Aprepitant, a novel neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist in management of chemotherapy induces nausea vomiting (CINV) in cancer patients

Nausea and emesis are two major concerns for patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The 5HT3 receptors antagonist ondansetron is the major factor for preventing and treatment for CINV either alone or often is combination with dexamethasone. Even these treatment options exist, CINV remind as major adverse event for all chemotherapeutic agents. The adverse events have major impact on patients quality of life and compliance with treatment. Aprepitant, a novel neurokinin-1 (NK-1) antagonist has been introduced as a new class of drug to prevent CINV. Many trials and studies reveals that comparison of aprepitant to the standard ondansetron and dexamethasone is superior in protecting against CINV. Here this study evaluate and reveals the use and benefits of aprepitant in the management of CINV

A rare case report on primary sjogren’s syndrome complicating as osteomalacia with renal tubular acidosis in a tertiary care teaching hospital tirupathi

Renal involvement in Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is not uncommon and may precede other complaints. Tubulointerstitial nephritis is the most common renal disease in SS and may lead to, renal tubular acidosis (RTA), which in turn may cause osteomalacia. Nevertheless, osteomalacia rarely occurs as the first manifestation of a renal tubule connective tissue disorder due to SS. Here we are presenting a female patient of age 41 yrs was admitted in our hospital with chief complaints of bilateral thigh pain which restrict her walking with weakness. x-ray of long bone shows that extensive demineralization of the bone. Laboratory investigations revealed hypokalemia (3.2 mmol/L), hypophosphatemia (0.4 mmol/L), hypocalcemia (2.14 mmol/L) and hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis (chlorine: 214 mmol/L; alkaline reserve: 14 mmol/L). The serum alkaline phosphatase levels were elevated. The serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D were low and borderline low, respectively, and the parathyroid hormone level was 90 pg/L. Urinalysis showed inappropriate alkaline urine (urinary PH: 7), glycosuria. These values indicated the presence of both distal and proximal RTA. Our patient reported dryness of the mouth and eyes and Schirmer’s test showed xerophthalmia

Correlation, Path Analysis and Genetic Divergence of Various Agro-morphological Traits and Traits Suitable for Mechanical Harvesting of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Germplasm

Five hundred and forty germplasm lines of chickpea were evaluated along with five checks (RLBGK-1, BG 3062, RVG 204, Phule Vikram, NBeG 47) in augmented design during rabi, 2021–2022 at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India to study the agro-morphological features and traits appropriate for mechanical harvesting. Correlation, path coefficient analysis and genetic divergence were estimated to find out the extent of association and genetic divergence among chickpea germplasm.  Plant height, growth habit, the height of the initial podding node, and the angle of the primary branch are characteristics that have been researched to identify lines that are suited for mechanical harvesting. Peduncle length, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, number of pods per plant, chlorophyll content, leaf area index, chlorophyll fluorescence showed positive correlation with seed yield per plant. Plant height and height of first podding node were showing positive high indirect effects through number of secondary branches on seed yield per plant. Cluster 1 was the largest with 399 germplasm while two clusters number 24 and 37 were smallest with 1 genotype each.  Plant height and height of first podding node were exhibiting maximum mean in cluster 32, whereas seed yield per plant was having maximum mean in cluster 14. According to percent contribution of different characters to total divergence obtained, the most significant contributors to the divergence were number of pods per plant and plant height. Correlation analysis indicated that traits suitable for mechanical harvesting are not directly correlated with seed yield, while path coefficient analysis indicated that they have indirect effects on seed yield through number of primary and secondary branches per plant

Pokkali Rice Cultivation: A Review on the Indigenous Rice Cultivation Method in Kerala

Kerala state's rice consumption is predicted to be between 3.5 and 4 million tons per year, but production is just a sixth of this. In order to boost the state's rice production, attention must be paid to traditional rice growing techniques. Thus, there is a need to understand the Pokkali rice cultivation method used in Kerala. The Pokkali style of rice farming in Kerala's acidic, saline soil is a distinctive way of rice cultivation. A native historic salt-tolerant type of rice called Pokkali, with a 120-day growing season, can withstand flooding by growing up to a height of 1.5 meters.  Chettivirippu, Vyttila 1, Vyttila 2, Vyttila 3, Vyttila 4 and Vyttila 5 are the other rice varieties cultivated using the Pokkali rice cultivation method. With this technique, a single rice crop is harvested on mounds during the low salinity part of the production cycle (June to mid-October), with prawn aquaculture taking place during the high salinity phase (November to April). Pokkali cultivation only produce 2000 kg of rice per hectare, making it slightly unprofitable. The rice plant residue after harvesting is left to rot in the water which subsequently acts as prawn feed. Prawn farming takes place from November to April. Sluice gates help in prawn culture filtering by maximizing the amount of saline water that enters the field and preventing the prawns from escaping. The two main cultivated prawns species are Penaeus monodon (Tiger prawn) and Penaeus indicus (White prawn). Prawns are typically collected in mid-April, especially two to three days before new full moon days, as tidal activity affects their movement. Prawn excreta serve as a natural fertilizer for rice cultivation; prawns feeding on rice cultivation stubbles help to minimize the occurrence of illness in rice to a minimum. It is an organic rice production approach with less cost than commercial rice farming because chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used

Reliability of single panoramic radiograph with vertical and horizontal parallax; and intraoral periapical radiograph with Clark′s rule compared to computed tomography/surgical exposure in localization of impacted permanent maxillary canine

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate an accurate, inexpensive and low-radiation conventional radiograph suitable for localization of impacted maxillary permanent canine. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 38 subjects in the age group of 13-50 years of both the genders with 50 impacted canines. Panoramic radiographs (OPGs) (on which Chaushu et al. criteria was applied) and intraoral periapical radiographs (IOPARs) (on which Clark′s rule was applied) of the subjects were made and the accuracy of the above two radiographic techniques were compared with computed tomography (CT) axial sections or with surgical exposure, which was considered as the standard guide for localization of impacted maxillary permanent canine. The data obtained was tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis using the statistical package for SAS software. Results: Localization of impacted maxillary permanent canine tooth done with SLOB (Same Lingual Opposite Buccal)/Clark′s rule technique could predict the bucco-palatal canine impactions in 98% of cases. OPG using differential magnification index could predict location only in 68% of bucco-palatal canine impactions and in 72% based on vertical position. Conclusion: In 68% of cases the bucco-lingual position of the canine in OPG (by magnification index) coincided with the location as per CT/surgical exposure. In 98% of cases localization with SLOB technique coincided with CT/surgical exposure. 72% of cases showed coincidence with vertical position of the canine on OPG with CT/surgical exposure. IOPARs taken with SLOB technique are more accurate than OPGs for localization of impacted permanent maxillary canine teeth

Large‐scale pathogenicity prediction analysis of cancer‐associated kinase mutations reveals variability in sensitivity and specificity of computational methods

Abstract Background Mutations in kinases are the most frequent genetic alterations in cancer; however, experimental evidence establishing their cancerous nature is available only for a small fraction of these mutants. Aims Predicition analysis of kinome mutations is the primary aim of this study. Further objective is to compare the performance of various softwares in pathogenicity prediction of kinase mutations. Materials and methods We employed a set of computational tools to predict the pathogenicity of over forty‐two thousand mutations and deposited the kinase‐wise data in Mendeley database (Estimated Pathogenicity of Kinase Mutants [EPKiMu]). Results Mutations are more likely to be drivers when being present in the kinase domain (vs. non‐kinase domain) and belonging to hotspot residues (vs. non‐hotspot residues). We identified that, while predictive tools have low specificity in general, PolyPhen‐2 had the best accuracy. Further efforts to combine all four tools by consensus, voting, or other simple methods did not significantly improve accuracy. Discussion The study provides a large dataset of kinase mutations along with their predicted pathogenicity that can be used as a training set for future studies. Furthermore, a comparative sensitivity and selectivity of commonly used computational tools is presented. Conclusion Primary‐structure‐based in silico tools identified more cancerous/deleterious mutations in the kinase domains and at the hot spot residues while having higher sensitivity than specificity in detecting deleterious mutations

Plexus 2008

The Plexus board would like to thank you for picking up our magazine. Being in the healthcare field can be demanding at times, emotionally and mentally, and many of us like to release our inner artist. We hope that you enjoy looking at, and reading, our work. Some of it was made to relax, some of it is to gain insight, and some of it is just for fun! This magazine is put together by a large board of Editors, over the span of a year, and collects hundreds of pieces of art from UCI School of Medicine students, faculty, physicians, employees, and even patients. All the work is judged by a fifty-person panel and then organized and published. And it’s all organized by medical students who love art and the support of our faculty advisor, Dr. Johanna Shapiro (who also loves art)! We hope the contributed work has an impact and you’ll keep your eyes out for our future editions. Thanks again dear reader!Sincerely,The EditorsThe Editorial Board would like to recognize and thank the following sponsors for their unwavering support! The School of Medicine Deans Office, The Office of Educational Affairs, The Office of Admissions, Last Year’s Board, who made us who we are today, Carroll Rudy, and Dale Fakuda from Printing Division Inc. Thanks!!!Faculty Advisor: Dr. Johanna Shapiro M.D.Co-Editors-in-Chief: Rod Mortazavi, Neera SodhiManaging Editor: Julie HuiSenior Editors:Audio: Wesley RyanHospital Beautification: Christina UmberVisual Arts: Neera SodhiCreative Writing: Dana SteenhardLayout and Design: Rod MortazaviMarketing and Outreach: Julie HuiAssociate EditorsAudio: George MittendorfHospital Beautification: Janet HoVisual Arts: Charitha ReddyCreative Writing: Mohammed Shaikh, Jennifer AllooLayout and Design: Steven Chan, Maheen Hassan, Peter McQueenMarketing and Outreach: Mohammed ShaikhSelection Committee: Alexander Lin, Madhukar PatelUCI School of Medicine (c) 2008 PLEXUSPublished work has been contributed by UCI School of Medicine students, physicians, faculty, staff, alumni, and patient