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Biomedical subjects

C Grover

Publications and source records attributed to C Grover.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Diagnosis of nail psoriasis: importance of biopsy and histopathology.

BACKGROUND: Involvement of the nail is quite common in psoriasis and at times may be the sole diagnostic clue. However, the histopathology of nail psoriasis has not been adequately evaluated. A confirmation of the diagnosis is required in cases suspected to have nail psoriasis in order to plan long-term therapy. OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic significance and safety profile of nail biopsy in cases with nail psoriasis. METHODS: Clinical and mycological features were studied in 42 patients with nail psoriasis. Of these, 22 patients gave consent for nail biopsies to be taken and the histopathological changes were assessed. RESULTS: Males were affected more commonly (57%) with a peak incidence in the age group of 10-20 years (29%). Distal onycholysis, discoloration of nail plate, subungual hyperkeratosis and fine nail pitting were the predominant clinical features. In the 22 biopsies done, hyperkeratosis with parakeratosis (91%) was found to be the most common and hypergranulosis was the least common histological finding (36%). Clinicohistological correlation was possible only in 55% cases. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was done for all biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Histopathological examination of nails is a valuable diagnostic aid, especially in the absence of skin lesions. Examination of the PAS-stained sections is necessary before making a histological diagnosis of nail psoriasis because onychomycosis and psoriasis may show similar histology.

Adolescent↗

Perceiving tongue position.

Two experiments on perceiving the tongue position were conducted in which naive human subjects pointed to gingival targets, or to extensions of their fingertip, with their tongue. The aim in experiment 1 was to inquire about the existence and accuracy of the perception of the horizontal position of the tongue inside and outside the mouth, and whether kinesthetic elements other than the skin might contribute to perceiving tongue position. Vertical positioning and the calibration of the sensory map that can be presumed to underlie position sense in the tongue were examined in experiment 2. It was found that position sense is equally good in the presence and absence of anesthesia of the mucosa, suggesting that the muscles, tendons, and corollary discharge contribute to position sense in the tongue. Perception of the tongue position both inside and outside the mouth is accurate, with the error in tongue positioning being about 2 degrees. Feedback improved naive subjects' accuracy very little.

Adult↗

The effect of loading on position sense in the tongue.

The position sense of the tongue and aftereffects on the position sense subsequent to loading were directly investigated. Nine subjects judged the straightahead with the tongue before and after straining laterally with the tongue against the horizontal force induced by a 29.5-g weight. Two of these subjects also participated in the experiment after the surface of the tongue had been anesthetized. Prior loading of the tongue biased the subjects' subsequent judgment of the straight-ahead; following loading, the tongue was placed farther in the direction of the previous effort. The results are discussed with reference to postcontraction effects from experiments on loading the limb and eye.

Adult↗

An uncommon cause of scleroderma.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic is nearly 20 years old. HIV infection is characterized by profound immunodeficiency resulting in an increased incidence of opportunistic infections and neoplasms. However, the greatest paradox is the occurrence of certain autoimmune disorders in the setting of HIV. These include diffuse interstitial lymphocytosis syndrome (DILS), reactive arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has also been seen that even in the absence of these well-defined diseases, various rheumatological manifestations such as arthralgias, arthritis, myopathy, vasculitis, and sicca syndrome are commonly associated with HIV. To the best of our knowledge, the association of HIV with scleroderma has not previously been reported.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗