A Synergistic Role of Myeloperoxidase and High Sensitivity Troponin T in the Early Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome

Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and high sensitive Troponin T in the early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This was a cross sectional study that comprised of 120 individuals of which 75 were cases and 45 healthy controls. On the basis of clinical history and 12 lead electrocardiogram initial diagnosis of ACS was made in the cases. MPO and high sensitive Troponin T (hs-cTnT) was measured in all the individuals. Levels of MPO were significantly higher in patients of ACS as compared to those in control group [medians: 15.40 (95 % CI 11.06–20.84) vs 5.84 (95 % CI 5.50–6.44)]. By taking the cut off as >11.87 U/mL for MPO, its sensitivity was 87 % (95 % CI 73.7–95.1), specificity was 97.3 % (95 % CI 90.6–99.7), positive predictive value was 94.6 % and negative predictive value was 92.6 %. Positive likelihood ratio was 33.0 while negative likelihood ratio was 0.13, whereas the corresponding values in case of hs-cTnT were 95.6 % (95 % CI 85.2–99.5), 61.3 % (95 % CI 49.5–72.6), 59.7 %, 95.8 %, 2.47 and 0.07 by taking cut off as >14 pg/ml. The area under the ROC curves (AUC) of MPO and hscTnT at 0–6 h were 0.971 (95 % CI 0.92–0.99, P < 0.001) and 0.797 (95 % CI 0.71–0.86, P < 0.001) respectively. The logistic model combining the two markers yielded sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 95.7, 97.3, 98.2 and 93.7 % respectively. It was concluded that MPO and hs-cTnT may be useful tools for risk stratification of ACS and can be used together with better accuracy in the early diagnosis of ACS.     

Study of apolipoproteinc3 Sstl polymorphism in healthy volunteers from Northern India

Several studies including a small case-control (hypertriglyceridemic/normotriglyceridemic individuals) study by us revealed close association between rare S2 allele ofAPOC3 Sstl polymorphism and hypertriglyceridemia. With the understanding that Asian Indians are highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of hypertriglyceridemia, we extended the investigation and studied the frequency distribution of this polymorphism in 216 healthy volunteers from Northern plains of India. We found that more than 50% of the study population had one or two S2 allele. This may suggest that a larger fraction of this population is genetically predisposed to hypertriglyceridemia.     

Who Benefits Most from a University Degree?: A Cross-National Comparison of Selection and Wage Returns in the US,UK, and Germany

Recent research on economic returns to higher education in the United States suggests that those with the highest wage returns to a college degree are least likely to obtain one. We extend the study of heterogeneous returns to tertiary education across multiple institutional contexts, investigating how the relationship between wage returns and the propensity to complete a degree varies by the level of expansion, differentiation, and cost of higher education. Drawing on panel data and matching techniques, we compare findings from the US with selection into degree completion in Germany and the UK. Contrary to previous studies, we find little evidence for population level heterogeneity in economic returns to higher education.     

Against empathy: moving beyond colonizing practices in educational technology

Empathetic design is the ability for the designer to predict the cognitive and emotional experience of learners as they engage with the design product and process. It aims to center sensitivity toward learners, and the design process as a whole, which suggests potential application in educational settings. In the shift to digital, empathetic design may help instructors imagine learners’ thoughts and feelings engaged during the learning activity, and make iterative changes in response. Though empathetic design highlights sensitivity toward learners, by attempting to ‘be’ the other, it may unintentionally enact practices, and ideologies, of colonization. Recommendations for praxis via humanizing pedagogy are offered.

     

MMP 9 Gene Promoter Polymorphism in Gastric Cancer

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B) plays a key role in cancer invasion and metastasis by degrading the extracellular matrix and basement membrane barriers. A cytosine (C) > thymidine (T) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position −1562 in the MMP-9 promoter is reported to influence the expression of the gene. Genotyping of MMP-9 −1562 C→T promoter polymorphism in 140 gastric cancer patients and 132 healthy control subjects was carried out in order to evaluate its association with progression and development of gastric cancer. The SNP was genotyped by tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Statistical methods were adopted to test for the significance of the results. Risk factor profile of the patients revealed age above 50 years, smoking, alcoholism as the factors associated with the disease. The distribution of genotype frequencies in gastric cancer patients were 28.7 % of CC, 45.5 % of CT and 25.7 % of TT, whereas in control subjects 31.8 % of CC, 53.03 % of CT and 15.15 % of TT, respectively. The allelic frequencies were 51.51 % of C and 48.48 % of T in patient group and 58.33 % of C and 41.66 % of T in controls respectively. The present study shows the possible association of epidemiological risk factors with gastric cancer. There is an increased frequency of T allele in the disease compared to control subjects. However, there is no association of the MMP-9 −1562 C→T promoter polymorphism in the development of gastric cancer.     

Effects of pretraining on acquisition of novel configural discriminations in human predictive learning

In two experiments, participants acquired one of two target configural discriminations (a biconditional or negative patterning discrimination) in a predictive learning task. In Experiment 1, participants were pretrained with either a configural or an elemental discrimination; in Experiment 2, they were pretrained with a configural discrimination, an elemental discrimination, or a control discrimination that was not expected to bias them toward elemental or configural processing. In both experiments, acquisition of the target configural discriminations was faster after configural pretraining than after elemental pretraining. In addition, the negative patterning discrimination was acquired faster than the biconditional discrimination. Finally, the results of Experiment 2 were more consistent with the notion that elemental pretraining hindered acquisition of the target discriminations than with the notion that configural pretraining enhanced their acquisition. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Adoptions: Follow-up from an orphanage in Bombay

The practice of adoption, though long accepted as a social phenomenon, is only recently gaining popularity in India. Due to the paucity of adequate follow-ups, evaluation of these adopted children is incomplete. For the purpose of studying the well-being of these children after adoption, they were followed-up at the various places, i.e., orphanages, institutions, juvenile courts and adoption agencies, responsible for their care. One hundred sixty children, 63 boys and 97 girls, adopted from an orphanage in the vicinity of our hospital over a period of 13 years are included in this study. There were 104 local and 56 foreign adoptions. Due to sociocultural background in Indian adoptions, males were preferred; whereas the international adoptions mostly depended on human considerations without any specific preference for the sex of the child. On follow-up, all children except three were reported to be physically healthy and well-adjusted emotionally in the new family, and well accepted by the society. Although adoption is not the only solution for an abandoned child, it may open some avenues for the betterment of socially deserted and deprived children.     

Levels of cerebrospinal fluid acetylcholinesterase in tuberculous and pyogenic meningitis in children

Total acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was estimated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using colorimetric method in 64 cases with tuberculous meningitis, (TBM) (n=64), pyogenic meningitis (PM) (n=60) and in controls (n=39) of paediatric age group. Mean CSF—AChE values of both TBM and PM were significantly higher when compared with controls (p<0.001) but no significant change between TBM and PM was observed (p<0.01). It is suggested that inflammation of meninges due to the infection may attribute to a change in the function of blood brain barrier (BBB) causing higher CSF—AChE values in these diseases.