Four new species of Anagrus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) from India, with a key to Indian species

Sankararaman Hariharakrishnan,Manickavasagam Sagadai,Triapitsyn Serguei Vladimirovich 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.1

Four new species of Anagrus (Anagrus) Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) are described from India: A. (Anagrus) karnatakus Triapitsyn sp. n., A. (Anagrus) kolhapurensis Manickavasagam & Sankararaman sp. n., A. (Anagrus) latus Manickavasagam & Sankararaman sp. n. and A. (Anagrus) sujathae Manickavasagam & Sankar araman sp. n. A key to females of the 15 described and one undescribed species of Anagrus known from India is provided. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:99ED388D-BE3E-4FBA-A383-3482D96DA42F.

Review of Indian species of Monoceromyia Shannon (Diptera: Syrphidae) with description of two new species

Sankararaman H.,Anooj S.S.,Mengual Ximo 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.1

Flower fly species of the genus Monoceromyia Shannon (Diptera: Syrphidae) in India are reviewed and two new species, M. flavoscutata Sankararaman, Anooj and Mengual, sp. nov. and M. nigra Sankararaman, Anooj and Mengual, sp. nov., are described from Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh (India), respectively. A new synonym is proposed: M. multipunctata (Hull, 1941) is synonymised under M. polistoides (Brunetti, 1923). Moreover, lec totypes are designated for Ceria patricia Brunetti, 1923 and Ceria tredecimpunctata Brunetti, 1923. An identifi cation key

Enterourachal Fistula as an Initial Presentation in Crohn Disease

Sankararaman, Senthilkumar,Sabe, Ramy,Sferra, Thomas J.,Khalili, Ali Salar The Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology 2019 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.22 No.1

Crohn disease has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and rarely can present with complications such as a bowel stricture or fistula. In this case report, we describe a 17-year-old male who presented with a history of recurrent anterior abdominal wall abscesses and dysuria. He was diagnosed with Crohn disease and also found to have a fistulous communication between the terminal ileum and a patent urachus. An ileocecectomy with primary anastomosis and complete resection of the abscess cavity was performed. He is on azathioprine for maintenance therapy and currently in remission. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for this complication in Crohn disease patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of urachal anomalies such as suprapubic abdominal pain, dysuria, umbilical discharge, and periumbilical mass.

Enterourachal Fistula as an Initial Presentation in Crohn Disease

Senthilkumar Sankararaman,Ramy Sabe,Thomas J. Sferra,Ali Salar Khalili 대한소아소화기영양학회 2019 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.22 No.1

Crohn disease has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and rarely can present with complications such as a bowel stricture or fistula. In this case report, we describe a 17-year-old male who presented with a history of recurrent anterior abdominal wall abscesses and dysuria. He was diagnosed with Crohn disease and also found to have a fistulous communication between the terminal ileum and a patent urachus. An ileocecectomy with primary anastomosis and complete resection of the abscess cavity was performed. He is on azathioprine for maintenance therapy and currently in remission. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for this complication in Crohn disease patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of urachal anomalies such as suprapubic abdominal pain, dysuria, umbilical discharge, and periumbilical mass.

Boron-rich boron carbide from soot: a low-temperature green synthesis approach

Swapna M. S.,Saritha Devi H. V.,Sankararaman S. 한국세라믹학회 2020 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.57 No.6

Boron carbide is a promising super-hard semiconducting material for refractory applications ranging from the nuclear industry to spacecraft. The present work is the fi rst report of not only turning futile soot, containing carbon allotropes in varying composition, into boron-rich boron carbide (BC), but also developing it by a low-cost, low-temperature, and green synthesis method. The BC synthesised from gingelly oil soot is subjected to structural, morphological, and optical characterisations. The fi eld emission scanning electron microscope shows beautiful fl ower-like morphology, and the thermogravimetric analysis reveals the high-temperature stability of the sample synthesised. The Tauc plot of the sample indicates a 2.38 eV direct bandgap. The formation of BC and boron-rich carbide evidenced by X-ray diff raction studies is confi rmed through Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic signatures of B–C and C–B–C bonds. The fl uorescence, power spectrum, and CIE analyses carried out suggest the blue light emission for excitation at 350 nm.

Clostridioides difficile Infection Is Associated with Adverse Outcomes among Hospitalized Pediatric Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

Aravind Thavamani,Krishna Kishore Umapathi,Jasmine Khatana,Senthilkumar Sankararaman 대한소아소화기영양학회 2022 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.25 No.1

Purpose: Studies in adults have shown an increasing incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in patients hospitalized with acute pancreatitis (AP). There is lack of epidemiological data on CDI and its impact on hospitalized pediatric patients with AP. Methods: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample and Kids' Inpatient Database between the years 2003 and 2016 and included all patients (age <21 years) with a primary diagnosis of AP using specific International Classification of Diseases codes. We compared clinical outcomes between children with CDI and those without CDI. Our primary outcome was severe AP and secondary outcomes included length of stay and hospital charges. Results: A total of 123,240 hospitalizations related to AP were analyzed and CDI was noted in 0.6% of the hospital. The prevalence rate of CDI doubled from 0.4% (2003) to 0.8% (2016), p=0.03. AP patients with CDI had increased comorbidities, and also underwent more invasive surgical procedures, p<0.05. AP patients with CDI had a higher in-hospital mortality rate and increased prevalence of severe AP, p<0.001. Multivariate regression models showed that CDI was associated with 2.4 times (confidence interval [CI]: 1.91 to 3.01, p<0.001) increased odds of severe AP. CDI patients had 7.24 (CI: 6.81 to 7.67, p<0.001) additional hospital days while incurring $59,032 (CI: 54,050 to 64,014, p<0.001) additional hospitalization charges. Conclusion: CDI in pediatric patients with AP is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and increased healthcare resource utilization. Further studies are needed to elucidate this association to prevent the development of CDI and to improve outcomes.

Xinhuang Tablets Improve Intestinal Barrier Function via Regulating Epithelial Tight Junctions in Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis Mice

Meizhu Wu,Aling Shen,Youqin Chen,Liya Liu,Li Li,Senthilkumar Sankararaman,Hongwei Chen,Bin Guan,Zhixue Zhan,Shuhua Nan,Thomas J. Sferra,Jun Peng 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.1

Intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis (UC). Xinhuang tablets (XHTs) have been prescribed for several kinds of inflammatory diseases, including UC, whereas its possible underlying molecular mechanisms had never been explored. Mouse model of UC was constructed by DSS treatment and followed by XHT treatment. Disease activity index, histopathological of colonic tissue, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels in serum were further assessed. The underlying mechanism was further explored by determination of the expression of epithelial tight junction-related protein. XHT administration ameliorated dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced clinical symptoms, colonic histological injury, and decreased the circulating levels of TNF-α and SAA. Moreover, XHT treatment significantly increased the protein levels of zona occludens (ZO)-1, whereas decreased the levels of phosphorylation of Elk-1. In conclusion, this study confirmed the therapeutic effects of XHT treatment on UC in a DSS-induced mouse model, and indicated that by increasing expression of epithelial tight junctions and decreasing phosphorylation of Elk-1 might be one of the underlying mechanisms of XHT treatment on UC.

Rising Burden of Psychiatric and Behavioral Disorders and Their Adverse Impact on Health Care Expenditure in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Aravind Thavamani,Jasmine Khatana,Krishna Kishore Umapathi,Senthilkumar Sankararaman 대한소아소화기영양학회 2023 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.26 No.1

Purpose: The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing along with an increasing number of patients with comorbid conditions like psychiatric and behavioral disorders, which are independent predictors of quality of life. Methods: Non-overlapping years (2003-2016) of National Inpatient Sample and Kids Inpatient Database were analyzed to include all IBD-related hospitalizations of patients less than 21 years of age. Patients were analyzed for a concomitant diagnosis of psychiatric/ behavioral disorders and were compared with IBD patients without psychiatric/behavioral disorder diagnoses for outcome variables: IBD severity, length of stay and inflation-adjusted hospitalization charges. Results: Total of 161,294 IBD-related hospitalizations were analyzed and the overall prevalence rate of any psychiatric and behavioral disorders was 15.7%. Prevalence rate increased from 11.3% (2003) to 20.6% (2016), p<0.001. Depression, substance use, and anxiety were the predominant psychiatric disorders. Regression analysis showed patients with severe IBD (odds ratio [OR], 1.57; confidence interval [CI], 1.47-1.67; p<0.001) and intermediate IBD (OR, 1.14; CI, 1.10-1.28, p<0.001) had increased risk of associated psychiatric and behavioral disorders than patients with a low severity IBD. Multivariate analysis showed that psychiatric and behavioral disorders had 1.17 (CI, 1.07-1.28; p<0.001) mean additional days of hospitalization and incurred additional $8473 (CI, 7,520-9,425; p<0.001) of mean hospitalization charges, independent of IBD severity. Conclusion: Prevalence of psychiatric and behavioral disorders in hospitalized pediatric IBD patients has been significantly increasing over the last two decades, and these disorders were independently associated with prolonged hospital stay, and higher total hospitalization charges.

Epidemiology of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis: A Population-Based 5-Year Study

Omar Alaber,Ramy Sabe,Virginia Baez-Socorro,Senthilkumar Sankararaman,Erica Roesch,Thomas J. Sferra 대한소아소화기영양학회 2022 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.25 No.4

Purpose: The prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) has been on the rise since it was first described in the 1990s. Several diseases and exogenous factors have been associated with EoE. Our aim was to investigate the epidemiology of EoE in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Methods: We identified individuals with CF from September 2014 to September 2019 within a database (IBM Explorys Solutions, Inc.). The prevalence of EoE in patients with CF was compared to the general population. Results: The database included 36,111,860 patients during the 5-year study period: 12,950 with CF (0.036%) and 28,090 with EoE (0.078%). EoE prevalence was higher in CF patients than the general population (46 in 10,000 vs. 7.8 in 10,000, p<0.001). Patients with CF and EoE were more likely to be male (50% vs. 33.5%, p<0.008), children (33.3% vs. 16.5%, p<0.001), and non-Hispanic (100% vs. 88.7%, p<0.001) than CF patients without EoE. CF with EoE patients were more likely to be children than EoE only (33.3% vs. 10.5%, p<0.001). Allergic conditions were generally more prevalent in CF with EoE than CF only (83.3% vs. 68.3%, p=0.01) and EoE only (83.3% vs. 69.3%, p=0.014). Conclusion: EoE is nearly 6-times more prevalent in CF patients. Those patients had higher incidence of other atopic conditions. EoE must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with CF presenting with dysphagia, refractory gastroesophageal reflux, vomiting, and other esophagus-related symptoms.