Betropharyngeal abscesses: Revisited

Retropharyngeal abscesses were fairly common in preantibiotic era but the advent of antibiotics has reduced the overall incidence of these abscesses. They still continue to occur specially in developing world and carry significant morbidity and even mortality if not managed properly. The prevalence of this abscess in the young children pose a bigger challenge, as the examination of oral cavity is difficult. Emphasis is placed on the age, sex, type, and duration of symptoms, bacteriology, methodology of diagnosis, therapy and complications. With proper antibiotic cover and surgical management, majority of patients today survive without major residual squeal. Hereby we present a series of 15 cases of retropharyngeal abscess.     

Polymerisation by the chromate/arsenite system

The aqueous polymerisation of methyl methacrylate initiated by the chromate/arsenite system has been studied. It is observed that the polymerisation by the above redox system is catalysed by OH^? though the parent reaction between chromate and arsenite is catalysed by H^⊕. It is also observed that traces of Cu^2⊕ inhibit both the polymerization reaction as also the parent reaction. From these observations it is concluded (1) intermediate valency states of chromium has no initiating power in alkali solution and (2) the redox reaction between chromate and arsenite is a chain reaction involving single electron transfer and the intermediate As^4⊕ thus produced is the initiating species.     

Depression,sleeping pattern,and suicidal ideation among medical students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional pilot study

Journal of Public Health - Depression is a major morbidity and the most common mental disorder among the medical students in medical schools globally. Undergraduate students suffer stress more due...     

Oval cells and cystic structures in multiplication of M leprae

Ten preserved biopsy suspensions from leprosy patients were inoculated in biphasic medium and incubated alternatively in refrigerator and at 37 °C. The cultures were observed every week for 3 months. The typical actinomycetoid growth appeared within 3-5 days. Microscopically, two types of cysts (unstained and dark) were seen along with oval cells. Dark cysts showed developement of irregular septae or cracks breaking the mass into irregular quadrangular pieces. Granular acid-fast material could be made out inside the cracks and around the cysts. Oval cells were seen either independently or organised around pink homogeneous material. The oval cells were stained blue or pink. Some of them showed both blue and pink shades.     

Apoptotic-regulatory and complement-protecting protein expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: relationship to in vivo rituximab resistance.

PURPOSE: Rituximab has clinical activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and has a variety of proposed mechanisms, including apoptosis, complement-dependent cell lysis (CDC), and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Here we examine pretreatment biologic features that promote resistance to apoptosis and CDC in CLL patients and correlate it with clinical outcome to rituximab-based therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pretreatment samples from 21 CLL patients treated on a prospective, single-agent rituximab trial were examined for quantitative expression of apoptotic and CDC regulatory proteins, and the level of expression of these proteins was correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: Of the 21 patents for whom samples were available, 10 attained a partial response and 11 failed to respond to rituximab therapy. The mean pretreatment expression of Bcl-2, Mcl-1, XIAP, and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax were higher but not statistically increased in nonresponding patients versus those responding to treatment. In contrast, the pretreatment Mcl-1/Bax ratio was significantly elevated (0.82 +/- 0.28 v 0.39 +/- 0.29, P <.016) in nonresponding patients compared with patients responding to rituximab therapy. Although pretreatment expression of CD55 and CD59 was not associated with response to rituximab therapy, significantly higher levels of CD59 were observed in the CLL cells that were not cleared from the blood at completion of therapy than the level observed at baseline levels (P =.02). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that baseline expression of the Mcl-1/Bax ratio, but not CD55 and CD59, predict for clinical response to rituximab therapy in CLL patients. Further study of disrupted apoptosis in CLL as a potential mechanism of resistance to rituximab appears warranted.     

Newborn Screening for Hemoglobinopathies and Red Cell Enzymopathies in Tripura State: A Malaria-Endemic State in Northeast India

Hemoglobinopathies are a group of inherited single gene disorders. There are reports on hemoglobin (Hb) variants identified in the tribal and non-tribal populations of Tripura State in northeastern India. This study aimed to determine the spectrum of hemoglobinopathies and enzymopathies by newborn screening in Tripura State and assess the extent of neonatal jaundice. A total of 2400?cord blood samples were collected and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Further confirmation of any abnormal HPLC was done by DNA analysis. The samples were also screened for deficiency of enzymopathies, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and pyruvate kinase. Of 2400?cord blood samples screened, 225 (9.3%) were Hb E (HBB: c.79G>A) heterozygotes, 80 (3.3%) were Hb E homozygotes and one carried Hb E-β-thalassemia (β-thal). Other Hb abnormalities were also detected including 15 Hb S (HBB: c.20A>T) heterozygotes, two Hb D-Punjab (HBB: c.364G>C) heterozygotes and two compound heterozygotes for Hb D-Punjab and Hb E. Of the 80 homozygous Hb E babies, four were non-tribal and 76 babies were tribal, and 225 patients carried Hb E trait, 141 were tribal, while 84 were non-tribal. Of 40 G6PD deficient babies identified, 13 had coinherited Hb E and two babies had pyruvate kinase deficiency. α Genotyping was performed in 162 affected babies, 50 of them carried α gene deletions. Newborn screening programs for Hb E, other hemoglobinopathies and G6PD deficiency must be encouraged in the malaria-endemic northeastern region of India. Drug-induced hemolysis can also be avoided by screening for G6PD deficiency at birth.     

Advances in adjuvant systemic therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung cancer remains a leading cause of death around the world. For most cases, the only chance of cure comes from resection for localised disease, however relapse rates remain high following surgery. Data has emerged over recent years regarding the utility of adjuvant chemotherapy for improving disease-free and overall survival of patients following curative resection. This paper reviews the clinical trials that have been conducted in this area along with the studies integrating radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting. The role of prognostic gene signatures are reviewed as well as ongoing clinical trials including those incorporating biological or targeted therapies.     

A review of the effects of the cell environment physicochemical nanoarchitecture on stem cell commitment

Physicochemical features of a cell nanoenvironment exert important influence on stem cell behavior and include the influence of matrix elasticity and topography on differentiation processes. The presence of growth factors such as TGF-β and BMPs on these matrices provides chemical cues and thus plays vital role in directing eventual stem cell fate. Engineering of functional biomimetic scaffolds that present programmed spatio-temporal physical and chemical signals to stem cells holds great promise in stem cell therapy. Progress in this field requires tacit understanding of the mechanistic aspects of cell-environment nanointeractions, so that they can be manipulated and exploited for the design of sophisticated next generation biomaterials. In this review, we report and discuss the evolution of these processes and pathways in the context of matrix adhesion as they might relate to stemness and stem cell differentiation. Super-resolution microscopy and single-molecule methods for in vitro nano-manipulation are helping to identify and characterize the molecules and mechanics of structural transitions within stem cells and matrices. All these advances facilitate research toward understanding of stem cell niche and consequently to developing new class of biomaterials helping the “used biomaterials” for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.