Effect of l-Carnosine as adjunctive therapy in the management of children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled study

l-Carnosine is an amino acid that acts as an anti-oxidant, anti-toxic and neuroprotective agent. There is a paucity of data about the effectiveness of l-Carnosine in the management of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of l-Carnosine as adjunctive therapy in the management of ASD. This was a randomized controlled trial. Children aged 3–6 years with a diagnosis of mild to moderate ASD were assigned to standard care arm (occupational and speech therapy) and intervention care arm (l-Carnosine, 10–15 mg/kg in 2 divided doses) plus standard care treatment. The children were assessed at the baseline and the end of 2 months for the scores of Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition—Standard Version (CARS2-ST), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), BEARS sleep screening tool and 6-item Gastrointestinal Severity Index (6-GSI). Of the sixty-seven children enrolled, sixty-three children had completed the study. No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed for any of the outcome measures assessed. Supplementation of l-Carnosine did not improve the total score of CARS2-ST, ATEC, BEARS sleep screening tool and 6-GSI scores of children with ASD. Further investigations are needed with more objective assessments to critically validate the effectiveness of l-Carnosine on ASD children for more decisive results.

     

Inappropriate defibrillator shock due to oversensing. What is the mechanism?

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is often advised for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death. Inappropriate shocks from ICD is uncommon but can seriously affect the quality of life. One of the reasons for inappropriate ICD shock is loose set screw, which may remain undetected by device interrogation and/or fluoroscopy. A 55-year lady presented with multiple inappropriate shocks few hours after an ICD implantation. The discrepancy between near field (NF, tip to ring) and far field (FF, Can to RV coil) signals helped us to suspect noise related to loose set screw, as the underlying problem. Re-exploration of the pocket had to be performed as the last resort to confirm the diagnosis and rectify the problem.     

Cobalt (II) imprinted chitosan for selective removal of cobalt during nuclear reactor decontamination

The selectivity of chitosan has been modified through metal ion imprinting technique for its potential application in nuclear industry. Considerable reduction in radioactive waste volume, generated during the chemical decontamination of nuclear power plants, can be achieved through the selective removal of the radionuclides. In this context, a Co(II) imprinted chitosan was synthesized using epichlorohydrin as the crosslinker. The selective removal of Co(II) in presence of Fe(II), which is the major non-radioactive ion present in excess during decontamination, was studied. The imprinted chitosan showed selective sorption of Co(II) over Fe(II), while the raw chitosan was selective to Fe(II) over Co(II). The imprinted chitosan was found to retain the enhanced selectivity towards Co(II) under various solution conditions, including typical nuclear reactor decontamination formulations containing strong complexants. The highest uptake by the imprinted chitosan, with maximum selectivity for Co(II) over Fe(II), was obtained in citrate medium at pH 4.8.     

Consequences of adaptation to larval crowding on sexual and fecundity selection in Drosophila melanogaster

Sexual selection is a major force influencing the evolution of sexually reproducing species. Environmental factors such as larval density can manipulate adult condition and influence the direction and strength of sexual selection. While most studies on the influence of larval crowding on sexual selection are either correlational or single-generation manipulations, it is unclear how evolution under chronic larval crowding affects sexual selection. To answer this, we measured the strength of sexual selection on male and female Drosophila melanogaster that had evolved under chronic larval crowding for over 250 generations in the laboratory, along with their controls which had never experienced crowding, in a common garden high-density environment. We measured selection coefficients on male mating success and sex-specific reproductive success, as separate estimates allowed dissection of sex-specific effects. We show that experimental evolution under chronic larval crowding decreases the strength of sexual and fecundity selection in males but not in females, relative to populations experiencing crowding for the first time. The effect of larval crowding in reducing reproductive success is almost twice in females than in males. Our study highlights the importance of studying how evolution in a novel, stressful environment can shape adult fitness in organisms.