Obstetrics outcome in pregnant women with cardiac disease in tertiary care center, Dehradun, India

Background: Incidence of heart disease in pregnancy is about 1%. Pregnant patient with cardiac disease can present with lot of challenges for the obstetrician, paediatrician and the cardiologist. With improvement in diagnostic, medical, surgical management, more patient with cardiac diseases especially congenital are able to reach reproductive age. Therefore, still a cardiac disease remains a significant cause of maternal death. Maternal and fetal prognosis both is affected by the care given and the skills used in the treatment of the individual patient. Hospital has resulted in majority of cardiac disease patient being managed in a tertiary care center and this provide an opportunity to report on clinical experiences of pregnancy with cardiac disease, their management and obstetrical outcomes.Methods: This was a retrospective study, with all the patients detailed demographic information, diagnosis, course in the hospital, management, maternal and fetal outcome was obtained from the medical records and files.Results: Incidence of cardiac disease was found to be 0.7%, 47% of pregnant women fell in age group of 26-30 years, 38.2% were primigravida, only 23.53% were booked, and half of them belonged to NYHA II class. 73.5% had Rheumatic heart disease and the most common obstetrics complications were preterm labor and anemia. LSCS was done in 29.4% cases and 38.2% of the newborns were premature.Conclusions: Prematurity anaemia, IUGR, are the common obstetrical complication in pregnant patient with cardiac disease which can be taken care with increased awareness and pre-conceptional counselling especially in patient with congenital heart disease. For optimization of maternal and neonatal outcomes in these patients, dedicated team of obstetrician, fetal medicine specialist, pediatricians, cardiologist and anesthesiologist is the prime requirement

Immunohistochemical evaluation of neuronal dysfunction in paediatric patients with Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorder

Background: Neonatal bowel obstruction may result due to defect in the intestine wall which may be classified as neuropathic, myopathic or idiopathic types according to the pathological changes observed. The present study was conducted between September 2014 to December 2015 with the aim to study histomorphological changes and evaluate the role of various IHC markers (calretinin, S-100, CD117) in Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) to assess neuronal dysfunction in these patients.Methods: Thirty cases with clinical suspicion of HD were included in our study. The tissue sections were processed and wax blocks were prepared. Histopathological diagnosis was established on routine H and E. Representative sections were further subjected to IHC staining with calretinin, CD117 and S-100 protein. A descriptive study was carried out. Chi-square was used with P-value less than 0.05 accepted as statistically significant.Results: Out of 30 cases with clinical suspicion of HD, 13 cases were diagnosed as HD, 10 as Non-HD motility disorder whereas 7 were without any definitive diagnosis. All the cases were subjected to IHC staining using calretinin. Out of 13 cases diagnosed as HD, 1 case showed presence of ganglion cell using calretinin. All 7 equivocal cases were accurately diagnosed by calretinin. Thus 12 cases were confirmed HD while 18 were diagnosed as Non HD motility disorder. On statistical analysis, sensitivity (92.3%) of calretinin was lower than specificity (100%). Nerve bundle hypertrophy was observed in 11 cases of HD and 9 cases of Non-HD motility disorder using S-100 as an IHC marker. CD117 was used to demonstrate altered density and distribution of ICCs was statistically significant in cases of Non-HD motility disorder.Conclusions: IHC is being widely used as a reliable adjunctive test in evaluation of motility disorders of bowel. In view of its ease and reproducibility, it can be routinely used, avoiding need for repeated biopsies, and delay in treatment

Quinolinic Acid and Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 in Depression: Role in Neuroprogression

Depression is an incapacitating neuropsychiatric disorder. The serotonergic system in the brain plays an important role in the pathophysiology of depression. However, due to delayed and/or poor performance of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in treating depressive symptoms, the role of the serotonergic system in depression has been recently questioned further. Evidence from recent studies suggests that increased inflammation and oxidative stress may play significant roles in the pathophysiology of depression. The consequences of these factors can lead to the neuroprogression of depression, involving neurodegeneration, astrocytic apoptosis, reduced neurogenesis, reduced plasticity (neuronal and synaptic), and enhanced immunoreactivity. Specifically, increased proinflammatory cytokine levels have been shown to activate the kynurenine pathway, which causes increased production of quinolinic acid (QA, an N-Methyl-D-aspartate agonist) and decreases the synthesis of serotonin. QA exerts many deleterious effects on the brain via mechanisms including N-methyl-D-aspartate excitotoxicity, increased oxidative stress, astrocyte degeneration, and neuronal apoptosis. QA may also act directly as a pro-oxidant. Additionally, the nuclear translocation of antioxidant defense factors, such as nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), is downregulated in depression. Hence, in the present review, we discuss the role of QA in increasing oxidative stress in depression by modulating the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 and thus affecting the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes

Isolation and Characterization of Bioremediation Potent Microorganisms from Spectrophotometrically Analysed Heavy Metal (Cr and Cd)-Rich Tannery Effluent

ABSTRACT Microorganisms can become tolerant and highly efficient in degrading toxic heavy metals that cause environmental pollution. This study focuses on the isolation of hexavalent Cr and Cd (II)-resistant bacteria collected from tannery effluents. The isolation was conducted by spread plate method on Agar plates supplemented with their respective heavy metal salts (K 2 Cr 2 O 7 and CdCl 2 ). A total of ten isolates were screened of which, two were subjected to 16sRNA sequencing on the basis of the degree of their resistance to heavy metals. The bacteria, identified from the isolates, were Flavobacterium psychrophilum and Flavobacterium sp. ARSA-103, which can be used for bioremediation of metal-contaminated effluents

Upstream control strategy development for afucosylated species in mAb biomanufacturing

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Immune Differentiation Regulator p100 Tunes NF-κB Responses to TNF

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine whose primary physiological function involves coordinating inflammatory and adaptive immune responses. However, uncontrolled TNF signaling causes aberrant inflammation and has been implicated in several human ailments. Therefore, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying dynamical and gene controls of TNF signaling bear significance for human health. As such, TNF engages the canonical nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway to activate RelA:p50 heterodimers, which induce expression of specific immune response genes. Brief and chronic TNF stimulation produces transient and long-lasting NF-κB activities, respectively. Negative feedback regulators of the canonical pathway, including IκBα, are thought to ensure transient RelA:p50 responses to short-lived TNF signals. The non-canonical NF-κB pathway mediates RelB activity during immune differentiation involving p100. We uncovered an unexpected role of p100 in TNF signaling. Brief TNF stimulation of p100-deficient cells triggered an additional late NF-κB activity consisting of RelB:p50 heterodimers, which modified the TNF-induced gene-expression program. In p100-deficient cells subjected to brief TNF stimulation, RelB:p50 not only sustained the expression of a subset of RelA-target immune response genes but also activated additional genes that were not normally induced by TNF in WT mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and were related to immune differentiation and metabolic processes. Despite this RelB-mediated distinct gene control, however, RelA and RelB bound to mostly overlapping chromatin sites in p100-deficient cells. Repeated TNF pulses strengthened this RelB:p50 activity, which was supported by NF-κB-driven RelB synthesis. Finally, brief TNF stimulation elicited late-acting expressions of NF-κB target pro-survival genes in p100-deficient myeloma cells. In sum, our study suggests that the immune-differentiation regulator p100 enforces specificity of TNF signaling and that varied p100 levels may provide for modifying TNF responses in diverse physiological and pathological settings

Establishment of the mechanism of purification and levigation of green chemistry-assisted biocomposites of red ochre (Gairika): synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial, prebiotic, antioxidant, and antacid activities of the traditional Ayurvedic medicine Laghu Sutashekhara Rasa

Gairika (red ochre) has a long history of influencing human civilization. Gairika is a rich source of nutrients used for reproductive and brain health. Gairika is mentioned as an antacid drug in Indian Ayurvedic medicine under Laghu Sutashekhara Rasa (LSR). However, a detailed study on LSR has not been reported to date. In the present study, LSR was prepared, and a pharmaceutical SOP (standardization procedure) was reported to obtain batch-to-batch reproducibility. LSR was characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX, and TGA analyses. LSR was tested in vitro for its antacid activity. Advanced instrumentation revealed that LSR formation produced symmetrical particles (5–8 µm) with kaolin, kaolinite, quartz, goethite, and hematite, along with the phytoconstituents of Goghrita (clarified cow’s butter), Shunthi, and Nagawalli, as confirmed by GC-MS/MS analysis. The FTIR study revealed the formation of a chelating complex of goethite and hematite along with their phytoconstituents. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of kaolin, kaolinite, quartz, goethite, and hematite. Using in vitro antacid experiments, LSR and Shunthi demonstrated significant antacid activity as compared to antacid drugs and standards in the market, such as CaCO3. The DPPH assay revealed IC50 values of 12.16 ± 1.23 mg/mL, which is 0.0029 of Trolox-equivalent antioxidant activity. The inhibition (18 ± 4 mm) against pathogens (S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and B. subtilis) and the prominent growth of gut microbiota-supported strains (S. boulardii, L. paracasei, and L. plantarum) observed on LSR formulation were indicative of LSR application as a prebiotic. Here, the mechanism of purification and levigation mentioned in the classical literature of LSR was established. Overall, purification of Gairika with cow ghee and levigation with Nagawalli may enhance the solubility, bioavailability, and shelf-life of LSR through hydration and co-crystallization mechanisms. This is the first comprehensive report on the pharmaceutical validation of LSR and its characterization. The results of the present study could contribute to the development and reliable reproduction of LSR and the utility of environmental red ochre as a medicine in combination with Shunthi (Zingiber officinale Roxb.), as prescribed under Indian Ayurvedic medicine

Effect of polarization force on dust-acoustic cnoidal waves in dusty plasma

A theoretical investigation has been presented to study the effect of polarization force on nonlinear dust acoustic (DA) cnoidal waves in dusty plasma composed of negatively charged dust fluid, Maxwellian electrons and superthermally distributed ions. The effect of polarization force is significantly modified due to the presence of the superthermal ions. In particular, an increase in superthermality index of ions leads to a decrease in polarization parameter. By employing reductive perturbation method, the nonlinear Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation is derived for the study of DA cnoidal waves. Further, the Sagdeev potential approach is employed to find the solution of KdV equation to analyze the characteristics of DA cnoidal waves. Only negative potential DA cnoidal waves are observed. Furthermore, the combined effects of polarization force and superthermality of ions on the characteristics of negative potential DA cnoidal waves have been studied in detail. It is emphasized that the real implementation of our present results is in laboratory experiments as well as in different regions of space and astrophysical environments especially in Saturn’s magnetosphere, comet tails, etc