Thiazole-Based Silver Ion Sensor for Sequential Colorimetric Visualization of Epinephrine in the Brain Tissues of an Alzheimer's Disease Model of Mouse.

A thiazole-based probe, N'-((2-aminothiazol-5-yl)methylene)benzohydrazide (TBH), has been efficiently synthesized and characterized for the selective and sensitive detection of the neurotransmitter epinephrine (EP). The sensing strategy is based on the use of TBH for sequential colorimetric sensing of Ag+ and EP via in situ formation of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) from the TBH-Ag+ complex. The generated Ag NPs lead to a bathochromic shift in absorption maximum and a change in color of the solution from light brown to reddish brown. TBH-Ag+ shows remarkable selectivity toward EP versus other drugs, common cations, anions, and some biomolecules. Moreover, TBH-Ag+ has a low detection limit for EP at 1.2 nM. The coordination of TBH-Ag+ has been proposed based on Job's plot, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), 1H NMR titration, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and density functional theory (DFT) studies. The composition and morphology of the generated Ag NPs have been analyzed by XPS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The proposed sensing mechanism for EP has been supported by XPS of Ag after the reaction. Further, the sensitivity of TBH-Ag+ toward EP in brain tissues of an Alzheimer's disease model of mouse has been evaluated. A thorough comparison was done for evaluation of the proposed method.

A chromogenic diarylethene-based probe for the detection of Cu2+ in aqueous medium in Drosophila for early diagnosis of Alzheimer.

A diarylethene-based probe (Z)-N'-((2-amino-5-chlorophenyl)(phenyl)methylene)-2-hydroxy benzohydrazide (KBH) has been proficiently developed and its structure has been confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. It displays a selective and sensitive colorimetric sensing of Cu2+ ions in aqueous medium with a naked eye colour change from colourless to yellow. It exhibits a significantly low limit of detection as 1.5 nM. A plausible binding mechanism has been proposed using Job's plot, FT-IR, 1H NMR titration, HRMS and DFT studies. The chemosensor is effectively reversible and reusable with EDTA. Test strip kit and real water sample analysis have been shown to establish its practical applicability. Further, the potential of KBH for the early diagnosis of Cu2+ ion-induced amyloid toxicity has been investigated in eye imaginal disc of Alzheimer's disease model of Drosophila 3rd instar larvae. The in-vivo interaction of KBH with Cu2+ in gut tissues of Drosophila larvae establishes its sensing capability in biological system. Interestingly, the in-vivo detection of Cu2+ has been done using bright field imaging which eliminates the necessity of a fluorescent label, hence making the method highly economical.

A Novel Rhodamine Probe Acting as Chemosensor for Selective Recognition of Cu2+ and Hg2+ Ions: An Experimental and First Principle Studies.

Copper and Mercury ions have vital role to play in biological world as their excess or deficiency can cause different type of diseases in human being as well as biological species including plants and animals. Therefore, their detection at trace level becomes very important in term of biological. The current studies embody the fabrication, structural characterization and recognition behavior of a novel rhodamine B hydrazone formed when hydrazide of rhodamine B was condensed with 5-Allyl-3-methoxy salicylaldehyde (RBMA). RBMA was found to be responsive towards the very trace level of Cu2+ and Hg2+ among other tested cations so far. The sensing procedure is based on the classical opening of the spiroatom ring of rhodamine. The limit of detection (LOD) and binding constant is 5.35 ppm, 2.06 × 104 M-1 and 5.16 ppm, 1.26 × 104 M-1 for Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions respectively. The probable mechanism correlates the specific binding of RBMA with Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions. The 1:1 stoichiometry of RBMA with Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions have been supported by HRMS, FT-IR data, Job's plot, and binding constant data. Reversibility is well exhibited by RBMA by the involvement of CO32- ions via demetallation process. The real time application is well demonstrated by the use of paper strip test. The DFT study also carried out which agrees well with the experimental findings. The results displayed the novelty of this current work towards the trace level analysis of the Cu2+ and Hg2+ of the cations which are play the crucial role in industry.

Fluorescent Turn-On Anthracene-Based Aluminum(III) Sensor for a Therapeutic Study in Alzheimer's Disease Model of Drosophila.

A new anthracene-based probe (E)-N'-(1-(anthracen-9-yl)ethylidene)-2-hydroxybenzohydrazide (AHB) has been efficiently synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic methods. It exhibits extremely selective and sensitive fluorometric sensing of Al3+ ions with a large enhancement in the fluorescent intensity due to the restricted photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism with a chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) effect. The AHB-Al3+ complex shows a remarkably low limit of detection at 0.498 nM. The binding mechanism has been proposed based on Job's plot, 1H NMR titration, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and density functional theory (DFT) studies. The chemosensor is reusable and reversible in the presence of ctDNA. The practical usability of the fluorosensor has been established by a test strip kit. Further, the therapeutic potential of AHB against Al3+ ion-induced tau protein toxicity has been tested in the eye of Alzheimer's disease (AD) model of Drosophila via metal chelation therapy. AHB shows great therapeutic potential with 53.3% rescue in the eye phenotype. The in vivo interaction study of AHB with Al3+ in the gut tissue of Drosophila confirms its sensing efficiency in the biological environment. A detailed comparison table included evaluates the effectiveness of AHB.

Quinazoli-4-one ionic liquid as a fluorescent sensor for NH3 detection: Interaction with ctDNA, theoretical investigation and live cell bioimaging.

A novel quinazoli-4-one based ionic liquid, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-3-methyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-1-ium bromide (QIL) for fluorometric determination of dissolved ammonia has been successfully synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques such as 1H and 13C NMR, FTIR and HRMS spectrometry. In the proposed method, QIL is converted to a fluorescent derivative by the reaction with ammonia in aqueous medium. The excitation and emission wavelengths were 250 and 436 nm, respectively. Remarkably with the reaction time of >1 s, the binding constant and detection limit was found to be 6.43 × 108 M-1 and 0.73 × 10-8 M, respectively. QIL is found to be highly selective as no interference is observed from various cations, anions, organic molecules and amino acids. The sensing mechanism was further validated by the density functional theory studies. The fluorophore exhibited great sensing property in 3.0-14.0 pH range, hence, it can be employed in diverse matrices. In addition, the fluoro-sensor is highly reversible and reusable in the presence of ctDNA molecule. Moreover, a live-cell imaging study of QIL in Drosophila larval gut tissue has also been carried out to investigate the cell permeability of QIL and its efficiency for selective detection of NH3 in cellular micro environment. To show practical applicability of the fluoro-sensor, test strip kit has been constructed. A detailed comparison table has been shown to evaluate the efficiency of this method.

A reversible and efficient probe for dual mode recognition of Al3+ and Cu2+ with logic gate behaviour: Crystal structure, theoretical and in-vivo bio-imaging investigations.

This work presents the synthesis, characterization, crystal structure and spectroscopic investigations of isophthalohydrazide based probe. Among various tested metal ions, the probe selectively detects Al3+ and Cu2+ in aqueous ethanol via fluorometric and colorimetric methods, respectively. It displays a fluorescence "turn-on" response with Al3+ and visual colour change from colourless to yellow with Cu2+. Sensing mechanism is explored with UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and 1H NMR titration, and confirmed with computational results. Suppression of CN isomerization and photo-induced electron transfer (PET) along with chelation enhanced fluorescence emission (CHEF) result in "turn-on" fluorescence with Al3+ while ligand to metal charge transfer (LMCT) accounts for visual colour change with Cu2+. Job's plot and HRMS confirm 1:2 (L:M) stoichiometry. The probe also exhibits efficient reversibility and reproducibility with EDTA which are successfully mimicked with combinatorial logic gate and truth table. Additionally, solid state applications and bio-imaging investigation on gut tissue of Drosophila 3rd instar larvae are performed.

A review on ferulic acid and analogs based scaffolds for the management of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe central cholinergic neuronal loss, gradually contributing to cognitive dysfunction and impaired motor activity, resulting in the brain's cell death at the later stages of AD. Although the etiology of AD is not well understood, however, several factors such as oxidative stress, deposition of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides to form Aß plaques, intraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, and low level of acetylcholine are thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of AD. There is practically no drug for AD treatment that can address the basic factors responsible for the neurodegeneration and slow down the disease progression. The currently available therapies for AD in the market focus on providing only symptomatic relief without addressing the aforesaid basic factors responsible for the neurodegeneration. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phenol derivative from natural sources and serves as a potential pharmacophore that exerts multiple pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, neuroprotection, Aß aggregation modulation, and anti-inflammatory. Several FA based hybrid analogs are under investigation as a multi-target directed ligand (MTDLs) to develop novel hybrid compounds for the treatment of AD. In the present review article, we are focused on the critical pathogenic factors responsible for the onset of AD followed by the developments of FA pharmacophore-based hybrids compounds as a novel multifunctional therapeutic agent to address the limitations associated with available treatment for AD. The rationale behind the development of these compounds and their pharmacological activities in particular to their ChE inhibition (ChEI), neuroprotection, antioxidant property, Aß aggregation modulation, and metal chelation ability, are discussed in detail. We have also discussed the discovery of caffeic and cinnamic acids based MTDLs for AD. This review paper provides an in-depth insight into the research progress and current status of these novel therapeutics in AD and prospects for developing a druggable molecule with desired pharmacological affinity and reduced toxicity for the management of AD.

Logic gate behavior and intracellular application of a fluorescent molecular switch for the detection of Fe3+ and cascade sensing of F- in pure aqueous media.

The nature and coordination sites of the Schiff base 3,3'-(1E,1'E)-(1,3-phenylenebis(azan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)dinaphthalen-2-ol (APHN) were tuned by its selective reduction to design a highly efficient fluorescent probe, 3,3'-(pyridine-2,6-diylbis(azanediyl))bis(methylene)dinaphthalen-2-ol (RAPHN). The structures of APHN, RAPHN, and the RAPHN-Fe3+ complex were satisfactorily modeled from the results of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations. RAPHN worked in pure aqueous medium as a turn on-off-on probe of Fe3+ and F-. The fluorescence nature of the probe in the presence and absence of Fe3+/F- was regulated by a set of mechanisms including -CH[double bond, length as m-dash]N isomerization and LMCT. A 2 : 1 (M : L) binding stoichiometry was established from a fluorescence Job's plot and further substantiated from HR-MS studies. The limits of detection of RAPHN for Fe3+ and RAPHN-Fe3+ for F- were found to be 2.49 × 10-7 M and 1.09 × 10-7 M, respectively. The RAPHN probe caused no cytotoxicity in gut tissue of Drosophila even at high concentrations. The probe displayed excellent bioimaging applications for detection of Fe3+ and F- in gut tissue of Drosophila. A combinatorial logic gate was constructed for the proper understanding of the working principle of RAPHN.

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of silver nanoparticles synthesized using flavonoid rich alcoholic leaves extract of Reinwardtia indica.

The present work discusses the establishment of a green route for the rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using an alcoholic extract of Reinwardtia indica (AERI) leaves which act as a reducing as well as a capping agent. The change in color from yellowish green to dark brown confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs. A characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 436 nm advocated the presence of AgNPs. The synthesis process was optimized using one factor at a time approach where 1.0 mM AgNO3 concentration, 5 mL 0.4% (v/v) of AER inoculum dose and 30 min of sunlight exposure were found to be the optimum conditions. The synthesized AgNPs was characterized by several characterizing techniques such as HR- TEM, SAED, HR-SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR and AFM analysis. For evaluation and comparison of AgNPs with AERI used human pathogen E. coli, P. aeurogenosa, S. aeurus and C. albicans for antimicrobial, for cytotoxicity study SiHa cell line at concentration of (10, 50, 100, 250 and 500 µg mL-1) and for enzymatic assay superoxide dismutase, catalase, malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase method were used. The size of nanoparticle in the range of 3-15 nm was confirmed TEM, spherical shape by SEM and crystal lattice nature by XRD. AFM results revealed the 2 D and 3 D pattern of particle scatter nature on the surface. This protocol as simple, rapid, one step, eco-friendly, nontoxic and AgNPs showed strong antimicrobial activity as well as cytotoxic potential in comparison to AERI.

Factors Influencing Employment and Employability for Persons with Disability: Insights from a City in South India.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence on barriers faced by persons with disability in accessing employment opportunities in India. AIM: This study was undertaken to ascertain both employee and employer perceptions on barriers existing among Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled sectors to employ persons with disabilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred participants from six IT/IT-enabled sector organizations were included in the study; study was conducted at Hyderabad, India. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the participants. RESULTS: Physical access to and within the worksite was highlighted as a concern by 95% of respondents. Majority perceived that communication, attitude of people, discrimination, harassment at work place, and information were critical barriers. Only 3.8% of employers were aware that their company had a written policy on employing persons with disabilities. Employers stated that commitment and perseverance were important facilitators among persons with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from this study will help in planning need-based employment for persons with disabilities.

Human resources, patient load, and infrastructure at institutions providing diabetic care in India: The India 11-city 9-state study.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of information on the practice patterns and available human resources and services for screening for eye complications among persons with diabetes in India. OBJECTIVES: The study was undertaken to document existing health care infrastructure and practice patterns for managing diabetes and screening for eye complications. METHODS: This cross-sectional, hospital-based survey was conducted in 11 cities where public and private diabetic care providers were identified. Both multispecialty and standalone diabetic care facilities were included. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to senior representative(s) of each institution to evaluate parameters using the World Health Organization health systems framework. RESULTS: We interviewed physicians in 73 hospitals (61.6% multispecialty hospitals; 38.4% standalone clinics). Less than a third reported having skilled personnel for direct ophthalmoscopy. About 74% had provision for glycated hemoglobin testing. Only a third had adequate vision charts. Printed protocols on management of diabetes were available only in 31.5% of the facilities. Only one in four facilities had a system for tracking diabetics. Half the facilities reported having access to records from the treating ophthalmologists. Direct observation of the services provided showed that reported figures in relation to availability of patient support services were overestimated by around 10%. Three fourths of the information sheets and half the glycemia monitoring cards contained information on the eye complications and the need for a regular eye examination. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted existing gaps in service provision at diabetic care centers in India.

Perceptions and practices related to diabetes reported by persons with diabetes attending diabetic care clinics: The India 11-city 9-state study.

BACKGROUND: India has the second largest population of persons with diabetes and a significant proportion has poor glycemic control and inadequate awareness of management of diabetes. OBJECTIVES: Determine the level of awareness regarding management of diabetes and its complications and diabetic care practices in India. METHODS: The cross-sectional, hospital-based survey was conducted in 11 cities where public and private providers of diabetic care were identified. At each diabetic care facility, 4-6 persons with diabetes were administered a structured questionnaire in the local language. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-five persons with diabetes were interviewed. The mean duration since diagnosis of diabetes was 8.1 years (standard deviation ± 7.3). Half of the participants reported a family history of diabetes and 41.7% were hypertensive. Almost 62.1% stated that they received information on diabetes and its management through interpersonal channels. Family history (36.1%), increasing age (25.3%), and stress (22.8%) were the commonest causes of diabetes reported. Only 29.1% stated that they monitored their blood sugar levels at home using a glucometer. The commonest challenges reported in managing diabetes were dietary modifications (67.4%), compliance with medicines (20.5%), and cost of medicines (17.9%). Around 76.5% were aware of complications of diabetes. Kidney failure (79.8%), blindness/vision loss (79.3%), and heart attack (56.4%) were the commonest complications mentioned. Almost 67.7% of the respondents stated that they had had an eye examination earlier. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have significant implications for the organization of diabetes services in India for early detection and management of complications, including eye complications.

Eye care infrastructure and human resources for managing diabetic retinopathy in India: The India 11-city 9-state study.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information on the availability of services for diagnosis and management of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in India. OBJECTIVES: The study was undertaken to document existing healthcare infrastructure and practice patterns for managing DR. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 11 cities and included public and private eye care providers. Both multispecialty and stand-alone eye care facilities were included. Information was collected on the processes used in all steps of the program, from how diabetics were identified for screening through to policies about follow-up after treatment by administering a semistructured questionnaire and by using observational checklists. RESULTS: A total of 86 eye units were included (31.4% multispecialty hospitals; 68.6% stand-alone clinics). The availability of a dedicated retina unit was reported by 68.6% (59) facilities. The mean number of outpatient consultations per year was 45,909 per responding facility, with nearly half being new registrations. A mean of 631 persons with sight-threatening-DR (ST-DR) were registered per year per facility. The commonest treatment for ST-DR was laser photocoagulation. Only 58% of the facilities reported having a full-time retina specialist on their rolls. More than half the eye care facilities (47; 54.6%) reported that their ophthalmologists would like further training in retina. Half (51.6%) of the facilities stated that they needed laser or surgical equipment. About 46.5% of the hospitals had a system to track patients needing treatment or for follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted existing gaps in service provision at eye care facilities in India.

Perception of care and barriers to treatment in individuals with diabetic retinopathy in India: 11-city 9-state study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of visual impairment. Low awareness about the disease and inequitable distribution of care are major challenges in India. OBJECTIVES: Assess perception of care and challenges faced in availing care among diabetics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cross-sectional, hospital based survey was conducted in eleven cities. In each city, public and private providers of eye-care were identified. Both multispecialty and standalone facilities were included. Specially designed semi-open ended questionnaires were administered to the clients. RESULTS: 376 diabetics were interviewed in the eye clinics, of whom 62.8% (236) were selected from facilities in cities with a population of 7 million or more. The mean duration of known diabetes was 11.1 (±7.7) years. Half the respondents understood the meaning of adequate glycemic control and 45% reported that they had visual loss when they first presented to an eye facility. Facilities in smaller cities and those with higher educational status were found to be statistically significant predictors of self-reported good/adequate control of diabetes. The correct awareness of glycemic control was significantly high among attending privately-funded facilities and higher educational status. Self-monitoring of glycemic status at home was significantly associated with respondents from larger cities, privately-funded facilities, those who were better educated and reported longer duration of diabetes. Duration of diabetes (41%), poor glycemic control (39.4%) and age (20.7%) were identified as the leading causes of DR. The commonest challenges faced were lifestyle/behavior related. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have significant implications for the organization of diabetes services in India.

Sexual function after urinary incontinence surgery.

UNLABELLED: Urinary incontinence (UI) affects between 42 and 71% of women. Sexual dysfunction is prevalent in the general population, but in women with UI, the prevalence is greater (42-56%). This review assesses the effects of urinary continence surgery on the sexual function of women with UI. Stress UI is surgically mostly managed via Burch colposuspension or a mid-urethral sling. These operations are as effective as each other with regards to maintaining or improving in sexual function. One of the main risks of these operations are that urgency UI (UUI) may be exacerbated or arise de novo and this has been shown to decrease sexual function. Severe refractory UUI requires complex surgery, such as percutaneous sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) then augmentation cystoplasty or urinary diversion. SNS may improve sexual function by direct action on the pudendal nerve as well as improving incontinence. Urinary diversion and augmentation cystoplasty are procedures of last resort in women who are refractory to all other UUI treatments. The majority of women report no change or improvement in sexual function as the urinary diversion negates the requirement for incontinence pads and indwelling catheters. Deteriorated sexual function has also been described in up to 37.5%. Thirty percent of women undergoing urinary diversion would have liked more 'sexological' counselling. CONCLUSION: The majority of women enjoy maintained or improved sexual function after surgical treatment of UI. It is important to ensure women have appropriate pre-operative assessment and counselling so they may be advised of the risks of failed surgery including deteriorated sexual function.

Community based maternal death review: lessons learned from ten districts in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Maternal death is as much a social phenomenon as a medical event. Maternal death review (MDR), a strategy for monitoring maternal deaths, provides information on medical, social and health system factors that should be addressed to redress gaps in service provision or utilisation. To strengthen MDR implementation in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The project involved development of state specific guidelines, technical assistance in operationalization and analysing processes and findings of MDR in ten districts. 284 deaths were recorded over 6 months (April-September 2012) of which 193 (75.4 %) could be reviewed. Post-partum haemorrhage (24 %) and hypertensive disorders (27.4 %) followed by puerperal sepsis in the post-partum period (16.8 %) were the leading causes of maternal deaths. 68.3 % deaths occurred at health facilities. 67 % of mothers dying during the natal or post-natal period, delivered at home, though the death occurred in a health facility. Type 1 delay (58.9 %) was the most common underlying cause of death, followed by type 3 delay (33.3 %). Under or nil reporting from the facilities was observed. Program staff could identify broad areas of intervention but lacked capacity to monitor, analyse, interpret and utilize the generated information to develop feasible actionable plans. Information gathered was incomplete and inaccurate in many cases. Challenges observed showed that it will require more time and continuous committed efforts of health staff for implementation of high quality MDR. Successful implementation will improve the response of the health system and contribute to improved maternal health.

Access to health care and employment status of people with disabilities in South India, the SIDE (South India Disability Evidence) study.

BACKGROUND: Data shows that people with disability are more disadvantaged in accessing health, education and employment opportunities compared to people without a disability. There is a lack of credible documented evidence on health care access and barriers to access from India. The South India Disability Evidence (SIDE) Study was undertaken to understand the health needs of people with disabilities, and barriers to accessing health services. METHODS: The study was conducted in one district each in two States (Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) in 2012. Appropriate age and sex-matched people without a disability were recruited to compare with people with disability who were identified through a population-based survey and available government disability records by trained key informants. These people were then examined by a medical team to confirm the diagnosis. Investigators administered questionnaire schedules to people with and without a disability to harness information on employment and health service access, utilization and barriers. RESULTS: A total of 839 people with disabilities and 1153 age and sex matched people without a disability, aged 18 years or more were included. People with disability had significantly lower employment rates. On univariate analysis, people with disability (18.4%) needed to visit a hospital significantly more often in the preceding year compared to people without a disability (8.8%) (X2- 40.0562; P < =0.001). However adjusted odds ratios did not show a statistically significant difference. Significant differences were also observed with respect to past hospitalization. People with disabilities had 4.6 times higher risk of suffering from diabetes and 5.8 times higher risk of suffering from depression compared to people without a disability and the risk was significantly higher in males compared to females with disability. People with disability faced significantly more barriers to accessing health services compared to people without a disability. Barriers included ignorance regarding availability of services, costs of services and transportation. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the challenges that people with disability face in accessing health-care and employment opportunities. The study findings have public health implications and should be used for planning need-based appropriate strategies to improve health care access for people with disabilities.

Quality assurance in quality of life assessment--measuring the validity of the King's Health Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) is a disease-specific, self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life (QOL) in women. To our knowledge there are no data on women's perception of completing the KHQ. Do they feel the KHQ to be useful and valuable or do they feel it to be too burdensome to be used in clinical practice? Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate patients' perception of the KHQ using QQ-10. The QQ-10 is a validated tool designed to measure patient's views on questionnaires. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary referral teaching hospital. Patients were recruited from a one-stop urodynamics clinic. The study participants were asked to complete QQ-10 to give their views regarding KHQ. This produces two responses: positive value (communication, relevance, ease of use, comprehensiveness, enjoyableness, willingness to repeat) and negative burden (over-long, embarrassing, complicated, and upsetting). Mean scores and standard deviation for positive and negative responses were calculated RESULTS: The KHQ was found to have a high mean value (73; range 13-100) and a low mean burden (25; range 0-81) regarding responses to individual QQ-10 items. This was reinforced by the positive comments provided in the text boxes. CONCLUSIONS: Women perceived the KHQ as a valuable tool in their assessment without being bothersome.

The value of vaginal packing in pelvic floor surgery: a randomised double-blind study.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of vaginal packing following pelvic floor surgery with regard to post-operative pain, bleeding and infection. This was a double-blind randomised study of women undergoing vaginal hysterectomy and/or pelvic floor repair at a tertiary urogynaecology unit. METHODS: The primary outcome of day 1 post-operative pain was assessed using the short-form McGill Pain score. Secondary outcomes were haematological and infective morbidity, evaluated using changes in full blood count, and cultures of midstream urine and high vaginal swabs. A transvaginal ultrasound scan to exclude pelvic haematoma was performed at 6 weeks in all women who underwent vaginal hysterectomy with or without a pelvic floor repair. RESULTS: In total, 190 women were recruited: mean age 58.3 years (27-91 years), mean body mass index 27.4 kg/m(2) and median parity 3. Women were randomised into the 'pack' (n = 86) and 'no pack' (n = 87) arms with no demographic differences between the groups. No statistically significant differences in the post-operative pain scores or secondary outcome measures were demonstrated. Incidence of haematoma formation (14.8 % no pack, 7.3 % pack, p = 0.204) was not statistically significant. There were three clinically significant complications in the no pack group and none in the pack group. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine pain in association with post-operative vaginal packing. There is no evidence to suggest that packing increases pain scores or post-operative morbidity. A trend towards increased haematoma and significant complications was seen in the no pack group. As vaginal packing does no harm and may be of some benefit it may be argued that packing should be recommended as routine clinical practice.

Neuroprotective Role of a Novel Copper Chelator against Aß 42 Induced Neurotoxicity.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and associated with the extracellular deposits of amyloid- ß peptide in hippocampus region. Metal ions like Cu, Fe and Zn are known to associate with the amyloid beta (A ß ) at high concentration and interaction of these ions with soluble and aggregated forms of A ß peptide help in development of AD. Here we showed Cu mediated neurotoxicity in the eye tissues of transgenic Drosophila expressing human amyloid ß and its rescue through a novel Cu chelator. In this context, we have synthesised and characterized the compound L 2,6-Pyridinedicarboxylic acid, 2,6-bis[2-[(4-carboxyphenyl) methylene] hydrazide] by Mass spectra (MS) and Elemental analysis (EA). The Cu chelation potential of the compound L is tested in vivo in Drosophila. Oral administration of Copper to the transgenic larvae resulted in severe degeneration in eye tissues, which was rescued by the supplementation of compound L. The levels of anti-oxidant markers like SOD and MDA were measured in compound L treated flies and found a significant rescue (P < 0.001). Further rescue of the eye degeneration phenotypes as revealed by SEM affirm the role of copper in A ß toxicity. Hence, use of compound L, an amidoamine derivative, could be a possible therapeutic measure for A ß induced neurotoxicity.