Takotsubo stress cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a rare disorder of the myocardium precipitated mainly by physical, mental stress or sometimes due to non-specific factors. The clinical presentation of ...takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an eidetic image of CAD and myocardial infarction (MI), but unlike the later takotsubo cardiomyopathy in most cases is reversible. Coronary angiographic evidence showing the absence of narrowing of coronary vessels is the only definitive way to distinguish this from MI. This condition is a less familiar entity to the surgeons and knowing this will help in arriving at the diagnosis early and have an optimistic attitude towards management because the condition is a self-limiting and good recovery is seen generally with supportive management. In this series, 1056 HPB cases and 101 liver transplant cases done from January 2016 to February 2021 and among them we describe four cases who developed TCM in post-operative period and discuss the relevant literature.
Hybrid interfaces between living cells and organic conjugated polymers play a pivotal role in bioelectronics medicine. Currently, conjugated polymers are widely utilised for optical stimulation of ...living cells and other bio-interface applications such as neural probes, cellular scaffolds and biosensors for drug release. In such a work, the authors fabricated and characterised the Nano Photodiode array device for the subretinal implant. However, the authors did not discuss in their report about the biocompatibility of this new device. In this work, the authors manifest that the quintessential graphene electrode and polymer blend of semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotube and C(60) fullerene (S-SWCNT:C(60)) sustains its optoelectronic properties all through the various strides for neural preparation. Further, the studies show that these materials can provide a favourable environment for cell proliferation and a high degree of biocompatibility. PC-12 cells used as a valuable model to validate the biocompatibility were grown successfully onto the S-SWCNT:C(60) active layer still preserving its optical and electrical properties. The improved electrical performance of nano photodiode made of graphene, S-SWCNT:C(60) established in the previous studies and the excellent bio-interface performance of this nano photodiode shows that the nano photodiode array proposed by the authors is a strong candidate for subretinal implants.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common pain condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness. Pregabalin is an approved treatment for adults in the United States, but there are no ...approved treatments for adolescents with FM.
This was a 15-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study and 6-month open-label safety trial of flexible-dose pregabalin (75-450 mg/day) for the treatment of adolescents (12-17 years) with FM. Primary outcome was change in mean pain score at endpoint (scored from 0-10, with 24-h recall). Secondary outcomes included global assessments and measures of pain, sleep, and FM impact.
A total of 107 subjects were randomized to treatment (54 pregabalin, 53 placebo) and 80 completed the study (44 pregabalin, 36 placebo). Improvement in mean pain score at endpoint with pregabalin versus placebo was not statistically significant, treatment difference (95 % CI), -0.66 (-1.51, 0.18), P = 0.121. There were significant improvements with pregabalin versus placebo in secondary outcomes of change in pain score by week (P < 0.05 for 10 of 15 weeks); change in pain score at week 15 (1-week recall), treatment difference (95 % CI), -0.87 (-1.68, -0.05), P = 0.037; and patient global impression of change, 53.1 % versus 29.5 % very much or much improved (P = 0.013). Trends toward improvement with pregabalin in other secondary outcomes measuring pain, sleep, and FM impact were not significant. Safety was consistent with the known profile of pregabalin in adults with FM.
Pregabalin did not significantly improve the mean pain score in adolescents with FM. There were significant improvements in secondary outcomes measuring pain and impression of change.
NCT01020474 ; NCT01020526 .
Respiratory rate monitoring is of paramount importance in neonatal care. Manual counting of expansions and contractions of the abdomen or diaphragm of the neonate is still the widely accepted measure ...of respiratory rate in most clinical settings. A practical, affordable, easy-to-use technology to continuously measure respiratory rate in neonates is essential to recognize the signs and symptoms of respiratory disorders. Clinical validation of a system for continuous and long term respiratory rate monitoring of neonates, in a wearable form factor with the capability of remote monitoring is presented in this paper. The respiratory rate monitor was validated in clinical settings on 10 premature babies with various disease conditions and respiratory rates varying from 25 to 90 breaths per minute. Results show a high degree of correlation between the respiratory rate measured by the device and reference measurements. An intelligent algorithm which can remove motion corruption from the accelerometer data and provide reliable results is essential for large-scale adoption of the technology for both clinical as well as home monitoring. The technical details of implementation, results and analysis of the clinical study and observations made during clinical study regarding the feasibility of integrating the device in neonatal care are covered in this paper.
Age related Macula Degeneration (AMD) and Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) are the two major diseases that that influence the elderly individuals broadly around the world. This paper aims to develop a ...simple device that helps the recovery of the vision. Nano Photo Diode Arrays (NPDA) are photovoltaic cells using nano-materials like CNT's and Graphene. They can generate stimulating electrical pulses under incident light which stimulate the photoreceptor cells in the retina thus enabling the restoration of vision. In this work, the authors have attempted to compare the Bilayer or Planar hetero junction (PHJ) and Bulk Hetero Junction (BHJ) photodiodes and optimize that would form the NPDA for subretinal implants. The simulations are carried out to compare and study the PHJ and BHJ based nano photodiodes by varying the thickness of anode layer, active layer, and cathode layer.
We predict that the type 2 ryanodine receptor isoform (RyR-2) located in the osteoclastic membrane functions as a Ca(2+) influx channel and as a divalent cation (Ca(2+)) sensor. Cytosolic Ca(2+) ...measurements revealed Ca(2+) influx in osteoclasts at depolarized membrane potentials. The cytosolic Ca(2+) change was, as expected, not seen in Ca(2+)-free medium and was blocked by the RyR modulator ryanodine. In contrast, at basal membrane potentials (approximately 25 mV) ryanodine triggered extracellular Ca(2+) influx that was blocked by Ni(2+). In parallel, single-channel recordings obtained from inside-out excised patches revealed a divalent cation-selective approximately 60-pS conductance in symmetric solutions of Ba-aspartate Ba-Asp; reversal potential (E(rev)) approximately 0 mV. In the presence of a Ba(2+) gradient, i.e., with Ba-Asp in the pipette and Na-Asp in the bath, channel conductance increased to approximately 120 pS and E(rev) shifted to 21 mV. The conductance was tentatively classified as a RyR-gated Ca(2+) channel as it displayed characteristic metastable states and was sensitive to ruthenium red and a specific anti-RyR antibody, Ab(34). To demonstrate that extracellular Ca(2+) sensing occurred at the osteoclastic surface rather than intracellularly, we performed protease protection assays using pronase. Preincubation with pronase resulted in markedly attenuated cytosolic Ca(2+) signals triggered by either Ni(2+) (5 mM) or Cd(2+) (50 microM). Finally, intracellular application of antiserum Ab(34) potently inhibited divalent cation sensing. Together, these results strongly suggest the existence of 1) a membrane-resident Ca(2+) influx channel sensitive to RyR modulators; 2) an extracellular, as opposed to intracellular, divalent cation activation site; and 3) a cytosolic CaM-binding regulatory site for RyR. It is likely therefore that the surface RyR-2 not only gates Ca(2+) influx but also functions as a sensor for extracellular divalent cations.
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