Determinants of low birth weight: A case control study in a district hospital in Karnataka

A Case-control study was conducted in District Lady Goschen hospital, Dakshina Kannada district, Southern Karnataka. Subjects were mothers who underwent normal delivery and their neonates. A total of 150 cases and 300 controls were selected. Significant risk factors identified in univariate analysis included pre pregnancy maternal weight (<45 kgs)(OR=6.77), anaemia in pregnancy (Hb<11gm%) (OR=3.11), age less than 20 years (OR=2.96) and maternal height (<145 cms) (OR=2.79). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that pre pregnancy maternal weight (<45 kgs)(OR=7.02), anemia in pregnancy (OR=4.37) and maternal age less than 20 years (OR=3.96) were the significant risk factors of low birth weight of term babies. The strategy needs to focus attention on nutrition education to facilitate better weight gain during adolescent period. Discouraging teenage pregnancy is also essential in order to reduce the burden of LBW babies.     

Morphological abnormalities in the innervation of the atretic segment of bowel in neonates with intestinal atresia

The aim of this study was to examine precisely the morphological abnormalities in the myenteric plexus at the atretic end of the bowel in jejunoileal atresia (JIA). Although changes in the myenteric plexus has been examined in the proximal and distal segments of bowel in JIA, a histochemical analysis of the atretic segment is lacking. Specimens from the atretic end of bowel were obtained from six neonates with JIA. Whole-mount preparations were made of the myenteric plexus, and the cholinergic and nitrergic components were studied by staining with acetylcholine esterase (Ach E) and NADPH diaphorase, respectively. Controls were obtained from two neonates undergoing small bowel resection for Meckel’s diverticulum. At the blind end of bowel in type 3a atresia (5 neonates), the intensity of NADPH staining was comparable with controls. However, there was distortion of polygonal architecture of the primary and secondary plexuses at the blind end arranged in concentric fashion parallel to the circular muscle fibres. The ganglia were large and irregularly shaped and contained round neuronal cells. In the sausage shaped segment of bowel in multiple atresia, there was total loss of polygonal architecture with abnormal ganglia, and whorls of nerve fibers. Neuronal cells could not be made out in the ganglia. In specimens stained with Ach E, the findings were similar except that the staining intensity was markedly reduced compared with controls. The morphological abnormalities in the atretic bowel in type 3a were restricted to the architecture of the plexuses and ganglia. The neuronal cells were normal. However, the total loss of polygonal architecture and absence of neuronal cells in the ganglia in multiple atresia probably indicate a different etiology for this type of atresia     

Aortic isthmus and cardiac monitoring of the growth-restricted fetus

Aortic isthmus acts as an arterial watershed between the cerebral and placental circulations, connecting 2 parallel fetal ventricular pumps. It plays a crucial role in the fetal circulatory dynamics. Information about aortic isthmus blood flow may improve the management of sick fetuses. However, perceived technical difficulties limit the clinical use of aortic isthmus Doppler for fetal hemodynamic monitoring. Changes in aortic isthmus blood flow pattern seem to reflect fetal cardiovascular status accurately and predict perinatal and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in intrauterine growth restriction. This review evaluates the available scientific information and discusses the role of aortic isthmus in fetal circulation.     

Differential neural correlates of reciprocal activation and cocontraction control in dorsal and ventral premotor cortices

Efficient control of reciprocal activation and cocontraction of the muscles are critical to perform skillful actions with suitable force and impedance. However, it remains unclear how the brain controls force and impedance while recruiting the same set of muscles as actuators. Does control take place at the single muscle level leading to force and impedance, or are there higher-order centers dedicated to controlling force and impedance? We addressed this question using functional MRI during voluntary isometric wrist contractions with online electromyogram feedback. Comparison of the brain activity between the conditions requiring control of either wrist torque or cocontraction demonstrates that blood oxygen level-dependent activity in the caudo-dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) correlates well with torque, whereas the activity in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) correlates well with the level of cocontraction. This suggests distinct roles of the PMd and PMv in the voluntary control of reciprocal activation and cocontraction of muscles, respectively.     

Effect of combined drospirenone with estradiol for hypertensive postmenopausal women: a systemic review and meta-analysis

Postmenopausal hypertensive is associated with estrogen deficiency. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of drospirenone combined with 17-β-estradiol (DRSP/E2) in postmenopausal hypertensive women. A systemic literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science (up to Oct. 2015) was performed. Studies were screened independently by two researchers according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria which included only the randomized controlled trials (RCT) about the drospirenone with 17-β-estradiol for postmenopausal women with hypertension. The methodological quality was evaluated by Cochrane handbook 5.1.0 and meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3.0 software. Five randomized controlled trials involved 1121 patients who met the eligibility criteria. Overall, DRSP/E2 group was superior in reducing clinical blood pressure (BP) and 24-h mean BP. There was no significant change in potassium levels on DRSP/E2 group versus control group, suggesting probability potassium sparing effect of this hormone therapy. The incidences of adverse events were low and similar. The current evidences indicate that DRSP 3?mg/E2 2?mg can significantly lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in postmenopausal hypertensive women.     

A validated tumorgraft model reveals activity of dovitinib against renal cell carcinoma

Most anticancer drugs entering clinical trials fail to achieve approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drug development is hampered by the lack of preclinical models with therapeutic predictive value. Herein, we report the development and validation of a tumorgraft model of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its application to the evaluation of an experimental drug. Tumor samples from 94 patients were implanted in the kidneys of mice without additives or disaggregation. Tumors from 35 of these patients formed tumorgrafts, and 16 stable lines were established. Samples from metastatic sites engrafted at higher frequency than those from primary tumors, and stable engraftment of primary tumors in mice correlated with decreased patient survival. Tumorgrafts retained the histology, gene expression, DNA copy number alterations, and more than 90% of the protein-coding gene mutations of the corresponding tumors. As determined by the induction of hypercalcemia in tumorgraft-bearing mice, tumorgrafts retained the ability to induce paraneoplastic syndromes. In studies simulating drug exposures in patients, RCC tumorgraft growth was inhibited by sunitinib and sirolimus (the active metabolite of temsirolimus in humans), but not by erlotinib, which was used as a control. Dovitinib, a drug in clinical development, showed greater activity than sunitinib and sirolimus. The routine incorporation of models recapitulating the molecular genetics and drug sensitivities of human tumors into preclinical programs has the potential to improve oncology drug development.     

Genetic diversity of Sugarcane bacilliform virus isolates infecting Saccharum spp. in India

Sugarcane bacilliform virus (SCBV), which causes leaf freckle in sugarcane, is a member of the genus Badnavirus. Studies were conducted to characterize SCBV in Saccharum officinarum germplasm and cultivated varieties in India by sequencing the complete genomes of five isolates. Genome lengths ranged from 7,553 to 7,884 nucleotides. Duplications in ORF3 and insertions in the RNase H-domain in some of the isolates were found to contribute to the large size of their genomes. The Indian SCBV isolates share identities of 69–85 % for the complete genomic sequence, indicating wide genetic diversity among them, and share 70–82 % identity with Sugarcane bacilliform Ireng Maleng virus (SCBIMV) and Sugarcane bacilliform Morocco virus (SCBMV), as well as 43–46 % identity with Banana streak virus (BSV) and BSV-related SCBV species from Guadeloupe, indicating that the Indian SCBV isolates are distinct from SCBV isolates reported to date. Irrespective of the region compared, SCBV isolates from India, Australia, and Morocco clustered together. BSV and BSV-related SCBV isolates from Guadeloupe formed another cluster. A phylogenetic analysis based on the partial RT/RNase H-sequence separated SCBV and BSV-related SCBV sequences into 11 SCBV groups viz. SCBV-A to -K. Among the 11 groups, the SCBV sequences separated under H, I, J, and K are newly identified in this study, representing three new species and are tentatively named as SCBBBV, SCBBOV, and SCBBRV. Thus, the PASC and phylogenetic analyses evidenced that the symptoms associated with badnaviruses in sugarcane in India are caused by at least three new species, SCBBBV, SCBBOV, and SCBBRV, besides SCBIMV and SCBMV represented by SCBV-BT and SCBV-Iscam, respectively.