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Biomedical subjects

M Dalal

Publications and source records attributed to M Dalal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Tattooing of the nipple-areola complex: review of outcome in 40 patients.

Reconstruction of a pigmented nipple-areola complex (NAC) is one of the final steps in rehabilitating patients following mastectomy. We report the results of 40 consecutive patients who had NAC tattooing done by the same surgeon. Assessments were made both subjectively using a questionnaire, and objectively by using a computer software programme (Adobe Photoshop) to analyse the colour of the NACs. Follow up ranged between six and 24 months (mean 14 months). One patient suffered an infection, and was the only one to need repeat tattooing in our series. Thirty-seven patients (92%) reported some colour fading which ranged between 5% and 80% (mean 32%). A grade of good or very good was given by 33 patients (82%) for colour match, by 36 patients (90%) for over all satisfaction, and by 34 patients (85%) for enhancement in body image. An analysis of the colours of the tattooed and unoperated NACs by the software programme showed that they were similar to a value that ranged from 78% to 97% (mean 91%). Tattooing is a simple and safe procedure, and despite some colour asymmetry it still has a high satisfaction rate. It significantly improves patient's perception of body image. An objective assessment of tattooing using a computer software programme can be a useful tool in reviewing the outcome. Video clips (1-5) are included with the paper for demonstration of the tattooing technique (re-arranged from the video presented with the paper at BAPS).

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Acute exacerbation of macroglossia.

We report the case of a large venous malformation of the tongue, preventing the patient from being able to contain it within the oral cavity. The extent of the malformation precluded a complete surgical excision. The immediate problems were; impending airway compromise, inability to speak, eat or drink, severe discomfort due to exposure-induced dryness and an embarrassing spectacle. This case demonstrates that even malformations considered to be incurable may be managed appropriately.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

A yoga teacher with persistent cheilitis.

This is a depiction of an evolving case report right from its presentation to the physician and its documentation and further sharing of it through the net via e-mails and evidence-based-health@jiscmail.ac.uk as well as other colleagues.

Anti-Infective Agents, Local↗
PubMed2002

Functional characterisation of mycobacterial DNA gyrase: an efficient decatenase.

A rapid single step immunoaffinity purification procedure is described for Mycobacterium smegmatis DNA gyrase. The mycobacterial enzyme is a 340 kDa heterotetrameric protein comprising two subunits each of GyrA and GyrB, exhibiting subtle differences and similarities to the well-characterised Escherichia coli gyrase. In contrast to E.coli gyrase, the M.smegmatis enzyme exhibits strong decatenase activity at physiological Mg2+ concentrations. Further, the enzymes exhibited marked differences in ATPase activity, DNA binding characteristics and susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. The holoenzyme showed very low intrinsic ATPase activity and was stimulated 20-fold in the presence of DNA. The DNA-stimulated ATPase kinetics revealed apparent K0.5 and kcat of 0.68 mM and 0.39 s(-1), respectively. The dissociation constant for DNA was found to be 9.2 nM, which is 20 times weaker than that of E.coli DNA gyrase. The differences between the enzymes were further substantiated as they exhibited varied sensitivity to moxifloxacin and ciprofloxacin. In spite of these differences, mycobacterial DNA gyrase is a functionally and mechanistically conserved enzyme and the variations in activity seem to reflect functional optimisation for its physiological role during mycobacterial genome replication.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2002

Cleft palate congenital alveolar synechiae syndrome: case reports and review.

Five cases of cleft palate with interalveolar synechiae have been previously reported. This is the first report of siblings with this condition, and suggests a genetic aetiology. These patients present with an inability to open the mouth adequately. Initial management is directed towards dividing the intraoral adhesions, which may cause significant problems of airway management. Significantly, the intraoral adhesions resolved spontaneously in one of our patients. This, to our knowledge, has not been reported before.

Alveolar Process↗
PubMed2002

Streptococcal myositis: a lesson.

Streptococcal myositis is a rare, often fatal, acute infection of the muscle, caused by an invasive group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus. It is characterised by muscle necrosis without abscess formation, and, in contrast to necrotising fasciitis, does not primarily affect the subcutaneous tissue or skin. A young adult male presented with streptococcal myositis initially affecting the rectus femoris muscle of his left thigh. The symptoms, signs and management are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to the benefits of emergency CT scans to diagnose and delineate the extent of the disease. These scans may need to be repeated if the disease progresses. The four cornerstones of management are: early diagnosis using emergency CT scans; high-dose intravenous antibiotics; early aggressive surgical debridement; and intensive fluid and nutritional support. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Lipid peroxidation is an early event in necrosis of wheat hybrid.

We previously reported enhanced superoxide anion generation in an F1 necrotic hybrid produced from normal parents (Khanna-Chopra et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. (1998) 248, 712-715). Further investigation of the mechanism of necrosis shows the possibility of lipid peroxidation as an early event in the death of necrotic leaves. Lipid peroxidation resulting from the inability of free radical scavenging is often associated with cell death. In this study the accumulation of malondialdehyde, an end product of lipid peroxidation, was measured in hybrid leaves and those of the parents. Lipid peroxidation was higher in the hybrid leaves through out the leaf ontogeny. This was accompanied by increased membrane permeability. Cell viability measured by a TTC reduction test showed a significant correlation with conductivity. There was no apparent effect on photosynthetic pigments and maximum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) until the appearance of necrotic lesions on the hybrid leaf. There seems to be a close relationship among lipid peroxidation, membrane permeability, and cell viability in the leaves undergoing necrosis. This suggests the possibility of a genetic mechanism whereby the scavenging of free radical is impaired, leading to enhanced lipid peroxidation and membrane permeability, resulting in necrosis and death of the hybrid leaves in wheat.

Carotenoids↗
PubMed1998

A genetic system involving superoxide causes F1 necrosis in wheat (T. aestivum L.).

A genetic system in wheat is described in which F1 produced by crossing a drought tolerant cultivar C306 and high yielding cultivar WL711 exhibits leaf necrosis leading to the death of the plant. The mechanism underlying hybrid necrosis is not yet known. The hybrid exhibited a higher level of superoxide anion compared to the healthy leaves of parents at similar developmental stages. This increase in superoxide generation preceded necrotic lesion formation and displayed a gradient from the leaf tip to base. The leaf tip where necrotic lesions make their first appearance exhibited a higher level of superoxide compared to the base. Superoxide anion thus appears to play a vital role in necrosis of leaves in F1 hybrid. This genetic system can be a model system for understanding cell death in higher plants.

Crosses, Genetic↗
PubMed1998

Integrated analyzer and classifier of glottographic signals.

Electroglottography (EGG) and photoglottography (PGG) are two plausible methods to study voice production for monitoring the patterns of laryngeal vibrations. It has been suggested that measures such as open quotient and speed quotient calculated from glottographic signals can provide useful information regarding pathological phonation. In this paper, an integrated analyzer and classifier of glottographic signals was implemented. The system makes it possible to calculate the measures from digitized EGG and PGG signals automatically in order to examine vocal fold abnormality. The system developed several techniques to extract features from glottographic signals and proposed a statistical classification method that can possibly aid the diagnosis process. To check the reliability of the system, a training set and a test set of glottographic signals from normal people and patients with recurrent/superior laryngeal paralysis were analyzed and classified by the system. The results showed that the system is a useful tool for quantitative study of phonatory pathophysiology and can be used by the examiner who is interested in the clinical examination of glottographic signals. Moreover, glottographic techniques may have some clinical applications in the quantitative documentation of phonatory function in patients with voice disorders but requires further evaluation before clinical application.

Electrodiagnosis↗
PubMed1997

Testosterone therapy ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and induces a T helper 2 bias in the autoantigen-specific T lymphocyte response.

Female SJL mice are more susceptible than male mice to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific T lymphocytes. In the present study, we examined mechanisms involved in this gender-related difference in disease susceptibility. MBP-specific T lymphocytes derived from spleens of males during the effector phase of adoptive EAE produced significantly higher levels of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine in EAE. A protective effect of testosterone was then shown. Females implanted with dihydrotestosterone pellets demonstrated a significantly less severe course of EAE as compared with females implanted with placebo pellets. Finally, MBP-specific T lymphocytes derived from dihydrotestosterone-implanted females produced significantly higher levels of IL-10 than those from placebo. Together these data indicate that testosterone exerts a protective effect in EAE that is mediated at least in part by enhanced production of IL-10 by autoantigen-specific T lymphocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

B lymphocyte antigen D8/17: a peripheral marker for childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome?

OBJECTIVE: It has been hypothesized that Sydenham's chorea, a major manifestation of rheumatic fever, may provide a medical model for obsessive-compulsive disorder and associated conditions, such as Tourette's syndrome. Monoclonal antibody D8/17 identifies a B lymphocyte antigen with expanded expression in nearly all patients with rheumatic fever and is thought to be a trait marker for susceptibility to this complication of group A streptococcal infection. The authors investigated whether D8/17 expression is greater than normal in some forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome. METHOD: By immunofluorescence techniques, 31 patients with childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or Tourette's syndrome or chronic tic disorder and 21 healthy comparison subjects were evaluated for percentage of D8/17-positive B cells. None had rheumatic fever or Sydenham's chorea. Levels of antineuronal antibodies and streptococcal antibodies were also determined. RESULTS: The average percentage of B cells expressing the D8/17 antigen was significantly higher in the patients (mean = 22%, SD = 5%) than in the comparison subjects (mean = 9%, SD = 2%). When classified categorically, all patients but only one comparison subject were D8/17 positive. No difference between groups in the presence of antineuronal antibodies or high streptococcal titers was found. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder or Tourette's syndrome had significantly greater B cell D8/17 expression than comparison subjects despite the absence of documented Sydenham's chorea or rheumatic fever. These findings suggest that D8/17 may serve as a marker for susceptibility among some forms of childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome, as well as rheumatic fever or Sydenham's chorea.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

MAGIC: an experimental system for generating multimedia briefings about post-bypass patient status.

We describe MAGIC, an experimental system for generating multimedia briefings about the clinical status of post-bypass patients entering a cardiac ICU. MAGIC is a distributed system whose components use knowledge-based techniques for planning and generating briefings in text, speech, and graphics. These briefings are coordinated together by reasoning with dynamically generated temporal and spatial constraints. Formative evaluation using system mock-ups with ICU nurses and residents have been used to determine the general format and content of these briefings. We present an overview of MAGIC's architecture and show what it can currently generate.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1993

T helper 1 (Th1) functional phenotype of human myelin basic protein-specific T lymphocytes.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is widely accepted as an autoimmune disease with myelin basic protein (MBP) a candidate autoantigen. In the current report, human T cell lines specific for an immunodominant region of MBP were shown to have a functional phenotype similar to T helper 1 (Th1) inflammatory cells of the mouse on the basis of their antigen-specific cytotoxic activity and production of interferon-gamma and lymphotoxin/tumor necrosis factor-alpha, but not interleukin-4. In experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a proposed animal model for MS, MBP-specific T cell lines which mediate disease are of the Th1 subtype. Thus, MBP-specific T cells in humans exist which are phenotypically similar to MBP-specific encephalitogenic T cells in murine EAE.

Adult↗