Developing Targeted Therapy against Pancreatic Cancer

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IDENTIFICATION OF ACTINOMYCETYES IN THE BIODEGRADED WALL MATERIAL BY PCR AMPLIFIED GENE FRAGMENT CODING FOR 16S rRNA

Generally, old buildings and monuments are often affected by biodecay. An inventory of the existing microbial consortia which associated with the damage part of the buildings wall is not yet integral part of the restoration process. This stems from the lack of effective means for such stocktaking. Although, Actinomycetes, fungi and bacteria cause severe damage through mechanical process from the growth into wall and its grounding and through their metabolism. Physiological and molecular approach based techniques were used in the detection and identification of DNA sequences encoding rRNA to actinomycetes present on building wall. DNA from isolate was extracted and 194 basepair fragments of the 16S rDNA were amplified with cultured primers. The 16S rDNA fragments of uniform length obtained from the different species were separated according to their sequences difference by PCR. By the sequencing excised and reamplified individual DNA bands, characterized the phylogenetic tree of corresponding actinomycetes. Using this approach, we identified members of the genera of Streptomyces, Nocardia and Micromonospora. Key words: Actinomycetes, Nocardia, Micromonospora, Streptomyce

Antimicrobial efficacy of commercially available ozonated olive oil and sodium hypochlorite with and without ultrasonic activation in primary endodontic infections: A randomized clinical trial

Aim: This study compared the antimicrobial efficacy of commercially available ozonated olive oil and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) with and without ultrasonic activation in primary endodontic infections. Materials and Methods: Fifty-six patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly assigned to four groups (n = 14) according to the irrigant and irrigation technique employed during biomechanical preparation. Group 1: NaOCl, Group 2: NaOCl with passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), Group 3-Ozonated olive oil, and Group 4-Ozonated olive oil with PUI. Bacteriological samples were taken from the canals before (S1) and after (S2) preparation using sterile paper points. Microbiological samples (S1, S2) were incubated and plated on Brain Heart Infusion agar. Colonies were counted after 24 h using the classic bacterial counting method. Collected data were statistically analyzed. Results: Statistically significant reduction (P < 0.05) of bacterial counts was found from S1 to S2 in all four experimental groups. The mean percentage reduction of bacterial counts of Group 1 and Group 3 was found to be lower than that of Group 2 and Group 4. The highest mean percentage bacterial reduction was seen in Group 2 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: PUI significantly enhanced the antimicrobial activity of the experimental groups and ozonated olive oil can be used as an adjunctive irrigant in primary endodontic infections. The antibacterial activity of ozonated olive oil with PUI was found to be comparable with that of NaOCl with PUI

Scrub typhus at a district hospital in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India: Report of a Rapid Response Investigation

Scrub typhus, a predominantly rural zoonosis of the South- east Asian region, is an under- diagnosed and under- reported cause of febrile illness due to low index of suspicion and low availability of diagnostic tests. We conducted a 1 – day rapid response investigation of patients with febrile illness of uncertain cause at a district hospital of Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand state of India in September 2013. Seven out of the eight patients evaluated were positive for the presence of IgM antibodies to the 56 kDa antigen of O.tsutsugamushi. None of the patients had an eschar but presence of lymphadenopathy in the majority was a notable feature. All patients defervesced following doxycycline therapy. Scrub typhus is an important cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness in rural patients attending a secondary healthcare facility in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, in the post- monsoon months. There is a need to raise the index of suspicion about this re- emerging disease among healthcare providers, and make diagnostic tests for scrub typhus available at public health facilities in Uttarakhand, on a priority basis

Diagnostic utility and pitfalls of Tzanck smear cytology in diagnosis of various cutaneous lesions

Aims: Tzanck smear is an old but useful test for diagnosis of cutaneous dermatoses. The aim of this study was to highlight the potential usefulness and diagnostic pitfalls of Tzanck smear for diagnosis of cutaneous dermatoses and infections. Materials and Methods: This hospital based cross-sectional study was carried out on all Tzanck smears received for a period of twenty months (January 2014–August 2015). The smears were assessed to establish the utility of Tzanck smears in corroborating or excluding a diagnosis of immunobullous lesion or herpetic infection. Cases with discrepant diagnosis on histopathology were reviewed to identify additional cytomorphological features. Results: A total of 57 Tzanck smears were performed during the study period. Out of the 18 clinically suspected cases of immunobullous disorders, Tzanck smear findings corroborated the clinical diagnosis in 7/18 cases, one case was diagnosed as cutaneous candidiasis, and diagnosis of immunobullous lesions could be excluded in 5/18 cases. Out of the 19 suspected cases of herpetic infections, viral cytopathic effect was observed in 8/19 cases. Besides immunobullous lesions and herpetic infections, acantholytic cells were also observed in spongiotic dermatitis and genodermatosis. Dyskeratotic keratinocytes seen in vacuolar interface dermatitis were not easily distinguishable from acantholytic cells on Tzanck smear. Conclusions: Tzanck smear test is an inexpensive and useful diagnostic tool for certain skin diseases. It can aid in establishing a rapid clinical diagnosis and can serve as a useful adjunct to routine histological examination. We recommend the use of Tzanck smear as a first-line investigation for vesiculobullous, erosive, and pustular lesions

Reproducibility of “The bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology:” A retrospective analysis of 107 patients

Objectives: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has emerged as an indispensable tool to discriminate thyroid lesions into benign or malignant for appropriate management. The need for simplicity of communication and standardization of terminology for thyroid FNAC reporting led to introduction of “The Bethesda system for reporting Thyroid Cytopathology” (TBSRTC) in a conference held at the National Cancer Institute in 2007. This study aims at establishing the reproducibility of TBSRTC for diagnosing thyroid lesions. Materials and Methods: The present study comprised thyroid FNAC from 107 patients retrospectively over a period of 1.5 year (June 2013 to December 2014), which were reviewed by two trained cytopathologists and re-categorized according to TBSRTC. The interobserver variation and reproducibility of the reporting system was statistically assessed using Cohen's kappa. Results: The cytopathologists were in agreement in 98 out of 107 cases (91.5%). Maximum concordance was noted in benign category (91 of 96 cases; 92.85%), followed by 2 cases each in nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory (ND/US) and follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm (FN/SFN) category (2.04% each) and 1 case each in atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS), suspicious for malignancy (SUS), and malignant category (1.02% each). The highest diagnostic disagreement was noted among ND/US and benign and benign and FN/SFN categories. Conclusion: The utilization of TBSRTC for reporting thyroid cytology should be promoted in our country because it provides a homogeneous, standardized, and unanimous terminology for cytological diagnosis of thyroid lesions. The present study could substantiate the diagnostic reproducibility of this system