Health of the elderly in a community in transition: a survey in Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala, India

Results of a survey to assess the health and functional status of the elderly (defined as those who are 60 years or older) in Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital of Kerala state, India, are discussed. As the process of development results in longevity without concomitant economic success, traditional support systems break down. The differences in status of the elderly dependent on gender and socioeconomic class are highlighted. Women are poorer and generally suffer more morbidity than men in old age, even though their death rates are lower. The better-off among the elderly enjoy a quality of life much superior to their poor brethren. Thus, in transitional societies such as Kerala, socioeconomic status and gender play a significant role in determining the quality of life of the elderly, a finding which may have some policy implications.     

Expression of CD105 and CD34 receptors controls BMP‐induced in vitro mineralization of mouse adipose‐derived stem cells but does not predict their in vivo bone‐forming potential

Adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be excellent alternative to bone marrow derived stem cells for enhancing fracture repair since ADSCs can be isolated comparatively in large numbers from discarded lipoaspirates. However, osteogenic potential of ADSCs in vivo is very controversial. We hypothesized that adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) that respond maximally to bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in vitro would possess maximum bone‐forming potential. Four purified populations of mouse ADSCs: CD105⁺CD34⁺, CD105^?CD34^?, CD105⁺CD34^? and CD105^?CD34⁺ were obtained using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) and their BMP‐responsiveness was determined in vitro. CD105⁺CD34^? population showed the strongest response to BMPs in terms of robust increase in mineralization. Expression of CD105 correlated with high BMP‐responsive phenotype and larger cell size while expression of CD34 correlated with low BMP‐responsive phenotype and smaller cell size. CD105⁺CD34^? population displayed higher gene expression of Alk1 or Alk6 receptors in comparison with other populations. However, CD105⁺CD34^? ADSCs failed to induce ectopic bone formation in vivo after they were transplanted into syngeneic mice, indicating that in vitro BMP‐responsiveness is not a good indicator to predict in vivo bone forming potential of ADSCs. Therefore greater precautions should be executed during selection of competent ADSCs for bone repair. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 33:625–632, 2015.

     

Merits of multicolor imaging for tractional retinal detachment

Purpose:To compare multicolor imaging (MCI) with Optos color fundus photography (OCFP) for the evaluation of morphology and extent of preretinal membranes in diabetic tractional retinal detachments (TRD).Methods:In this retrospective study, 30 eyes with diabetic TRDs were imaged using the MCI feature of the Heidelberg Spectralis Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and color photo using the Optos Daytona ultra-widefield fundus camera. Two investigators independently graded and determined the agreeability between the two modalities with respect to the extent of the TRD and preretinal membranes on the SD-OCT B-scan images.Results:The MCI provided better visualization of the attachments and traction points of the posterior hyaloid face and preretinal membranes and is comparable to the SD-OCT B-scan images. The inter-rater agreeability rates for OCFP had a Kappa (κ) value of 0.37, while the MCI had a κ value of 0.46. When comparing between images of different wavelengths, grading using infrared reflectance (IR) had a poor agreement (−0.04 ± 0.04) while green reflectance (GR) (0.46 ± 0.32) and blue reflectance (BR) (0.53 ± 0.19) had a moderate agreement. The composite MCI and GR images also had comparatively higher intraclass coefficient when compared to the OCFP (0.25 [−0.09–0.55]) and IR (−0.03 [−0.39–0.34]) images.Conclusion:MCI is more sensitive for determining the extent of TRDs and for the detection of secondary membranes when compared to OCFP, thus, aiding in better surgical planning.     

Influence of fellow eye on the diagnosis and classification of central serous chorioretinopathy

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To assess the influence of fellow eye information on diagnosis and classification of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) using...     

Jatropha curcas (Linn) leaf extract –a possible alternative for population control of Rhipicephalus(Boophilus) annulatus

ObjectiveTo study the effect of ethanolic extract of leaves of the plant Jatropha curcas as a step towards developing a safe and ecofriendly therapeutic agent to combat the problems of tick and tick-borne diseases.MethodsPulverised leaves of J. curcas were subjected to soxhlet extraction using ethanol. The ethanolic extract of J. curcas at different dilutions such as, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 mg / ml were tested against ticks using adult immersion test. The per cent adult mortality, inhibition of fecundity and hatching of laid ova were studied.ResultsThe extract caused significant blocking of hatching of the laid ova by the treated ticks.ConclusionsEclosion blocking effect of J. curcas extract is a promising property of the plant that can be utilized for controlling the population of ticks.     

Synchronous Occurance of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Rhabdomyosarcoma

Metachronous primary distinct tumors are frequently and increasingly encountered in oncology clinical practice of recent times, but synchronous tumours are still a rarity. We report an unusual case of a 2 year old male child who had synchronous occurrence of rhabdomyosarcoma of pelvis and acute myeloid leukemia.Our search of literature suggests that this may be the first reported case of simultaneous occurrence of these two malignancies.     

Long‐term patient survival and kidney allograft survival in post‐transplant diabetes mellitus: a single‐center retrospective study

A decade ago, observations suggested that post‐transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) was linked to allograft loss and shorter patient survival. Increasing awareness, improvements in care, and changes in the immunosuppressive regimen may have modified this association. Single‐center analysis of 1990 (age>18; transplantation date 1996–2012) primary kidney recipients (KTR). Patients with <12 months follow‐up were excluded. Diabetes was diagnosed according to ADA criteria and characterized as follows: No diabetes, PTDM in the first post‐transplant year not treated with glucose‐lowering medications (GLM) at 12 months, PTDM in the first post‐transplant year treated with GLM at 12 months, and pretransplant diabetes. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the relationship of PTDM with allograft and patient survival. Mean follow‐up time was 6.8 years for allograft survival and 7.4 years for patient survival. PTDM treated with medication at year one was not associated with allograft survival (HR 1.28, 95% CI 0.97–1.69), but was significantly associated with overall mortality and death with functioning graft (DWFG) (HR overall: 1.81, 95% CI 1.36–2.39; HR DWFG: 1.59 95% CI 1.05–2.38). In this cohort, KTR with PTDM being treated with glucose‐lowering medication at 12 months experienced significantly shorter overall survival and survival with functioning graft.