Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and its determinants in first 6 months of life: A prospective study

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding for first 6 months of life is recommended under Infant and Young Child Feeding practices in India. The objective of present study was to estimate the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding during first 6 months of life of babies and to identify factors that interfere with the practice in the study area. Methods: A prospective cohort of 462 women who delivered at maternity unit of Government Medical College & Hospital, Rajkot, which is a tertiary care centre for the district, was studied. Data collection was done at hospital as well as during home visits of babies at 1, 3 and 6 months. Factors related to cessation of breastfeeding were analyzed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. Results: All 462 mothers reported breastfeeding their newborns. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding reported at 3 months was 97% which declined to 62% by 6 months of age of infants. Bivariate analysis revealed no significant association between interruption of exclusive breastfeeding before 6 months of age and various demographic, socioeconomic, maternal and infant characteristics. Multivariate analysis by logistic regression demonstrated no association between discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding and socioeconomic status, maternal education and maternal age, number of antenatal visits, maternal employment and initiation of breastfeeding after delivery. Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding prevalence rate found higher than at national level indicating better feeding practices in these part of India. Also, factors classically considered as supportive for breastfeeding had shown no association with breastfeeding pattern in present study

Rare cause of pediatric obesity: Bardet - Biedl Syndrome

Bardet - Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by central obesity, retinal pigmentation, polydactyly, mental retardation, hypogonadism, and renal dysfunction. Other features may include deafness, diabetes mellitus, genitourinary abnormalities, short stature, hormonal abnormalities, developmental defects, and speech problems. We report a case of BBS who presented with night blindness, marked central obesity, polydactyly, syndactyly, hypogonadism, micropenis, and behavioral problems, along with a brief review of the literature

N-Hexane isomerisation: Exploit hydrogen spillover to reduce catalyst costs

We report the role of hydrogen spillover in n-hexane isomerisation over carbon nanotubes or SiC mixed with hierarchical zeolite beta. Here we infer that: (1) hydrogen spillover is a necessary step; (2) spilled-over H hydrogenates isomerised olefin at Brønsted acid sites only; and (3) closeness between acid and metal sites at the nanoscale enhances the rate of reaction, though this is not a requirement for this reaction to proceed. The economic advantage of the spillover phenomenon (necessitating less Pt on the catalyst) has been highlighted

Design, Evaluation and Comparative Study of Pulsatile Releasefrom Tablet and Capsule Dosage Forms: Pulsatile release from tablet and capsule dosage forms

The objective of present research was to design, evaluate and compare drug release from two different dosage forms in pulsatile drug delivery system (DDS) for Metoprolol tartarate (MT) as tablet and capsule. Pulsatile systems are gaining a lot of interest as they deliver the drug at the right site of action at the right time and inthe right amount, thus providing spatial and temporal delivery and in creasingpatient compliance. These systems are designed according to the circadian rhythm of the body. The principle rationale for the use of pulsatile release is for the drugs where a constant drug release, i.e., a zero-order release is not desired. The release of the drug as a pulse after a lag time has to be designed in such a way that a complete and rapid drug release follows the lag time. Conclusively, the current study attained the successful comparison of drug release from two different pulsatile drug delivery systems

Metabolic labeling of nascent <i>FXN</i> transcript in primary fibroblasts showing deficiency of transcriptional initiation in the YG8sR mouse.

<p><b>(A, B)</b> Quantitative RT-PCR of metabolically labeled nascent transcript for the indicated incubation times (1, 2 and 4 hours) is shown for <i>FXN</i> mRNA upstream (“Ex1” in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) and downstream (“Ex3-Ex4” in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) of the GAA-TR sequence in intron 1. YG8sR cells showed 2.0–3.4 fold less nascent <i>FXN</i> transcript (exact fold changes are indicated) compared with Y47R cells at all the time points assayed. Graphs represent cumulative data from four independent metabolic labeling experiments. Error bars represent +/-SEM. * = <i>p</i><0.05; ** = <i>p</i><0.01, *** = <i>p</i><0.001.</p

<i>FXN</i> transcriptional deficiency in the YG8sR mouse extends both upstream and downstream of the expanded GAA-TR mutation.

<p><b>(A)</b> Relevant portions of the <i>FXN</i> gene are depicted schematically, with the GAA-TR mutation in intron 1, the <i>FXN</i> transcriptional start site (arrow) at position -59 relative to the initiation codon (“A” in ATG as +1), the three CpG sites in intron 1 used for DNA methylation analysis (relative to the first “G” in the GAA-TR sequence). Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to measure <i>FXN</i> transcript both upstream (Ex1; immediately downstream of the transcriptional start site) and downstream (Ex3-Ex4) of the GAA-TR mutation. Amplicons used for measuring the length of the GAA-TR sequence (GAA-PCR) and for methylation sensitive—high resolution melting (MS-HRM) are also depicted. Solid lines above the gene depict the shorter predicted <i>FXN</i> transcripts caused by defects in transcriptional elongation through the expanded GAA-TR mutation and by deficient transcriptional initiation due to <i>FXN</i> promoter silencing. Deficiency of transcript at both upstream and downstream locations would suggest a defect in transcriptional initiation, and deficiency of only Ex3-Ex4 would suggest a defect in transcriptional elongation. <b>(B)</b> PCR analysis to measure the length of the GAA-TR sequence in intron 1 of the <i>FXN</i> gene in various tissues from Y47R and YG8sR mice (for each tissue, the paired samples depict Y47R and YG8sR in the left and right lanes, respectively). The precise length of the GAA-9 product from Y47R fibroblasts and the GAA-133 product from YG8sR fibroblasts were determined by direct sequencing, which also showed that the repeat tract was pure (i.e., absence of non-GAA repeat sequence). <b>(C, D)</b> Quantitative RT-PCR showing deficiency of <i>FXN</i> transcript in 1-month-old YG8sR mouse tissues compared to Y47R, both upstream (Ex1) and downstream (Ex3-Ex4) of the expanded GAA-TR sequence. <b>(E)</b> Quantitative RT-PCR showing deficiency of <i>FXN</i> transcript in fibroblasts from YG8sR compared to Y47R, both upstream (Ex1) and downstream (Ex3-Ex4) of the expanded GAA-TR sequence. <b>(F, G)</b> Quantitative RT-PCR showing deficiency of <i>FXN</i> transcript in 12-month-old YG8sR mouse tissues compared to Y47R, both upstream (Ex1) and downstream (Ex3-Ex4) of the expanded GAA-TR sequence. CBR = cerebrum; CBL = cerebellum; DRG = dorsal root ganglia; SkM = skeletal muscle. Data shown in panels C through G represent three complete experiments using tissues isolated from two YG8sR and two Y47R individuals. Error bars represent +/-SEM. ** = <i>p</i><0.01, *** = <i>p</i><0.001.</p

Midgut Microbial Community of <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i> Mosquito Populations from India

<div><p>The mosquito <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i> is a ubiquitous species that serves as a major vector for west nile virus and lymphatic filariasis. Ingestion of bloodmeal by females triggers a series of physiological processes in the midgut and also exposes them to infection by these pathogens. The bacteria normally harbored in the midgut are known to influence physiology and can also alter the response to various pathogens. The midgut bacteria in female <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i> mosquitoes collected over a large geographical area from India was studied. Examination of 16S ribosomal DNA amplicons from culturable microflora revealed the presence of 83 bacterial species belonging to 31 bacterial genera. All of these species belong to three phyla i.e. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. Phylum Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum (37 species), followed by Firmicutes (33 species) and Actinobacteria (13 species). Phylum Proteobacteria, was dominated by members of γ-proteobacteria class. The genus <i>Staphylococcus</i> was the largest genus represented by 11 species whereas <i>Enterobacter</i> was the most prevalent genus and recovered from all the field stations except Leh. Highest bacterial prevalence was observed from Bhuj (22 species) followed by Nagrota (18 species), Masimpur (18 species) and Hathigarh (16 species). Whereas, least species were observed from Leh (8 species). It has been observed that individual mosquito harbor extremely diverse gut bacteria and have very small overlap bacterial taxa in their gut. This variation in midgut microbiota may be one of the factors responsible for variation in disease transmission rates or vector competence within mosquito population. The present data strongly encourage further investigations to verify the potential role of the detected bacteria in mosquito for the transmission of lymphatic filariasis and west nile virus. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study on midgut microbiota of wild <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i> from over a large geographical area.</p></div

Increased DNA methylation at the <i>FXN</i> locus in the 12-month-old YG8sR mouse.

<p><b>(A)</b> Normalized melting curves in a high resolution melting (HRM) assay of two reference double-stranded templates simulating 100% (red curve) and 0% (blue curve) DNA methylation at three CpG sites upstream of the GAA-TR mutation (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) showing a clear separation of the curves indicating that the HRM assay is able to detect methylation at the three CpG sites. <b>(B-F)</b> Normalized melting curves in a MS-HRM assay to detect CpG methylation in multiple tissues from 12-month-old YG8sR (red curves) and Y47R (blue curves) mice at the three CpG sites upstream of the GAA-TR mutation (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) showing a clear separation of the curves indicating a relative increase in methylation at the three CpG sites in YG8sR tissues. For all HRM curves, X-axis = melting temperature, Y-axis = relative fluorescence, and error bars represent 95% confidence intervals at each of 15 points assayed in triplicate for fluorescence per°C change. CBR = cerebrum; CBL = cerebellum; DRG = dorsal root ganglia; SkM = skeletal muscle.</p

Increased DNA methylation at the <i>FXN</i> locus in the 1-month-old YG8sR mouse.

<p><b>(A)</b> Normalized melting curves in a high resolution melting (HRM) assay of two reference double-stranded templates simulating 100% (red curve) and 0% (blue curve) DNA methylation at three CpG sites upstream of the GAA-TR mutation (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) showing a clear separation of the curves indicating that the HRM assay is able to detect methylation at the three CpG sites. <b>(B)</b> Normalized melting curves in a methylation sensitive—high resolution melting (MS-HRM) assay to detect CpG methylation in lymphoblastoid cell lines from three FRDA (red curve) and three non-FRDA control subjects (blue curve) at the three CpG sites upstream of the GAA-TR mutation (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) showing a clear separation of the curves indicating that the MS-HRM assay is able to detect a relative increase in methylation at the three CpG sites. <b>(C-H)</b> Normalized melting curves in a MS-HRM assay to detect CpG methylation in fibroblast cell lines and multiple tissues from 1-month-old YG8sR (red curves) and Y47R (blue curves) mice at the three CpG sites upstream of the GAA-TR mutation (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138437#pone.0138437.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1A</a>) showing a clear separation of the curves indicating a relative increase in methylation at the three CpG sites in YG8sR tissues and fibroblasts. For all HRM curves, X-axis = melting temperature, Y-axis = relative fluorescence, and error bars represent 95% confidence intervals at each of 15 points assayed in triplicate for fluorescence per°C change. LBCLs = lymphoblastoid cell lines; CBR = cerebrum; CBL = cerebellum; DRG = dorsal root ganglia; SkM = skeletal muscle.</p