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Producing homogeneous planting material in oil palm poses a significant challenge, which can be addressed through somatic embryogenesis. This study successfully achieved somatic embryogenesis using immature male inflorescence from Tenera hybrid. Modified Eeuwens medium yielded better results than the Murashige and Skoog (MS) and CHU (N6) media when supplemented with 2,4-D, picloram and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The Eeuwens (Y3) medium supplemented with picloram led to an increased callus percentage, ranging from 25 % to 63.7 %. The highest rate of somatic embryogenesis was observed with a combination of 2,4-D (16 mg/l), picloram (24 mg/l), and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5 -T) (2 mg/l), resulting in an average embryogenesis percentage between 2.54 % and 7.24 %. The average embryogenesis percentage varied from. Additionally, the liquid media proved effective for root growth and proliferation (R2 medium), which included Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (2 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l), along with activated charcoal (100 mg/l). The elongated, nodular-shaped root-like structures developed into root primordial structures. This protocol will be instrumental in producing homogeneous oil palm planting material through micropropagation and cloning of mother palms, facilitating the establishment of semi-clonal seed gardens., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a long breeding cycle perennial crop with a genome size of 1.8 Gb. This is the first report of GWAS on large number of 310 African germplasm using 400 SSR markers till date. Highly significant correlation was found between leaf area (LA) and rachis length (RL) (0.75) followed by bunch weight (BW) and bunch index (BI) (0.65), whereas negative correlation was observed between bunch number (BN) and average bunch weight (ABW). First two principal component analysis (PCA) together explained maximum amount of variation (84.5 %). The PCA1 revealed that group 2 (Guinea Bissau and Cameroon) and group 4 (Zambia and Cameroon) genotypes are best suitable for BN, BI and BW traits. GWAS of six bunch yield and seven bunch oil yield traits with SSRs resulted in the identification 43 significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by mixed linear model (MLM) approach. Seven SSR loci were found to be linked to oil to dry mesocarp (ODM) on chromosomes 1,4,7,10,12 and 15. The SSR locus mEgCIR1753 for ODM was significantly linked at a p of ≤0.05 which explained 34.6 % of phenotypic variance. The important parameters like ODM, OWM and OB were located on 4, 10, 11 and 15 chromosomes. The leaf area and ODM were associated with candidate genes representing of low-temperature-induced 65 kDa proteins. The identified markers can be effectively used for marker assisted selection of high yielding oil palm genotypes., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a heterogeneous, perennial crop having long breeding cycle with a genome size of 1.8 Gb. The demand for vegetable oil is steadily increasing, and expected that nearly 240-250 million tons of vegetable oil may be required by 2050. Genomics and next generation technologies plays crucial role in achieving the sustainable availability of oil palm with good yield and high quality. A successful breeding programme in oil palm depends on the availability of diverse gene pool, ex-situ conservation and their proper utilization for generating elite planting material. The major breeding methods adopted in oil palm are either modified recurrent selection or the modified reciprocal recurrent selection method. The QTLs of yield and related traits are chiefly located on chromosome 4, 10, 12 and 15 which is discussed in the current review. The probable chromosomal regions influencing the less height increment is observed to be on chromosomes 4, 10, 14 and 15. Advanced genomic approaches together with bioinformatics tools were discussed thoroughly for achieving sustainable oil palm where more efforts are needed. Major emphasis is given on oil palm crop improvement using holistic approaches of various genomic tools. Also a road map given on the milestones in the genomics and way forward for making oil palm to high yielding quality oil palm., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interests., (© Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society 2021.)

Allergic asthma (AA) is characterized as a Th2-biased airway inflammation that can develop lung inflammation and remodeling of the respiratory tract. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major respiratory pathogen, causing noninvasive (otitis media and pneumonia) and invasive diseases (sepsis) in humans. We sought to determine the role of IL-6 in the regulation of lung inflammation in murine AA caused by Aspergillus fumigatus as well as its consequence on the regulation of airway barrier integrity and S. pneumoniae disease. In an AA model, IL-6 deficiency led to increased lung inflammation, eosinophil recruitment, tissue pathology, and collagen deposition. Additionally, IL-6-deficient asthmatic mice exhibited reduced goblet cell hyperplasia and increased TGF-β production. These key changes in the lungs of IL-6-deficient asthmatic mice resulted in dysregulated tight junction proteins and increased lung permeability. Whereas the host response to AA protected against S. pneumoniae lung disease, the IL-6 deficiency abrogated the protective effect of allergic inflammation against S. pneumoniae pathogenesis. Consistent with in vivo data, IL-6 knockdown by small interfering RNA or the blockade of IL-6R signaling exacerbated the TGF-β-induced dysregulation of tight junction proteins, E-cadherin and N-cadherin expression, and STAT3 phosphorylation in MLE-12 epithelial cells. Our findings demonstrate a previously unrecognized role of host IL-6 response in the regulation of lung inflammation during AA and the control of S. pneumoniae bacterial disease. A better understanding of the interactions between lung inflammation and barrier framework could lead to the development of therapies to control asthma inflammation and preserve barrier integrity., (Copyright © 2020 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.)

The genotyping-based sequencing (GBS) method used for GWAS of four yield and seven oil yield related traits on highly diverse African oil palm germplasm. GBS generated 325 million-reads covering 50.78Gb of sequence data, with an average of 3.4 million-reads per sample. Finally, 4031 fully informative SNPs with a range between 157 on chromosome 15 to 455 on chromosome 1 were used for GWAS. Association mapping resulted in identification of 40 highly significant loci, where more genetic loci were found to be associated with oil to bunch (OB), followed by average bunch weight (ABW). The loci, SGI|593,593|linked to QTN OB3 explained high amount of phenotypic variance (25.3%). The nucleotide sequences of linked genetic loci for OB were found to be similar to mitogen activated protein kinase-5 (MAPK-5) protein which is an early flowering protein. The significant loci identified can be used to select desirable palms at early stage through marker assisted selection., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a perennial vegetable and a high oil-yielding crop (4-6 t/ha). There is a large scope for increasing the oil yield by selecting elite planting material for breeding programme in germplasm evaluation, characterization and utilization. In the present study, a diverse range of 150 oil palm genotypes were characterized using 12 quantitative variables with 54genomic microsatellite markers. A wide variation was observed in the morphological traits among indigenous populations. Highly significantand positive correlations were observed between vegetative dry matter (VDM) and total dry matter (TDM) (0.862), and height and height increment (0.838). The first two principal component analyses explained 67.7% of total variation among morphological traits. The genotypes IC0610001-59 (Pune-2) and IC0610001-60 (Pune-2) were found highly promising based on less height increment, more TDMwith high yield. For the mapping study, general linear model (GLM) approach, quantitative-trait loci (QTL) for annual height increment, number of bunches, bunch yield and bunch index were linked to simple-sequence repeat (SSR) loci mEgCIR3649 with phenotypic variance of 15.08, 10.43, 11.74, 15.39. TDM and VDM were linked to mEgCIR0192 (27.34 and 24.19%), mEgCIR3684 (16.84 and 18.30%), SPSC00163 (18.8 and 15.39%) and mEgCIR0555 (16.47 and 18.81%), with at a significant threshold (P) level of B0.001 and by mixed linear model (MLM) approach. TDM was linked to mEgCIR0555 with phenotypic variance of 20.72%, bunch yield and bunch index were linked to mEgCIR2813 at phenotypic variance of 17.11% and 12.88%, respectively, at a significant threshold (P) level of B0.01.

One of the most critical challenges is bird dropping deposition (soiling) on a glass surface of the photovoltaic (PV) module in an open environment of Western Rajasthan. This paper has been now exclusively emphasized to focus on effects of the bird dropping phenomenon on the performance of PV systems. The presented study includes the impact of the seasonal bird dropping effect on the reduction in energy yield with various tilt angle configurations. Considering this, the highest level of reduction in power loss was observed at the end of winter (March) and minimum during rainfall (August) every year. The sitting/walking tendency of birds with the plate inclination directly affects the PV output, which is demonstrated by optical study of glass samples (bird dropping patterns). Consequently, the studies of optical transmittance conclude the effect of dropping with different tilt regions I (β < 25°), II (25° ≤ β ≤ 60°), and III (60° ≤ β ≤ 90°), i.e., explained by bird movement onto the module surface. The result also showed that optimal inclination β (40°) has a smaller soiling effect in tilt region II (25-60°) correspondingly.

The marker-trait association for complex traits using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) method is being widely spread in plants. The study aimed to identify significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations for rachis length (RL), leaf area (LA) and total dry weight (TrDW) in oil palm among diverse African germplasm. The Illumina NextSeq platform has been used for SNP genotyping and retained 4031 fully informative SNPs after applying the filter criterion. These 4031 SNPs were used for genome wide association study for the above three traits. The LD decay rates of the African germplasm using GBS data of SNP is observed to be 25 Kb at 0.45 of average pair wise correlation coefficient (r2). Association mapping led to the identification of seven significant associations for three traits using MLM approach at a P value of ≤ 0.001. Three associations were identified for total dry weight, two each for leaf area index and rachis length. The qtlLA1 was found to be highly significant at a P value of 7.39E-05 (18.4% phenotypic variance) which is located on chromosome 4. Two QTLs (qtlLA2 and qtlRL1) were located on chromosome 1, which explained 11.9% and 12.4% of phenotypic variance respectively. Three QTLs for total dry weight were located on chromosome 2, 14 and 16, all-together explained 40% phenotypic variance. The results showed that the SNP-trait associations identified in the present study could be used in selection of elite oil palm germplasm for higher yields., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: We sought to determine the role of host interleukin 17A (IL-17A) response against colonizing Streptococcus pneumoniae, and its transition to a pathogen during coinfection with an influenza virus, influenza A H1N1 A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (PR8)., Method: Wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice were intranasally inoculated with S. pneumoniae serotype 6A to establish colonization and later infected with the influenza strain, PR8, resulting in invasive S. pneumoniae disease. The role of the IL-17A response in colonization and coinfection was investigated in WT, RoRγt-/- and RAG1-/- mice with antibody-mediated depletion of IL-17A (WT) and CD90 cells (RAG1-/-)., Results: RAG1-/- mice did not clear colonization and IL-17A neutralization impaired 6A clearance in WT mice. RoRγt-/- mice also had reduced clearance. S. pneumoniae-PR8 coinfection elicited a robust IL-17A response in the nasopharynx; IL-17A neutralization reduced S. pneumoniae invasive disease. RoRγt-/- mice also had reduced S. pneumoniae disease in a coinfection model. Depletion of CD90+ cells suppressed the IL-17A response and reduced S. pneumoniae invasion in RAG1-/- mice., Conclusion: Our data show that although IL-17A reduces S. pneumoniae colonization, coinfection with influenza virus elicits a robust innate IL-17A response that promotes inflammation and S. pneumoniae disease in the nasopharynx., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The availability of large expressed sequence tag (EST) and whole genome databases of oil palm enabled the development of a data base of microsatellite markers. For this purpose, an EST database consisting of 40,979 EST sequences spanning 27 Mb and a chromosome-wise whole genome databases were downloaded. A total of 3,950 primer pairs were identified and developed from EST sequences. The tri and tetra nucleotide repeat motifs were most prevalent (each 24.75%) followed by di-nucleotide repeat motifs. Whole genome-wide analysis found a total of 245,654 SSR repeats across the 16 chromosomes of oil palm, of which 38,717 were compound microsatellite repeats. A web application, OpSatdb, the first microsatellite database of oil palm, was developed using the PHP and MySQL database ( https://ssr.icar.gov.in/index.php ). It is a simple and systematic web-based search engine for searching SSRs based on repeat motif type, repeat type, and primer details. High synteny was observed between oil palm and rice genomes. The mapping of ESTs having SSRs by Blast2GO resulted in the identification of 19.2% sequences with gene ontology (GO) annotations. Randomly, a set of ten genic SSRs and five genomic SSRs were used for validation and genetic diversity on 100 genotypes belonging to the world oil palm genetic resources. The grouping pattern was observed to be broadly in accordance with the geographical origin of the genotypes. The identified genic and genome-wide SSRs can be effectively useful for various genomic applications of oil palm, such as genetic diversity, linkage map construction, mapping of QTLs, marker-assisted selection, and comparative population studies.

The oil palm fruit forms (dura, pisifera and tenera) governed by the shell thickness gene (Sh) plays a major role in identification of fruit type and also influences palm oil yield. Identification of desired fruit type is a major asset to the breeders and oil palm workers for applications in breeding, seed certification and to reduce time, space and money spent on identification of fruit form. In the present study, we developed Sh gene specific primer pairs and bulk segregant analysis was done using 300 genomic and 8 genic SSR markers. We identified one cleaved amplified polymorphic site (CAPS) marker for differentiation of oil palm fruit type which produced two alleles (280 and 250bp) in dura genotypes, three alleles in tenera genotypes (550, 280, and 250bp) and one allele in pisifera genotypes (550bp). The shell allele sequencing results showed that two SNPs were present, of which SNP2 contributed for variation of fruit forms. The nucleotide 'A' was present in only dura genotypes, where as 'T' was present only in pisifera genotypes, which in turn led to the change of amino acid lysine to aspargine. The identified CAPS marker was validated on 300 dura, 25 pisifera and 80 tenera genotypes, 80 dura/ pisifera cross progenies and 60 lines of tenera/ tenera cross progeny. Association mapping of marker data with phenotypic data of eight oil yield related traits resulted in identification of seven significant QTLs by GLM approach, four by MLM approach at a significant threshold (P) level of 0.001. Significant QTLs were identified for fruit to bunch and oil to bunch traits, which explained R2 of 12.9% and 11.5% respectively. The CAPS marker used in the present study facilitate selection and timely distribution of desirable high yielding tenera sprouts to the farmers instead of waiting for 4-5 years. This saves a lot of land, time and money which will be a major breakthrough to the oil palm community., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Foot ulcers are serious complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) and are known to be resistant to conventional treatment. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers in a tertiary care centre (Department of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, A.B. Road, Indore). A total of 30 patients with type 2 DM having Meggitt-Wagner grade I foot ulcers of more than 6 weeks duration with negative culture were studied. Patients were randomized into two groups of 15 each. Patients in study group received LLLT (660 ± 20 nm, 3 J/cm 2 ) along with conventional therapy and those in control group were treated with conventional therapy alone. The primary outcome measure was the absolute and relative wound size reduction at 2 weeks compared to the baseline parameter. Percentage ulcer area reduction was 37 ± 9% in the LLLT group and 15 ± 5.4% in the control group (p < 0.001). For ∼75% of wounds of the treatment group, wound area reduction of 30-50% was observed. In contrast, for the control group, ∼80% of wounds showed a wound area reduction of <20% on day 15. Further, the wounds with initial wound area 1000-2000 mm 2 seems to have better final outcome than the groups with larger areas. The treated groups showed higher amount of granulation than the control group. The results suggest that LLLT is beneficial as an adjunct to conventional therapy in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

Background: Optimal rotational alignment of femoral component is important for longevity and success of total knee replacement. Whiteside line (WL), posterior condylar axis (PCA) and femoral transepicondylar axis are various intra-operative landmarks to guide femoral rotation. Each of these has its pros and cons. The aims of our study were to assess the relationship of posterior condylar axis and the antero-posterior axis of femur with the surgical epicondylar axis and evaluate whether degree of deformity or severity of osteoarthritis alters the rotational alignment of the femur when posterior condylar axis is taken as a reference. Are we justified in using a 3° external rotation with respect to posterior condylar axis in each knee?, Methods: The study is a single-centre, CT-based, cross-sectional, radiological study in 56 bilateral osteoarthritic varus Indian knees. The following were deduced using a uniform standardised method: Whiteside-surgical transepicondylar angle and posterior condylar angle. The study population was subdivided based on age, sex, deformity and grade of osteoarthritis., Results: The mean posterior condylar angle ( N  = 112) was 3.25 ± 1.379° (95% CI). The posterior condylar angle ranged from '0' degrees to '6' degrees with only 27.7% having an angle of 3°. The mean Whiteside-transepicondylar angle ( N  = 112) is 89.72 ± 3.537° (95% CI)., Conclusions: PCA and the WL are comparable in establishing the rotational alignment of the femoral component with respect to the surgical transepicondylar axis. A fixed, 3° external rotation with respect to the PCA is an oversimplification and rotational alignment of the knees should be individualised.

CD40 plays dual immunoregulatory roles in Leishmania major infection and tumor regression. The functional duality emerges from CD40-induced reciprocal p38MAPK and ERK-1/2 phosphorylations. Because phosphotyrosine-based signaling in hematopoietic cells is regulated by the phosphotyrosine phosphatase SHP-1, which is not implied in CD40 signaling, we examined whether SHP-1 played any roles in CD40-induced reciprocal signaling and anti-leishmanial function. We observed that a weaker CD40 stimulation increased SHP-1 activation. ERK-1/2 inhibition or p38MAPK overexpression inhibited CD40-induced SHP-1 activation. An ultra-low-dose, CD40-induced p38MAPK phosphorylation was enhanced by SHP-1 inhibition but reduced by SHP-1 overexpression. A reverse profile was observed with ERK-1/2 phosphorylation. SHP-1 inhibition reduced syk phosphorylation but increased lyn phosphorylation; syk inhibition reduced but lyn inhibition enhanced CD40-induced SHP-1 phosphorylation. Corroborating these findings, in L. major-infected macrophages, CD40-induced SHP-1 phosphorylation increased and SHP-1 inhibition enhanced CD40-induced p38MAPK activation and inducible NO synthase expression. IL-10 enhanced SHP-1 phosphorylation and CD40-induced ERK-1/2 phosphorylation but reduced the CD40-induced p38MAPK phosphorylation, whereas anti-IL-10 Ab exhibited reverse effects on these CD40-induced functions, identifying IL-10 as a crucial element in the SHP-1-MAPK feedback system. Lentivirally overexpressed SHP-1 rendered resistant C57BL/6 mice susceptible to the infection. Lentivirally expressed SHP-1 short hairpin RNA enhanced the CD40-induced L. major parasite killing in susceptible BALB/c mice. Thus, we establish an SHP-1-centered feedback system wherein SHP-1 modulates CD40-induced p38MAPK activation threshold and reciprocal ERK-1/2 activation, establishing itself as a critical regulator of CD40 signaling reciprocity and mechanistically re-emphasizing its role as a potential target against the diseases where CD40 is involved., (Copyright © 2014 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.)

Objective. To evaluate the long-term results of transpubic urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral distraction defects. Patients and Methods. Sixteen patients who had undergone transpubic urethroplasty for posttraumatic complex posterior urethral disruptions between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed retrospectively and prospectively. Patients were followed up for a mean (range) of 24 (6-60) months by history, urinary flow rate estimate, retrograde urethrography, and voiding cystourethrography. Results. The mean age of the patients was 30.4 years. The estimated radiographic stricture length before surgery was 4.3 cm. Transpubic urethroplasty was successful in 14 out of 16 patients. Postoperative complications were recurrent stricture (12.5%), urethrocutaneous fistula (12.5%), incontinence (31.25%), impotence (25%), and wound infection (18.75%). Failed repairs were successfully managed endoscopically in one patient and by perineal anastomotic repair in the other, giving a final success rate of 100%. Five out of 16 patients were incontinent of which 3 of them resolved and 2 had permanent incontinence. Impotence was seen in 4 out of 16 patients. There were no reported complications of pubectomy in any of our patients. Conclusions. Though considered obsolete now, transpubic urethroplasty for complex posterior urethral disruptions is still a viable alternative with excellent results and minimal morbidity.

Objective: To determine the overall efficacy and predictors of success of the penile preputial flap in the management of complex urethral strictures >2.5 cm in length., Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective and prospective study of 58 patients undergoing single-stage penile preputial flap urethroplasty for complex long-segment urethral strictures, without lichen sclerosus, repaired between May 2005 and April 2012 at our institution. For obvious reasons circumcised patients were excluded from the study. Results were assessed by univariate analysis of various patient characteristics, preoperative and postoperative patient satisfaction (based on symptoms), and urethral ultrasonography, retrograde urethrography and uroflowmetry., Results: The median (range) follow-up was 42 (6-90) months, the median (range) intra-operative stricture length was 48.5 (26-85) mm and the median (range) operating time was 90 (85-125) min. A total of 87.93% of patients had a satisfactory outcome, with an overall success rate of 81.03%. Diabetes mellitus (relative risk [RR] 5.21, confidence interval [CI] 2.31-64.68, P = 0.003) and smoking (RR 4.19, CI 1.54- 45.0, P = 0.01) were predictors of failure, while postinfective aetiology (RR 2.19), panurethral stricture (RR 2.73), stricture length >70 mm (RR 3.25), previous urethroplasty (RR 2.4) and severe peri-urethral fibrosis (RR 2.37) were also associated with a higher risk of failure., Conclusions: A urologist should try to gain experience of all the methods of urethroplasty as the techniques may vary according to the circumstances. Single-stage preputial skin flap urethroplasty, in experienced and expert hands, has results equivalent to all other methods of urethroplasty in complex urethral strictures. We prefer this technique in this part of the world where buccal mucosa cannot be used because of dyskeratotic changes as a result of consumption of gutkha, tobacco, pan masala, betel nut., (© 2013 The Authors. BJU International © 2013 BJU International.)

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of honey dressing and silver sulfadiazene (SSD) dressing on wound healing in burn patients., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 108 patients (14-68 years of age), with first and second degree burns of less than 50% of the total body surface area admitted to our institution, over a period of 5 years (2004-2008). Fifty-one patients were treated with honey dressings and 57 with SSD. Time elapsed since burn, site, percentage, degree and depth of burns, results of culture sensitivity at various time intervals, duration of healing, formation of post-treatment hypertrophic scar, and/or contracture were recorded and analyzed., Results: The average duration of healing was 18.16 and 32.68 days for the honey and SSD group, respectively. Wounds of all patients reporting within 1 h of burns became sterile with the honey dressing in less than 7 days while there was none with SSD. All wounds treated with honey became sterile within 21 days while for SSD-treated wounds, this figure was 36.5%. A complete outcome was seen in 81% of all patients in the "honey group" while in only 37% patients in the "SSD group.", Conclusion: Honey dressings make the wounds sterile in less time, enhance healing, and have a better outcome in terms of hypertropic scars and postburn contractures, as compared to SSD dressings.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of tube sigmoidostomy and sigmoidopexy as effective treatment options for patients with acute uncomplicated sigmoid volvulus., Methods: The records of 72 patients with acute uncomplicated sigmoid volvulus with obstruction who were treated by tube sigmoidostomy (Group I: n=32) and sigmoidopexy (Group II: n=40) were reviewed retrospectively. Follow-up period was 22 months (range: 6-51 months)., Results: Results show significant improvement in postoperative tachycardia, respiratory distress and urine output in Group I patients as compared to those in Group II. Most of the clinical parameters of Group I patients normalized by day 3, while it took up to 7 days in Group II patients. Intraabdominal hypertension caused by persistent colonic dilatation after sigmoidopexy was found to be an important determinant of postoperative morbidity. As compared to tube sigmoidostomy, the sigmoidopexy group had delayed recovery, more chances of abdominal fascial dehiscence, and longer hospital stay, as well as more prolonged abdominal discomfort, constipation, and recurrent volvulus rates during follow-up., Conclusion: Tube sigmoidostomy provides both fixation and decompression of the redundant sigmoid colon in the postoperative period while allowing time to recover from massive dilatation and edema caused by prolonged volvulus. Compared with sigmoidopexy for the treatment of uncomplicated sigmoid volvulus, tube sigmoidostomy leads to lesser rates of morbidity and recurrence. Thus, it can be considered as a definitive alternative treatment option for uncomplicated sigmoid volvulus., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Common cloaca is a complex anorectal and genitourinary malformation in which the rectum, vagina and urinary tract are fused to form a single channel. Surgical treatment is complicated especially when the channel is long. Our aim was to emphasize the importance of joint mobilization of the urogenital sinus after separation from the rectum. This maneuver avoids separation of the urinary tract from the genital tract, and reduces operating time by more than 60%. The functional and cosmetic results are also excellent., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive cases of persistent cloaca managed by total urogenital mobilization via a posterior sagittal approach during 2005-2009. There were 25 patients, with a median age of 18 months (10 months-3 years). Two patients with a long common channel required additional maneuvers after mobilization to complete the reconstruction. Each patient had a primary covering colostomy. After distal loop colograms, genitograms, renal ultrasound and genitoscopy, patients were planned for definitive surgery at 1-3 years of age., Conclusion: Total urogenital sinus mobilization in cases of common cloaca represents a surgical advance, and is a promising procedure with reasonably good results for this complex anomaly., (Copyright © 2010 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cystic pancreatic tumors are an unfamiliar and rare entity even after the advent of modern abdominal imaging. Mucinous pancreatic tumors presenting with features of pancreatitis is a rare phenomenon moreover it creates a diagnostic dilemma and can lead to mismanagement. We report here such a case of mucinous cyst adenoma presented as recurrent pancreatitis and mimicking as a pancreatic pseudocyst. The correct diagnosis was made only on CT scan and was successfully treated by surgical excision in the form of distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy.

A 29-year-old woman presented with unilateral loin pain because of severely hydro-nephrotic kidney due to deposits of pelvic endometriosis. Double J-stent was placed beyond the obstruction and she was started on hormone therapy. The stent was removed after three months when back pressure changes had resolved. This case is being presented along with a short relevant discussion, due to rarity of ureteral involvement by endometriosis.

Objective: Biological dressings like collagen are impermeable to bacteria, and create the most physiological interface between the wound surface and the environment. Collagen dressings have other advantages over conventional dressings in terms of ease of application and being natural, non-immunogenic, non-pyrogenic, hypo-allergenic, and pain-free. This study aims to compare the efficacy of collagen dressing in treating burn and chronic wounds with that of conventional dressing materials., Materials and Methods: The records of 120 patients with chronic wounds of varied aetiologies and with mean age 43.7 years were collected and analyzed. The patients had been treated either with collagen or other conventional dressing materials including silver sulfadiazine, nadifloxacin, povidone iodine, or honey (traditional dressing material). Patients with co-morbidities that could grossly affect the wound healing like uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, chronic liver or renal disease, or major nutritional deprivation were not included. For the purpose of comparison the patients were divided into two groups; 'Collagen group' and 'Conventional group', each having 60 patients. For assessment the wound characteristics (size, edge, floor, slough, granulation tissue, and wound swab or pus culture sensitivity results) were recorded. With start of treatment, appearance of granulation tissue, completeness of healing, need for skin grafting, and patients' satisfaction was noted for each patient in both groups., Results: With two weeks of treatment, 60% of the 'collagen group' wounds and only 42% of the 'conventional group' wounds were sterile (P=0.03). Healthy granulation tissue appeared earlier over collagen-dressed wounds than over conventionally treated wounds (P=0.03). After eight weeks, 52 (87%) of 'collagen group' wounds and 48 (80%) of 'conventional group' wounds were >75% healed (P=0.21). Eight patients in the 'collagen group' and 12 in the 'conventional group' needed partial split-skin grafting (P=0.04). Collagen-treated patients enjoyed early and more subjective mobility., Conclusion: No significant better results in terms of completeness of healing of burn and chronic wounds between collagen dressing and conventional dressing were found. Collagen dressing, however, may avoid the need of skin grafting, and provides additional advantage of patients' compliance and comfort.

Background: Isolated renal trauma in case of blunt trauma abdomen (BTA) is not common. Renal artery occlusion by thrombosis in such cases is seen very rarely. These cases had been traditionally treated by early nephrectomy, but nowadays, renal preservation is considered whenever possible. Treatment options to do so are being developed., Methods: Recently we came across one such case of isolated unilateral renal artery thrombosis (RAT) because of BTA. Relevant literature especially on various therapeutic techniques has been critically reviewed briefly along with case presentation., Results: Isolated blunt traumatic RAT has an incidence of less than 1%. Only about 400 cases have been reported. It must be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to avoid progressive permanent loss of renal function. Contrast-enhanced CT scanning is the preferred modality for evaluation and follow-up of RAT. Conservative treatment is reserved for unilateral cases. For bilateral cases and when RAT occurs in a solitary kidney, revascularization either surgically or more preferably by less invasive percutaneous techniques has been recommended., Conclusion: Renal arterial thrombosis because of blunt abdominal trauma is still an underreported entity, treatment for which has not yet been established. Both early nephrectomy and delayed revascularization are not justified treatment options., (Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)