Lead-associated deficits in stature,mental ability and behaviour in children in Karachi

This study was conducted to evaluate the cumulative and steady-state lead burden in children from Karachi, an area of high lead exposure, and to assess the degree of damage to physical growth and mental ability related to lead exposure. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven primary schools from around Karachi. Shed primary teeth and blood samples were collected from students of grades I to III (age range 6-10 years) and were analysed for lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Haemoglobin concentration, height, weight and head circumference were measured. IQ was estimated using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices. Classroom behaviour was rated by teachers and school performance was estimated from the percentage mark in a school examination taken just before the date of the IQ test. Complete data were available for 138 children. Over 80% of children had lead levels above the safety limit set by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The blood lead levels in boys did not differ significantly from that in girls. Significant differences were observed between the schools. Univariate analysis showed negative association of blood lead with haemoglobin, IQ and height. Tooth lead was negatively associated with height, classroom behaviour and performance. When adjusted for other confounding variables, blood lead was negatively associated with haemoglobin and IQ, whereas tooth lead was negatively associated only with classroom behaviour. Height was negatively associated with blood or tooth lead. These results were further supported when the upper and lower quintiles for blood or tooth lead were compared. Tooth lead level was not a better marker of lead poisoning than blood lead level in our study population. These data demonstrate the association of increased lead with impaired learning and adverse behaviour in Karachi children and call for strict government regulations to limit environmental lead burden.     

Multiple cerebral infarctions with severe multi-organ dysfunction following multiple wasp stings

Wasp and bee sting are commonly encountered worldwide. Local reactions are more common, generally are self-limiting and settle within a few hours. Multiple stings can lead to various clinical manifestations like vomiting, diarrhea, dyspnea, generalized edema, hypotension, syncope, acute renal failure, and even death. Rarely, they can cause vasculitis, serum sickness, neuritis, and encephalitis. We are reporting a case of 40-year-old male who presented with stroke, right hemiparesis with severe multi-organ dysfunction due to multiple wasp stings.     

Immunotoxicity of mercury: Pathological and toxicological effects

Mercury (Hg) is toxic and hazardous metal that causes natural disasters in the earth's crust. Exposure to Hg occurs via various routes; like oral (fish), inhalation, dental amalgams, and skin from cosmetics. In this review, we have discussed the sources of Hg and its potential for causing toxicity in humans. In addition, we also review its bio-chemical cycling in the environment; its systemic, immunotoxic, genotoxic/carcinogenic, and teratogenic health effects; and the dietary influences; as well as the important considerations in risk assessment and management of Hg poisoning have been discussed in detail. Many harmful outcomes have been reported, which will provide more awareness.     

Differential Privacy in Cognitive Radio Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

Cognitive Computation - Integrating cognitive radio (CR) with traditional wireless networks is helping solve the problem of spectrum scarcity in an efficient manner. The opportunistic and dynamic...     

Interventions for improving research productivity in clinical radiology

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of research promotion activities on overall quality and quantity of research output in a clinical department of a teaching tertiary care hospital. Simple research enhancing strategies including regular journal club, research hour, basic research skills training, hiring of research faculty, research awards, and annual research retreat and research board to increase research production were implemented in the Department of Radiology of a teaching hospital in Pakistan. A total of 77 papers were produced by the Department of Radiology before the intervention, which increased to 92 after the introduction of research initiatives. There was a significant increase in the overall proportion of publications in the international journals after the intervention (p < 0.001) with an increasing trend towards indexed journals (p < 0.001). The research enhancing interventions had a positive effect on increasing clinical research output by the Department of Radiology. Such interventions can also be replicated in other clinical departments to increase their research productivity.     

Isolation, molecular detection and antibiogram of Listeria monocytogenes from human clinical cases and fish of Kashmir, India

The present study investigated the occurrence, antibiogram and molecular epidemiology of Listeria monocytogenes from fish and human clinical cases in Kashmir, India. A total of 100 fresh samples of commonly eaten indigenous fish, Cyprinus carpio and Schizothorax niger, were tested for the presence of L. monocytogenes. Clinical samples comprising of blood (40) and CSF (20) were taken from patients with signs of encephalitis, meningitis/meningoencephalitis, septicemia and pyrexia of unknown origin. Following enrichment and plating on selective agar, conformation of the organisms was done on the basis of various biochemical tests followed by Christie, Atkins, Munch-Peterson (CAMP) test. L. monocytogenes was isolated from two fish and two clinical samples (blood, 1; CSF, 1) showing an overall prevalence of 2.5%. The prevalence was 3.33% in clinical samples and 2.0% in fish samples. The isolates were subjected to PCR assay for virulence associated with hylA genes. The pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed by demonstration of monocytosis and kerato-conjunctivitis in rabbits. L. monocytogenes isolated from human clinical cases were sensitive to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, ceftriaxone and resistant to ampicillin, amoxycillin, cefpodoxime, streptomycin, norfloxacin and cefphotaxime. However, the isolates recovered from foods were sensitive to gentamicin, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, amoxycillin/clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin/cloxacillin, ceftriaxone and resistant to streptomycin, cefpodoxime and cefphotaxime. Multi-drug resistant strains were found in the present study, representing a potential threat to human health.     

Aesthetic replacement of an anterior tooth using the natural tooth as a pontic; an innovative technique

This article presents a novel technique for replacing an anterior tooth. A new modification to the clinical technique of direct fabrication of a resin-bonded bridge was employed, in which the patient’s natural tooth was used as a pontic. Treatment with this modification led to overall improved aesthetics and reduced treatment cost. The natural tooth pontic was stabilized in the extraction socket with a resin-wire splint as a provisional restoration to maintain the gingival architecture while the permanent bridge was being constructed.     

INAUGURAL ARTICLE by a Recently Elected Academy Member:Strong signatures of selection in the domestic pig genome

Domestication of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and subsequent selection have resulted in dramatic phenotypic changes in domestic pigs for a number of traits, including behavior, body composition, reproduction, and coat color. Here we have used whole-genome resequencing to reveal some of the loci that underlie phenotypic evolution in European domestic pigs. Selective sweep analyses revealed strong signatures of selection at three loci harboring quantitative trait loci that explain a considerable part of one of the most characteristic morphological changes in the domestic pig—the elongation of the back and an increased number of vertebrae. The three loci were associated with the NR6A1, PLAG1, and LCORL genes. The latter two have repeatedly been associated with loci controlling stature in other domestic animals and in humans. Most European domestic pigs are homozygous for the same haplotype at these three loci. We found an excess of derived nonsynonymous substitutions in domestic pigs, most likely reflecting both positive selection and relaxed purifying selection after domestication. Our analysis of structural variation revealed four duplications at the KIT locus that were exclusively present in white or white-spotted pigs, carrying the Dominant white, Patch, or Belt alleles. This discovery illustrates how structural changes have contributed to rapid phenotypic evolution in domestic animals and how alleles in domestic animals may evolve by the accumulation of multiple causative mutations as a response to strong directional selection.Several subspecies of wild boars have contributed to the development of the domestic pig, and there is a considerable divergence time between them (on the order of 1 million y) (1–4). The domestication process has, to a large extent, been going on in parallel in Asia and Europe. For instance, black coat color in Asian and European domestic pigs is caused by independent missense mutations in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) that occurred on haplotypes originating from the Asian and European wild boar, respectively (5). Since animal breeding became more organized in the 18th century, the selection goals in pigs have evolved in response to demand. The early focus on selection for fatness was driven by demand for energy-rich food and tallow for candles. In contrast, there has been very strong selection for lean growth (high protein and low fat content) during the last 60 y, driven by the demand for reduced caloric intake in modern society. Several mutations with major effects on lean growth have already been identified, including a missense mutation in Ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) (6), a missense mutation in PRKAG3 encoding the gamma 3 subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (7), and a single base change at a repressor binding site in intron 3 of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) (8).Here we used the pig draft genome sequence (Sscrofa10.2) (4) and whole-genome resequencing to reveal loci that have been under selection during and since pig domestication. We searched for selective sweeps and genetic variants showing marked allele frequency differences between pig and wild boar populations. The results are based on the combined analyses of two datasets: (i) mate pair reads from eight different pools of pigs and wild boars sequenced to ∼5× coverage/pool, and (ii) paired-end fragment reads (100 + 100 bp) from 37 individual pigs and 11 wild boars, each sequenced to ∼10× coverage (