Etiopathological study of oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma

Background: Oral cancer is thought to be the sixth most common form of cancer causing upto 50% of all malignancies in parts of India and South-East Asia, and an increasing trend in oral cancer mortality have been observed in several countries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the etiological factors contributing to oral and oropharyngeal carcinomas and its association with histopathological findings.Methods: This one year duration study was carried out on 100 patients diagnosed as oral and oropharyngeal cancer attending the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Gajra Raja Medical College and J.A. Group of Hospitals, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.Results: 98% of the patients were histologically squamous cell carcinomas, with well differentiated carcinoma being the most common i.e. 59%. The etiological factors which were found to have statistically significant association in oral cancers were poor oral hygiene, tobacco chewing and pan chewing. Other factors like cigarette/bidi smoking, alcoholism were also common.Conclusions: Any irritation or ulceration in the mouth not attributed to a recognizable causal factor and not healing within four weeks, especially in presence of risk factors must be investigated for its malignant potential. There is a need for improvement in early detection of oral and oropharyngeal carcinomas, because in the initial stages, treatment is more effective and the morbidity is minimal. Keywords:

Chitosan impregnated gutta-percha points: antimicrobial in vitro evaluation and mechanical properties

Chitosan-impregnated gutta-percha points (ChitGPP) were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of microorganisms usually involved in root canal infections. Their mechanical properties were also studied and compared with the commonly used commercial points in endodontics. ChitGPP were more efficient in reducing the microbial load than those without chitosan. ChitGPP also possess better tensile and elastic properties than commercial ones. After six months of storage, ChitGPP’s were still able to reduce the bacterial load by 1 log, suggesting that impregnation of gutta-percha points with chitosan could be a good alternative to obtain gutta-percha points with improved antimicrobial properties.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Alternative cheesemaking methods with raw ewes’ milk – microbiological, chemical, textural and sensory characteristics

Serra da Estrela cheese was manufactured using a novel, customised apparatus – designed to meet the specialty cheese’s specifications, and the resulting product was compared with that obtained via traditional manufacture in the same dairy. Semiindustrial cheesemaking led to a significantly (p<0.05) higher fat content in the final cheeses, with favourable consequences in terms of flavour and consumer acceptability – and significantly (p<0.05) lower viable numbers of (unwanted) enterococci in the matured cheese. Textural characteristics were broadly similar. Proteolysis was significantly (p<0.05) faster, but it was more variable in artisanal than in semi-industrial cheeses. The latter received significantly (p<0.05) better scores for texture, but lower scores for flavour. However, both products were within the specifications set forth by national regulations pertaining to Serra da Estrela PDO cheeses, so the novel apparatus is rather promising towards improved small-scale cheesemaking.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ethanol Steam Reforming in a Two-Step Process. Short-Time Feasibility Tests

This paper describes a two-step process for hydrogen generation consisting of low-temperature (573 K) dehydrogenation of ethanol over copper chromite, followed by steam reforming (SR) over Ni/MgO at higher temperature (923 K). Advantages compared to direct SR of ethanol comprise suppression of coke formation. Water also moderates the rate of reduction of copper and promotes the stability of copper chromite at temperatures below 673 K. The two-step process requires a quantity of catalyst for the low-temperature step in excess of that for the high-temperature SR catalyst in order to ensure adequate conversion levels of ethanol in the first step

Influence of abiotic factors on the antimicrobial activity of chitosan

In an effort to bypass the adverse secondary effects attributed to the traditional therapeutic approaches used to treat skin disorders (such as atopic dermatitis), alternative antimicrobials have recently been suggested. One such antimicrobial is chitosan, owing to the already proved biological properties associated with its use. However, the influence of abiotic factors on such activities warrants evaluation. This research effort assessed the antimicrobial activity of chitosan upon skin microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli) in vitro when subject to a combination of different abiotic factors such as pH, ionic strength, organic acids and free fatty acids. Free fatty acids, ionic strength and pH significantly affected chitosan's capability of reducing the viable numbers of S.aureus. This antimicrobial action was potentiated in the presence of palmitic acid and a lower ionic strength (0.2% NaCl), while a higher ionic strength (0.4% NaCl) favored chitosan's action upon the reduction of viable numbers of S.epidermidis and E.coli. Although further studies are needed, these preliminary results advocate that chitosan can in the future be potentially considered as an antimicrobial of choice when handling symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A spatial joint analysis of metal constituents of ambient particulate matter and mortality in England

Background Few studies have investigated associations between metal components of particulate matter on mortality due to well-known issues of multicollinearity. Here, we analyze these exposures jointly to evaluate their associations with mortality on small area data. Methods We fit a Bayesian Profile Regression (BPR) to account for the multicollinearity in the elemental components (iron, copper and zinc) of PM10 and PM2.5. The models are developed in relation to mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory disease and lung cancer incidence in 2008-11 at small area level, for a population of 13.6 million in the London-Oxford area of England. Results From the BPR, we identified higher risks in the PM10 fraction cluster likely to represent the study area, excluding London, for cardiovascular mortality RR 1.07 (95%CI 1.02, 1.12) and for respiratory mortality RR 1.06 (95%CI 0.99, 1.31), compared to the study mean. For PM2.5 fraction, higher risks were seen for cardiovascular mortality RR 1.55 (CI 95% 1.38, 1.71) and respiratory mortality RR 1.51 (CI 95% 1.33, 1.72), likely to represent the 'highways' cluster. We did not find relevant associations for lung cancer incidence. Conclusion Our analysis showed small but not fully consistent adverse associations between health outcomes and particulate metal exposures. The BPR approach identified subpopulations with unique exposure profiles and provided information about the geographical location of these to help interpret findings

Hydrogen production over a commercial Pd/Al2O3 catalyst for fuel cell utilization

In order to produce a hydrogen stream for fuel cell utilization, the study of the ethanol steam reforming process over an alumina supported palladium commercial catalyst was carried out. The effect of the reaction temperature, the H2O/C2H6O molar ratios and the contact time on catalytic activity and stability was studied. It was found that even at very low temperature values complete ethanol conversion was possible. Hydrogen selectivities up to 98% were obtained at temperature values close to 625 degreesC. It was also observed that for different reactant molar ratios carbon monoxide concentration exhibits a minimum at a temperature value close to 450 degreesC. Furthermore, carbon formation was found to be negligible even for H2O/C2H6O molar ratios equal to the stoichiometric one