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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The present study was conducted to evaluate the etiology of altered color of plasma component of blood in transfusion practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at the blood center of a tertiary care teaching hospital in western India for a period of 6 months. After component separation, all the plasma units with altered color were segregated and samples were taken for further evaluation. Altered colored plasma units were divided into three – green discoloration, yellow discoloration, and lipemic plasma. Donors were called, their detailed history was taken, and necessary investigations were done accordingly. RESULTS: Forty plasma units out of 20,658 (0.19%) donations showed discoloration. Out of which, 3 plasma units showed green discoloration, 9 plasma units showed yellow discoloration, and the remaining 28 plasma units were lipemic. Among three donors whose plasma showed green discoloration, one female donor had a history of oral contraceptive pill usage and had higher values of copper and ceruloplasmin. All donors with yellow plasma had a higher value of unconjugated bilirubin. All the donors with lipemic plasma gave a history of intake of fatty meal prior to donating blood and showed higher values of triglyceride, cholesterol, and very-low-density lipoprotein. CONCLUSION: Plasma component with altered color restricts its issue to the patient and also for use in fractionation. In our study, many of the altered color plasma units were safe to transfuse, but the decision regarding transfusion was debatable on consultation with the treating doctor. Further studies with a large sample size are recommended for the use of these plasma components.

Abstract Bile acid diarrhoea (BAD) is a common disorder resulting from increased loss of bile acids (BAs), overlapping irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D). The gut microbiota metabolises primary BAs to secondary BAs, with differing impacts on metabolism and homeostasis. The aim of this study was to profile the microbiome, metabolic products and bile acids in BAD. Patients with BAD diagnosed by SeHCAT testing, were compared with other IBS-D patients, and healthy controls. Faecal 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis was undertaken. Faecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) and urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured. BAs were quantified in serum and faeces. Faecal bacterial diversity was significantly reduced in patients with BAD. Several taxa were enriched compared to IBS-D. SCFA amounts differed in BAD, controls and IBS-D, with significantly more propionate in BAD. Separation of VOC profiles was evident, but the greatest discrimination was between IBS-D and controls. Unconjugated and primary BA in serum and faeces were significantly higher in BAD. The faecal percentage primary BA was inversely related to SeHCAT. BAD produces dysbiosis, with metabolite differences, including VOC, SCFA and primary BAs when compared to IBS-D. These findings provide new mechanistic insights into the pathophysiology of BAD.

Introduction: Among all teeth, mandibular canine shows greatest variation in dimensions between the sexes, a phenomenon known as sexual dimorphism. This can be immensely beneficial to the forensic investigator for the purposes of both investigation and identification, as it significantly narrows down the possibilities, as the probable perpetrators and/or victims are concerned. Sex identification is an absolute necessity in cases of suicide, homicide, mass, casualties (both manmade or natural), and a tooth, which shows obvious sexual dimorphism can be a useful means of personal identification, especially where there has been extensive decomposition or destruction of facial soft tissue features. Another facet of forensic investigation is identification of racial origin. So, any odontometric parameter showing significant racial divergence can be used as a means of identification. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to determine and compare cervico-incisal heights and mesiodistal widths of both mandibular canines of the Gujarati and non-Gujarati subjects under study. Materials and Methods: The study sample involved 100 participants, divided into four groups, each of the four groups included 25 participants, representing Gujarati males, Gujarati females, non-Gujarati males, and non-Gujarati females, respectively. Results: When we compared the mesiodistal and cervico-incisal dimensions of the mandibular canine, both right and left, Gujarati males were found to possess significantly larger sized teeth in comparison to their female counterparts, and the same results were replicated for non-Gujarati males vis-a-vis their female counterparts. Non-Gujarati males and non-Gujarati females were found to have significantly higher odontometric values in comparison with their Gujarati counterparts. Conclusion: Gujaratis have smaller sized mandibular canine in comparison with non-Gujaratis. However, studies comparing specific groups are required, as non-Gujaratis are a diverse racial group.

Introduction: Hemophilia is an X-linked congenital bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) in hemophilia A (HA) or factor IX (FIX) in hemophilia B (HB). Accurate diagnosis of hemophilia by factor assay to demonstrate deficiency of FVIII or FIX is essential for appropriate management. Inhibitor development results in partial or complete lack of the efficacy of replacement therapy, and it makes the management of patients more difficult with an increased risk of morbidity, serious bleeding, and disability, resulting in a substantial impact on patient's quality of life and health-care costs, compared to patients without inhibitors. Aims and Objectives: To assess the incidence of inhibitor development in HA and HB patients along with its consequences. Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Western India. A total of 276 patients of hemophilia were included in the study. FVIII, FIX, and inhibitor screening were carried out in all patients sample as routine testing. Patients who were found positive in inhibitor screening were further evaluated for quantitative assay (Bethesda assay). Results: Out of total 276 patients, 243 patients of HA and 33 patients of HB were observed. The incidence of inhibitor development is 20.57% in HA and 6.06% in HB. The maximum number of patients and maximum number of inhibitors was between the age group of 11 and 30 years. There was more number of patients with severe disease as compared to mild and moderate forms. The concentration of inhibitor >5 BU was seen in 76% of HA patients and 100% of HB patients with inhibitor. Sixty-one patients came for follow-up. In three patients, inhibitor disappeared. The incidence of complications was more in patients who had developed inhibitor which increases the cost of treatment and increases the social suffering of the patients. Conclusion: Inhibitor development affect the severity and treatment of the disease significantly and there by increases the suffering and cost to the patient.

Malviya Nidhi,1 M Nagaraju Patro,1 Somisetty Kusumvalli,2 Vemula Kusumdevi1 1Department of Pharmaceutics, Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy, 2Department of Endodontics and Conservative Dentistry, Sri Rajiv Gandhi College of Dental Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Abstract: Most of the dental surgeries require preoperative anesthetic and postoperative analgesic for painless procedures. A multidrug transmucosal drug delivery system loaded with lignocaine (Lig) base for immediate release and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of diclofenac (Dic) diethylamine for prolonged release was developed. SLNs were prepared by solvent emulsion–evaporation method with Precirol ATO 5 and Geleol as lipids and Pluronic F 68 as surfactant and optimized with Box–Behnken design for particle size and entrapment efficiency. SLNs were incorporated into the transmucosal patch (TP) prepared with hydroxypropyl cellulose-LF (HPC-LF) and with a backing layer of ethyl cellulose. Optimized SLNs and TP were characterized for Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, in vitro release, ex vivo permeation through porcine buccal mucosa, Caco-2 permeability, and residual solvent analysis by gas chromatography. The TP was also evaluated for swelling index, in vitro residence time, tensile strength, and mucoadhesive strength. Preclinical pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and histopathological studies by application of TP on the gingiva of New Zealand rabbits were carried out. Particle size and entrapment efficiency of the optimized SLN “S8” were determined as 98.23 nm and 84.36%, respectively. The gingival crevicular fluid and tissue concentrations were greater than plasma concentrations with increase in Cmax and area under the curve (AUC) of Lig and Dic when compared to the control group. Pain perception by needle prick showed prolonged combined anesthetic and analgesic effect. The developed TP loaded with Lig base and Dic diethylamine-SLNs exhibited immediate and complete permeation with tissue accumulation of Lig followed by controlled prolonged release and tissue accumulation of Dic at the site of application. Thus, it could be anticipated from the in vivo studies that the developed TP provides immediate initial anesthetic effect, and the analgesic effect would be prolonged for 24 hours, since optimal gingival crevicular fluid and tissue levels of analgesic would be achieved, while the tissue remains anesthetized. Keywords: solid lipid nanoparticle, Box–Behnken design, transmucosal patch, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, Caco-2 permeability, histopathology

Background: Performance monitoring is an important tool which can be used for setting priorities for process improvement. At our centre, we have been monitoring every step in the processes, right from inventory of consumables (both critical and routine) to number of donors reactive for TTI. We conducted a study to measure the impact of monitoring Performance Indicators and how it could be used as a tool for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). Materials and Methods: The present study was a retrospective study where the performance indicator (PI) data of blood bank was analyzed for over four years. For certain parameters, benchmarks or thresholds were set that represented warning limits or action limits. The yearly data were collated from monthly data. "Shifts" or "Trends", if any, were identified and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) taken accordingly. At the end, outcomes of the analysis were charted. Results: After the yearly data evaluation, outcomes obtained were used to plan, correct and amend processes and systems in the blood center. It was observed that the workload of the center showed an upward trend. This helped us to plan for the purchase of consumables and management of manpower. The monitoring of usage and discard of blood helped in the efficient management of blood stocks. The need for any new equipment could also be judged by the trends in workload. Conclusion: Performance indicators are indispensible tools which various stakeholders in the Blood Transfusion centres should implement to improve on quality performance.

Background: AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and compliance between occlusion and pharmacological penalisation among the amblyopic patients. Material And Methods: Prospective study of 52 patients between age group of 2-10 years having first time diagnosed as amblyopia were randomly selected. twenty six patients were treated with atropine (group a) and remaining twenty six patients had occlusion therapy(group o). Visual acquity was measured with various visual charts. Result: Group a had mean visual acquity improvement of 0.37 logmar (95% cl 0.312 to 0.441) and group o had 0.61 logmar(95% cl 0.564 to 0.681). Both group showed p<0.001 which is highly significant. Non-compliance was observed in 5 patients (19.23%) of group a and 9 patients (34.62%) of group o. No incidence of occlusion amblyopia was seen in any group. Conclusion: Both group showed substantial reduction in amblyopia. Chi-square value of both group is 20.449(p<0.001) which suggest that occlusion therapy have better visual prognosis than atropine but the compliance is better with atropine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nidhi M, Patro MN, Kusumvalli S, Kusumdevi V. Int J Nanomedicine. 2016;11:2901–2920.On page 2905, section ‘Transport of LB and DDEA across Caco-2 cell monolayer’, some of the values were incorrectly presented. The corrected text should read:Prior to transport, the culture medium was replaced by 600 μL of transport medium (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium [DMEM]-F12-buffered with 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid [HEPES]), 10% fetal bovine serum, and antibiotics penstrip (1% v/v), gentamicin (250 μg/mL), and chloramphenicol (23 ng/mL), and cells were allowed to equilibrate for 30 minutes. After the transport medium was discarded, 600 μL of pure drugs LB, DDEA, DDEA-SLN, and TP prepared in dimethyl sulfoxide (10% w/v) suspended in DMEM-F12-HEPES was applied to the apical side, and 600 μL of DMEM-F12-HEPES was added to the basolateral (BL) side. At predetermined time intervals, transepithelial electrical resistance was measured, and 50 μL of the aliquot was withdrawn from the BL side for quantification of the transported drug.Read the original article

Vitis quadrangularis L., popularly known as Hadsankal in Saurashtra region, exhibits quadrangular and flat stems structure. Thepresent study was aimed to establish efficient protocol for DNA extraction and to evaluate taxonomic status of morphologicalvariants using molecular characterization method RAPD. Three protocols were tested and the final protocol was modified andoptimized for high quality DNA. Third protocol was CTAB and SDS based method, developed by adding higher concentration ofCTAB and NaCl with an aim to remove polysaccharides, and extra PVP as a phenols and polyphenols remover. It resulted intohigh quality DNA with average purity of 1.8 and yield 200g per gm stem tissue that appropriate for molecular characterization.For molecular marker analysis total 20 decamer primers of OPA series were tested and among them four primers successfullyrevealed 42.10 % polymorphism. Thus, the results adequately discriminate the morphological variants.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is emerging as a potential threat to blood safety after several cases of transmission by transfusion or transplantation have been described. Currently, blood donors in India are not screened for HEV. The studies conducted on HEV in recent times in India have focused on epidemiology and future perspectives, but there is no published study on blood donors. To address possible issues surrounding blood safety and risk of HEV transmission within the Indian blood supply, HEV seroprevalence study was conducted in blood donors at our center. Materials and Methods: A total of 460 male voluntary blood donors were selected for the study and after taking their written consent. Serum anti-HEV IgM was detected by Dia.Pro HEV kit (Diagnostic Bioprobes Srl, Milano, Italy). Results: The study population was composed of 460 male voluntary blood donors and their age ranged from 18 to 60 years with a mean age of 30.48 years. Out of 460 donors, 22 (4.78%) donors were tested positive for IgM anti-HEV and the mean value alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was 26.06 IU/L, the highest being 93.5 IU/L. Normal reference value of ALT in our center was 40 IU/L. Out of 22 anti-HEV positive donors, 19 (86.36%) had ALT values above 40 IU/L. Conclusion: HEV seroprevalence of 4.78% in our center. Though reports of HEV transmission through blood has been reported from various parts of the world, before making it as a mandatory screening test among blood donors in India, further studies with confirmatory assay of HEV need to be done.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Educate the general public, investigators, and institutional leadership on the importance of clinical trial registration and results reporting. Share success as a means to develop national best practices. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Developed a Project Charter; Spoke to several peer institutions; Update institutional policy. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Since launching the Program in June 2016, the number of records submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov has increased 14% (852–971). At the same time, compliance with late results has increased by over 92% (111–9). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Clinical Trial registration and results reporting is sub-par at many institutions. We have established a successful program that others can emulate. Institutions can increase transparency of clinical trials as well as prevent civil monetary penalties ($11,569/d/study) and loss of grant funding.

Background. There has been an increasing interest in the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as potential surrogate markers of gut dysbiosis in gastrointestinal disease. Gut dysbiosis occurs when pathological imbalances in gut bacterial colonies precipitate disease and has been linked to the dysmetabolism of bile acids (BA) in the gut. BA metabolites as a result of microbial transformations act as signaling molecules and have demonstrated regulation of intestinal homeostasis through the TGR5 and FXR receptors by inhibiting inflammation, preventing pathogen invasion, and maintaining cell integrity. The presence of VOC footprints is the resultant effect to gut microbiome substrate fermentation. Aim. To review the role of the gut microbiome and bile acid signaling in intestinal homeostasis and the resultant use of VOCs as potential noninvasive surrogate biomarkers in gut dysbiosis. Methods. A systematic search on PubMed and Medline databases was performed to identify articles relevant to gut dysbiosis, BA metabolism, and VOCs. Conclusions. The host and presence of the gut microbiome appear to regulate the BA pool size. A dysbiotic gut microbiome results in disrupted intestinal homeostasis, which may be reflected by VOCs, differentiating those who are healthy and those with disease.