Factors Associated with Dysfunctional Breathing in Patients with Difficult to Treat Asthma.

Background: Understanding of dysfunctional breathing in patients with difficult asthma who remain symptomatic despite maximal inhaler therapy is limited.

Objective: We characterized the pattern of dysfunctional breathing in patients with difficult asthma and identified possible contributory factors.

Methods: Dysfunctional breathing was identified in patients with difficult asthma using the Nijmegen Questionnaire (score >23).

A new species of Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 (Anura: Microhylidae) from West Coast of India: an integrative taxonomic approach.

A new species of microhylid frog Microhyla kodial sp. nov. from the west coast of India is described in this paper.

Optimizing the use of fibula in type II tibial hemimelia: early results.

We describe a technique for optimal use of fibula in reconstruction of type II tibial hemimelia. Six affected children with mean age of 1.4 years and treated over a 5-year period were reviewed.

Treatable traits can be identified in a severe asthma registry and predict future exacerbations.

Background And Objective: A new taxonomic and management approach, termed treatable traits, has been proposed for airway diseases including severe asthma. This study examined whether treatable traits could be identified using registry data and whether particular treatable traits were associated with future exacerbation risk.

Methods: The Australasian Severe Asthma Web-Based Database (SAWD) enrolled 434 participants with severe asthma and a comparison group of 102 participants with non-severe asthma.

Newborn blood DNA epigenetic variations and signaling pathway genes associated with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common Critical Congenital Heart Defect (CCHD). The etiology of TOF is unknown in most cases. Preliminary data from our group and others suggest that epigenetic changes may play an important role in CHD.

Squamous papilloma of the renal pelvis mimicking transitional cell carcinoma.

Squamous papilloma of the renal pelvis is an extremely rare entity. To the best of our knowledge, no case has been reported till date. A 45-year-old female presented to us with flank pain for two months.

Irreversible Electroporation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Is there a role in conjunction with conventional treatment?

Background: The incidence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is rapidly increasing. Up to 30% of patients present with locally advanced disease and therefore are not candidates for surgery. Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) is an emerging entity lacking in level III evidence-based recommendations for its treatment.

A food synergy approach in a national program to improve the micronutrient status of preschoolers: a randomized control trial protocol.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a significant public health issue in India affecting nearly all vulnerable segments of the population. Causes of IDA include low consumption of iron-rich foods combined with poor iron bioavailability of nonheme iron sources. To date, interventions aimed at correcting IDA focus on increasing iron intake through iron supplementation or fortification strategies.

1,2,3-Triazole based bisphosphine, 5-(diphenylphosphanyl)-1-(2-(diphenylphosphanyl)-phenyl)-4-phenyl-1-1,2,3-triazole: an ambidentate ligand with switchable coordination modes.

The reaction of 1-(2-bromophenyl)-4-phenyl-1-1,2,3-triazole (1) with PhPCl yielded bisphosphine, 5-(diphenylphosphanyl)-1-(2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl)-4-phenyl-1-1,2,3-triazole (2). Bisphosphine 2 exhibits ambidentate character in either the κ-P,N or κ-P,P coordination mode. Treatment of 2 with [M(CO)(piperidine)] (M = Mo and W) yielded κ-P,N and κ-P,P coordinated Mo and W complexes [M(CO)(2)] [M = W-κ-P,N (4); Mo-κ-P,P (5); W-κ-P,P (6)] depending on the reaction conditions.

HIV Stigma Reduction for Health Facility Staff: Development of a Blended- Learning Intervention.

The effect of stigma on health and health inequity is increasingly recognized. While many medical conditions trigger stigmatization, the negative effects of HIV stigma are particularly well documented. HIV stigma undermines access, uptake, and adherence to both HIV prevention and treatment.

Solitary functioning kidney in children: clinical implications.

Introduction: Children with solitary functioning kidney (SFK) are prone to develop long term problems, which are not well represented in the literature. The extent to which the presence of associated congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) further de-stabilize renal function is to be addressed.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the etiology, presentation, presence of CAKUT, and renal damage in children with SFK.

Cecal duplication: A mimicker of intussusception: A case report and review.

Introduction: is a rare congenital anomaly and to the best of our knowledge, only 43 cases have been reported in the literature till date. Most of them present within the first year of life. They can mimic intussusception, and the delay in diagnosis can lead to high morbidity.

Transcriptomic data of pre-meiotic stage of floret development in apomictic and sexual types of guinea grass ( Jacq.).

Guinea grass ( Jacq), an important fodder crop of humid and sub-humid tropical regions, reproduces through apomixis, a method of clonal propagation through seeds. Lack of knowledge of the genetic and molecular control of this phenomena has hindered the genetic improvement of this crop. The dataset provided here represents the first RNA-Seq based assembly and analysis of florets at pre-meiotic stage from the apomictic and sexual genotypes of guinea grass.

Myelitis due to Coccidioidomycosis in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Myelitis of the spinal cord is an uncommon presentation of disseminated coccidioidomycosis. Most infected patients present subclinically, but patients, especially those who are immunocompromised, may progress to disseminated disease. We present a 50-year-old immunocompetent patient with no significant past medical history exhibiting symptoms of altered mental status, dizziness, headache, nausea, and quadriplegia.

Comparison of effect of dexmedetomidine and lidocaine on intracranial and systemic hemodynamic response to chest physiotherapy and tracheal suctioning in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: Chest physiotherapy and tracheal suction cause sympathetic stimulation and increase heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and intracranial pressure (ICP) which may have deleterious effect in the head injured. We planned to compare the effect of intravenous dexmedetomidine and lidocaine on intracerebral and systemic hemodynamic response to chest physiotherapy (CP) and tracheal suctioning (TS) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI).

Methods: Prospective, randomized study in patients with sTBI, 18-60 years of age, undergoing mechanical ventilation and intraparenchymal ICP monitoring.

Role of magnetic resonance imaging in breast cancer management.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is primarily used as a supplemental tool to breast screening with mammography or ultrasound. A breast MRI is mainly used for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, to help measure the size of the cancer, look for other tumors in the breast, and to check for tumors in the opposite breast. For certain women at high risk for breast cancer, a screening MRI is recommended along with a yearly mammogram.

Torsion of a Splenule in a Case of Splenogonadal Fusion Mimicking a Strangulated Inguinal Hernia.

Splenogonadal fusion (SGF) is a rare anomaly, and to the best of our knowledge, none have mimicked a strangulated inguinal hernia. A 6-year-old boy presented with a painful left inguinal swelling mimicking a strangulated hernia but turned out to be a SGF, which was managed successfully with an inguinal procedure.

Working while unwell: Workplace impairment in people with severe asthma.

Background: Severe asthma affects quality of life; however, its impact on workplace productivity is poorly understood.

Objective: To compare workplace productivity-absenteeism and presenteeism-and impairment in daily activities in severe and non-severe asthma over time and identify characteristics associated with presenteeism in severe asthma.

Methods: The Severe Asthma Web-based Database is an ongoing observational registry from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

A Systematic Review of the Utility of the Hoffmann Sign for the Diagnosis of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Objective: To determine the validity of the Hoffmann sign for the detection of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) for patients presenting with cervical complaints.

Summary Of Background Data: While physical examination maneuvers are often used to diagnose DCM, no previous review has synthesized diagnostic accuracy data.

A comparative efficacy of three spiral techniques versus incremental technique in obturating primary teeth.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of four different obturating techniques in filling the radicular space in primary teeth.

Materials And Methods: This clinical trial was carried out on 34 healthy, cooperative children (5-9 years) who had 63 carious primary teeth indicated for pulpectomy. They were divided into four groups, such that in each group, a total of 40 canals were allotted for obturation with respective technique.

Comparison of Hemoglobin A with Fasting and 2-h Plasma Glucose Tests for Diagnosis of Diabetes and Prediabetes among High-risk South Indians.

Background: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) has not been evaluated extensively for diabetes and prediabetes diagnosis and short-term variability of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h PG post-75 g glucose load (2 hPG) and HbA1c has not been studied among Indians.

Objectives: The study aimed to compare the sensitivity of HbA1c, FPG and 2 hPG for diabetes and prediabetes diagnosis as per the American Diabetes Association criteria, assess short-term variability of three tests and determine optimal HbA1c cutoffs for diabetes and prediabetes diagnosis among high-risk south Indians.

Methods: This diagnostic accuracy study, conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital located in South India, enrolled 332 adults at high risk for diabetes and subjected them to testing (FPG, 2 hPG, and HbA1c) twice at 2-3 weeks interval.

Nonadherence in the era of severe asthma biologics and thermoplasty.

Nonadherence to inhaled preventers impairs asthma control. Electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) can objectively measure adherence. Their use has not been reported in difficult asthma patients potentially suitable for novel therapies, biologics and bronchial thermoplasty.

A "turn-off" red-emitting fluorophore for nanomolar detection of heparin.

A simple fluorophore bearing a diethylaminocoumarin donor and a pyridinium acceptor was synthesized and utilized for the ultra-sensitive detection of heparin. The synthesized dicationic push-pull coumarin derivative emits strongly in the red-region (665 nm) and detects nanomolar concentrations (14.8 nM to 148 nM) of heparin in HEPES buffer and FBS serum solutions.

Effect of palpable vs. impalpable cricothyroid membranes in a simulated emergency front-of-neck access scenario.

The Difficult Airway Society 2015 guidelines recommend and describe in detail a surgical cricothyroidotomy technique for the can't intubate, can't oxygenate (CICO) scenario, but this can be technically challenging for anaesthetists with no surgical training. Following a structured training session, 104 anaesthetists took part individually in a simulated can't intubate, can't oxygenate event using simulation and airway models to evaluate how well they could perform these front-of-neck access techniques. Main outcomes measures were: ability to correctly perform the technical steps; procedural time; and success rate.