Bactericidal effects of high-energy visible light on common otitis media pathogens.

Aims: This study assessed the use of high-energy, visible light on the survival rates of three bacteria commonly found in middle ear infections (i.e. otitis media; Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae).

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of surface and groundwater: suitability for human consumption and irrigated agriculture purposes in Suruliyar sub basin, South India.

The Suruliyar sub basin in Tamil Nadu, India, was monitored for the assessment of water and soil quality. Surface water, groundwater, and soil samples were collected during the pre-monsoon (June 2016) and post-monsoon (December 2016) seasons within the sub basin area and analyzed for various physical, chemical, and biological properties, namely, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), calcium, magnesium, sodium, nitrate, sulfate, fluoride, chloride, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and total and fecal coliform. All the values were compared with Indian and global standards, and the values for each parameter were within the permissible limits.

Corpus callosum morphometry in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Alcohol is known to have a neurotoxic effect on the brain of offspring of mothers consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Impact on the neurodevelopment in children who were exposed to alcohol specifically during the antenatal period without any clinically detectable features of fetal alcohol syndrome is less well studied. In this cross-sectional study, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was acquired in 28 children whose mothers had consumed alcohol during pregnancy and 30 children of mothers who did not consume alcohol during pregnancy.

Multivariate polynomial fit: Decay heat removal system and pectin degrading Fe O -SiO nanobiocatalyst activity.

Herein, multivariate Lagrange's interpolation polynomial (MLIP) and multivariate least square (MLS) methods are used to derive linear and higher-order polynomials for two varied applications. (1) For an effective fabrication of Pectin degrading Fe O -SiO Nanobiocatalyst activity (IU/mg). Here, the three parameters namely: pH value, pectinase loading and temperature as independent variables are optimized for the maximal of anobiocatalyst activity as a dependent variable.

Rim lesions are demonstrated in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis using 3 T-based susceptibility-weighted imaging in a multi-institutional setting.

Purpose: Rim lesions, characterised by a paramagnetic rim on susceptibility-based MRI, have been suggested to reflect chronic inflammatory demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Here, we assess, through susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), the prevalence, longitudinal volume evolution and clinical associations of rim lesions in subjects with early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Methods: Subjects (n = 44) with recently diagnosed RRMS underwent 3 T MRI at baseline (M0) and 1 year (M12) as part of a multi-centre study.

Asymptomatic Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia and Grade 4 Intraventricular Hemorrhage in a Late Preterm Infant.

Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HH) has the potential to cause acute neurologic dysfunction and neurodevelopmental impairment. Parieto-occipital neuronal injuries have been reported in hypoglycemic infants, but intraparenchymal hemorrhage is rare. On day 5 of life, a late preterm infant was transferred to our care with recurrent asymptomatic hypoglycemia.

Analysis of data to Advance Personalised Therapy with MR-Linac (ADAPT-MRL).

Background: Analysis of Data to Advance Personalised Therapy with MR-Linac (ADAPT-MRL) is a multi-site, multinational, observational cohort registry designed to collect data on the use of the magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR-Linac) for radiation therapy and patient outcomes. The registry will provide a linked repository of technical and clinical data that will form a platform for prospective studies and technology assessment.

Methods: Design: This registry aims to include an estimated 10,000 eligible participants across Australia and other countries over a 7- to 10-year period.

Perinatal Palliative Care Service: Developing a Comprehensive Care Package for Vulnerable Babies with Life Limiting Fetal Conditions.

Perinatal Palliative Care provides comprehensive and holistic care for expectant and new parents, who receive a diagnosis of life-limiting fetal condition and opt to continue pregnancy and care for their newborn infant. To develop a service providing individually tailored holistic care during pregnancy, birth, postnatal and bereavement period. Following a baseline survey of neonatologists and discussions with key stakeholders we launched the Perinatal Palliative service at the KK Women's and Children's hospital, Singapore in January 2017.

Approaches to Establishing Tolerance in Immune Mediated Diseases.

The development of rational approaches to restore immune tolerance requires an iterative approach that builds on past success and utilizes new mechanistic insights into immune-mediated pathologies. This article will review concepts that have evolved from the clinical trial experience of the Immune Tolerance Network, with an emphasis on lessons learned from the innovative mechanistic studies conducted for these trials and new strategies under development for induction of tolerance.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder and bile duct drainage with lumen apposing metal stent: A large multicenter cohort (with videos).

Background And Aim: Cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography are the gold standard for managing acute cholecystitis and malignant biliary obstruction, respectively. Recent advances in therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) have provided alternatives for managing patients in whom these approaches fail, namely, EUS-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GB) and EUS-guided bile duct drainage (EUS-BD). We aimed to assess the technical and clinical success of these techniques in the largest multicenter cohort published to date.

Unpacking the challenge of gastric varices: A review on indication, timing and modality of therapy.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding from oesophageal or gastric varices is an important medical condition in patients with portal hypertension. Despite the emergence of a number of novel endoscopic and radiologic therapies for oesophagogastric varices, controversy exists regarding the indication, timing and modality of therapy. The aim of this review is to provide a concise and practical evidence-based overview of these issues.

Foot Length for Gestational Age Assessment and Identification of High-Risk Infants: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

The knowledge of the gestational age of the newborn is essential for management. In the absence of a dating scan, the postnatal assessment scores have drawbacks of being difficult to learn and administer in the community. The measurement of the foot length is easy, reproducible and offers an objective assessment.

Safety and efficacy of low-dose diazoxide in small-for-gestational-age infants with hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia.

Objectives: Diazoxide (DZX) is the drug of choice for treating hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH), and it has potentially serious adverse effects. We studied the safety and efficacy of low-dose DZX in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants with HH.

Design: An observational cohort study from 1 September 2014 to 31 September 2020.

Dysregulation in Subcellular Localization of Myelin Basic Protein mRNA Does Not Result in Altered Myelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Pathological hallmarks of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), including protein misfolding, are well established in oligodendrocytes. More recently, an RNA trafficking deficit of key myelin proteins has been suggested in oligodendrocytes in ALS but the extent to which this affects myelination and the relative contribution of this to disease pathogenesis is unclear. ALS autopsy research findings showing demyelination contrasts with the routine clinical-pathological workup of ALS cases where it is rare to see white matter abnormalities other than simple Wallerian degeneration secondary to widespread neuronal loss.

Preterm Birth Is Associated With Immune Dysregulation Which Persists in Infants Exposed to Histologic Chorioamnionitis.

Introduction: Preterm infants are at increased risk of exposure to histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) when compared to term-born controls, and this is associated with several neonatal morbidities involving brain, lungs and gut. Preterm infants could benefit from immunomodulatory therapies in the perinatal period, but development of rational treatment strategies requires improved characterization of the perinatal response to HCA. We had two objectives: The first, to characterize the umbilical cord blood immune profile in preterm infants compared to term-born controls; the second, to investigate the postnatal immune response in preterm infants exposed to HCA versus those who were not.

The prevalence of paramagnetic rim lesions in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Recent findings from several studies have shown that paramagnetic rim lesions identified using susceptibility-based MRI could represent potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature to assess their pooled prevalence at lesion-level and patient-level.

Methods: Both database searching (PubMed and Embase) and handsearching were conducted to identify studies allowing the lesion-level and/or patient-level prevalence of rim lesions or chronic active lesions to be calculated.

Safety and efficacy of bexarotene in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (CCMR One): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2a study.

Background: Progressive disability in multiple sclerosis occurs because CNS axons degenerate as a late consequence of demyelination. In animals, retinoic acid receptor RXR-gamma agonists promote remyelination. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of a non-selective retinoid X receptor agonist in promoting remyelination in people with multiple sclerosis.

Open Reduction Internal Fixation of Condylar Head/Diacapitular Fracture of Mandible: Case Series.

Objective: Surgical management of condylar head is largely deferred due to the lack of appropriate armamentarium or instrumentation, restricted surgical access and risk of iatrogenic complications. Here we delineate open reduction internal fixation of condylar head fracture with various fixation modalities using specialized instrumentation for visualization and providing access for reduction with minimal complications.

Methods: A total of 21 patients were reported with condylar head fracture of mandible to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from January 2017 to June 2018.