Sympathetic neurohemodynamic transduction is attenuated in older males independent of aerobic fitness

Clinical Autonomic Research -     

Antibiotic susceptibility of wound isolates in plastic surgery patients at a tertiary care centre

Context:Wound infection increases the hospital stay and adversely affects the recovery of patients. Culture and sensitivity of wound isolates help in proper diagnosis and management of these patients.Aim:To identify common bacteria causing wound infections and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern.Results:There were a total of 150 patients with infected wounds. Most common organism isolated was Pseudomonas followed by Klebsiella and Staphylococcus aureus. All of these organisms were resistant to most routine antibiotics.Conclusion:We suggest a multidisciplinary approach to wound management, rational drug use, routine microbiological surveillance of wounds and institution of hospital infection control policy.KEY WORDS: Bacteria, culture and sensitivity, wound infection     

Safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid in children with cerebral palsy undergoing femoral varus derotational osteotomy: a double cohort study

European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology - The safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing blood loss after total joint arthroplasty and spinal fusion surgery has...     

Unlocked nucleic acid modified primer-based enzymatic polymerization assay: towards allele-specific genotype detection of human platelet antigens

Accurate detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is paramount for the appropriate therapeutic intervention of debilitating diseases associated with SNPs. However, in some cases current nucleic acid probes fail to detect allele-specific mutations, for example, human platelet antigens, HPA-15a (TCC) and HPA-15b (TAC) alleles associated with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. Towards this, it is necessary to develop a novel assay for detection of allele-specific mutations. In this study, we investigated the potential of unlocked nucleic acid (UNA)-modified primers in SNP detection utilising an enzymatic polymerisation-based approach. Our results of primer extension and asymmetric polymerase chain reaction by KOD XL DNA polymerase revealed that UNA-modified primers achieved excellent allele-specificity in discriminating the human platelet antigen DNA template, whereas the DNA control primers were not able to differentiate between the normal and mutant alleles, demonstrating the scope of this novel UNA-based enzymatic approach as a robust methodology for efficient detection of allele-specific mismatches. Although further evaluation is required for other disease conditions, we firmly believe that our findings offer a great promise for the diagnosis of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and other SNP-related diseases.

We investigated the potential of UNA-modified primers for mismatch recognition capabilities using enzymatic polymerisation approach. Efficient allele-specific discrimination was achieved with the UNA-modified primers unlike the DNA primers.     

The face of remission induction

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease in which prognosis is determined by cytogenetic and molecular aberrations as well as patient-related factors, including age, prior haematologic disorders, and comorbidities. Despite the diverse disease biology, the standard of care for remission induction therapy has changed very little since its inception in 1973. Next generation sequencing has helped to increase our knowledge of the disease pathogenesis, allowing us to develop targeted and possibly more effective treatment options. Seven new agents have been approved for the treatment of AML since 2017, all of which are directed toward a specific molecular subtype or patient population. With the advent of these therapies, a more optimal, patient-specific approach rather than the historical ‘one-size fits all’ model can be utilised. This review will discuss the role of these novel therapies in the remission induction setting.