Cerebral Palsy is a common and devastating neurological disorder, with no medical treatment apart from physiotherapy regimes to alleviate the functional disability. Regenerative medicine using stem cells has gained momentum in recent years as a possible strategy to repair the injured brain. Present study was undertaken in a open label series to evaluate the safety, feasibility and observe for any benefi cial effects of intra-arterial infusion of autologous bone marrow derived mononuclear cells in patients with cerebral palsy with moderate disability. Functional improvement was assessed using the motor power and spasticity scales, dystonia and abnormal movements scale and the activities of daily living scales by modifi ed Barthel Index and modifi ed Rankin Scores. Serial structural imaging with MRI and functional imaging with FDG-PET scans were done. Of the 30 patients injected with an average of 10-30 million cells into each carotid artery, improvements were observed in all clinical scales, and predominantly in the disability scores. No adverse events were noted on a 12 months follow up.

Background: Lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) has an array of modalities described for its management. The present study analyzed two modalities used for managing the condition. Methods: The present study included 64 non-athletes with LET who failed conservative treatment that included avoiding strenuous activities, ice-fomentation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bracing, and physiotherapy for 6 months. A random allocation of the participants was done, with one group injected with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and the other group with corticosteroids.The procedure was performed by the same blinded orthopedic surgeon after localizing the pathology using ultrasound. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores, disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scores, Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) scores, and handgrip strengths were recorded by blinded observers other than the surgeon administering the injection. Results: The average age of the patients was 40 years. The mean VAS score at the latest follow-up of 2 years in the PRP group was 1.25 and it was significantly better than the score of 3.68 in the steroid group (p < 0.001). The mean DASH score at the latest follow-up of 2 years in the PRP group was 4.00 and it was significantly better than the score of 7.43 in the steroid group (p < 0.001).The mean PRTEE score at the latest follow-up of 2 years in the PRP group was 3.96 and it was significantly better than the score of 7.53 in the steroid group (p < 0.001). The scores were better in the steroid group at a short-term follow-up of 3 months (p < 0.05), while they were better in the PRP group at a long-term follow-up of 2 years (p < 0.05). Hand-grip strength was comparable in the PRP group (84.43 kg force) and steroid group (76.71 kg force) at the end of the 2-year follow-up with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.149). Conclusions Corticosteroid injections alleviated symptoms of LET over short-term follow-up providing quicker symptomatic relief; however, the effect faded off over the long term. PRP injections provided a more gradual but sustained improvement over the longterm follow-up, indicating the biological healing potential of PRP.

Iniencephaly is an uncommon and fatal neural tube defect involving the occiput and inion, this occurs together with rachischisis of the cervical and thoracic spine, and retroflexion of the head. We report the ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of a case of iniencephaly with clubfeet and arthrogryposis. The diagnosis of iniencephaly is easy to make on ultrasound due to the typical star-gazing fetus. However, the details of the fetal brain and spinal cord may not be adequately delineated on US. We found MR imaging to be superior for depicting central nervous system abnormalities. MR imaging has evolved as an imaging modality and it is complementary to fetal US, yet US remains the screening modality of choice.
Adult ; Arthrogryposis/diagnosis ; Clubfoot/diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neural Tube Defects/*diagnosis ; Pregnancy ; *Prenatal Diagnosis ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

A titanium implant surface when coated with biodegradable, highly porous, osteogenic nanofibrous coating has shown enhanced intrinsic osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties. This coating mimics extracellular matrix resulting in differentiation of stem cells present in the peri-implant niche to osteoblast and hence results in enhanced osseointegration of the implant. The osteogenic nanofibrous coating (ONFC) consists of poly-caprolactone, gelatin, nano-sized hydroxyapatite, dexamethasone, ascorbic acid and beta-glycerophosphate. ONFC exhibits optimum mechanical properties to support mesenchymal stem cells and steer their osteogenic differentiation. ONFC was subjected to various characterization tests like scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry, thermal degradation, biomineralization, mechanical properties, wettability and proliferation assay. In pre-clinical animal trials, the coated implant showed enhanced new bone formation when placed in the tibia of rabbit. This novel approach toward implant bone integration holds significant promise for its easy and economical coating thus marking the beginning of new era of electrospun osteogenic nanofibrous coated bone implants.
Animals ; Ascorbic Acid ; Dexamethasone ; Durapatite ; Extracellular Matrix ; Gelatin ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Osseointegration* ; Osteoblasts ; Osteogenesis ; Spectrum Analysis ; Stem Cells ; Tibia ; Titanium* ; Wettability

Oriental theileriosis caused by Theileria orientalis is a growing health concern of lactating cows in its endemic areas. Rapid and sensitive diagnostic tests are demand areas for appropriate and effective prophylactic and therapeutic measures. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the answer for both detection and quantification of parasites. Present study deals with qPCR for detection of parasitemia level of T. orientalis in apparently healthy and clinically affected cows. Major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene present in T. orientalis was cloned in pUC57 vector and transformed into E. coli Top 10 cells. Single and mixed infections of hemoprotozoa other than T. orientalis, causing anemia were differentiated through blood smear examination and PCR tests. T. orientalis was detected in 108 (63.15%) ill and 48 (26.66%) healthy cows. Piroplasms detected per 1000 red blood cells (RBCs) was 0-1 in the healthy group as compared to 3-22 in those showing clinical signs. Parasitemia in ill cows ranged between 6.9 × 102 and 4.5 × 103 parasites / µl of blood which was significantly higher (p<0.05) than healthy group (2.6 × 102 - 5.7 × 102 parasites / µl of blood). Phylogenetic study of the isolates showed similarity with Buffeli type that unfolded its pathogenic form in apparently healthy and ill cows.

PURPOSE: The human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs) causing nuisances and injuries are becoming a growing public health concern over recent years worldwide. We aimed to study the demographic profile, mode of injury, pattern of injury, and outcome of wild animal attack victims presented to the emergency department. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary-care hospital in Eastern India. Data were retrieved from the medical records from May 2017 to May 2021. Patients of all ages and genders attacked by wild animals and secondary injuries were included in this study. Patients with incomplete data, injuries due to the attack of stray and domestic animals and trauma due to other causes were excluded. Demographic profile, mode of injury, the pattern of injury, injury severity score (ISS), radiological pattern, and outcome were recorded. Statistical analysis with R (version 3.6.1.) was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 411 wild animal attack victims were studied, of which 374 (90.9%) were snakebite injuries and 37 (9.1%) were wild mammalian (WM) attack injuries. The mean age of WM attack victims was 46 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 4:1. Elephant attack injury (40.5%) was the most common WM attack injury reported. Most WM attacks (43.2%) occurred between 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. The median ISS was 18.5 (13-28), where 54.2% of patients had polytrauma (ISS>15). Elephant attack was associated with a higher ISS, but the difference was not significant compared to other animal types (p = 0.2). Blunt trauma was common pattern of injury in the elephant attack injury cases. Lacerations and soft tissue injuries were common patterns in other animal attacks. Among snakebites, neurotoxic was the most common type (55.4%), and lower extremity was the most common site involved. CONCLUSION The young male population is the major victim of HWCs; and elephant is the most common animal involved. There is a need to design scientifically sound preventive strategies for HWCs and to strengthen the preparedness in health establishments to manage victims effectively.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies