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Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (alloHSCT) is a curative treatment for many hematologic malignancies. Unfortunately, about 30-50% of all recipients undergoing alloHSCT develop acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD), which is associated with high morbidity and mortality [1,2]. Treatment of aGVHD involves the use of immune suppressive drugs such as high dose of steroids that leads to further immunosuppression and risk for opportunistic infections. Often patients are refractory to steroids therapy making the prognosis dismal. Thus, it is critical to identify robust biomarkers to detect aGVHD before onset of clinical symptoms so that therapeutic strategies can be implemented that may result in better treatment responses and less toxicity. 

Spine degenerative surgeries are very common but carry multiple complications such as dural tears, CSF leak, pseudomeningocele and very rarely meningitis. Here we report such a case and discuss the possible causes, management and review of the literature.It’s a case of a 68-year-old man who underwent a posterior laminectomy that was complicated by a CSF leak and pseudomeningocele. Twelve days later the patient developed a severe bifrontal headache and then altered sensorium. CSF studies revealed severe meningitis with Pseudomonas stutzeri. It was multi-sensitive and after initiation of gram-negative coverage the patient markedly improved. However, the meningitis was further complicated by cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and he was also started on anticoagulation.Conclusion: Pseudomonas stutzeri has rarely been reported as a cause of meningitis and has never been reported post-laminectomy. Meningitis symptoms and signs could be obscured by the use of steroids in the postoperative period. Hence, it is of paramount importance to look for any subtle signs of infection in the postoperative period and question the use of high-dose steroids that could easily mask them.

Many advances have been made in recent years in the development of hearing and cochlear implants. These use acoustic and electrical stimulation technologies to improve speech intelligibility for the hearing impaired. However, for cochlear prostheses, the results are not very promising and vary from one patient to another. Certain technical and sometimes physiological problems have limited the expected performances of these devices, especially for children and the elderly. These problems include cochlear malformation and ossification of the auditory channels. This led us to reduce the number of electrodes in order to allow quality deep insertion while preserving the low-frequency acoustic bands of the operated patient.

The impact of vitamin D on the musculoskeletal system is well known. The diverse role of vitamin D is well supported by the functionality of vitamin D receptors and vitamin D activating enzymes (hydroxylase) present in tissues and cells. Hypovitaminosis D causes rickets, osteomalacia, hyperparathyroidism, and an increased risk of bone fracture. Vitamin D has immune-stimulatory effects on both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Vitamin D induces antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin and defensin that can inhibit viral replication of pro-inflammatory cytokines that regulate inflammatory encasement. Moreover, several studies on vitamin D have shown its interdictory role in the immune and respiratory systems. This global crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic condition has increased the risk of acute respiratory tract infection by immune dysregulation along with cytokine storm, which further progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome. Vitamin D has immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties which are effective against respiratory viral infections. Vitamin D supplementation has shown a compatible effect on viral infection. This review article discusses the role of vitamin D in reducing the risk of respiratory infections including the severity of COVID-19 infections. This review focuses on the therapeutic role of vitamin D to improve clinical outcome during COVID-19 infection and suggest its possible role in the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections.

Among the abounding lessons we learned from the SARS-C0V-2 pandemic is the uttermost determinant that people are not equal before the severity of COVID-19. Indeed, the disease course differs with age, gender, ethnicity, underlying clinical conditions and virus variants. Other diseases modifying factors are associated with genetic traits such as those driving the immune response, the blood groups, the coagulation system and the ACE2 receptor variants [1-4].

Cotton crop is infested with different kinds of insects in the production cycle. Jassids, thrips, aphids and whiteflies are among the sucking pests, and bollworms (American and spotted) and Spodoptera caterpillars attack leaves and bolls. Bollworms can cause up to 40% - 50% crop losses in severe incidences.

Sleep and menstrual cycle both are normal physiological processes in women’s life but they are regulated by different centers. Sleep is a daily rhythm whereas the menstrual cycle lasts for 28 days. During this period the estrogen peaks twice. We have shown earlier that there is an inverse relationship between estrogen and the hormone melatonin which aids sleep. Because of this menstruating women will have sleep disorders.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and often progressive condition that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) and as a result has negative consequences on a person’s physical condition, functioning, mood, and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) [1]. 

Introduction: Sonographic scan tests are real-time procedures but the female reproductive systems are subject to continued changes beyond the mid-menstrual period. Therefore a second test may be useful after mid-menstrual ultrasound tests among women with infertility who first had normal ultrasound tests during the mid-menstrual period. Aim: The aim of this study is to find out whether physiological changes beyond the mid-menstrual period in the female reproductive system could develop into findings that could be missed at the first ultrasound test among women with infertility during mid menstrual period. Method: One hundred and forty (140) women participated in this study, over a period of 12 months. The inter-observer correlations were carried out. The ultrasound test measured the diameters of the endometrium and ovarian follicle. The study was carried out during the mid-menstrual cycle when normal changes are optimal. The subjects were women of childbearing age (18 years - 40 years) with 28 days cycles who were referred from the fertility clinic. Women who had previous pelvic surgery, women on fertility therapy, and women who were unsure of the date were excluded from the study. Only women who met the inclusion criteria were selected for the study. The selection was by convenience sampling method. The women underwent the first phase of the ultrasound test during the mid-menstrual cycle. Those who had ultrasonographic-positive infertility reports were returned to the referral clinic. Only women who had normal ultrasonographic fertility reports were included in the second phase of further ultrasonographic tests. The scans were carried out further for four days for this second phase study and the result was again compared with normal values. (Endometrium Normal range 7.4 mm - 13.5 mm and ovarian follicles normal range 17.4 mm to 23.5 mm). Results: The first phase of the scan showed 108 (77%) of the women had positive infertility results for endometrium and ovarian follicles, while 32 (23%) of the women had a normal ultrasonographic result and were rescanned over days. The findings of the second phase scan showed that 10 subjects (7.30%) showed new abnormalities, Findings were distributed in three sub-groups in this second phase of the study. Sub-group A, 4 (2.67%) had enlarged unruptured follicles, sub-group B, 6 (4.30%) had an endometrial cavity filled with fluid, sub-group C, 22 (15.70%) subjects still had normal scans who may be referred for other studies. Conclusion: Women with infertility who had a normal scan at the mid-menstrual cycle should be followed up with a second-phase ultrasound scan before other tests.

Modern-day biology is witnessing a data explosion with a vast amount of information generated from ongoing genome and sequencing projects. The abundance of data from genome sequences, functional genomics and another high throughput (HTP) technique with the potential of computing has led to rising of a new discipline namely ‘bioinformatics’. Bioinformatics is a young but fast-growing field for biological data collection, organization, interpretation, and modeling. Tools and techniques for bioinformatics are derived from multidisciplinary combinations of varied disciplines from natural and physical sciences. Previously various disciplines were carved out as and when sufficient specialization was achieved. However, now bioinformatics is borne out of an alliance between existing disciplines from life and non-life. Bioinformatics encompasses new foundations for the collection, organization, and mining of gene/ protein sequences, three-dimensional structures, and biochemical functions, for modeling biological processes of functioning cells. DNA sequencing performed on an industrial scale has produced a vast amount of data to analyze. Although the Human Genome Project is officially over, improvements in DNA sequencing continue to be made. The field of forensic science is increasingly based on biomolecular data and many European countries are establishing forensic databases to store DNA profiles of crime scenes of known offenders and apply DNA testing.