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Background The aim of the present study was to investigate variations in the chemical composition of the essential oil from seeds of large cardamom grown at different altitudes in Himachal Pradesh, India. The composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatography ( GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ( GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactometry ( GC-O). Results The oil components showed qualitative and quantitative variations in the composition. GC and GC-MS analysis led to the identification of 55 compounds representing 98% of total oil. Major components in the oil were 1,8-cineole, α-terpineol, dl-limonene, nerolidol, 4-terpineol, δ-terpineol, δ-3-carene, β-myrcene, germacrene D, α-terpinene and longifolenaldehyde. The oil yields obtained were 9.8-19.5 g kg−1. Cardamom oil from Himachal Pradesh was found to contain new compounds, viz. 4-terpineol, δ-3-carene, trans-sabinene hydrate, 1-phellandrene, α-terpinene, bicyclo-germacrene, isopinocarveol and ledenoxid- II. α-Terpenyl acetate, the major constituent of small cardamom, was also detected in the oil of large cardamom grown in Himachal Pradesh. Application of aroma extract dilution analysis revealed 35 compounds having aroma impact with the flavour dilution factor ranging from 2 to 1024, and 34 of these compounds were identified. The five most intense aromatic components are dl-limonene, 1,8-cineole, β-myrcene, α-pinene, α-basabolol. This is the first time that the characterisation of odour-active compounds has been carried out on large cardamom. Conclusion The presence of 4-terpineol, δ-3-carene, trans-sabinene hydrate, 1-phellandrene, α-terpinene, 1-terpineol, bicyclogermacrene, isopinocarveol, ledenoxid- II, longifolenaldehyde and α-terpenyl acetate make the aroma of the oil different from large cardamom oil of Sikkim and could offer potential as a new food flavour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of ectopic variceal bleed may be difficult at times due to anatomical location or presence of collaterals. We present a case of an elderly cirrhotic male with acute upper gastrointestinal bleed due to a large duodenal varix successfully managed by endoscopic ultrasound guided coil placement along with glue (N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate) injection.

Abstract Background The concept of quality of life relates to the perceptions of individuals about their mental and physical health as well as non-health related areas. The evaluation of quality of life in the context of substance abuse has been conducted using generic instruments. The Drug Users Quality of Life Scale (DUQOL) is a specific assessment tool in which the most pertinent and salient areas to drug abusers are taken into consideration. In this study, the authors report the results of a validation study in which the DUQOL was used for the first time in Australia. Methods A sample of 120 participants from inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities completed a series of questionnaires, including the DUQOL and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Parameters investigated in this study included the demographic characteristics of the sample, internal structure, and convergent validity. Correlations between the DUQOL scale scores and the scores of the WHOQOL-Bref test were investigated via Pearson product-moment correlation analyses. Results The English version of the DUQOL attained a significant overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.868. The factorial analysis of the DUQOL identified one principal factor that accounted for 28.499% of the variance. Convergent validity analyses demonstrate significant correlations (p < 0.01) between the DUQOL scores and the scores of all four dimensions of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the DUQOL constitutes a reliable research instrument for evaluating quality of life of substance users in Australia.

The article presents a case study of a 52-year-old man with dyspepsia and heartburn without the presence of any symptoms, wherein, the name of a commonly used multivitamin was seen on the esophageal mucosa through esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

This article, published in the journal Endoscopy, discusses a case study of a 41-year-old male patient who presented with gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient was found to have a large submucosal growth in the proximal body of the stomach, which was confirmed to be a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) through biopsy. Due to the large size of the tumor, the patient was prescribed imatinib therapy for three months to downstage the tumor. After the tumor regressed in size, the patient underwent successful endoscopic submucosal dissection and is currently doing well six months post-resection. The study highlights the effectiveness of imatinib therapy in downstaging GISTs and making them amenable to endoscopic resection. [Extracted from the article]

Intraocular foreign bodies present a great threat to both sight and the globe of the patient especially if they are metallic and of long duration. We report a case of a metallic intraocular foreign body that presented four years after the initial trauma. The case was successfully managed by a simple technique and the role of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viridibacillus arenosi strain IHB B 7171 identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence produced colony forming units (cfu/ml) ranging from 3.3 × 10 to 1.2 × 10 under pH 5-11, 2.2 × 10 to 1.4 × 10 for temperature 5-40 °C, 2.4 × 10 to 1.1 × 10 for PEG 6000 10-30%, 2.2 × 10 to 1.4 × 10 for 2.5-10% NaCl, 3.1 × 10 to 1.7 × 10 for 2.5-7.5 mM CaCl, 2.2 × 10 to 1.4 × 10 for 2.5-7.5 mM AlCl, and 3.2 × 10 to 1.2 × 10 for 2.5-7.5 mM FeCl. The activities of plant growth-promoting attributes with the increasing acidity, desiccation and salinity ranged from 408 to 101, 20 to 8, 14 to 5 µg/ml P-liberated from tri-calcium phosphate, aluminium phosphate and iron phosphate, 20-9% siderophore units, 14-4 µg/ml IAA and 190-16 α-ketobutyrate h/mg protein ACC-deaminase activity. Plant height, leaf number, and leaf weight on treatment with bacterial inoculum showed an increment of 9.5, 17.6, 54.5 and 31.0% in tea seedlings, respectively. The bacterium also enhanced plant height and yield by 10 and 13% in pea and 2.8 and 13.9% in wheat. The results exhibited stress-tolerance and plant growth-promoting activities by the strain under stressed growth-conditions with potential as a broad-spectrum plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A novel fusion gene of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been identified in a subset of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Patients with the ALK-EML4 fusion gene demonstrate unique clinicopathological and physiological characteristics. Here we present an analysis of clinicopathological profile of patients of metastatic adenocarcinoma harboring the ALK-EML4 fusion gene and their response to targeted therapy in the form of crizotinib.Methods: A retrospective analysis of advanced ALK positive NSCLC, who presented at this tertiary care hospital of armed forces from September 2014 to December 2016 was conducted. The primary goal was to evaluate demographic and clinicopathological profile of ALK positive advanced NSCLC. Detection of ALK fusion was done by IHC on formalin fixed paraffin embedded cell blocks. Out of 20 ALK positive patients, ten patients received upfront cytotoxic chemotherapy, and rest received crizotinib. Patients progressing on cytotoxic chemotherapy received crizotinib as subsequent therapy.Results: Out of 270 patients of NSCLC, fifteen(7.4%) tested positive for ALK-EML4 fusion. Rate of positivity was higher in females(13.7%) than in males (5%). The correlation of the ALK-EML4 fusion gene and clinicopathological characteristics of NSCLC patients demonstrated a significant difference in smoking status, histological types, stage, & metastatic pattern. Median PFS with first line cytotoxic chemotherapy was 5.9 months. Median PFS with upfront crizotinib was not reached, but was significantly superior than cytotoxic chemotherapy.Conclusion: Our analysis indicated that ALK-EML4 positive NSCLC comprised a unique subgroup of adenocarcinomas with distinct clinicopathological characteristics. Incidence of ALK positivity was found to be higher in females and never smokers. These patients have distinct pathological and radiological characteristics. Crizotinib, whether used upfront or as subsequent therapy was found to be superior in PFS (not yet reached at the time of writing this article), and maintaining quality of life as compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To revive cultivation of the tea unique to the western Himalayan region, it is important to evaluate the seed-derived bushes available in the area’s abandoned gardens. This study used quantitative leaf characters, catechin content, and AFLP markers to assess these China cultivar type bushes. Compared with other China cultivar germplasm, these accessions showed a higher level of diversity among themselves. Among the quantitative morphological characters, leaf length is important in distinguishing the accessions studied, with a high loading value in the principal component analysis. The catechins and AFLP markers displayed the genetic makeup of the accessions. Other than total catechins, the trihydroxylated catechins showed a high loading value in differentiating the accessions. The genetic control of the ratio of dihydroxylated and trihydroxylated catechins is found to be based on a correlation with AFLP markers. The genetic similarity between Kangra Asha and Kangra Jat suggests that Kangra Jat must be descended from Kangra Asha. Kangra Jat is well adapted to local environmental conditions, as is evident from its high catechin content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic non-bloody diarrhea may be attributed either to functional or organic diseases. The latter category may present with malabsorption syndrome if there is extensive involvement of the small bowel, whereas diseases of the large bowel may only present with diarrhea sans malabsorption. Indian data has predominantly focussed on the etiological spectrum of malabsorption syndrome in adults. The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate etiological spectrum of chronic organic non-bloody diarrhea in India., Methods: This prospective observational study was done at a tertiary care hospital in North India. Patients ≥ 18 years presenting with chronic non-bloody diarrhea of > 4 weeks duration were enrolled in the study after exclusion of patients with IBS and anal incontinence., Results: During the study period of 12 months, 100 patients with chronic organic non-bloody diarrhea were evaluated. A definite etiological diagnosis was made in 97 patients (97%). The mean age of the patients was 48 ± 16.7 years (58% males). The median duration of diarrhea was 5.5 months (interquartile range [IQR] 3.5, 11). Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) accounted for 45% of the cases making it the predominant cause for organic diarrhea. GI infections and adult-onset celiac disease accounted for 18% and 9% of the cases, respectively. Pancreatic disease, benign or neoplastic, accounted for 6% of the total cases. Notably, gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies manifesting as chronic non-bloody diarrhea were diagnosed in 5% of the patients., Conclusion: Our data suggests a paradigm shift in the etiological spectrum of chronic organic non-bloody diarrhea in India with the emergence of IBD as the predominant cause displacing GI infections., (© 2024. Indian Society of Gastroenterology.)

Purpose: To develop an indigenous "Do it yourself" (DIY) three-dimensional (3D) ophthalmic surgery recording system and validate the perception of stereopsis using it., Methods: A cross-sectional survey of practicing ophthalmologists with post-postgraduation experience of at least 5 years for perception of stereopsis for three different surgeries was performed; cataract, retinal detachment, and intravitreal drug injection were recorded on DIY assembly, viewed on VRBOX and using laptop videos and pseudo 3 d videos as control., Results: The laptop videos and 3D VR Box videos received higher ratings for stereopsis than the pseudo 3D videos. The parameters that received significantly higher ratings on the 3D VR Box viewing were instrument's position relative to the ocular surface in cataract surgery, anterior chamber depth during capsular staining, ophthalmic visco-surgical device injection, capsulorhexis, phaco tunnel depth, movement of nuclear fragments in the anterior chamber, and intra-ocular lens tilt in the capsular bag during cataract surgery ( P < 0.05). In scleral buckling surgery, the parameters that were significantly rated higher on VR Box were globe contour, separation of the scleral plane from muscle, and explant plane ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, the depth of the needle in the vitreous cavity while administering intravitreal drug injection was also rated significantly higher on VR Box ( P < 0.05). However, the ratings for the depth of corneal incision, depth of scleral incision, overall color, and overall quality were not different statistically when compared between laptop and VR Box viewing., Conclusion: DIY 3D recording assembly offers a superior means of appreciating depth at various stages of cataract surgery, scleral buckling, and intravitreal drug injection when compared to laptop viewing and can serve as an effective tool for skill transfer., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.)

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental illness that can result from neurodevelopmental aberrations, particularly in familial BD, which may include causative genetic variants. In the present study, we derived cortical organoids from BD patients and healthy (control) individuals from a clinically dense family in the Indian population. Our data reveal that the patient organoids show neurodevelopmental anomalies, including organisational, proliferation and migration defects. The BD organoids show a reduction in both the number of neuroepithelial buds/cortical rosettes and the ventricular zone size. Additionally, patient organoids show a lower number of SOX2-positive and EdU-positive cycling progenitors, suggesting a progenitor proliferation defect. Further, the patient neurons show abnormal positioning in the ventricular/intermediate zone of the neuroepithelial bud. Transcriptomic analysis of control and patient organoids supports our cellular topology data and reveals dysregulation of genes crucial for progenitor proliferation and neuronal migration. Lastly, time-lapse imaging of neural stem cells in 2D in vitro cultures reveals abnormal cellular migration in BD samples. Overall, our study pinpoints a cellular and molecular deficit in BD patient-derived organoids and neural stem cell cultures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy is increasingly being performed at several centers. It is also being promoted at endoscopy conferences. The currently available literature does not support the routine use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy as results are either inferior or comparable to percutaneous liver biopsy. We discuss the technical limitations of endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy when compared to percutaneous liver biopsy and the comparative studies in the current review. The routine use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy should be discouraged as it may get less tissue, the complication rate is similar and it is more costly., (© 2023 Indian National Association for Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze cancer pattern among adolescents and young adults (AYA) in a tertiary care center in South India., Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken from January 2018 to December 2021 on AYA cancer patients (aged 15-39 years)., Results: Totally, 369 cases of AYA cancers were identified for analyzing the frequency and pattern of cancer distribution. The most common cancers were breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and astrocytoma. All the cancers were more common in males than in females, except for breast, thyroid, gonadal cancers, and unspecified malignant neoplasms., Conclusion: Cancer distribution patterns are distinct among AYA in terms of epidemiology and biology., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Background: Dyspepsia includes a spectrum of symptoms ranging from epigastric pain and early satiety to postprandial fullness. The worldwide prevalence of dyspepsia is 20-30%. It is slightly higher in the Western population and occurs more frequently among women. While the precise prevalence of dyspepsia in India is not available, different studies estimate that it affects 7.6-49% of the Indian population. Through our current study, we wanted to understand the demographics, clinical profile, patient presentation, and management in India. We also wanted to document the pattern of use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and patient satisfaction with PPIs in Indian patients with dyspepsia., Materials and Methods: This pan-India, multi-centric, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, noninterventional, observational study was conducted between February and October 2021 in patients &gt;18 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of any form of dyspepsia. Descriptive statistics were used for categorical variables, and between-group comparisons were made using Fischer's exact test, with p &lt; 0.05 denoting statistical significance., Results: A total of 3,739 patients from across 29 states of India participated in the study. Most of the patients were male (70.8%) and were from urban areas (56.8%). The highest percentage of patients were aged 31-40 (33.8%), and most patients (60.2%) had dyspepsia for a duration of 6-12 months. Patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) (78.5%) were significantly higher compared to organic dyspepsia (OD) (21.5%) (p &lt; 0.001). The most frequent presenting symptoms were epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. A quarter (25.6%) of the dyspepsia patients were associated with various comorbid conditions, of which diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and irritable bowel syndrome are the most common ones. A total of 619 patients in the study were on concomitant medications, of which the most common were antidiabetic drugs (271/619, 43.8%). Rabeprazole was the most frequently used PPI (2467/3739, 66.0%) among the study participants. The patient satisfaction analysis showed that, overall, patients were satisfied with PPIs, as most patients (~80%) agreed to almost all questions. The analysis for individual PPIs showed the highest "agree" responses in the rabeprazole group for almost all questions (12 of 13). Around 86.4% of patients on rabeprazole agreed with "immediate relief from acidity," 84.9% for "gives me complete relief," and 85.9% for "relief from nighttime acidity symptoms.", Conclusion: Our study involving over 3,700 Indian patients with Dyspepsia adds to the growing knowledge of dyspepsia in India. Dyspepsia is more prevalent in males and in the 31-50 age group. FD is the most common form. Overall, patients were satisfied with PPIs in dyspepsia management in India. Patients on rabeprazole showed higher levels of medication adherence, satisfaction with symptom relief, convenience of therapy, and safety compared to patients on other PPIs. Against the backdrop of a paucity of reliable data about dyspepsia in India, our study results provide valuable insights into Dyspepsia and its management in an Indian setting., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Background: The study aimed to assess the morphology of post-living donor liver transplant (LDLT) anastomotic biliary strictures using cholangioscopy and assess the impact of morphology on its prognosis., Methods: A single centre, prospective, observational study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital from August 2014 to July 2016. Single operator cholangioscopy (SOC) was used to assess post-LDLT anastomotic biliary strictures at presentation in 24 patients. Analysis included demographic and biochemical characteristics, time to stricture development, endoscopic procedural details, time to remodelling and development of recurrence on follow-up., Results: Two distinct patterns of strictures were identified, type I with minimal inflammatory changes and type II with severe inflammatory changes. Guidewire cannulation was successful in 23 out of 24 (95.8%) patients. There was no significant difference between the two types of strictures based on aetiology of liver disease, CTP and MELD scores, time taken for the development or laboratory parameters at presentation. However, type II strictures required more sessions of dilatation (4 vs. 2; P = 0.002), longer duration for resolution (282.5 vs. 201.5 days, P = 0.095) and more number of stents., Conclusions: Addition of cholangioscopy tends to improve stricture cannulation rates at ERCP. It offers a useful classification of post-LDLT strictures with prognostic and therapeutic significance. Type II strictures tend to require more sessions of endotherapy than type I strictures over a longer duration for remodelling., (© 2022 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

We provide an up-to-date and accurate minimum point prevalence of genetically defined skeletal muscle channelopathies which is important for understanding the population impact, planning for treatment needs and future clinical trials. Skeletal muscle channelopathies include myotonia congenita (MC), sodium channel myotonia (SCM), paramyotonia congenita (PMC), hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (hyperPP), hypokalemic periodic paralysis (hypoPP) and Andersen- Tawil Syndrome (ATS). Patients referred to the UK national referral centre for skeletal muscle channelopathies and living in UK were included to calculate the minimum point prevalence using the latest data from the Office for National Statistics population estimate. We calculated a minimum point prevalence of all skeletal muscle channelopathies of 1.99/100 000 (95% CI 1.981-1.999). The minimum point prevalence of MC due to CLCN1 variants is 1.13/100 000 (95% CI 1.123-1.137), SCN4A variants which encode for PMC and SCM is 0.35/100 000 (95% CI 0.346 - 0.354) and for periodic paralysis (HyperPP and HypoPP) 0.41/100 000 (95% CI 0.406-0.414). The minimum point prevalence for ATS is 0.1/100 000 (95% CI 0.098-0.102). There has been an overall increase in point prevalence in skeletal muscle channelopathies compared to previous reports, with the biggest increase found to be in MC. This can be attributed to next generation sequencing and advances in clinical, electrophysiological and genetic characterisation of skeletal muscle channelopathies., Competing Interests: Declarations of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: Almost a third of the global load of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) occurs in India and can be attributed to the widespread use of tobacco and tobacco-related products in this part of the sub-continent., Materials and Methods: Records of 274 patients of OSCC treated between January 2018 and December 2019 in our institute were analyzed for the study for history of tobacco abuse and distribution of associated demographic, clinical, and pathological factors., Results: The age of the patients in the study ranged from 31 to 82 years with a median age of 60 years. The ratio of oral cancer in males: females was 3:1. Exposure to tobacco was seen in the majority of patients (89%) who reported with oral carcinoma. Smokeless tobacco in the form of gutka was the most common abused tobacco, followed by bidi in our study. Tongue and buccal mucosa (38% and 36%, respectively) were the most common sites. Significant statistical correlation of tobacco use was seen with age, gender, clinical, and pathological tumor stages., Conclusion: With tobacco being the main cause of OSCC, further studies with a larger number of patients and preferably with a comparison arm of non-tobacco OSCC would help in elucidating the exact clinical and statistical correlation of tobacco with the clinicopathological factors., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Background and Aims: Most studies to date have focused on liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in patients with different chronic liver diseases, and normal LSM is defined based on normal liver function tests or the absence of fibrosis. Very few studies have defined LSM based on completely normal liver biopsies. The current study was done to define the distribution of LSM values in individuals with normal liver biopsies., Methods: All prospective liver donors presenting to Medanta, the Medicity hospital between September 2020 and September 2021 fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included in this study., Results: A total of 63 donors (36 females and 27 males) were included in the study, 37 (58.7%) donors had normal liver biopsies, and 26 (41.2%) donors showed the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. LSM values in the normal liver histology group were 5.01 ± 1.99 kPa by the M probe and 5.34 ± 2.25 kPa by the XL probe. Even though the correlation was weak (r = 0.29, P  = 0.03), M probe LSM correlated positively with body mass index. There was a good correlation between the LSM measured by the M probe and the XL probe (r = 0.73, P  = <0.001)., Conclusions: LSM value in the biopsy-proven normal liver histology group was 5.01 ± 1.99 by the M probe and 5.34 ± 2.25 by the XL probe., (© 2022 Indian National Association for Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)