Burning mouth syndrome: a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) has been considered an enigmatic condition because the intensity of pain rarely corresponds to the clinical signs of the disease. Various local, systemic and psychological factors are associated with BMS, but its etiology is not fully understood. Also there is no consensus on the diagnosis and classification of BMS. A substantial volume of research has been focused on BMS during the last two decades. Progress has been made but the condition remains a fascinating, yet poorly understood area, in the field of oral medicine. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in this disorder with the discovery that the pain of BMS may be neuropathic in origin and originate both centrally and peripherally. The aim of this paper is to explore the condition of BMS with the specific outcome of increasing awareness of the condition

Low Body Mass Index Can Identify Majority of Osteoporotic Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Missed by Current Guidelines

Background. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at high risk of developing osteoporosis. Our objective was to determine the usefulness of IBD guidelines in identifying patients at risk for developing osteoporosis. Methods. We utilized institutional repository to identify patients seen in IBD center and extracted data on demographics, disease history, conventional, and nonconventional risk factors for osteoporosis and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) findings. Results. 59% of patients (1004/1703) in our IBD cohort had at least one risk factor for osteoporosis screening. DXA was documented in 263 patients with indication of screening (provider adherence, 26.2%), and of these, 196 patients had DXA completed (“at-risk” group). Ninety-five patients not meeting guidelines-based risk factors also had DXA completed (“not at-risk” group). 139 (70.9%) patients in “at-risk” group had low BMD, while 51 (53.7%) of “not-at-risk” patients had low BMD. Majority of the patients with osteoporosis (83.3%) missed by the current guidelines had low BMI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low BMI was the strongest risk factor for osteoporosis (OR 3.07; 95% CI, 1.47–6.42; P = 0.003). Conclusions. Provider adherence to current guidelines is suboptimal. Low BMI can identify majority of the patients with osteoporosis that are missed by current guidelines

Piperacillin induced bone marrow suppression: a case report

BACKGROUND: Piperacillin (and piperacillin/tazobactam) is a commonly prescribed antibiotic and is generally considered safe. We report a case of piperacillin induced bone marrow suppression. CASE PRESENTATION: A 19-year-old boy was being treated with piperacillin followed by piperacillin/tazobactam for infected pancreatic pseudocyst. After 21 days of treatment, he developed neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. These reversed promptly after stopping piperacillin/tazobactam. The time course of events suggested that piperacillin was the cause of bone marrow suppression in this patient. CONCLUSION: Bone marrow suppression is a serious adverse effect of piperacillin, which should be kept in mind while treating patients with this drug

Efficacy of bioinoculants on biomass, nutritional status and yield of lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.).

In the present investigation, different bioinoculants were analysed to test their efficacy as bio-fertilizer value for medicinal plant i.e. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.) under controlled conditions in a poly house. Bioinoculants including dominant Arbuscular Mycorhizal Fungi (Glomus mosseae and Acaulospora laevis) and Phosphate solubilizing Bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens) were taken in present experimentation. The independent roles of these bioinoculants or with different combinations were assessed on one month old saplings of C. citratus in pot conditions.The results showed that application of these bio-inoculants were very effective for growth responses, biomass, biochemical, yield parameters. A consortium of G. mosseae, A. laevis and P. fluorescens showed best results for plant height, root length and in increasing the biomass. Mycorrhization status was recovered highest in the consortium treatment. The biochemical and yield (biomass) parameters were also better with consortium. The findings of the present study are informative for herbalist, to use these efficient bioinoculants as bio-fertilizer for the better yield of C. citratus along with least adverse effects on microbial diversity and stability of soil as compared to commercially used inorganic fertilizer

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy — Revisiting the biochemical and molecular milieu of brain tumors

AbstractBackgroundMagnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is an established tool for in-vivo evaluation of the biochemical basis of human diseases. On one hand, such lucid depiction of ‘live biochemistry’ helps one to decipher the true nature of the pathology while on the other hand one can track the response to therapy at sub-cellular level. Brain tumors have been an area of continuous interrogation and instigation for mankind. Evaluation of these lesions by MRS plays a crucial role in the two aspects of disease management described above.Scope of reviewPresented is an overview of the window provided by MRS into the biochemical aspects of brain tumors. We systematically visit each metabolite deciphered by MRS and discuss the role of deconvoluting the biochemical aspects of pathologies (here in context of brain tumors) in the disease management cycle. We further try to unify a radiologist's perspective of disease with that of a biochemist to prove the point that preclinical work is the mother of the treatment we provide at bedside as clinicians. Furthermore, an integrated approach by various scientific experts help resolve a query encountered in everyday practice.Major conclusionsMR spectroscopy is an integral tool for evaluation and systematic follow-up of brain tumors. A deeper understanding of this technology by a biochemist would help in a swift and more logical development of the technique while a close collaboration with radiologist would enable definitive application of the same.General significanceThe review aims at inciting closer ties between the two specialists enabling a deeper understanding of this valuable technology

Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithms for Neural Network Weight Distribution: A Classification Model for Parkinson\u27s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a degenerative neurological disorder with unknown origins, making it impossible to be cured or even diagnosed. The following article presents a Three-Layered Perceptron Neural Network model that is trained using a variety of evolutionary as well as quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithms for the classification of Parkinson\u27s Disease. Optimization algorithms such as Particle Swarm Optimization, Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm and Bat Algorithm are studied along with their quantum-inspired counter-parts in order to identify the best suited algorithm for Neural Network Weight Distribution. The results show that the quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithms perform better under the given circumstances, with qABC offering the highest accuracy of about 92.3%. The presented model can be used not only for disease diagnosis but is also likely to find its applications in various other fields as well