ICTCs provide a critical entry point for prevention, care and support for both people affected by HIV/AIDS and general population. The study was conducted with the objective of evaluating ICTCs in terms of infrastructure and staffing, services provided, level of utilization and quality of counselling. The structure and process evaluation of 13 ICTCs under National AIDS control programme III (NACP III) was carried out in a Coastal District of South India. The evaluation was carried out using UNAIDS Tools between July and September of 2010. Twelve out of 13 ICTCs (92%) had adequate infrastructure and staff. Most of the general clients (75%) attending ICTCs were provider initiated and 84.5% of antenatal women in the district attended pre-test counselling and also underwent HIV testing. Twenty six pre-test counselling sessions and 12 post test sero-positive counselling sessions were observed. Pre-test counselling content assessment revealed that only 57.4% of sessions address all the issues whereas, 79% of post-test sessions addressed most of the issues during counselling. Counsellors’ skills assessment information gathering and information giving were found to be poorly done. It was found that post test counselling sessions were not conducted for clients with HIV negative report. The aspects of ICTCs such as services provided at the centers, utilization of services by the clients, infrastructure and staffing pattern were found to be adequate. Counselling forms the vital component of the ICTC needed improvement and post test counselling should be mandatory to all the clients.
Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Counseling ; HIV ; India

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis. Although it was developed as a prophylactic vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), researchers have also evaluated it for preventing cancer development or progression. These studies were inspired by the available data regarding the protective effects of microbial infection against cancers and an inverse relationship between TB and cancer mortality. Initial studies demonstrated the efficacy of BCG in preventing leukemia, melanoma and a few other cancers. However, mixed results were observed in later studies. Importantly, these studies have led to the successful use of BCG in the tertiary prevention of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, wherein BCG therapy has been found to be more effective than chemotherapy. Moreover, in a recently published 60-year follow-up study, childhood BCG vaccination has been found to significantly prevent lung cancer development. In the present manuscript, we reviewed the studies evaluating the efficacy of BCG in cancer prevention and discussed its putative mechanisms. Also, we sought to explain the mixed results of BCG efficacy in preventing different cancers.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was conducted in bread wheat for 14 important traits utilizing data from four different mapping populations involving different approaches of QTL analysis. Analysis for grain protein content (GPC) suggested that the major part of genetic variation for this trait is due to environmental interactions. In contrast, pre-harvest sprouting tolerance (PHST) was controlled mainly by main effect QTL (M-QTL) with very little genetic variation due to environmental interactions; a major QTL for PHST was detected on chromosome arm 3AL. For grain weight, one QTL each was detected on chromosome arms 1AS, 2BS and 7AS. QTL for 4 growth related traits taken together detected by different methods ranged from 37 to 40; nine QTL that were detected by single-locus as well as two-locus analyses were all M-QTL. Similarly, single-locus and two-locus QTL analyses for seven yield and yield contributing traits in two populations respectively allowed detection of 25 and 50 QTL by composite interval mapping (CIM), 16 and 25 QTL by multiple-trait composite interval mapping (MCIM) and 38 and 37 QTL by two-locus analyses. These studies should prove useful in QTL cloning and wheat improvement through marker aided selection.
Bread ; Chromosome Mapping ; Quantitative Trait Loci ; genetics ; Triticum ; genetics ; growth & development

STUDY DESIGN: Case series. PURPOSE: To describe paraspinal transposition flap for coverage of sacral soft tissue defects. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Soft tissue defects in the sacral region pose a major challenge to the reconstructive surgeon. Goals of sacral wound reconstruction are to provide a durable skin and soft tissue cover adequate for even large sacral defects; minimize recurrence; and minimize donor site morbidity. Various musculocutaneous and fasciocutanous flaps have been described in the literature. METHODS: The flap was applied in 53 patients with sacral soft tissue defects of diverse etiology. Defects ranged in size from small (6 cmx5 cm) to extensive (21 cmx10 cm). The median age of the patients was 58 years (range, 16-78 years). RESULTS: There was no flap necrosis. Primary closure of donor sites was possible in all the cases. The median follow up of the patients was 33 months (range, 4-84 months). The aesthetic outcomes were acceptable. There has been no recurrence of pressure sores. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that paraspinal transposition flap is suitable for reconstruction of large sacral soft tissue defects with minimum morbidity and excellent long term results.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Pressure Ulcer ; Recurrence ; Sacrococcygeal Region ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-ninenamide), a compound found in hot peppers, has been reported to have different physiological actions on different cell types. Not much work has been done about the effect of capsaicin on the function of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). In the present study, we examined the action of external application of capsaicin on pacemaker activity in the cultured ICC from the small intestine of mouse. METHODS: We investigated the effect of capsaicin on pacemaker currents in cultured ICC from the small intestine of mouse using a whole cell patch-clamp technique and Ca2+-imaging analysis. RESULTS: When capsaicin was applied externally to the pacemaker generating ICC, it completely inhibited the pacemaker potential under current-clamp mode (I = 0) and the pacemaker current under voltage-clamp mode at a -70 mV of holding potentials. The effect of capsaicin on pacemaker activity in ICC was shown dose dependently. The effect of capsaicin was not through the transient receptor potential of the vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel as capsazepine did not block the effect of capsaicin. L-NAME, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, also did not block the capsaicin-induced effects. When the action of capsaicin was examined in the intracellular calcium oscillation, it completely abolished the calcium oscillation. CONCLUSIONS: These results prove that the capsaicin has the inhibitory effects on the ICC which is carried out neither through TRPV channel nor the nitric oxide production. Intracellular Ca2+ was also an important target for actions of capsaicin on ICC.
Animals ; Calcium Signaling ; Capsaicin ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; Interstitial Cells of Cajal ; Intestine, Small ; Mice ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Patch-Clamp Techniques

Blunt traumatic injuries to the superior gluteal artery are rare in clinic. A majority of injuries present as aneurysms following penetrating trauma, fracture pelvis or posterior dislocation of the hip joint. We reported a rare case of superior gluteal artery pseudoaneurysm following blunt trauma presenting as large expanding right gluteal hematoma without any bony injury. The gluteal hematoma was suspected clinically, confirmed by ultrasound and the arterial injury was diagnosed by CT angiography that revealed a large right gluteal hematoma with a focal contrast leakage forming a pseudoaneurysm within the hematoma. Pseudoaneurysm arose from the superior gluteal branch of right internal iliac artery, which was successfully angioembolized. The patient was discharged on day 4 of hospitalization with resolving gluteal hematoma. This report highlighted the importance of considering an arterial injury following blunt trauma to the buttocks with subsequent painful swelling. Acknowledgment of this rare injury pattern was necessary to facilitate rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Aneurysm, False ; etiology ; Buttocks ; Hematoma ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; injuries ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; complications

Purpose: Uncertainty exists about whether early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is an appropriate surgical treatment for acute calculous cholecystitis. This study aimed to compare early vs. late LC for acute calculous cholecystitis regarding intraoperative difficulty and postoperative outcomes. Methods: This was a prospective randomized study carried out between December 2015 and June 2017; 60 patients with acute calculous cholecystitis were divided into two groups (early and delayed groups), each comprising 30 patients. Thirty patients treated with LC within 3 to 5 days of arrival at the hospital were assigned to the early group. The other 30 patients were placed in the delayed group, first treated conservatively, and followed by LC 3 to 6 weeks later. Results: The conversion rates in both groups were 6.7% and 0%, respectively (p = 0.143). The operating time was 56.67 ± 11.70 minutes in the early group and 75.67 ± 20.52 minutes in the delayed group (p = 0.001), and both groups observed equal levels of postoperative complications. Early LC patients, on the other hand, required much fewer postoperative hospital stay (3.40 ± 1.99 vs. 6.27 ± 2.90 days, p = 0.006). Conclusion Considering shorter operative time and hospital stay without significant increase of open conversion rates, early LC might have benefits over late LC.

Direct carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) refers to direct communication between the cavernous portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the cavernous sinus due to rent in the ICA, most commonly secondary to trauma. These are generally high-flow fistula and rarely resolve spontaneously. We report a case of a young male who developed features of direct CCF after trauma, was denied any treatment for 4 years, and then presented with spontaneous thrombosis of the fistula and a residual large pseudoaneurysm of the cavernous segment of the right ICA, which was subsequently managed with parent vessel occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Use of somatic cells as a feeder layer to maintain the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in undifferentiated state limits the stem cell research design, since experimental data may result from a combined ESCs and feeder cell response to various stimuli. Therefore, present study was designed to evaluate the developmental competence of the buffalo ESCs over different homogenous feeders and compare with various extracellular matrices using different concentrations of LIF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Inner cell masses (ICMs) of in vitro hatched blastocysts were cultured onto homologous feeders viz. fetal fibroblast, granulosa and oviductal cell feeder layers and synthetic matrices viz. fibronectin, collagen type I and matrigel in culture medium. Developmental efficiency was found higher for ESCs cultured on fetal fibroblast and granulosa layers (83.33%) followed by fibronectin (77.78%) at 30 ng LIF. Oviductal feeder was found to be the least efficient feeder showing only 11.11% undifferentiated primary ESC colonies at 30 ng LIF. However, neither feeder layer nor synthetic matrix could support the development of primary colonies at 10 ng LIF. Expression of SSEA-4, TRA-1-60 and Oct-4 were found positive in ESC colonies from all the feeders and synthetic matrices with 20 ng and 30 ng LIF. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal fibroblast and granulosa cell while, amongst synthetic matrices, fibronectin were found to be equally efficient to support the growth and maintenance of ESCs pluripotency with 30 ng LIF. This well-defined culture conditions may provide an animal model for culturing human embryonic stem cells in the xeno-free or feeder-free conditions for future clinical applications.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Buffaloes ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Drug Combinations ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; Extracellular Matrix ; Feeder Cells ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Fibronectins ; Granulosa Cells ; Humans ; Laminin ; Mental Competency ; Models, Animal ; Oviducts ; Proteoglycans ; Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens ; Stem Cell Research