Concepts of occlusion in prosthodontics: A literature review,part I

Occlusion and its relationship to the function of the stomatognathic system have been widely studied in dentistry since many decades. This series of articles describe about occlusion in the complete denture, fixed partial denture, and implants. Part I and II of this articles series describe concepts and philosophies of occlusion in complete denture. So far, available research has not concluded a superior tooth form or occlusal scheme to satisfy the requirements of completely edentulous patients with respect to comfort, mastication, phonetics, and esthetics. Since then, several balanced and nonbalanced articulation concepts were proposed in the literature. A balanced articulation appears to be most appropriate because of tooth contacts observed during nonfunctional activities of patients. This article discusses about evolution of different concepts of occlusion and occlusal schemes in complete denture occlusion.Key Words: Articulation, complete denture, occlusion     

Neonatal Severe Hyperparathyroidism due to Compound Heterozygous Mutation of Calcium Sensing Receptor (CaSR) Gene Presenting as Encephalopathy

The authors report a 14-d-old neonate who presented with lethargy, polyuria and dehydration and was found to have severe hypercalcemia with hyperparathyroidism. This neonate was treated with saline hydration, diuresis and injection pamidronate. Genetic analysis revealed a compound heterozygous mutation of CaSR.     

Exploiting sensitization windows of opportunity in hyper and hypo-fractionated radiation therapy

In contrast to the conventional radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy paradigms used in the treatment of majority of cancer types, this review will describe two areas of radiobiology, hyperfractionated and hypofractionated radiation therapy, for cancer treatment focusing on application of novel concepts underlying these treatment modalities. The initial part of the review discusses the phenomenon of hyper-radiation sensitivity (HRS) at lower doses (0.1 to 0.6 Gy), describing the underlying mechanisms and how this could enhance the effects of chemotherapy, particularly, in hyperfractionated settings. The second part examines the radiobiological/physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of high-dose hypofractionated radiation therapy that can be exploited for tumor cure. These include abscopal/bystander effects, activation of immune system, endothelial cell death and effect of hypoxia with re-oxygenation. These biological properties along with targeted dose delivery and distribution to reduce normal tissue toxicity may make high-dose hypofractionation more effective than conventional radiation therapy for treatment of advanced cancers. The novel radiation physics based methods that take into consideration the tumor volume to be irradiated and normal tissue avoidance/tolerance can further improve treatment outcome and post-treatment quality of life. In conclusion, there is enough evidence to further explore novel avenues to exploit biological mechanisms from hyper-fractionation by enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy and hypo-fractionated radiation therapy that could enhance tumor control and use imaging and technological advances to reduce toxicity.KEYWORDS : Low Doses Fractionated Radiation Therapy (LDFRT), hyper-radiation sensitivity (HRS), induced radiation resistance (IRR), hyperfractionation, chemopotentiation, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), stereotactic ablative radiosurgery (SARS), stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), spatially fractionated GRID radiotherapy (SFGRT), lattice     

Growth patterns and anaemia status of HIV‐infected children living in an institutional facility in India

Objective  To understand the health status of HIV orphans in a well‐structured institutional facility in India. Method  Prospective longitudinal analysis of growth and anaemia prevalence among these children, between June 2008 and May 2011. Results  A total of 85 HIV‐infected orphan children residing at Sneha Care Home, Bangalore, for at least 1 year, were included in the analysis. Prevalence of anaemia at entry into the home was 40%, with the cumulative incidence of anaemia during the study period being 85%. At baseline, 79% were underweight and 72% were stunted. All children, irrespective of their antiretroviral therapy (ART) status, showed an improvement in nutritional status over time as demonstrated by a significant increase in weight (median weight‐for‐age Z‐score: ?2.75 to ?1.74, P < 0.001) and height Z‐scores (median height‐for‐age Z‐score: ?2.69 to ?1.63, P < 0.001). Conclusion  These findings suggest that good nutrition even in the absence of ART can bring about improvement in growth. The Sneha Care Home model indicates that the holistic approach used in the Home may have been helpful in combating HIV and poor nutritional status in severely malnourished orphaned children.