Comparison of two different techniques of uterine closure in caesarean section: Continuous single layer technique versus Babu and Magon technique

Background: To compare size of the caesarean scar and residual myometrial thickness (RMT) between continuous single non-interlocking and Babu and Magon technique for uterine closure following primary elective caesarean section (CS).Methods: An observational prospective cohort study was conducted at 6 weeks and 4 months postpartum following primary elective CS. Group A included 25 patients who underwent continuous single layer technique and Group B included 25 patients who underwent Babu and Magon technique for uterine closure. Baseline demographic profile, obstetric score, details of the CS and associated complications were studied. Two-dimensional Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) measurements of the length, width and depth of the caesarean scar and RMT were compared.Results: Mean age of study population was 29.6 years. Malpresentation (44%) was the most common indication for CS. Mean Bishops score at the time of CS was <4. The duration of surgery (-2.8 min, 37.96 ±5.660min) and estimated amount of blood loss (-51.6 ml, mean 671.20 ±136.208ml) was less in Group A compared to Group B (40.76 ±4.68min, 722.80±132.083ml respectively). The caesarean scar measurements were similar in both groups at both visits. The mean RMT in Group B at 6 weeks and 4 months postpartum (8.05mm±2.06 and 7.10mm±2.04 respectively) was statistically higher than Group A (6.23mm ± 1.76 and 5.36mm ± 1.70 respectively), p=0.002.Conclusions: We conclude that Babu and Magon technique for uterine closure in caesarean section could result in better healing of the scar and probably reduce the adverse outcomes in subsequent pregnancies

Aetiology of jaundice in pregnancy: observational study in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Jaundice in pregnancy has potentially serious consequences to both mother and foetus. This study aims to find out the aetiology of jaundice and its severity in pregnancy.Methods: This is an observational prospective study over a period of one and a half years conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode. Antenatal patients who presented with jaundice was included in this study.Results: Out of 24060 deliveries in the study period of one and a half years there were 52 cases of jaundice complicating pregnancy. Incidence of jaundice complicating pregnancy was found to be 0.22%. Largest number of women belonged to the age group 21-25 years of age. Most of the cases occurred in the third trimester. 55.8% of the cases were multigravidas Most common cause of jaundice in pregnancy was found to be HELLP syndrome (34.6%) followed by Hepatitis A (32.7%) 67.3% of the cases had only mild elevation of bilirubin levels (2-5.9mg/dl). 65.4% had an SGOT value of less than 200U/litre and 67.3 % had an SGPT value of less than 200U/litre.Conclusions: The decrease in the number of cases of viral hepatitis may be due to the increased awareness about the transmission of disease and improvement in sanitary conditions

MCMA acardiac twin: a trap?

Acardiac twining or Twin Reverse Arterial Perfusion (TRAP) is a rare complication of monozygotic twin occurring due to retrograde perfusion of acardiac twin by structurally normal pump twin through abnormal arterio-arterial anastomosis in the placenta. Here we report a case of unexpected occurrence of acardiac twin diagnosed as monozygotic monoamniotic twin (MCMA) gestation with single foetal demise due to multiple anomalies, delivered vaginally suggesting a role for expectant management

Multiple sequence-directed possibilities provide a pool of nucleosome position choices in different states of activity of a gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genome-wide mappings of nucleosome occupancy in different species have shown presence of well-positioned nucleosomes. While the DNA sequences may help decide their locations, the observed positions <it>in vivo </it>are end-results of chromatin remodeling, the state of gene activity and binding of the sequence-specific factors to the DNA, all of which influence nucleosome positions. Thus, the observed nucleosome locations <it>in vivo </it>do not reflect the true contribution of DNA sequence to the mapped position. Moreover, the naturally occurring nucleosome-positioning sequences are known to guide multiple translational positionings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We show that yeast <it>SNR6</it>, a gene transcribed by RNA polymerase III, constitutes nucleosome-positioning sequence. In the absence of a chromatin remodeler or any factor binding, the gene sequence confers a unique rotational phase to nucleosomes in the gene region, and directs assembly of several translationally positioned nucleosomes on ~1.2 kb DNA from the gene locus, including the short ~250 bp gene region. Mapping of all these gene sequence-directed nucleosome positions revealed that the array of nucleosomes in the gene upstream region occupy the same positions as those observed <it>in vivo </it>but the nucleosomes on the gene region can be arranged in three distinct registers. Two of these arrangements differ from each other in the position of only one nucleosome, and match with the nucleosome positions on the gene in repressed and active states <it>in vivo</it>, where the gene-specific factor is known to occupy the gene in both the states. The two positions are interchanged by an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler <it>in vivo</it>. The third register represents the positions which block the access of the factor to the gene promoter elements.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>On a gene locus, multiple nucleosome positions are directed by a gene sequence to provide a pool of possibilities, out of which the preferred ones are selected by the chromatin remodeler and transcription factor of the gene under different states of activity of the gene.</p

Results from the first Argo float deployed by India

Argo is a revolutionary concept in ocean observation system that envisages real-time sampling of the temperature and salinity profiles of the global oceans at an approximate spatial resolution of 300 km, once in ten days. Argo float is an autonomous drifting profiler that pops up and down in the ocean from the surface up to 2000 m, measuring two most important physical properties of the water column, viz. temperature and salinity as a function of pressure (depth). Moreover, it can provide an estimate of currents both at the surface and at the parking depth in near-real time. India is an active participant in the Argo programme and has already deployed 31 out of 150 proposed floats. In this article, we describe the data received from the first Argo float deployed by India in the southeastern Arabian Sea. The data demonstrate that the temperature and salinity profiles from Argo floats present possibilities for oceanographic studies and spatial and temporal scales that had been hitherto impossibl

The Indian Ocean forecast system

In order to meet the ever growing demand for the prediction of oceanographic parametres in the Indian Ocean for a variety of applications, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has recently set-up an operational ocean forecast system, viz. the Indian Ocean Forecast System (INDOFOS). This fully automated system, based on a state-of-the-art ocean general circulation model issues six-hourly forecasts of the sea-surface temperature, surface currents and depths of the mixed layer and the thermocline up to five-days of lead time. A brief account of INDOFOS and a statistical validation of the forecasts of these parametres using in situ and remote sensing data are presented in this article. The accuracy of the sea-surface temperature forecasts by the system is high in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, whereas it is moderate in the equatorial Indian Ocean. On the other hand, the accuracy of the depth of the thermocline and the isothermal layers and surface current forecasts are higher near the equatorial region, while it is relatively lower in the Bay of Bengal

Vertical distribution of chlorophyll in dynamically distinct regions of the southern Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal (BoB) generally exhibits surface oligotrophy, due to nutrient limitation induced by strong salinity stratification. Nevertheless, there are hot spots of high chlorophyll in the BoB where the monsoonal forcings are strong enough to break the stratification; one such region being the southern BoB, east of Sri Lanka. A recent field program conducted during the summer monsoon of 2016, as a part of the Bay of Bengal Boundary Layer Experiment (BoBBLE), provides a unique high-resolution dataset of the vertical distribution of chlorophyll in the southern BoB using ocean gliders along with shipboard CTD measurements. Observations were carried out for a duration of 12-20 days, covering the dynamically active regions of the Sri Lanka Dome (SLD), and the Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC). Mixing and upwelling induced by the monsoonal wind forcing enhanced surface chlorophyll concentrations (0.3-0.7 mg m-3). Prominent deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM; 0.3-1.2 mg m-3) existed at intermediate depths (20-50 m), signifying the contribution of subsurface productivity on the biological carbon cycling in the Bob. The shape of chlorophyll profiles varied in different dynamical regimes; upwelling was associated with sharp and intense DCM, whereas mixing resulted in a diffuse and weaker DCM. Within the SLD, open-ocean Ekman suction favoured a substantial increase in chlorophyll. Farther east, where the thermocline was deeper, enhanced surface chlorophyll was associated with intermittent mixing events. Remote forcing by the westward propagating Rossby waves influenced the upper ocean dynamics and chlorophyll distribution in the southern BoB. Stabilising surface freshening events and barrier layer formation often inhibited the generation of surface chlorophyll. The pathway of the SMC intrusion was marked by a distinct band of chlorophyll, indicating the advective effect of biologically rich Arabian Sea watesr. The region of monsoon current exhibits the strongest DCM as well as the highest column-integrated chlorophyll. Observations suggest that the persistence of the DCM in the southern BoB is promoted by surface oligotrophy and shallow mixed layers. Results from a coupled physical-ecosystem model substantiate the dominant role of mixed layer processes associated with the monsoon in controlling the nutrient distribution and biological productivity in the southern BoB. The present study provides new insights into the vertical distribution of chlorophyll in the BoB, emphasizing the need for extensive in situ sampling and ecosystem model-based efforts for a better understanding of the bio-physical interactions and the potential climatic feedbacks

The Indian ocean forecast system

In order to meet the ever growing demand for the prediction of oceanographic parametres in the Indian Ocean for a variety of applications, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has recently set-up an operational ocean forecast system, viz. the Indian Ocean Forecast System (INDOFOS). This fully automated system, based on a state-of-the-art ocean general circulation model issues six-hourly forecasts of the sea-surface temperature, surface currents and depths of the mixed layer and the thermocline up to five-days of lead time. A brief account of INDOFOS and a statistical validation of the forecasts of these parametres using in situ and remote sensing data are presented in this article. The accuracy of the sea-surface temperature forecasts by the system is high in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, whereas it is moderate in the equatorial Indian Ocean. On the other hand, the accuracy of the depth of the thermocline and the isothermal layers and surface current forecasts are higher near the equatorial region, while it is relatively lower in the Bay of Bengal

Vertical distribution and diurnal migration of atlantid heteropods

© Inter-Research 201 Understanding the vertical distribution and migratory behaviour of shelled holoplanktonic gastropods is essential in determining the environmental conditions to which they are exposed. This is increasingly important in understanding the effects of ocean acidification and climate change. Here we investigated the vertical distribution of atlantid heteropods by collating data from publications and collections and using the oxygen isotope (? 18 O) composition of single aragonitic shells. Data from publications and collections show 2 patterns of migration behaviour: small species that reside in shallow water at all times, and larger species that make diurnal migrations from the surface at night to deep waters during the daytime. The ? 18 O data show that all species analysed (n = 16) calcify their shells close to the deep chlorophyll maximum. This was within the upper 110 m of the ocean for 15 species, and down to 146 m for a single species. These findings confirm that many atlantid species are exposed to large environmental variations over a diurnal cycle and may already be well adapted to face ocean changes. However, all species analysed rely on aragonite supersaturated waters in the upper < 150 m of the ocean to produce their shells, a region that is projected to undergo the earliest and greatest changes in response to increased anthropogenic CO 2

Summer monsoon of 2019: understanding the performance so far and speculating about the rest of the season

The summer monsoon of 2019 began with a massive deficit in the all-India June rainfall of about 33% of the mean. This led to considerable anxiety since a large deficit in June had occurred last in the summer monsoon of 2014, which had turned out to be a drought. Here, we have attempted to unravel the factors that led to the deficit in June 2019 and also the above-normal rainfall in July. We show that the deficit in June 2019, as that of June 2014, can be attributed to the El Niño. The phase of the other important mode, Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation (EQUINOO), has been favourable throughout and led to the recovery of the monsoon in July when the El Niño weakene