Occlusal Plane Location in Edentulous Patients: A Review

Occlusal plane orientation is an important factor in the construction of a complete denture. Occlusal plane could be oriented using landmarks in the mandibular arch as well as in the maxillary arch. In the mandibular arch there are few landmarks which could be used to orient the occlusal plane like the retromolar pad, corner of the lips (lower lip length) whereas the maxillary arch has a number of landmarks, of which the ala-tragal line is the most commonly used and the same being the most controversial. In the following article different landmarks and its accuracy for orientating the occlusal plane in an edentulous subject as studied by various authors has been discussed.     

Helminthic infestation in children of Kupwara district: a prospective study

The present study deals with the investigation of the frequency of intestinal helminth parasites in children of Kupwara, Kashmir, India. Three hundred and twelve children in the age group of 4-15 years were examined for different intestinal helminths in three schools located in rural areas. Two hundred and twenty two of 312 (71.15%) tested positive for various intestinal helminths. The various helminth parasites included Ascaris lumbricoides , Trichuris trichiura , Enterobius vermicularis and Taenia saginata . By far, the highest frequency of 69.23% (216/312) was noted for Ascaris lumbricoides followed by Trichuris trichiura 30.76% (96/312), Enterobius vermicularis 7.69% (24/312) and Taenia saginata 7.69% (24/312). Single infection was found in 33.65% (105/312) and mixed infection was seen in 37.5% (117/312) children. This study emphasizes the need for improved environmental conditions, i.e., clean water supplies, enhanced sanitation and chemotherapy of school-age children in rural areas.     

Maintenance of glycaemic control with the evening administration of a long acting sulphonylurea in male type 2 diabetic patients undertaking the Ramadan fast

Background: In Ramadan, misuse of hypoglycaemic agents, alterations in diet and hypoglycaemia are frequent. This study assessed whether switching to an evening administration of a long acting sulphonylurea during the 29‐day, dawn to dusk fast, can maintain glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients and methods: Male type 2 diabetic patients from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, under glycaemic control with gliclazide modified release (MR) 60 mg monotherapy, switched to evening administration of the same dose during Ramadan, and reverted to the morning schedule thereafter. The primary outcome was the difference in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) before and after Ramadan. Results: In 136 patients, mean (95% CI) FPG decreased by 0.01 mmol/l (0–0.2, p = 0.3) with evening medication by the end of the fast, and increased by 0.2 mmol/l (0.1–0.3, p = 0.01) after reverting to morning medication 20 days later. There were 5 (3.7%) hypoglycaemic episodes before, 3 (2.2%) during and 2 (1.5%) after Ramadan. Conclusion: Male type 2 diabetic patients undertaking the Ramadan fast can safely maintain glycaemic control with evening administration of gliclazide MR 60 mg during the fast, and reverting to a morning schedule thereafter.     

p53 mutation profile of squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus in Kashmir (India): a high-incidence area

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has been reported to show geographical variation in its incidence, even within areas of ethnic homogeneity. Kashmir valley, in north of India, has been described as a high-risk area for ESCC. Here, we make a preliminary attempt to study mutations in exons 5-8 (the DNA binding domain) of the tumor suppressor gene, p53, in 55 ESCC patients from Kashmir. Polymerase chain reaction followed by direct sequencing analysis revealed the presence of mutations in 36.36% (20/55) tumors, assessed for the extent of allelic instability. The 20 mutations, found in 20 patients, comprised of 17 single-base substitutions (11 transitions + 6 transversions) and 3 deletions. The 17 single-base variations represented 12 missense mutations, 2 nonsense mutations and 3 variations located in intron 6, 1 of which resulted in a splicing variant. The patients when compared for the incidence of p53 mutation with various demographic features revealed females to be at increased risk (p = 0.016; OR = 4.13; 95% CI = 1.26-13.46). Comparison of mutation profile with other high-risk areas reflected both differences and similarities indicating coexposure to a unique set of risk factors. This might be due to the special dietary and cultural practices of Kashmir that needs validation, as does the gender-based difference in the incidence of p53 mutation observed in this study.     

Prevalence of coronary calcium deposits in Sheehan’s syndrome patients on long term replacement treatment

Pituitary - Sheehan’s Syndrome (SS) is one of the most important causes of hypopituitarism in developing countries with patients having varying degrees and severity of anterior pituitary...     

Endoscopic ligation vs. sclerotherapy in adults with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction: a prospective randomized study

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sclerotherapy is a well-established treatment for bleeding esophageal varices, although it has a substantial complication rate. A prospective randomized trial was conducted to determine whether endoscopic variceal ligation is safer and more effective than sclerotherapy in adults with bleeding esophageal varices because of extrahepatic portal venous obstruction. METHODS: Thirty-six patients underwent sclerotherapy and 37 had band ligation. RESULTS: Ligation and sclerotherapy were equally effective for achieving variceal eradication (94.6% vs. 91.7%, respectively; p=0.67). However, ligation achieved eradication with fewer endoscopic sessions (3.7 [1.2] vs. 7.7 [3.3]; p <0.0001) and within a shorter time interval (50.1 [17.7] days vs. 99 [54.8] days; p <0.0001). In the ligation group, recurrent bleeding was less frequent (2.7% vs. 19.4%; p=0.028; however, Bonferroni correction for multiple testing removes this significance) and the rate of major complications was lower (2.7% vs. 22.2%; p=0.014). Total cost per patient was significantly higher in the sclerotherapy vs. the ligation group ($216.6 [71.8] vs. $182.6 [63.4]; p=0.035). During the follow-up period after variceal eradication, no significant differences were found between the sclerotherapy and the ligation groups with respect to recurrent bleeding (3% vs. 2.9%; p=1.0), esophageal variceal recurrence (9.1% vs. 11.4%; p=1.0), and formation of new gastric varices (9.1% vs. 14.3%; p=0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Variceal band ligation is superior to sclerotherapy, because it is less costly and achieves variceal eradication more quickly, with lower relative frequencies of recurrent variceal bleeding and complications.     

Pseudovitamin D deficiency rickets--a report from the Indian subcontinent

Pseudovitamin D deficiency rickets (also called vitamin D dependent rickets type I) is one of the types of inherited rickets and is caused by a deficit in renal 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1alpha-hydroxylase. This form of rickets has not been reported from the Indian subcontinent. Three patients with this disorder are presented. These patients were all females aged 3-20 years and presented with growth failure and skeletal deformities. All had florid clinical and radiological rickets. The biochemical abnormalities seen included hypocalcaemia, hypophosphataemia, and hyperphosphatasia. All patients had grossly raised 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and markedly low to undetectable concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. A disturbing feature of this study was the late referral of the patients.