The present study describes the frequency of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus serotypes (O,A and Asia-1) in major regions (all provinces) of Pakistan using Indirect Sandwich ELISA.Also,spatial distribution of various FMD serotypes and their comparison is discussed.A total of 590 samples (Epithelial tissue) have been analyzed during a period of five years (2005-2009).Out of 590 samples,180 were found positive,giving an overall confirmation of FMDV about 33.2 ％.Of the prevalent serotypes,FMDV ‘O’ serotype caused most outbreaks (20.7 ％),followed by serotype A (6.6 ％) and serotype Asia-1 (4.6 ％) while there was no positive case oftype ‘C’.The study clearly showed that the disease was more frequent in the agro-climatic zones than in hilly areas.Based on the data of 590 samples (＞50 outbreaks),the overall prevalence of FMDV in cattle and buffaloes in Pakistan was 33.2 ％,while in cattle alone,it was 37.1％,higher than in buffalo (28.7 ％).There were eight cases of mixed serotypes infection,indicating the presence of endemic state of disease.Another significant feature was the change over time.In phase-I (2005-2007),there was an overall prevalence of 29.4 ％,while the occurrence of the serotype O,A and Asia-1 was 20.4 ％,2.9 ％ and 4.7 ％,respectively.During phase-II (2008-2009),the overall prevalence was 59.21％,while those of serotype O,A and Asia-1 were 22.4 ％,31.6 ％ and 4.0 ％,respectively.This clearly indicated a shift from serotype O to A,which may help to explain the occurrence of more severe outbreaks,despite vaccination.

This study investigated the awareness and attitudes of basic surgical trainees. Trainees were asked to answer questions from a pre-set questionnaire. Fifty basic surgical trainees from England and Wales were involved in the study. The areas covered were basic knowledge of radiation hazards, use of protective wear, pregnancy test in female trauma victims of reproductive age, and principles of safe radiation. All the questions were asked in the context of orthopaedic trauma surgery. All questions were evidence based. It was unfortunate to notice that basic surgical trainees are lacking in the essential knowledge of ionising radiation. Most of the trainees are not adhering to radiation safety principle, and are not practising safely. The authors strongly recommend that surgical trainees should have more robust training and information available in this context. And they suggest that it should be provided on local, regional and national basis.

A kinetic assay for total calcium in serum was developed which is based on the activation of Ca++-ATPase by free Ca++ [Ca++]f maintained by EGTA in the reaction mixture. The concentration of Caf++ was dependent on total reference calcium added or serum calcium. Ca++-ATPase activity was coupled to the reduction of NADH by pyruvate kinase (PK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and monitored by change in absorbance at 340 nm. The calcium in normal serum was 10.08 +/- 0.24 mg/ dl (n = 35) by our method while with o-cresolphthalein complexone (CPC) method, the total calcium in the same 35 serum samples was 10.14 +/- 0.54 mg/dl. The range of within-run coefficient of variations (CVs) by this method was 0.9-2.87% at 8-12 mg/dl and day-to-day CVs were 0.72-3.17%. The presence of other ions and standard clinical interfering agents did not affect this assay system. The correlation between values obtained with our method (y) and CPC method (x) for normal serum was: y = 1.064x-0.580 mg/dl (r = 0.912, n = 59).
Adenosinetriphosphatase/metabolism ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Calcium/*blood ; Comparative Study ; Enzyme Activation ; Female ; Human ; Kinetics ; Male ; NAD/metabolism ; Pyruvate Kinase/metabolism ; Reference Standards ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Gossypol acetic acid (GAA) has been shown to have male antifertility effects, but there are pronounced differences among animal species. In the search of endogenous effector molecules, which interfere with the functions of GAA, we have studied the in vitro effect of various amino acids on the inhibition of the purified LDH-X by GAA. Histidine, cysteine and glycine were shown to block the effect of GAA. The effects of these amino acids were concentration dependent. Histidine and glycine protection was found to be complex type in which both the Km and Vmax were decreased compared to control. Arginine, glutamic acid, phenylalanine and valine were found to be ineffective against the inhibitory action of GAA.
Amino Acids/pharmacology* ; Animal ; Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Goats ; Gossypol/pharmacology ; Gossypol/analogs & derivatives* ; Isoenzymes ; Lactate Dehydrogenase/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Male ; Spermatocidal Agents/pharmacology* ; Testis/enzymology

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary tumour of the liver. Cholangiohepatocellular carcinoma (CHC) is less common and is a variant of HCC. There are many similarities with HCC with the exception that CHC tend to be more aggressive. We report a case of a 50-year-old man who was diagnosed with CHC and suddenly deteriorated secondary to hepatic tumour rupture. Despite aggressive supportive care, his condition rapidly deteriorated and died. Autopsy showed ruptured CHC.

The purpose of this corrigendum is to publish the corrections in the article.

OBJECTIVE: The male reproductive system generates, accumulates, and transports the sperm. In this study, 2 methods of surgically retrieving sperm, namely, testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) and percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), are discussed and studied in men aged ≤38 years to achieve successful conception using assisted reproductive technology. The purpose was to assess the fertilization rate (FA), clinical pregnancy, and live birth rate (LBR) with sperm. METHODS: A total of 287 semen samples were divided into 4 groups as follows: fresh PESA (n=73), frozen PESA (n=65), fresh TESA (n=128), and frozen TESA (n=21). The DNA fragmentation test using sperm chromatin dispersion assay was measured and reported. RESULTS: FA was 70.3% and 65.5%, (P<0.022) for fresh and frozen epididymal sperm and 53.8% and 49.5%, (P<0.032) for fresh and frozen testicular sperm. LBR was 33.6% and 30.2% (P<0.075) for fresh and frozen epididymal sperm (PESA) and 22.7% and 18.2% (P<0.063) for fresh and frozen-thawed TESA sperm. CONCLUSION: Exposure to tissue shearing may adversely affect sperm quality. Increased sperm DNA damage due to long-term exposure while teasing enhances reactive oxygen species production foremost to membrane damage because of the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acid in lipids (lipid peroxidation), oxidation of amino acid in proteins, and inactivation of specific enzymes, all leading to enzymatic dipping and possibility of less fertilization and conception as indicated by the increase in LBR with fresh/frozen PESA compared to with fresh/frozen TESA.
Chromatin ; DNA Damage ; DNA Fragmentation ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Infertility ; Live Birth ; Male ; Membranes ; Pregnancy ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Retrospective Studies ; Semen ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Sperm Retrieval ; Spermatozoa

OBJECTIVE: The usual seminal profile has been customarily used for diagnosing male infertility based on an examination of semen samples. However, sperm DNA fragmentation has also been causally linked to reproductive failure, suggesting that it should be evaluated as part of male infertility assessments. To compare the ability of the five most widely utilized methodologies of measuring DNA fragmentation to predict male infertility and reactive oxygen species by Oxisperm kit assay. METHODS: In this case-control study, which received ethical committee approval, the participants were divided into fertile and infertile groups (50 patients in each group). RESULTS: The alkaline comet test showed the best ability to predict male infertility, followed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay, the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, and the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), while the neutral comet test had no predictive power. For our patient population, the projected cut-off point for the DNA fragmentation index was 22.08% using the TUNEL assay, 19.90% using SCSA, 24.74% using the SCD test, 48.47% using the alkaline comet test, and 36.37% using the neutral comet test. Significant correlations were found between the results of the SCD test and those obtained using SCSA and TUNEL (r =0.70 and r =0.68, respectively; p<0.001), and a statistically significant correlation was also found between the results of SCSA and the TUNEL assay (r =0.77, p<0.001). Likewise, the results of the alkaline comet test showed significant correlations with those of the SCD, SCSA, and TUNEL tests (r =0.59, r =0.57, and r =0.72, respectively; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The TUNEL assay, SCSA, SCD, and the alkaline comet test were effective for distinguishing between fertile and infertile patients, and the alkaline comet test was the best predictor of male infertility.
Case-Control Studies ; Chromatin ; DNA Fragmentation ; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase ; DNA ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Infertility ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Male ; Methods ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Semen ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spermatozoa

Aims: The presents study examines the purification and characterization of a chitinase from S. maltophilia SJ602 strain isolated from a soil sample collected from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi. Methodology and Results: The purification steps included chitin affinity using colloidal chitin as the affinity matrix and column chromatography using Sephadex G-100. The chitinase was purified to 66 fold having a yield of 17%. The molecular weight of the chitinase was found to be around 29 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The pH and temperature optima of the purified chitinase were found to be at pH 5.5 and 60 °C, respectively. Conclusion, Significance and Impact of the study: Besides showing a significant yield, the enzyme has a high thermal stability which has its applicability in the recycling of chitin waste.

Epidermolysis bullosa is an inherited disorder which is characteristically presented as skin blisters developing in response to minor injury. Junctional variety of Epidermolysis bullosa is associated with enamel hypoplasia. Amelogenesis imperfecta presents with abnormal formation of the enamel both in deciduous and permanent dentition. This is a case report of amelogenesis imperfecta with complete loss of enamel in a young female patient with epidermolysis bullosa.