Gender differences in outcomes of patients with cystic fibrosis

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common life-shortening genetic disease in which women have been described to have worse outcomes than males, particularly in response to respiratory infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, as advancements in therapies have improved life expectancy, this gender disparity has been challenged. The objective of this study is to examine whether a gender-based survival difference still exists in this population and determine the impact of common CF respiratory infections on outcomes in males versus females with CF. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 32,766 patients from the United States Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry over a 13-year period. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare overall mortality and pathogen based survival rates in males and females. Results: Females demonstrated a decreased median life expectancy (36.0 years; 95% confidence interval [CI] 35.0–37.3) compared with men (38.7 years; 95% CI 37.8–39.6; p<0.001). Female gender proved to be a significant risk factor for death (hazard ratio 2.22, 95% CI 1.79–2.77), despite accounting for variables known to influence CF mortality. Women were also found to become colonized earlier with several bacteria and to have worse outcomes with common CF pathogens. Conclusions: CF women continue to have a shortened life expectancy relative to men despite accounting for key CF-related comorbidities. Women also become colonized with certain common CF pathogens earlier than men and show a decreased life expectancy in the setting of respiratory infections. Explanations for this gender disparity are only beginning to be unraveled and further investigation into mechanisms is needed to help develop therapies that may narrow this gender gap

Some identities of Ramanujan's q-Continued Fraction of Order Eighteen, Twenty-Six and Thirty, and Vanishing Coefficients

In the present work, we established continued fractions of level eighteen, twenty six and thirty. Further, we obtained vanishing coefficients and many algebraic relations. To validate our result colored partitions are also obtained

Medical management of ovarian ectopic pregnancy- a case report

Primary ovarian ectopic pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy which has an estimated prevalence ranging from 1:7000 to 1:70,000 accounting for almost 3 % of all ectopic cases. A 37-year-old woman was referred to our hospital intermittent vaginal spotting, recurrent abdominal pain that was getting worse, and 3 days of vaginal bleeding with clot passage. Her general condition was good and her vital signs were normal. She felt tenderness in an abdominal examination and had a small amount of vaginal bleeding. Transvaginal ultrasonography showed an ectopic gestational sac, in her right ovary. Our final diagnosis was ectopic ovarian pregnancy and we successfully treated her with methotrexate. After 3 doses of methotrexate administration her beta human chorionic gonadotropin was negative and a sonographic examination was completely normal. Approximately 3% of all ectopic pregnancies are located in the ovaries. Preoperative diagnosis of this extremely rare condition is challenging, because the ectopic pregnancy often resembles cysts of the corpus luteum

Raithara Bandu � A Digitalised Approach

India is one of the leading countries in sericulture. Karnataka�s contribution is also significant as it is home land of Mysore silk. The mulberry is the main crop used for productivity of cocoon. The study of soil properties and appropriate usage of fertilizers effectively increase the yield of productivity. A data mining approach to analyze the soil properties such as Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and so forth and automatic decision making will greatly help the Agriculture scientists as well as farmers. The required quantity of fertilizer will be decided by the proposed system which in turn saves time, man power and cost. Classification techniques can be applied on soil parameters and decision making system can be further adopted to predict the mulberry crop production in cultivation lands

CONCEPTUAL ASPECT OF DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. DMD is one among the most common muscular disorders. The incidence is 1:3500 live male birth. It is X-linked recessive disease caused by a deficiency of a normal muscle protein called dystrophin, which maintains the integrity of the muscle cell wall. Degeneration of the skeletal muscles, which control movement leading to lose the ability to stand, walk and loss of ambulation before 10 years, with progression of the disease most patients succumb to death in their early 20s. Disease is having bad prognosis if the treatment start in early stages of the disease, it may slow or stop the progressive degeneration of muscles. As there is no specific treatment in any system of medicine for DMD, in modern therapeutic approach of muscular dystrophy is represents on corticosteroids, physical therapy, respiration assistance and gene therapy. All major neuromuscular disorders are identified with Vata Dosha.&nbsp;In Ayurveda this pathogenesis can be clearly understood by the concept of&nbsp;Adi bala pravritta vyadhi.&nbsp;Here the pathogenesis occurs due to the&nbsp;Beejabhagavayava Dushti&nbsp;which leads to&nbsp;Mamsa Vata Dushti. The Ayurvedic treatments relevant to Rasayana group of herbo-mineral medicines and specified Panchakarma therapies have definite protective influence and long survival on Dhatu Kshaya. Keep upon this view in present study the therapies and medicines is useful for DMD is taken with their logical understanding.&nbsp

Clitoral excision for persistent genital arousal disorder in an elderly patient: a surgical approach to long term symptom relief

This case report aims to highlight the successful surgical management of persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) in an elderly patient, emphasizing the role of clitoral excision as an effective treatment modality. We present the case of an 85-year-old woman who experienced PGAD that severely impacted her quality of life. Despite undergoing various medical and psychological treatments, the patient continued to suffer from debilitating symptoms. Following a comprehensive assessment, clitoral excision was performed as a last-resort surgical intervention. Postoperatively, the patient reported significant symptom relief and improved overall well-being. This case underscores the potential of surgical intervention in managing PGAD, particularly in elderly patients where conservative treatments may be ineffective. Further research is needed to explore the long-term outcomes of such surgical approaches and their implications for clinical practice

Effect of Oral Alendronate on Bone Mineral Density and the Incidence of Fractures in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

BACKGROUND Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a serious health problem, and additional treatments are needed. METHODS We studied the effects of oral alendronate, an aminobisphosphonate, on bone mineral density and the incidence of fractures and height loss in 994 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The women were treated with placebo or alendronate (5 or 10 mg daily for three years, or 20 mg for two years followed by 5 mg for one year); all the women received 500 mg of calcium daily. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The occurrence of new vertebral fractures and the progression of vertebral deformities were determined by an analysis of digitized radiographs, and loss of height was determined by sequential height measurements. RESULTS The women receiving alendronate had significant, progressive increases in bone mineral density at all skeletal sites, whereas those receiving placebo had decreases in bone mineral density. At three years, the mean (±SE) differences in bone mineral density between the women receiving 10 mg of alendronate daily and those receiving placebo were 8.8±0.4 percent in the spine, 5.9±0.5 percent in the femoral neck, 7.8±0.6 percent in the trochanter, and 2.5±0.3 percent in the total body (P CONCLUSIONS Daily treatment with alendronate progressively increases the bone mass in the spine, hip, and total body and reduces the incidence of vertebral fractures, the progression of vertebral deformities, and height loss in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Boron nitride nanosheets, quantum dots, and dots: Synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications

This review examines three aspects of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials: properties, synthesis methods, and biomedical applications. We focus the scope of review on three types of h-BN nanostructures: boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs, few-layered h-BN, larger than ∼100 nm in lateral dimensions), boron nitride quantum dots (BN QDs, smaller than ∼10 nm in all dimensions, with inherent excitation-dependent fluorescence), and boron nitride dots (BN dots, smaller than ∼10 nm in all dimensions, wide bandgap without noise fluorescence). The synthesis methods of BNNSs, BN QDs, and BN dots are summarized in top-down and bottom-up approaches. Future synthesis research should focus on the scalability and the quality of the products, which are essential for reproducible applications. Regarding biomedical applications, BNNSs were used as nanocarriers for drug delivery, mechanical reinforcements (bone tissue engineering), and antibacterial applications. BN QDs are still limited for non-specific bioimaging applications. BN dots are used for the small dimension to construct high-brightness probes (HBPs) for gene sequence detections inside cells. To differentiate from other two-dimensional materials, future applications should focus on using the unique properties of BN nanostructures, such as piezoelectricity, boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), and their electrically insulating and optically transparent nature. Examples would be combining BNCT and chemo drug delivery using BNNSs, and using BN dots to form HBPs with enhanced fluorescence by preventing fluorescence quenching using electrically insulating BN dots