PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to A Kumar.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Mapping QTLs for popping ability in a popcorn x flint corn cross.

Popping expansion volume (PEV) in popcorn (Zea mays L.) is a distinct heritable character and defined as the ratio of the volume after popping to the volume before popping. PEV is quantitatively inherited and 3-4 genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been implicated. In the present study, we have dissected the quantitative PEV into two component traits, viz., flake volume (FV) and percent unpopped kernels (UPK), and mapped QTLs using SSR markers for all three traits with 194 F3 families derived from a popcorn (A-1-6) x flint corn (V273) cross. Heritability (broad sense) estimates for PEV, FV and UPK based on F3 mean bases were 0.72, 0.54 and 0.68, respectively. The QTL analyses for the three traits based on combined environment data were performed by composite interval mapping using QTL cartographer. Four QTLs were identified for PEV on chromosomes 1, 3, 8 and 10, which together explained 62% of the phenotypic variance (sigma2p). Four QTLs were found on chromosomes 1, 5, 9 and 10 for FV (explaining 44% of sigma2p) and five QTLs for UPK on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5 and 9 (explaining 57% of sigma2p). The relative efficiency estimates of marker-based selection in comparison to phenotypic selection for PEV (1.10), FV (1.22) and UPK (1.11) indicated that marker-based selection could be relatively more efficient. The QTL on chromosome 1S for PEV was found to be most significant, where QTLs for hard endosperm starch concentration had been detected earlier.

Alleles↗
PubMed2006

Analysis of Indian mint (Mentha spicata) for essential, trace and toxic elements and its antioxidant behaviour.

Mint, belonging to the genus Mentha in the family Labiatae (Lamiaceae) is pungent in taste with post digestive effects and hot potency. Ten samples of mint leaves, collected from four different locations in North-West parts of India (Roorkee, Dehradun, Baghpat and Uttarkashi) were analysed for seven minor (Al, Na, K, Ca, Cl, Mg, and P) and 20 trace (As, Au, Ba, Br, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, Hg, La, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Th and Zn) elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Also Ni, Cu and Cd were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Samples along with reference materials (RMs) and synthetic primary standard were irradiated at approximately 10(13) n cm-2s-1 and its gamma-activity was measured using HPGe detector and MCA system. Most elements were found in widely varying amounts depending on the location, e.g. Na (0.21-0.86 mg/g), K (12.4-53.3 mg/g) and Ca (5.82-16.8 mg/g) whereas mean contents of other nutrient elements in mint were: Fe (108+/-22 microg/g), Mg (4.83+/-0.92 mg/g), Mn (53.5+/-9.6 microg/g), P (3.88+/-0.94 mg/g), Cu (16.9+/-1.8 microg/g), Zn (21.0+/-4.7 microg/g) and Se (0.18+/-0.03 microg/g). Further, DPPH free radical scavenging activity test in diethyl ether extract showed 100% activity at approximately 40 microg/L suggesting it to be antioxidant in accordance with literature reports.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2006

Evaluation of a diclofenac transdermal patch for the attenuation of venous cannulation pain: a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Venous cannulation, although a minor procedure, is often painful. The present study was planned to evaluate the efficacy of a diclofenac transdermal patch placed over the venepuncture site in decreasing the pain of cannulation. Seventy-two adults undergoing elective surgery were included in this randomised, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were divided into three equal groups. The Control group had a placebo adhesive patch placed on the both the dorsum of hand and the buttock; the Diclofenac-Buttock group had a placebo patch placed on the dorsum of the hand and a diclofenac transdermal patch on the buttock; the Diclofenac-Hand group had a diclofenac transdermal patch placed on the dorsum of hand and a placebo patch on the buttock. The patches were applied 1 h before cannulation. An 18G cannula was used for all venous cannulations. Pain during cannulation was assessed on a non-graduated 10-cm visual analogue scale. Median [interquartile range] pain scores were 3.0 [2.0-4.0] in the Diclofenac-Hand group, 5.0 [4.3-7.8] in the Diclofenac-Buttock group and 6.5 [4.5-7.0] in the Control group, p < 0.05. The numbers needed to treat were six and two in the Diclofenac-Buttock and Diclofenac-Hand groups, respectively. The application of a diclofenac transdermal patch at the cannulation site appears to be effective in decreasing cannulation pain.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2006

Evaluation of recombinant serine-rich 45-kDa antigen (ML0411) for detection of antibodies in leprosy patients.

The potential of the recombinant serine-rich 45-kDa antigen (ML0411) of Mycobacterium leprae to aid in detecting M. leprae-specific serum antibodies was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in leprosy patients and controls comprising of tuberculosis patients, other unrelated skin-diseased patients and healthy individuals from India. All 18 multibacillary (MB) and 18/38 (47.4%) of the paucibacillary (PB) leprosy patients were found positive. None of the controls was positive, yielding complete (0/49) specificity in the series tested here. On the other hand, an anti-phenolic glycolipid-1 (PGL-I) antibody-detecting assay yielded detectable responses in 94.4% (17/18) of MB and 36.8% (14/38) of PB leprosy patients. Only two of 49 (4.1%) controls were positive, giving a specificity of 95.9%. Further, there was a good concordance (agreement of 83.8%; chi(2) = 40.3, P < 0.001; kappa = 0.63) between the two assays. Thus, the 45-kDa-based assay was slightly better than anti-PGL-I antibody-detecting assay. Interestingly, when combining the results of both the assays together for all leprosy patients (MB + PB), the combined sensitivity was significantly higher than that of the anti-PGL-I antibody-detecting ELISA alone (73.2% versus 55.4%; P < 0.05), but not (P > 0.05) compared with the 45-kDa antigen-based assay alone. Similarly, in case of PB patients, using both assays in combination, the sensitivity was significantly higher compared with anti-PGL-I antibody-detecting assay alone (60.5% versus 36.8%; P < 0.05). While adopting the combinatorial approach, the specificity remained invariably high (>95%). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that the M. leprae 45-kDa protein is a potent B-cell antigen and may be a useful serodiagnostic reagent.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of auditory evoked potential parameters for predicting clinically anaesthetized state.

BACKGROUND: Most of the research efforts to monitor the depth of anaesthesia using the mid-latency auditory evoked potential (MLAEP) signal in humans are based on the detection of the amplitudes and latencies of the signal peaks. Attempts have also been made to combine different time-domain and frequency-domain parameters. A comparison of different parameters is required to identify those which best discriminate the awake state from the anaesthetized state. METHODS: Although the sensitivity of MLAEP signal peaks is appreciable in awake and light anaesthesia states, it is reduced considerably at the moderate anaesthesia level, rendering this method unsuitable for predicting the surgical stage of anaesthesia. To overcome this problem, a numerically derived quantity--the morphology index--was used which does not require location of the peaks of the signal, but, at the same time, reflects the changes in both the latency and amplitude of the peaks. AEPs were recorded in the hospital for 18 patients during various states, i.e. awake, induction, unconscious and after regaining consciousness from halothane anaesthesia. The peak latencies, amplitudes, morphology index and peak power frequency (PPF) were calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of PPF (89% and 95%, respectively) were found to be better than those for Pa and Nb peak amplitudes, their latencies and the morphology index. In addition, PPF showed minimum inter-patient variation. The mean value (standard deviation) of this parameter was 26.9 (0.67) during the awake state, decreased to 17.1 (1.2) during the anaesthetized state, and increased again to 26.1 (0.93) when the patients regained full consciousness. CONCLUSION: PPF is the best of the four studied MLAEP parameters for the clinical characterization of the anaesthetized state during surgery.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2006

Preoperative ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology for axillary staging in breast carcinoma.

Axillary lymph node (ALN) status is considered to be the single most important prognostic indicator in patients with breast cancer. It can be assessed by various radiological, pathological and surgical techniques, the most accurate being histological examination of lymph nodes after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). This prospective study was conducted to assess the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of preoperative ultrasound (US) and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (USG-FNAC) of ALN in patients with breast cancer. Thirty patients with FNAC-proven breast cancer, planned for definitive surgery with axillary clearance, were included in this study. Ultrasonographic evaluation of the axillae of these patients was conducted for alterations in size, shape, contour and cortical morphology of lymph nodes that could reflect presence of underlying metastases. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of the ALN was done in 24 of these patients. These findings were evaluated, with the ALN status determined by histological examination after ALND. Out of the 30 patients, eight had T(1), 16 had T(2), five had T(3), and one had T(4) lesions. Ultrasound evaluation of the ALN had a sensitivity of 86.3%, a specificity of 41.6%, a positive predictive value of 79%, a negative predictive value of 50% and a diagnostic accuracy of 73.3%. Sensitivity of USG-FNAC was 78.95%, specificity was 100%, positive predictive value was 100%, negative predictive value was 55.56% and diagnostic accuracy was 83.33%. Our study concludes that preoperative USG-FNAC of ALN is a simple, minimally invasive, easily available and reliable technique for the initial determination of ALN status in patients with breast cancer. Those who are USG-FNAC positive can be directed towards ALND straight away, and only those who are USG-FNAC negative should be considered for sentinel lymph node biopsy. This will save considerable operating time, especially where facilities for sentinel lymph node biopsy (costly dye, gamma camera, nuclear medicine facilities) are restricted or not available.

Axilla↗
PubMed2006

Immunological and virological responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy in a non-clinical trial setting in a developing Caribbean country.

OBJECTIVE: Few data exist on the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy in individuals infected with HIV in the Caribbean. We evaluated the virological and immunological responses of HIV-infected adults starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). DESIGN: This was a prospective observational cohort study. METHODS: A total of 158 antiretroviral-naive patients who initiated HAART between January 2002 and March 2003, and completed at least 6 months of treatment and follow up, were included in the analysis. The response to therapy was assessed by changes in CD4 cell counts and viral loads from baseline. The mean increase in CD4 cell count, the rate of virological success (a viral load of <50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL) and the rate of immunological success (an increase in CD4 cell count of > or =50 cells/microL over the baseline value) after commencing HAART were measured. RESULTS: In total, 82% of patients (123 of 150) achieved viral loads of <50 copies/mL after 6 months of therapy. Viral success rate after 6 months of HAART was similar irrespective of gender, pre-HAART CD4 cell count and pre-HAART viral load. However, patients older than 40 years were significantly more likely to achieve virological success than those younger than 40 years. At 6 months after starting HAART, 79.5% of patients were estimated to have achieved immunological success and 17.9% had an increase in CD4 cell count of > or =200 cells/microL over the baseline value. The median increase in CD4 cell count for the 156 patients who had CD4 cell counts at baseline and at 6 months of therapy was 122 cells/microL. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected adults, there was a high rate of virological and immunological success after 6 months of HAART, irrespective of the pre-HAART viral load and CD4 cell count.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Is laparoscopic approach safe for ectopic pelvic kidneys?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and safety of a laparoscopic approach to pelvic kidneys for ablative and reconstructive surgery. METHODS: Between January 2002 and February 2005, 6 patients with a left pelvic kidney; 2 with ureteropelvic junction obstruction, 2 with nonfunctioning kidney and 2 with pelvic stones were selected. These patients underwent dismembered pyeloplasty, simple nephrectomy and pyelolithotomy by laparoscopic approach. For pyeloplasty, omitting the prior retrograde stent facilitated dissection around the pelvis, which was identified first and then the ureter was traced downwards. Dismembered pyeloplasty was done by continuous sutures using 4-0 vicryl over a double-J stent placed antegradely. During nephrectomy, the ureter was identified over the iliac vessels and divided first. Subsequent dissection was carried out after lifting the kidney to identify ectopic renal vessels. Pyelolithotomy was performed for a large single pelvic stone after placing the ureteric catheter and confirming the stone's position by fluoroscopy. RESULTS: One patient with pyelolithotomy was converted to open surgery while the others were completed laparoscopically. Mean hospital stay was 4.16 (range 3-5) days, blood loss 115 (range 30-300) ml and mean operative time was 170 (range 140-220) min. There were no post-operative complications. After pyeloplasty there was significant improvement in renal function and drainage pattern on diuretic scan at 11 and 12 months. CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic approach provides all the benefits of a minimally invasive procedure to the patients. Due to the different locations of renal vessels, it is safe to approach the ureter first when performing nephrectomy. When performing pyeloplasty, omitting the prior stent placement helps in the identification and dissection of the renal pelvis.

Adult↗