Kawasaki disease and coronary artery aneurysms:From childhood to adulthood

Kawasaki disease is an acute, systemic vasculitis of childhood and confers a 25% risk of developing coronary artery aneurysms. Its etiology is unknown, but the incidence is increasing rapidly with linked gene polymorphisms having been identified. A constellation of symptoms, epidemics and seasonality all implicate an unidentified infective or environmental cause. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, aspirin and steroids all form the mainstay of acute treatment and reduces the incidence of coronary artery aneurysms if given before 7 days. However, in some, these lesions persist and require ongoing management during follow-up during childhood and into adult life. Evidence for further investigations in order to minimize complications is presented in order to minimize the myofibroblast proliferation and stenosis in the long term.</jats:p

Active LC Clamp dv/dt Filter for Voltage Reflection due to Long Cable in Induction Motor Drives

This paper presents an active LC clamped dv/dt filter to mitigate the over voltages appearing across the motor terminals. The over voltages at motor terminal is due to voltage reflection effect of long motor cable connected between high frequency PWM inverter having high dv/dt switching waveforms and ac motor drives. The voltage reflection due to fast switching transients can be reduced by increasing the rise time and fall time of inverter output voltage pulses. The most commonly available mitigating technique is a passive dv/dt filter between inverter and cable.  Since, size, cost and losses of passive LC dv/dt filter is more, an active dv/dt filtering technique is used to reduce over voltage at motor terminals. Active LC clamp filtering technique used here consists of a small LC filter designed for a single motor cable length which can be used for any lengths of cable up to 1000m only by changing the active control of the PWM pulses to achieve the desired voltage slope during voltage transition period. The basic principle of active dv/dt filer used here is to charge and discharge the capacitor in the filter with modified PWM pulses to increase the rise time and fall time of output voltage pulses without any extra devices to handle the transient response of the LC filter. Detailed investigation is carried out by simulation using MATLAB-Simulink software with active control of common LC clamp dv/dt filter suitable for various cable lengths ranging from 100 m to 1000 m. Comparative analysis is done with active dv/dt filter designed with a common LC clamp filter and active LC clamp dv/dt filter designed for various cable lengths and also with diode clamped passive dv/dt filter. The results proves the effectiveness of the active common LC dv/dt filter to mitigate the over voltages at motor terminal for cable lengths up to 1000m

Beyond “yesterday’s tomorrow”: future-focused mobile interaction design by and for emergent users

Mobile and ubiquitous computing researchers have long envisioned future worlds for users in developed regions. Steered by such visions, they have innovated devices and services exploring the value of alternative propositions with and for individuals, groups and communities. Meanwhile, such radical and long-term explorations are uncommon for what have been termed emergent users; users, that is, for whom advanced technologies are just within grasp. Rather, a driving assumption is that today’s high-end mobile technologies will “trickle down” to these user groups in due course. In this paper, we open the debate about what mobile technologies might be like if emergent users were directly involved in creating their visions for the future 5–10 years from now. To do this, we report on a set of envisioning workshops in India, South Africa and Kenya that provide a roadmap for valued, effective devices and services for these regions in the next decade. © 2016, The Author(s)

Prevalence of most commonly reported tobacco-associated lesions in central Gujarat: A hospital-based cross-sectional study

Background: Oral cancer is a major health problem in tobacco users worldwide and is one of the ten most common cancers. India alone accounts for 1/3 rd of the world′s oral cancer and has a high rate of potentially malignant disorders (PMDs). The most common predisposing factors are smoking, smokeless tobacco, betel nut in quid form (pan), alcohol, spicy food, and sharp broken tooth. There are various tobacco-associated lesions (TALs) which can be diagnosed at very early stage. This study was conducted to rule out association of smoking and smokeless tobacco with occurrence of TALs and its dose-response relationship. Materials and Methods: Total of 60,018 patients attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology from January 2013 to December 2014 with different oral and dental symptoms were screened. Of these, 4795 patients satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria formed the cohort of the present study. All the patients were informed regarding the study and an informed verbal consent was obtained, following which they were interviewed for tobacco-related habits and examined by the trained dental professionals for the presence of any lesion. Along with patients′ demographic details, information regarding the type of habit, duration, and frequency was recorded. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 13.1 software (STATA 13.1 software by Stata Corp Ltd India Continent) by applying Pearson′s Chi-square test with Fisher′s exact test, Independent t-test, and ANOVA test. Results: The overall study population showed maximum cases having habit of smokeless tobacco (37.9%) and smoking tobacco (36.5%). The overall prevalence of TALs was found to be 7.98%. Our study found strong relation of duration and frequency of habit with respect to occurrence of the lesions. Conclusion: TALs are often subtle and asymptomatic. Therefore, it is important for the clinician to maintain a high index of suspicion, especially if risk factors such as tobacco habits are present

Estimation and comparative study of serum total sialic acid levels as tumor markers in oral cancer and precancer

Background: Tumor markers are a major part of the secondary prevention and thus the detection of malignancies. Neoplasms often have an increased concentration of sialic acid on the tumor cell surface and are shed or secreted by some of these cells which increase the concentration in blood. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 90 subjects equally divided into three groups viz, healthy individuals, oral cancer and precancer. The estimation of serum total sialic acid level was done according to Plucinsky et al by resorcinol reagent method. The statistical analysis was carried out by using SPSS 10.0 software. Results: The mean serum total sialic acid (TSA) level in oral precancer and oral cancer group was statistically significant (P&lt;0.05). In oral cancer group when stage I and stage II were compared with stage III and stage IV, it was statistically significant (P&lt;0.05). Histopathologically, oral cancer and precancer did not show statistically significant values (P&gt;0.05). The present study also suggested that no correlation exists between habit of tobacco chewing / betel nut chewing / smoking or alcohol consumption with that of serum total sialic acid levels. Conclusion: Serum total sialic acid levels can be used as an adjunctive diagnostic marker in head and neck cancer

Variations in impacted mandibular permanent molars: Report of three rare cases

The impaction of permanent teeth is not uncommon, but few permanent teeth are rarely impacted like mandibular first and second molars. Though third molars are commonly impacted, inversely impacted mandibular third molars are very rare. Here, we report three unusual cases of impacted mandibular molars accidentally diagnosed on conventional radiographs

Respiratory virus prophylaxis in congenital heart disease

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections and causes up to 200,000 infant deaths a year worldwide. The average rate of hospitalization for severe RSV infection is 5 per 1000 children, and the rate is three-times higher in those with congenital heart disease (CHD). Palivizumab, a monoclonal antibody, reduces hospitalization rates and intensive care admissions. It is used prophylactically and is administered as monthly doses during the RSV season. Hemodynamically unstable CHD is the most susceptible CHD to a severe episode of RSV infection.This review explores current evidence surrounding therapies, patterns of infection and identifies groups which may still be vulnerable to severe RSV infection.</jats:p

Estimation and comparative study of serum total sialic acid levels as tumor markers in oral cancer and precancer

Background: Tumor markers are a major part of the secondary prevention and thus the detection of malignancies. Neoplasms often have an increased concentration of sialic acid on the tumor cell surface and are shed or secreted by some of these cells which increase the concentration in blood. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 90 subjects equally divided into three groups viz, healthy individuals, oral cancer and precancer. The estimation of serum total sialic acid level was done according to Plucinsky et al by resorcinol reagent method. The statistical analysis was carried out by using SPSS 10.0 software. Results: The mean serum total sialic acid (TSA) level in oral precancer and oral cancer group was statistically significant (P<0.05). In oral cancer group when stage I and stage II were compared with stage III and stage IV, it was statistically significant (P<0.05). Histopathologically, oral cancer and precancer did not show statistically significant values (P>0.05). The present study also suggested that no correlation exists between habit of tobacco chewing / betel nut chewing / smoking or alcohol consumption with that of serum total sialic acid levels. Conclusion: Serum total sialic acid levels can be used as an adjunctive diagnostic marker in head and neck cancer

Radiotherapy: An Update

Radiotherapy is the art of using ionizing radiation to destroy malignant cells while minimizing damage to normal tissue. Radiotherapy has become a standard treatment option for a wide range of malignancies. Several new imaging techniques, both anatomical and functional are currently being evaluated as well as practiced for treatment planning of cancer. These recent developments have allowed radiation oncologists to escalate the dose of radiation delivered to tumors while minimizing the dose delivered to surrounding normal tissue. In this update, we attempt to pen down important aspects of radiotherapy

Ulnar neuropathy at wrist associated with a stab wound from iron fenced wall: A case report and review of electrodiagnostic methods to localize the lesion

Diagnosis of ulnar neuropathy at wrist remains challenging domain for neurophysicians as the clinical picture resembles proximal ulnar neuropathies. Inching across wrist and conduction to first dorsal interosseous remains mainstay of electrodiagnostic (EDX) procedures for distal ulnar neuropathy. Here, we present a case of distal ulnar neuropathy with review of its EDX procedures