Age-related changes in oral motor-control strategies during unpredictable load demands in humans

To investigate age-related changes in oral motor strategies in response to unpredictable load demands. Sixty-five healthy children (aged 3–17 yr) were divided into five age-groups based on their dental eruption stages and compared with a group of healthy adults (aged 18–35 yr). Each participant was asked to perform a standardized motor control task involving ‘pulling’ and ‘holding’ a force transducer with the anterior teeth. Different loads were attached to the force transducer in an unpredictable manner. The temporal force profile was divided into two time-segments (an initial segment and a later segment). The peak force and peak force rate during the initial time-segment, and the holding force and intra-trial variability (coefficient of variation) during the later time-segment, were measured. The results showed no differences in the peak force, peak force rate, holding force, and force variability in children compared with adults. However, the trends in the data evaluated using a segmented regression analysis showed that a breakpoint (abrupt change) consistently occurred in the late-mixed dentition group (age 9–11 yr) for most of the outcome variables. The results indicate that while the motor control strategies in children appear to be similar to those in adults, there is a shift in the oral motor developmental trend during the late-mixed dentition stage.     

Oligo-glycerol based non-ionic amphiphilic nanocarriers for lipase mediated controlled drug release

A new class of non-ionic amphiphiles is synthesized using a diaryl derivative of diglycerol as a central core and functionalizing it with long alkyl chains (C-12/C-15) and monomethoxy PEG moiety (M_n: 350/550) by following a chemo-enzymatic approach. The aggregation behavior of the amphiphiles in aqueous medium is studied by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescence spectroscopy, whereas the size and morphology of the aggregates are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A hydrophobic dye, Nile red and a hydrophobic drug, nimodipine, are used to demonstrate the nano-carrier capability of these non-ionic amphiphilic systems and the results are compared with amphiphilic analogues obtained from the triaryl derivatives of triglycerol. The in vitro controlled release of the encapsulated dye is successfully carried out in the presence of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase (Novozym 435). Furthermore, cytotoxicity data is also collected which suggests that the amphiphiles are suitable for biomedical applications.

A new series of oligo-glycerol based amphiphiles have been synthesized for drug delivery.     

Predictors of mortality in children due to severe and very severe pneumonia

Background:

Mortality due to pneumonia in children is more than any other illness. Limited data is available to predict mortality in children with pneumonia from central India.

Aim:

To study predictors of mortality in children aged 1-59 months hospitalised with severe and very severe pneumonia.

Materials and Methods:

Present study was observational longitudinal study that was done in a tertiary care hospital of central India. Two hundred and ninety children, aged 1-59 months, presented with severe and very severe pneumonia were enrolled in this study. Outcome and predictors of mortality were studied. Data was analysed with Chi-square test, univariate and multivariate regression analysis.

Results:

Out of 270 enrolled study subjects, maximum (108, 37.24%) were belonged to 1-6-months age group. Proportion of mortality was maximum (16, 64.00%) in that age group. Overall case fatality rate was 8.62%. Among significant variables, delayed hospital referral [adjusted odds ratio (OR)-52.09, 95% confidence interval (CI)- 6.74-402.39], incomplete immunisation (OR-12.28, 95% CI-2.15-69.93), severe malnutrition (Z score < −3) (OR-15.51, 95% CI- 2.04-117.83), refusal to feed (OR- 30.57, 95% CI- 2.47-378.26), and hypoglycaemia (OR- 6.98, 95% CI- 1.05-46.30) were found significant independently on multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion: Delayed hospital referral, incomplete immunisation, severe malnutrition, refusal to feed, and hypoglycaemia were independent predictors of mortality in children with severe and very severe pneumonia.     

National Trends and Outcomes in Dialysis-Requiring Acute Kidney Injury in Heart Failure: 2002–2013

Background

Dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury (D-AKI) is a serious complication in hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients. However, data on national trends are lacking after 2002.

Differential nitros(yl)ation of blood and tissue constituents during glyceryl trinitrate biotransformation in vivo

Nitric oxide (NO)-derived products may modify tissue constituents, forming S- and N-nitroso adducts and metal nitrosyls implicated in NO signaling. Nitrovasodilator drugs have been in widespread use for more than a century, yet their biotransformation pathways to NO and their effects as NO donors across tissues remain ill defined. By using a metabonomics approach (termed "NObonomics") for detailing the global NO-related metabolism of the cornerstone nitrovasodilator, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN; 0.1-100 mg/kg), in the rat in vivo, we find that GTN biotransformation elicits extensive tissue nitros(yl)ation throughout all major organ systems. The corresponding reaction products remained detectable hours after administration, and vascular tissue was not a major nitros(yl)ation site. Extensive heart and liver modifications involved both S- and N-nitrosation, and RBC S-nitrosothiol formation emerged as a sensitive indicator of organic nitrate metabolism. The dynamics of GTN-derived oxidative NO metabolites in blood did not reflect the nitros(yl)ation patterns in the circulation or in tissues, casting doubt on the usefulness of plasma nitrite/nitrate as an index of NO/NO-donor biodynamics. Target-tissue NO metabolites varied in amount and type with GTN dose, suggesting a dose-sensitive shift in the prevailing routes of GTN biotransformation ("metabolic shunting") from thiol nitrosation to heme nitrosylation. We further demonstrate that GTN-induced nitros(yl)ation is modulated by a complex, tissue-selective interplay of enzyme-catalyzed pathways. These findings provide insight into the global in vivo metabolism of GTN at pharmacologically relevant doses and offer an additional experimental paradigm for the NObonomic analysis of NO-donor metabolism and signaling.     

Ophthalmic Complication Following Posterior Superior Alveolar Nerve Block for Tooth Extraction! A Rare Occurrence

One of the most commonly asked question by a patient who comes for extraction especially in the rural areas is whether the procedure will cause problems to the eye!! In reality however, ophthalmic complications following routine maxillary molar extractions are practically unheard of. When they occur they can be extremely unnerving not just to the patient but also to the surgeon. Patients generally panic which makes it tougher for the clinician to assess the situation. We present a case of a 26 year old female patient developing ophthalmic complication following local anesthesia administration during extraction of upper left maxillary third molar. In this article, ophthalmic complications arising from posterior superior alveolar nerve block are discussed and management guidelines are highlighted.