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Biomedical subjects

F Ghani

Publications and source records attributed to F Ghani.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Reflex testing II: evaluation of an algorithm for use of cardiac markers in the assessment of emergency department patients with chest pain.

A reflex algorithm was developed and evaluated for the use of serum cardiac markers for the diagnosis and rule out of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and risk stratification of unstable angina patients for those who present to emergency departments (ED) with chest pain. The process begins with testing of total CK and myoglobin at admission. Based on these results, the algorithm determines the need for subsequent testing for the CK-MB isoenzyme and cardiac troponin I (cTnI). The algorithm also directs the need for further blood collection and cardiac marker testing at 4, 8, and 12 h after presentation. A total of eleven stopping points were identified. For some of these stopping points, the algorithm concluded that further blood collections and testing was unnecessary and redundant. The algorithm was retrospectively evaluated on 101 non-consecutive chest pain patients who presented to the EDs at three hospitals. For the AMI group (n=34), six of nine possible different stopping points were reached: 64.7% of cases were diagnosed with the first sample at admission, an additional 32.3% after 4 h, and 2.9% at 8 h. The 12-h sample was not necessary for any of the AMI patients. For the non-AMI group (n=67), most reached the stopping point of no cardiac injury or risk. There were five unstable angina patients who had minor myocardial damage on the basis of a marginally increased cTnI. Of these, one patient subsequently suffered AMI, and three others required angioplasty or bypass surgery. Compared to performing four tests on all patient samples, the reflex algorithm would have reduced the number of necessary tests from 442 to 130 (71% reduction) for AMI patients, and 871 to 469 (46% reduction) for non-AMI patients, if prospectively implemented.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1999

Method for enhancing retention in complete denture bases.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Physical retention of a denture depends on adhesion of a salivary film to its fitting surface and supporting tissues. Adhesion is influenced by many factors. PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of the texture of the fitting surface on denture retention. MATERIAL AND METHODS: According to the method developed, mucosal-supported palatal bases were made for 10 dentate subjects who had no obvious oral disease, history of allergy to dental materials, or palatal mucosal undercuts. A specially designed strain gauge force transducer and a pen-chart recorder were used to record forces that were needed to dislodge the bases from the palate. Forces were recorded 30 times (10/day) for each subject. Similar forces were recorded after the fitting surface of each base was uniformly air-particle abraded under 4 kg/cm2 of pressure for 1 minute with 50-microm grit alumina dust. Data were analyzed with a 2-sample Student t test and a paired t test. RESULTS: Substantial variations for all measurements were observed both between and within subjects. Notwithstanding, these variations, the mean retention of the bases significantly (P <.05) increased by more than 2-fold when the fitting surface was air-particle abraded. These force values were similar to those recorded previously for well-fitting mucosal-supported palatal bases in a separate group of dentate subjects. CONCLUSIONS: While reinforcing the importance of good adaptation of the denture to the tissues, these findings also suggest that an additional improvement in denture retention can be accomplished after the fitting surface is air-particle abraded.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Role of serum angiotensin converting enzyme in sarcoidosis.

This study was conducted to determine the role of Serum Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (SACE) as a marker in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary diseases and prognosis of sarcoidosis. A retrospective analysis of 113 medical records of patients at The Aga Khan University Hospital, with laboratory investigation for SACE was performed. Among 113 patients, 51 cases were found to have sarcoidosis, 44 of them had SACE levels greater than 52 IU/L (mean ACE 104.44). SACE levels were also found elevated in other clinical conditions like tuberculosis (mean 58.64 IU/L), but the enzyme level were less (p 0.04) than those found in sarcoidosis (mean (92.97 IU/L). SACE activity was found to be considerably lower in other chronic lung diseases such as, fibrosing alveolitis (mean 43.98 IU/L), interstitial lung disease (mean 42.11 IU/L) and chronic obstructive lung disease (mean 40.85 IU/L). Twenty patients of sarcoidosis, who received steroid treatment subsequently showed a decline in the SACE levels. SACE is a useful marker in differential diagnosis as 37.2% cases of sarcoidosis compared to only 9.09% of tuberculosis had SACE levels greater than 100 IU/L. In addition, our data also suggest that serum ACE is useful for the diagnosis as well as monitoring prognosis in sarcoidosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

An investigation into the effect of denture fixatives in increasing incisal biting forces with maxillary complete dentures.

The effect of denture fixatives on incisal biting forces was investigated in five subjects wearing maxillary complete dentures. Forces required to displace new and old dentures with and without fixatives were measured up to six hours post-insertion using a force transducer. The results showed that incisal forces were greater with new dentures than with old dentures when only saliva was present. After the application of fixative to the old dentures, the difference from the new dentures without fixative became insignificant. It is concluded that the improvement in retention of complete dentures with the use of fixatives allowed patients to increase their incisal biting capability.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1995

Diagnosis of genetic defects by chromosomal analysis.

Of 901 karyotypes performed over a period of 4 years, genetic anomalies were detected in 162 cases. Down's syndrome (trisomy 21) was the most common (168.8%) genetic disorder followed by Turner's syndrome, Philadelphia chromosome, Klinefelter's syndrome, Edward's syndrome (trisomy 18) and Patau's syndrome (trisomy 13). All the three trisomies were detected very early in life. Mean age at the time of diagnosis for Turner's syndrome was 13.3 years, allowing a timely hormone replacement therapy to improve secondary sexual characters. Patients with Klinefelter's syndrome were diagnosed late (mean age 23.6 years), which greatly reduced their chances of an effective therapy to improve the clinical and social outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Some clinical investigations on retention forces of maxillary complete dentures with the use of denture fixatives.

The aim of this study was to evaluate objectively and clinically the relative improvement in retention forces of complete dentures with the use of three proprietary denture fixatives. Using the UCL Retentiometer, retention forces of ill-fitting maxillary complete dentures were measured with saliva alone as the interface medium and with the use of the three test denture fixatives in edentulous subjects over a period of 6 h. Results showed that forces with saliva alone were consistently and significantly lower when compared with the forces measured at any test period with the use of the test fixatives. A sixfold improvement in forces from the salivary baseline values was observed when these materials were used. However, the test fixatives showed substantial variations in retention forces depending on the physical formulation of the material. Whilst the powder variety was effective immediately after its application, retention forces with the liquid and paste materials did not peak until 3 h post-insertion. Measurements at 6 h post-insertion stage showed that the powder fixative was the least effective of the three materials. This was mainly attributed to the rapid washing of the active ingredients by saliva because of the absence of oily base present in the paste and liquid materials.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1993

Inhibition of a reductive function of the plasma membrane by bacitracin and antibodies against protein disulfide-isomerase.

Evidence had been provided that a disulfide-linked [125I]iodotyramine/poly(D-lysine) conjugate was reductively cleaved when bound nonspecifically to the surface of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and that this cleavage was abolished by membrane-impermeant sulfhydryl blockers. The same blockers were subsequently found to inhibit the cytotoxicity of diphtheria toxin, a disulfide-linked heterodimer that binds to a specific surface receptor and must undergo chain separation to exert its cytotoxicity. This suggested that the disulfides of both macromolecules might be cleaved by a thiol-disulfide interchange reaction, possibly mediated by protein disulfide-isomerase (PDI, EC 5.3.4.1). We tested whether inhibitors of PDI--in particular, bacitracin and anti-PDI antibodies--might mimic the two effects of sulfhydryl blockers. Both bacitracin and anti-PDI antibodies were effective in inhibiting both reductive processes. This strongly suggests that the disulfide cleavage in the two membrane-bound macromolecules is mediated by PDI and that this enzyme, besides its known retention in the endoplasmic reticulum, must also be exposed at the plasma membrane. This paper points to other potentially important disulfide reductions that might be catalyzed by surface-associated PDI. It thereby broadens the known functions of an enzyme already known for its multifunctional properties.

4-Chloromercuribenzenesulfonate↗
PubMed1991

Cell surface sulfhydryls are required for the cytotoxicity of diphtheria toxin but not of ricin in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

A previous study on cleavage of disulfide bonds in endocytosed model compounds had shown that an initial phase of cleavage was totally inhibited by membrane-impermeant sulfhydryl inhibitors and thus was mediated by cell surface sulfhydryls (Feener, E. P., Shen, W.-C., and Ryser, H. J.-P. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 18780-18785). This paper uses the same inhibitors (5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) and p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid) to examine the role of surface sulfhydryls in the cytotoxicity of diphtheria toxin (DT). Since the interchain disulfide of endocytosed DT must be cleaved prior to translocation of chain A from endosomes to cytoplasm, it was postulated that surface sulfhydryls might mediate the cleavage of that disulfide bond as well. Both sulfhydryl blockers did indeed markedly inhibit DT cytotoxicity. This effect was not due to inactivation of unbound DT, inhibition of receptor-mediated endocytosis, or impairment of acidification of endosomes. We conclude that cell surface sulfhydryls susceptible to blockage by 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitro-benzoic acid) and p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid are required for the cytotoxicity of DT and, most likely, for the reductive cleavage of DT's interchain disulfides. Ricin cytotoxicity was not decreased; this is consistent with the view that ricin reaches the cytoplasm from a late endocytic structure and with the finding that endocytosed disulfides are also cleaved in a cell fraction containing elements of the Golgi apparatus (Feener, E. P., Shen, W.-C., and Ryser, H. J.-P. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 18780-18785).

4-Chloromercuribenzenesulfonate↗
PubMed1991

Some factors affecting retention forces with the use of denture fixatives in vivo.

Using the UCL retentiometer, the effect of three proprietary denture fixatives has been clinically investigated in 14 dentate subjects wearing mucosal-borne acrylic palatal plates over periods of 6 hours. The results showed that retention forces with saliva for the well-fitting plates were significantly better when compared with the forces for the ill-fitting plates. A substantial improvement in retention on all occasions was seen for both types of plate after the application of fixatives. An interesting observation of this study was that the use of paste and liquid fixatives rendered the ill-fitting plates as retentive as the well-fitting plates with the same fixatives. The test fixatives, however, showed significant differences regarding the onset and duration of action, depending on their physical formulation. The paste and liquid fixatives were found to have more delayed action than the powder fixative, but maintained the improved retention for a post-insertion period of more than 6 hours for both well-fitting and ill-fitting plates. Investigation of the effect on retention of different quantities of fixatives showed that larger amounts were associated with greater retention. The findings of these studies predict that a single application of 0.6 ml of either the paste or liquid fixatives used in this study is a recommended quantity which would provide and maintain the desirable retention for more than 6 hours in most cases of well-fitting complete dentures and those with retention problems. The powder fixatives though very effective immediately, would, however, require repeated applications every 3 hours or so, depending to some extent upon the use that the product will be put to.

Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium↗
PubMed1991

Isolation of variants of Chinese hamster ovary cells with abnormally low levels of GSH: decreased ability to cleave endocytosed disulfide bonds.

Mutants of Chinese hamster ovary cells were selected for resistance to a 3 hour exposure to 4 microgram/ml N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and tested for glutathione (GSH) levels. Six of eight clones that survived the initial treatment had reduced GSH levels ranging from 26 to 61% of wild-type values. These eight cell lines were tested for their susceptibility to a drug conjugate in which methotrexate (MTX) is disulfide-linked to poly(D-lysine) (MTX-SS-PDL) to test their capacity to cleave the endocytosed disulfide bond and release free MTX from this otherwise undegradable drug conjugate. We had shown that wild-type cells were killed by approximately 1 x 10(-7) M MTX given as free drug, as MTX-poly(L-lysine) or as MTX-SS-PDL, but were not affected by MTX-poly(D-lysine). All six lines with abnormally low levels of GSH were resistant to MTX-SS-PDL. The variants with the lowest levels of GSH (MNR-5 and MNR-10) were tested further and showed near-normal sensitivity to MTX and MTX poly(L-lysine). As expected, both lines were hypersensitive to melphalan. They were, however, normally sensitive to diphtheria toxin and ricin, indicating that some cleavage of the interchain disulfides in these protein toxins occurs even when cellular GSH is abnormally low. The lesser GSH requirement for toxin activation may be due to their extraordinary potency.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

A laboratory examination of the behaviour of cast cobalt-chromium clasps.

Cast cobalt-chromium clasps, long and short, tapered and untapered, were studied. It is shown that the behaviour of apparently identical clasps is inconsistent. Permanent deformation appears to commence during the first month of wear, and after 6 months' wear the retentive quality of almost all of the clasps is impaired.

Chromium Alloys↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of a new antiseptic-containing alginate impression material.

A comparison was made of the disinfection achieved in impressions taken in Blueprint Asept alginate impression material and those taken in the plain brand of this material disinfected by immersion in 1% Hycolin solution for one minute. The plain Blueprint impression material without disinfection was used as a control. Impressions were taken of dies which had been contaminated with 0.75 ml of saliva from each of 20 volunteers. The surfaces of the impressions were used to inoculate Wilkins-Chalgren agar plates immediately and after 1 and 2 hours' storage of the impressions. The number of organisms recovered from the surface of the Blueprint Asept impressions was 1.5% of the control immediately after removal from the dies and complete disinfection was observed within one hour. In contrast, the number of organisms recovered from the surface of the impressions disinfected with 1% Hycolin solution was 30% of the control immediately after disinfection, and viable organisms could still be recovered after 2 hours' storage. Blueprint Asept impression material appears, therefore, to provide a high degree of disinfection when compared with the plain material treated with 1% Hycolin solution for one minute.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low-level lead exposure and blood lead levels in children: a cross-sectional survey.

The authors studied 53 girls (44.5%) and 66 (55.5%) boys in Karachi, Pakistan, to determine their blood lead levels. The association between blood lead levels/water lead levels and the possible risk factors and symptoms associated with lead toxicity was explored. The mean lead level for the entire group was 7.9 microg/dl (standard deviation = 4.5 microg/dl). Thirty (25.2%) of the children had lead levels that exceeded 10 microg/dl; 12 (10.0%) of these had lead levels that exceeded 15 microg/dl. Thirteen (20.9%) of the children under the age of 6 yr (n = 62) had lead levels greater than 10 microg/dl, and 6 (9.6%) had levels in excess of 15 microg/dl. The authors found no association (p > .05) between high lead levels in water and blood lead levels in children. Mean blood lead levels were highest in the group of children exposed to various risk factors for lead absorption (e.g., exposure to paint, remodeling, and renovation; use of lead utensils; pica). There was a significant association between a history of exposure to paint/renovation activities and a history of pica. High blood lead levels in the children in Karachi stress the urgency for actions that control lead pollution. Screening programs should be instituted by the state. Individuals must become aware of lead's toxicity, and they must avoid substances that contain lead.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Otosclerosis surgery with CO2 laser].

Since Shea described the stapedectorny, many physicians have developed modifications of the technique, prosthesis or instrumentation. We have adopted one of the most recent advances to the treatment of otosclerosis, CO2 laser. Interventions were carried out in 20 consecutive ears using CO2 laser. Otosclerosis with type I, II and III foci were diagnosed and stapedectomies were reviewed. Stapedectomy was performed with a Causse prosthesis. We describe the technique and the laser power and application time used. The preoperative and auditory results at 1 month are reported. The advantages of opening otosclerosis with CO2 laser as the first or review procedure are analyzed.

Adult↗