Pulmonary mycosis in asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are the two most commonly seen obstructive airway disorders, affecting millions of people across the world. Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome (ACOS) includes the patients having features of both COPD and asthma. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to evaluate spectrum of fungal infection in sputum/induced sputum/bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples of ACOS patients. Materials and Methods: Our prospective study conducted on 80 patients diagnosed ACOS, in exacerbation, of either sex attending the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, after taking permission from the ethical committee. Sputum or induced sputum or BAL sample was collected in sterile vials and sent to the microbiology department for the examination for fungal species. In microbiology, sputum/BAL samples were subjected to direct microscopic examination using KOH and cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar. The culture was observed daily until 21 days for any fungal growth. Results: Out of 80 patients of ACOS, 43 were males and 37 were females. Culture results were positive for fungal species in 33 patients out of 80 patients (41.2%). Different species of fungi were cultured such as Candida (22.6%), Aspergillus flavus (5%), Aspergillus fumigatus (2.5%), Aspergillus niger (2.5%), Penicillium non-marneffei (3.8%), Trichosporon spp. (3.8%), and Geotrichum spp. (1.3%). Conclusion: Our observations show that a wide spectrum of fungal species is prevalent in respiratory tract in ACOS patients. Determination of pulmonary mycosis in ACOS is required to detect, and treat the coinfection with fungus well in time and decrease morbidity and mortality due to ACOS.

Comparative immunological and histopathological study in fifty cases of mucosal/nonmucosal lichen planus.

Lichen planus is a common disorder and 40-50% of LP patients also reveal mucosal lesions. It is well known that mucosal LP lesions take very long to heal in comparison to cutaneous lesions. Rarely erosive mucosal LP can turn malignant. Both CMI and humoral immunity may play role in aetiopathogenesis of LP. Present study was conducted to study and compare CMI, Humoral Immunity, histopathology in mucosal and nonmucosal LP.

Inhibitory effect of curcumin and its natural analogues on genotoxicity of heterocyclic amines from cooked food.

Curcumin (C) and its natural analogues demethoxycurcumin (dmC) and bisdemethoxycurcumin (bdmC), known for their potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic effects, were tested for their possible inhibitory effects against seven cooked food mutagens (heterocyclic amines): 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1), 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-2), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and 2-amino-6-methyldipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-P-1), in both TA98 and TA100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium using Ames Salmonella/reversion assay in the presence of Aroclor induced rat liver S9 homogenate. In the present investigations, curcumin as well as its two natural analogues i.e., dmC and bdmC were found to be highly effective in suppressing genotoxicity of all the tested cooked food mutagens in a dose-dependent manner, in both the frame shift (TA98) as well as base pair mutation sensitive (TA100) strains of S. typhimurium. However, bdmC appeared to be a relatively less active antimutagen compared to C and dmC. More than 80% inhibition of mutagenicity was observed at 200 microg/plate in case of C and dmC in both TA98 and TA100 against all tested cooked food mutagens. Where as, bdmC showed 39-79% inhibition in TA100 and 60-80% inhibition in TA98, at a dose of 200 microg/plate. These findings warrant further biochemical, enzymatic and in vivo investigations in animal models as well as in humans to establish the chemoprotective effect of these agents against mutagenic heterocyclic amines found in cooked food.

Comparative evaluation of the effect of simulated porcelain firing cycle on the mechanical properties and microstructure of base metal ceramic alloys.

A comparison of mechanical properties and microstructure of four metal ceramic alloys in as-cast and heat-treated conditions resulted in significant differences. The alloys that were tested included two nickel-based and two cobalt-based metal ceramic alloys. Mechanical properties tested included strength, percent elongation and hardness. Ten tensile bars were cast for each alloy. Five of the ten bars for each alloy were randomly selected for heat treatment with the simulated porcelain firing cycle. Results indicated that the nickel-based alloys were weakened by the heat treatment and showed a decreased hardness and an increased elongation. The effects of heat treatment on the strength of cobalt-based alloys were variable, showing an increase in hardness and a decrease in elongation. Differences in mechanical properties exhibited by the alloys were related to compositional and microstructural changes.