Evaluation of the impact of continuous Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) initiated immediately after birth compared to KMC initiated after stabilization in newborns with birth weight 1.0 to < 1.8 kg on neurodevelopmental outcomes: Protocol for a follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth or low birth weight is the single largest cause of death in newborns, however this mortality can be reduced through newborn care interventions, including Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). Previously, a multi-country randomized controlled trial, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), reported a significant survival advantage with initiation of continuous KMC immediately after birth compared with initiation of continuous KMC a few days after birth when the baby is considered clinically stable. Whether the survival advantage would lead to higher rates of neurodevelopmental morbidities, or the immediate KMC will also have a beneficial effect on cognitive development also, has not been investigated. We therefore propose to test the hypothesis that low-birth-weight infants exposed to immediate KMC will have lower rates of neurodevelopmental impairment in comparison to traditional KMC-treated infants, by prospectively following up infants already enrolled in the immediate KMC trial for the first 2 years of life, and assessing their growth and neurodevelopment. METHODS: This prospective cohort study will enroll surviving neonates from the main WHO immediate KMC trial. The main trial as well as this follow-up study are being conducted in five low- and middle-income countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The estimated sample size for comparison of the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment is a total of 2200 children. The primary outcome will include rates of cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, vision impairment, mental and motor development, and epilepsy and will be assessed by the age of 3 years. The analysis will be by intention to treat. DISCUSSION: Immediate KMC can potentially reduce low-birth-weight-associated complications such as respiratory disease, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and infection that can result in impaired neurocognitive development. Neuroprotection may also be mediated by improved physiological stabilization that may lead to better maturation of neural pathways, reduced risk of hypoxia, positive parental impact, improved sleep cycles, and improved stress responses. The present study will help in evaluating the overall impact of KMC by investigating the long-term effect on neurodevelopmental impairment in the survivors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry-India CTRI/2019/11/021899. Registered on 06 November 2019. Trials registration of parent trial: ACTRN12618001880235; Clinical Trials Registry-India: CTRI/2018/08/015369.

Gun trauma and ophthalmic outcomes.

PurposeThis retrospective cohort study assesses the visual outcomes of patients who survive gunshot wounds to the head.MethodsThe Elmhurst City Hospital Trauma Registry and Mount Sinai Data Warehouse were queried for gun trauma resulting in ocular injury over a 16-year period. Thirty-one patients over 16 years of age were found who suffered a gunshot wound to the head and resultant ocular trauma: orbital fracture, ruptured globe, foreign body, or optic nerve injury. Gun types included all firearms and air guns. Nine patients were excluded due to incorrect coding or unavailable charts. Statistical analysis was performed using a simple bivariate analysis (χ2).ResultsOf the 915 victims of gun trauma to the head, 27 (3.0%) sustained ocular injuries. Of the 22 patients whose records were accessible, 18 survived. Eight of the 18 surviving patients (44%) suffered long-term visual damage, defined as permanent loss of vision in at least one eye to the level of counting fingers or worse. Neither location of injury (P=0.243), nor type of gun used (P=0.296), nor cause of gun trauma (P=0.348) predicted visual loss outcome. The Glasgow Coma Scale eye response score on arrival to the hospital also did not predict visual loss outcome (P=0.793).ConclusionThere has been a dearth of research into gun trauma and even less research on the visual outcomes following gun trauma. Our study finds that survivors of gun trauma to the head suffer long-term visual damage 44% of the time after injury.

Optimal first-line treatment in ovarian cancer.

Treatment of ovarian cancer remains challenging despite the high complete response rate seen after maximal surgical debulking surgery and platinum-combination chemotherapy. as most patients will relapse and eventually succumb to ovarian cancer, new strategies are urgently required to improve survival. a platinum-taxane combination has been the cornerstone of treatment for >15 years. Better use of these drugs is being explored through scheduling studies, and dose-dense or intraperitoneal (IP) therapies. Further improvements in treatment will most likely come from the integration of optimal chemotherapy with one or more of the hundreds of molecular-targeted agents that could be active in ovarian cancer. The greatest experience has been with anti-angiogenic agents. Two large phase III trials in first-line ovarian cancer have demonstrated a positive effect of bevacizumab when administered concurrently with chemotherapy and then as a maintenance treatment. In this review, we discuss the existing treatments for ovarian cancer and highlight areas of recent progress.

Advances in graphene-related technologies: synthesis, devices and outlook.

Graphene has been the subject of many scientific investigations since exfoliation methods facilitated isolation of the two-dimensional material. During this time, new synthesis methods have been developed which have opened technological opportunities previously hindered by synthetic constraints. An update on the recent advances in graphene-based technologies, including synthesis and applications into electrical, mechanical and thermal uses will be covered. A special focus on the patent space and commercial landscape will be given in an effort to identify current trends and future commercialization of graphene-related technologies.

Importance of specimen length during temporal artery biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Variations in surgical technique of temporal artery biopsy (TAB) performed for diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) may contribute to high false-negative rates. This was a retrospective analysis of a large database that explored potential associations between specimen length and diagnostic sensitivity of TAB. METHODS: Histopathological reports and medical records of patients who underwent TAB in six hospitals between 2004 and 2009 were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 966 biopsies were analysed. The median postfixation specimen length was 1 (range 0·1-8·5) cm and 207 biopsies (21·4 per cent) were positive for GCA. Significant variation in prebiopsy erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), arterial specimen length and positive results was noted amongst hospitals. Multivariable analysis revealed that patient age, ESR value and specimen length were independent predictors of GCA. Positive biopsies had significantly longer median specimen length compared with negative biopsies: 1·2 (range 0·3-8·5) versus 1·0 (0·2-8·0) cm respectively (P = 0·001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified postfixation specimen length of at least 0·7 cm as the cut-off length with highest positive predictive value for a positive biopsy (area under ROC curve 0·574). Biopsies with specimen length of 0·7 cm or more had a significantly higher rate of positive results than smaller specimens (24·8 versus 12·9 per cent respectively; odds ratio 2·17, P = 0·001). CONCLUSION: Specimen length and ESR were independent prognostic factors of a positive TAB result. A uniform referral practice and standard specimen length of approximately 1 cm could help eliminate discrepancies in the results of TAB.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Intrauterine exposure to drugs by mothers is not an uncommon finding ine our society. Due to the mother's suppression of a medical history, the diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome is often missed. We report a case of a term, female, newborn, who presented with the following features;e restlessness, inconsolable crying, along with sweating, vigorous sucking; andadiarrhoea. No conclusion was derived from routine investigations. Eventually, with a high degree of suspicion regarding maternal drug addiction, her history was reviewed and it was discovered that the mother was a heroin addict. The baby was diagnosed as a case of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. The neonate was successfully managed thereafter and discharged.

Addition of salmeterol to existing treatment in patients with COPD: a 12 month study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the addition of salmeterol to existing treatment for exacerbations in patients with poorly reversible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: 634 patients aged >40 years with a history of COPD exacerbations (including at least two in the previous year) and poor reversibility of airflow obstruction (< or =10% predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second) received either salmeterol 50 mug or placebo twice daily from a Diskus inhaler for 12 months. The primary outcome was the number of moderate and severe exacerbations. RESULTS: The median rate of moderate or severe exacerbations in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population was lower in the salmeterol group (0.00, range 0.0-9.8, n = 316) than in the placebo group (0.93, range 0.0-13.0, n = 318), but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.27). The median rate of exacerbations in the per protocol population (>90% compliance) was also found to be lower in the salmeterol group (0.00, range 0.0-5.0, n = 206) than in the placebo group (0.93, range 0.0-5.6, n = 195) and did reach statistical significance (p = 0.007). For secondary end points, patients receiving salmeterol had significant improvement in lung hyperinflation measured by inspiratory capacity which was evident at 4 weeks and maintained over 12 months (p = 0.035), and a significant improvement in health status measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire at 12 months (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Salmeterol has a positive effect on symptoms and health status of patients with COPD when added to usual treatment. Exacerbations are only reduced in patients who comply with treatment.

[Relationship between incisor position and status of facial soft tissues]. / Vliianie polozheniia reztsov na sostoianie miagkikh tkanei litsa.

Thirty patients with sagittal, vertical, and transverse abnormalities of occlusion combined with abnormal position of the frontal teeth and improper shape and size of dentition were examined. The position of maxillary canines was evaluated by the method suggested by L. Garner (1974) determining the relationship between the location of frontal teeth and position of soft facial tissues.

Inducing a cell-mediated immune response against peptides of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein.

An attempt was made to generate an unrestricted cellular immune response against peptide antigens of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium vivax. The peptides used represent the repeat-region sequences of the type-I variant (AA and DA) or type-II variant (ANG) and the conserved region (region II) containing the hepatocyte-binding region extended to include a T-cell epitope (HBP). The study was conducted in outbred mice and two genetically unrelated inbred strains of mice. Spleen cells, recovered from mice that had been primed either with one peptide or a conjugate formed of HBP linked to one of the repeat-region peptides, were pulsed in vitro with varying amounts of individual peptides/conjugates, both in soluble and particulate form (with and without a human beta-casein bio-active fragment analogue as adjuvant). In the tests using the cells from the mice primed with an individual peptide(s), HBP showed a high proliferation index, and the repeat-region peptides, especially AA, showed T-cell activity in at least one of the mouse strains studied. In vitro, higher concentrations of the free peptides than of liposomal preparations of the peptides had to be used to elicit the optimal proliferation of the cells from each strain of mice. Interestingly, the cells from the conjugate-primed mice showed enhanced proliferation (compared with that observed in the cells from mice primed with individual peptides) when stimulated with each component, and especially the repeat-region sequence, of the relevant conjugate. In such cases there was no evidence of restriction of the immune response by the major histocompatibility complex. The major secreted cytokines were found to be from CD4(+) Th1 (interferon-gamma and interleukin-2), with relatively low levels of the Th-2 cytokines interleukin-4 and interleukin-6. The delivery of cohered 'B-T' peptide(s) sequences from the same protein, ideally with an immunostimulatory adjuvant or as a liposomal preparation, should greatly enhance the cell-mediated immune response and should improve clearance of mosquito-inoculated P. vivax sporozoites.

A new lanostane triterpenic ether from Adiantum venustum.

A new lanostane triterpenic ether, lanost-20(22)-en-3,19-ether, named adiantulanostene ether was isolated from Adiantum venustum. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of full spectral data analyses and chemical means.

Normethyl pentacyclic and lanostane-type triterpenes from Adiantum venustum.

Phytochemical studies on the aerial parts of Adiantum venustum resulted in the isolation of normethyl lupane-type, a normethyl oleanane-type and a lanostane-type triterpene. Structures of these triterpenes have been established as 30-normethyl lupane-20-one, 30-normethyl olean-3-one-30 beta-ol and lanost-20(22)-ene-30-ol on the basis of spectral data analyses and chemical methods.

Vancomycin anaphylaxis and successful desensitization in a patient with end stage renal disease on hemodialysis by maintaining steady antibiotic levels.

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin anaphylaxis is a major management problem in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) sepsis. Lerner et al in 1984 have described a protocol for desensitization to vancomycin; however, antibiotic blood levels have never been used as a guide in this process. CASE REPORT: A 46-year-old female with ESRD on hemodialysis who developed a dialysis-catheter related MRSA sepsis was found to have anaphylaxis to vancomycin. She underwent successful desensitization to vancomycin using Lerner's protocol. Periodic antibiotic blood levels were used to guide the amount and frequency of vancomycin infusion to successfully maintain desensitization thereafter. DISCUSSION: Lerner described loss of desensitization to vancomycin when antibiotic infusion was stopped after 18 hours followed by successful desensitization to the same drug via the same protocol. This observation points out that desensitization to vancomycin appears to be dependent on some minimal drug level. In our case report, we have for the first time used the concept of blood levels to maintain successful desensitization to an antibiotic. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that desensitization to vancomycin can be induced and maintained by keeping a minimum antibiotic blood level. Further studies are needed to quantify this.

Bis-Capsules: Cooperative Reversible Encapsulation of Two Molecules in Adjacent Separate Chambers.

Unprecedented communication takes place between guests G that are reversibly encapsulated in adjacent, but physically separate, chambers of a side-to-side bis-capsule (shown schematically). This was shown by neighbor-dependent NMR chemical shifts of the identical or nonidentical guest molecules. Furthermore, no 1:1 host - guest species is formed.

Inducing protective antibodies against ring-infected erythrocyte surface peptide antigen of Plasmodium falciparum using immunostimulating complex (ISCOMs) delivery.

In the present study, synthetic peptides (EENVEHDA)2 [(oc)2] and (DDEHVEEPTVA)2 [(un)2] of ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA) of Plasmodlium filciparum were linked with palmitic acid and entrapped in immunostimulating complexes (ISCOMs). The immunogenicity of the peptide(s) and mixture of peptides were studied in mice with different genetic background. Peptide(s) entrapped in ISCOMs using a low-dose immunization strategy generated high-titer as well as high-affinity antibodies. Interestingly, no genetic restriction of the immune response was observed in any of the strains studied. The IgG subclass pattern with the peptide(s) showed predominately IgG2a/2b isotypes, while with the mixed peptide formulation, (un)2-specific IgG isotype pattern showed induction of both IgG1 and IgG2a/2b isotypes. These cytophilic antibodies inhibited the ring as well as schizont stage and total parasite growth during in vitro merozoite reinvasion inhibition study. In the mixed peptide preparation, the same pattern of immune response was achieved as that of individual peptide(s) using ISCOMs delivery. Therefore, the entrapment of otherwise poorly immunogenic synthetic peptides in ISCOMs resulted in increased immunogenicity followed by strong secondary response and can be adopted for developing subunit immunogen formulation against malarial parasite.

8-aminoquinolines as anticoccidials - Part III.

Analogues of the antimalarial pentaquine, 1, in which the nature of the side-chain on the 8-amino position was varied, were prepared and evaluated for anticoccidial activity both in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, both the inter-nitrogen distance and the nature of the terminal amino group were investigated. Novel analogues of equal or improved efficacy in vitro and in vivo to pentaquine were discovered.

Suppression of renal inflammation with vitamins A and E in ascending pyelonephritis in rats.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effects of vitamin A and E supplementation alone or in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the development of inflammation in an animal model of ascending pyelonephritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ascending pyelonephritis was induced in adult rats by surgical bladder inoculation with P-pili-forming Escherichia coli. Treatment of pyelonephritic rats was initiated at 72 hours post-infection. Treatment groups included no treatment, or a five day regimen of antibiotic only, antibiotic plus vitamins A and E, or antibiotic, vitamins and either of two NSAIDs. Kidneys were harvested at six weeks post-infection and assessed for histopathologic inflammation. RESULTS: Antibiotic treatment of pyelonephritic rats with vitamins A and E alone or in combination with NSAIDs resulted in significantly less kidney inflammation, as compared with untreated rats or rats treated with antibiotic alone. There was no significant difference in inflammation between animals treated with vitamins alone or vitamins plus NSAIDs. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic therapy and diet supplementation with vitamins A and E can significantly reduce the inflammation associated with ascending pyelonephritis, suggesting a potential use in the medical management of reflux nephropathy in children.

Danazol-induced biochemical changes in the rat ovary.

Effect of varying doses of danazol, a synthetic steroid derivative of 17 alpha-ethinyl testosterone has been observed on the biochemistry of the rat ovary. Biochemically total proteins decreased and total lipids increased with the danazol treatment. Triglycerides, the stored form of lipids formed the major components of lipids in the treated ovaries. The amount of phospholipids, glycolipids, cholesterol and free fatty acids decreased in the ovaries with increased danazol treatment. The functional significance of these changes have been discussed with ovarian physiology especially in relation to follicular growth and atresia.

Boron nitride nanotubes.

The successful synthesis of pure boron nitride (BN) nanotubes is reported here. Multi-walled tubes with inner diameters on the order of 1 to 3 nanometers and with lengths up to 200 nanometers were produced in a carbon-free plasma discharge between a BN-packed tungsten rod and a cooled copper electrode. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy on individual tubes yielded B:N ratios of approximately 1, which is consistent with theoretical predictions of stable BN tube structures.