Gingival Melanin Depigmentation: A Review and Case Report

The color of the gingiva has a tremendous impact on the esthetics of the smile. Clinically gingival melanin hyper pigmentation is presented as ‘black gum’ which is a common esthetic problem especially for those who have gummy smile. Several attempts have been made for removal of gingival pigmentation by different techniques. Each technique had its own supremacy in efficiency and also draw back. In the present cases, an effort has been made to assess the procedure of melanin depigmentation using surgical scalpel technique

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Correlation of Sagittal Abdominal Diameter and Other Anthropometric Parameters with Serum Leptin Levels in Young Adults- A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Leptin is secreted in concentrations proportional to body fat mass. The anthropometric parameter among Sagittal Abdominal Diameter (SAD), Body Mass Index (BMI), Hip Circumference (HC), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), and Waist-Height Ratio (WHtR) that correlates maximally with serum leptin levels could be used preferably to assess adiposity. Aim: The present study aims to correlate serum leptin levels with SAD, BMI, HC, WC, WHR and WHtR in young and healthy North Indian adults. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted jointly in the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry at the King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India from September 2015 to August 2016 and it included apparently healthy individuals, aged 18-25 years, native to North India, after obtaining an informed consent. A convenient sample size of 100 was taken. One investigator took all anthropometric measurements. (SAD, BMI, HC, WC, WHR and WHtR) RayBio human leptin ELISA kit was used for the estimation of leptin level. For statistical analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The study involved 55 males and 45 aged 21.4±1.5 years with BMI 22.7±2.7 kg/m2, HC 91.5±6.9 cm, WC 81.9±7.9 cm, WHR 0.9±0.1, WHtR 0.50±0.04, SAD 20.8±3.1 cm and serum leptin level 389.6±102.7 pg. Serum leptin level correlated significantly with HC (r=0.23, p=0.02), WC (r=0.29, p=0.003), WHtR (r=0.36, p<0.001), and SAD (r=0.56, p<0.001). A non significant correlation was obtained with BMI (r=0.15, p=0.12) and WHR (r=0.11, p=0.26). Conclusion: SAD is a better predictor of body fat and hence, cardiometabolic health than other anthropometric parameters in the present study, as it correlated most strongly with serum leptin levels

Chemopreventive Effects of Honokiol on UVB-induced Skin Cancer Development

Background: Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancer types and its incidence is expected to increase substantially. Chemoprevention involves the administration of chemical agents to prevent initiation, promotion and/or progression that occurs during neoplastic development. Honokiol, a plant lignan isolated from bark and seed cones of Magnolia officinalis, has been shown to have chemopreventive effects on chemically induced skin cancer development. Aim: The objective of this investigation was to study the chemopreventive effects of honokiol on UVB-induced skin tumor development in SKH-1 mice, a model relevant to humans, and to elucidate the possible role of apoptotic proteins involved in the prevention of skin tumor development. Materials and Methods: Female SKH-1 mice were divided into two groups. Group 1 received acetone (0.2 ml, topical) and Group 2 received honokiol (30 μg in 0.2 ml acetone, topical) one hour before UVB treatment. Tumor initiation and promotion were carried out by UVB radiation (30 mJ/cm2/day), 5 days a week for 30 weeks. Tumor counts and mouse weights were taken weekly. Results: The honokiol-pretreated group exhibited a 45% reduction in tumor multiplicity as compared to the control group. Mechanistic studies showed the possible involvement of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and p53 activation (

Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Background: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. Aim of the study: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). Methods: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. Results: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p &lt; 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures