Study of fingerprint classification and their gender distribution among South Indian population

Identification of an individual plays a vital part of any medicolegal investigation. Fingerprint is considered to be the most accurate and reliable indicator in identification.The present study was conducted on 500 South Indian subjects to determine the individuality and the predominant fingerprint pattern among South Indian population. Two-hundred and fifty males and 250 females of South Indian origin were included for this study and rolled prints were taken from all the 10 digits and the same were stored on a proforma.The most frequent fingerprint pattern was ulnar loop in the total population, as well as in the sex wise distribution.     

Preemptive analgesia for postoperative pain relief in lumbosacral spine surgeries: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Administration of analgesic medication, before the actual onset of painful stimulus, is more effective than that after the onset of painful stimulus. This is the principle of preemptive analgesia. Although it is often considered superior to other forms of analgesia, its role in postoperative pain relief after lumbosacral spinal surgery has not been fully investigated. PURPOSE: To analyze the efficacy of preemptive analgesia with a single caudal epidural injection for patients undergoing surgeries on the lumbosacral spine by the posterior approach. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Randomized, double-blinded and controlled clinical trial. PATIENT SAMPLE: Eighty-two patients who underwent discectomy in the lumbosacral spine by the posterior approach, with or without instrumentation, were randomized to the control group (n=40) and to the study group (n=42). METHODS: Patients in control group received a single caudal epidural injection of 20 ml of normal saline. Patients in study group received a single caudal epidural injection of 20 ml containing bupivacaine and tramadol as the active agents. The time interval between this injection and the surgical incision was never less than 20 minutes in either of the groups. This facilitated enough time for the drug to get fixed to the nerve roots, leading to effective preemptive analgesia. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were monitored for postoperative pain immediately after surgery when they had completely recovered and regained consciousness from general anesthesia, and subsequently 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours thereafter. Pain was quantified using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the verbal rating scale (VRS). The time at which supplemental analgesic medication was first demanded in the postoperative period by the patient was also noted. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable for age, sex, body weight and the type of surgery they underwent. Because the data did not have a normal Gaussian distribution, the one-tailed Mann-Whitney test, being a nonparametric test, was adopted for statistical analysis. Accordingly, VAS and VRS values at all time intervals were significantly lower (p<.0001) in the study group as compared with the control group. This indicated significantly better pain relief in the study group. There was also a significant delay (p=.0041) in the first demand for supplemental analgesic medication in the postoperative period in the study group. No complication specific to the procedure was noted except for the development of postoperative urinary retention, which was transient and appropriately managed with urinary catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: Preemptive analgesia with a single caudal epidural injection of bupivacaine and tramadol is a safe, simple and effective method for postoperative pain relief.     

Spirometric impairments in undernourished children

The present study elucidates the effect of undernutrition on pulmonary functions in children. The study was carried out in healthy normals, wasted, wasted and stunted children. Spirometry was performed with Vitalograph Compact-II spirometer. Wasted, wasted and stunted children showed lower lung volumes, forced mid expiratory flow time and inspiratory flow rates than healthy normals. Wasted and stunted children had lower VC, FVC and FIF50% than wasted children. The reduction in lung volumes and flow rates in wasted children may be due to ventilatory muscle wasting. But in wasted and stunted children along with muscular wasting diminished skeletal growth is also a reason for lower lung functions. No airflow limitation was observed in undernourished children.     

Macroglossia due to venous malformation

Massive vascular malformation involving tongue can cause significant functional impairment. In this report we describe a rare case of extensive venous malformation involving tongue leading to obstructive sleep apnoea, inability to speak, eat, severe discomfort due to exposure induced dryness and ulceration. Multimodality treatment approach comprising of sclerotherapy, electrocautery and radiation therapy was used in this case.     

Adherence of Randomized Controlled Trials to Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 Guidelines: A Survey of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in 2011-2016 in 3 Periodontology Journals

ObjectiveTo assess the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JCP), Journal of Periodontology (JOP), and Journal of Periodontal Research (JPR), published in the years 2011 until 2016, using Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 guidelines.MethodsA thorough search of PubMed for RCTs published between January 2011 and December 2016 in the three journals was carried out. The CONSORT 2010 checklist (36 questions) was used to evaluate the adherence of these RCTs to these guidelines. A modified CONSORT score was calculated and categorized as “perfect” (100%), “excellent” (80%-99%), “good” (60%-79%), “modest” (40%-59%), and “poor” (<40%).ResultsA total of 369 RCTs were published in the three periodontology journals from 2011 until 2016. Based on the modified CONSORT score among all the RCTs, title, abstract, and introduction sections of the included RCTs showed good adherence to the CONSORT 2010 guidelines (60%-79%), whereas the adherence was poor for half the items in methodology (<40%), results (<40%), and discussion (40%). The highest modified CONSORT score was obtained for the trials published in the JCP from 2011 to 2016, whereas the lowest score was achieved by the RCTs in the JPR. Overall, none of the RCTs in any of the journals were perfect in reporting the trials as per the guidelines. Almost half of the RCTs in the JCP showed good adherence (51.1%), whereas almost three-fourths of the RCTs in the JOP (72%) and JPR (82.7%) showed modest to poor adherence as per the reporting guidelines (P < .001).ConclusionAmong the three periodontology journals assessed, the JCP showed better adherence than the JOP and JPR from 2011 until 2016.