Comparison between standard Goldmann applanation prism and disposable applanation prism in tonometry

BACKGROUND: Disposable devices are increasingly becoming the preferred choice where possible in contact medical equipment. AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of the disposable applanation tonometer head as a potential substitute to the standard Goldmann applanation head. METHODS: The study was prospective. The intraocular pressure recordings in 80 eyes of 42 patients were compared using the disposable and standard Goldmann applanator heads. The Bland and Altman method of assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement was used in the analysis. RESULTS: The difference in the readings between the two types of tonometer heads was highly variable (mean difference=0.78 mm Hg, range=-1 to 11 mm Hg). This was because of the distortions on the applanating surface of the disposable device. When the readings associated with the defective heads were excluded, very strong agreement was obtained (mean=0.07 mm Hg, range=-1 to 2 mm Hg). CONCLUSION: Good agreement with standard Goldmann applanation is achieved with the disposable heads except where surface distortions induce significant errors. Careful inspection to ensure well-structured disposable units is imperative in disposable applanation tonometry.     

Oxidative stress and antioxidants status in peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma

Oxidative stress is believed to initiate and aggravate many diseases including peptic ulcers and gastric carcinoma. We observed an increase in rat gastric mucosal lipid peroxidation (LPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and a decrease in catalase (CAT) levels in cold restraint stress-induced gastric ulceration while, in clinical peptic ulceration and gastric carcinoma patients, an increase in serum LPO and a tendency to decrease in SOD and CAT levels were observed. The result thus, indicated a positive correlation between free radical-induced oxidative stress both in gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastric carcinoma.     

The clinical development of new mitotic inhibitors that stabilize the microtubule

Microtubule-stabilizing agents are increasingly studied for cancer treatment based largely on the prior success of paclitaxel and docetaxel. In this review, we focus on the clinical development of epothilones and discodermolide, and we discuss salient preclinical and clinical highlights of these two novel natural products. These agents are distinguished by their biochemical features making them poor P-glycoprotein substrates and capable of inducing cytotoxicity in cell lines or in vivo tumor models harboring mutations in tubulin. There is now considerable data regarding the efficacy of the epothilones in human beings and discodermolide holds such promise, as well.     

APC promoter hypermethylation contributes to the loss of APC expression in colorectal cancers with allelic loss on 5q

INTRODUCTION: Germ-line mutations of the APC gene are associated with familial adenomatous polyposis, and somatic mutations occur frequently in sporadic colorectal cancer. However, to abrogate APC function, both alleles must be inactivated. Recently, it has been demonstrated that epigenetic modification of the APC promoter influences APC silencing. Here we examined the influence of APC methylation on APC expression in tumors with and without LOH at the APC locus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 137 sporadic colorectal cancer specimens were investigated for LOH at the 5q locus. The methylation status of the APC promoter was determined by methylation-specific PCR. APC expression was performed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Expression was reduced or lost in 110 of 137 (80%) tumors and LOH at 5q was found in 13 of 132 (10%) tumors. There was no difference in 5q LOH between tumors with or without intact APC expression. Vice versa, there was no difference in the APC expression in tumors with 5q LOH. Aberrant APC promoter methylation was detected in 33 of 118 (28%) tumors investigated. Of the tumors with 5q LOH for which methylation data were available, 4 of 11 (36%) were methylated versus 28 of 105 (27%) of those without LOH. No difference in methylation was observed in tumors without 5q LOH and normal APC expression and those without 5q LOH and reduced or missing APC expression. Importantly, none of the tumors with 5q LOH and normal APC staining were aberrantly methylated, whereas 50% of the cancers with LOH at 5q and reduced or absent staining were hypermethylated. CONCLUSIONS: This report suggests that tumors with 5q LOH and reduced APC expression are more frequently hypermethylated at the APC promoter compared to those tumors with 5q LOH and normal APC expression. The association among APC promoter methylation status, 5q LOH, and reduced or lost APC expression suggests that de novo methylation plays an important role as a "second hit" in silencing APC expression in colorectal neoplasia.     

C-reactive proteins as an indicator of sub-clinical infection in cases of premature rupture of membranes

The present study was conducted on 25 cases of preterm, premature rupture of membranes and 25 patients preterm with intact membranes, between 28-36 weeks of gestation, admitted in the maternity ward of Obstetrics and Gynecology, PGIMS, Rohtak. The sensitivity and specificity of CRP determination was found to be 80% each as an early predictor of subclinical chorioamnionitis. TLC had a low sensitivity of 20% and specificity of 60% in detecting histopathological chorioamnionitis. So CRP estimation is a reliable marker for detection of early choriamnionitis, at the same time, it is quite affordable and reasonably simple.