Morphometric analysis of lateral menisci in North Indian population: a cadaveric study

Background: The menisci (formerly called semilunar cartilages) of the knee lie within the knee joint between the femur and tibia and somewhat adapt the tibial and femoral condyles to each other. The menisci are liable to injury resulting from twisting strains applied to flexed weight bearing knee. The mean annual incidence of meniscal tears is about 60-70 per 100,000 with a male to female ratio ranging from 2.5:1 to 4:1. The present study was conceived to provide valuable morphological data for preparing meniscal allograft for people of this region so that accurate matching can be done in meniscal transplantation.Methods: The study was carried out in 100 lateral menisci of adult human male cadavers with age ranging from 20 to 50 years. Distance between anterior and posterior horns of lateral meniscus, outer and inner border length, width and thickness at three points, namely anterior, middle and posterior one third was taken with the help of non-elastic thread and Vernier caliper. Written informed consent was taken from the relatives of the deceased.Results: Distance between the two horns of lateral meniscus, outer border and inner border length of right and left lateral meniscus were not significantly differently from each other. Width and thickness of lateral meniscus was highest in the middle part which was significantly different from other parts.Conclusions: In conclusion, width and thickness was highest in the middle third part of lateral menisci. Also, shapes of lateral menisci were different from others studies. The current study presents a database of morphological values of lateral menisci for North Indian population for meniscal transplantation.

Ergonomics: Need of the Hour

The success in any practice is dependent on efficient workflow, with minimum risk to injury and cumulative trauma. Work in a dental office calls for deftness in cognitive abilities and can, more often than not, be physically challenging. Repeated use of movements and postures that go against the natural or anatomical alignment and limitations of the human body often lead to what is known as cumulative trauma leading to development of musculoskeletal disorders. The whole idea of ergonomics in the workplace is to avoid any such exigencies. Through this review it is intended to bring forth the widely known yet often neglected aspect of dental practice; that is the human factor in workplace efficiency

Risks and challenges in multiple pregnancy

Because of breakthroughs in reproductive medicine, multiple pregnancies have become more common in the industrialized world. As a result, obstetric care for women with multiple pregnancies and neonatal care for the same has become more demanding. Multifetal pregnancies are linked to an elevated risk for both the mother and child. There is increased incidence of obstetric complications such as spontaneous abortion, hypertensive disorders, placenta previa, and fetal malformations. Perinatal outcome is also affected which is attributable to increased incidence of fetal complications like prematurity, congenital malformations, growth discordance and cord accidents. We are presenting 2 cases, one of MCMA twin pregnancy with fetal congenital anomaly and another of a triplet pregnancy and their perinatal outcomes

Autologous grafting of non manupulated freshly isolated - adipose tissue derived stromal vascular fraction in single surgical sitting for treatment of knee osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the major cause of morbidity, having a substantial influence on health quality of life, imposing enormous burden of cost on the health care system. It is a chronic degenerative disorder that is characterised by articular cartilage degeneration. It can be caused by aging, heredity and injury from trauma or disease. Primary symptoms of OA include joint pain, stiffness and limitation of movement. Disease progression is usually slow but can ultimately lead to joint failure with pain and disability. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) derived from adipose tissue is a rich source of pre adipocytes, mesenchymal cells (MSC), endothelial progenitor cell, T cells, B cells, mast cells as well as adipose tissue macrophages. It can be easily obtained from loose connective tissue that is associated with adipose tissue by lipoaspiration under local anaesthesia. SVF is isolated without using any enzymes or chemicals and its autologous grafting is done in a single surgical sitting. Here, we evaluated safety and clinical efficacy of freshly isolated Autologous SVF cells in patients with grade 2-4 degenerative osteoarthritis (OA).  .Methods: A total of 116 joints mainly knee OA were treated with autologous grafting of SVF done in a single surgical sitting. A total of 116 joints studied out of which 80 joints were followed up for 12 months, 88 joints followed for 9 months, 110 joints followed for 6 months and finally all 116 joints were followed for minimum 1 month for safety and efficacy.Results: Modified KOOS clinical score was used to evaluate clinical effect and was based on pain, non-steroid analgesic usage, limping, extent of joint movement, and stiffness evaluation before and at pre-operative, 1 Month post-op, 6 months post-op and 12 Months post-op after grafting. No side effects, systemic infection or cancer was associated with Autologous grafting of SVF. There was a significant improvement from pre-op to post op in all the followed patients. Average KOOS score improved from pre-operative 46.4 to post-operative 12 months average 77.9 i.e. very significant improvement in all grades. All sub-scale parameter for pain, symptoms, activity of living and quality of life showed significant improvement. Higher grade of OA were associated with comparatively slower healing.Conclusions: Autologous grafting of SVF in single surgical sitting is a novel and promising treatment approach for patients with degenerative OA. This treatment method was found to be minimal invasive, safe and cost-effective treatment modality for osteoarthritis.

Performance analysis of anomalous photocatalytic activity of Cr-doped TiO2 nanoparticles [Cr(x)TiO2(1-x)]

We report the synthesis and characterisation of pristine and chromium (Cr) metal ion-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles [Cr(x)TiO2(1-x)] to study the anomalous effect of Cr doping on the photocatalytic property of TiO2. The presence of dopants generates more number of recombination pairs and increases surface coverage sites which decreases photocatalytic activity. We study the structural morphology of the synthesised Cr(x)TiO2(1-x) samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The effect of Cr3+ ions on the optical properties of TiO2 has been studied using various imaging and spectroscopic techniques. Further, the effect of doping of Cr on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 has been analysed in detail. The concentration of Cr in TiO2 has been chosen as 0, 1, 5 and 10% by weight. It has been observed that the pristine TiO2 exhibits better photocatalytic activity as compared to Cr-doped TiO2 irrespective of the Cr concentration. This can be attributed to the fact that due to Cr doping in TiO2, the number of available adsorption sites for malachite green reduces which degrades its photocatalytic activity. It is also confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. PL intensity increases, and lifetime decreases with increase in doping concentration. Radiative recombination of electron and hole pairs of Cr3+ in TiO2 degrades its photocatalytic activity. The degradation efficiency is found to be 96% in the case of pristine TiO2 which reduces to 12% when doped with x = 10% concentration of chromium. Therefore, it is observed that in comparison with Cr-doped TiO2, pristine TiO2 exhibits an improved photocatalytic activity which shows the anomalous effect of Cr doping on the photocatalytic property of TiO2

Virilising ovarian tumors: a single-center experience

Literature on virilising ovarian tumors (VOTs) is limited to case reports and series reporting single pathological type. We have analyzed the clinical, hormonal, radiological, histological, management and outcome data of VOT. This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary health care center from Western India. Consecutive patients with VOT presenting to our endocrine center between 2002 and 2017 were included. Our study included 13 patients of VOT. Out of 13 patients, two were postmenopausal. All patients in the reproductive age group had secondary amenorrhea except one who presented with primary amenorrhea. Modified F and G score (mFG) at presentation was 24 ± 4.3 and all patients had severe hirsutism (mFG ≥15). Change in voice (n = 11) and clitoromegaly (n = 7) were the other most common virilising symptoms. Duration of symptoms varied from 4 to 48 months. Median serum total testosterone level at presentation was 5.6 ng/mL with severe hyperandrogenemia (serum testosterone ≥2 ng/mL) but unsuppressed gonadotropins in all patients. Transabdominal ultrasonography (TAS) detected VOT in all except one. Ten patients underwent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy whereas three patients (peri- or postmenopausal) underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Seven patients had Sertoli Leydig cell tumor, three had steroid cell tumor and two had Leydig cell tumor and one had miscellaneous sex cord stromal tumor. All patients had normalization of serum testosterone after tumor excision. In conclusion, VOTs present with severe hyperandrogenism and hyperandrogenemia. Sertoli Leydig cell tumor is the most common histological subtype. Surgery is the treatment of choice with good surgical outcome

The Role of Major Phenolics in Apple to Total Antioxidant Capacity

The naturally occurring phenolic compounds have received major attention in recent years as huge amounts of phenolic compounds can be extracted from fruits, vegetables and beverages that have substantial health benefits. From a physiological and metabolic aspect, phenolic compounds are vital in defence responses, such as anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-proliferative, anti-bacterial, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, cardioprotective activities. Among the fruits having a higher content of phenolic compounds, the apple (Malus Domestica) is the most widely consumed fruit in the world. Apples have a high nutritional value as it is a rich source of ascorbic acid, polyphenols and pectin. Apple peel forms a small percentage (6–8%) of the total fruit weight and contains the highest content of phenolic compounds, particularly chlorogenic acid. There are five major groups of polyphenolic compounds found in apples namely flavanols (Catechin, Epicatechin and Pyrocyanidins), phenolic compounds, phenolic acids (mainly Chlorogenic acids), dihydrochalcones (Phloretin glycosides), flavonols (Quercetin glycosides) and anthocyanins (Cyanidin). This chapter reviews the chemical properties, mode of action, types, extraction of phenolics in apples and the contribution and role of major phenolics in apples to the total antioxidant capacity

Seed nutritional quality in lentil (Lens culinaris) under different moisture regimes

The world’s most challenging environmental issue is climate change. Agricultural productivity and nutritional quality are both substantially threatened by extreme and unpredicted climate events. To develop climate resilient cultivars, stress tolerance along with the grain quality needs to be prioritized. Present study was planned to assess the effect of water limitation on seed quality in lentil, a cool season legume crop. A pot experiment was carried out with 20 diverse lentil genotypes grown under normal (80% field capacity) and limited (25% field capacity) soil moisture. Seed protein, Fe, Zn, phytate, protein and yield were recorded in both the conditions. Seed yield and weight were reduced by 38.9 and 12.1%, respectively, in response to stress. Seed protein, Fe, Zn, its availability as well as antioxidant properties also reduced considerably, while genotype dependent variation was noted with respect to seed size traits. Positive correlation was observed between seed yield and antioxidant activity, seed weight and Zn content and availability in stress. Based on principal component analysis and clustering, IG129185, IC559845, IC599829, IC282863, IC361417, IG334, IC560037, P8114 and L5126 were promising genotypes for seed size, Fe and protein content, while, FLIP-96-51, P3211 and IC398019 were promising for yield, Zn and antioxidant capacity. Identified lentil genotypes can be utilized as trait donors for quality improvement in lentil breedin

Deep phenotyping and genomic data from a nationally representative study on dementia in India

The Harmonized Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia for the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI-DAD) is a nationally representative in-depth study of cognitive aging and dementia. We present a publicly available dataset of harmonized cognitive measures of 4,096 adults 60 years of age and older in India, collected across 18 states and union territories. Blood samples were obtained to carry out whole blood and serum-based assays. Results are included in a venous blood specimen datafile that can be linked to the Harmonized LASI-DAD dataset. A global screening array of 960 LASI-DAD respondents is also publicly available for download, in addition to neuroimaging data on 137 LASI-DAD participants. Altogether, these datasets provide comprehensive information on older adults in India that allow researchers to further understand risk factors associated with cognitive impairment and dementia.Peer reviewe