Clinical and cone beam computed tomography comparison of NovaBone Dental Putty and PerioGlas in the treatment of mandibular Class II furcations.

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the putty form of bioactive glass (NovaBone Dental Putty) and particulate form (PerioGlas) in the resolution of Class II furcation defects. Background: Use of bone regeneration materials is becoming common in periodontal surgeries including furcation defects and the promising role of bioactive allograft materials has encouraged their presentation in different morphologic forms with their own advantages and disadvantages giving the operator ample of choices in his/her periodontal armamentarium. Materials and Methods: A total of 28 patients with 40 Class II furcation defects were enrolled in the study and were randomly allocated to two groups with 20 sites in each group. Measurement of defects was done using clinical and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) methods. The patients were followed-up at 6 months. Intergroup comparisons were done using Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: There was no significance between group differences in clinical parameters and defect size at the baseline. After 6 months, particulate form showed a mean resolution of 50.48 ± 16.47% and 51.11 ± 9.48%, respectively for vertical defect and horizontal defect while putty form showed a mean resolution of 43.48 ± 9.33% and 42.88 ± 11.09%, respectively. Mean resolution in furcation width was 40.15 ± 13.00% for particulate form as compared with 36.27 ± 11.41% in putty form. Statistically, there was no significant difference between two groups except for the horizontal defect fill where PerioGlas showed statistically better results. Conclusion: Putty form was comparable to particulate form for resolution of Class II furcation defects.

Characterization of differentially expressed stress-associated proteins in starch granule development under heat stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Abiotic stress causes abrupt increase in the expression of stress-associated proteins, which provide tolerance by modulating the defense mechanism of plants. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) and anti-oxidant enzymes are important for environmental stress tolerance of the plants. In this study, two full-length cDNAs encoding small heat shock protein (sHSP) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), designated as TasHSP and SODI were identified and characterized from C-306 (thermotolerant) and PBW343 (thermosusceptible) cultivars of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). An alpha crystalline domain was observed in TasHSP and manganese/iron binding domain in case of SODI. Quantitative real-time PCR showed very high transcript level of TasHSP and SOD in C-306 compared to PBW343 at different stages of growth and against differential heat stress (HS). Under differential HS at milky-dough stage, the fold change in transcript of both TasHSP and SOD was observed maximum in C-306, compared to PBW343. Protein profiling and isoenzymes analysis showed the expression of several heat-stable proteins and prominent isoenzymes of SOD in C-306, compared to PBW343. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of starch granules showed globular, well-shaped and more numbers of endospermic cells in C-306, compared to defragmented, irregular shaped and shrunken granules in case of PBW343 under HS treatment (42°C for 2 h). Diurnal change in soluble starch synthase (SSS) activity showed an increase in the activity during afternoon (35°C), compared to morning (29°C) and evening (32°C) in both the cultivars. Under heat stress (42°C for 2 h), a drastic decrease in the SSS activity was observed, due to the thermal denaturation of the enzyme. Thermotolerance capacity analyzed using cell membrane stability (CMS) showed significantly higher CMS in case of C-306, compared to PBW343 at different stages of growth. Findings suggest that abundance of TasHSP and SODI during milky-dough stage plays a very important role in starch granule biosynthesis. The mechanism may be further exploited to develop tolerant wheat cultivar with high quality seeds.

Plasma tocopherol levels: a preliminary reference range.

Alpha-tocopherol level was measured spectrofluorometrically in 279 healthy volunteers to establish reliable reference values and to compare possible sex and age-related differences. In the present study, men had higher tocopherol levels than women (p<0.05) and older subjects had lower values. This study provides reference values for alpha-tocopherol that may assist it evaluating the anti-oxidant defense.

Efficacy of caudal butorphanol.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of butorphanol with or without bupivacaine for caudal epidural anesthesia in children undergoing infraumbilical surgery. METHODS: Sixty ASA physical status I and II patients of either sex aged 1-10 yr were randomized to one of three groups. Group L received 1 ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine; Group B received 1 ml/kg of 25 microg/kg butorphanol diluted in normal saline; and Group LB received 1 ml/kg of 25 microg/kg butorphanol in combination with 0.25% bupivacaine, in caudal epidural anesthesia. Hemodynamic variables (HR and MAP) and respiratory rate were monitored in all patients. Sedation score, pain score and requirement of rescue analgesia were recorded at preset time intervals alongwith post-operative complications. RESULTS: There was no difference among the groups regarding sedation scores, requirement of rescue analgesia and post-operative complications. Mean duration of analgesia was maximum in group BL (14.5 +/- 3.5 hr, P<0.001), than in group L (8.8 +/- 4.8 hr) and group B (6.8 +/- 2.9 hr). CONCLUSION: The addition of 25 microg/kg butorphanol to bupivacaine resulted in superior analgesia with a longer period compared with caudal bupivacaine and butorphanol alone, without an increase of side effects.

Oral midazolam and oral butorphanol premedication.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of oral midazolam and oral butorphanol for their sedative analgesic effects in children. METHODS: Sixty children, aged 2 to 10 yrs, of ASA physical status I and II, scheduled for surgical procedures of 1 to 2 hrs duration were randomized to one of the two groups. Group I: children received midazolam 0.5 mg/kg orally and Group II: children received butorphanol 0.2 mg/kg orally. Score of the children was assessed every 5 minutes till the induction of anesthesia. Intraoperative and postoperative analgesic requirement was recorded along with postoperative recovery and complications. RESULTS: The groups were identical regarding the patient's characteristics, hemodynamic variables, duration of surgery and awakening time. Less time was required for the onset and time of maximum sedation in the butorphanol group (p<0.05). Sedation scores were similar among the groups at all time intervals, while the scores were higher in the butorphanol group at the time of induction (p<0.05). Less number of children required intraoperative and postoperative rescue analgesia in the butorphanol group (p<0.05). Statistically significant difference was found among the groups in respect to complete amnesia (50% in group I vs 80% I group II, p<0.05) and recollection (40% in group I vs 10% in group II, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Oral butorphanol is comparable to oral midazolam in children but analgesia along with sedation is an additional advantage which makes it better than midazolam without a significant increase in side effects.

Plasma concentrations of lipid peroxidation products in children with acute leukaemia.

Acute leukaemia is the most common childhood malignancy. The cause of leukaemia is not known in most of the cases and of late free radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of leukaemia. The degree of lipid peroxidation was studied in the present study as a marker of disease activity in 15 patients of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and 20 healthy age and sex matched individuals served as control. Serum malonaldehyde (MDA) levels were increased in leukaemia and were higher in the active phase of disease as compared to those in remission, Hence, serum MDA estimation in leukaemia can be of help in diagnosis and to predict the chances of relapse.

Role of oxygen free radicals in shock.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: To study lipid peroxidation, magnesium levels (Mg) in plasma and red cells (RBC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in the plasma and RBC of shock patients. METHODOLOGY: Twenty five patients with clinically defined septic shock and 30 healthy volunteers were selected for the study to study the parameters of oxidative stress. RESULTS: Septic shock patients had higher activities of plasma and RBC SOD and CAT activities as compared to control. Also, plasma Mg and malonaldehyde (MDA) levels were higher in shock patients as compared to controls. While, RBC Mg levels were similar in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of increased concentration of MDA, Mg, SOD and CAT in sepsis implicates oxygen free radicals in the pathophysiology and free radical scavengers may have a role in organ preservation.

Mortality in acute aluminium phosphide poisoning having hypomagnesaemia with and without ECG changes.

Acute aluminium phosphide poisoning produces hypomagnesaemia with or without ECG changes. The mortality rate is significantly higher in those patients with hypomagnesaemia who have ECG changes.

Oxidative stress after acute myocardial infarction: effect of thrombolytic treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment with thrombolysis plays a crucial role in salvaging the myocardium in myocardial infarction (MI) patients, but reperfusion of ischaemic areas may itself be associated with reperfusion injury mediated by free radical induced oxidation. Hence the present study was planned to evaluate oxidative stress in patients receiving thrombolytic therapy during MI and to compare them with those not receiving thrombolysis. METHODS: Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) was used as a marker of lipid peroxidation in 30 patients after acute MI. Thirteen were treated by intravenous thrombolysis and 17 served as control. Also, vitamin E levels were estimated in these patients. RESULTS: Patients treated with thrombolysis showed a fall in vitamin E and increase in TBARS within first hours. The decrease in vitamin E was independent of a change in cholesterol. However, the levels were similar at 72 hours. CONCLUSION: The results indicate increased free radical production after MI and reperfusion also increases in free radical production and antioxidants may have a part in improving thrombolytic reperfusion of ischaemic myocardium.

Glutathione levels in health and sickness.

We speculate that the glutathione (GSH) status of human subjects could be an indicator of health and functional age. In this regard, in a study in which, 80 young and 40 elderly healthy individuals were selected as control. We also studied 145 patients with chronic illnesses namely, ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, preeclampsia, cataract, chronic renal failure and leukaemia (age 52 +/- 8.6 years). We observed that all the subjects had high malonadildehyde and low glutathione levels as compared to control. These early observations support the hypothesis that oxidative stress may have an important aetiological rule and antioxidants a potential therapeutic role.

Distribution of blood viscosity values and biochemical correlates in healthy adults.

OBJECTIVE: Increase in the viscosity of blood predict clinical manifestation of atherothrombotic vascular disease. The clinical utility of viscosity measurements in cardiovascular risk factor requires a reference value established from a healthy disease free population. METHODS: Blood viscosity (based on empirical Merill's formula), fibrinogen, haematocrit and lipid profile were measured in 100 fasting healthy nonsmoking adults (50 men, 50 women). RESULTS: The mean (+/- SD) blood viscosity values were 0.030 +/- 0.015 dyne/cm2. Men had higher viscosity values than women. Also, men had higher triglycerides, haematocrit as well as fibrinogen as compared to women. CONCLUSION: This study provides reference values for the blood viscosity, fibrinogen haematocrit and lipid profile. Viscosity measurements may improve identification and risk stratification of patients at high risk for atherothrombotic vascular disease and its complications.

Lipid peroxidation and vitamin E in ischemic heart disease.

The study was carried on 90 adult cases which were divided into 3 groups of 30 cases each. Group A consisted of 30 normal healthy controls whereas Group B and C comprised of 30 patients each of chronic stable ischaemic heart disease and of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), respectively. Patients in all the 3 groups were age and sex matched. Group C consisted of 17 cases of anterior wall myocardial infarction, 10 of inferior wall, 2 of anterolateral and 1 of antero-inferior MI and they had an average 6.96 +/- 3.39 hours of chest pain before hospitalization. Serum vitamin E in group A, B and C on day 1 was 7.90 +/- 3.23, 5.345 +/- 2.37 and 1.302 +/- 1.090 micrograms/ml, respectively and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in these groups were 0.759 +/- 0.27, 0.780 +/- 0.334 and 3.092 +/- 1.124 nmol/ml, respectively. Vitamin E and MDA levels in group C on day 3 were 3.382 +/- 1.088 micrograms/ml and 1.492 +/- 0.849 nmol/ml, respectively. In Group C, vitamin E levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) as compared to controls and remained low after 2 days. MDA levels were raised more than 3 times in AMI group (p < 0.01) and decreased slightly after 2 days but were elevated compared to controls. Findings suggest that vitamin E deficiency is inversely related to lipid peroxidation and is elevated during AMI. Therefore supplementation of vitamin E in AMI would be beneficial.

Evaluation of plasma serotonin concentration in acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Due to lack of reliable biochemical/radiological markers, the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is based only on clinical features. METHODS: We estimated plasma serotonin levels in 48 patients with acute appendicitis (histologically proven), 27 patients with abdominal pain of other etiologies, and 20 healthy controls. RESULTS: The plasma serotonin levels were (mean +/- SD) 36.6 +/- 12.5 nmol/L, 12.5 +/- 3.6 nmol/L and 10.4 +/- 3.5 nmol/L in the three groups, respectively. The levels in patients with acute appendicitis were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in the other groups, giving 93.8% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity to the test. CONCLUSION: Plasma serotonin level is a reliable marker of acute appendicitis, especially in the first 48 hours.

Lipid-lowering efficacy of psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid in non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus with hyperlipidaemia.

The effect of the administration of 3.5 g of psyllium husk twice daily for 90 days was investigated in 24 patients of non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) with hyperlipidaemia. After 90 days of treatment, psyllium was withdrawn and the patients were followed up for a further 90 days. Psyllium significantly decreased the levels of total cholesterol (TC; 19.7%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; 23.7%), triglycerides (TG; 27.2%) and the ratio of LDL-C to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 24.1%) and the lowering was sustained even up to 90 days after cessation of treatment. The level of HDL-C also showed a significant increase of 15.8 per cent but this effect was not sustained after cessation of treatment. The compliance was very good and no adverse effects were observed. This study indicated that psyllium husk is an effective and well tolerated adjunct to diet for the treatment of mild to moderate hyperlipidaemia in NIDDM patients.

Comparison of effects of naloxone and catecholamines on acid-base balance in canine hemorrhagic shock.

The present study was conducted to compare the effect of naloxone, an opiate receptor antagonist, with catecholamines on acid-base status and survival in dogs subjected to hemorrhagic shock. Arterial lactic acid concentration which had increased during hemorrhage, decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) in naloxone treated animals but increased further in catecholamine treated dogs. Blood bicarbonate concentration and PCO2 which had markedly decreased 1 hr after hemorrhage recovered significantly (P less than 0.05) in naloxone group of animals. On the other hand bicarbonate and pH declined further in noradrenaline group and remained unchanged in dopamine group. These results as well as better survival rate observed in naloxone treated animals suggest the superiority of naloxone over dopamine and noradrenaline, as an adjunct to blood transfusion in the treatment of hemorrhagic shock.

Development of a methodology for malariogenic stratification as a tool for malaria control.

Modified plan of operation (MPO) for malaria control launched in 1977 failed to curb malaria incidence beyond about 2 million cases per annum and thus necessitated development of multipronged malaria control strategies based upon malariogenic stratification. A model for such stratification based upon six most sensitive, but quantifiable, epidemiological parameters for which records are easily available at PHC level, namely, topography, average annual rainfall, vector(s), average annual parasite incidence (API) for the last five years, epidemic potential and vulnerability was developed. This model has been successfully tried in the State of Karnataka and on that basis the whole State has been divided into five strata in order of increasing endemicity. Objectives of malaria control for each of the stratum so defined have been proposed.