Impact of Tropospheric Ozone on Crop Plants

Tropospheric ozone (O₃) is the most important regional atmospheric pollutant causing risk to food production across the globe due to its phytotoxicity and prevalence over agricultural areas. Peak O₃ concentrations have declined in Europe and North America due to reductions in precursors during the last decades, however, emissions of O₃ precursors have increased in Asia. The current critical level of ozone is determined by the threshold for yield loss which is based on the seasonal sum of the external concentration above 40?ppb. In the present article, the impact of tropospheric O₃ on crop photosynthesis, defense mechanism, growth, reproductive processes and yield of crop plants have been documented. O₃ upon its entry into the leaf intercellular spaces rapidly forms reactive oxygen species and reacts with components of the leaf apoplast to initiate a complex set of responses that constitute variable countermeasures by antioxidative enzymes. Ozone affects photosynthetic process by influencing photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics and electron transport as well as carbon fixation in terms of decreased Rubisco activity and quantity. Translocation and allocation pattern of photosynthate also get influenced under O₃, which affect reproductive processes and yield of crops. Plant species and cultivars exhibit a range of sensitivity to O₃, which is identifiable in terms of biochemical, physiological, molecular and yield responses. Hence, understanding of cultivar sensitivity in context to O₃ would be helpful in development of potential O₃ biomarkers and O₃ tolerant variables.     

Intrahepatic biliary duct branching patterns,cystic duct anomalies,and pancreas divisum in a tertiary referral center: A magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticographic study

Background

Knowledge about anatomic variations in intrahepatic biliary ducts (IHBD) is relevant for performing biliary drainage and for avoiding bile duct injury during cholecystectomy and liver resections. Low insertion of cystic duct (LICD) is a common anatomic variant. Pancreas divisum is the commonest congenital anomaly of pancreas; it has been causally linked with recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP).

Methods

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography (MRCP) images of 500 consecutive patients were reviewed for anatomic variants of IHBD, cystic duct, and pancreatic duct.

Results

Anatomy of IHBD could be evaluated in 458 MRCP’s, of these 301 (65.72 %) had ‘typical’ anatomy. The variant in 157 persons included ‘triple confluence’ in 56 (12.23 %), ‘right posterior segmental duct (RPSD) draining to left hepatic duct (LHD)’ in 64 (14 %), ‘RPSD to common hepatic duct (CHD)’ in 20 (4.4 %), ‘RPSD to cystic duct’ in 2 (0.4 %), ‘accessory duct to CHD’ in 3 (0.7 %), ‘accessory duct to right hepatic duct (RHD)’ in 1 (0.2 %), ‘segment 2 and 3 separately to CHD’ in 1 (0.2 %), and complex variants in 10 (2.2 %). Cystic duct could be evaluated in 338 patients; of these, 15 (4.4 %) had LICD. Patients with RAP had pancreas divisum more often than those without any pancreatic disease, (?/?,10 % and ?/?, 0.8 %; p?=?0.004).

Conclusions

Nearly one third of MRCPs showed atypical IHBD pattern with RPSD draining to LHD being the commonest. LICD was the most common cystic duct variant. Pancreas divisum was more frequent in patients with RAP than in persons without pancreatic disease.

     

Using Wearable Biosensors to Predict Length of Stay for Patients with IBD After Bowel Surgery

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - It remains unknown whether ambulation or sleep predicts postoperative length of stay for patients with IBD. We aim to identify the utility of wearable biosensors...     

Human papillomavirus subtype 16 is common in Pakistani women with cervical carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is recognized as a major causative agent for cervical carcinomas. Based on their oncogenic potential, HPV subtypes have been divided into high- and low-risk. In Pakistan, screening for HPV in female patients is not commonly practiced, and as a consequence, the degree of HPV prevalence and its correlation with cervical cancer is unknown. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we have attempted to estimate the prevalence of HPV infection, and also the HPV subtype profile, among Pakistani women with cervical cancer from varied geographical, racial, and social backgrounds within Pakistan. METHODOLOGY: Women visiting two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, diagnosed with carcinoma of the cervix within the past 15 years, were analyzed for HPV subtypes in their cancer specimens. Retrospectively, 60 paraffin-embedded cervical cancer biopsies were examined for the presence of HPV DNA. After DNA extraction from these samples, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the HPV L1 gene using the consensus (general) primers, and primers specific for subtypes 16 and 18. RESULTS: Of the 60 samples analyzed, only one sample was HPV negative; the rest of the samples were positive for the presence of HPV. Of the 59 HPV positive samples, 56 showed the presence of HPV16 and one sample was positive for HPV18; HPV subtype could not be determined in two samples. CONCLUSION: Our results show a strong relationship between HPV infection and cervical cancer among Pakistani women. These results underscore the need to implement regular HPV screening for Pakistani women. An early diagnosis of HPV infection will allow better health management to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer.     

High-dose etoposide and cyclophosphamide without bone marrow transplantation for resistant hematologic malignancy

Seventy-five patients with resistant acute leukemia or lymphoma received high-dose cyclophosphamide and etoposide to explore the activity of this combination in resistant hematologic malignancies, and to determine the maximum doses of these drugs that can be combined without bone marrow transplantation. Etoposide was administered over 29 to 69 hours by continuous infusion corresponding to total doses of 1.8 g/m2 to 4.8 g/m2. Cyclophosphamide, 50 mg/kg/d, was administered on 3 or 4 consecutive days total 150 to 200 mg/kg ideal body weight). At all dose levels myelosuppression was severe but reversible. Mucosal toxicity was dose-limiting with the maximum tolerated dose level combining etoposide 4.2 g/m2 with cyclophosphamide 200 mg/kg. Continuous etoposide infusion produced stable plasma levels that were lower than would be achieved after administration by short intravenous infusion, and this could explain our ability to escalate etoposide above the previously reported maximum tolerated dose. There were 28 complete (35%) and 12 partial (16%) responses. Median duration of complete response (CR) was 3.5 months (range 1.1 to 20+). Seventeen of 40 patients (42%) with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) achieved CR, including 6 of 20 (30%) with high-dose cytosine arabinoside resistance. We conclude that bone marrow transplantation is not required after maximum tolerated doses of etoposide and cyclophosphamide. This regimen is active in resistant hematologic neoplasms, and the occurrence of CR in patients with high-dose cytosine arabinoside-resistant AML indicates a lack of complete cross-resistance between these regimens.     

Coincident Kikuchi-Fujimoto’s disease and adult-onset Still’s disease: report of a patient from an uncommonly affected population and case-directed systematic review

Clinical Rheumatology - Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease (KFD) and adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) are rare idiopathic inflammatory conditions of unknown etiology. Ten prior instances of KFD...     

Utility of urinary progranulin in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy and its correlation with renal function

International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries - Urinary progranulin is an inflammatory marker that may indicate renal damage at an early stage of diabetic nephropathy. To determine...     

Hepatitis C virus genotypes: distribution and clinical significance in patients with cirrhosis type C seen at tertiary referral centres in Europe

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution and clinical significance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in European patients with compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C (Child class A) seen at tertiary referral centres. HCV genotypes were determined by genotype-specific primer PCR in 255 stored serum samples obtained from cirrhotics followed for a median period of 7 years. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven cirrhosis, absence of complications of cirrhosis and exclusion of all other potential causes of chronic liver disease. The proportion of patients with types 1b, 2, 3a, 1a, 4 and 5 were 69%, 19%, 6%, 5%, 0.5% and 0.5%, respectively. Kaplan–Meier 5-year risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was 6% and 4% for patients infected by type 1b and non-1b, respectively ( P =0.8); the corresponding figures for decompensation were 18% and 7% ( P =0.0009) and for event-free survival were 79% and 89% ( P =0.09), respectively. After adjustment for baseline clinical and serological features, HCV type 1b did not increase the risk for HCC [adjusted relative risk=1.0 (95% confidence interval=0.47–2.34)], whereas it increased the risk for decompensation by a factor of 3 (1.2–7.4) and decreased event-free survival by a factor of 1.7 (0.9–3.10). In conclusion, type 1b and, to a lesser extent, type 2, are the most common HCV genotypes in European patients with cirrhosis. HCV type 1b is not associated with a greater risk for HCC, but increases the risk for decompensation by threefold in patients with cirrhosis.