Physicochemical Analysis and Chromatographic Profiling Using LC-MS of Kanjika During Fermentation

Kanjika is a traditional Ayurvedic fermentation product prepares using 11 herbal ingredients in an aqueous media without the addition of any sweetening agents. The aim of the study was to analyse the biochemical changes happening throughout the process of fermentation in Kanjika and to identify the bioactive molecules formed during the fermentation process. Two batches of Kanjika were prepared. One batch was kept undisturbed throughout the fermentation process, while samples were drawn out at regular intervals from the other batch. A comparative evaluation of physicochemical parameters was done between the various samples drawn from the second batch of the formulation and the sample from the first batch after completion of fermentation. Further detailed analysis of the product before initiation of fermentation and after completion of fermentation was done using LC-MS. The two batches of Kanjika showed significant changes with regard to basic physicochemical parameters. It was found that in both the batches the pH was found to be highly acidic without any significant variations among the samples. Brix value was significantly high at the end of fermentation, in the sample from the undisturbed batch when compared to the sample from the disturbed batch.

Diagnosing Herpetic Genital Ulcers in a Resource-Limited Setting- What Works?

Aims: Globally, viral agents, especially herpes simplex virus (HSV), have overtaken the bacterial causes of genital ulcers. Very few laboratories in India, perform culture techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosis of genital ulcers. This study aimed to establish the utility of existing tests, which are cheaper and need less technical expertise, when compared to newer tests such as PCR.Study Design: This cross sectional study was carried out to determine the aetiology of genital ulcers, with emphasis on diagnosis of herpetic ulcers, using newer and more accurate methods of diagnosis and evaluating their performance by comparing against viral culture as gold standard test.Place and Duration of the Study: The study was carried out over a period of one year in the Apex Regional Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Centre at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and the Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, New Delhi.Methodology: Fifty three patients with genital ulcers were included in the study. Specimens from ulcers were taken for various tests, including Giemsa stain, ELISA for HSV-1 & 2, PCR and Viral culture for HSV.Results: HSV was identified in 31 of 53 cases (58.5%), including 03 cases of HSV-1, and 28 cases of HSV-2. Sensitivity and specificity of PCR was 90.0% and 84.85%, respectively. Viral culture positivity was 37.7%.Conclusion: Genital herpes is associated with an increased risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) acquisition, and clinical manifestations are diverse; hence a presumptive diagnosis should be confirmed by reliable laboratory tests. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) are the most sensitive methods for direct detection of HSV. The extensive validation of these tests allows for their application in routine laboratory settings with consistency and greater diagnostic accuracy. When standardised and used, PCR is a highly reproducible, rapid and labour efficient method for HSV detection.

Role of novel insecticides in crop protection and their selectivity to natural enemies: A review

In the present context of pest management in major crops, as the nature of pest pressure evolves, the requirement of new research-based tactics for pest control becomes a continuous process. Insecticide chemistry plays a major, if not dominant role in these developments. In this review, the toxicological aspects of new novel insecticides against crop pests and their selectivity to natural enemies have been discussed.The progress achieved in toxicological research has introduced new insecticides in crop protection during last two decades which are quite different over the existing groups in terms of chemistry and mode of action. It is evident from their mode of action that these chemicals target alternate physiological and biochemical effect. However, it is important to maintain the diversity in chemistry of insecticides for maximizing flexibility, precision and stability in pest management. In recent years, several new insecticide groups viz., neonicotinoids, butenolides, tetronic and tetramic acid derivatives, oxadiazines, diamides, ketoenols, phenylpyrazoles, pyridines, flonicamid, mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor (METI) acaricides, diafenthiuron, tetrazines, oxazolines, and insecticides from soil microorganisms such as avermectins, milbemycins, spinosyns, pyrrole insecticides and insect growth regulators (IGRs) have been discovered and commercialized for agricultural pest management. The ability of these new groups of insecticides to be effective at low rates or doses, high level of selectivity, greater specificity to target pests along with low toxicity to non-target organisms and the environment, replaced many conventional compounds. The conservation of beneficial organisms like natural enemies and pollinators is the fundamental principle of integrated pest management (IPM). Majority of new insecticide groups are safer and fit well into IPM. It is perceived that in the process of entry of new chemical insecticides in crop protection there is a gradual shift from traditional chemicals to selective novel groups which have minimal side-effects on natural enemies of the pests. These selective insecticides have less adverse impact on the conservation and multiplication of bio agents which can be used in a compatible manner with other tools of IPM. The new chemistries are emphasizing to account separately for possible non-target effects on predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. These factors are becoming increasingly important as the agricultural sector moves away from highly persistent broad-spectrum insecticides to more selective rapidly decaying products.

Clinical outcomes following surgical management of brain abscess in a tertiary care centre: retrospective analysis of 56 cases

Background: Despite the advent of newer antibiotics and surgical strategies, the overall outcome and quality of life issues in Brain Abscess (BA) patients remain a continuous challenge for the neurosurgical community.Methods: Fifty-six patients with BA are analyzed retrospectively, that treated between January 2014 and June 2019, according to age, the clinical symptoms, etiologic factors, infecting organisms, prognostic factors, localization, diagnostic and treatment methods and outcome.Results: In acute cases, common clinical features were headache, fever, vomiting, focal deficit and seizure. In chronic abscesses, common clinical features were mild to moderate headache and progressive focal deficit. In 12(21.42%) patients had adjacent localized sinus, middle ear infection. In 27(48.21%) patients no primary source of infection was identified, predisposing factors included post neurosurgery (8.92%), post penetrating injury (3.57%), and congenital heart disease, infective endocarditis, sinusitis. The frontal lobe involved in 28.5% cases, temporal lobe and cerebellum are next to be involved. Burr hole aspiration in 29(51.78%) cases, a craniotomy was done in 15(26.78%) cases. Pus culture was negative in 36 (64.28%) cases. Mortality was noted in 2(3.57%) cases. Complete resolution of the abscess with complete recovery of preoperative neuro-deficit was seen in 71.42% cases and recovery with major neuro-deficit was observed in 16.07% cases. The best outcome was seen with a better Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission.Conclusions: BA, when surgery is required, should be done on an emergency basis. BA treated with burr hole aspiration shows excellent clinical and radiological response. A craniotomy is required in selected cases and is a primary procedure in cerebellar, postoperative and posttraumatic abscesses. Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy should be administered for a period of minimum 6 weeks to prevent relapse.

Microneurosurgical aspects in the management of posterior cranial fossa epidermoids: experience of 24 cases

Background: There is considerable debate in the surgical management of epidermoid cyst, whether gross total or subtotal resection yields better long term outcomes. We present our institutional experience in evaluating the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and surgical strategy and extent of resection in the management of posterior cranial fossa epidermoid cyst.Methods: A retrospective review of 24 patients diagnosed with posterior cranial fossa epidermoid tumors surgically treated at the institution between January 2010 and July 2019.Results: A total of 24 patients who underwent surgery for intracranial epidermoid lesions were identified. Of these 13 were in the Cerebellopontine angle region, eight were in the fourth ventricle, and three in lateral cerebellar convexity. The mean duration from onset of symptoms to surgery was 1.6 years. Cranial nerve dysfunction was noted in 73% of patients preoperatively, most of them being the CPA epidermoids. Total removal was achieved in 16 patients, near-total resection in 6 patients, and subtotal removal in 2 patients. Three patients developed recurrence radiologically of them only one patient became symptomatic. The mean duration of follow-up was 3.8 years. The content of the tumor was pearly white material in all cases. Complications noted in the present series were not related to the completeness of excision. Mortality was noted in one patient.Conclusions: The present study highlights various precautions to be taken intraoperatively in the prevention of development of aseptic meningitis and concludes that total removal of epidermoids does not result in significantly increased morbidity and mortality and should be the goal of surgical treatment. However, near/subtotal resection of lesions that are densely adherent to neurovascular structures is justified, as there is no significant difference in the rate of recurrence. An endoscope can be used to assess the completeness of surgery.

Evolutionary history and genetic diversity study of heat-shock protein 60 of Rhizophagus irregularis

Despite the ubiquitous occurrence of heat-shock protein 60 (Hsp60) and their role in maintenance of cell activity and integrity, this protein remains poorly characterized in many of the symbiotic soil mycorrhizal fungi such as Rhizophagus irregularis. Thus, in the current study, an attempt has been made to elucidate the evolutionary history, time of divergence followed by estimation of population genetic parameters of hsp60 using R. irregularis as a model organism. Sequence alignment reported here identified several close homologues for hsp60 (gene) and Hsp60 (protein) from diverse taxa, while the output from protein-based phylogenetic tree indicates that mitochondrial Hsp60 of R. irregularis shares close evolutionary relationship with classical α-proteobacteria. This is perhaps the first line of evidence elucidating the likelihood of hsp60 from fungal taxa sharing a close evolutionary relationship with classical α-proteobacteria as a common ancestor. Comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial hsp60 from selected fungal taxa from the evolutionary point of view explains the possibility of gene duplication and or horizontal gene transfer of this gene across various fungal species. Synteny relationships and population genetics credibly explain high genetic variability associated with fungal hsp60 presumably brought by random genetic recombination events. The results presented here also confirm a high level of genetic differentiation of hsp60 among all the three fungal populations analysed. In this context, the outcome of the current study, basedon computational approach, stands as a testimony for explaining the possibility of increased genetic differentiation experienced by hsp60 of R. irregularis.

Surgical And Non-surgical Treatment Of Chronic Periodontal Disease

The aim of this paper is to compare nonsurgical and surgical treatment for periodontitis by longitudinal trials. Treatment of periodontits can be broadly classified into either surgical or non-surgical approaches. Non-surgical therapy includes plaque control, supra- and subgingival scaling, root planing (SRP), and the adjunctive use of chemotherapeutic agents. Surgical therapy can be divided into either resective or regenerative procedures. The majority of articles reviewed agree that when adequate access for root debridement is achieved, non-surgical treatment of chronic periodontal diseases seems to be as effective as surgical treatment in the long-term maintenance of clinical attachment levels (CAL). SRP is limited by the presence of furcation involvements, deep pocket depths, and root anatomy. Conclusion: Decision-making in periodontal therapy requires a thorough understanding of the long-term outcomes of all available treatment modalities. Studies have consistently shown that SRP can provide similar improvements of clinical attachment levels when compared to surgical treatment. However, several factors need to be considered when deciding on which treatment approach to select for the treatment of chronic periodontal disease

[p-cresol and oleic acid as reliable biomarkers of estrus: evidence from synchronized Murrah buffaloes]

Successful reproductive management in buffaloes depends on effective estrus detection. Urinary pheromones identified from natural estrous cycle have been reported to decipher estrus phase. However, its presence has not been analyzed in the urine after synchronization. Thus, our present investigation was to investigate the influence of synchronized estrus urine in bulls and to examine the presence of estrus-specific compounds ascertained in natural estrus in synchronized buffaloes. Mid-stream urine was collected from six synchronized buffaloes during various phases of estrous cycle and volatiles were examined using GC-MS. Sexual provocation in bulls was established by displaying persistent flehmen and frequent mounting towards estrus urine from synchronized animals. Totally forty-two volatile compounds were identified from three phases of estrous cycle, more specifically 4-methyl phenol [p-cresol] and 9-octadecenoic acid [oleic acid] in estrus urine of synchronized animal as similar to natural estrus. Hence, these chemical cues in buffalo urine might be employed as potential marker candidates for the development of an estrus detection aid

Ostema of Mandible - A Case Report.

Osteoma is an slow growing asymptomatic lesion. It is an benign tumour composed of mature compact or cancellous bone. It can be central, peripheral or extraskeletal.The central osteoma arises from the endosteum, the peripheral osteoma from the periosteum and the extra-skeletal soft tissue osteoma usually develops within the muscle [1] . Here a case report of osteoma in the lower border of the angle of the mandible in a 14 year old patient is presented. The osteoma was surgically excised.

Leukemic gingival enlargement: a report of two cases

Most of the systemic diseases manifest signs and symptoms in oral cavity. Periodontal lesions are common in patients with acute leukemia throughout the course of the disease. Although many cases of gingival enlargement in patients with acute myeloid leukemia have been reported in literature, cases of gingival hypertrophy secondary to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adult female are rare. This is a case report of gingival enlargement in acute lymphoblastic leukemia along with a case of gingival enlargement in patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

Awards in medicine and dermatology

The aim of this study was to establish effective methods to review and evaluate, and to emphasize in support with clarity as a proper trend in medical statistics. The clinical research material used in this study is stemmed from JAMC. Study:!, N is 220 subjects, from Pattern of Coronary Arterial Distribution and Its Relation to Coronary Artery Diameter, Z A Kaimkhani, MM Ali, AMA Faruqi JAMC Jan-Mar 2005; 17 [1]: 40-3.[1] Study:II, N is 105 patients, from Sclerotherapy Plus Octreotide Versus Sclerotherapy Alone In The Management Of Gastro-Oesophageal Variceal Hemorrhage. HA Shah, K Mumtaz, W Jafri, S Abid, S Hamid, A Ahmad, Z Abbas. JAMC Jan-Mar 2005; 17 [1]: 10-4 [2]. Systemic review and evaluation with statistical principles is to be used. The reports of 2 clinical researches from JAMC are assessed, and both used for demonstrating the characteristics and pitfalls statistically. Before reaching any significant difference in statistics, hopefully, all clinicians will be able to deal with the data to be measured by selecting proper statistical models as the best as we can in order to gain appropriate inference in medical statistics

Genodermatoses in the gulf countries

Genodermatoses in the Gulf countries have been re- viewed. The high occurrence of diseases like epidermolysis bullosa, mal de Meleda and biotinidase deficiency have been noted. New syndromes are also continuously being reported. Molecular studies have revealed findings different from those described elsewhere. These have been linked to the large family size and tribal customs that lead to consanguinity. Influx of immigrants, wars and environmental pollutants are likely to worsen the situation. As treatment of genetic disorders is a challenging issue, prevention must be targeted by providing good premarital counseling and altering the tribal customs that promote consanguinity

A clinical and SEM evaluation of the efficiency of sofscale gel and hand scaling and hand scaling alone.

The purpose of this study is to compose between hand scaling with abd without the calculus solvent gel (sofscale) and ultrasonic instrumentation at clinical and SEM level. 30 patients belonging to the age group of 17-50 year were selected. Patients selected were subjected to three different scaling modalities namely hand scaling (control), hand scaling using sofscale (Experimental quadrant A) and ultrasonic scaling (Experimental quadrant B), in three different quadrants. Case report forms were used to document the tooth sensitivity, soft tissue pain after scaling, patient preference of instrumentation, ease of calculus removal, patient comfort, soft tissue irritation, time taken for scaling, Bleeding while scaling, pre and post operative sulcus bleeding index. In addition to the clinical criteria, the teeth treated were extracted and evaluated using the scanning electron microscope to show potential effects on cemntal surfaces. No difference in tooth sensitivity was appreciated between control and experimental quadrant A. There was a higher degree of tooth sensitivity when treated with ultrasonic. Patients in control group appreciated a higher degree of soft tissue pain. Hand scaling using softscale produced a lesser amount of pain and treatment with ultrasoincs was the least painful. Most of the patients preferred ultrasonic scaling (70%) Calculus removal was easier. Hand scaling using sofscale gel results in more patient comfort when compared to hand scaling alone. There was no significant difference in patient comfort between handscaling using sofscale and ultrasonic scaling. The percentage of reduction of sulcus bleeding index showed no difference between the 3 scaling modalities SEM evaluation revealed that there was no significant difference the 3 scaling modalities in relation to residual calculus, cleaning efficiency and damage to the root surface. This study concluded that treatment with sofscale gel appears to be safe and effective method for removal calculus as this did not damage cemental surfaces, nor did it cause any damage to soft tissue. "Your tratar is your calcified hate. Not only the microflora in your oral cavity but also your muddled thoughts, your obstinate squinting backward, the way you regree when you mean to progress, in other words, the tendency of your diseased gums to form germ catching pockets, all that, the sum of dental picture and psyche, betrays you, it is stored up violence, full of murdero us designs" Gunter Grass.