The role of a mobile hearing application in secondary care ENT (HAppENT).

OBJECTIVE: Sudden hearing loss is a common presentation to ENT. In the authors' practice, patients often wait many weeks for formal hearing testing. This study aimed to assess whether a tablet-based hearing test, hearTest, could aid clinical decision-making within secondary care ENT. METHOD: This was a multi-centre, prospective, non-randomised study to assess the feasibility, usability and accuracy of hearTest. RESULTS: In the sample, hearTest was shown to be an acceptable method of testing for hearing loss by both patients and clinicians. The 0.5-4 kHz range had an average clinical agreement rate of 95.1 per cent when compared with formal pure tone audiometry, deeming it an accurate test to diagnose hearing loss. CONCLUSION: The authors propose that hearTest can be used within ENT as a clinical decision support tool when manual audiometry is not immediately available. Within the authors' practice, hearTest is used to aid diagnosis and management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Immuno-bioinformatic approach for designing of multi-epitope merozoite surface antigen of Babesia bigemina and evaluation of its immunogenicity in inoculated calves.

Babesiosis is a parasitic disease caused by intraerythrocytic parasites of the genus Babesia, which infect both wild and domestic animals. Merozoite surface antigens (MSAs) have been identified as efficient immunogens in Babesia-infected animals. MSAs play a key role in the invasion process and have been proposed as potential targets for vaccine development. Epitope-based vaccines offer several advantages over whole protein vaccines as the immunogenic proteins are small and can induce both Th1 and Th2 immune responses, which are desirable for protection. However, the MSA, particularly gp45, is polymorphic in Babesia bigemina, posing a challenge to vaccine development. The purpose of this study was to develop a recombinant gpME (gp45-multi-epitope) for a vaccine against Babesia bigemina. B-cell, T-cell, and HLA epitope predictions were used to synthesize the gpME sequence from the consensus sequence of gp45. The gpME sequence was synthesized and cloned in the pET28α vector through the commercial biotechnology company to get pET28-gpME. The plasmid cloned with the gpME sequence comprising 1068 bp was expressed in a bacterial expression system. A band of 39 kDa of rec-gpME was obtained via SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Rec-gpME @200ng was injected in calves 3 times at 2 weeks interval. The humoral response was evaluated through the indirect ELISA method. The ELISA with rec-gp45 protein showed a significant value of optical density. The recombinant protein containing multiple epitopes from the MSA gp45 may represent a promising candidate for a vaccine against Babesia bigemina.

The role of alternative oxidase in plant hypersensitive response.

The innate immune system of plants is crucial in defining the fate of a plant cell during plant-pathogen interactions. This response is often accompanied by a hypersensitive reaction leading to the death of a plant cell and restricted pathogen growth. Plant mitochondria, in this case, play a key role by maintaining a balance between cell respiration and reactive oxygen species formation. One of the key features of the hypersensitive response is the shift of the normal plant respiratory pathway to a special 'alternative' pathway. Plants contain an enzyme, alternative oxidase, for maintaining metabolic homeostasis of the cell. This energy dissipating respiration provides a branch in normal respiration by using ubiquinone to form water and heat, thus maintaining the energy status of the cell. Alternative oxidase is thought to minimize production of reactive oxygen species and can also function in 'anti-apoptotic' machinery in plant cells. In this mini review, we briefly describe the alternative respiratory pathway and explain the role of alternative oxidase in important cellular processes, such as programmed cell death and the hypersensitive response.

The role of cyanide-resistant respiration in Solanum tuberosum L. against high light stress.

Cyanide-resistant respiration in potato mitochondria is an important pathway for energy dissipation. It can be activated by high light; however, it is unclear what roles cyanide-resistant respiration plays in the response to high light stress in potato. We designed a CRISPR vector for the functional gene StAOX of the potato cyanide-resistant respiratory pathway. Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 was transformed into potato. Hydrogen peroxide level, MDA content, antioxidant activity and cyanide-resistant respiratory capacity of potato leaves under high light stress were determined. Photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content were determined. In addition, the operation of the malate-oxaloacetate shuttle route and transcription level of photorespiration-related enzymes were also examined. The results showed that two base substitutions occurred at the sequencing target site on leaves of the transformed potato. Accumulation of ROS and increased membrane lipid peroxidation were detected in the transformed potato leaves and lower photosynthetic efficiency was observed. The transcription level of the malate-oxaloacetate shuttle route and photorespiration-related enzymes also significantly increased. These results indicate that the cyanide-resistant respiration is an important physiological pathway in potato in response to high light stress. It also suggests that plant cyanide-resistant respiration is closely related to photosynthesis. This implies the unexplored importance of plant cyanide-resistant respiration in plant photosynthesis, energy conversion and carbon skeleton formation.

Difficult Central Venous Cannulation under Laryngeal Mask Airway Anesthesia in Adolescent.

We report a case of difficult central venous cannulation under general anesthesia with laryngeal mask airway in a young female child. Our case demonstrated a difficulty in surgically finding the right internal jugular vein due to neck veins displacements by laryngeal mask airway, which caused morbidity such as prolonged surgical duration and excessive blood loss. Once the laryngeal mask airway was replaced with endotracheal tube, the internal jugular vein appeared on surface and procedure was successfully completed in a few minutes. Such difficulties warrant an alternate approach in airway management in order to prevent major adverse effects.

The porcine trophoblast cell line PTr2 is susceptible to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-2 infection.

INTRODUCTION: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-2 (PRRSV-2) breaches the maternal-fetal interface (MFI) to infect porcine fetuses, yet the exact mechanism(s) of transmission is not understood. The objective of this study was to determine the susceptibility of porcine trophoblast cell line (PTr2) to PRRSV-2 infection to understand the potential role of the trophoblast in viral transmission to fetuses in vivo. METHODS: PTr2 cells were exposed in vitro to PRRSV-2 and then subjected to immunofluorescence analysis (IF), flow cytometry (FCM), real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunogold electron microscopy (IEM) to assess viral infection. The effects of PRRSV-2 on PTr2 cell cycle progression and apoptosis, as well as the ability of PTr2 cells to produce infectious viral particles were also examined. RESULTS: PRRSV-2 was readily detected in PTr2 cells by IF, FCM, RT-qPCR, TEM and IEM techniques. RT-qPCR and FCM results of a time course of infection of PTr2 cells indicated PRRSV-2 load decreased over time after initial infection up to 72 h. PRRSV-2 infection altered PTr2 cell cycle with a selective increase of cells within the G2/M phase and also induced apoptosis. TEM and IEM demonstrated PRRSV-2 within and on the surface of PTr2 cells and PRRSV-2 virions released from PTr2 cells infected naïve MARC-145 cells inducing cytopathic effects. DISCUSSION: Trophoblast cells are susceptible to PRRSV-2 infection and release live virions capable of inducing cytopathic effects in naïve cells. This suggests a possible mechanism by which PRRSV-2 can breach the MFI resulting in fetal infection and death.

Glucose dehydrogenase gene containing phosphobacteria for biofortification of Phosphorus with growth promotion of rice.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient, but often limited in soils for plant uptake. A major economic constraint in the rice production is excessive use of chemical fertilizers to meet the P requirement. Bioaugmentation of phosphate solubilizing rhizobacteria (PSB) can be used as promising alternative. In the present study 11 mineral PSB were isolated from Basmati rice growing areas of Pakistan. In broth medium, PSB solubilized tricalcium phosphate (27-354 µg mL-1) with concomitant decrease in pH up to 3.6 due to the production of different organic acids, predominantly gluconic acid. Of these, 4 strains also have ability to mineralize phytate (245-412 µg mL-1). Principle component analysis showed that the gluconic acid producing PSB strains (Acinetobacter sp. MR5 and Pseudomonas sp. MR7) have pronounced effect on grain yield (up to 55%), plant P (up to 67%) and soil available P (up to 67%), with 20% reduced fertilization. For simultaneous validation of gluconic acid production by MR5 and MR7 through PCR, new specific primers were designed to amplify gcd, pqqE, pqqC genes responsible for glucose dehydrogenase (gcd) mediated phosphate solubilization. These findings for the first time demonstrated Acinetobacter soli as potent P solubilizer for rice and expands our knowledge about genus specific pqq and gcd primers. These two gcd containing PSB Acinetobacter sp. MR5 (DSM 106631) and Pseudomonas sp. MR7 (DSM 106634) submitted to German culture collection (DSMZ), serve as global valuable pool to significantly increase the P uptake, growth and yield of Basmati rice with decreased dependence on chemical fertilizer in P deficit agricultural soils.

Functional Abdominal Pain in a Pediatric Patient After Resolution of Acute Pancreatitis: A Case Report.

Children with acute pancreatitis may develop chronic abdominal wall pain after resolution of clinical, laboratory, and radiographic signs of disease. We describe a 13-year-old boy who underwent an unrevealing, complex diagnostic evaluation for persistent abdominal pain after resolution of acute pancreatitis. His pain required an extended leave of absence from school and nasogastric tube feeds. After receiving abdominal nerve blocks and trigger point injections, he experienced near-complete resolution of pain with normalization of eating habits and daily function. Pain practitioners should think critically about the signs and symptoms of visceral versus somatic pain and try newer diagnostic interventions that may be therapeutic.

Spatiotemporal immunofluorescent evaluation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus transmission across the maternal-fetal interface.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection causes severe reproductive failure characterized by high fetal morbidity and mortality leading to substantial economic losses to the swine industry. Evaluation of spatiotemporal transmission of PRRSV at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI) is critical for understanding fetal infection. Localization of PRRSV-2 strain NVSL 97-7895 at different regions of the MFI in 20 pregnant gilts at 2, 5, 8, 12 and 14 days post-inoculation (dpi) were analyzed by immunofluorescence (IF). Samples of MFI were collected from 15 inoculated and 5 control gilts and transplacental PRRSV transmission assessed in randomly selected fetuses from each litter. Localization of NVSL 97-7895 antigen immunoreactivity in the MFI was focused in three major areas: endometrial connective tissues (ENDO), the feto-maternal junction (FMJ) and fetal placenta (PLC). NVSL 97-7895 was detected at the FMJ by 2 dpi. At 2, 5 and 8 dpi, NVSL 97-7895 was localized within the ENDO and FMJ, whereas at 12 and 14 dpi, it was mainly localized in the PLC. Using a novel IF strategy for counting and size sorting NVSL 97-7895 viral antigen in situ, results of this study indicate that non-cell-associated mechanisms are involved in PRRSV transmission across the MFI.

Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome in a Pediatric Patient Previously Diagnosed With Functional Abdominal Pain: A Case Report.

Chronic abdominal pain is common in children and adolescents but challenging to diagnose, because practitioners may be concerned about missing serious occult disease. Abdominal wall pain is an often ignored etiology for chronic abdominal pain. Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome causes abdominal wall pain but is frequently overlooked. Correctly diagnosing patients with anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome is important because nerve block interventions are highly successful in the remittance of pain. Here, we present the case of a pediatric patient who received a diagnosis of functional abdominal pain but experienced pain remittance after receiving a trigger-point injection and transverse abdominis plane block.

Characterization of group B coxsackieviruses isolated from non-polio acute flaccid paralysis patients in Pakistan: vital assessment before polio eradication.

Pakistan is at the verge of polio eradication but isolation of non-polio enteroviruses (NPEVs) from acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases may result in serious or even fatal outcome. Many enteroviruses share similar symptoms and epidemiology as is the case with poliovirus and coxsackievirus (CV). The present study was designed to genetically characterize coxsackievirus B (CV-B) serotypes isolated from non-polio acute flaccid paralytic children, as well as to understand their probable role in paralysis. A total of 63 (20·1%) out of 313 stool samples during 2013 were found positive for NPEVs in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Only 24 (38·0%) NPEVs were typed as CV-B by microneutralization assay and were further characterized by sequencing of the viral protein 1 (VP1) gene. Molecular phylogenetic analyses classified the study strains into six coxsackievirus B serotypes (coxsackievirus B1 to B6) with their respective prototype strains with evidence of epidemiological linkage and distinct clusters. Moreover, four major differences were found within the amino acid sequences of BC-loop in VP1 of CV-B strains. In conclusion, this study presented the molecular evolutionary genetic overview and distinct phylogenetic pattern of CV-B isolates from AFP cases in Pakistan, and explored the possible link between CV-B infections and AFP cases. Furthermore, our data reveal that these viruses might contribute to the incidence of paralysis in population and there is need of time to establish an enterovirus surveillance system for better understanding of epidemiological and virological characteristics of NPEV infections associated with AFP cases in the country.

Synthesis of annulated bis-indoles through Au(i)/Brønsted acid-catalyzed reactions of (1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methanols with 2-(arylethynyl)-1H-indoles.

A general method to access annulated bis-indoles from (1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methanols and 2-(arylethynyl)-1H-indoles under the catalysis of the Ph3PAuOTf/Brønsted acid binary catalyst system has been developed. The reaction was found to proceed in a highly efficient manner and benefit from easy-to-make starting materials, broad substrate scope and operational simplicity. The potential of this method has also been exemplified for the synthesis of pyrrole-annulated indoles using 2-(phenylethynyl)-1H-indoles and phenyl(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methanols. Furthermore, the use of a ternary catalyst system, involving PdCl2/Brønsted acid/Ph3PAuOTf catalysts, has been realized for the synthesis of annulated bis-indoles starting directly from 2-(phenylbuta-1,3-diyn-1-yl)aniline and (1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methanol. Mechanistically, this reaction is very interesting since the overall process involves three different catalytic cycles catalyzed by three different catalysts in a relay fashion.

[3+2]-Annulation of platinum-bound azomethine ylides with distal C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bonds of N-allenamides.

A Pt-catalyzed, highly regioselective reaction between N-allenamides and imino-alkynes leading to pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles is described. This represents the first example of [3+2]-annulation of Pt-bound azomethine ylides with the distal C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond of N-allenamides. The mechanism of the reaction was established by computational studies.

Ultrasound Guided In-Plane Penile Nerve Block for Circumcision: A New, Modified Technique Suggests Lower Anesthetic Volume and Narcotic Use.

Context: Circumcision is one of the most common surgical procedures in pediatric males. Anesthesia is often the classic dorsal penile nerve block (DPNB), which is based on landmark identification and tactile feel of tissue resistance during needle advancement. However, this technique is associated with technical failures and vascular complications. Objective: We used an ultrasound-guided in-plane technique to avoid injury of penile vascular and neural tissues during DPNB. The aims of this retrospective study were to compare the success rate and efficacy of these two penile block techniques. Methods: Male pediatric patients undergoing circumcision received general anesthesia before the penis and surrounding area were prepared with 0.5% chlorhexidine in 70% alcohol. Sixteen patients underwent classic DPNB, and 16 underwent the modified ultrasound-guided inplane technique. The ultrasound machine was adjusted to the musculoskeletal setting, and a linear ultrasound probe with a frequency range of 5 to 10 MHz was placed transversely along the base of the penis, which received gentle traction. Results: Though not statistically significant, patients who underwent the classic DPNB were approximately 1.8 times more likely to require rescue analgesia and approximately 2 times more likely to have a complication than those in the ultrasound-guided group. Results also showed lower volume requirements for local anesthetic and intraoperative narcotics, longer time until rescue analgesic, and lower incidence of vomiting in the ultrasound-guided group than in the landmark-guided group. Conclusions: The ultrasound-guided DPNB technique appears to offer advantages over classic DPNB and warrants a prospective controlled trial to confirm these findings.

Non-Trigger Anesthesia Management in a Patient With Leigh's Syndrome Presenting for Dental Rehabilitation.

INTRODUCTION: Usually presenting in infancy, Leigh's syndrome is an inherited condition often manifesting with seizures, ataxia, developmental delay, and dysarthria. The disorder is rare, appearing in approximately 1 in 40,000 live births. Consequently, providing these patients with a suitable plan by which to administer anesthetics remains problematic. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a male patient with Leigh's syndrome and a family history suggestive of unknown hypotonia and malignant hyperthermia presenting for dental rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine with remifentanil can be used with no complication in this senerio.

A SHARED OPERATIVE FIELD AND THE DISPUTE--IS THERE A WAY OUT?

Submental intubation is an alternative to tracheostomy in patients requiring surgical access to both oral and nasal cavities. It is relatively safe, simple, and low morbidity procedure and requires only basic surgical equipment to perform. We successfully performed a submental intubation in a young patient with maxillofacial hypoplasia undergoing Le Fort I maxillary advancement without any intra- and post-operative complications.

Enantioselective cooperative catalysis.

In recent years, enantioselective cooperative catalytic reactions, wherein two catalysts work simultaneously to form products which cannot be obtained by the use of a single catalyst alone, have attracted considerable attention. This review focuses on this emerging field, with particular emphasis on mechanistic aspects, which will help readers to understand the role of each catalyst.

When gold meets chiral Brønsted acid catalysts: extending the boundaries of enantioselective gold catalysis.

This review describes the development in the use of Au(I)/Brønsted acid binary catalytic systems to enable an enantioselective transformation in one-pot that cannot be achieved by gold catalysts alone. The examples discussed herein are promising since apart from using chiral ligands there exists a possibility of using chiral Brønsted acids. Clearly, the horizon for enantioselective gold catalysis has been expanded as more options to make the gold-catalyzed reactions enantioselective have become available.

Structural complexity in isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipid cores of Sulfolobus and other archaea revealed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of membrane lipid cores from Sulfolobus species reveals isomeric forms of ring-containing isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether components not previously recognised via the use of NMR and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. Equivalent isomerism was confirmed for the components in other hyperthermophilic genera and in sediments which contain the lipids of mesophilic archaea. The recognition of the isomeric structures in distinct archaeal clades suggests that profiles of tetraether lipids reported previously may have oversimplified the true lipid complexity in archaeal cultures and natural environments. Accordingly, the extent of variation in tetraether structures revealed by the work should direct more informative interpretations of lipid profiles in the future. Moreover, the results emphasise that tandem mass spectrometry provides a unique capability for assigning the structures of intact tetraether lipid cores for co-eluting species during chromatographic separation.