PREVALENCE, ETIOLOGY AND CLINICAL FEATURES OF SKELETAL FLUOROSIS: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Fluorosis is endemic in different parts of the world. The condition may be manifested as dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis and other types of fluorosis (non-skeletal fluorosis). Most importance is given to dental fluorosis by the researchers. But, skeletal fluorosis is another form of fluorosis which is often neglected; though this form of fluorosis can cause criplling of a person. In the present study a thorough review has benn undertaken about the prevalence, etiology and clinical features of skeletal fluorosis

Optimal Inference with a Multidimensional Multiscale Statistic

We observe a stochastic process on [0,1]^ ( ≥ 1) satisfying ()=¹/²() + (), ∈ [0,1]^, where ≥ 1 is a given scale parameter (`sample size'), is the standard Brownian sheet on [0,1]^ and ∈ L₁([0,1]^) is the unknown function of interest. We propose a multivariate multiscale statistic in this setting and prove that the statistic attains a subexponential tail bound; this extends the work of 'Dumbgen and Spokoiny (2001)' who proposed the analogous statistic for =1. In the process, we generalize Theorem 6.1 of 'Dumbgen and Spokoiny (2001)' about stochastic processes with sub-Gaussian increments on a pseudometric space, which is of independent interest. We use the proposed multiscale statistic to construct optimal tests (in an asymptotic minimax sense) for testing = 0 versus (i) appropriate Hölder classes of functions, and (ii) alternatives of the form = __{_}$, where _ is an axis-aligned hyperrectangle in [0,1]^ and _ ∈ ℝ; _ and _ unknown. In Chapter 3 we use this proposed multiscale statistics to construct honest confidence bands for multivariate shape-restricted regression including monotone and convex functions

A study on antibiotic sensitivity pattern of bacterial isolates in the intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India

Background: Nosocomial infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients especially the critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) where a large number of drugs are administered to the patient’ which in turn leads to the generation of antibiotic resistant pathogens. The present study was conducted to identify the prevalence of predominant bacterial microorganisms and their drug sensitivity and resistance in ICU of a teaching hospital in Eastern India.Methods: A retrospective record based study was conducted in the ICU of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital, Odisha, Eastern India from November, 2011 to October, 2012. Patients who were clinically suspected of having acquired any infection after 48 hours of admission to the ICUs were included in the study. The clinically suspected laboratory samples were collected from the patients and subjected to testing and antibiotic sensitivity.Results: The rate of nosocomial infection was 28.2%. Urinary tract infection was the most common infection (54.9%). The predominant isolate was E. coli (52.7%) followed by P. mirabilis (15.4%) and Ps aeruginosa (13.2%). E. coli was highly sensitive to Polymyxin B, Gatifloxacin and Ceftriaxone and showed high degree of resistance to Cephalexin, Cefadroxil, Tobramycin and Prulifloxacin.Conclusions: Most of the bacterial isolates were resistant to third generation Cephalosporins and Aminoglycosides. Regular surveillance of antibiotic susceptibility pattern, judicious use of antibiotics are very important for reducing the nosocomial infection rate and antimicrobial resistance

Comparative study of change of HbA1c with voglibose and teneligliptin on ongoing metformin monotherapy

Background: Metformin is a biguanide used as first line treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. When Metformin alone is unable to control glycaemic status properly then additional drug needs to be added. Some of the additional drugs reduce primarily fasting blood sugar (FBS) and some reduce post prandial blood sugar (PPBS). Voglibose and Teneligliptin are primarily capable of reducing PPBS. Overall hyperglycaemia is also controlled by these drugs. In this background the present study was planned for comparative study of Voglibose and Teneligliptin to reduce HbA1c ongoing Metformin monotherapy. Materials & Methods: It was a hospital based longitudinal interventional study among patients attending General Medicine Outpatient Department (OPD) of a Medical College, East Medinipur, West Bengal with uncontrolled hyperglycemia and whose HbA1c was above 7 but up to 10% and PPBS above 200mg/dl. One group of patients was given voglibose 0.3mg TDS and another group of patients were given teneligliptin 20mg BD in addition to previous dose of metformin. After 12 weeks of starting additional drug again HbA1c level was assessed for each patient. Results: It was found that mean HbA1c level at the beginning was 8.89% for voglibose group and 8.83% for teneligliptin group. There was no significant difference between these two. After 12 weeks of therapy the mean HbA1c level of voglibose group was significantly higher than teneligliptin group. However both groups showed significant reduction of HbA1c as compared to starting. Conclusion: The study highlights the ability to reduce HbA1c is more with teneligliptin 20mg BD than voglibose 0.3mg TDS

Giant cells: multiple cells unite to survive

Multinucleated Giant Cells (MGCs) are specialized cells that develop from the fusion of multiple cells, and their presence is commonly observed in human cells during various infections. However, MGC formation is not restricted to infections alone but can also occur through different mechanisms, such as endoreplication and abortive cell cycle. These processes lead to the formation of polyploid cells, eventually resulting in the formation of MGCs. In Entamoeba, a protozoan parasite that causes amoebic dysentery and liver abscesses in humans, the formation of MGCs is a unique phenomenon and not been reported in any other protozoa. This organism is exposed to various hostile environmental conditions, including changes in temperature, pH, and nutrient availability, which can lead to stress and damage to its cells. The formation of MGCs in Entamoeba is thought to be a survival strategy to cope with these adverse conditions. This organism forms MGCs through cell aggregation and fusion in response to osmotic and heat stress. The MGCs in Entamoeba are thought to have increased resistance to various stresses and can survive longer than normal cells under adverse conditions. This increased survival could be due to the presence of multiple nuclei, which could provide redundancy in case of DNA damage or mutations. Additionally, MGCs may play a role in the virulence of Entamoeba as they are found in the inflammatory foci of amoebic liver abscesses and other infections caused by Entamoeba. The presence of MGCs in these infections suggests that they may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Overall, this article offers valuable insights into the intriguing phenomenon of MGC formation in Entamoeba. By unraveling the mechanisms behind this process and examining its implications, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of the complex biology of Entamoeba and potentially identify new targets for therapeutic interventions. The study of MGCs in Entamoeba serves as a gateway to exploring the broader field of cell fusion in various organisms, providing a foundation for future investigations into related cellular processes and their significance in health and disease