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Biomedical subjects

S Sharma

Publications and source records attributed to S Sharma.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Giant combined dermatofibroma with satellitosis.

An unusual giant combined dermatofibroma is reported in a 34-year-old man who presented with skin-coloured swellings on the medial aspect of the left scapula. The plaque was well defined, reddish-brown and 25-30 cm in diameter. It was also tender and indurated. Several similar smaller lesions (satellites) were present around the plaque. Light microscopy of an incisional biopsy from the main lesion showed architectural features of a deep penetrating type of dermatofibroma, with xanthomatous aggregates, myxoid changes and probable myofibroblastic differentiation. Our case represents an extraordinary example of giant combined dermatofibroma with satellitosis. Despite its benign nature, a wide excision is contemplated because of its unsightly appearance and physical discomfort.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A_16_C haplotype in the FcepsilonRIbeta gene confers a higher risk for atopic asthma in the Indian population.

We conducted a case-control study aimed at identifying polymorphisms and haplotypes in the FcepsilonRIbeta gene associated with asthma and its associated phenotypes such as serum IgE levels. A G/A polymorphism in intron 2, a (CA)n repeat polymorphism in intron 5, and a C/T polymorphism in 3'-UTR, encompassing a length of 8.74 Kb, were genotyped, and haplotypes were generated for unrelated patients and healthy volunteers in two independent cohorts. A significant association was observed at the level of alleles and genotypes studied with asthma independently in the two cohorts (p < 0.05). A change in CC_AA genotype combination to a non-CC_AA genotype was associated with reduced risk for asthma. Interestingly, a three-locus haplotype, A_16_C, was found to be significantly associated with asthma (p = 10(-5) in cohort A and p = 0.004 in cohort B). On the other hand, the haplotype G_18_T was found to be negatively associated with asthma (p = 0.007 in cohort A and p = 0.0004 in cohort B). This is the first study identifying a haplotype A_16_C that predisposes individuals to asthma in the Indian population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Diagnosis of herpes simplex virus-1 keratitis using Giemsa stain, immunofluorescence assay, and polymerase chain reaction assay on corneal scrapings.

AIMS: To evaluate three tests used routinely for the diagnosis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis. METHODS: Corneal scrapings from 28 patients with clinically typical dendritic corneal ulcer suggestive of HSV keratitis, and 30 patients with clinically non-viral corneal ulcers, were tested by (i) Giemsa stain for multinucleated giant cells, (ii) immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for HSV-1 antigen, and (iii) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HSV-1 DNA, by investigators masked to clinical diagnosis. The control subjects were also investigated by smears and cultures for bacteria, fungus, and Acanthamoeba. RESULTS: The specificity and positive predictive values of all three tests for the diagnosis of HSV keratitis were between 95-100%. The sensitivity of IFA and PCR was 78.6% and 81.2%, respectively, and the difference was not significant; however, their sensitivity and negative predictive value were significantly higher than Giemsa stain. CONCLUSIONS: While a combination of IFA and PCR constitute the choice of tests in clinically suspected cases of HSV keratitis, multinucleated giant cells in Giemsa stain can pre-empt testing by IFA and PCR in otherwise atypical cases of HSV keratitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Spontaneous atrial fibrillation in a freestyle skier.

A male freestyle skier was found to have atrial fibrillation during a routine physiological assessment. This was found to be associated with the consumption of an unusually large amount of alcohol. Athletes should be counselled about the potential dangers of alcohol consumption before exhaustive exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Severity, affect, family and environment (SAFE) approach to evaluate chronic pelvic pain in adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic pain is common in adolescent girls in day-to-day practice. Severity, Affect, Family and Environment (SAFE) is a recent interview strategy to approach these patients and their families. AIM: 1. To find the prevalence of pelvic pain in adolescent girls. 2. To find out the feasibility and acceptability of "SAFE" approach in evaluating chronic pelvic pain in adolescent girls. SETTINGS & DESIGN: 200 adolescent girls aged 13-23 years were selected at random from school and colleges nearby hospital campus. METHOD: A questionnaire method was adopted. Adolescent girls selected were divided into two groups, group I (with pain) and group II (without pain). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: It was performed using chi-square and Fischer tests with significance of p value being taken at 0.05. RESULTS: Out of 200 adolescent girls selected for interview, prevalence of pelvic pain was found to be 37.0%. Dysmenorrhoea was also found to have significant relationship with pelvic pain. Depression and anxiety, school absences and loss of weight were found to have significant association with pain. Pelvic pain was found to be more in adolescent girls with large family size (> 4 members), single parent, both parents working, ongoing marital problems at home and was less reported when there was good parent-child communication about sex and when the teenager was well prepared for menarche by the parents and the association with the above mentioned factors was found to be significant. CONCLUSION: "SAFE" approach contributes in identifying health problems in adolescent girls with chronic pelvic pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Leptospiral proteins expressed during acute & convalescent phases of human leptospirosis.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The available serological techniques for the diagnosis of leptospirosis have less sensitivity during the early stage of the disease. Understanding of leptospiral proteins expressed during acute and convalescent phases of leptospirosis, would be help the develop of new serodiagnostic strategies. Therefore, the present study was carried out to identify (i) an antigen that is conserved among the various pathogenic leptospira; (ii) best protein antigen to which immune response can be identified in the acute phase; and (iii) best protein antigen which is present in convalescent sera which can be used for seroepidemiological studies. METHODS: Quantitative immunoblot analysis was performed using acute and convalescent phase human sera along with sera from normal healthy individuals and from patients with typhoid, malaria and hepatitis as the controls. All the samples were analyzed for the leptospiral protein recognition by using IgM and IgG immunoblots. Leptospiral cell fractionation was performed using triton X-114 and lysozyme and further the conservation of leptospiral proteins was also performed. RESULTS: In confirmed cases of leptospirosis, the IgG recognition in acute phase sera was 30.2, 39.5, 27.9, 55.8 and 27.9 per cent for the leptospiral proteins p32, p41/42, p58, p62 and p82 respectively. The IgG has considerably increased to 65.1, 55.8, 46.5, 67.4 and 48.8 per cent against the same proteins during convalescent phase. The IgM recognition was 32.6 , 32.6, 30.2 and 37.2 per cent for acute phase sera and 32.6, 37.2, 44.2 and 41.9 per cent for convalescent phase sera for the leptospiral proteins p14, p25, p32 and p41/42, respectively. Leptospiral proteins like p62 and p82 were recognized among all the control groups with 3.3-15.3 per cent for IgG recognition. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Leptospiral protein p32 was found to be highly sensitive and specific and could be useful for the development of newer techniques for diagnosis and seroepidemiological studies. Combination of p32 and p41/42 for IgG and p14, p25, p32, p41/42 for IgM would increase the sensitivity of these techniques further.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed2003

Transferable EST-SSR markers for the study of polymorphism and genetic diversity in bread wheat.

Nearly 900 SSRs (simple sequence repeats) were identified among 15,000 ESTs (expressed sequence tags) belonging to bread wheat ( Triticum aestivumL.). The SSRs were defined by their minimum length, which ranged from 14 to 21 bp. The maximum length ranged from 24 to 87 bp depending upon the length of the repeat unit itself (1-7 bp). The average density of SSRs was one SSR per 9.2 kb of EST sequence screened. The trinucleotide repeats were the most abundant SSRs detected. As a representative sample, 78 primer pairs were designed, which were also used to screen the dbEST entries for Hordeum vulgare and Triticum tauschii (donor of the D-genome of cultivated wheat) using a cut-off E (expectation) value of 0.01. On the basis of in silico analysis, up to 55.12% of the primer pairs exhibited transferability from Triticum to Hordeum, indicating that the sequences flanking the SSRs are not only conserved within a single genus but also between related genera in Poaceae. Primer pairs for the 78 SSRs were synthesized and used successfully for the study of (1) their transferability to 18 related wild species and five cereal species (barley, oat, rye, rice and maize); and (2) polymorphism between the parents of four mapping populations available with us. A subset of 20 EST-SSR primers was also used to assess genetic diversity in a collection of 52 elite exotic wheat genotypes. This was done with a view to compare their utility relative to other molecular markers (gSSRs, AFLPs, and SAMPL) previously used by us for the same purpose with the same set of 52 bread wheat genotypes. Although only a low level of polymorphism was detected, relative to that observed with genomic SSRs, the study suggested that EST-SSRs can be successfully used for a variety of purposes, and may actually prove superior to SSR markers extracted from genomic libraries for diversity estimation and transferability.

Bread↗
PubMed2003

Non-ligation of the hernial sac during herniotomy: a prospective study.

Herniotomy is performed for the surgical repair of hernia and along with orchiopexy for the closure of associated patent processus vaginalis. Ligation of the hernial sac has been considered mandatory for a successful repair. The present report was designed to study the results of non-ligation of the hernial sac before excision at the neck. It was found that non-ligation has no untoward effect on early complications and recurrence rate on long-term follow-up. It is suggested that it is not necessary to ligate the hernial sac during herniotomy in children.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Emerging water-borne pathogens.

Emerging water-borne pathogens constitute a major health hazard in both developed and developing nations. A new dimension to the global epidemiology of cholera-an ancient scourge-was provided by the emergence of Vibrio cholerae O139. Also, water-borne enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli ( E. coli O157:H7), although regarded as a problem of the industrialized west, has recently caused outbreaks in Africa. Outbreaks of chlorine-resistant Cryptosporidium have motivated water authorities to reassess the adequacy of current water-quality regulations. Of late, a host of other organisms, such as hepatitis viruses (including hepatitis E virus), Campylobacter jejuni, microsporidia, cyclospora, Yersinia enterocolitica, calciviruses and environmental bacteria like Mycobacterium spp, aeromonads, Legionella pneumophila and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been associated with water-borne illnesses. This review critically examines the potential of these as emerging water-borne pathogens. It also examines the possible reasons, such as an increase in the number of immunocompromised individuals, urbanization and horizontal gene transfer, that may underlie their emergence. Further, measures required to face the challenge posed by these pathogens are also discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Microbial quality of domestic and imported brands of bottled water in Trinidad.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the microbial quality of domestic and imported brands of bottled water available in Trinidad, purchased from six geographical regions in Trinidad, and representing the whole island. A sample size of 344 bottles of water was determined by using a precision rate of 2% and a Type 1 error of 5%. The membrane filter technique was used with cultures grown on m-Endo agar and m-FC agar for total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms, respectively. Aerobic plate count (APC) was determined on nutrient agar; Pseudomonas aeruginosa was detected on MacConkey agar, Escherichia coli was isolated on eosin methylene blue (EMB) and Salmonella spp. was assayed by using standard methods. Of the 344 water samples tested, 262 (76.2%) and 82 (23.8%) were domestic and imported brands, respectively. Eighteen (5.2%) of the 344 samples contained coliforms with a mean count of 0.88+/-6.38 coliforms per 100 ml, while 5 (1.5%) samples contained E. coli. The prevalence of total coliforms in domestic brands of bottled water was 6.9% (18 of 262) as compared with 0.0% (0 of 82) detected in imported brands. The difference was statistically significant (p=0.004). Similarly, the prevalence of aerobic bacteria in domestic brands of bottled water (33.6%) was significantly higher (p=0.001) than was found in imported brands (14.8%). Twenty-six (7.6%) of the total samples of water contained Pseudomonas species, but all were negative for thermotolerant coliforms and Salmonella spp. It was concluded that based on the recommended zero tolerance for coliforms in potable water, 5% of bottled water sold in Trinidad could be considered unfit for human consumption.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2003

Pycnogenol inhibits the release of histamine from mast cells.

Oxygen derived free radicals are now increasingly regarded as a primary force of tissue destruction and also have the ability to release histamine from mast cells. Pycnogenol is an extract of the bark of French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) containing bioflavonoids with a potent ability to scavenge free radicals. Therefore Pycnogenol was investigated for inhibition of histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. In addition, its effects were compared with sodium cromoglycate, a known inhibitor of histamine release from the mast cell. Rat peritoneal mast cells were isolated and purified by differential centrifugation and cells pooled from 3-4 animals were suspended at approximately 10(6) cells/mL buffered salt solution. Histamine release was induced by compound 48/80 or the calcium ionophore A-23187 and estimated from supernatant following extraction and by fluorimetric methods. Pycnogenol produced a concentration dependent inhibition of histamine release induced by the two secretagogues. Its inhibitory effect on mast cell histamine release was favourably comparable to sodium cromoglycate.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Pycnogenol prevents haemolytic injury in G6PD deficient human erythrocytes.

Glucose6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common X-linked disorder of human erythrocytes where cells have inadequate capacity to destroy peroxides and high susceptibility towards haemolytic changes. Pycnogenol is a proprietary dry extract of the French Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) bark with high ability to scavenge free radicals. In the present study we have investigated if Pycnogenol can protect G6PD deficient erythrocytes against haemolytic cell damage. Venous blood samples were obtained from six subject of Mediterranean origin with known G6PD deficiency which was also confirmed with standard techniques. Erythrocyte haemolysis in the presence and absence of Pycnogenol was induced either with tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP) or quinine and the haemoglobin release in the supernatant was determined by recording the optical density at 540 nm in a Shimadzu spectrophotometer. Our results have shown that Pycnogenol has protective action against a Xenobiotic chemical induced haemolysis in G6PD deficient human erythrocytes.

Erythrocytes↗
PubMed2003

Establishment of a sepsis model following implantation of Klebsiella pneumoniae-infected fibrin clot into the peritoneal cavity of mice.

Successful establishment of sepsis by entrapping a dose of 150 colony forming units of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a fibrin clot following implantation into the peritoneal cavity of mice is reported. The dose in the fibrin clot gave 50% mortality in mice, spread over a period of one week. All the infected mice showed positive blood culture up to 6 d post-infection; histopathology revealed inflammatory changes in both liver and spleen. Introduction of K. pneumoniae into experimental mice without entrapment in fibrin clot caused no mortality and blood culture remained positive only up to 2 d; histopathology of liver and spleen throughout the period of study showed relatively mild inflammatory changes, which almost cleared during 14 d post-infection. The use of the fibrin-clot model may thus be considered to be useful in studying both the initial and the persisting stage of infection in the peritoneum, whence a slow release of bacteria into the blood takes place which finally leads to sepsis and septicemia.

Animals↗