Validation of an Indian (Kannada) translation of the Family Impact Scale questionnaire and the impact of malocclusion on the families of adolescent school children

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to validate an Indian translation of the Family Impact Scale (FIS) questionnaire and assess the impact of malocclusion on the families of adolescent school children between 12 and 15 years old across socio-economic strata (SES). Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 768 school children aged between 12 and 15 years from randomly selected schools in Udupi district. The FIS and informed consent forms were sent through the children to be completed by their parents. Information was collected on socio-demographic details, past dental visit in the last year, type of school and SES. Clinical examination for malocclusion using the Dental Aesthetic Index was conducted by a single trained and calibrated examiner. Results: The prevalence of malocclusion was 59.9%. The intra-class correlation for the total FIS score of 0.95 and Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.88 demonstrated internal consistency. There was a significant difference in the overall and subscale scores of FIS between parents of children with and without malocclusion (P < 0.001). Parents of children who had malocclusion had significantly higher FIS scores across all SES (P < 0.001). Parents of children with malocclusion had 1.86 (P < 0.001, 95% CI = 1.60−2.17) times higher FIS scores than parents of children without malocclusion after adjusting for age, gender, SES, and past dental visits in the last year. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the FIS were found satisfactory for assessing the effect of a child’s oral condition on his/her family. Malocclusion in children had a significant negative influence on the family impact scores.Key words: Family, impact, malocclusion, oral health, quality of life     

OVEREXPRESSION OF THE 67-kD LAMININ RECEPTOR CORRELATES WITH TUMOUR PROGRESSION IN HUMAN COLORECTAL CARCINOMA

The high affinity 67-kD laminin receptor (67LR) is a cell surface protein whose expression is increased in a number of human carcinoma models. To date, 67LR expression in colorectal carcinomas has been examined in a small number of cases. 67LR expression has been immunohistochemically analysed in a large series of human colorectal neoplasms, using the MLuC5 monoclonal antibody. The study included 59 samples of non-neoplastic mucosa, 45 polyps (11 hyperplastic, 34 adenomas), 196 carcinomas, and lymph node metastases of 87 carcinomas. Epithelial cells of normal mucosa and hyperplastic polyps were negative or showed weak positivity in the paranuclear and apical areas of the cytoplasm. In adenomas and carcinomas, the staining was stronger, with a membranous or cytoplasmic pattern. The expression of 67LR correlated significantly with the progression from normal mucosa (22 per cent) to adenoma (44 per cent), carcinoma (61 per cent), and lymph node metastasis (75 per cent) ( P <0·0001). Expression of the laminin receptor showed a tendency to be more frequently positive in advanced stage (III+IV; 67 per cent) when compared with early stage (I+II) carcinomas (54 per cent). The difference, however, was not statistically significant ( P =0·058). In addition, 14 out of 28 (50 per cent) primary carcinomas without 67LR expression became positive in lymph node metastases, while most (86 per cent) of the MLuC5-positive primary carcinomas were also immunoreactive in metastases. In conclusion, these results indicate that 67LR is up-regulated in the progression of human colorectal carcinomas and may play a role in the local and metastatic progression of these tumours.     

Early detection of Pre-XDR TB with line probe assay in a high TB burden country

BackgroundWorldwide, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death. Drug resistant tuberculosis has lately become a major public health problem that threatens progress made in Tuberculosis (TB) care and control worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Pre-extensive drug resistant TB among MDR TB in North Central of Nigeria.MethodsThis study was conducted from October, 2018 to August, 2019 with 150 samples. In Nigeria, guidelines for DR-TB as recommended by WHO is followed. All the samples from the patients who gave their consent were transported to a zonal reference TB laboratory (ZRL).ResultsMean age was 38.6 ± 13.4 years with peak age at 35–44. Out of these 103 samples processed with LPA, 101(98%) were rifampicin resistant and 2 were rifampicin sensitive, 99(96%) were INH resistant and 4 (4%) were INH sensitive, 5(5%) were fluoroquinolone resistant, 98(95%) were fluoroquinolone sensitive, 12 (12%) were Aminoglycoside + Capreomycin resistant, 91(83%) were Aminoglycoside + Capreomycin sensitive.ConclusionMultidrug resistant TB and its severe forms (Pre-extensive & extensively drug resistant TB) can be detected early with rapid tool- Line Probe Assay rapid and prevented timely by early initiation on treatment.     

Inflammatory bowel disease in the Hubei Province of China

AIM: To analyze clinical features and response to treatment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients from the Hubei Province of China.METHODS: Clinical data was collected retrospectively from 74 patients with IBD [66 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 8 with Crohn’s disease (CD)] admitted to The Second Hospital, Hubei Medical University from 1986 to 1995.RESULTS: The most common symptoms in IBD patients were abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood and mucus in stool, and constipation. Extraintestinal manifestations of IBD were not common. In these patients, inflammation was predominantly located in the sigmoid and left colon in UC cases, and in the ileum and colon in CD cases. Treatment with sulphasalazine and corticosteroids was effective in 95% of UC cases; However, about 42% of UC patients showed disease recurrence during the follow-up period of 1.11 years. Five out of eight CD patients had part of their intestine removed, whereas three were treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs or the antibiotic metronidazole. Out of four patients we followed up for 1-8 years, one died of severe complications after surgery, two experienced recurrence while in treatment with drugs, and one remained in remission under sulphasalazine treatment after surgery.CONCLUSION: Five percent of the patients reported a family history of IBD. About 34% of the patients were smokers and 32% of the patients were alcoholic. Epidemiological studies are urgently needed in the Hubei Province of China to assess the role that genetics and environmental factors play in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases.     

Ca2+Mg3+-ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes in hypercalciuric nephrolithiasic patients

SUMMARY: Ca²⁺Mg²⁺ATPase is an enzyme involved in calcium transport across biological membranes. In order to determine its possible role in the pathogenesis of calcium nephrolithiasis, we assessed Ca²⁺Mg²⁺-ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes from 18 hypercalciuric (HC) nephrolithiasic patients (nine with absorptive hypercalciuria (AHC), nine with renal hypercalciuria (RHC)) and eight normocalciuric healthy controls (C). Participants took no medication for at least 3 months before the study and remained on a diet containing approximately 25 mmol of calcium per day for 14 days. Pump activity was measured in calmodulin-free red blood cell membranes and expressed in umol of phosphate released per mg of membrane protein per h. There were statistically significant differences in pump activity between groups (1.43±0.07; 1.93±0.1; 1.65±0.06; C, AHC, RHC, respectively, P < 0.005 (three groups) and P < 0.02 AHC versus RHC. Enzyme activity was positively correlated with 24-h urinary calcium excretion (r = 0.64, P < 0.01) in HC patients; no such relationship was found in C. In conclusion, erythrocyte membrane Ca²⁺Mg²⁺ATPase activity is increased in HC. Differences in enzyme activity between AHC and RHC may reflect different degrees of a single generalized epithelial calcium transport disturbance.