The role of platelet rich plasma injection in the management of early osteoarthritis of the knee

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disorder associated with significant morbidity in the form of pain, knee stiffness and decrease in the functional capacity of the affected limb leading to a decrease in the quality of life for the patient. Various modalities of treatment are available for the management of this condition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection in the management of early osteoarthritis of the knee and to compare the functional outcome with the studies of various authors as available in literature.Methods: 60 patients with Kellgrenn and Lawrence grade 1 and 2 osteoarthritis of the knee were studied from January 2014 to January 2015 and were followed up for a period of 1 year.Results: There were 39 males and 21 female patients in our study with the right side being more commonly affected. There was a significant decrease in the VAS score and the WOMAC score at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months follow up as compared to the pre-injection baseline scores. All patients were satisfied with the procedure in terms of functional outcome. Conclusions: PRP injection is a cost effective, safe and efficient procedure with easily reproducible results and gives good functional results in terms of pain relief, improvement of range of movements and mobility, and improves the quality of life in patients with early osteoarthritis of the knee

An evaluation of functional outcome following surgical management of fractures of the proximal humerus with Neer’s scoring system

Background: Fractures of the proximal humerus are complex injuries associated with significant morbidity. Various options are available for management including non-operative treatment, depending upon the pattern of the fracture, quality of the bone and the surgeon's familiarity with the techniques. The age of the patient, physical activity and the medical fitness also largely influence the treatment options. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional outcome following surgical management of these fractures and to compare the results with studies as available in literature.Methods: 30 patients with fractures of the proximal humerus managed by surgical means were studied from January 2012 to January 2014 and were followed up for a minimum period of two years.Results: All the fractures treated united clinically by 8 weeks and radiologically by 16 weeks. There were no cases of delayed or non-union in our series. The fractures were more common in men with a gender distribution of 1.3:1 and were also more common in the age group of 50 to 65 years (53%). As per the Neer’s scoring system, 60% patients had excellent results while 33% patients had satisfactory results. They were all pain free and successfully returned to their pre-injury work. 6% patients had an unsatisfactory result. Conclusions: Surgical management of proximal humerus fractures following the principles of articular surface reconstruction, restoration of the anatomy, stable fixation, with minimal injury to the soft tissues and early mobilization, gives good functional results

Operative management of tibial plateau fractures: an assessment of functional and radiological outcomes with Rasmusssens scoring system

Background: Fractures of the proximal tibia involve a major weight bearing joint and are intra-articular injuries which frequently result in functional impairment. They require an accurate reduction of the articular surface with stable internal fixation. If these fractures are not managed appropriately, they often result in high rates of morbidity in the form of knee stiffness and arthritis. This study was done to assess the functional and radiological outcomes following various surgical modalities and to compare them with other studies as available in literature.Methods: 30 patients with tibial plateau fractures treated by various surgical modalities at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital were studied from January 2013 to February 2015 and were followed up for a minimum period of 6 months. Functional and radiological outcomes were assessed by the Rasmussens scoring system.Results: All 30 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were thoroughly evaluated and were taken up for surgery with various modalities of fixation which included cannulated cancellous screws, T and L buttress plates and locking compression plates. Articular surface elevation with bone grafting was done in depressed fractures. Early knee mobilization was started and strict non-weight bearing walking was advocated. We had a 90% acceptable functional result which was comparable with other studies.Conclusions: In our study, we conclude that accurate reduction of the articular surface with stable internal fixation and early mobilization with bone grafting in depressed fractures with protracted weight bearing till fracture union gives good functional results. Also radiological values often do not often correlate well with functional outcomes.

Jumping in lantern bugs (Hemiptera, Fulgoridae)

Lantern bugs are amongst the largest of the jumping hemipteran bugs with body lengths reaching 44 mm and their masses 0.7 g. They are up to 600 times heavier than smaller hemipterans that jump powerfully using catapult mechanisms to store energy. Does a similar mechanism also propel jumping in these much larger insects? The jumping performance of two species of lantern bugs (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, family Fulgoridae) from India and Malaysia was therefore analysed from high-speed videos. The kinematics showed that jumps were propelled by rapid and synchronous movements of both hind legs with their trochantera moving first. The hind legs were 20-40% longer than the front legs, which was attributable to longer tibiae. It took 5-6 ms to accelerate to take-off velocities reaching 4.65 m s-1 in the best jumps by female Kalidasa lanata. During these jumps, adults experienced an acceleration of 77 g, required an energy expenditure of 4800 μJ, a power output of 900 mW and exerted a force of 400 mN. The required power output of the thoracic jumping muscles was 21,000 W kg−1, 40 times greater than the maximum active contractile limit of muscle. Such a jumping performance therefore required a power amplification mechanism with energy storage in advance of the movement as in their smaller relatives. These large lantern bugs are near isometrically scaled up versions of their smaller relatives, still achieve comparable, if not higher, take-off velocities, and outperform other large jumping insects such as grasshoppers

A synthetic lethal screen for Snail-induced enzalutamide resistance identifies JAK/STAT signaling as a therapeutic vulnerability in prostate cancer

Despite substantial improvements in the treatment landscape of prostate cancer, the evolution of hormone therapy-resistant and metastatic prostate cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related death globally. The mainstay of treatment for advanced prostate cancer is targeting of androgen receptor signaling, including androgen deprivation therapy plus second-generation androgen receptor blockade (e.g., enzalutamide, apalutamide, darolutamide), and/or androgen synthesis inhibition (abiraterone). While these agents have significantly prolonged the lives of patients with advanced prostate cancer, is nearly universal. This therapy resistance is mediated by diverse mechanisms, including both androgen receptor-dependent mechanisms, such as androgen receptor mutations, amplifications, alternative splicing, and amplification, as well as non-androgen receptor-mediated mechanisms, such as lineage plasticity toward neuroendocrine-like or epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like lineages. Our prior work identified the EMT transcriptional regulator Snail as critical to hormonal therapy resistance and is commonly detected in human metastatic prostate cancer. In the current study, we sought to interrogate the actionable landscape of EMT-mediated hormone therapy resistant prostate cancer to identify synthetic lethality and collateral sensitivity approaches to treating this aggressive, therapy-resistant disease state. Using a combination of high-throughput drug screens and multi-parameter phenotyping by confluence imaging, ATP production, and phenotypic plasticity reporters of EMT, we identified candidate synthetic lethalities to Snail-mediated EMT in prostate cancer. These analyses identified multiple actionable targets, such as XPO1, PI3K/mTOR, aurora kinases, c-MET, polo-like kinases, and JAK/STAT as synthetic lethalities in Snail+ prostate cancer. We validated these targets in a subsequent validation screen in an LNCaP-derived model of resistance to sequential androgen deprivation and enzalutamide. This follow-up screen provided validation of inhibitors of JAK/STAT and PI3K/mTOR as therapeutic vulnerabilities for both Snail+ and enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer

Five new species of Hypseloecus Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) on hemiparasitic Santalales from India

Yeshwanth, H. M. (2014): Five new species of Hypseloecus Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) on hemiparasitic Santalales from India. Zootaxa 3878 (1): 75-88, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3878.1.

Two new species of the genus Ectmetopterus (Hemiptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) feeding on grass in India

Yeshwanth, H. M. (2015): Two new species of the genus Ectmetopterus (Hemiptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) feeding on grass in India. Zootaxa 3904 (4): 581-588, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3904.4.

Five new species of Hypseloecus Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) on hemiparasitic Santalales from India

Yeshwanth, H. M. (2014): Five new species of Hypseloecus Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) on hemiparasitic Santalales from India. Zootaxa 3878 (1): 75-88, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3878.1.

Fig. 2. Brodskyella viraktamathi, holotype. A in Two New Species of Brodskyella Horák, 1989 (Coleoptera: Mordellidae: Stenaliini) from India

Fig. 2. Brodskyella viraktamathi, holotype. A) Habitus, dorsal and lateral views, respectively, C) Head, frontal view, D) Maxillary palpus, E) Antenna, F) Pronotum and head, dorsal view, G) Head and thorax, lateral view, H) Left hind leg, I) Pygidium.Published as part of <i>Ruzzier, Enrico & Yeshwanth, H. M., 2019, Two New Species of Brodskyella Horák, 1989 (Coleoptera: Mordellidae: Stenaliini) from India, pp. 1087-1092 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 73 (4)</i> on page 1090, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X-73.4.1087, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10114001">http://zenodo.org/record/10114001</a&gt

Leafhopper tribe Stegelytrini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) of the Indian subcontinent, with a note on Aeternus hieroglyphicus Distant (Cicadellidae Athysanini)

A.Viraktamath, C., Yeshwanth, H. M., D.Webb, M. (2020): Leafhopper tribe Stegelytrini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) of the Indian subcontinent, with a note on Aeternus hieroglyphicus Distant (Cicadellidae Athysanini). Zootaxa 4822 (4): 551-566, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4822.4.