Assessment of Incidence and Risk Factors of Dry Socket

Background: Alveolar osteitis (AO) is one of the extractions wound healing disorder. Most authors agree that surgical trauma and difficulty of surgery play a significant role in the development of AO. Hence, under the light of above - mentioned data, the present study was undertaken for assessing the incidence and risk factors of dry socket. Methods: A total of 200 subjects scheduled to undergo dental extraction procedures under local anesthesia were included in the p resent study. Complete demographic and clinical details of all the patients were obtained. All the procedures were carried out under the hands of experienced surgeons. Follow - up was done and incidence of dry socket was recorded. Results: Overall, incidenc e of dry socket in the present study was 17.5 percent. Positive tobacco smoking/chewing habit, Oral contraceptives, Female gender, Existing tooth/gum infection, Past history of dry socket, Traumatic extraction and Mandibular molar extraction were the risk factors in 62.85 %, 34.28 %, 71.42 %, 14.28 %, 25.71 %, 42.85 % and 54.28 % of the patients. Conclusion: Dry socket is a commonly encountered phenomenon and can occur the under the hands of skilled and experienced oral surgeons also. Hence, early recogniti on is necessary.

GABAergic effect of valeric acid from Valeriana wallichii in amelioration of ICV STZ induced dementia in rats

ABSTRACT Valeriana wallichii DC., Caprifoliaceae, is used to have anti-ulcer, anti-spasmodic, anti-epileptic, memory enhancer, anti-anxiety, anti-rheumatic, sedative, anti-asthmatic and diuretic activities. V. wallichii is reported to contain valpotriates, valeric acid, valerenic acid, valechlorine, valerianine, resins and alkaloids. Valeric acid, found in V. wallichii appears similar in structure to the neurotransmitter GABA. Valeric acid also acts as an NMDA-receptor antagonist. The aim of present study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of V. wallichii containing valeric acid and its possible mechanism of action in amelioration of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin induced neurodegeneration in Wistar rats. The rhizomes of V. wallichii were powdered coarsely and extracted by percolation method using dichloromethane. Wistar rats (220–250 g) of either sex were divided into 5 groups, comprising 6 animals each. Valeric acid was isolated from plant extract and characterized using FT-IR. Picrotoxin (2 mg/kg) was used as GABA-A antagonist. Intracerebroventricular streptozotocin administration caused significant (p < 0.05) increase in escape latency, retention transfer latency on morris water maze on 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th day and elevated plus maze on 19th and 20th day respectively, as compared to normal untreated rats. Treatment with V. wallichii extract 100 and 200 mg/kg and valeric acid 20 and 40 mg/kg significantly decreased the escape latency and retention transfer latency, as compared to intracerebroventricular-streptozotocin group. Plant extract and valeric acid also decreased the level of lipid peroxidation and restored glutathione level in rat brains. Administration of picrotoxin significantly reversed the effects produced by plant extract and valeric acid in intracerebroventricular-streptozotocin treated rats. The findings may conclude that valeric acid present in V. wallichii has significant GABAergic effect in amelioration of experimental dementia.

Acral and palmo-plantar hyperpigmentation in a patient with disseminated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Capecitabine (5-fluorouracil prodrug) is being evaluated for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma, and is associated with a peculiar skin reaction called hand and foot syndrome (HFS). We describe one patient with HCC and drug-induced HFS.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis D virus in patients with hepatitis B virus-related liver diseases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Several reports indicated a declining trend in the occurrence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection in some geographical areas. However, no study has been conducted in India to evaluate whether a similar epidemiological change is occurring in this part of the world. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the seroprevalence of HDV in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related liver diseases attending a Government hospital in New Delhi, and to assess any change in its epidemiology by comparing the results with seroprevalence figures reported in the past. METHODS: A total of 123 patients with HBV-related liver diseases comprising 32 cases of acute viral hepatitis (AVH), 5 of fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), 37 of chronic hepatitis (CH), 46 of cirrhosis and 3 of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). All patients were evaluated for the presence of delta antibodies using commercially available ELISA kits. Both IgM and IgG anti-delta assays were performed to differentiate between active and convalescent infection. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 35.6 +/- 3.3 yr with a male : female ratio of 11:5. Of the 123 patients, serological evidence of delta virus infection was seen in 13 subjects (10.6%); 9 (7.3%) had evidence of past infection (IgG positive, IgM negative) and the remaining 4 (3.3%) recent infection (IgM anti-delta antibody positive). Evidence of HDV infection in acute viral hepatitis, fulminant hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma groups was found in 3.1, 20, 8.1, 15.2 and 33.3 patients, respectively. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that delta infection may not be very common in Indian patients with HBV-related liver diseases. It is also possible that HDV epidemiology in this part of the world may be undergoing a transition towards decreasing prevalence.

Massive hepatomegaly: a presenting manifestation of multiple myeloma.

We report a 50-year-old woman presenting with isolated massive hepatomegaly. Liver histology showed dilated sinusoids within which some atypical cells, probably of hematopoeitic origin, were identified. Bone marrow was densely packed with similar atypical cells with high nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, which tested positive for plasma cell markers. Plasma protein electrophoresis showed a distinct M spike in the gamma globulin fraction and skeletal survey revealed multiple lytic lesions in the skull and pelvic bones. Thus, a final diagnosis of multiple myeloma was made. The patient has received six cycles of chemotherapy and is doing well.