Cardiovascular profile of vasculitis patients at tertiary care center

Background: The vasculitides are a heterogenous group of conditions characterized by blood vessel inflammation and necrosis. Vasculitides are relatively uncommon conditions whose etiology is still poorly understood. Objective of the research was to study the cardiovascular profile of vasculitis patients at a tertiary care centre.Methods: The present hospital based observational study was conducted in the department of internal medicine, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The study had two parts: retrospective and prospective. In the retrospective part, all patients of vasculitis who were admitted or evaluated in outpatient department (OPD) from March 2012 to September 2018, were enrolled for the analysis. In the prospective part, all patients of vasculitis admitted or evaluated in OPD from October 2018 to May 2020 were enrolled for study.Results: Out of total 77 patients studied, 39 (50.6%) were prospective cases and 38 (49.4%) cases were of retrospective nature. Normal echocardiographic and electrocardiography (ECG) findings were seen in majority of all three groups. Computed tomography (CT) angio shows involvement of right subclavian artery in 9 (40.9%) patients, 8 (36.4%) patients had involvement of left subclavian artery, 6 (27.3%) patients had involvement of arch of aorta, CT angio was suggestive of involvement left common carotid artery 5 patients, 2 patients each had involvement of celiac artery, bilateral iliac, ascending aorta, normal CT angio findings. Arterial Doppler was suggestive of involvement of right common carotid artery (CCA) and left CCA in 4 (30.8%) patients each, right superior cerebellar artery (SCA) involvement in 3 (23.1%) patients, left SCA involvement in 4 (30.8%) patients, left right brachiocephalic artery (RBA), right RA and B/L UA involvement was observed in 1 (7.7%) patient each.Conclusions: The association between cardiovascular disease and a vasculitis is well documented. our study discusses the association between cv disease and vasculitis

Insights into the current trends in the utilization of bacteria for microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation

Nowadays, microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has received great attention for its potential in construction and geotechnical applications. This technique has been used in biocementation of sand, consolidation of soil, production of self-healing concrete or mortar, and removal of heavy metal ions from water. The products of MICP often have enhanced strength, durability, and self-healing ability. Utilization of the MICP technique can also increase sustainability, especially in the construction industry where a huge portion of the materials used is not sustainable. The presence of bacteria is essential for MICP to occur. Bacteria promote the conversion of suitable compounds into carbonate ions, change the microenvironment to favor precipitation of calcium carbonate, and act as precipitation sites for calcium carbonate crystals. Many bacteria have been discovered and tested for MICP potential. This paper reviews the bacteria used for MICP in some of the most recent studies. Bacteria that can cause MICP include ureolytic bacteria, non-ureolytic bacteria, cyanobacteria, nitrate reducing bacteria, and sulfate reducing bacteria. The most studied bacterium for MICP over the years is Sporosarcina pasteurii. Other bacteria from Bacillus species are also frequently investigated. Several factors that affect MICP performance are bacterial strain, bacterial concentration, nutrient concentration, calcium source concentration, addition of other substances, and methods to distribute bacteria. Several suggestions for future studies such as CO2 sequestration through MICP, cost reduction by using plant or animal wastes as media, and genetic modification of bacteria to enhance MICP have been put forward

Transcriptional suppression of sphingolipid catabolism controls pathogen resistance in C. elegans.

Sphingolipids are required for diverse biological functions and are degraded by specific catabolic enzymes. However, the mechanisms that regulate sphingolipid catabolism are not known. Here we characterize a transcriptional axis that regulates sphingolipid breakdown to control resistance against bacterial infection. From an RNAi screen for transcriptional regulators of pathogen resistance in the nematode C. elegans, we identified the nuclear hormone receptor nhr-66, a ligand-gated transcription factor homologous to human hepatocyte nuclear factor 4. Tandem chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing and RNA sequencing experiments revealed that NHR-66 is a transcriptional repressor, which directly targets sphingolipid catabolism genes. Transcriptional de-repression of two sphingolipid catabolic enzymes in nhr-66 loss-of-function mutants drives the breakdown of sphingolipids, which enhances host susceptibility to infection with the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These data define transcriptional control of sphingolipid catabolism in the regulation of cellular sphingolipids, a process that is necessary for pathogen resistance

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) vs pneumatic dilation (PD) in treatment of achalasia: A meta-analysis of studies with ≥ 12-month follow-up

Background and study aims Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is increasingly being used as the preferred treatment option for achalasia. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of POEM versus pneumatic balloon dilation (PD). Methods We performed a comprehensive review of studies that reported clinical outcomes of POEM and PD for the treatment of achalasia. Measured outcomes included clinical success (improvement of symptoms based on a validated scale including an Eckardt score ≤ 3), adverse events, and post-treatment gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Results Sixty-six studies (6268 patients) were included in the final analysis, of which 29 studies (2919 patients) reported on POEM and 33 studies (3050 patients) reported on PD and 4 studies (299 patients) compared POEM versus PD. Clinical success with POEM was superior to PD at 12, 24, and 36 months (92.9 %, vs 76.9 % P = 0.001; 90.6 % vs 74.8 %, P = 0.004; 88.4 % vs 72.2 %, P = 0.006, respectively). POEM was superior to PD in type I, II and III achalasia (92.7 % vs 61 %, P = 0.01; 92.3 % vs 80.3 %, P = 0.01; 92.3 %v 41.9 %, P = 0.01 respectively) Pooled OR of clinical success at 12 and 24 months were significantly higher with POEM (8.97; P = 0.001 & 5.64; P = 0.006). Pooled OR of GERD was significantly higher with POEM (by symptoms: 2.95, P = 0.02 and by endoscopic findings: 6.98, P = 0.001). Rates of esophageal perforation (0.3 % vs 0.6 %, P = 0.8) and significant bleeding (0.4 % vs 0.7 %, P = 0.56) were comparable between POEM and PD groups. Conclusions POEM is more efficacious than PD in the treatment of patients with achalasia during short-term and long-term follow-up, albeit with higher risk of abnormal esophageal acid exposure

The role of endoscopy in subepithelial lesions of the GI tract

This is one of a series of statements discussing the use of GI endoscopy in common clinical situations. The Standards of Practice Committee of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) prepared this text

Photochemical preparation of silver nanoparticles supported on zeolite crystals

International audienceA facile and rapid photochemical method to prepare supported silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in a suspension of faujasite-type (FAU) zeolite nanocrystals is described. Silver cations are introduced by ion exchange in the zeolite and subsequently irradiated with a Xe-Hg lamp (200 W) in the presence of a photoactive reducing agent (2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone). UV-Vis characterization indicates that irradiation time and intensity (I0) influence significantly the amount of silver cations reduced. The full reduction of silver cations takes place after irradiation (I0 = 100 % for 60 s), and a plasmon band of Ag-NPs appears at 380 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with theoretical calculation of the plasmon absorbance band using Mie Theory shows that the Ag-NPs, stabilized in the micropores and on the external surface of the FAU zeolite nanocrystals, have almost a spheroidal shape with diameters of 0.75 and 1.12 nm, respectively. Ag-NPs, with a homogeneous distribution of size and morphology, embedded in a suspension of FAU zeolite are very stable (ca. 8 months), even without any stabilizers or capping agents