Stage-specific expression analysis ofMMP-2 & MMP-9 in laryngeal carcinoma

Aim of the Study: Both matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is involved in degradation of extracellular matrix and found to stimulate invasion and metastasis in cancer patients. However, studies on the stage-specific expression of MMPs at different stages of larynx carcinoma are still lacking. In the present study, we compare the expression level of MMP-2 and MMP-9 at different stages of laryngeal carcinoma. Material and Methods: Tumor tissues samples were taken from larynx cancer patients by deep biopsy during direct laryngoscopy. Gene expression for MMP-2 and MMP-9 was analyzed using RT-PCR. Results: Significantly high expression of MMP-2 was observed compared to the MMP-9 at stage IV compared to the less advanced stages of the disease. Conclusion: Present study concluded that the MMP-2 expressed with a greater magnitude as compared to the MMP-9 in advance stages of laryngeal carcinoma

Epidemiological study of neural tube defects in Jammu division, India

Background: Prevalence and spectrum of neural tube defects has undergone seasonal and secular variations in different regions of the world since the turn of last century. However precise etiology inspite of lot of research has not been clearly elucidated.Methods: The study was conducted in Government Medical College Hospital and SMGS Hospital Jammu in patients diagnosed to have a neural tube defect from birth to 19 years. History regarding sociodemographic profile, antenatal history and significant birth history was elicited. Complete general physical examination, Local examination of the lesion was carried out and neural tube defects were classified. All the cases were subjected to ultrasound head to determine ventricular size and rule out hydrocephalus. The data was entered in Microsoft Excel and results were presented in form of percentages and proportions.Results: Maximum children admitted were in the age group of <1 month and belonged to Jammu district. Commonest anomaly seen was lumbosacral meningomyelocele with associated hydrocephalus and neural deficit. Mothers who gave birth to an NTD affected child were commonly in the age group of 20-30 years, with commonest NTD affected sib being 1stborn and most of parents being from very low socio-economic strata of society. Only 7 mothers had received antenatal advice with ultrasound and almost none had received folic acid either before or after conception.Conclusions: Neural tube defects appear to be fairly common anomaly among females of lower socioeconomic strata, living in far flung mountainous regions of the state, devoid of proper health care facilities and education.

Association of vitamin D levels with simple febrile seizures in under five children: a case control study

Background: There is increasing concern that vitamin D deficiency may play etiological role in Febrile seizures. Few studies have reported vitamin D deficiency in children with recurrent febrile seizures and hypocalcemia seizures. 'The objective of this study is to explore vitamin D status in children aged 6 months to 5 years with first episode of febrile seizure and to find the association between vitamin D levels and febrile seizure.Methods: A hospital-based case control study was conducted in sub district hospital, Katra over a period of three years. Cases were children of age group 6 months to 5 years presenting with first episode of simple febrile seizure to the casualty or OPD. For each case, a control was selected with similar age group and same sex who came for short duration fever (<2 days) but without seizures. A 5ml of blood sample for measurement of 25 hydroxy vitamin D was taken from the peripheral vein of each participant by trained laboratory technician. In order to categorise various degrees of vitamin D deficiency, Indian Academy of paediatrics criteria was used. Results were presented in the form of percentages and Odds ratio was calculated as measure of association.Results: A total of 75 cases and 75 controls were included in the study. Cases and controls were comparable as per baseline characteristics. Strong and significant (p<0.01) association of febrile seizures with vit D levels was observed.Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among cases of simple febrile seizure.

A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Effect of Epidemiological Determinants on Prevalence of Anaemia among the Adolescent and Reproductive Age Females Residing at Rural Bikaner

Introduction: Nutritional anaemia is a worldwide problem, withthe highest prevalence in developing countries. In India, 20-40% of maternal deaths are due to anaemia. 55 % of Indianadolescent girls are anaemic and the prevalence of anaemia inwomen of reproductive age is 53.1% and 56% of adolescentgirls and 46.8 % of the women aged 15-49 years are anaemicin Rajasthan and the prevalence was slightly higher in ruralthan urban areas.Objective: To study association between epidemiologicaldeterminants and anaemia prevalence among 10-49 year agegroup females of rural Bikaner.Methodology: Community based cross-sectional study, A totalof 600 women were selected for study by systematic randomsampling. Inclusion criteria included informed verbal consentand no critical or chronic illness.Results: Most (92.50%) of the study population was anaemic.Mean haemoglobin value among anaemic and non-anaemicfemales was 8.65±1.23 g/dl & 11.24±1.21 g/dl respectively.About 2/3rd (69.55%) of the anaemic study population hadmoderate anaemia. Only 2.50 % of the anaemic studypopulation had severe anaemia.Conclusion: Anaemia is a major public health problem amongadolescent and reproductive age females in rural area and agegroups, type of family, age at marriage, age at first child,pattern of menstrual cycle, medical history of study populationand signs and symptoms were associated with anaemia inadolescent and reproductive age females.

Comparison Of Umbilical Cord Milking And Delayed Cord Clamping On Haemoglobin And Haematocrit Levels In Term Neonates. A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Delayed umbilical cord clamping is an effective strategy and particularly relevant for infants living in low-resource settings with less access to iron-rich foods and thus are at greater risk of anaemia. Objective: To compare the effect of umbilical cord milking (UCM) and delayed cord clamping (DCC) on haematological parameters (serum ferritin & hemoglobin) at birth and at 72 hours in term neonates. Methods: This was an Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial conducted at Suvidha Mother and Child Nursing Home Talab Tillo Jammu over a period of 6 months. A total of 68 babies born at > 37 weeks of gestation were randomized in three groups, group I UCM alone (n=28) , Group II DCC alone (n=23) and Group III both UCC and DCC (n=17) using simple randomization technique . In milking group, Umbilical cord was milked 4 times towards the baby at a speed of 10 cm / sec . In Delayed Cord Clamping group cord was clamped and cut 2-3 cm distance from the umbilical stump after 3 minutes of birth. In Group III both procedures were done simultaneously. Statistical analysis: ANOVAwas used to compare mean difference of outcome between three intervention arms. Two tailed Pvalue of <0.05 was taken as significant. SPSS version 20.0 was used for data analysis Results: The baseline characteristics were mostly comparable in the all the groups. Maximum increase in Haemoglobin and PCV was seen in group II i.e delayed cord clamping . Mean haemoglobin and heamatocrit (PCV) levels at 72 hours of life neonates in group II (17.7g% and 55.4 ) and group III (17.3g% and 54) were comparable . Conclusion: Both the interventions i.e Delayed cord clamping performed alone or in combination with umbilical cord milking had comparable effect on hematological status in term neonates

Successful clinical management of atrophic flabby ridge with liquid supported prosthesis: a case report

Severely resorbed ridges with flabby mucosa often poses great challenge for Prosthodontist in providing a complete denture which is functionally acceptable and causes minimal trauma to the underlying tissues. Liquid supported denture can be a permanent solution in edentulous patients with diabetes, xerostomia and atrophied ridge. Liquid-supported dentures will have optimal stress distribution during masticatory function.he aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different lengths of time of passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) in removing calcium hydroxide (CH) paste from root canal, using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS).

A Clinical Profile of Neurotoxic Snakebite in Pediatric Population of Jammu Region.

Snake bite is a common neglected emergency in children. Due to lack of adequate epidemiological data its incidence is underestimated. This study analyses the clinical profile of neurotoxic snake bites in children. Retrospective analysis of 37 children with features of neurotoxicity with or without history of snake bite was done. 37 cases of neurotoxic envenomation had a median age of 8 years. 30 were males. Majority of bites occurred during night hours and in upper limbs. Among the 17 who were bitten during night 12 were sleeping on floor. The most common systemic presentation was ptosis (94.59%) followed by difficulty in breathing (78.37%), pain abdomen (64.86%) blurring of vision and diplopia (54.04%), decreasing level of consciousness (45.94%) and vomiting (29.72%). 13 patients (35.13%) with clinical features of neurotoxic envenoming but without any history of snake bite were brought with history of early morning sudden onset of abdominal pain. All patients were given Anti Snake Venom (ASV) with medial dose of 600 units. Twenty patients received ventilator support. Ten (27%) patients died all of whom received ASV after a delay of at least 5 hours.

Nanomedicine: Current Status and Future Implications.

Adverse effects form a major part of the drawbacks of the current therapeutics. The two main reasons are: Distribution of drugs to an area, which is not the desired site of action and another is attaining higher than desired concentration at the site of action. Nanomedicine raises hopes to overcome these problems. Nanomedicine is the medical use of nanobiotechnology. It is a relatively newer technology based on the uses of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). ENMs are medical materials available in nanometer (one-millionth of a millimeter) scale. Because of nanoscale, the molecules acquire changes in their physicochemical properties which are utilized for easier and more thorough penetration in cells. Nanomedicine has shown promising results both in diagnostics as well as therapeutics e.g. in oncology and diseases of central nervous system. Nanoparticle targeting and neuroelectronic interface raises hopes for a number of clinical disorders for which the satisfactory treatment is currently not available. The most striking use can be repairs at a molecular level. Like other modalities of treatment, nanomedicine also has disadvantages; however, currently the benefits outweigh the risks. It will be interesting to see how the rising ethical concerns will be dealt with.

Nanomedicine: Current Status and Future Implications.

Adverse effects form a major part of the drawbacks of the current therapeutics. The two main reasons are: Distribution of drugs to an area, which is not the desired site of action and another is attaining higher than desired concentration at the site of action. Nanomedicine raises hopes to overcome these problems. Nanomedicine is the medical use of nanobiotechnology. It is a relatively newer technology based on the uses of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). ENMs are medical materials available in nanometer (one-millionth of a millimeter) scale. Because of nanoscale, the molecules acquire changes in their physicochemical properties which are utilized for easier and more thorough penetration in cells. Nanomedicine has shown promising results both in diagnostics as well as therapeutics e.g. in oncology and diseases of central nervous system. Nanoparticle targeting and neuroelectronic interface raises hopes for a number of clinical disorders for which the satisfactory treatment is currently not available. The most striking use can be repairs at a molecular level. Like other modalities of treatment, nanomedicine also has disadvantages; however, currently the benefits outweigh the risks. It will be interesting to see how the rising ethical concerns will be dealt with.

Premenstrual Syndrome - A Monthly Menace.

Most women feel some discomfort before or during their periods, but if the discomfort is of such a severity that starts interfering with some aspects of life: The diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome or tension (PMS or PMT) should be considered. About 80- 95% of females of childbearing age have some premenstrual symptoms. PMS affects upto 30% of women with regular menstrual cycles. Some women (about 3-8% of menstruating women) have a more severe and disabling form of PMS having a psychiatric designation called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The etiology of PMS remains unknown and may be complex and multifactorial, but hormones, neurotransmitters and genetic factors have a role to play. Behavioral symptoms along with physical symptoms should be present to establish a diagnosis. Certain lifestyle changes and dietary modifications along with a number of drug options can improve the quality-of-life of a patient of PMS upto a considerable extent.

Hemothorax Following Snakebite.

We report a 12 year old girl with snakebite, who developed hemothorax 5 days after admission. One liter of blood was aspirated. The bite was presumed to be that of saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus) that resulted in DIC and direct endothelial injury leading to bleed. Selective bleed into the pleural cavity is a rarity.

Scrub Typhus in Children: Jammu Experience.

The present retrospective study describes clinical profile of the children hospitalized in SMGS hospital with Scrub Typhus infection in Jammu during period Oct 08 to Sept 09. 21 hospitalized children with clinical features suggestive of Rickettsial disease (fever, generalized rash) who tested ELISA positive for IgM against Scrub Typhus were included in the present study between the age of 5 years and 18 years. 52.4% children belonged to Sunderbani-Naushera - Rajouri belt and majority of them reported during the months of August to November. All children presented with fever and maculopapular rash. 61.9% had lymphadenopathy, 57.12% had edema and 46% patients had conjunctival congestion. 76.13%, 23.8%, 19.04%, 9.2% had hepatosplenomegaly , pain abdomen ,altered sensorium and gastrointestinal bleed respectively. All of the 21 children were treated with chloramphenicol. None of them died. Rickettsial infection is quite common in Jammu region and thus, high degree of suspicion, knowledge of geographical distribution and clinical features of Rickettsial disease helps in its early diagnosis and treatment.