Laryngotracheal anomalies in children with syndromic craniosynostosis undergoing tracheostomy.

Children with syndromic craniosynostosis may present with airway anomalies. We reviewed a cohort of such individuals who underwent tracheostomy at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (London, UK) between 1999 and 2012 from a prospectively collated database. A case note review was undertaken in 11 patients.

Bone-derived mesenchymal stromal cells from HIV transgenic mice exhibit altered proliferation, differentiation capacity and paracrine functions along with impaired therapeutic potential in kidney injury.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete paracrine factors that could be cytoprotective and serve roles in immunoregulation during tissue injury. Although MSCs express HIV receptors, and co-receptors, and are susceptible to HIV infection, whether HIV-1 may affect biological properties of MSCs needs more study. We evaluated cellular proliferation, differentiation and paracrine functions of MSCs isolated from compact bones of healthy control mice and Tg26 HIV-1 transgenic mice.

Anthropometric characteristics and undernutrition among older persons in a rural area of northern India.

This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess anthropometric characteristics and estimate the prevalence of undernutrition among older persons in rural Ballabgarh, Haryana, India. A total of 948 participants aged 60 years and above were examined. Their weight, arm span, mid-upper-arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and calf circumference were measured using standard techniques.

The Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (CRHSP-AIIMS).

The Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), also known as the Comprehensive Rural Health Services Project (CRHSP) Ballabgarh, is located in north India and was established in 1961 to develop a model for rural health-care practice in India. In addition to demographic surveillance and community-based research, CRHSP Ballabgarh provides preventive, health-promotion, and curative services to its surrounding population. The population served by CRHSP Ballabgarh in 2011 was about 90,000.

"Air pollution in Delhi: Its Magnitude and Effects on Health".

Air pollution is responsible for many health problems in the urban areas. Of late, the air pollution status in Delhi has undergone many changes in terms of the levels of pollutants and the control measures taken to reduce them. This paper provides an evidence-based insight into the status of air pollution in Delhi and its effects on health and control measures instituted.

Transplantation of bone marrow-derived MSCs improves cisplatinum-induced renal injury through paracrine mechanisms.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to preserve renal function in various models of acute kidney injury (AKI). Different routes were used to transplant MSCs but the role of cell transplantation routes in directing outcomes has been unknown. In the present study, we evaluated organ bio-distributions of transplanted MSCs, and correlated survival of transplanted cells with outcomes in mice with cisplatinum-induced AKI.

Ptosis: a rare presentation of Hodgkin lymphoma.

Lymphomas predominantly affect the lymph nodes but can present at unusual sites, which are termed as extranodal lymphomas. Involvement of the ocular adnexa is an extremely uncommon occurrence, which is usually seen in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We report herewith an unusual case of a 5-year-old child with Hodgkin lymphoma and involvement of extraocular muscle leading to ptosis.

Diabetic foot: a continuing challenge.

Diabetes is rapidly emerging as the new global epidemic. The prevalence of diabetes is expected to double in the next three decades. Diabetic foot (DF) is a major complication of long standing diabetes, accounting for nearly 35% of all hospital admissions in diabetic clinics.

The eIF2α kinases: their structures and functions.

Cell signaling in response to an array of diverse stress stimuli converges on the phosphorylation of the α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2). Phosphorylation of eIF2α on serine 51 results in a severe decline in de novo protein synthesis and is an important strategy in the cell's armory against stressful insults including viral infection, the accumulation of misfolded proteins, and starvation. The phosphorylation of eIF2α is carried out by a family of four kinases, PERK (PKR-like ER kinase), PKR (protein kinase double-stranded RNA-dependent), GCN2 (general control non-derepressible-2), and HRI (heme-regulated inhibitor).

Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on institutional delivery rate and maternal morbidity and mortality: an observational study in India.

The Government of India initiated a cash incentive scheme--Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)--to promote institutional deliveries with an aim to reduce maternal mortality ratio (MMR). An observational study was conducted in a tertiary-care hospital of Madhya Pradesh, India, before and after implementation of JSY, with a sample of women presenting for institutional delivery. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the total number of institutional deliveries before and after implementation of JSY, (ii) determine the MMR, and (iii) compare factors associated with maternal mortality and morbidity.

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of diabetes among elderly persons in an urban slum of delhi.

Background: The increasing proportion of elderly persons is contributing to an increase in the prevalence of diabetes. The residents of urban slums are more vulnerable due to poverty and lack of access to health care.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of diabetes in elderly persons in an urban slum and to assess their awareness, treatment and control of this condition.

A spatial statistical approach to analyze malaria situation at micro level for priority control in Ranchi district, Jharkhand.

Background & Objectives: The presence of efficient malaria vectors namely Anopeles culicifacies, An. fluviatilis and An. annularis (Diptera: Culicidae), rapid industrialization causing large influx of population and poor health infrastructure are some of the factors that make malaria an important public health problem in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand State, India.

Interaction of dihydrofolate reductase and aminoglycoside adenyltransferase enzyme from Klebsiella pneumoniae multidrug resistant strain DF12SA with clindamycin: a molecular modelling and docking study.

Klebsiella pneumoniae strain DF12SA (HQ114261) was isolated from diabetic foot wounds. The strain showed resistance against ampicillin, kanamycin, gentamicin, streptomycin, spectinomycin, trimethoprim, tetracycline, meropenem, amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, augmentin, co-trimoxazole, carbapenems, penicillins and cefoperazone, and was sensitive to clindamycin. Molecular characterization of the multidrug-resistance phenotype revealed the presence of a class 1 integron containing two genes, a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (PF00186), which confers resistance to trimethoprim; and aminoglycoside adenyltransferase (AadA) (PF01909), which confers resistance to streptomycin and spectinomycin.

NOXA contributes to the sensitivity of PERK-deficient cells to ER stress.

PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) are hypersensitive to ER stress-induced apoptosis. However, the molecular determinants of increased sensitivity of PERK(-/-) MEFs are not clearly understood. Here we show that induction of several Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) target genes is attenuated in PERK(-/-) MEFs.

Impairment of endoplasmic reticulum in liver as an early consequence of the systemic inflammatory response in rats.

It is well known that systemic inflammatory response (SIR) often causes liver dysfunction. The aim of this study was to identify the intracellular compartment in the liver most susceptible to SIR. We analyzed morphology, ultrastructure, proteome, and expression of relevant genes in livers of rats subjected to endotoxic shock.

Novel application of fungal Phanerochaete sp. and xylanase for reduction in pollution load of paper mill effluent.

Four different strategies of pulping and bleaching were carried out to develop alternative mechanistic ecoenvironmental friendly approaches and generated effluent was characterised. Strategy-I included Phanerochaete sp. fungal pretreatment followed by conventional bleaching, whereas in strategy-II, fungal pretreatment was followed by enzyme xylanase aided bleaching.

Detection of anaerobic infection in diabetic foot ulcer using PCR technique and the status of metronidazole therapy on treatment outcome.

Unlabelled: Metronidazole is the drug of choice for anaerobic infection in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) for a majority of clinicians. The present study was conducted to determine if Metronidazole is really making a difference in the healing of DFU.

Methods: Deep tissue samples from the wound area of 61 diabetic foot patients were tested for anaerobic bacterial infection (Peptostreptococcus productus, Bacteroides, and Clostridium) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Study of cardiovascular risk factors among tertiary hospital employees and their families.

Background: The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among administrative employees working at a tertiary hospital (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) and their families.

Methods And Results: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a total of 453 individuals aged 30 years and above. The mean age of the study group was 43.

High burden of dental caries in geriatric population of India: a systematic review.

Oral health is an essential component of health throughout life. Poor oral health and untreated oral diseases can have a significant impact on the quality of life of the elderly. The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of dental caries among the elderly persons in India in the past two decades.

Directly acting drugs prostacyclin or nitroglycerine and endothelin receptor blocker bosentan improve cell engraftment in rodent liver.

Unlabelled: To optimize strategies for liver-directed cell therapy, prevention of initial transplanted cell losses is particularly important for subsequent liver repopulation. After cell transplantation in hepatic sinusoids, perturbations in hepatic microcirculation along with changes in various liver cell types are among the earliest changes. Therefore, for advancing further concepts in cell engraftment we studied vascular and related events in the liver after transplanting syngeneic hepatocytes into dipeptidyl peptidase IV-deficient rats.

Charcot arthropathy presenting with primary bone resorption.

Background: The clinical presentation of acute Charcot arthropathy in the diabetic population usually follows the Eichenholtz classification. We present three usual cases of Charcot arthropathy presenting with rapid primary bone resorption in the absence of subluxation, dislocation and/or fracture.

Methods: A review of the literature was performed.