Concurrent infection of Bluetongue and Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus in small ruminants in Haryana State of India

Bluetongue (BT) and peste-des-petits-ruminants (PPR) are major transboundary diseases of small ruminant, which are endemic in India. Testing of bluetongue virus (BTV) and peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV) from recent outbreaks (2015-2016) in different regions of Haryana State of India revealed that 27.5% of the samples showed the presence of dual infection of BTV and PPRV. Analysis of Seg-2 of BTV (the serotype-determining protein) showed the presence of BTV-12w in several isolates. However, analysis of N gene fragment amplicons showed that viruses belong to lineage IV were most closely related to a pathogenic strain of PPRV from Delhi. This is the first report of co-circulation of PPRV lineage IV and bluetongue virus serotype 12 in the state.

Clinical Significance of Rare Maternal Anti Jka Antibody

We hereby report a rare case of HDFN because of antibody to Kidd (Jk) blood group system-anti Jka. An EDTA sample of a baby along with mother's sample was received in the Department for Direct Antiglobulin Test (DAT) alongwith blood requisition for double volume exchange transfusion. On blood grouping, baby's and mother's blood group was found to be B Rh D positive. DAT with polyspecific anti human globulin (AHG) was positive. Screening of mother's serum for irregular antibodies showed anti-Jka antibody. AHG phase titers using tube technique were 1:64. Mother was found to be Jka antigen negative; father and neonate were found to be Jka antigenpositive. Antibody was observed to be of IgG type on Dithiothreitol treatment. Baby had total serum bilirubin of 20.5 mg/dl on day 3 of life and phototherapy was started. Exchange transfusion was not required in the baby. The present case emphasises the significance of minor blood group antigens other than Rh blood group system as a cause of HDFN. Although HDFN due to Jk antibodies is rare, however, the clinician must be aware of the occurrence of these antibodies as they can lead to severe HDFN and persistent anemia in the infant.

Emerging Roles of Epigenetic Regulator Sin3 in Cancer

Revolutionizing treatment strategies is an urgent clinical need in the fight against cancer. Recently the scientific community has recognized chromatin-associated proteins as promising therapeutic candidates. However, there is a need to develop more targeted epigenetic inhibitors with less toxicity. Sin3 family is one such target which consists of evolutionary conserved proteins with two paralogues Sin3A and Sin3B. Sin3A/B are global transcription regulators that provide a versatile platform for diverse chromatin-modifying activities. Sin3 proteins regulate key cellular functions that include cell cycle, proliferation, and differentiation, and have recently been implicated in cancer pathogenesis. In this chapter, we summarize the key concepts of Sin3 biology and elaborate the recent advancements in the role of Sin3 proteins in cancer with specific examples in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and triple negative breast cancer. Finally, a program to create an integrative approach for screening antitumor agents that target chromatin-associated factors like Sin3 is presented.

A comparative study of central versus posterior approach for internal jugular hemodialysis catheter insertion

Internal jugular (IJ) catheter insertion for hemodialysis (HD) is an indispensable procedure in the management of patients with renal failure. The central approach is favored over posterior approach to insert IJ catheters. There are no studies comparing the outcomes between the two approaches. The aim of this study was to compare central approach with posterior approach for IJ HD catheter insertion and to analyze various outcomes like procedure-related complication rates, catheter insertion failure rates, interruptions during dialysis due to blood flow obstruction and catheter infection rates between the two methods among patients receiving HD. All patients requiring IJ HD catheter insertion during a 1-month period were randomly assigned to undergo catheter insertion via either conventional central approach or posterior approach. Patients were followed-up till the removal of the catheter. Among 104 patients included in the study, 54 were assigned to the central approach group and 50 to the posterior approach group. The central approach group had higher rate of procedure-related complications (14.81% vs. 6%, P = 0.04). Catheter insertion failure rates were marginally higher in posterior approach group (20% vs. 12.96%, P = 0.07). One or more instance of interruption during HD due to obstruction in blood flow was more common in posterior approach (46% vs. 9.25%, P < 0.01). Catheter infection rates were similar between the two groups; 16.66% (n = 9) in central group vs. 14% (n = 7) in posterior group. Posterior approach is a reasonable alternative to conventional central approach in IJ cannulation for HD catheter. It is, however, associated with a significantly high rate of interruption in HD blood flow and catheter insertion failure rates. The posterior approach can be used in patients with local exit site infection or in failed attempts to cannulate IJ vein via the conventional central approach.

Familial progressive hyper- and hypopigmentation and malignancy in two families with new mutations in KITLG

BACKGROUND

Familial progressive hyper- and hypopigmentation (FPHH) is an autosomal dominant skin condition presenting in childhood with generalized macular dyspigmentation, usually reported in patients of East Asian origin. It overlaps phenotypically with other dyschromatoses, but can now be distinguished by mutations in the KIT ligand gene (KITLG).

AIM

We report two unrelated white families with similar phenotypic presentations of FPHH developing in early childhood in several generations.

METHODS

Sanger sequencing of the exons and flanking introns of KITLG was performed.

RESULTS

This identified a new heterozygous missense mutation in each family (p.Thr34Asn and p.Val37Gly, respectively). Of the six affected individuals examined by us, two had cancer: a 62-year-old man in family 1 had developed two primary melanomas and a pharyngeal carcinoma, and a 42-year-old woman in family 2 had developed thyroid carcinoma. All had unusually sparse lateral eyebrows, a finding not previously reported in this condition.

CONCLUSIONS

We summarize the genetic spectrum of the dyschromatoses and discuss a possible increased risk of malignancy in FPHH.

Outcome analysis of cubital tunnel decompression

Background

Cubital tunnel decompression is a commonly undertaken upper limb procedure. Most studies compare the different techniques of decompression; however, only a few have specifically investigated the outcome of ulnar nerve decompression.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the outcome of ulnar nerve decompression following cubital tunnel syndrome.

Methods and results

A total of 174 ulnar nerve decompression cases were identified from the upper limb surgery database with complete data available for 136 cases. Simple decompression was performed in 110 (80.88%) cases, and in 26 (19.12%), anterior subcutaneous transposition was also supplemented. These operations were performed at three different hospitals by surgeons of different levels of experience. The most common cause of cubital tunnel syndrome was idiopathic. The outcome was satisfactory in 86% of cases. No obvious association was demonstrated between the outcome of surgery and duration of symptoms, presence of co-morbidities or the type of surgery performed.

Conclusion

This is the largest outcome analysis of the results of ulnar nerve decompression at the elbow. Good results following nerve decompression were attained in 86% of cases without any significant effect of duration of symptoms or co-morbidities on the outcome of surgery. It is hoped that the findings of the current study will help general practitioners, junior doctors and surgeons in their management and pre-operative consultation with patients having cubital tunnel syndrome.

Correlation of Radiographic Mental Foramen Position and Occulusion in Three Different Indian Populations

BACKGROUND

The knowledge of the position of the mental foramen (MF) is important for administering local anaesthesia for diagnostic, surgical or operative procedures.

AIMS

To determine the shape, position, symmetry of MF and its continuity with the inferior dental canal (IDC) on a digital panoramic view and to find its correlation with Angle's molar relations in three Indian subpopulations. The study also determines the correlation of inter-foramen distance in both genders of three Indian subpopulations.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

One hundred and twenty digital panoramic radiographs were evaluated from three Indian subpopulations (Punjab, Rajasthan and Northeast [NE]). The assessment of occlusion was based on Angle's molar relationships. The data obtained were statistically analysed.

RESULTS

The commonest position of the MF in the Rajasthan and NE populations was position 4 bilaterally, while in the Punjab population, it was position 3 on the right and position 4 on the left side. The majority of the MF was round in shape followed by oval. The mean distance between two MF was highest among the Punjab male population and least among the NE female population. The most frequent pattern of MF continuity with IDC was diffuse in Rajasthan population, separated in NE and continuous in Punjab. Correlation between Angle's molar relation with MF position was significant for Classes I and II but not for Class III. Correlation of inter-foramen distance between genders was highly significant in the NE and Punjab populations.

CONCLUSION

The commonest MF position was aligned with the 1st premolar and between the 1st and 2nd premolar.

Renal cortical necrosis: A rare complication of Plasmodium vivax malaria

A young female with Plasmodium vivax malaria presented with anemia, hyperbilirubinemia, thrombocytopenia, and advanced renal failure. She remained anuric for more than 3 weeks. Kidney biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of acute cortical necrosis. During follow-up, she became dialysis independent, but remained in stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) at 3 month. P. vivax is supposed to be benign in nature, but can lead to rare and severe complication like renal cortical necrosis and progress to CKD.

Correlation of Palatal Rugoscopy with Gender, Palatal Vault Height and ABO Blood Groups in Three Different Indian Populations

Background:

Palatal rugae (PR) are asymmetrical irregular elevations, recorded during maxillary cast fabrication, that can be used for identification purpose if previous comparative sources are available.

Aim:

This study investigated uniqueness of PR patterns in relation to gender, palatal vault forms, and ABO blood groups in three (North-East [N-E], Northern and Western) populations of India.

Subjects and Methods:

The study was conducted on randomly selected 90 students, 30 from each sub population. Design - The palatal vault was recorded as Types I, II, and III. The maxillary casts were analyzed for each subject. The blood group of each subject was also recorded. Pearson's correlation coefficient tests were performed on cross-tabulations to evaluate significant relationship among different variables.

Results:

The PR number was more among females with an insignificant correlation among gender and mean rugae size on both sides. Types I and II hard palate vaults were seen associated with straight forwardly directed PR pattern, while Type III with curved forwardly directed PR. On the right side, straight rugae shape was most common type. On the left side, straight rugae shape was most common in Northern population while in N-E and Western populations curved rugae was the dominating type. A highly significant correlation was found between ABO blood groups and different PR patterns.

Conclusions:

PR possesses unique characteristics and can be used along with palatal vault forms as well as ABO blood groups for racial and individualistic soft tissue oral print in forensic cases.

Observation of Dirac plasmons in a topological insulator

Plasmons are quantized collective oscillations of electrons and have been observed in metals and doped semiconductors. The plasmons of ordinary, massive electrons have been the basic ingredients of research in plasmonics and in optical metamaterials for a long time. However, plasmons of massless Dirac electrons have only recently been observed in graphene, a purely two-dimensional electron system. Their properties are promising for novel tunable plasmonic metamaterials in the terahertz and mid-infrared frequency range. Dirac fermions also occur in the two-dimensional electron gas that forms at the surface of topological insulators as a result of the strong spin-orbit interaction existing in the insulating bulk phase. One may therefore look for their collective excitations using infrared spectroscopy. Here we report the first experimental evidence of plasmonic excitations in a topological insulator (Bi2Se3). The material was prepared in thin micro-ribbon arrays of different widths W and periods 2W to select suitable values of the plasmon wavevector k. The linewidth of the plasmon was found to remain nearly constant at temperatures between 6 K and 300 K, as expected when exciting topological carriers. Moreover, by changing W and measuring the plasmon frequency in the terahertz range versus k we show, without using any fitting parameter, that the dispersion curve agrees quantitatively with that predicted for Dirac plasmons.