Role of Family Milieu in Tobacco Addiction: A Study in a Tertiary-care Institution in India

Use of tobacco is singularly responsible for most cases of cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD). Efforts to stop tobacco-use need to be guided by social circumstances. It is believed that family milieu may play a role in tobacco addiction. We studied the prevalence and pattern of tobacco-use in families of 50 consecutive tobacco-user patients who presented to a tobacco-cessation clinic and compared with age- and gendermatched controls (non-users of tobacco). The tobacco-use rates were significantly higher in the family of patients with tobacco-use compared to the control group. We conclude that problems of tobacco-use are not related to individual phenomenon, and efforts for control of tobacco addiction must be focused on entire family

Evaluation of wound healing, anti-microbial and antioxidant potential of Pongamia pinnata in wistar rats

Objective: To investigate wound healing, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of leaf extract of Pongamia Pinnata. Materials and methods: Methanolic extracts of P. pinnata leaf were studied for wound healing efficiency, and was assessed by the rate of wound contraction, tensile strength, breaking strength, hydroxyproline and hexosamine content, along with its effect on pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines was assessed using excision and incision model of wound repair in Wistar rats. Antimicrobial activity against ten microorganisms was also assessed. In vivo antioxidant activity was performed to understand the mechanism of wound healing potency. Results: The results indicated that P. pinnata extract has potent wound healing capacity as evident from the wound contraction and increased tensile strength. Hydroxyproline and hexosamine expression were also well correlated with the healing pattern observed. extract exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger also indicate that P. pinnata posses potent antioxidant activity by inhibition lipid peroxidation, reduce glutathione, superoxide dismutase level and increases catalase activity. During early wound healing phase TNF-α and IL-6 level were found to be up-regulated by P. pinnata treatment. Conclusion: Increased wound contraction and tensile strength, augmented hydroxyproline and hexosamine content, antioxidative activity and moderate antimicrobial activity support the early wound healing exhibited by P. pinnata. Induction in cytokine production may be one of the mechanisms in accelerating the wound healing. Results suggest that P. pinnata may be useful in tropical management of wound healing

A retrospective case-control study of modifiable risk factors and cutaneous markers in Indian patients with young coronary artery disease

Objective Indians have the highest risk rates for coronary artery disease (CAD) among all ethnic groups. There is a paucity of data on the risk factors and clinical markers associated with premature CAD. We aimed to determine whether young CAD is due to preventable lifestyle-related factors and cutaneous clinical markers are useful in identifying at-risk patients. Design Single-centre retrospective study. Setting Tertiary care center. Participants A total of 292 patients (age ≤40 years) who presented with acute CAD between January 2005 and June 2009 and 92 age, and gender-matched controls. Major outcome measures Details of smoking, family history of premature CAD, waist size, blood sugar and lipid profile. Clinical evidence of arcus juvenilis, premature greying of hair and premature baldness sought. Results Dyslipidaemia (91%), smoking (74.3%), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (68.9%), central obesity (47.7%) and greying of hair (34.9%) were the most commonly associated factors. Compared with male patients, females had greater prevalence of dyslipidaemia, low HDL-C, central obesity, hypertension, diabetes and family history of premature CAD. The presence of cutaneous markers was significantly associated with premature CAD. Conclusions CAD in young Indian people is multifactorial; dyslipidaemia, low HDL-C, smoking, hypertension, central obesity and family history of premature CAD are the most common risk factors. Smoking in men and central obesity in women are the most prevalent factors. Clinicians should be highly suspicious of patients with presence of cutaneous markers, and they should be followed intensively for lifestyle modifications

Role of Family Milieu in Tobacco Addiction: A Study in a Tertiary-care Institution in India

Use of tobacco is singularly responsible for most cases of cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD). Efforts to stop tobacco-use need to be guided by social circumstances. It is believed that family milieu may play a role in tobacco addiction. We studied the prevalence and pattern of tobacco-use in families of 50 consecutive tobacco-user patients who presented to a tobacco-cessation clinic and compared with age- and gendermatched controls (non-users of tobacco). The tobacco-use rates were significantly higher in the family of patients with tobacco-use compared to the control group. We conclude that problems of tobacco-use are not related to individual phenomenon, and efforts for control of tobacco addiction must be focused on entire family

A clinicopathologic study of triple negative breast cancer

Background: Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) are defined by absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) and absence of overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2). They are associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study is to study the clinicopathologic parameters of TNBC such as age, tumor size, stage, grade, and lymph node involvement and compare them with nonTNBC tumors. There are many studies which have shown that TNBC are similar to basal-like breast cancers (BBC). We have found the proportion of BBC in the TNBC group using surrogate immunohistochemical (IHC) markers cytokeratin5 (CK5) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Materials and Methods : This is a retrospective study of 102 cases of carcinoma breast. Clinical records of the cases were retrieved. Histopathology slides and the IHC slides (ER, PR, Her2) were reviewed. Thus, two groups of patients were made TNBC and nonTNBC. Using the software SPSS version 16 statistical significance of the difference between clinicopathologic variables of the two groups was calculated. TNBC group was later studied for the presence of basal markers CK5 and EGFR using tissue microarray. Results: Statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in the variables such as mean age at diagnosis, mean tumor size, tumor grade, and the presence of lymphovascular invasion. Conclusions: TNBC formed 23.5% of total cases. Overall, TNBC were high grade tumors with larger size at diagnosis, presenting in younger women and showing lymphovascular invasion in a higher number of cases. 87.5% of TNBC were BBC

Biomimetic Synthesis of Selenium Nanospheres by Bacterial Strain JS-11 and Its Role as a Biosensor for Nanotoxicity Assessment: A Novel Se-Bioassay

<div><p>Selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) were synthesized by green technology using the bacterial isolate <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> strain JS-11. The bacteria exhibited significant tolerance to selenite (SeO₃²⁻) up to 100 mM concentration with an EC₅₀ value of 140 mM. The spent medium (culture supernatant) contains the potential of reducing soluble and colorless SeO₃²⁻ to insoluble red elemental selenium (Se⁰) at 37°C. Characterization of red Se° product by use of UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDX) analysis revealed the presence of stable, predominantly monodispersed and spherical selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) of an average size of 21 nm. Most likely, the metabolite phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) released by strain JS-11 in culture supernatant along with the known redox agents like NADH and NADH dependent reductases are responsible for biomimetic reduction of SeO₃²⁻ to Se° nanospheres. Based on the bioreduction of a colorless solution of SeO₃²⁻ to elemental red Se⁰, a high throughput colorimetric bioassay (Se-Assay) was developed for parallel detection and quantification of nanoparticles (NPs) cytotoxicity in a 96 well format. Thus, it has been concluded that the reducing power of the culture supernatant of strain JS-11 could be effectively exploited for developing a simple and environmental friendly method of Se-NPs synthesis. The results elucidated that the red colored Se° nanospheres may serve as a biosensor for nanotoxicity assessment, contemplating the inhibition of SeO₃²⁻ bioreduction process in NPs treated bacterial cell culture supernatant, as a toxicity end point.</p> </div

UV-Visible absorption spectra of extracellularly synthesized Se-NPs.

<p>The typical surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band is shown at 520 nm. The labels A–D represent 2, 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation, respectively. Inset depicts the change in color of culture supernatant from pale yellow to red after 24 h of incubation with 2 mM Na₂SeO₃^2<b>−</b> solution.</p

Selenite tolerance by <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> strain JS-11.

<p>Selenite tolerance by <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> strain JS-11.</p

XRD pattern of the bacterial Se-NPs.

<p> The characteristic strong diffraction peak located at 31.64° is ascribed to the (101) facets of the face-centred cubic elemental Se° structure.</p

FTIR analysis of PCA.

<p>The spectra depict the changes in the peaks of PCA alone (red) and after treatment with 2 mM Na₂SeO₃^2<b>−</b> solution (blue).</p