Effect of growth hormone gene polymorphism on growth traits in migratory Gaddi goats of Western Himalayas, India.

Goat production under migratory system is foremost meat resource in Western Himalayan region of India. Thus, selection of goats for superior growth rate is rewarding. Growth hormone (GH) gene is identified as main regulator of post-natal growth and development. The objective of this study was to identify GH gene variants in Gaddi goats reared under migratory system via polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Blood samples from 63 animals from different migratory flocks registered under All India Coordinated Research Project, Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University (HPAU), Palampur, were subjected to DNA isolation. A total of 422, 116, 389 and 181-bp amplicons were generated on amplification of four targeted regions of GH gene. GH1 and GH2 fragments were analysed using PCR-RFLP (HaeIII RE) that revealed three variants (AA, AB and BB) for GH1 having frequency as 0.27, 0.52 and 0.31, respectively whereas, two variants (AB and BB) were revealed for GH2 fragment having frequency of 0.24 and 076, respectively. GH3 and GH4 fragments were subjected to PCR-SSCP that detected three genotypes (AB, BB and AA) for GH3 with respective genotype frequency as 0.57, 0.21 and 0.22 respectively; however, GH4 was found to be monomorphic. The polymorphism information content values for GH1, GH2 and GH3 were 0.37, 0.36 and 0.34, respectively, which suggested the median level of polymorphism at studied loci and also indicated the effectiveness of the studied marker for population genetic studies. Significant associations (P ≤ 0.05) were detected for GH1 with 9-month body weight, GH2 with 9 and 12-month heart girth and GH3 with 6-month body weight, body height and body length, respectively. From the present study, it was concluded that SNPs and their association with some body measurements may be employed as useful markers for ongoing phenotypic selection programme.

The good, the bad, and the ugly of luminex donor-specific crossmatch.

The presence of donor-specific antibodies directed against human leukocyte antigen significantly influences renal transplant because of antibody-mediated rejection. We performed the screening of pre-renal transplant patients for preformed anti-HLA antibodies using anti-human globulin augmented-complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity crossmatch (AHG-CDCXm), luminex donor-specific crossmatch (LumXm) and HLA antibody screening. Seven hundred and fifty-four patients were assessed for LumXm. HLA antibody screening was possible in 325 out of 754 cases. All the three investigations viz. CDCXm, HLA antibody screening and LumXm was performed in 325 patients. All CDCXm positive patients (10/325, 3.08%) were also positive with LumXm and HLA antibody screen whereas 14 cases (4.31%) with CDCXm negative were positive with luminex-based assays. LumXm and HLA antibody screening were both positive in 24 (7.38%) cases, LumXm and HLA antibody screening were both negative in 275 (84.63%) cases and LumXm negative and HLA antibody screening was positive in 22 (6.76%) cases. However, there were four cases (1.23%) which were positive in LumXm in spite of being negative in HLA antibody testing. Single Antigen Bead (SAB) assay was performed in all patients positive for HLA antibody test. We suggest that LumXm is a useful and sensitive technique for the detection of anti-HLA antibodies in pre-transplant renal patients. However, other measures such as luminex antibody screen, SAB assay, history of the donor, and the class of antibodies involved should be taken into consideration for pre-transplant work up of renal patients.

Human leucocyte antigen Class I and II alleles associated with anti-hepatitis C virus-positive patients of North India.

PURPOSE: Humans are the only known natural hosts of hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study was undertaken to examine the frequencies of human leucocyte antigens (HLAs) Class I and Class II genotype profiles in anti-HCV-infected patients of Northern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From a period of January 2013 to August 2014, 148 anti-HCV-positive patients of North India referred to the Department of Molecular Biology and Transplant Immunology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, for performing HLA typing were included in the study. RESULTS: AFNx0102, AFNx0131 allele frequency decreased significantly in anti-HCV-positive patients. Frequencies for HLA-B loci did not reach any statistical significance. Among the Class II alleles, HLA-DRB1FNx0103 and HLA-DRB1FNx0110 were significantly higher in the patient population, and HLA-DRB1FNx0115 was significantly decreased in the patient population as compared to the controls. CONCLUSION: HLA-AFNx0133 was significantly increased as compared to control population and showed geographic variation in HCV-infected individuals of India.

Dose measurements for dental cone-beam CT: a comparison with MSCT and panoramic imaging.

To date there is a lack of published information on appropriate methods to determine patient doses from dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) equipment. The goal of this study is to apply and extend the methods recommended in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Report 111 for CBCT equipment to characterize dose and effective dose for a range of dental imaging equipment. A protocol derived from the one proposed by Dixon et al (2010 Technical Report 111, American Association of Physicist in Medicine, MD, USA), was applied to dose measurements of multi-slice CT, dental CBCT (small and large fields of view (FOV)) and a dental panoramic system. The computed tomography dose index protocol was also performed on the MSCT to compare both methods. The dose distributions in a cylindrical polymethyl methacrylate phantom were characterized using a thimble ionization chamber and Gafchromic™ film (beam profiles). Gafchromic™ films were used to measure the dose distribution in an anthropomorphic phantom. A method was proposed to extend dose estimates to planes superior and inferior to the central plane. The dose normalized to 100 mAs measured in the center of the phantom for the large FOV dental CBCT (11.4 mGy/100 mAs) is two times lower than that of MSCT (20.7 mGy/100 mAs) for the same FOV, but approximately 15 times higher than for a panoramic system (0.6 mGy/100 mAs). The effective dose per scan (in clinical conditions) found for the dental CBCT are 167.60 ± 3.62, 61.30 ± 3.88 and 92.86 ± 7.76 mSv for the Kodak 9000 (fixed scan length of 3.7 cm), and the iCAT Next Generation for 6 cm and 13 cm scan lengths respectively. The method to extend the dose estimates from the central slice to superior and inferior slices indicates a good agreement between theory and measurement. The Gafchromic™ films provided useful beam profile data and 2D distributions of dose in phantom.

Formulation, In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmacokinetics of Anti-HIV Vaginal Bioadhesive Gel.

Inexpensive and female-controlled pre-exposure prophylaxis strategies to prevent mucosal transmission of the virus, is urgently needed with the rising prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1 and HIV2) infections in women. Zidovudine-loaded bioadhesive vaginal gel may become one of the very useful strategies, as it can be used not only for controlled release but also for enhancing bioavailability. Drug delivery through vaginal gel is a promising area for continued research with the aim of achieving controlled release with enhanced bioavailability over longer periods of time. The aim of the study was to develop a newer prolong releasing Zidovudine (AZT) bioadhesive vaginal gel to treat HIV infections with increased patient convenience. AZT-loaded bioadhesive vaginal gel was prepared successfully by using cold mechanical method. F3 formulation containing carbopol-HPMC (1:3) was selected and evaluated in order to achieve objectives of this study. In vitro drug release study of F3 showed in 24 h drug released following case I Fickian (n ≤ 0.5) transport mechanism, and in vivo drug release was found much better (T(max)), (C(max)), and bioavailability (F) comparison with oral pour drug solution. It was also showed good extrudability, spreadability, and bioadhesive strength. A generalized protocol, for the further research, in this area will surely expected to yield significant outcome with improved drug delivery system.

Design and construction of a multipath vessel phantom for interventional training.

This short communication reports on the design and construction of a catheter manipulation skill enhancement phantom for use by residents and fellows outside the clinical environment. The phantom contains a variety of path trajectories and vessel diameter transitions, allowing trainees to manipulate catheters through vessel paths of varying difficulty. The multipath phantom, which is easy to construct and provides easily visualised paths, provides a simple, cost-effective training platform to facilitate and accelerate interventional training.

Laparoscopic and ultrasound-guided transcervical evacuation of cornual ectopic pregnancy: an alternative approach.

Conventional treatment of cornual ectopic pregnancy carries significant morbidity and may compromise future fertility. We present a minimal access technique for the treatment of cornual ectopic pregnancies which we believe carries a reduced morbidity and may be less likely to compromise future reproductive function.