Quantum Hamilton-Jacobi analysis of PT symmetric Hamiltonians

We apply the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi formalism, naturally defined in the complex domain, to a number of complex Hamiltonians, characterized by discrete parity and time reversal (PT) symmetries and obtain their eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Examples of both quasi-exactly and exactly solvable potentials are analyzed and the subtle differences, in the singularity structures of their quantum momentum functions, are pointed out. The role of the PT symmetry in the complex domain is also illustrated.Comment: 11 page

Periodic Quasi - Exactly Solvable Models

Various quasi-exact solvability conditions, involving the parameters of the periodic associated Lam{\'e} potential, are shown to emerge naturally in the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi approach. It is found that, the intrinsic nonlinearity of the Riccati type quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation is primarily responsible for the surprisingly large number of allowed solvability conditions in the associated Lam{\'e} case. We also study the singularity structure of the quantum momentum function, which yields the band edge eigenvalues and eigenfunctions.Comment: 11 pages, 5 table

Comparative Evalution of Effectiveness of School Dental Health Education Program among School Children of 8-10 Years Old With and Without Parental Guidance

INTRODUCTION: Good oral health in children is important to meet their general health needs. Oral diseases are major health problems, especially in children, owing to their high prevalence and incidence in all the regions of the world. Most of the oral diseases or conditions in children are preventable or treatable. So it is necessary to promote dental health education in schools. Dental health education helps in enriching knowledge and developing life-skills, positive values and attitudes in children. The health and well-being of school staff, families and community members can also be enhanced by programs based in schools. Dental care professionals believe that including parents in health education program result in reductions in caries risk among their children. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of school dental health education program conducted at regular intervals for 8-10 years old school children with and without parental guidance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 students of both genders aged 8-10 years were selected. The study was conducted over a period of 36 weeks and sample were randomly selected and allocated into 2 groups without and with parents each group containing 30 boys and 30 girls. In addition Group II included 60 parents. The questionnaire was circulated before the start and end of the study to assess the knowledge and oral hygiene practice of the children. Tooth brush, tooth paste were distributed to the children during the entire period of the study. Oral health examination was done using DMFT, deft and OHI-S Indices. Initial baseline data was collected. Dental health education was given using video, tooth models and pamphlets after the oral health examination. The children who required treatment were brought to the dental hospital and all their dental needs were treated. Dental examination was carried out again using OHI-S, DMFT and deft index and health education was given at 3rd, 6th and 9th month interval. The result were analyzed using SPSS Software version 20.0 RESULTS: Around 120 Students were screened. The mean score for pre assessment knowledge and oral hygiene practice score of Group I and Group II were 6.50±1.050, 6.55±1.268 respectively. The mean score for post assessment knowledge and oral hygiene practice score of Group I and Group II were 7.88±0.761, 8.03±0.843 respectively. At the baseline the mean score for DMFT, deft, OHI-S score of Group I and Group II were 0.27±0.686 and 0.25±0.680, 1.80±2.114 and 1.23±1.430, 1.265±0.642 and 1.405±0.635 respectively. At the end of 9th month mean score for DMFT, deft and OHI-S index for Group I and Group II were 0.57±0.81 and 0.30±0.696, 2.53±2.054 and 1.52±1.513, 1.082±0.338 and 0.537±0.370 respectively. This difference was found to be statistically significant for DMFT, deft and OHI-S index (P < 0.001). The group without parental presence was showing higher significance due to increase in caries in children

A review of topical corticosteroid sprays for the treatment of inflammatory dermatoses

Background: Topical corticosteroids are available in many vehicles. However, patients' preference for vehicles are variable and could be tailored to maximize patient adherence. Spray vehicles may offer, convenience, and strong efficacy. Methods: A literature review was conducted using keywords: clobetasol, desoximetasone, betamethasone, triamcinolone, corticosteroid, topical, spray, vehicles, treatment, and clinical trial. Results: For moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, 87% of subjects achieved an Overall Disease Severity (ODS) Score ≤2 at week two and 78% achieved an ODS ≤1 after four weeks with clobetasol propionate (CP) 0.05% spray compared to 17% and 3% in the control group, respectively (P&lt;0.001). For desoximetasone 0.25% spray, 31%-53% with moderate-to-severe psoriasis achieve Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) score ≤1 at day 28 versus 5%-18% in the vehicle spray group (P&lt;0.01). For betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% spray, 19% with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis achieved an Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score ≤1 or a 2-grade reduction in IGA versus 2.3% in vehicle group (P≤0.001). For mild-to-severe steroid responsive inflammatory dermatoses, 64% using triamcinolone acetonide 0.2% spray achieved clear or almost clear skin at day 14 (no P value reported). Adverse events including burning, irritation, and dryness were similar across all corticosteroids

Diagnostic Medical Errors: Patient\u27s Perspectives on a Pervasive Problem

Introduction. The Institute of Medicine defines diagnostic error as the failure to establish an accurate or timely explanation for the patient\u27s health problem(s), or effectively communicate the explanation to the patient. To our knowledge, no studies exist characterizing diagnostic error from patient perspectives using this definition. Objective. We sought to characterize diagnostic errors experienced by patients and describe patient perspectives on causes, impacts, and prevention strategies. Methods. We screened 77 adult inpatients at University of Vermont Medical Center and conducted 27 structured interviews with patients who experienced diagnostic error in the past five years. We performed qualitative analysis using Grounded Theory. Results. In the past five years, 39% of interviewed patients experienced diagnostic error. The errors mapped to the following categories: accuracy (30%), communication (34%) and timeliness (36%). Poor communication (13 responses) and inadequate time with doctors (7) were the most identified causes of errors. Impacts of errors included emotional distress (17 responses), adverse health outcomes (7) and impaired activities of daily living (6). Patients suggested improved communication (11 responses), clinical management (7) and access to doctors (5) as prevention strategies. For communication, patients rated talk to your doctor highest (mean 8.4, on 1-10 Likert scale) and text message lowest (4.8). Conclusions/Recommendations. Diagnostic errors are common and have dramatic impact on patients\u27 well-being. We suggest routine surveillance to identify errors, support for patients who have experienced errors, and implementation of patient and provider checklists to enhance communication. Future studies should investigate strategies to allow care providers adequate time with patients.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1246/thumbnail.jp

Assessing the effect of dynamics on the closed-loop protein-folding hypothesis

The closed-loop (loop-n-lock) hypothesis of protein folding suggests that loops of about 25 residues, closed through interactions between the loop ends (locks), play an important role in protein structure. Coarse-grain elastic network simulations, and examination of loop lengths in a diverse set of proteins, each supports a bias towards loops of close to 25 residues in length between residues of high stability. Previous studies have established a correlation between total contact distance (TCD), a metric of sequence distances between contacting residues (cf. contact order), and the log-folding rate of a protein. In a set of 43 proteins, we identify an improved correlation ( r 2 = 0.76), when the metric is restricted to residues contacting the locks, compared to the equivalent result when all residues are considered ( r 2 = 0.65). This provides qualified support for the hypothesis, albeit with an increased emphasis upon the importance of a much larger set of residues surrounding the locks. Evidence of a similar-sized protein core/extended nucleus (with significant overlap) was obtained from TCD calculations in which residues were successively eliminated according to their hydrophobicity and connectivity, and from molecular dynamics simulations. Our results suggest that while folding is determined by a subset of residues that can be predicted by application of the closed-loop hypothesis, the original hypothesis is too simplistic; efficient protein folding is dependent on a considerably larger subset of residues than those involved in lock formation. </jats:p

Analysis of spontaneously reported cutaneous adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Background: Skin is the most common organ involved in adverse reactions due to drugs. With newer drugs released into market every year, there is changing pattern of the reported cutaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In order to ensure safer use of medicines in patients, there is need for continuous monitoring of ADRs. This is a retrospective study to analyse spontaneously reported cutaneous ADRs.Methods: All the cutaneous ADRs reported between January 2017 and September 2018 were analysed for clinical patterns, suspected medications, causality, severity and preventability.Results: Of the 1035 reports received during the study period, 232 (22.41%) included cutaneous reactions. 113 (48.7%) were male and 119 (51.29%) were female. Maculopapular rash 70 (30.17%), pruritus 31 (13.36%), palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia 30 (12.93%), acne 19 (8.19%), urticaria 16 (6.89%) and fixed drug eruptions (FDE) 13 (5.6%) were the common clinical patterns. Antimicrobial agents followed by anticancer drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), hormones and related drugs, and antiepileptic drugs were the common suspected group of drugs. Causality assessment as done by WHO-UMC scale showed that 3 (1.29%) were certainly related, 174 (75%) were probably related and 55 (23.7%) were possibly related to the suspected medication.Conclusions: Cutaneous ADRs are most frequently reported ADRs in the present study. With newer drugs released into market, there is a need for continuous monitoring of use of drugs to promote safer use of medicines in patients