacter cloacae produced CTX-M-3, followed by two isolates producing SHV-12. Two isolates of Enterobacter aerogenes produced CTX-M-2. Of the 22 ESBL producers, 21 had the AmpC enzyme, and six met the criteria for ESBL production in the boronic acid test. We found a significant association of qnrS with CTX-M-3-producing E. cloacae. The 11 ESBL-producing Enterobacter spp. possessing blaCTX-M, blaSHV, or blaTEM were divided into six unique PFGE types. This is the first report about the prevalence of qnr determinants among ESBL-producing Enterobacter spp. from Japan. Our results suggest that ESBL-producing Enterobacter spp. with qnr determinants are spreading in Japan

Physical activity but not sedentary activity is reduced in primary Sjögren’s syndrome

The aim of the study was to evaluate the levels of physical activity in individuals with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (PSS) and its relationship to the clinical features of PSS. To this cross-sectional study, self-reported levels of physical activity from 273 PSS patients were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and were compared with healthy controls matched for age, sex and body mass index. Fatigue and other clinical aspects of PSS including disease status, dryness, daytime sleepiness, dysautonomia, anxiety and depression were assessed using validated tools. Individuals with PSS had significantly reduced levels of physical activity [median (interquartile range, IQR) 1572 (594–3158) versus 3708 (1732–8255) metabolic equivalent of task (MET) × min/week, p < 0.001], but similar levels of sedentary activity [median (IQR) min 300 (135–375) versus 343 (223–433) (MET) × min/week, p = 0.532] compared to healthy individuals. Differences in physical activity between PSS and controls increased at moderate [median (IQR) 0 (0–480) versus 1560 (570–3900) MET × min/week, p < 0.001] and vigorous intensities [median (IQR) 0 (0–480) versus 480 (0–1920) MET × min/week, p < 0.001]. Correlation analysis revealed a significant association between physical activity and fatigue, orthostatic intolerance, depressive symptoms and quality of life. Sedentary activity did not correlate with fatigue. Stepwise linear regression analysis identified symptoms of depression and daytime sleepiness as independent predictors of levels of physical activity. Physical activity is reduced in people with PSS and is associated with symptoms of depression and daytime sleepiness. Sedentary activity is not increased in PSS. Clinical care teams should explore the clinical utility of targeting low levels of physical activity in PSS

A Self-Assembling Lanthanide Molecular Nanoparticle for Optical Imaging

Chromophores that incorporate f-block elements have considerable potential for use in bioimaging applications because of their advantageous photophysical properties compared to organic dye, which are currently widely used. We are developing new classes of lanthanide-based self-assembling molecular nanoparticles as reporters for imaging and as multi-functional nanoprobes or nanosensors for use with biological samples. One class of these materials, which we call lanthanide "nano-drums", are homogeneous 4d-4f clusters approximately 25 to 30 angstrom in diameter. These are capable of emitting from the visible to near-infrared wavelengths. Here, we present the synthesis, crystal structure, photophysical properties and comparative cytotoxicity data for a 32 metal Eu-Cd nano-drum [Eu8Cd24L12(OAc)(48)] (1). We also explored the imaging capabilities of this nano-drum using epifluorescence, TIRF, and two-photon microscopy platforms.Welch Foundation F-816, F-1018, F1515Ministry of High Education (MOHE), Malaysia under High Impact Research (HIR) - MOHE project UM.C/625/1/HIR/MoE/CHAN/13/6 H-50001-00-A000034NIH/NIAID 1U01AI078008-3Centre for Blast Injury Study at Imperial College LondonCPRIT R1003NIH-NCI CA68682National Institutes of HealthNational Science FoundationCancer Prevention Research Institute of TexasNational Science Foundation CHE-0741973Chemistr