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Background: The purpose of the study was to compare the Proseal laryngeal mask airway(PLMA) insertion conditions and haemodynamic changes by using either Nalbuphine-propofol or Fentanyl-propofol. Material and Methods:-60 ASA Grade 1 and 2 patients of age group 20-60 years, scheduled for general anesthesia were randomly allocated in two groups of 30 each. Group N received Nalbuphine 0.2mg/kg i.v and Group F received Fentanyl 2mcg/kg. Assessment of LMA insertion was done using 6 variables: resistance to mouth opening, gagging, swallowing, head and limb movements, laryngospasm and resistance to insertion. Incidence and duration of apnea were recorded. Patients cardiorespiratory parameters, postoperative sedation score and complications if any were recorded. Results:-The demographic profile was comparable in all the groups . The incidence of coughing /gagging was higher in group F as compared to group N (p=0.031). Swallowing was also statistically significant (p=0.034), being higher in group N as compared to group F. Limb movements followed the same pattern being higher in group F compared to group N (p=0.032). Laryngospasm was not seen in both the groups. The apnea duration was more in group F as compared to group N and was statistically significant (p<0.001). There was statistically significant Rise in heart rate and MAP in group F as compared to group N at 1st and 3rd minute. After PLMA insertion postoperative complications were statistically insignificant.Conclusion:-The use of Nalbuphine-Propofol combination provides better PLMA insertion conditions with greater haemodynamic stability as compared to Fentanyl-propofol combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer remain important health problems. Cervical cytology by Papanicolaou (Pap) smears is an effective means of screening for cervical premalignant and malignant conditions. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cervical dysplasia in pre- and postmenopausal women in western Uttar Pradesh and to find out risk factors as far as possible. Materials and Methods: A total of 4,703 cases were enrolled, cervical scrape smears were collected and stained using Papanicolaou's method and hematoxylin and eosin stain. The emphasis was put on epithelial abnormalities and smears were classified according to The Bethesda System 2001. Results: 81.06% (3812) smears were satisfactory according to The Bethesda System. Maximum numbers of cases (40.37%) were in age group 30-39 years. The epithelial abnormalities constituted 3.23% of all cases. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) formed the largest number (1.36%), while high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) formed 0.91%. Eleven cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were detected. The study has shown a relatively high prevalence of epithelial abnormalities in cervical smears with increasing age, parity, early age at first coitus (<20 year), and lower socioeconomic status in symptomatic women with clinical lesions on per speculum examination. Conclusion: Epithelial abnormalities of cervix are not uncommon in our setup and are associated with early age at marriage and parity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dens invaginatus, also known as dens in dente, is a rare anomaly affecting human dentition. The condition results in invagination of an amelodental structure within the pulp. This case report discusses the current management protocol of dens invaginatus using a minimally invasive and nonsurgical treatment option. As with most conditions, early diagnosis and preventive measures help minimize complications in dens invaginatus cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cigarette smoking is a well known environmental risk factor for lung cancer; furthermore it can also enhance lung carcinogenesis by free radical mediated reactions. In addition smoking affects the rates of metabolism of several drugs and may contribute to poor cancer survival. The purpose of the present work, therefore, was to see the relationship of different smoking intensities with oxidative stress and survival after platinum based chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The oxidative stress levels (LPO, NO, SOD, and GSH) of 144 control subjects and 203 advanced stage NSCLC patients were assessed at day '0', after the 3rd and 6th cycle of chemotherapy. Pack year (PY) was stratified in groups (1-20, 21-50, > 50) for further analysis. Groups were compared using repeated measured ANOVA, while survival curves were compared by Kaplan- Meier methods. Oxidative stress levels of smokers were significantly high (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) as compared to non-smoker at pretreatment, after the 3rd cycle and 6th cycle of chemotherapy but not well correlated with the PY exposures. Overall mean survival of smoker patients were significantly low when compared to non-smokers. The survival of > 50 PY group was significantly lowered (p < 0.01) as compared to others PY groups, indicating that survival after chemotherapy in smoker NSCLC patients may be dependent on their PY exposures. In conclusion, smoking is a bad prognostic factor in lung cancer therapy, besides its role in oxidative stress, and poor survival. Therefore, this factor can be used in patient selection for chemoprevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis plays an important role in cervical cancer progression. Currently among several factors known to promote angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is most important. To evaluate the effect of treatment on VEGF levels and their correlation with other predictive factors, pre-and post treatment levels of VEGF were estimated in cervical cancer patients. 110 cases of frank cancer and 50 controls were enrolled for the present study: 18 in Stage I, 32 in Stage II, 48 in Stage III, and 12 in Stage IV. Serum VEGF levels were estimated by ELISA in patients on the day of recruitment and post treatment follow-up at a fixed time interval of 6-8 weeks. VEGF levels were highly significant among patients as compared to controls (p = 0.001). The pre-treatment VEGF levels among different stages of the disease were marginally insignificant (p = 0.07). However, they were significantly different for (i) various grades (p < 0.001), (ii) tumor size (p = 0.026), and (iii) smoking habits (p = 0.018). Post treatment levels were highly significant, as compared to pre-treatment values (p = 0.001). The pre-treatment and post-treatment VEGF levels were associated with (i) disease stage (p = 0.002), (ii) grade (p = 0.001), and (iii) tumor size (p = 0.001). In conclusion, VEGF is a potent angiogenic factor and can be considered as an effective prognostic marker in cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular energy sensor that regulates metabolism in response to energy demand and supply by adjusting the ATP-generating and ATP-consuming pathways. AMPK potentially plays a critical role in diabetes and obesity as it is known to be activated by metforin and rosiglitazone, drugs used for the treatment of type II diabetes. AMPK is a heterotrimer composed of a catalytic α subunit and two regulatory subunits, β and γ. Mutations in the γ subunit are known to cause glycogen accumulation, leading to cardiac arrhythmias. Recently, a functional glycogen-binding domain (GBD) has been identified in the β subunit. Here, the crystallization of GBD in the presence of β-cyclodextrin is reported together with preliminary X-ray data analysis allowing the determination of the structure by single isomorphous replacement and threefold averaging using in-house X-ray data collected from a selenomethionine -substituted protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]