Familial hypomagnesemia, hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis with novel mutation

Familial hypomagnesemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis (FHHNC) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that is caused by mutation in genes coding for tight junction proteins claudin-16 and claudin-19. It is characterized by renal wasting of magnesium and calcium associated with the development of nephrocalcinosis and renal stones by early childhood. Most of them progress to end-stage renal failure by the second or third decade. Here, we report two siblings with FHHNC, who presented with nephrocalcinosis without any extrarenal manifestations, one of them having novel homozygous nonsense mutation in claudin-16 (CLDN16) (c.620G>A, p. Trp207Ter). Both were treated with dietary changes, hydrochlorothiazide, potassium citrate, and magnesium supplementation. FHHNC is a rare cause of nephrocalcinosis, and we believe that it should be considered in the presence of nephrocalcinosis with hypercalciuria and hypomagnesemia

Malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among adolescents in Nellore District of Andhra pradesh, India

Background: Malocclusion is misalignment of teeth and /or incorrect relation between the teeth of the dental arches. It leads to various unfavorable psychological and social sequelae. The concept of early diagnosis of malocclusion plays a very important role in identifying the disease and performing the treatment. Objectives: To assess the prevalence and severity of malocclusion and to determine orthodontic treatment needs among 13-15 year old school children inNellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Materials & Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken among a total of 2126 school children aged 13-15 years. Dental Aesthetic Index was used to assess malocclusion. Results: About 50.8% of them had dental appearance for whom orthodontic treatment need was ′slight′ or ′not indicated and one third of them (31%) needed elective treatment. The rest of the children had dental appearance varying from severe to handicapping malocclusion for whom treatment was highly desirable (10.2%) or mandatory (8%). Conclusions: Forty nine percent of adolescents from Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh were in need of orthodontic treatment for dental health reasons. Among the components of Dental Aesthetic Index, incisal segment crowding was mainly responsible for allocating subjects into the group of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need. The importance in having this data is in influencing policy makers and government officials to design health education programs and preventive orthodontic treatment programs

Investigation of Structural, Morphological, Magnetic Properties and Biomedical applications of Cu2+ Substituted Uncoated Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles

ABSTRACT In the present work, Cu2+ substituted cobalt ferrite (Co1-xCuxFe2O4, x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1) magnetic nanopowders were synthesized via chemical co-precipitation method. The prepared powders were investigated by various characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer analysis (VSM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (FTIR). The XRD analysis reveals that the synthesized nanopowders possess single phase centred cubic spinel structure. The average crystallite size of the particles ranging from 27-49 nm was calculated by using Debye-scherrer formula. Magnetic properties of the synthesized magnetic nanoparticles are studied by using VSM. The VSM results shows the magnetic properties such as coercivity, magnetic retentivity decreases with increase in copper substitution whereas the saturation magnetization shows increment and decrement in accordance with Cu2+ substitution in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. SEM analysis reveals the morphology of synthesized magnetic nanoparticles. FTIR spectra of Cu2+ substituted cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles were recorded in the frequency range 4000-400cm-1. The spectrum shows the presence of water adsorption and metal oxygen bonds. The adhesion nature of Cu2+ substituted cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles with bacteria in reviewed results indicates that the synthesized nanoparticles could be used in biotechnology and biomedical applications