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Biomedical subjects

A Banerjee

Publications and source records attributed to A Banerjee.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Predominance of hepatitis B virus genotype C among Karens, the 'old settlers' of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.

The Karens, or 'old settlers', migrated from Myanmar to Andaman and Nicobar islands 80 years ago. A high HBV exposure rate among them has been reported. A study of 34 HBsAg carriers was done to investigate the origin of HBV infection among the Karens. RFLP-based genotyping was confirmed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The predominance of HBV/C1/Cs suggests that they carried HBV during their migration, retained it, and in addition, acquired HBV/D2 from the people of mainland India. The reported association of HBV genotype C with disease severity thus warrants further epidemiological investigations among them and on possible spread among neighboring settlers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2007

Homeopathic Arnica montana for post-tonsillectomy analgesia: a randomised placebo control trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Homeopathic Arnica in reducing the morbidity following tonsillectomy. METHODS: Randomised double blind, placebo controlled trial at a tertiary referral centre. 190 patients over the age of 18 undergoing tonsillectomy were randomised into intervention and control groups receiving either Arnica 30c or identical placebo, 2 tablets 6 times in the first post-operative day and then 2 tablets twice a day for the next 7 days. The primary outcome measure was the change in pain scores (visual analogue scale) recorded by the patient on a questionnaire over 14 days post-operatively; Secondary outcome measures were: analgesia consumption, visits to the GP or hospital, antibiotic usage, the day on which their swallowing returned to normal and the day on which they returned to work. RESULTS: 111 (58.4%) completed questionnaires were available for analysis. The Arnica group had a significantly larger drop in pain score from day 1 to day 14 (28.3) compared to the placebo group (23.8) with p < 0.05. The two groups did not differ significantly on analgesic consumption or any of the other secondary outcome measures (number of post-operative visits to GP, use of antibiotics and secondary haemorrhage readmissions). CONCLUSION: The results of this trial suggest that Arnica montana given after tonsillectomy provides a small, but statistically significant, decrease in pain scores compared to placebo.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Unravelling the complexities of the NF-kappaB signalling pathway using mouse knockout and transgenic models.

The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signalling pathway serves a crucial role in regulating the transcriptional responses of physiological processes that include cell division, cell survival, differentiation, immunity and inflammation. Here we outline studies using mouse models in which the core components of the NF-kappaB pathway, namely the IkappaB kinase subunits (IKKalpha, IKKbeta and NEMO), the IkappaB proteins (IkappaBalpha, IkappaBbeta, IkappaBvarepsilon and Bcl-3) and the five NF-kappaB transcription factors (NF-kappaB1, NF-kappaB2, c-Rel, RelA and RelB), have been genetically manipulated using transgenic and knockout technology.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

[Vaccinations for traveler child].

Each year, half a million of children leave France to travel towards countries south or east of the European Union, sometimes in poor sanitary conditions. In order to propose essential or useful immunizations for these trips, the current synthesis will allow the practitioner to insure that the routine French immunization schedule has been followed, and to complete it if needed, to protect the child according to the epidemiological situation in the visited area, to try to reduce the limitations of the immunization of the traveler child. In case of emergency, or close departure, it may be useful to follow an accelerated schedule of the last minute, and, sometimes, to immunize traveler children with a chronic disease. Informations on Internet sites useful for the knowledge of current infectious risks in the destination country are also provided.

France↗
PubMed2006

Length of insertion for pulmonary artery catheters to locate different cardiac chambers in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Although, guidelines related to length of insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter to reach a particular cardiac chamber are available, these are not backed by clinical studies. We measured the length of insertion of pulmonary artery catheters to locate the right ventricle, pulmonary artery and pulmonary capillary wedge positions in 300 adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. METHODS: The pulmonary artery catheters were inserted using a standard technique through the right internal jugular vein. The right ventricle, pulmonary artery and wedge position of the catheter were confirmed by the characteristic waveforms, and the length of insertion to these points was measured. RESULTS: The right ventricle was reached at 24.6 (3) cm (95% CI 24.2-24.9 cm), pulmonary artery at 36 (4) cm (95% CI 35.6-36.5 cm) and wedge position at 42.8 (5.7) cm (95% CI 42.2-43.5 cm). The length of catheter to reach the right ventricle, pulmonary artery and wedge position was significantly more in patients undergoing valve surgery as compared with those undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting [26 (3.8) and 24 (2.5) cm; 38.5 (4.6) and 35 (3.2) cm; and 47.8 (6.9) and 41.2 (4.1) cm, respectively, P<0.001]. The length of insertion to reach pulmonary artery and pulmonary capillary wedge position was directly related to height of the patient (Pearson's correlation 0.157 and 0.15, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We have provided the norms related to length of insertion of pulmonary artery catheter, which should be useful in accurate placement of the catheter and minimize complications related to coiling of the catheter.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of the dexamethasone-suppressed corticotropin-releasing hormone test and low-dose dexamethasone suppression test in the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome.

CONTEXT: The low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST) is widely used in confirming a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. CRH administration at the end of an LDDST has been reported to improve the diagnostic accuracy of this test. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess whether CRH administration after a standard LDDST (LDDST-CRH test) improves diagnostic accuracy in Cushing's syndrome. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six individuals with a clinical suspicion of Cushing's syndrome each completed a standard LDDST and an LDDST-CRH test at Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, London. The LDDST involved administration of 0.5 mg oral dexamethasone given 6-hourly for 48 h. Serum cortisol was measured 6 h after the last dose of dexamethasone, with a value of 50 nmol/liter or below excluding Cushing's syndrome. Immediately after this, the LDDST-CRH test commenced with administration of a ninth dose of 0.5 mg dexamethasone. Exactly 2 h later, 100 mug human-sequence CRH was administered. Serum cortisol was measured 15 min after the CRH injection, with a value of less than 38 nmol/liter also excluding Cushing's syndrome. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diagnosis or exclusion of Cushing's syndrome was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Twelve subjects were diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome (eight Cushing's disease and four primary adrenal). The sensitivity of the LDDST in diagnosing Cushing's syndrome was 100%, with a specificity of 88%. In contrast, although the sensitivity of the LDDST-CRH test was also 100%, specificity was reduced at 67%. These results give a positive predictive value of 80% for the LDDST and 60% for the LDDST-CRH test. CONCLUSION: This small study suggests that the addition of CRH to the LDDST does not improve the diagnostic accuracy of the standard LDDST in Cushing's syndrome.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2006

Hepatitis B virus genotypes among the Jarawas: a primitive Negrito tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.

The Jarawas, a classical hunter-gatherer tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, were living in isolation for several centuries. They came into contact with the civilized world recently. Serological studies carried out among them revealed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is hyper-endemic. The present study was carried out to investigate the possible origin of HBV infection in Jarawas. Genotyping, RFLP analysis, sequencing, and sequence analysis revealed the prevalence of HBV genotype C, similar to genotype C detected in Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar. In contrast, genotype D was prevalent among other non-Jarawa tribes of the island. These data suggest that HBV infection was transmitted from Indo-China to the Andaman Islands during migration of the Jarawas many centuries ago.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Higher neutrophil infiltration mediated by osteopontin is a likely contributing factor to the increased susceptibility of females to alcoholic liver disease.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major public health problem in the United States and women are known to be more susceptible to ALD. However, the precise mechanism for increased susceptibility of females to ALD is not completely understood. The present study is based on the hypothesis that induction of osteopontin (OPN), a matricellular protein, is the likely contributing factor for higher neutrophil recruitment in females during alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). ASH was induced in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats by feeding them a Lieber-DeCarli diet containing ethanol (EtOH) for 6 weeks, followed by a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg, ip). Liver injury, measured by plasma transaminase elevations and confirmed by haematoxylin and eosin-stained liver sections, revealed approximately 25-fold higher liver injury in the female ASH model compared with the males. Although steatosis, necrosis, and neutrophil infiltration were evident in both male and female rats, hepatic neutrophilic necrotic foci were noted as early as 2 h after LPS injection in the EtOH-treated female rats. Hepatic neutrophil infiltration correlated with higher expression of cleaved (cOPN) and uncleaved OPN in the EtOH + LPS-treated female rats compared with the males. OPN secretion was localized predominantly in the biliary epithelium and females had significantly higher OPN mRNA than their male counterparts in the ASH model. The ability of OPN to attract neutrophils was further confirmed in vivo, in a peritonitis rat model, and by neutralizing OPN (nOPN) antibody experiments. Hepatic neutrophil infiltration was largely inhibited ( approximately 50%) by nOPN antibody. Flow cytometry experiments revealed OPN-mediated up-regulation of the CD11b neutrophil adhesion molecule. In conclusion, these data suggest that higher hepatic expression of OPN is the likely reason for higher and early hepatic neutrophil infiltration making females more susceptible to ALD during ASH.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Microhardness as a predictor of sound and carious dentine removal using alumina air abrasion.

Clinical air abrasion is known to remove dental hard tissues effectively. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the efficiency of alumina air abrasion in the removal of sound and carious dentine. Twelve non-cavitated carious lesions in freshly extracted molars were bisected mesiodistally. The Knoop hardness number (KHN) was measured on the cut sample surface at 250-microm intervals along a line running axially through the centre of the lesion, from the enamel-dentine junction to the pulp including both sound and carious tissue. The cut surface was then abraded over the same path using alumina particles (27 microm). Powder flow rates, pressure, distance and the angle of the nozzle to the tooth were kept constant throughout the experiment. Non-contact surface profilometry and surface analysis software were used to calculate the rate of dentine removal at the site of each KHN measurement. The results showed that dentine Knoop hardness can be used as a predictor of the rate of dentine removal, with a Somers' D value of 0.826. Carious dentine with a low KHN was removed less efficiently than the hard sound dentine with a higher KHN. Thus, dentists should be aware that air abrasion systems using alumina particles remove healthy dentine more efficiently than carious dentine, with the associated implications for clinical caries excavation and cavity preparation.

Air Abrasion, Dental↗
PubMed2006

Pyrexia of unknown origin with neutropenia, cervical lymphadenopathy, pneumonia and marrow hypoplasia.

A 56 years adult male presented with fever for 3 weeks with neutropenia and cervical lymphadenopathy with left sided pneumonitis. Histopathology of lymphnode was consistent with Kikuchi's Necrotizing Lymphadenitis. Kikuchi's disease is usually a self- limiting illness characterized by pyrexia, neutropenia and cervical lymphadenopathy in young women of Asian decent. This often leads to the misdiagnosis of lymphoma or tuberculosis. The notable feature here is an older male presented with severe neutropenia and pneumonia with hypoplastic marrow.

Bone Marrow Diseases↗
PubMed2006

Anti-ulcer activity of Adhatoda vasica Nees.

Adhatoda vasica Nees (Acantheceae), commonly known as Vasaka, is a well-known plant in indigenous systems of medicine and is used for its beneficial effects, particularly in bronchitis. The present investigation was carried out to study the anti-ulcer activity of Adhatoda vasica leaves using two ulcer models (1) Ethanol-induced, and (2) Pylorus ligation plus aspirin-induced models. Adhatoda vasica leaf powder showeda considerable degree of anti-ulcer activity in experimental rats when compared with a control. The highest degree of activity (80%) was observed in the ethanol-induced ulceration model. Results of the study suggest that in addition to its classically established pharmacological activities, the plant also has immense potential as an anti-ulcer agent of great therapeutic relevance.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Issues in high-throughput comparative modelling: a case study using the ubiquitin E2 conjugating enzymes.

Sequences of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UBC or E2) family were used as a test set to investigate issues associated with the high-throughput comparative modelling of protein structures. A semi-automatic method was initially developed with particular emphasis on producing models of a quality suitable for structural comparison. Structural and sequence features of the E2 family were used to improve the sequence alignment and the quality of the structural templates. Initially, failure to correct for subtle structural inconsistencies between templates lead to problems in the comparative analysis of the UBC electrostatic potentials. Modelling of known UBC structures using Modeller 4.0 showed that multiple templates produced, on average, no better models than the use of just one template, as judged by the root-mean-squared deviation between the comparative model and crystal structure backbones. Using four different quality-checking methods, for a given target sequence, it was not possible to distinguish the model most similar to the experimental structure. The UBC models were thus finally modelled using only the crystal structure template with the highest sequence identity to the target to be modelled, and producing only one model solution. Quality checking was used to reject models with obvious structural anomalies (e.g., bad side-chain packing). The resulting models have been used for a comparison of UBC structural features and of their electrostatic potentials. The work was extended through the development of a fully automated pipeline that identifies E2 sequences in the sequence databases, aligns and models them, and calculates the associated electrostatic potential.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2005

Long-term function after restorative proctocolectomy.

PURPOSE: Early functional outcome after restorative proctocolectomy and formation of an ileoanal pouch is known to be good, but there are minimal data on the long-term function of the pouch. The aim of this study was to look at the long-term functional outcome in patients who had undergone restorative proctocolectomy and formation of an ileoanal pouch. METHODS: A total of 151 consecutive patients (96 males, 55 females) who underwent ileoanal pouch surgery between April 1983 and May 1993 were identified. Functional outcomes from the previous 12 months were appraised by a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: The median age at surgery was 31 years (range, 6-63 years), with a median follow-up of 142 months (range, 100-221 months). Eighteen patients have had their pouches excised, with another patient being defunctioned. Therefore 19 patients (13 percent) had suffered pouch failure. Altogether, 115 patients were available for follow-up, and 98 patients (85 percent) returned questionnaires. The median pouch-emptying frequency was five times (range, 1-17) during the day and one time (range, 0-6) at night. A total of 74 percent of patients had perfect continence during the day. Most of the patients had no life-style restrictions related to the pouch, and 98 percent of patients would recommend a pouch to others. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term functional outcome after ileoanal pouch surgery is good in most patients. For patients requiring proctocolectomy, ileoanal pouch surgery can now be recommended as an excellent long-term option.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Superior canal dehiscence: review of a new condition.

A new cause of sound and pressure induced vertigo, superior canal dehisence, is described. Auditory manifestations include hyperacusis to bone-conducted sounds and conductive hearing loss with normal acoustic reflexes. The diagnosis is reached by a directed history, documentation of upward and torsional nystagmus evoked by sound and pressure, and radiology. Acoustic reflexes and VEMP (vestibular evoked myogenic potentials) aid in the identification of patients with an apparent conductive loss with normal acoustic reflexes or have an asymptomatic dehiscense on radiology. Treatment involves avoidance of the precipitating stimuli. Surgical treatment, by resurfacing the dehiscence, is considered in patients with more severe symptoms.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed2005

Social movements and human rights rhetoric in tobacco control.

After achieving breathtaking successes in securing state and local restrictions on smoking in public places and restricting youth access to tobacco products, the tobacco movement faces difficult decisions on its future strategic directions. The thesis of this article is that the tobacco control movement is at a point of needing to secure its recent successes and avoiding any public retrenchment. To do so requires rethinking the movement's strategic direction. We use the familiar trans-theoretical model of change to describe where the movement is currently and the threats it faces. The new tobacco control strategy should encompass a focus on voluntary non-smoking strategies, use human rights rhetoric to its advantage, and strengthen the public health voice to be more effective in political battles. In developing a new strategy, tobacco control advocates need to build a social movement based on a more forceful public health voice, along with the strategic use of human rights rhetoric, to focus on the power of voluntary non-smoking efforts. Using human rights rhetoric can help frame the movement in ways that have traditionally appealed to the American public. Perhaps more importantly, doing so can help infuse the tobacco control movement with a broader sense of purpose and mission.

Health Promotion↗