ABSTRACT
Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), referred as the ‘King of Spices’, is native to India and has shown declined productivity over the years. It exhibits diverse quantitative and qualitative traits, particularly in spike length, floral composition, floral arrangement, fruit size and number. The novel mutant variety of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) ‘Thekken’ shows a remarkable branching character in the spikes. In the present study, we analyzed RAMOSA3 (RA3) gene at the molecular level in this variety for yield improvement. Screening using degenerate primers designed for RA3 was carried out in ‘Thekken’ and a non-branching variety ‘Karimunda’ at the genomic level and at different stages of spike development at the transcriptome level. Sequence analysis of the amplicons generated in RT-PCR revealed the presence of an integrase core domain in the mutant type of black pepper, suggesting a possibility of mutation at this locus in the branched variety due to retrotransposon integration. The study suggests a possibility for introgression of the genes responsible for branching trait from the mutant variety of black pepper type ‘Thekken’ to other conventional cultivated varieties of black pepper that show single unbranched spike thereby increasing the productivity of black pepper which has very high economic value and export potential.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Routine use of frozen section (FS) is a costly procedure and sparsely available in resource poor countries. A proper cost benefit analysis may help to reduce its routine use and would empower surgeons to perform oral cancer surgeries without having FS facility. FS is performed to identify microscopic spread beyond gross disease that cannot be assessed clinically. OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim was to determine the cost benefit analysis of FS in the assessment of margins in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data of 1311 consecutive patients who were operated between January 2012 and October 2013. The gross and microscopic margin status of each patient was extracted from the patient's chart. The cost estimates were performed to calculate the financial burden of FS as well as expenses incurred on adjuvant treatment resulting from inadequate margins. RESULT: Microscopic spread changed the gross margin status in 5.2% (65/1237) patients. Of this entire cohort of 1237 patients, FS helped 29 (2.3%) patients to achieve tumor free margin, and it changed the adjuvant treatment plan in 9 (0.7%) patients. The cost of FS for each patient was INR 11052. The cost-benefit ratio of FS was 12:1. Gross examination alone could have identified majority of the inadequate margins. CONCLUSION: Frozen section for assessment of margin status bears poor cost-benefit ratio. Meticulous gross examination of the entire surgical specimen is sufficient to identify majority of inadequate margins.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Salivary gland neoplasms are relatively uncommon. They have a wide variety of histopathological types with diverse biological behavior. It involves all the major and minor salivary glands in the head and neck. This article focuses on the various types of major salivary gland tumors treated at a tertiary cancer center along with their surgical morbidities and outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data of all the salivary gland neoplasms operated in the head and neck services between January 2012 and December 2013 were retrieved from a prospectively collected database. The clinical, demographic data and types of surgeries along with the morbidities were collated from the database and the details regarding the follow-up were collected from the electronic medical record. Results: Out of 235. cases registered, 107. patients were treated at our institute. The parotid gland was most commonly involved; majority were malignant lesions. Sixty-two patients were treatment naive at presentation. Majority presented with advanced disease. Superficial parotidectomy was the most common surgery performed and neck dissection was done in 27. patients. Facial nerve palsy was the most common complication following surgery. (16%). Sixty patients received adjuvant treatment. All patients on follow-up were alive at their last visit, with 10. patients having recurrence. Factors influencing the disease-free survival were extracapsular spread, tumor grade, and perineural invasion. Conclusion: The postoperative morbidities and outcomes for major salivary gland neoplasms in our series were acceptable and comparable to the results available in the literature. Appropriate treatment of the salivary gland neoplasm will yield good outcomes with acceptable morbidity.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Salivary gland neoplasms are relatively uncommon. They have a wide variety of histopathological types with diverse biological behavior. It involves all the major and minor salivary glands in the head and neck. This article focuses on the various types of major salivary gland tumors treated at a tertiary cancer center along with their surgical morbidities and outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data of all the salivary gland neoplasms operated in the head and neck services between January 2012 and December 2013 were retrieved from a prospectively collected database. The clinical, demographic data and types of surgeries along with the morbidities were collated from the database and the details regarding the follow-up were collected from the electronic medical record. Results: Out of 235. cases registered, 107. patients were treated at our institute. The parotid gland was most commonly involved; majority were malignant lesions. Sixty-two patients were treatment naive at presentation. Majority presented with advanced disease. Superficial parotidectomy was the most common surgery performed and neck dissection was done in 27. patients. Facial nerve palsy was the most common complication following surgery. (16%). Sixty patients received adjuvant treatment. All patients on follow-up were alive at their last visit, with 10. patients having recurrence. Factors influencing the disease-free survival were extracapsular spread, tumor grade, and perineural invasion. Conclusion: The postoperative morbidities and outcomes for major salivary gland neoplasms in our series were acceptable and comparable to the results available in the literature. Appropriate treatment of the salivary gland neoplasm will yield good outcomes with acceptable morbidity.
ABSTRACT
Background: Parotid cancers are uncommon and have a relatively long natural history. Determination of prognostic factors affecting the outcome is difficult. Materials and Methods: The primary objective was to determine the demographic, clinical, histopathology and treatment-related factors affecting overall survival (OS) in parotid cancers. The secondary objective was to study the impact of these factors on disease-free survival (DFS) and patterns of failure. Data of consecutive patients who underwent parotidectomy for primary parotid malignancy between July 2006 and April 2015 with at least 6 months of posttreatment follow-up were retrospectively retrieved. Patients whose follow-up status was known at the time of analysis were included. One hundred and sixty-five patients met the inclusion criteria. Results: The median follow-up was 38 months. The mean OS and DFS were 141.03 and 124.38 months, respectively. Age > 45 years affected both OS and DFS (P = 0.00 and 0.002 respectively) adversely. Advanced T stage affected adversely OS in univariate (P = 0.00) but not in multivariate analysis (P = 0.91) and DFS in both univariate (P = 0.00) and multivariate analysis (P = 0.005). Nodal positivity adversely affected survival adversely in univariate (P = 0.00 for OS and DFS) and multivariate analysis (P = 0.022 for OS and P = 0.001 for DFS). Resection margin of < 5mm affected OS as compared to a margin of ≥5mm (P = 0.03). Conclusions: Nodal positivity is the single most important factor affecting survival in parotid cancers. A histopathological resection margin of at least 5 mm is desirable. Advanced age along with high grade, advanced T and N stages need to be considered for adjuvant treatment.
ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity, a growing public health concern, is associated with various disorders. Studies have suggested obesity as an independent risk factor that influences the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among active workers. The present study is an attempt to establish relationship between median nerve conduction velocity and obesity in people who do not have any other contributory factor for CTS other than obesity. CTS is the commonest entrapment neuropathy where the median nerve is compressed. Methods: The study was conducted in 15 obese subjects with Body Mass Index (BMI)>30 (group III) and 15 overweight subjects with BMI between 25&29.9 (group II) and 15 control subjects with BMI <25 (group I). The subjects were personnel from armed forces. Their body density was estimated using hydro-densitometry and the body fat percentage was calculated from density. The distal motor latency (DML) and the sensory conduction velocity (SCV) across the wrist on stimulation of median nerve at wrist 3cm proximal to distal crease were assessed in all subjects. Results: The mean values of DML in group I, II, and III were 3.52±0.25 ms, 3.50±0.30 ms and 3.65±0.20 ms respectively. Mean value of SCV among these groups were 48.99±3.23 m/s, 49.32±3.35 m/s and 48.69±4.00 m/s. Conclusion: No relationship could be established between BMI and DML as well as BMI and SCV. The relationship between percentage body fat and DML and SCV also found to be statistically insignificant. However, there was a correlation between BMI and body fat percentage. Carpal tunnel syndrome is uncommon even in obese armed forces personnel, which might be due to their regular body and hand exercise thereby having increased tone in hand muscles.