A Follow up Study Among Patients on Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) in Terms of Relapse Rate, Factors Affecting Relapse Rate and HCV Incidence

Background: Many countries are facing a serious problem with opioid dependence. Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) is prescribed to dependent opioid users to diminish the use and effects of illicitly acquired opioids. The high relapse rate has been affecting the effectiveness of anti-drug work all over the world.Material & Methods:In this study, 200 patients were taken by simple random sampling technique. 100 patient on Buprenorphine substitution therapy and 100 on Methadone maintenance treatment were studied. Patients diagnosed as cases of Opioid dependence as per ICD-10 were selected within the first 3 months and followed up to 1 year at 3, 6 and 9 months. The study was conducted after approval from the institutional ethics and thesis committee. A 14-item questionnaire based on a four-point scale describing the number of times certain events had occurred in the previous week for relapse was used to find factors affecting relapse.Results:The relapse rate among patients in the BPN group at 3, 6 and 9 months relapse was 29.33%, 20.34% and 19.51% while in the Methadone group, it was 24.05%, 15.87% and 12% respectively. The overall HCV Incidence was 75% among patients on Opioid Substitution Therapy. Conclusion:The findings of the study highlight the role of multiple determinants in opioid dependence and relapse. The obtained results showed that HCV infection was an alarming problem among IV opiate drug users in Punjab.

Comparison Of Intrathecal Nalbuphine With Different Doses Of Bupivacaine In Infraumbilical Surgeries

Background: Subarachnoid block (SAB) is a widely used regional anesthetic technique for infraumbilical surgeries.Aims: The study was conducted to compare intrathecal nalbuphine with different doses of bupivacaine in infraumbilical surgerieswith respect to hemodynamic changes, side effects, onset and duration of sensory as well as motor blockade, and duration ofanalgesia.Materials and Methods: After obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval, a prospective study was conducted on90 patients belonging to American society of Anesthesiology Grades I and II, aged 18–60 years and scheduled for infraumbilicalsurgeries using SAB. Three Groups A, B, and C each with 30 patients were given 0.8 mg nalbuphine along with 10, 12.5, and15 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine, respectively.Statistical Analysis: Chi-square and unpaired “t” test and following results were observed.Results: Mean onset of sensory block until T10 dermatome was 2.59 ± 0.43, 2.49 ± 0.30, and 2.44–0.33 min while its totalduration was 102.23 ± 5.81, 110.10.83 ± 83, and 136.33 ± 6.15 min in Groups A, B, and C. Maximum motor blockade wasachieved in 7.55 ± 0.57, 7.41 ± 0.51, and 7.30 ± 0.62 min and mean duration of motor block was 145.27 ± 11.80, 155.00 ± 11.58,and 188.00 ± 10.27 min in Groups A, B, and C. Mean time of total duration of the analgesia in Groups A, B, and C was 240.83 ±36.34, 413.77 ± 68.60, and 719.90 ± 99.93 min. Patients in Group C had hypotension at 8th and 10th min intraoperatively whileother parameters and side effects were non-significant.Conclusion: About 0.8 mg of nalbuphine when combined with 12.5 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine had optimum duration ofanalgesia and sensory block with lesser hemodynamic alterations and side effects.

Assessment of oral health status and associated lifestyle factors among Malaysian Fishermen in Teluk Bahang, Penang: An analytical cross-sectional study

Given background sparsity of country-specific literature evidence, and the pervasive unhealthy lifestyle habits such as tobacco, alcohol use, and high sugar consumption among fishermen, the aim of this study was to assess the oral health status and associated lifestyle factors among Malaysian fishermen in Teluk Bahang, Penang. Subjects and Methods: In an analytical cross-sectional design, we used simple random sampling technique to select 242 multiracial Malaysian male fishermen aged between 18 and 75 years from five fishing villages located at Gurney Drive, Tanjong Tokong, Tanjong Bungah, Batu Ferringhi, and Teluk Bahang to participate in this study. During four consecutive weekends in January 2017, we conducted face-to-face interviews with participants using a pre-validated, interviewer-administered WHO oral health questionnaire. We categorized participants as having “good” or “poor” oral health based on a mean cutoff score of 14. Multivariate regression models were fitted to assess the oral health status and associated lifestyle factors among the study population, using SPSS version 22. Results: We achieved a response rate of 97.6%. Overall, the prevalence of poor oral health in this study was 47.5%. “Income” (RM/month), “type of fishing,” “additional occupation,” “age” (years), “frequency of pies, buns consumed,” and “frequency of sweets, soft drinks consumed” were significant predictors of oral health status among the fishermen. Conclusion: Poor oral health is relatively highly prevalent among the fishermen in our study. The oral health status of fishermen in Teluk Bahang was consistent with the national average and significantly associated with their sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Targeted interventions are required to arrest and reverse this trend.

Transferrin receptor expression in reactive and neoplastic lesions of lymphnodes.

Transferrin, the major iron binding protein in human plasma transports iron to various tissues. The first step in cellular iron uptake is binding of transferrin complex to the cell surface membrane by specific molecule known as transferrin receptors. Transferrin receptors are found in limited sites in normal tissues, in contrast, the receptors are widely distributed in majority of carcinomas and sarcomas. Presence of increased transferrin receptors implies a stage of moderate or less differentiation corresponding to elevated proliferative activity and therefore, has a prognostic value. Demonstration of transferrin receptors and its distribution pattern within a tumour as well as its quantitative determination can provide data helpful for, both, an additional understanding of tumour biology and as an approach for planning therapy. In present study, we analysed 60 cases, 30 each of reactive lymphadenitis and lymphomas for transferrin receptors using immunohistochemical technique (DAKO, Code-K0673). Grade II and Grade III intensity was recorded in the germinal centers and the histiocytes in sinus histocytosis indicating the proliferating cells and activated histocytes. Most of the low grade non-Hodgkin lymphomas (83.66%) showed weak (Grade I) positivity for transferrin receptors. Intermediate grade lymphomas showed moderate (Grade II) to high intensity (Grade III) for transferrin receptors (57.14% and 42.85%) respectively. Seventy five percent of high grade lymphomas showed strong (Grade III) positivity. All the 9 cases of Hodgkin lymphoma (100%) showed grade III positivity. Proportion of the cells within a tumour expressing transferrin receptors in high density are therefore likely to represent the growth fraction of the tumour.