Influence of Functional Clinical Temperature over Compressive Strength and Diametral Tensile Strength of Various Luting Cements

Objective: To estimate the effect of temperature over the physical properties of commonly used luting cements. Material and Methods: The two set of cylindrical shaped cement samples measuring 12mm X 6mm and 4mm X 8mm were fabricated from non-eugenol zinc oxide, glass ionomer, zinc phosphate, Zinc polycarboxylate, resin cements. These two sets of samples were utilized to test compressive and diametral tensile strength respectively. Forty cement samples from each mold were fabricated and distributed between 14, 22, 37 and 550C (N=10). The samples were tested under universal testing machine, and data subsequently analyzed using One-way ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison's statistical methods at p > 0.05. Results: The higher temperature resulted in noticeable reduction in the compressive strength of non-eugenol -zinc oxide, Zinc-phosphate, Zinc poly carboxylate cements. The highest compressive strength was recorded for non-eugenol zinc oxide (8.08 Mpa) at 370C, Zinc phosphate (91.01Mpa) at 140C, and for zinc polycarboxylate (83.06 Mpa) at 370C. The comparative values for respective cements at 550C were 6.40Mpa, 59.80Mpa, and 52.88 Mpa. The higher temperature had insignificant effect on the compressive strength of glass ionomer cement, while composite resin cement indicated minor deterioration. Conclusion: The relative mouth temperature influences the physical properties of the luting cements.

Intra-abdominal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor: a case report and literature review

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor [IMT] is very rare solid tumor; it is of unknown origin, characterized by unpredictable clinical behavior. It arises from soft tissues of almost every organ and the most common site is the lung. We describe here a case of intra-abdominal IMT in a boy of 6 years old presented with symptoms and signs of acute abdomen with intra-abdominal mass. The aim of reporting this case is to clarify the importance of the rare tumors in the differential diagnosis of intra-abdominal masses beside the more common tumors like appendicular mass, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or gastrointestinal stromal tumor

comparative analysis of frequency and patterns of ovarian tumours at a tertiary care hospital between two different study periods [2002-2009]

This study was conducted to investigate the frequency and type of ovarian tumors amongst patients who underwent surgery for ovarian cyst diagnosed on ultrasound and also to compare a change in pattern of type of tumors between 2002 and 2009. Comparative, Observational study. This study was carried out in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology Foundation University Medical College, Fauji Foundation hospital Rawalpindi that is a tertiary care hospital, from 1[st] June 2002 to 31[st] May 2003 [Study period 1, n=90] and from 1[st] November 2008 to 31[st] October 2009 [Study period 2, n=93]. All the patients who had ovarian cysts larger than five centimetres in size diagnosed on ultrasonography and planned for surgery were included in the study. All the relevant details were entered in prof or mas. Histopathology of excision biopsies was analysed. The overall incidence of ovarian tumors was 7.1% and 5.4% with a rate of malignancy 18% and 5.4% in period 1 and 2 respectively which was statistically non significant [p>0.05]. The most common malignant tumour was serous cyst adenocarcinoma during both study periods. The most common benign tumor was simple follicular cyst 25% during study period one and serous cyst adenoma 23% during period 2. The frequency and patterns of ovarian tumors has remained unchanged between 2002 and 2009

Synergistic effects of ezetimibe with low dose simvastatin in lowering lipid parameters-a pilot study

To find out see the effect on lipid parameters by using a combination of the two drugs. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in conformance with good clinical practices and consisted of 2 phases: A total of 39 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either simvastatin alone or a combination of simvastatin plus ezetimibe. It was conducted at Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi from July 2008 to September 2008. Mean baseline total cholesterol ranged from 5.29 to 8.87 mmol/ L. The results indicated that the total cholesterol levels reduced significantly [p <0.05] from the baseline when patients were given 10 mg Simvastatin. Upon reduction of dose of simvastatin to 5 mg and addition of ezetimibe 10 mg, the levels of total cholesterol reduced even further [p<0.05]. Similar results were seen with triglyceride levels [p<0.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in LDL-C levels from the baseline with the use of simvastatin 10 mg alone. However coadministration of ezetimibe [10mg] to simvastatin [5mg] caused a statistically significant reduction in LDL-C levels from the baseline. There was no effect on HDL-C, ALT, blood glucose levels. The pilot study confirmed the effectiveness of ezetimbe in lowering total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in combination with reduced doses of simvastatin. Ezetimibe should be considered an effective lipid-lowering agent that can be used in conjunction with simvastatin at the beginning of therapy, or included in the treatment of patients who do not achieve their total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal with statins alone

Nosocomial uropathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns in a tertiary referral teaching hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Nosocomial urinary tract infections [NUTIs] are by definition not present at admission of a patient and are acquired during hospitalisation. The objective of this study was to study the uropathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns in hospital acquired urinary tract infections presenting in a teaching hospital. It was a retrospective descriptive study carried out at the Department of Pathology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, during the year 2009. Reports of urine culture and sensitivity performed during one year were retrospectively studied with a view to document various isolates and their antimicrobial sensitivity. Out of a total number of 1204 urine cultures submitted, 246 were found to have nosocomial urinary tract infections. Over all prevalence of nosocomial urinary tract infection in the examined reports was 20.43%. Nosocomial Urinary tract infections are common. Gram negative bacilli are most frequent uropathogens and are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Fosfomycin followed by Gentamycin and Cefotaxime were the most effective antibiotics

Biochemical parameters in evaluation of oligospermia

In Pakistan, male infertility constitutes about 35% of all cases of infertility. The dysfunction can be at the level of the central nervous system or somewhere in the male genital tract. A study was conducted to screen cases of male infertility using various biochemical parameters. A total of 81 cases were screened. Oligospermia was seen in 13 [16%] patients. They were divided into severe and mild to morderate oligospermia. In servere oligospermia, there was an increase in serum FSH level with decrease in seminal transferrin and carnitine suggesting damage to sertoli cells. In mild to moderate oligospermia, serum FSH were normal with [levels] a slight decrease in the levels of transferrin and carnitine in semen indicating that sertoli cells were not significantly defective and the dysfunction could be somewhere else