Assessment of a radioisotopic assay for vitamin B12 using an intrinsic factor preparation with R proteins blocked by vitamin B12 analogues

A competitive protein binding radioassay kit for serum vitamin B₁₂ has been assessed. Precision, linearity, sensitivity, and specificity have been found to be satisfactory. Falsely-normal assay results in patients with vitamin B₁₂ deficiency have not been observed.     

Early operative mortality after surgical treatment of bronchogenic carcinoma

Background A retrospective analysis of the results of pulmonary resection over a 7 years period for bronchogenic carcinoma was performed. Methods Three hundred and eleven patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma were operated upon at Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Kashmir, between January 1996 to June 2002. There were 62 pneumonectomies (19.93%), 174 lobectomies (55.94%) and 75 lesser resections (24.11%). Results The overall operative mortality was 4.82%. The mortality rate for pneumonectomy, lobectomy and lesser resections were 9.6%, 4.5% and 1.3% respectively. There was no significant difference in operative mortality between pneumonectomy and lobectomy, and between lobectomy and lesser resections. Post operative mortality rate increased as the age of patient increased. Mortality was 2.3;2.9;5.0;7.41; and 14.2 in the age groups of <50 years, 50–59 years, 60–69 years, 70–79 years and 80 years and above respectively. Pneumonia and respiratory failure caused most deaths (46.66%). Conclusions Pulmonary resections can be performed with satisfactory mortality and morbidity in bronchogenic carcinoma.     

Diagnosis and management of benign fibro‐osseous lesions of the jaws: a current review for the dental clinician

Benign fibro‐osseous lesions of the maxillofacial skeleton constitute a heterogeneous group of disorders that includes developmental, reactive (dysplastic) and neoplastic lesions. Although their classification has been reviewed multiple times in the past, the most common benign fibro‐osseous lesions are fibrous dysplasia, osseous dysplasia and ossifying fibroma. For the dental clinician, the challenges involve diagnosis and treatment (or lack thereof). A careful correlation of all clinical, radiologic and microscopic features is essential to establish a proper diagnosis and a clear treatment plan. This article aimed to review the clinical, radiologic and histopathologic characteristics of benign fibro‐osseous lesions of the jaws, with emphasis on their differential diagnoses. With a deeper understanding of benign fibro‐osseous lesions, clinicians will be better prepared to manage these lesions in their practice.     

Influence of facial skin attributes on the perceived age of Caucasian women

Background and objective The facial appearance of a person does not always reflect the chronological age; some people look younger or older than they really are. Many studies have described the changes in skin properties (colour, wrinkles, sagging, micro relief, etc.) with age, but few of them have analysed their influence on the perceived age. The primary objective of this study was to assess the contribution of individual skin attributes of the face on the perceived age of Caucasian women. Secondary objectives were to assess the influence of age and gender of graders with regard to the age perception. Subjects and method A random sample of 173 subjects of 20 to 74 years of age was taken from a database of more than 5000 healthy Caucasian women. A trained grader performed visual assessment of facial skin attributes (using a visual analogue scale), and a front face photograph was taken from each subject. Photographs were shown to 48 graders (20 men and 28 women, aged 22–64 years) who were asked to estimate the age of the subjects. Graders were classified as young (less than 35 years), middle age (35–50 years) and seniors (older than 50 years). Partial Least Square regression models were built to predict the chronological and the perceived age from the measured facial individual attributes. The contribution of each attribute within the regression model enabled to measure the relevance of this attribute with regards to age prediction. Results The eye area and the skin colour uniformity were the main attributes related to perceived age. For age prediction, older graders’ estimations were more driven by lips border definition shape and eyes opening, whereas younger graders’ (older than 50 years) estimations were more driven by dark circles, nasolabial fold and brown spots. There were statistically significant differences in graders’ age perception between gender and among age ranges. Our findings suggest that female graders are more accurate than male, and younger graders (under 35 years) are more accurate than older (over 50 years) to predict Caucasian women age from facial photographs. Conclusions Different skin attributes influence the estimation of age. These attributes have a different weight in the evaluation of the perceived age, depending on the age and of the observer. The most important attributes to estimate age are eyes, lips and skin colour uniformity.