Fractured and migrated tracheostomy tube in the tracheobronchial tree.

Objective: To study the clinical presentation and management of fractured tracheostomy tube (FTT) presenting as tracheobronchial foreign body (FB) in children.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of children with a diagnosis of FTT, FB in tracheobronchial tree was carried out. Data regarding the patients' demographic details, diagnosis, clinical presentation and management were noted and analyzed.

Benzo[a]pyrene modulates the biotransformation, DNA damage and cortisol level of red sea bream challenged with lipopolysaccharide.

In animals, biotransformation and the immune system interact with each other, however, knowledge of the toxic mechanism of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) on these two systems is not well known. The present study investigated the toxic effects of BaP on the biotransformation system, cortisol level and DNA integrity of red sea bream (Pagrus major). The results showed that cortisol level was induced under the challenge of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Comparative study of 17 β-estradiol on endocrine disruption and biotransformation in fingerlings and juveniles of Japanese sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus.

Estrogenic contaminants in the aquatic environment are associated with endocrine disruption and feminization in fish. The effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on fish have been well documented. However, very few studies have focused on 17 β-estradiol (E2) and its effects on endocrine system and biotransformation in a single prolonged exposure.

Interactive effects of hypoxia and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) on microbial community assembly in surface marine sediments.

Hypoxia alters the oxidation-reduction balance and the biogeochemical processes in sediments, but little is known about its impacts on the microbial community that is responsible for such processes. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia and the ubiquitously dispersed flame-retardant BDE47 on the bacterial communities in marine surface sediments during a 28-days microcosm experiment. Both hypoxia and BDE47 alone significantly altered the bacterial community and reduced the species and genetic diversity.

Phylogenetic diversity of Mesorhizobium in chickpea.

Crop domestication, in general, has reduced genetic diversity in cultivated gene pool of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) as compared with wild species (C. reticulatum, C. bijugum).

Interactive effects of hypoxia and PBDE on larval settlement of a marine benthic polychaete.

Marine benthic polychaete Capitella sp. I is widely known to adapt to polluted habitats; however, its response to xenobiotics under hypoxic conditions has been rarely studied. This research aimed to test the hypothesis that interactive effects of hypoxia and congener BDE-47 of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), which is ubiquitous in marine sediments, may alter the settlement of Capitella sp.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis: Understanding the Best Evidence in Primary Healthcare.

Healthcare decisions for individual patients and for public health policies should be informed by the best available research evidence. The practice of evidence-based medicine is the integration of individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research and patient's values and expectations. Primary care physicians need evidence for both clinical practice and for public health decision making.

Medaka fish exhibits longevity gender gap, a natural drop in estrogen and telomere shortening during aging: a unique model for studying sex-dependent longevity.

Introduction: Females having a longer telomere and lifespan than males have been documented in many animals. Such linkage however has never been reported in fish. Progressive shortening of telomere length is an important aging mechanism.

Targeted chromatin profiling reveals novel enhancers in Ig H and Ig L chain Loci.

The assembly and expression of mouse Ag receptor genes are controlled by a collection of cis-acting regulatory elements, including transcriptional promoters and enhancers. Although many powerful enhancers have been identified for Ig (Ig) and TCR (Tcr) loci, it remained unclear whether additional regulatory elements remain undiscovered. In this study, we use chromatin profiling of pro-B cells to define 38 epigenetic states in mouse Ag receptor loci, each of which reflects a distinct regulatory potential.

A systematic approach to assess the strengths and limitations of cytomorphology in the diagnosis of the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Objective: To identify the most useful cytomorphological features of follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC).

Methods: Fine needle aspiration cytological features of seven histologically proven FVPTCs were systematically evaluated in a blinded manner for various architectural, nuclear, cytoplasmic and background features with special reference to nuclear morphology.

Results: Most smears were moderate to highly cellular with clustered and/or repetitive microfollicles, rare macrofollicles and minimal thick gummy colloid.

Plant growth-promoting activities of Streptomyces spp. in sorghum and rice.

Five strains of Streptomyces (CAI-24, CAI-121, CAI-127, KAI-32 and KAI-90) were earlier reported by us as biological control agents against Fusarium wilt of chickpea caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri (FOC).

Quantum quasicrystals of spin-orbit-coupled dipolar bosons.

We study quasi-two-dimensional dipolar Bose gases in which the bosons experience a Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We show that the degenerate dispersion minimum due to the spin-orbit coupling, combined with the long-range dipolar interaction, can stabilize a number of quantum crystalline and quasicrystalline ground states. Coupling the bosons to a fermionic species can further stabilize these phases.

Evaluation of Streptomyces strains isolated from herbal vermicompost for their plant growth-promotion traits in rice.

Six actinomycetes, CAI-13, CAI-85, CAI-93, CAI-140, CAI-155 and KAI-180, isolated from six different herbal vermi-composts were characterized for in vitro plant growth-promoting (PGP) properties and further evaluated in the field for PGP activity in rice. Of the six actinomycetes, CAI-13, CAI-85, CAI-93, CAI-140 and CAI-155 produced siderophores; CAI-13, CAI-93, CAI-155 and KAI-180 produced chitinase; CAI-13, CAI-140, CAI-155 and KAI-180 produced lipase; CAI-13, CAI-93, CAI-155 and KAI-180 produced protease; and CAI-13, CAI-85, CAI-140 and CAI-155 produced ß-1-3-glucanase whereas all the six actinomycetes produced cellulase, hydrocyanic acid and indole acetic acid (IAA). The actinomycetes were able to grow in NaCl concentrations of up to 8%, at pH values between 7 and 11, temperatures between 20 and 40 °C and compatible with fungicide bavistin at field application levels.

Dependence of global superconductivity on inter-island coupling in arrays of long SNS junctions.

We present measurements of the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, for arrays of mesoscopic Nb islands patterned on Au films, for large island spacings d. We show that Tc ∼ 1/d(2), and explain this dependence in terms of the quasiclassical prediction that the Thouless energy, rather than the superconducting gap, governs the inter-island coupling at large spacings. We also find that the temperature dependence of the critical current, Ic(T), in our arrays is similar to that of single SNS junctions.

Variation in the form of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior among outbred male Sprague-Dawley rats from different vendors and colonies: sign-tracking vs. goal-tracking.

Even when trained under exactly the same conditions outbred male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats vary in the form of the Pavlovian conditioned approach response (CR) they acquire. The form of the CR (i.e.

Endogenous events modulating myogenic regulation of cerebrovascular function.

The existence of arterial myogenic tone was first described by Bayliss in 1902, however, its association with pressure-dependent membrane depolarization was not observed until 1984. The factors that mediate myogenic arterial constriction remain unknown. One possible clue was a finding by our laboratory that cerebral arterial muscle cells express CYP 4A ω-hydroxylase enzyme that catalyzes the formation of the potent vasoconstrictor 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) from arachidonic acid (AA), the production of which increased by elevations of intravascular pressure.

Stridor in an elderly woman: an unusual presentation of a giant thyroglossal cyst.

Thyroglossal cysts are one of the most common midline neck masses. They usually present as midline painless cystic neck mass in the first three decades of life. These anomalies are very rare in elderly patients and may pose difficult diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Unifying model for molecular determinants of the preselection Vβ repertoire.

The primary antigen receptor repertoire is sculpted by the process of V(D)J recombination, which must strike a balance between diversification and favoring gene segments with specialized functions. The precise determinants of how often gene segments are chosen to complete variable region coding exons remain elusive. We quantified Vβ use in the preselection Tcrb repertoire and report relative contributions of 13 distinct features that may shape their recombination efficiencies, including transcription, chromatin environment, spatial proximity to their DβJβ targets, and predicted quality of recombination signal sequences (RSSs).

Laryngotracheal rhinosporidiosis.

Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi. It usually affects mucous membranes of the nose, nasopharynx, and ocular conjunctiva. Cutaneous, laryngeal, tracheal, genital, and bony dissemination is rare.

Evaluation of Streptomyces spp. for their plant-growth-promotion traits in rice.

Five strains of Streptomyces (CAI-17, CAI-68, CAI-78, KAI-26, and KAI-27) were previously reported to have potential for charcoal rot control and plant growth promotion (PGP) in sorghum. In this study, those 5 Streptomyces strains were characterized for their enzymatic activities and evaluated for their PGP capabilities on rice. All the Streptomyces strains were able to produce lipase and β-1,3-glucanase; grew in NaCl (up to 8%), at pH 5-13, and at temperatures 20-40 °C; and were resistant to ampicillin, sensitive to nalidixic acid, and highly sensitive to chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline.

Disclination classes, fractional excitations, and the melting of quantum liquid crystals.

We consider how fractional excitations bound to a dislocation evolve as the dislocation is separated into a pair of disclinations. We show that some dislocation-bound excitations (such as Majorana modes and half-quantum vortices) are possible only if the elementary dislocation consists of two inequivalent disclinations, as is the case for stripes or square lattices but not for triangular lattices. The existence of multiple inequivalent disclination classes governs the two-dimensional melting of quantum liquid crystals (i.

Photobiomodulation induced by 670 nm light ameliorates MOG35-55 induced EAE in female C57BL/6 mice: a role for remediation of nitrosative stress.

Background: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most commonly studied animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. Immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive therapies currently approved for the treatment of MS slow disease progression, but do not prevent it. A growing body of evidence suggests additional mechanisms contribute to disease progression.

Assessment of prescribing practices among urban and rural general practitioners in Tamil Nadu.

Background: Studying drug use pattern among medical practitioners is of vital importance in the present scenario where irrational drug use and development of drug resistance is becoming rampant.

Objective: To assess, the pattern of prescribing practices among the general practitioners in a defined rural and urban area of Tamil Nadu.

Materials And Methods: A community based descriptive study was conducted to collect 600 prescriptions from the catchment areas of rural and urban health training centers of a medical college using prescribing indicators as per the WHO "How to investigate drug use in health facilities" tool.

Unconventional magnetism via optical pumping of interacting spin systems.

We consider strongly interacting systems of effective spins, subject to dissipative spin-flip processes associated with optical pumping. We predict the existence of novel magnetic phases in the steady state of this system, which emerge due to the competition between coherent and dissipative processes. Specifically, for strongly anisotropic spin-spin interactions, we find ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, spin-density-wave, and staggered-XY steady states, which are separated by nonequilibrium phase transitions meeting at a Lifshitz point.