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Introduction: Acute appendicitis remains one of the most common surgical emergencies, accounting for 1% of all emergency operations. The diagnosis can at times be very difficult, so any test which can contribute towards the diagnosis is very valuable. Even though USG, MRI and CT scan of abdomen and blood tests can confirm the diagnosis but not its severity. Aim: The aim of this study is to establish the role of deranged liver function tests as a new diagnostic tool and also to predict gangrenous and ruptured appendicitis which would serve the purpose of decreasing the mortality and morbidity in these patients. Methods: Ninety patients of different age groups from 8 to 70 years of both sexes were included in this study over a span of 14 months. They were confirmed by USG, routine blood examination and clinical findings. LFT were performed, studied and compared with all patients of acute appendicitis. Results: Out of 90 patients, hyperbilirubinemia was observed in 45 cases (50%). There was an increase in other liver enzymes like SGOT in 18 patients (20%), SGPT in 3 patients (2.7%), and Alkaline Phosphatase in 10 patients (9%). However, serum albumin was found to be normal in all patients. GGT increase is seen in 6 patients (9.23%). Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and p value were highly significant (p<0.001) in complicated appendicitis. Conclusion: The elevated parameters of LFT in patients of complicated appendicitis (ruptured, gangrenous) carried considerable prognostic significance. Hence LFT can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator in patients of acute appendicitis, thus avoiding unnecessary morbidity and mortality in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of statistical convergence has attracted the pervasive attention of the current researchers due basically to the fact that it is stronger than the ordinary convergence. Korovkin-type approximation theorem plays a vital role in the convergence of sequences of positive linear operators. Moreover, this type of approximation theorems has been extended through different statistical summability methods over general sequence spaces. The paper investigated statistical (C , 1) (E , μ) product summability mean for sequences of fuzzy numbers and proved a fuzzy Korovkin-type approximation theorem. Furthermore, we have established another result for the fuzzy rate of convergence which is uniform in fuzzy Korovkin-type approximation theorem under our proposed summability mean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximation offunctions of different classes have been considered by various researchers under different summability means. In the present paper, presumably a new theorem has been established under (E, 1}(N p J -product summability mean of conjugate Fourier series of a function of Zfsl) r (r > 1} -class (generalized Zygmund class}. Moreover, the result obtained here is a generalization of several known theorems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ito, T., W. Hou, T. Katsuno, H. Igarashi, T. K. Pradhan, S. A. Mantey, D. H. Coy, and R. T. Jensen. Rat and guinea pig pancreatic acini possess both [VIP.sub.1] and [VIP.sub.2] receptors, which mediate enzyme secretion. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 278: G64-G74, 2000.--Pancreatic acini from most species possess vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors. Recently, two subtypes of VIP receptors, [VIP.sub.1]-R and [VIP.sub.2]-R, were cloned. Which subtype exists on pancreatic acini or mediates secretion is unclear. To address this, we examined pancreatic acini from both rat and guinea pig. [VIP.sub.1]-R and [VIP.sub.2]-R mRNA were identified in dispersed acini from both species by Northern blot analysis and in rat by Southern blot analysis. With the use of the [VIP.sub.2]-R-selective ligand Ro-25-1553 in both species, inhibition of binding of [sup.125]I-labeled VIP to acini showed a biphasic pattern with a high-affinity component (10%) and a second representing 90%. The [VIP.sub1]-R-selective ligand, [[Lys.sup.15], [Arg.sup.16],[Leu.sup.27]]VIP-(1--7)-GRF-(8--27), gave a monophasic pattern. Binding of Ro-25-1553 was better fit by a two-site model. In both rat and guinea pig acini, the dose-response curve of Ro-25-1553 for stimulation of enzyme secretion was biphasic, with a high-affinity component of 10-15% of the maximal secretion and a low-affinity component accounting for 85-90%. At low concentrations (10 nM) of Ro-25-1553 and [[Lys.sup.15],[Arg.sup.16], [Leu.sup.27]]VIP-(1--7)-GRF(8--27), which only occupy VIP receptors, a 4-fold and a 56-fold increase in cAMP occurred, respectively. These results show that both [VIP.sub.1]-R and [VIP.sub.2]-R subtypes exist on pancreatic acini of rat and guinea pig, their activation stimulates enzyme secretion by a cAMP-mediated mechanism, and the effects of VIP are mediated 90% by activation of [VIP.sub.1]-R and 10% by [VIP.sub.2]-R. Because VIP has a high affinity for both VIP-R subtypes, its effect on pancreatic acini is mediated by two receptor subtypes, which will need to be considered in future studies of the action of VIP in the pancreas. vasoactive intestinal peptides; adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate; pancreatic secretion; vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors

Aims: To assess feasibility of visual inspection with acetic acid and treatment with cryotherapy for cervical cancer screening and prevention and assess risk factors for cervical cancer in the screened population. Methods: A prospective analysis of all patients enrolled for cervical cancer screening by visual inspection, meeting the eligibility criteria for screening and treatment as per national guidelines 2011 was analyzed form March 2012 to April 2013. Results: A total of 4138 met the eligibility criteria and were counseled for screening, 33 rejected for screening. Out of 4105 screened 241 were VIA positive, 211 were treated with cryotherapy, 25 treated with LEEP, 5 rejected to treatment. Mean age of patient in year's ± SD 41.48 ± 9.72 .The VIA positivity rate was 5.9 % Conclusions: Single visit approach is a feasible and acceptable form of cervical cancer screening strategy in our population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is accumulating evidence showing relationship between trace elements and Diabetes mellitus (DM). This study evaluated the role of magnesium, Zinc and other indices of peroxidative status ie MDA, Vitamin C and Vitamin E in pathogenesis of Retinopathy in type 2 diabetes. Seventy two type 2 diabetes cases were enrolled in the study, of which 42 were with retinopathy and 30 without. Patients with nephropathy were excluded. Forty age- and sexmatched subjects were served as health controls. The results showed that the mean values of Mg and Zn were significantly lower reduced in diabetes more so in diabetic retinopathy cases as compared to control subjects (p<0.05). Lipid peroxidation marker MDA was a significantly higher in both the diabetes groups whereas serum Vitamin C and vitamin E levels were significantly low (p<0.05) as compared to controls. Our correlation study revealed that MDA was negatively associated with serum Mg (r=-0.73, p<0.01) as well as serum Zn (r= -0.82, p<0.01), pointing towards the role of these trace elements in retarding the oxidative process prevailing in diabetic retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study was done to assess the main causes of maternal mortality and other co-morbid factors contributing to maternal death at a university teaching hospital. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology analyzing all case record of maternal deaths from April 2008 to April 2011. Results: Eclampsia, unsafe abortion, puerperal sepsis, hemorrhages were the leading causes of death. Majority of the patients were unbooked. Conclusions: Eclampsia, sepsis and hemorrhage were the main causes of maternal deaths. Elderly ages, illiterate status, rural residence, presence of prior medical disease were statistically significant factors contributing to maternal death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This was performed to examine pelvic organ prolapse using POP-Q technique and correlate pre-existing urinary symptoms with segments of pelvic organ prolapse. Methods: All patients admitted with pelvic organ prolapse were included. Patients were asked regarding any concomitant urinary symptoms and then all patients were examined by POP-Q technique and correlation of urinary symptoms was done with various segments of pelvic organ prolapse. Results: Eighty patients were studied in one year duration. Majority of patients had presented with stage 4 prolapse (58.8%). Majority of patients had urinary symptoms among which 87.5% had increased urinary frequency, 88.8% had dysuria, 65% had stress urinary incontinence (SUI), 72.5% had incomplete evacuation. Dysuria and SUI was found to have significant correlation with anterior segment prolapse (p<0.05%). Conclusions: Site specific measurements by POP-Q system showed anterior segment prolapse to be more and were significantly associated with various urinary symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various experimental studies in zero gravity have been reported in the literature for generation of superior quality crystals due to the importance of convective transport on protein crystal quality. However, limited experimental and numerical studies are available in the literature for a complete characterization of transport phenomena during the protein crystal growth process. The present investigation reports experimental results on convective motion inside the droplet during protein crystallization by the vapor diffusion method. Lysozyme crystals are grown using a sitting drop method and micro-particle image velocimetry is used for investigating the detailed hydrodynamics inside the droplet. Dynamic evolution of the flow field for the complete crystal growth process, i.e., during the prenucleation, nucleation, and postnucleation stage, is reported. Various flow transitions are observed during the complete cycle of the protein crystal growth process. Significant Marangoni convection is observed during the prenucleation period followed by buoyancy-driven convection during the postnucleation period. The Marangoni convection flow patterns observed during the prenucleation stage match those of evaporating droplets. The postnucleation convection patterns are similar to those of ethanol-water mixture evaporation with high ethanol concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]