Transmigration of impacted mandibular cuspids

Transmigration of impacted mandibular cuspid is a rare finding. A cuspid is classified as "transmigrated" when more than half of its length has passed the mid-line. 13 cases of transmigration of impacted mandibular cuspids are presented, 3 of which occurred in pairs, raising the total number of teeth to 16. Radiographs showed positions ranging from a vertical impaction, to a cuspid having crossed the mid-line completely, reaching the first molar area of the opposite side.     

Refractive stabilization after temporal phacoemulsification with foldable acrylic intraocular lens implantation.

PURPOSE: To determine the rate of stabilization of refractive error after temporal small incision phacoemulsification with insertion of an acrylic foldable intraocular lens (IOL) (AcrySof MA30). SETTING: A university hospital anterior segment referral practice. METHODS: The records of 100 consecutive patients with good visual potential having phacoemulsification with acrylic IOL implantation who had good visual acuity on the first postoperative day were reviewed. Refractive data at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 and 4 months were compared. RESULTS: The mean spherical equivalent refraction was +0.31 diopter (D), -0.33 D, -0.51 D, and -0.35 D at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 4 months, respectively. Cylinder by refraction was 1.17 D, 1.09 D, 0.96 D, and 0.99 D, respectively. From 1 week on, the cylinder power and axis did not differ significantly from that at 4 months. At 1 week, the spherical equivalent was within +/-0.50 D of the 4-month refraction in 66.1% of eyes and the cylinder was within +/-0.50 D in 72.9%. At 1 month, the corresponding values were 87.1% and 85.7%. CONCLUSION: The refractive error stabilized rapidly after temporal phacoemulsification with acrylic IOL implantation.     

Characterization of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors mediating contraction in the intestine of Suncus murinus.

1. The effects of 5-HT and 5-HT agonists to induce contraction and the 5-HT receptors mediating these effects were investigated in the proximal, central and terminal intestinal segments of Suncus murinus. 2. The contraction curves to 5-HT (3 nM - 30 microM) were shifted to the right by methysergide (1 microM) and ritanserin (0.1 microM), without affecting the maximum response. 3. In the central and terminal segments (but not the proximal segments) ondansetron (1 microM) and atropine (1 microM) significantly attenuated the contractions to higher concentrations of 5-HT. The selective 5-HT4 receptor antagonist SB204070 (1 nM), failed to modify 5-HT induced contractions in any segment examined. 4. 5-carboxamidotryptamine, alpha-methyl-5-HT and 5-methoxytryptamine (0.003 - 3.0 microM) induced contractions but unlike 5-HT, higher concentrations of these three agents failed to increase the response or were associated with a decrease in response. 2-methyl-5-HT (0.03 - 1.0 microM) was ten times less potent than 5-HT to induce contraction but achieved the same maximum response. 5. The contractions induced by the lower concentrations of 2-methyl-5-HT (0.03 - 1.0 microM) in all segments were markedly reduced or abolished by methysergide (1.0 microM); the response to the higher concentrations of 2-methyl-5-HT (3 - 30.0 microM) were markedly reduced by atropine (1.0 microM) and ondansetron (1.0 microM). 6. In all segments examined, tetrodotoxin (1 microM) significantly reduced the 5-HT-induced contraction. 7. It is concluded that the 5-HT-induced contraction was mediated via 5-HT2 (ritanserin sensitive) receptors in all regions of the intestine, with 5-HT3 (ondansetron sensitive) receptors mediating an additional major component in the central and terminal regions.     

The antioxidant effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Ashrasi date palm on sperm parameters and DNA fragmentation in diabetic rats

BackgroundDiabetes‐induced oxidative stress can have adverse effects on sperm and its DNA integrity. The Ashrasi date palm (ADP) has potent antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effect of ADP hydroalcoholic extract on sperm parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation in diabetic rats.MethodsForty male rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 7): 1, control; 2, diabetic; 3–5, diabetic + ADP (30, 90 and 270 mg/kg for groups 3, 4 and 5, respectively). After preparation of ADP extract and its phytochemical screening, it was administered orally to rats, once a day for 5 weeks. At the end of the study, sperm parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation in all groups were investigated.ResultsAt doses of 90 and 270 mg/kg, ADP extract significantly increased the sperm viability compared to diabetic group 2 (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively) and resulted in a significant decrease in immotile sperm (p = 0.002 and p = 0.006, respectively). At a dose of 270 mg/kg, a considerable enhancement of forward sperm motility was observed (p = 0.04) and there was a significant decrease in sperm DNA fragmentation (p = 0.04).ConclusionsThe findings of the present study show for the first time that the hydroalcoholic extract of ADP has protective and antioxidant effects against diabetes‐induced oxidative stress and can improve sperm parameters and protect sperm DNA integrity.     

An epidemic of hepatitis D in the foothills of the Himalayas in south Kashmir

We have identified hepatitis D as an etiologic cause of an outbreak of 'hepatitis' in an endemic area for hepatitis B in South Kashmir, India. Thirty-five of the 51 patients with jaundice were hepatitis B virus carriers. Twenty-two of the 24 such patients tested had hepatitis D (hepatitis D virus superinfection). Two of the 3 patients with acute hepatitis B were coinfected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). Thirty-six asymptomatic household contacts of hepatitis D patients were assessed. Six were hepatitis B virus carriers, 3 of whom had HDV superinfection. Two contacts had acute hepatitis B, one with HDV coinfection. The disease occurred in adults with a mean age of 28.2 +/- 10.5 years (range 10-56 years) and was equally distributed between the sexes. Three patients with HDV superinfection presented with fulminant hepatic failure with a fatal outcome. All the patients with non-fulminant hepatitis D showed apparent clinical recovery. However, in the subsequent follow-up at 4 years, 7 patients with HDV superinfection had evidence of chronic hepatitis. One of these 7 patients died due to progressive chronic liver disease.     

Breast cancer chemotherapy induces vascular dysfunction and hypertension through a NOX4-dependent mechanism

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in breast cancer survivors. Chemotherapy contributes to this risk. We aimed to define the mechanisms of long-term vascular dysfunction caused by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and identify novel therapeutic targets. We studied arteries from postmenopausal women who had undergone breast cancer treatment using docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (NACT) and from women with no history of such treatment matched for key clinical parameters. We explored mechanisms in WT and Nox4^–/– mice and in human microvascular endothelial cells. Endothelium-dependent, NO-mediated vasodilatation was severely impaired in patients after NACT, while endothelium-independent responses remained normal. This was mimicked by a 24-hour exposure of arteries to NACT agents ex vivo. When applied individually, only docetaxel impaired endothelial function in human vessels. Mechanistic studies showed that NACT increased inhibitory eNOS phosphorylation of threonine 495 in a Rho-associated protein kinase–dependent (ROCK-dependent) manner and augmented vascular superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production and NADPH oxidase activity. Docetaxel increased expression of the NADPH oxidase NOX4 in endothelial and smooth muscle cells and NOX2 in the endothelium. A NOX4 increase in human arteries may be mediated epigenetically by diminished DNA methylation of the NOX4 promoter. Docetaxel induced endothelial dysfunction and hypertension in mice, and these were prevented in Nox4^–/– mice and by pharmacological inhibition of Nox4 or Rock. Commonly used chemotherapeutic agents and, in particular, docetaxel alter vascular function by promoting the inhibitory phosphorylation of eNOS and enhancing ROS production by NADPH oxidases.     

Functional connectivity during frustration: a preliminary study of predictive modeling of irritability in youth

Irritability cuts across many pediatric disorders and is a common presenting complaint in child psychiatry; however, its neural mechanisms remain unclear. One core pathophysiological deficit of irritability is aberrant responses to frustrative nonreward. Here, we conducted a preliminary fMRI study to examine the ability of functional connectivity during frustrative nonreward to predict irritability in a transdiagnostic sample. This study included 69 youths (mean age = 14.55 years) with varying levels of irritability across diagnostic groups: disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (n = 20), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n = 14), anxiety disorder (n = 12), and controls (n = 23). During fMRI, participants completed a frustrating cognitive flexibility task. Frustration was evoked by manipulating task difficulty such that, on trials requiring cognitive flexibility, “frustration” blocks had a 50% error rate and some rigged feedback, while “nonfrustration” blocks had a 10% error rate. Frustration and nonfrustration blocks were randomly interspersed. Child and parent reports of the affective reactivity index were used as dimensional measures of irritability. Connectome-based predictive modeling, a machine learning approach, with tenfold cross-validation was conducted to identify networks predicting irritability. Connectivity during frustration (but not nonfrustration) blocks predicted child-reported irritability (ρ = 0.24, root mean square error = 2.02, p = 0.03, permutation testing, 1000 iterations, one-tailed). Results were adjusted for age, sex, medications, motion, ADHD, and anxiety symptoms. The predictive networks of irritability were primarily within motor-sensory networks; among motor-sensory, subcortical, and salience networks; and between these networks and frontoparietal and medial frontal networks. This study provides preliminary evidence that individual differences in irritability may be associated with functional connectivity during frustration, a phenotype-relevant state.Subject terms: Predictive markers, Reward     

Antibacterial activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil against some selected pathogenic bacterias

ObjectiveTo find the effectiveness of essential oil of lemongrass for the treatment of pathogenic organisms.MethodsLemongrass oil was investigated for activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), using Agar Diffusion Method and Broth Dilution Method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by the Broth Dilution Method. The antibiotic susceptibility test against the test organisms was performed by Disc Diffusion Method.ResultsLemongrass was found effective against all the test organisms except P. aeruginosa. Gram positive organisms were found more sensitive to lemon grass oil as compared to gram negative organisms. The test organisms were found inhibited by Lemon grass oil at lower concentrations in Broth Dilution Method as compared to Agar Diffusion Method.ConclusionsThe tested organisms, particularly gram-negative organisms had shown high resistance towards different antibiotics whereas they were found to be inhibited by lemongrass oil even at lower concentration. Thus lemongrass oil is effective against drug resistant organisms. It can be suggested that use of lemongrass oil would be helpful in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug resistant organisms.