Shailendra Sharma - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Shailendra Sharma

Research paper thumbnail of Feasibility of a Mobile Phone-Based Surveillance for Surgical Site Infections in Rural India

Telemedicine and e-Health, 2015

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using mobile communication technology in completing a 30... more Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using mobile communication technology in completing a 30-day follow-up of surgical site infection (SSI). Subjects and Methods: SSIs are infections occurring up to 30 days after an operative procedure. This prospective exploratory study was conducted in a cohort of patients who were admitted and operated on in the general surgery wards of a rural hospital in India from October 2010 to June 2011. At the time of discharge, all patients were requested to follow-up in the surgical outpatient clinic at 30 days after surgery. If this was not done, a mobile phone-based surveillance was done to complete the followup. Results: The mean age of the 536 operated-on patients was 40 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 38-41 years). The mean duration of hospital stay was 10.7 days (95% CI, 9.9-11.6 days). Most (81%) operated-on patients were from rural areas, and 397 (75%) were male. Among the operated-on patients the ownership of mobile phones was 75% (95% CI, 73-78%). The remaining 25% of patients (n = 133) used a shared mobile phone. For 380 patients (74.5%) the follow-up was completed by mobile phones. The SSI rate at follow-up was 6.3% (n = 34). In 10 patients, an SSI was detected over the mobile phone. Conclusions: Mobile communication technology is feasible to be used in rural settings to complete case follow-up for SSIs.

Research paper thumbnail of Incidence and factors associated with surgical site infections in a teaching hospital in Ujjain, India

American Journal of Infection Control, 2014

Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the most commonly reported health care-associated infect... more Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the most commonly reported health care-associated infections; however, there is a paucity of data on SSI from India. This study aimed to determine the incidence of SSI and explore its associated factors at a teaching hospital in India. Direct and indirect surveillance methods, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, were used to define SSI. Patients were followed up for 30 days postsurgery. Prescribing and resistance data were collected. The SSI rate among the 720 patients investigated was 5%. Risk factors for SSI identified were as follows: severity of disease (P = .001), presence of drains (P = .020), history of previous hospitalization (P = .003), preoperative stay (P = .005), wound classification (P < .001), and surgical duration (P < .001). Independent risk factors identified included wound classification (odds ratio = 4.525; P < .001) and surgical duration (odds ratio = 2.554; P = .015). Most patients (99%) were prescribed antibiotics. Metronidazole (24.5%), ciprofloxacin (11%), and amikacin (9%) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. Most commonly isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (n = 14), of which 34% were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 6), which showed resistance to ceftazidime (70%), ciprofloxacin (63%), and gentamicin (57%). Incidence of SSI at the hospital was lower than reported in many low- and middle-income countries, although higher than reported in most high-income countries. Targeted implementation strategies to decrease incidence of preventable SSI are needed to further improve quality and safety of health care in this hospital and similar hospitals elsewhere.

Research paper thumbnail of Kidney Disease and Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnancy

American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2015

Pregnancy in kidney disease is considered high risk, but the degree of this risk is unclear. We t... more Pregnancy in kidney disease is considered high risk, but the degree of this risk is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that kidney disease in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Retrospective study comparing pregnant women with and without kidney disease. Using data from an integrated health care delivery system from 2000 through 2013, a total of 778 women met the criteria for kidney disease. Using a pool of 74,105 women without kidney disease, we selected 778 women to use for matches for the women with kidney disease. These women were matched 1:1 by age, race, and history of diabetes, chronic hypertension, liver disease, and connective tissue disease. Kidney disease was defined using the NKF-KDOQI definition for chronic kidney disease or International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes prior to pregnancy or serum creatinine level > 1.2mg/dL and/or proteinuria in the first trimester. Maternal outcomes included preterm delivery, delivery by cesarean section, preeclampsia/eclampsia, length of stay at hospital (>3 days), and maternal death. Fetal outcomes included low birth weight (weight < 2,500g), small for gestational age, number of admissions to neonatal intensive care unit, and infant death. Compared with women without kidney disease, those with kidney disease had 52% increased odds of preterm delivery (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.16-1.99) and 33% increased odds of delivery by cesarean section (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.06-1.66). Infants born to women with kidney disease had 71% increased odds of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit or infant death compared with infants born to women without kidney disease (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.17-2.51). Kidney disease also was associated with 2-fold increased odds of low birth weight (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.64-3.44). Kidney disease was not associated with increased risk of maternal death. Data for level of kidney function and cause of death not available. Kidney disease in pregnancy is associated independently with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes when other comorbid conditions are controlled by matching.

Research paper thumbnail of Development and use of anchored-SSRs to study DNA polymorphism in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Molecular Ecology Notes, 2006

In bread wheat, 21 anchored simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs detecting SSR length polymo... more In bread wheat, 21 anchored simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs detecting SSR length polymorphism and 42 anchored SSR primers detecting microsatellite-anchored fragment length polymorphisms (MFLPs) are reported. Eight bread wheat genotypes were used for detecting polymorphism. The number of alleles in SSR analysis ranged from two to six, with a mean of 2.9 alleles per SSR. The number of polymorphic bands in MFLP ranged from two to 40, with a mean of 12.74 polymorphic bands/primer combination, the SSRs with CT/GA motifs giving the highest level of polymorphism (a mean of 18.37 bands). The average value of polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.473 for SSRs and 0.061 for MFLP.

Research paper thumbnail of DNA polymorphism among 18 species of Triticum–Aegilops complex using wheat EST–SSRs

Plant Science, 2004

PCR primers were designed for 78 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeats (EST–SSRs), which... more PCR primers were designed for 78 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeats (EST–SSRs), which represented a subset of over 800 SSRs that were located by us in wheat EST database. When tested for functionality on several varieties of common wheat ...

Research paper thumbnail of Trekkers' Awareness of Acute Mountain Sickness and Acetazolamide

Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Genetic diversity in Indian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology, 2008

Genetic diversity of twenty-six common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions of diverse geograp... more Genetic diversity of twenty-six common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions of diverse geographical origin was studied using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Fifteen out of forty four primers screened showed polymorphism across present set of genotypes. A total of 124 amplicons were scored using these 15 primers. Ninety five percent of the amplified products showed polymorphism, indicating fair amount of variation at the DNA level among these accessions. Cluster analysis delineated the genotypes in to four groups.

Research paper thumbnail of Colonization behavior of bacterium Burkholderia cepacia inside the Oryza sativa roots visualized using green fluorescent protein reporter

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2008

... Shiveta Sharma Æ Shailendra Sharma Æ Ramesh K. Singh Æ Akhauri Vaishampayan ... Acknowledgmen... more ... Shiveta Sharma Æ Shailendra Sharma Æ Ramesh K. Singh Æ Akhauri Vaishampayan ... Acknowledgments The authors are thankful to Dr. HJO Ramos for providing pHRGFPGUS plasmid. ... Curr Sci 89:608–610 Singh RK, Mishra RPN, Jaiswal HK, Kumar V, Pandey S, Rao SB ...

Research paper thumbnail of Prevention of Acute Mountain Sickness by Acetazolamide in Nepali Porters: A Double-Blind Controlled Trial

Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 2006

Objective.-This study aimed to determine the efficacy, tolerability, and practicality of acetazol... more Objective.-This study aimed to determine the efficacy, tolerability, and practicality of acetazolamide for the prevention of acute mountain sickness (AMS) in Nepali trekking porters early in the trekking season.

Research paper thumbnail of In Reply to Trekker Behavior as One Indicator of AMS Knowledge

Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of QTL analysis of root-lesion nematode resistance in barley: 1. Pratylenchus neglectus

Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2011

The root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus can cause severe losses in barley cultivation. Mu... more The root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus can cause severe losses in barley cultivation. Multiplication rates had been found to vary greatly between different barley accessions. Two winter barley cultivars, Igri and Franka, had been found to differ in their ability to resist this parasite. An existing Igri 9 Franka doubled haploid population was chosen to genetically map resistance genes after artificial inoculation with P. neglectus in the greenhouse and climate chamber. A continuous phenotypic variation was found indicating a quantitative inheritance of P. neglectus resistance. An existing map was enriched by 527 newly developed Diversity Array Technology markers (DArTs). The new genetic linkage map was comprised of 857 molecular markers that cover 1,157 cM on seven linkage groups. Using phenotypic data collected from four different experiments in 3 years, five quantitative trait loci were mapped by composite interval mapping on four (3H, 5H, 6H and 7H) linkage groups. A quantitative trait locus with a large phenotypic effect of 16% and likelihood of odds (LOD) score of 6.35 was mapped on linkage group 3H. The remaining four QTLs were classified as minor or moderate with LOD scores ranging from 2.71 to 3.55 and R 2 values ranging from 8 to 10%. The DNA markers linked to the resistance QTLs should be quite useful for marker-assisted selection in barley breeding because phenotypic selection is limited due to time constraints and labor costs.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of genetic diversity in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)

Scientia Horticulturae, 2008

AFLP technique was applied to assess genetic diversity among 44 common bean accessions that inclu... more AFLP technique was applied to assess genetic diversity among 44 common bean accessions that included 6 exotic accessions, 15 Indian land races and 23 released varieties. Eight AFLP primer pairs were used that produced 820 products of which 698 were polymorphic (85.12%). Wide variations were observed among all the accessions for the number of amplification products, percent polymorphism and average polymorphism information content (PIC). The Jaccard's similarity indices (J) based on the AFLP profiles were subjected to UPGMA cluster analysis. The dendrogram generated revealed seven major groups. Seventeen out of 23 released varieties were restricted to clusters VI and VII. The value of r = 0.934 in Mantel's test for cophenetic corrlelation applied to the cluster analysis indicated the high fitness of the accessions to a group. The germplasm used in the present study had narrow genetic base, although moderate to high genetic diversity was observed. The details of diversity analysis and the potential use of Indian common bean accessions in common bean breeding programme are provided in the present study. #

Research paper thumbnail of Adaptive ribosomal DNA polymorphism in wild barley at a mosaic microsite, Newe Ya’ar in Israel

Plant Science, 2004

In eukaryotic genomes, ribosomal DNA is organized in tandem repeat units at the nucleolar organiz... more In eukaryotic genomes, ribosomal DNA is organized in tandem repeat units at the nucleolar organizing regions (NORs) on each satellited chromosome. Each repeat unit consists of a coding region and an intergenic spacer (IGS), the latter generally varying in length at different loci of the same genotype and also at the same locus in different genotypes. The spacer length variants (slvs) are sometimes correlated with climatic and ecological variables. In a study of 42 accessions of wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) collected from four different microniches (sun-deep soil, sun-shallow soil, shade-deep soil and shade-shallow soil) at the Newe Ya'ar microsite (3182 m 2 ), in Israel, we observed eight slvs constituting 10 different rDNA phenotypes, correlated with edaphic conditions prevalent at the four microniches. We conclude that rDNA diversity in wild barley is distributed nonrandomly and adaptively in the four microniches of Newe Ya'ar. A novel feature in this study is also the homogenization of IGS length at the two loci located at two nonhomologous chromosomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), was used to rule out the possibility of loss of one of the two NOR loci.

Research paper thumbnail of Ribosomal DNA polymorphism and its association with geographical and climatic variables in 27 wild barley populations from Jordan

Plant Science, 2004

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat unit length polymorphism was examined in 285 accessions of wild barle... more Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat unit length polymorphism was examined in 285 accessions of wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum C. Koch, which were collected from 27 locations across Jordan. As many as 19 spacer length variants (slvs) or rDNA alleles were available, which formed 70 slv phenotypes. The two missing alleles (098, 099) of the series (097, 100-118) and one additional allele 119 were also discovered in the present study thus raising the number of ribosomal slvs in barley to 24. Relatively more frequent rDNA alleles were analyzed in detail, and it was shown that they occurred non-randomly at locations with different environmental factors (annual rainfall, highest and lowest temperatures, altitude, longitude, latitude) and exhibited association with specific environments. Ecogeographical factors, rather than geographical factors per se, seem to affect the distribution of rDNA alleles. The present study thus demonstrates that rDNA repeat unit length polymorphism in some cases can be adaptive in nature.

Research paper thumbnail of Dietary Sodium and Potassium Intake Is Not Associated With Elevated Blood Pressure in US Adults With No Prior History of Hypertension

The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 2014

The relationship between dietary sodium and potassium intake with elevated blood pressure (BP) le... more The relationship between dietary sodium and potassium intake with elevated blood pressure (BP) levels is unclear. The authors examined the association between dietary sodium and potassium intake and BP levels in 6985 adults aged 18 years and older with no prior history of hypertension who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006). After adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index, diabetes, and estimated glomerular filtration rate, there was no association between higher quartiles of sodium or potassium intake with the risk of a BP >140/90 mm Hg or >130/80 mm Hg. There was also no relationship between dietary sodium and potassium intake with BP when systolic and diastolic BP were measured as continuous outcomes (P=.68 and P=.74, respectively). Furthermore, no association was found between combinations of sodium and potassium intake with elevated BP. In the US adult population without hypertension, increased dietary sodium or low potassium intake was not associated with elevated BP levels. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2014;16:418-423. ª2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Research paper thumbnail of A preliminary genetic analysis of fibre traits and the use of new genomic SSRs for genetic diversity in jute

Euphytica, 2008

Jute is one of the most important fibre crops, which is second only to cotton in providing enviro... more Jute is one of the most important fibre crops, which is second only to cotton in providing environment-friendly (biodegradable and renewable) ligno-cellulose fibre. In order to improve this largely neglected crop, we conducted a preliminary study involving the following: (i) analysis of nature and extent of the genetic variability for fibre yield and four other related traits in a set of 81 genotypes belonging to two commercially cultivated Corchorus species (45 genotypes of C. olitorius + 36 genotypes of C. capsularis), (ii) development and analysis of a set of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from C. olitorius, and (iii) use of a sub-set of SSRs for assessment of genetic diversity in the above set of 81 genotypes. The results suggested quantitative nature of fibre yield and other related traits, with a preponderance of dominance component in genetic variance. A sub-set of 45 SSRs derived from C. olitorius, when used for a study of DNA polymorphism and genetic diversity, showed high transferability of these C. olitorius SSRs to C. capsularis. The average number of alleles for individual SSRs was surprisingly low (3.04 for both species, 2.02 for C. capsularis and 2.51 for C. olitorius), and so was the average polymorphic information content (PIC; 0.23 and 0.24 in two species). In the dendrogram obtained using a similarity matrix, the 81 genotypes were grouped into three clusters, which largely corresponded to the two species, Cluster I belonging mainly to C. capsularis and the other two closely related clusters (clusters II and III) belonging to C. olitorius. It was also shown that a minimum of 15 SSRs could give the same information as 41 SSRs, thus making many SSRs redundant. The SSR markers developed during the present study and to be developed in future will prove useful not only for evaluation of genetic diversity, but also for molecular mapping/QTL analysis, and for comparative genome analysis of the two Corchorus species.

Research paper thumbnail of Sequence variation in the barley genes encoding sucrose synthase I and sucrose phosphate synthase II, and its association with variation in grain traits and malting quality

Euphytica, 2012

Sequence diversity in the two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genes encoding sucrose synthase I (SSI)... more Sequence diversity in the two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genes encoding sucrose synthase I (SSI) and sucrose phosphate synthase II (SPSII), both of which are involved in sucrose accumulation and grain filling, was studied by partial resequencing of eight reference genotypes and SNP analysis by pyrosequencing in a panel of 94 spring and 96 winter European barley varieties. The resequencing was based on two adjacent SSI fragments of size 880 and 820 bp, and a 2,322 bp SPSII fragment. In the SSI gene, 26 SNPs were present in the larger fragment, and 25 in the smaller one, and 11 of these were exploited to develop high-throughput SNP assays used for haplotype analysis. An association analysis based on either a general or a mixed linear model suggested that the predominant three haplotypes influenced certain components of both kernel and malting quality. However, the level of phenotype/haplotype association shown with the SPSII gene was rather low. SNP variation of SSI was used to map the locus to chromosome 7H.

Research paper thumbnail of Comparative analysis of diversity based on morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers in common bean

Euphytica, 2009

Morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers were used to survey genetic diversity in 115 c... more Morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers were used to survey genetic diversity in 115 common bean genotypes that included 70 Indian landraces, 24 released varieties and 21 exotic accessions. Twelve morpho-agronomic traits, namely, days to 50% flowering, leaflet length, leaflet width, pod length, pod width, number of pods per plant, days to maturity, seed length, seed width, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant were studied. Field data of two consecutive years were subjected to multivariate analysis as proposed by Mahalanobis's D 2 -statistics, Tochers method of clustering and combined analysis of variance. Seventeen microsatellite markers were also used to examine genetic diversity at molecular level that showed polymorphic information content (PIC) in the range of 0.00-0.684. Dendrograms based on Euclidean distances and UPGMA analysis showed the presence of majority of released varieties into single cluster, which pointed toward their low genetic base in comparison to indigenous landraces and exotic germplasm. Significant correlation existed between morphological genetic distance and microsatellite genetic distance tested by Mantel test (r = 0.876).

Research paper thumbnail of Delineating the structural, functional and evolutionary relationships of sucrose phosphate synthase gene family II in wheat and related grasses

BMC Plant Biology, 2010

Background: Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is an important component of the plant sucrose biosy... more Background: Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is an important component of the plant sucrose biosynthesis pathway. In the monocotyledonous Poaceae, five SPS genes have been identified. Here we present a detailed analysis of the wheat SPSII family in wheat. A set of homoeologue-specific primers was developed in order to permit both the detection of sequence variation, and the dissection of the individual contribution of each homoeologue to the global expression of SPSII. Results: The expression in bread wheat over the course of development of various sucrose biosynthesis genes monitored on an Affymetrix array showed that the SPS genes were regulated over time and space. SPSII homoeologue-specific assays were used to show that the three homoeologues contributed differentially to the global expression of SPSII. Genetic mapping placed the set of homoeoloci on the short arms of the homoeologous group 3 chromosomes. A resequencing of the A and B genome copies allowed the detection of four haplotypes at each locus. The 3B copy includes an unspliced intron. A comparison of the sequences of the wheat SPSII orthologues present in the diploid progenitors einkorn, goatgrass and Triticum speltoides, as well as in the more distantly related species barley, rice, sorghum and purple false brome demonstrated that intronic sequence was less well conserved than exonic. Comparative sequence and phylogenetic analysis of SPSII gene showed that false purple brome was more similar to Triticeae than to rice. Wheat -rice synteny was found to be perturbed at the SPS region.

Research paper thumbnail of An 1.2 MJ Capacitor Bank ���RUDRA��� for MTF & Plasma Focus Experiments

Pinch experiments like Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) and Dense Plasma Focus require for their op... more Pinch experiments like Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) and Dense Plasma Focus require for their operation fast rising high power and high energy pulses. To perform such experiments, an 1.2MJ Capacitor Bank capable of delivering 3.6MA of peak current with 5 to 7mus rise time has been designed and commissioned. The major application of bank is focused on fast discharge applications where large peak currents are required.

Research paper thumbnail of Feasibility of a Mobile Phone-Based Surveillance for Surgical Site Infections in Rural India

Telemedicine and e-Health, 2015

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using mobile communication technology in completing a 30... more Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using mobile communication technology in completing a 30-day follow-up of surgical site infection (SSI). Subjects and Methods: SSIs are infections occurring up to 30 days after an operative procedure. This prospective exploratory study was conducted in a cohort of patients who were admitted and operated on in the general surgery wards of a rural hospital in India from October 2010 to June 2011. At the time of discharge, all patients were requested to follow-up in the surgical outpatient clinic at 30 days after surgery. If this was not done, a mobile phone-based surveillance was done to complete the followup. Results: The mean age of the 536 operated-on patients was 40 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 38-41 years). The mean duration of hospital stay was 10.7 days (95% CI, 9.9-11.6 days). Most (81%) operated-on patients were from rural areas, and 397 (75%) were male. Among the operated-on patients the ownership of mobile phones was 75% (95% CI, 73-78%). The remaining 25% of patients (n = 133) used a shared mobile phone. For 380 patients (74.5%) the follow-up was completed by mobile phones. The SSI rate at follow-up was 6.3% (n = 34). In 10 patients, an SSI was detected over the mobile phone. Conclusions: Mobile communication technology is feasible to be used in rural settings to complete case follow-up for SSIs.

Research paper thumbnail of Incidence and factors associated with surgical site infections in a teaching hospital in Ujjain, India

American Journal of Infection Control, 2014

Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the most commonly reported health care-associated infect... more Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the most commonly reported health care-associated infections; however, there is a paucity of data on SSI from India. This study aimed to determine the incidence of SSI and explore its associated factors at a teaching hospital in India. Direct and indirect surveillance methods, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, were used to define SSI. Patients were followed up for 30 days postsurgery. Prescribing and resistance data were collected. The SSI rate among the 720 patients investigated was 5%. Risk factors for SSI identified were as follows: severity of disease (P = .001), presence of drains (P = .020), history of previous hospitalization (P = .003), preoperative stay (P = .005), wound classification (P < .001), and surgical duration (P < .001). Independent risk factors identified included wound classification (odds ratio = 4.525; P < .001) and surgical duration (odds ratio = 2.554; P = .015). Most patients (99%) were prescribed antibiotics. Metronidazole (24.5%), ciprofloxacin (11%), and amikacin (9%) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. Most commonly isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (n = 14), of which 34% were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 6), which showed resistance to ceftazidime (70%), ciprofloxacin (63%), and gentamicin (57%). Incidence of SSI at the hospital was lower than reported in many low- and middle-income countries, although higher than reported in most high-income countries. Targeted implementation strategies to decrease incidence of preventable SSI are needed to further improve quality and safety of health care in this hospital and similar hospitals elsewhere.

Research paper thumbnail of Kidney Disease and Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnancy

American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2015

Pregnancy in kidney disease is considered high risk, but the degree of this risk is unclear. We t... more Pregnancy in kidney disease is considered high risk, but the degree of this risk is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that kidney disease in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Retrospective study comparing pregnant women with and without kidney disease. Using data from an integrated health care delivery system from 2000 through 2013, a total of 778 women met the criteria for kidney disease. Using a pool of 74,105 women without kidney disease, we selected 778 women to use for matches for the women with kidney disease. These women were matched 1:1 by age, race, and history of diabetes, chronic hypertension, liver disease, and connective tissue disease. Kidney disease was defined using the NKF-KDOQI definition for chronic kidney disease or International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes prior to pregnancy or serum creatinine level > 1.2mg/dL and/or proteinuria in the first trimester. Maternal outcomes included preterm delivery, delivery by cesarean section, preeclampsia/eclampsia, length of stay at hospital (>3 days), and maternal death. Fetal outcomes included low birth weight (weight < 2,500g), small for gestational age, number of admissions to neonatal intensive care unit, and infant death. Compared with women without kidney disease, those with kidney disease had 52% increased odds of preterm delivery (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.16-1.99) and 33% increased odds of delivery by cesarean section (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.06-1.66). Infants born to women with kidney disease had 71% increased odds of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit or infant death compared with infants born to women without kidney disease (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.17-2.51). Kidney disease also was associated with 2-fold increased odds of low birth weight (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.64-3.44). Kidney disease was not associated with increased risk of maternal death. Data for level of kidney function and cause of death not available. Kidney disease in pregnancy is associated independently with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes when other comorbid conditions are controlled by matching.

Research paper thumbnail of Development and use of anchored-SSRs to study DNA polymorphism in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Molecular Ecology Notes, 2006

In bread wheat, 21 anchored simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs detecting SSR length polymo... more In bread wheat, 21 anchored simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs detecting SSR length polymorphism and 42 anchored SSR primers detecting microsatellite-anchored fragment length polymorphisms (MFLPs) are reported. Eight bread wheat genotypes were used for detecting polymorphism. The number of alleles in SSR analysis ranged from two to six, with a mean of 2.9 alleles per SSR. The number of polymorphic bands in MFLP ranged from two to 40, with a mean of 12.74 polymorphic bands/primer combination, the SSRs with CT/GA motifs giving the highest level of polymorphism (a mean of 18.37 bands). The average value of polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.473 for SSRs and 0.061 for MFLP.

Research paper thumbnail of DNA polymorphism among 18 species of Triticum–Aegilops complex using wheat EST–SSRs

Plant Science, 2004

PCR primers were designed for 78 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeats (EST–SSRs), which... more PCR primers were designed for 78 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeats (EST–SSRs), which represented a subset of over 800 SSRs that were located by us in wheat EST database. When tested for functionality on several varieties of common wheat ...

Research paper thumbnail of Trekkers' Awareness of Acute Mountain Sickness and Acetazolamide

Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Genetic diversity in Indian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology, 2008

Genetic diversity of twenty-six common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions of diverse geograp... more Genetic diversity of twenty-six common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions of diverse geographical origin was studied using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Fifteen out of forty four primers screened showed polymorphism across present set of genotypes. A total of 124 amplicons were scored using these 15 primers. Ninety five percent of the amplified products showed polymorphism, indicating fair amount of variation at the DNA level among these accessions. Cluster analysis delineated the genotypes in to four groups.

Research paper thumbnail of Colonization behavior of bacterium Burkholderia cepacia inside the Oryza sativa roots visualized using green fluorescent protein reporter

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2008

... Shiveta Sharma Æ Shailendra Sharma Æ Ramesh K. Singh Æ Akhauri Vaishampayan ... Acknowledgmen... more ... Shiveta Sharma Æ Shailendra Sharma Æ Ramesh K. Singh Æ Akhauri Vaishampayan ... Acknowledgments The authors are thankful to Dr. HJO Ramos for providing pHRGFPGUS plasmid. ... Curr Sci 89:608–610 Singh RK, Mishra RPN, Jaiswal HK, Kumar V, Pandey S, Rao SB ...

Research paper thumbnail of Prevention of Acute Mountain Sickness by Acetazolamide in Nepali Porters: A Double-Blind Controlled Trial

Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 2006

Objective.-This study aimed to determine the efficacy, tolerability, and practicality of acetazol... more Objective.-This study aimed to determine the efficacy, tolerability, and practicality of acetazolamide for the prevention of acute mountain sickness (AMS) in Nepali trekking porters early in the trekking season.

Research paper thumbnail of In Reply to Trekker Behavior as One Indicator of AMS Knowledge

Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of QTL analysis of root-lesion nematode resistance in barley: 1. Pratylenchus neglectus

Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2011

The root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus can cause severe losses in barley cultivation. Mu... more The root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus can cause severe losses in barley cultivation. Multiplication rates had been found to vary greatly between different barley accessions. Two winter barley cultivars, Igri and Franka, had been found to differ in their ability to resist this parasite. An existing Igri 9 Franka doubled haploid population was chosen to genetically map resistance genes after artificial inoculation with P. neglectus in the greenhouse and climate chamber. A continuous phenotypic variation was found indicating a quantitative inheritance of P. neglectus resistance. An existing map was enriched by 527 newly developed Diversity Array Technology markers (DArTs). The new genetic linkage map was comprised of 857 molecular markers that cover 1,157 cM on seven linkage groups. Using phenotypic data collected from four different experiments in 3 years, five quantitative trait loci were mapped by composite interval mapping on four (3H, 5H, 6H and 7H) linkage groups. A quantitative trait locus with a large phenotypic effect of 16% and likelihood of odds (LOD) score of 6.35 was mapped on linkage group 3H. The remaining four QTLs were classified as minor or moderate with LOD scores ranging from 2.71 to 3.55 and R 2 values ranging from 8 to 10%. The DNA markers linked to the resistance QTLs should be quite useful for marker-assisted selection in barley breeding because phenotypic selection is limited due to time constraints and labor costs.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of genetic diversity in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)

Scientia Horticulturae, 2008

AFLP technique was applied to assess genetic diversity among 44 common bean accessions that inclu... more AFLP technique was applied to assess genetic diversity among 44 common bean accessions that included 6 exotic accessions, 15 Indian land races and 23 released varieties. Eight AFLP primer pairs were used that produced 820 products of which 698 were polymorphic (85.12%). Wide variations were observed among all the accessions for the number of amplification products, percent polymorphism and average polymorphism information content (PIC). The Jaccard's similarity indices (J) based on the AFLP profiles were subjected to UPGMA cluster analysis. The dendrogram generated revealed seven major groups. Seventeen out of 23 released varieties were restricted to clusters VI and VII. The value of r = 0.934 in Mantel's test for cophenetic corrlelation applied to the cluster analysis indicated the high fitness of the accessions to a group. The germplasm used in the present study had narrow genetic base, although moderate to high genetic diversity was observed. The details of diversity analysis and the potential use of Indian common bean accessions in common bean breeding programme are provided in the present study. #

Research paper thumbnail of Adaptive ribosomal DNA polymorphism in wild barley at a mosaic microsite, Newe Ya’ar in Israel

Plant Science, 2004

In eukaryotic genomes, ribosomal DNA is organized in tandem repeat units at the nucleolar organiz... more In eukaryotic genomes, ribosomal DNA is organized in tandem repeat units at the nucleolar organizing regions (NORs) on each satellited chromosome. Each repeat unit consists of a coding region and an intergenic spacer (IGS), the latter generally varying in length at different loci of the same genotype and also at the same locus in different genotypes. The spacer length variants (slvs) are sometimes correlated with climatic and ecological variables. In a study of 42 accessions of wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) collected from four different microniches (sun-deep soil, sun-shallow soil, shade-deep soil and shade-shallow soil) at the Newe Ya'ar microsite (3182 m 2 ), in Israel, we observed eight slvs constituting 10 different rDNA phenotypes, correlated with edaphic conditions prevalent at the four microniches. We conclude that rDNA diversity in wild barley is distributed nonrandomly and adaptively in the four microniches of Newe Ya'ar. A novel feature in this study is also the homogenization of IGS length at the two loci located at two nonhomologous chromosomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), was used to rule out the possibility of loss of one of the two NOR loci.

Research paper thumbnail of Ribosomal DNA polymorphism and its association with geographical and climatic variables in 27 wild barley populations from Jordan

Plant Science, 2004

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat unit length polymorphism was examined in 285 accessions of wild barle... more Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat unit length polymorphism was examined in 285 accessions of wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum C. Koch, which were collected from 27 locations across Jordan. As many as 19 spacer length variants (slvs) or rDNA alleles were available, which formed 70 slv phenotypes. The two missing alleles (098, 099) of the series (097, 100-118) and one additional allele 119 were also discovered in the present study thus raising the number of ribosomal slvs in barley to 24. Relatively more frequent rDNA alleles were analyzed in detail, and it was shown that they occurred non-randomly at locations with different environmental factors (annual rainfall, highest and lowest temperatures, altitude, longitude, latitude) and exhibited association with specific environments. Ecogeographical factors, rather than geographical factors per se, seem to affect the distribution of rDNA alleles. The present study thus demonstrates that rDNA repeat unit length polymorphism in some cases can be adaptive in nature.

Research paper thumbnail of Dietary Sodium and Potassium Intake Is Not Associated With Elevated Blood Pressure in US Adults With No Prior History of Hypertension

The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 2014

The relationship between dietary sodium and potassium intake with elevated blood pressure (BP) le... more The relationship between dietary sodium and potassium intake with elevated blood pressure (BP) levels is unclear. The authors examined the association between dietary sodium and potassium intake and BP levels in 6985 adults aged 18 years and older with no prior history of hypertension who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006). After adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index, diabetes, and estimated glomerular filtration rate, there was no association between higher quartiles of sodium or potassium intake with the risk of a BP >140/90 mm Hg or >130/80 mm Hg. There was also no relationship between dietary sodium and potassium intake with BP when systolic and diastolic BP were measured as continuous outcomes (P=.68 and P=.74, respectively). Furthermore, no association was found between combinations of sodium and potassium intake with elevated BP. In the US adult population without hypertension, increased dietary sodium or low potassium intake was not associated with elevated BP levels. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2014;16:418-423. ª2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Research paper thumbnail of A preliminary genetic analysis of fibre traits and the use of new genomic SSRs for genetic diversity in jute

Euphytica, 2008

Jute is one of the most important fibre crops, which is second only to cotton in providing enviro... more Jute is one of the most important fibre crops, which is second only to cotton in providing environment-friendly (biodegradable and renewable) ligno-cellulose fibre. In order to improve this largely neglected crop, we conducted a preliminary study involving the following: (i) analysis of nature and extent of the genetic variability for fibre yield and four other related traits in a set of 81 genotypes belonging to two commercially cultivated Corchorus species (45 genotypes of C. olitorius + 36 genotypes of C. capsularis), (ii) development and analysis of a set of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from C. olitorius, and (iii) use of a sub-set of SSRs for assessment of genetic diversity in the above set of 81 genotypes. The results suggested quantitative nature of fibre yield and other related traits, with a preponderance of dominance component in genetic variance. A sub-set of 45 SSRs derived from C. olitorius, when used for a study of DNA polymorphism and genetic diversity, showed high transferability of these C. olitorius SSRs to C. capsularis. The average number of alleles for individual SSRs was surprisingly low (3.04 for both species, 2.02 for C. capsularis and 2.51 for C. olitorius), and so was the average polymorphic information content (PIC; 0.23 and 0.24 in two species). In the dendrogram obtained using a similarity matrix, the 81 genotypes were grouped into three clusters, which largely corresponded to the two species, Cluster I belonging mainly to C. capsularis and the other two closely related clusters (clusters II and III) belonging to C. olitorius. It was also shown that a minimum of 15 SSRs could give the same information as 41 SSRs, thus making many SSRs redundant. The SSR markers developed during the present study and to be developed in future will prove useful not only for evaluation of genetic diversity, but also for molecular mapping/QTL analysis, and for comparative genome analysis of the two Corchorus species.

Research paper thumbnail of Sequence variation in the barley genes encoding sucrose synthase I and sucrose phosphate synthase II, and its association with variation in grain traits and malting quality

Euphytica, 2012

Sequence diversity in the two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genes encoding sucrose synthase I (SSI)... more Sequence diversity in the two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genes encoding sucrose synthase I (SSI) and sucrose phosphate synthase II (SPSII), both of which are involved in sucrose accumulation and grain filling, was studied by partial resequencing of eight reference genotypes and SNP analysis by pyrosequencing in a panel of 94 spring and 96 winter European barley varieties. The resequencing was based on two adjacent SSI fragments of size 880 and 820 bp, and a 2,322 bp SPSII fragment. In the SSI gene, 26 SNPs were present in the larger fragment, and 25 in the smaller one, and 11 of these were exploited to develop high-throughput SNP assays used for haplotype analysis. An association analysis based on either a general or a mixed linear model suggested that the predominant three haplotypes influenced certain components of both kernel and malting quality. However, the level of phenotype/haplotype association shown with the SPSII gene was rather low. SNP variation of SSI was used to map the locus to chromosome 7H.

Research paper thumbnail of Comparative analysis of diversity based on morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers in common bean

Euphytica, 2009

Morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers were used to survey genetic diversity in 115 c... more Morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers were used to survey genetic diversity in 115 common bean genotypes that included 70 Indian landraces, 24 released varieties and 21 exotic accessions. Twelve morpho-agronomic traits, namely, days to 50% flowering, leaflet length, leaflet width, pod length, pod width, number of pods per plant, days to maturity, seed length, seed width, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant were studied. Field data of two consecutive years were subjected to multivariate analysis as proposed by Mahalanobis's D 2 -statistics, Tochers method of clustering and combined analysis of variance. Seventeen microsatellite markers were also used to examine genetic diversity at molecular level that showed polymorphic information content (PIC) in the range of 0.00-0.684. Dendrograms based on Euclidean distances and UPGMA analysis showed the presence of majority of released varieties into single cluster, which pointed toward their low genetic base in comparison to indigenous landraces and exotic germplasm. Significant correlation existed between morphological genetic distance and microsatellite genetic distance tested by Mantel test (r = 0.876).

Research paper thumbnail of Delineating the structural, functional and evolutionary relationships of sucrose phosphate synthase gene family II in wheat and related grasses

BMC Plant Biology, 2010

Background: Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is an important component of the plant sucrose biosy... more Background: Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is an important component of the plant sucrose biosynthesis pathway. In the monocotyledonous Poaceae, five SPS genes have been identified. Here we present a detailed analysis of the wheat SPSII family in wheat. A set of homoeologue-specific primers was developed in order to permit both the detection of sequence variation, and the dissection of the individual contribution of each homoeologue to the global expression of SPSII. Results: The expression in bread wheat over the course of development of various sucrose biosynthesis genes monitored on an Affymetrix array showed that the SPS genes were regulated over time and space. SPSII homoeologue-specific assays were used to show that the three homoeologues contributed differentially to the global expression of SPSII. Genetic mapping placed the set of homoeoloci on the short arms of the homoeologous group 3 chromosomes. A resequencing of the A and B genome copies allowed the detection of four haplotypes at each locus. The 3B copy includes an unspliced intron. A comparison of the sequences of the wheat SPSII orthologues present in the diploid progenitors einkorn, goatgrass and Triticum speltoides, as well as in the more distantly related species barley, rice, sorghum and purple false brome demonstrated that intronic sequence was less well conserved than exonic. Comparative sequence and phylogenetic analysis of SPSII gene showed that false purple brome was more similar to Triticeae than to rice. Wheat -rice synteny was found to be perturbed at the SPS region.

Research paper thumbnail of An 1.2 MJ Capacitor Bank ���RUDRA��� for MTF & Plasma Focus Experiments

Pinch experiments like Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) and Dense Plasma Focus require for their op... more Pinch experiments like Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) and Dense Plasma Focus require for their operation fast rising high power and high energy pulses. To perform such experiments, an 1.2MJ Capacitor Bank capable of delivering 3.6MA of peak current with 5 to 7mus rise time has been designed and commissioned. The major application of bank is focused on fast discharge applications where large peak currents are required.