Post-ERCP clearance of bile duct stones: should the gallbladder be left in-situ?

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has become the gold standard management for patients who present with common bile duct stone (CBDS). Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally recommended for patients who have CBDS clearance, there is still a significant proportion of patients who are managed expectantly. Our study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of expectant management (EM) versus prophylactic cholecystectomy after initial endoscopic removal of CBDS.

A Platform for Medium-Throughput Cell-Free Analyses of Microtubule-Interacting Proteins Using Mammalian Cell Lysates.

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton performs a variety of functions in cell division, cell architecture, neuronal differentiation, and ciliary beating. These functions are controlled by proteins that directly interact with MTs, commonly referred to as microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Out of the many proteins reported interact with MTs, only a some have been biochemically and functionally characterized so far.

Quantification of excess Carbon-14 specific activity in terrestrial biota in the off-site locations of the PHWR nuclear power plant at Kaiga, India.

This is the first detailed study on C activity in the environment surrounding a nuclear facility in India. Samples of food matrices and wild plants from the off-site locations of the PHWR nuclear power plant (NPP) at Kaiga were analysed by liquid scintillation spectrometry, results were validated by accelerator mass spectrometry, and an extensive database (N = 142) was established. The stable isotope ratio of carbon (δC) in terrestrial plants varied from -33.

Carbon-14 emission from the pressurized heavy water reactor nuclear power plant at Kaiga, India.

This is a detailed study on oxide (CO) and reduced (hydrocarbons, CH) forms of C releases through gaseous effluents from the Kaiga nuclear power plant (NPP), on the West Coast of India, where 4 × 220 MW(e) pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) are operating. The gaseous effluent from the common stack of reactor units 3 and 4 (each of 220 MW(e)) was sampled from 2017 to 2020 for C activity monitoring and analysed for C activity by liquid scintillation counting. The normalized release rate corresponding to the four-year monitoring period had a geometric mean value of 0.

Optimisation of CO absorption and liquid scintillation counting method for carbon-14 specific activity measurement in atmospheric air.

A method for the determination of C activity in the ambient air was optimised with the development of a simple setup for the regeneration of CO from carbonate sample and saturating the absorber in <45 min for direct determination of activity by liquid scintillation counting (LSC). Atmospheric CO was trapped in NaOH solution and precipitated as BaCO by adding BaCl. The carbonate sample was taken in a newly designed regeneration system, subjected to acid hydrolysis, and the absorber (CarboSorb-E) was saturated with the CO regenerated from carbonate sample.

SxIP binding disrupts the constitutive homodimer interface of EB1 and stabilizes EB1 monomer.

SxIP is a microtubule tip localizing signal found in many +TIP proteins that bind to the hydrophobic cavity of the C-terminal domain of end binding protein 1 (EB1) and then positively regulate the microtubule plus-end tracking of EBs. However, the exact mechanism of microtubule activation of EBs in the presence of SxIP signaling motif is not known. Here, we studied the effect of SxIP peptide on the native conformation of EB1 in solution.

Optimisation of a batch thermal combustion method using a tube furnace oxidation system (pyrolyser) and LSC for carbon-14 determination in environmental matrices.

Accelerator mass spectrometry and benzene synthesis coupled with liquid scintillation spectrometry are often used for accurate measurements of C activity in the environmental matrices. Thermal oxidation is one of the methods employed for C determination in environmental matrices. In this method, the sample is oxidised at high temperature (600-900 °C) to convert carbon species to CO and trapped in an amine-based absorber for determining the activity in a liquid scintillation counting (LSC) system.