Objective Assessment of Physiologic Alterations Associated With Hemodynamically Significant Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Extremely Premature Neonates.

Delay in closure of ductus arteriosus in postnatal life may lead to serious consequences and complications in an extremely premature neonate secondary to hemodynamic alterations in regional blood flow pattern in various organs. Despite the widespread recognition amongst neonatologists to identify a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) early in the postnatal course, there is lack of consensus in its definition and thus the threshold to initiate treatment. Echocardiographic assessment of PDA shunt size and volume combined with neonatologists' impression of clinical significance is most frequently used to determine the need for treatment of PDA.

Ontogeny of inter-alpha inhibitor protein (IAIP) expression in human brain.

Inter-alpha inhibitor proteins (IAIPs) are naturally occurring immunomodulatory molecules found in most tissues. We have reported ontogenic changes in the expression of IAIPs in brain during development in sheep and abundant expression of IAIPs in fetal and neonatal rodent brain in a variety of cellular types and brain regions. Although a few studies identified bikunin, light chain of IAIPs, in adult human brain, the presence of the complete endogenous IAIP protein complex has not been reported in human brain.

Ischemic-Reperfusion Injury Increases Matrix Metalloproteinases and Tissue Metalloproteinase Inhibitors in Fetal Sheep Brain.

Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is a leading cause of neurodevelopmental morbidities in preterm and full-term infants. Blood-brain barrier dysfunction represents an important component of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a vital component of the blood-brain barrier.

Neurological consequences of systemic inflammation in the premature neonate.

Despite substantial progress in neonatal care over the past two decades leading to improved survival of extremely premature infants, extreme prematurity continues to be associated with long term neurodevelopmental impairments. Cerebral white matter injury is the predominant form of insult in preterm brain leading to adverse neurological consequences. Such brain injury pattern and unfavorable neurologic sequelae is commonly encountered in premature infants exposed to systemic inflammatory states such as clinical or culture proven sepsis with or without evidence of meningitis, prolonged mechanical ventilation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis and chorioamnionitis.

Neutralizing anti-interleukin-1β antibodies reduce ischemia-related interleukin-1β transport across the blood-brain barrier in fetal sheep.

Hypoxic ischemic insults predispose to perinatal brain injury. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are important in the evolution of this injury. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a key mediator of inflammatory responses and elevated IL-1β levels in brain correlate with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes after brain injury.

Vectorial capacity and genetic diversity of Anopheles annularis (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes in Odisha, India from 2009 to 2011.

Anopheles annularis is one of the major vectors of malaria in Odisha, India. The present study was undertaken to determine the vectorial capacity and assess the genetic diversity of An. annularis collected from different endemic regions of Odisha.

Genetic characterization of E2 region of Chikungunya virus circulating in Odisha, Eastern India from 2010 to 2011.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection has caught attention yet again as it rages around the globe affecting millions of people. The virus caused epidemic outbreaks affecting more than 15,000 people in Odisha, Eastern India since 2010. In this study, complete genetic characterization of E2 gene of CHIKV circulating in Odisha from 2010 to 2011 was performed by virus isolation, RT-PCR, molecular phylogenetics and bioinformatics methods.

Anopheles culicifacies sibling species in Odisha, eastern India: First appearance of Anopheles culicifacies E and its vectorial role in malaria transmission.

Objective: To identify the Anopheles culicifacies sibling species complex and study their vectorial role in malaria endemic regions of Odisha.

Methods: Mosquitoes were collected from 6 malaria endemic districts using standard entomological collection methods. An.

Molecular investigations of chikungunya virus during outbreaks in Orissa, Eastern India in 2010.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arthritogenic alphavirus, is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of genus Aedes, mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The resurgence of CHIKV in different parts of India is a point of major public health concern. In 2010, chikungunya outbreaks with high epidemic magnitude were recorded in coastal areas of Orissa, Eastern India, affecting more than 15,000 people coupled with severe arthralgia and prolonged morbidites.

Development and evaluation of a single-step multiplex PCR to differentiate the aquatic stages of morphologically similar Aedes (subgenus: Stegomyia) species.

Objective: To develop a single-step multiplex PCR to differentiate the aquatic stages of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Aedes vittatus collected from different breeding spots in arbovirus endemic/epidemic areas and to detect the most abundant species by the multiplex PCR.

Methods: Aquatic stages of different mosquito species were sampled by inspecting artificial and natural breeding sites in domestic and peridomestic areas. DNA was isolated from different stages of the three Aedes species.