Scrutinizing the effect of rGO-cuttlefish bone hydroxyapatite composite infused carrageenan membrane towards wound reconstruction

Carrageenan is an emerging biopolymer for wound healing and regenerative applications. In this study, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nano-composites infused carrageenan bioactive membrane was fabricated. Here, hydroxyapatite was synthesized from cuttlefish bone (CF-HAp) and its properties were compared with that of chemically synthesized HAp. Crystalline Ca5(PO4)3(OH) and Ca3(PO4)2) phases were obtained in cuttlefish bone derived HAp. Reduced graphene oxide was synthesized and composites were prepared with chemical HAp and CF-HAp. FT-IR spectral analysis showed the imprints of hydroxyapatite on the membrane and also nano-structured particles were evident through morphological estimations that confirm the distribution of nano-particles on the carrageenan membrane. Nano-particulates infused carrageenan membrane showed the maximum tensile strength, in which graphene incorporated carrageenan bioactive membrane showed highest stability of 15.26 MPa. The contact angle of chemical HAp infused carrageenan membrane (CAR-HAp) showed more hydrophilic in nature (48.63° ± 7.47°) compared to control (61.77° ± 1.28°). Bio-compatibility features enunciate the optimal compatibility of fabricated bioactive membrane with fibroblast cell line; simultaneously, CAR-rGO-CF-HAp showed tremendous wound healing behavior with zebrafish model. Hence, fabricated bioactive membrane with the infusion of rGO- hydroxyapatite derived from cuttlefish bone was found to be a versatile biopolymer membrane for wound healing application.

Fabrication of hydroxyapatite reinforced polymeric hydrogel membrane for regeneration

Background

The regeneration of lost/damaged support tissue in the periodontium, including the alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and cementum, is an ambitious purpose of periodontal regenerative therapy and might effectively reduce periodontitis-caused tooth loss. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) is a technique currently used in dentistry for periodontal surgery, which allows osseous regeneration prior to soft tissue migration into the area of interest. Calcium phosphate-based bone grafts (mostly Tricalcium Phosphate or Hydroxyapatite) are bio ceramics that show the greatest similarity to the mineral found in the bone. Thereby, giving calcium-phosphate excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and osteoconductivity. The aim of the study is to fabricate hydroxyapatite reinforced polymeric hydrogel membrane for regeneration.

Materials and Method

Pure alginate fabrication was done by cross linking sodium alginate with calcium chloride. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) alginate (Alg) was formulated by adding nanoparticles to the alginate mixture, which was then cross-linked with calcium chloride to formulate a HAP alginate polymeric membrane. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and biocompatibility tests were performed to analyse the membrane characteristics.

Results

Fabricated Hydroxyapatite- alginate (Hap- Alg) membrane has longer durability, because of strong crystal structure which in turn might take a longer time to regenerate. The membrane was found to be biocompatible and HAp induces faster mineralisation which in turn will increase the tissue regeneration rate of the membrane.

Conclusion

The findings of our study suggests that the HAP-Alg hydro gel membrane is highly durable and hemocompatible and it has faster mineralisation capability thus making it superior from the clinically available membranes for GTR. Further analyses needs to be conducted to evaluate the potential of this membrane to be used for regeneration.

Expression of CD 20 B-Lymphocyte in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma: A comparative immunohistochemistry study

Background

As the progressive trends in the field of immunotherapy, it is very favourable to reconsider the role played by B lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment. Both the protumorogenic and antitumorogenic responses have to be evaluated to formulate an effective immunotherapeutic protocol.

Aim and objective

The study was primarily conducted to assess the qualitative expression of B lymphocytes in pretumorogenic (oral epithelial dysplasia) and tumorogenic environment (oral squamous cell carcinoma). The differential immunohistochemical staining of CD 20 immune marker was assessed in about 60 cases that included 30 cases of oral epithelial dysplasia and 30 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Results

The study found significant correlation between CD 20 IHC immune expression and histopathological diagnosis along with significant correlation between the subject's age group and histopathological diagnosis.

Conclusion

Modulating the immune response in a precancerous state can be highly beneficial in implementing better immunotherapeutic strategies to treat or prevent malignancy at an early stage.

Unravelling the effects of ibuprofen-acetaminophen infused copper-bioglass towards the creation of root canal sealant

Impact towards the tuneable characteristics of bioactive glasses (BAG) has been explored; as there is no root canal sealant till date with ideal characteristics competent enough to manoeuvre the perplexing root canal architecture. Combeite, calcite and traces of cuprorivaite crystalline phases were validated for material formation, in which Cu 2P [XPS] peak authenticating the presence of copper in bioglass network (Cu-BAG). Spherical and platelet-like morphologies were observed and the grain size of Cu-BAG (~100 nm) was lesser as compared to BAG (~ 1 µm). These particle distributions impacted the porosity, and dominant non-bridging oxygens in Cu-BAG influences ionic dissolution, which subsequently enhanced the mineralization. These bioactive materials were loaded with acetaminophen and ibuprofen, corresponding organic moieties was confirmed through FT-IR. These drugs loaded bioactive materials exhibited tremendous anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial behavior with better sealing ability. Drug loaded bioglass paste filled in biomechanically prepared root canal was estimated for sealing potential, mineralization, micro leakage, and fracture resistance properties. Hydroxyl apatite growth was noted on the sealants, flower like protuberance confirmed the sealing potential of the prepared material. Bioglass exhibited promising characteristics required in a root canal sealant. This investigation is a step further towards tailoring the properties of bioactive materials as promising candidates in root canal obturation and thereof.

A new systematic model for analysis and a hybrid fuzzy multimodality model for lung tumor prediction

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly occurring diseases that ranked in the top of the present survey. Advancements in the medical field enable non-invasive methods of computerised diagnosis procedures and detection processes. Deep learning methods are already in evaluation by keeping the deep analysis on improving segmentation accuracy and prediction accuracy etc. The classification of tumour type depends on the quality of segmentation work and feature mappings. In this paper, we developed a robust model that classifies the types of tumours with improved accuracy but is also capable of detecting the early stages of cancer by detecting the unique hidden points of the image intensity in the lung images, etc. The system is comprised of a novel relative convergence technique for feature extraction technique to extract the infected area and its characteristic pixels to evaluate a unique feature mapping vector. The MSB feature mapping vectors are analysed with Hybrid Regress Fuzzy Net. The final result on whether a tumour is present in the CT image or normal depends on the three individual decisions made by the three algorithms mentioned. The accuracy of each algorithm is also considered for the probable decision-making. The performance measure of the entire proposed Hybrid Regress Net is evaluated through Accuracy, Precision, Recall and F1Score etc.

Segment Based Compressive Sensing (SBCS) of Color Images for Internet of Multimedia Things Applications

Telemedicine is one of the IoMT applications transmitting medical images from hospital to remote medical centers for diagnosis and treatment. To share this multimedia content across internet, storage and transmission become a challenge because of its huge volume. New compression techniques are being continuously introduced to circumvent this issue. Compressive sensing (CS) is a new paradigm in signal compression. Block based compressive sensing (BCS) is a standard and commonly used technique in color image compression. However, BCS suffers from block artifacts and during transmission, mistakes can be introduced to affect the BCS coefficients, degrading the reconstructed image’s quality. The performance of BCS at low compression ratios is also poor. To overcome these limitations, without dividing the image into blocks, the image matrix is considered as a whole and compressively sensed by segment based compressive sensing (SBCS). This is a novel strategy that is offered in this article, for efficient compression of digital color images at low compression ratios. Metrics of performance The peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), the mean structural similarity index (MSSIM), and the colour perception metric delta E are computed and compared to those obtained using block-based compressive sensing (BBCS). The results show that SBCS performs better than BBCS.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Pre-Analytic Errors of Blood Transfusion among Interns

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practice about pre-analytic errors among interns. This elicits the efficiency of interns on the basis of knowledge, attitude and practice in blood transfusion and to analyse about the pre-analytic errors in blood transfusion. Study Design: A cross sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Saveetha Medical College Sriperumbudur, between January 2020 to August 2020. Methodology: The prospective study will be done by distributing online questionnaire. From the questionnaire the interpretation of pre-analytical errors will be analysed statistically. Results: A total of 150 interns in a Tertiary care teaching hospital were given the online questionnaire in which 136 interns responded and 14 were not responded and the results showed lower frequency of incidents in pre-analytic errors. Conclusion: Though the pre analytic errors were less, the lack of knowledge among the medical staff in transfusion is obvious. Therefore, we must have the possibility of organizing regular training and follow-up activities to improve the knowledge of interns in transfusion.

A Case Series of Atrial Myxomas – A Tertiary Care Centre Experience

Aim: The current study aims at highlighting the clinical presentation, echocardiographic profile and histopathological details of the four cases of cardiac myxoma which we had encountered in our institution within a period of one year and to identify a relationship between the clinical behaviour and the histopathological picture. Results: Among the four cases 2 were males and 2 were females and their ages ranged from 36 to 49 years. Two of the four patients presented with chest pain and palpitations , one with dyspnoea and the other case presented with recurrent stroke. Three of the cases were located in the left atrium while one case was in the right atrium. The histopathological examination of all the cases showed stellate , round and polygonal cells surrounded by abundant myxoid stroma. There was no histopathological correlation between the different clinical presentations or locations of the myxomas. Conclusion: Although histopathological examination is necessary along with echocardiography to make a diagnosis of cardiac myxoma , there is no correlation between the different clinical presentation , site and the histopathological examination.

Effect of Fresh Frozen Plasma Transfusion Inpatients with Coagulation Abnormalities

Aim: To study the efficacy of Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) transfusion practice in patients with coagulation abnormalities varies in clinical practice. Study Design: A retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Department of Transfusion Medicine, SMCH, Chennai, between the period of 2019-2020. Methodology: The medical records of each patient receiving FFP transfusions that occurred in patients with coagulation abnormalities were reviewed and the data were collected based on pre-and post transfusion PT (>12 sec), APTT (>70sec) and INR (>1.5) and then analysed statistically. Patients with normal coagulation parameters were excluded from study. Results: A total of 1259 units of fresh frozen plasma were transfused to 315 patients between the year 2019-2020. Of the 1259 units transfused 1133 units where transfused to 283 patients with coagulation abnormalities. Apparently 32 patients were excluded from the study as they had normal coagulation profile. Among 251 patients, 37 patients PT were greater than 12 seconds before FFP transfusion out of which the PT was corrected for 14 patients (37.8%) after FFP transfusion. In 228 patients APTT was greater than 70 seconds before FFP transfusion, out of which APTT was corrected in 18 patients (8%) after transfusion. INR values for all 251 patients were greater than1.5 before FFP transfusion, out of which INR was corrected in 84 patients (29%) after transfusion. Conclusion: We conclude that FFP transfusions in patients with coagulation abnormalities maycorrects the defect only in less percentage of patient population, as in our study it corrects only an average of 31% of patient population.

Insight into the impingement of different sodium precursors on structural, biocompatible, and hemostatic properties of bioactive materials

Bioactive materials play a significant role in biomedical engineering for plethora of applications. To date, there is no evident report on the role of sodium precursors in structural changes towards their acceleration in biocompatibility. This study highlights the impact and role of two different sodium precursors (sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide) on the structural changes and their potential formulations in biomineralization and biocompatibility. Structural characteristics enunciate the significant crystallization of NaCaPO₄, Na₂Ca₂Si₃O₉, and Na_1.8Ca_1.1Si₆O₁₄ phases with pertinent Q² stretching's while using sodium nitrate than sodium hydroxide. XPS spectra authenticate the elevated sodium content while using sodium nitrate as sodium precursor. One-dimensional structures with well faceted morphology and superior alkaline environment preferentially support the biomineralization and bactericidal properties in sodium nitrate-bioglass, was confirmed through structural, morphological, elemental, and antibacterial investigations. Whereas, higher blood and cell-line compatibility with elevated protein adsorption rate is perceived for the bioglass prepared using sodium hydroxide source, and subsequently, higher hemostatic properties are considerably observed with sodium nitrate-bioglass. Higher mechanical stability (ultrasonic measurements) and controlled degradation rate are the stratagems of sodium nitrate to boost the basic criteria of bioactive materials. Hence, it is proposed that sodium nitrate is a highly preferable source to develop bioactive and stable bioglass formulations.

Association of Portal Vein Indices with Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Findings in Patients with Cirrhosis of Liver

Introduction: Upper Gastro Intestinal (UGI) bleed is major cause of mortality and admissions in cirrhotics. Timely initiation of prophylaxis reduces the burden of disease. Few endoscopists at periphery are compelled to look at other options to identify at risk patients. This study explores Portal Vein Diameter (PVD) as an option while taking clues and corrections from past studies. Aim: To identify any association between increases in portal pressure with appearance of oesophageal varices. Materials and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study on 75 patients of cirrhosis of liver, from November 2018 to June 2019. Baseline characteristics were noted and assessment of the severity of disease was done. Endoscopy and Portal Vein (PV) Doppler was performed in same time frame. ANOVA and unpaired t-tests were used for analysis of the collected data. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant in both the tests. Results: Grade of varices was found to have a direct relationship with portal diameter and a statistically significant inverse relationship with Portal Venous flow Velocity (PVV) (p-value 0.037). Total 28 patients had active bleed or history of UGI bleed and showed higher mean portal diameter and lower average portal velocity compared to patients without any history of variceal bleeding. A statistically significant relation was found between diameter of Portal Vein (PV) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) grade from A to C. Patients with grade C had on an average, the biggest portal diameter and lowest PVV. Patients with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores values higher than 14 and had higher mean PV diameter and a lower mean PVV. Also, hepato-fugal flow was recorded with advanced cirrhosis. Conclusion: In advanced cirrhosis, the PV Doppler can be thought of as a substitute to endoscopy in starting primary medical prophylaxis, though more extensive study needed to arrive at a definitive conclusion.

Cognizing the crystallization aspects of NaCaPO4 concomitant 53S bioactive-structures and their imprints in in vitro bio-mineralization

Compositional and bio-physico-chemical characteristic features of bioactive glasses are of great importance in biomedical field.

DOSE ASSESSMENT FOR ATMOSPHERIC DISCHARGE OF LONG-LIVED RADIONUCLIDES IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DECOMMISSIONING

Decommissioning of nuclear power plants is a multistage process involving complex operations like radiological characterization, decontamination and dismantling of plant equipment, demolition of structures, and processing and disposal of waste. Radioactive effluents released into the environment may result in exposure of population through various exposure pathways. The present study estimates the public dose due to atmospheric discharge of important radionuclides during proposed decommissioning activities of Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors. This study shows that major dose contributing radionuclides are 60Co followed by 94Nb, 134Cs, 154Eu, 152Eu, 133Ba, 99Tc, 93Mo and 41Ca. It is found that infant dose is higher than adult dose and major fraction of total dose (~98%) is through ground shine and ingestion; other pathways such as inhalation and plume shine contribute only a small fraction. This study will be helpful in carrying out radiological impact assessment for decommissioning operations which is an important regulatory requirement.

Low-cost preventive screening using carotid ultrasound in patients with diabetes

Diabetes and atherosclerosis are the predominant causes of stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) both in low- and high-income countries. This is due to the lack of appropriate medical care or high medical costs. Low-cost 10-year preventive screening can be used for deciding an effective therapy to reduce the effects of atherosclerosis in diabetes patients. American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) recommended the use of 10-year risk calculators, before advising therapy. Conventional risk calculators are suboptimal in certain groups of patients because their stratification depends on (a) current blood biomarkers and (b) clinical phenotypes, such as age, hypertension, ethnicity, and sex. The focus of this review is on risk assessment using innovative composite risk scores that use conventional blood biomarkers combined with vascular image-based phenotypes. AtheroEdge™ tool is beneficial for low-moderate to high-moderate and low-risk to high-risk patients for the current and 10-year risk assessment that outperforms conventional risk calculators. The preventive screening tool that combines the image-based phenotypes with conventional risk factors can improve the 10-year cardiovascular/stroke risk assessment.

Bioactive, degradable and multi-functional three-dimensional membranous scaffolds of bioglass and alginate composites for tissue regenerative applications

Multifunctional bioactive hydrogel ECM like membrane for 3D dynamic tissue/disease modelling.

Impact of copper on in-vitro biomineralization, drug release efficacy and antimicrobial properties of bioactive glasses

This study highlights the incorporation of copper in the bioactive glasses (BAG) network that greatly influences the morphological, structural and biological properties. By increasing the copper incorporation in BAG, increment in cell volume was obtained from XRD patterns, and concomitantly, dominant phosphate bands and latent silica bands were observed by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic results. The Cu addition also affected particle appearance to vary from spherical to cluster-like cubes in 1.5% and 2.5% copper-doped BAG. Due to the mesoporous network 1.5% and 2.5% copper-doped BAG showed enhanced release of anti-inflammatory drugs such as Acetaminophen (ACE) and Ibuprofen (IBU) in which, the drug release profiles showed best fit with kinetic models of First order, Korsmeyar-Peppas and Higuchi. Copper doping influences the lattice of BAG, as a result morphology and porosity varied, which regulates the ionic dissolution, hence, prompting bioactivity was perceived from 1.5% and 2.5% copper-doped bioactive glasses (Cu-BGs). Moreover, 2.5% Cu-BG and 1.5% Cu-BG showed highest rate of ROS detection, as well as improved antimicrobial activity. This study established that up to certain proportion of copper incorporation in BAG network, potentially enhances the biomineralization and turns the morphology towards minimal size with mesoporous nature. Due to the abundance in oral microbial exposure, copper amplifies the superior antimicrobial properties, and Cu-BGs act as a drug carrier to load ACE and IBU, which potentially up-regulate the healing properties in dental application.

Effect of Titania Concentration in Bioglass/TiO₂ Nanostructures and Its In Vitro Biological Property Assessment

Bioglass 45S5 (45% SiO2-24.5% NaO-24.5% CaO-6% P2O5) is a unique bioactive material, which is being used for bone and dental substitution. This system has been highly preferred for its osteoconductive and osteoinductive performance. Despite its attractive bioactivity, there are limitations in using this material for orthopedic and dental applications due to its poor processability and mechanical strength. To improve the load-sharing and stress distribution, TiO2 nanoparticles have been introduced into the nanoBioglass (nBG) by sol-gel method. The structural analyses of the samples were confirmed using X-ray diffraction, Raman-spectroscopy and FTIR. The morphologies of the samples were characterized by FESEM. The apatite formation of the nBG/TiO2 composites was investigated by immersing the samples in simulated body Fluid (SBF) solution for 1 and 3 days, which reveals the acceptable compatibility for different concentrations of all the composition. Hemolysis studies of the nanobiomaterials were carried out to understand the interactions of biomaterials with blood which shows 0.2%-2% of lysis which is acceptable as per ASTM standard. Cell culture and cell proliferation studies of bioglass, nBG/TiO2 nanocomposite on MG-63 pre-osteoblast cell line for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h showed 80% to 95% of cell viability. Also, it was found that the nBG/TiO2 bio-nanocomposites containing low content of titania had good bioactivity properties that is comparable to cortical bone. Hence, nBG/TiO2 bio-nanocomposites are greatly promising for medical applications such as bone substitutes especially in load-bearing sites.

Multiple Pigmented Seborrheic Keratosis with Sebaceous Differentiation - A Case Report

Seborrheic keratosis is a benign lesion that is common in the trunk and head and neck regions. It shows a considerable variety of histological appearances leading to different variants. The presence of sebaceous differentiation in seborrheic keratosis is very rare and can histologically mimic benign and malignant tumors with sebaceous differentiation. We present a case of a 65-year-old male presenting with multiple nodules over the right and left sides of neck and the right preauricular region, histopathological examination of which revealed multiple pigmented seborrheic keratoses with sebaceous differentiation. This case is reported for its rare sebaceous differentiation and multiplicity along with the importance of differentiating it from a variety of benign to malignant neoplasms showing sebaceous differentiation.

Corrosion inhibition property of polyester-groundnut shell biodegradable composite

The use of natural fibers as reinforcing materials in thermoplastics and thermoset matrix composites provide optimistic environmental profits with regard to ultimate disposability and better use of raw materials. The present work is focused on the corrosion inhibition property of a polymer matrix composite produced by the use of groundnut shell (GNS) waste. Polyester (PE) was synthesized by condensation polymerization of symmetrical 1,3,4-oxadiazole and pimelic acid using sodium lauryl sulfate as surfactant. The polyester-groundnut shell composite (PEGNS) was prepared by ultrasonication method. The synthesized polyester-groundnut shell composite was characterized by FT-IR, TGA and XRD analysis. The corrosion inhibitory effect of PEGNS on mild steel in 1M H₂SO₄ was investigated using gravimetric method, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization, atomic absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that PEGNS inhibited mild steel corrosion in acid solution and indicated that the inhibition efficiency increased with increasing inhibitor concentration and decrease with increasing temperature. The composite inhibited the corrosion of mild steel through adsorption following the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Changes in the impedance parameters R_t, C_dl, I_corr, E_corr, b_a and b_c suggested the adsorption of PEGNS onto the mild steel surface, leading to the formation of protective film.

Production of gaseous radiotracers for industrial applications

This paper describes prerequisite tests, analysis and the procedure for irradiation of gaseous targets and production of gaseous radioisotopes i.e. argon-41 ((41)Ar) and krypton-79 ((79)Kr) in a 100MWTh DHRUVA reactor located at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Trombay, Mumbai, India. The produced radioisotopes will be used as radiotracers for tracing gas phase in industrial process systems. Various details and prequalification tests required for irradiation of gaseous targets are discussed. The procedure for regular production of (41)Ar and (79)Kr, and assay of their activity were standardized. Theoretically estimated and experimentally produced amounts of activities of the two radioisotopes, irradiated at identical conditions, were compared and found to be in good agreement. Based on the various tests, radiological safety analysis and standardization of the irradiation procedure, necessary approval was obtained from the competent reactor operating and safety authorities for regular production of gaseous radiotracers in DHRUVA reactor.

2-[(4-Chlorophenyl)(2-phenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methyl]cyclohexan-1-one

In the title compound, C27H24ClNO, the indole ring is almost orthogonal to the chlorophenyl ring and the mean plane of the cyclohexanone ring, making a dihedral angles of 82.11 (6) and 89.96 (4)°, respectively. In the crystal, a strong N—H...O hydrogen bond links the molecules, forming chains running along thecaxis. The chains are linked by weak C—H...π interactions, forming layers parallel to theacplane.

Erupted complex odontoma of the posterior maxilla: A rarity

Complex odontomas, hamartomas of aborted tooth development, mainly occur in posterior part of the mandible and rarely erupt into the oral cavity. The spontaneous eruption may be associated with pain, inflammation of adjacent soft tissues or recurrent infection. The present case of complex odontoma is of particular interest due to its apparent eruption in the maxillary posterior segment, its association with agenesis of the second molar and impacted third molar; with the lesion being completely asymptomatic.

Intercarrier interference reduction in MC-CDMA system through second order duobinary coded phase rotated conjugate cancellation scheme

Multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) technique is one of the strong candidates for next generation wireless mobile communication systems. Multi-carrier systems are very much sensitive to carrier frequency offset (CFO) results in intercarrier interference (ICI). To mitigate ICI without any spectral loss, a second order duobinary coded phase rotated conjugate cancellation algorithm is proposed in this paper. In the conventional phase rotated conjugate cancellation (PRCC) technique, one path carries the MC-CDMA signal with a phase spin of ϕ and the other path carries the conjugate of the first path signal with -ϕ phase spin. This artificial phase rotation allows the transmitter to tune the transmitted signals so that the ICI effects could be mutually cancelled at the receiver. Although the PRCC technique reduces the spectral efficiency, the limitation can be overcome by the joint second order duobinary coding scheme with PRCC technique. In the proposed method, the correlative coding between the binary symbols modulated on adjacent subcarriers is used to reduce the ICI without any spectral loss. Simulation results show that the proposed PRCC method provides better carrier to interference ratio (CIR) and bit error rate (BER) performances compared to the conventional conjugate cancellation (CC) technique.

Quantitative analysis of serum levels of trace elements in patients with oral submucous fibrosis and oral squamous cell carcinoma: A randomized cross-sectional study

Background and Objectives:

Metabolic disorders, oral precancerous conditions and oral cancer are accompanied by alterations in the concentration of one or more trace elements like copper, iron, zinc, magnesium etc., in some body fluids, especially blood serum or plasma, which can help not only in the early diagnosis and treatment but also in prognosis. The objective of the study is to evaluate the levels of circulating trace elements (copper, iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium) in serum of patients with Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSF) and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), to analyze the alteration and identify the best predictors amongst these parameters for disease occurrence and progression and their association with areca nut and betel quid chewing habits.

Materials and Method:

Serum levels of trace elements (copper, iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium) were estimated using electronic absorption colorimetric method. These levels were compared with controls and statistically evaluated using ANOVA and POST-HOC TUKEY tests.

Results:

The data analysis revealed that serum copper levels increased gradually from precancer to cancer, as the duration of betel quid chewing habit increased. However, serum iron, magnesium, zinc levels were decreased significantly in both the groups. Serum calcium levels were increased in the cancer group owing to bone resorption in the later stages of the disease, whereas it was close to normal in OSF patients. Among all the trace elements, the best predictor for occurrence of both the lesions was copper.

Conclusion:

The present study shows that the above trace elements may be associated with the pathogenesis and progression of OSF and OSCC. Betel quid and areca nut chewing habits are frequently associated with both disease states and may play a role in altering the serum levels of these trace elements. Concerted efforts would, therefore, help in early detection, management and monitoring the efficacy of treatment.

Diabetic neuropathic cachexia in a young female

A 42-year-old lady, a known diabetic presented with generalized body ache, severe burning sensation over her lower limbs, loss of weight (approximately 8 kg), loss of appetite, nausea, frequent vomiting, and altered bowel habits without history of fever or pain abdomen. Symmetrical wasting was noted in all limbs with bilateral proximal muscle weakness, particularly of lower limbs. Ankle jerks were absent with symmetrically decreased reflexes. nerve conduction velocity (NCV) revealed symmetrical distal axonal and demyelinating type of sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Hematological and gastrointestinal (GI) malignancy were excluded. Patient responded to antidepressants.