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Biomedical subjects

V Sharma

Publications and source records attributed to V Sharma.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Intestinal trichobezoar with perforation in a child.

A 4-year-old girl presented with a history and examination results suggestive of peritonitis. Exploration of abdomen was done with suspicion of enteric perforation, which showed long ileal trichobezoar with perforation of .5-cm diameter. The stomach was devoid to any fragment of bezoar. There was no history of hair eating and nervous habits.

Bezoars↗
PubMed1992

The predictive role of bioeffect dose models in radiation-induced late effects in glottic cancers.

Late radiation-induced laryngeal oedema for different doses per fraction was analyzed in 208 cases with squamous cell carcinoma of the vocal cord. The series comprised 156 cases with T1N0M0 and 52 cases with T2N0M0 lesions. Radical radiotherapy was given with three different regimens delivering 3.33 Gy, 2.5 Gy, and 2.25 Gy per fraction. There were 52 cases of late radiation-induced laryngeal oedema. A strong correlation (p less than 0.015) between the dose per fraction and the risk of the late complication in the vocal cord has been demonstrated. The analysis suggests that the empirical models like Nominal Standard Dose (NSD) or Time-Dose Factors (TDF) do not predict correctly the late normal tissue reactions for different dose fractionations. The analysis with extrapolated response dose (ERD) values of the linear-quadratic (L-Q) model also fail to correlate with the late complications (p greater than 0.5). Care should be exercised when using these bioeffect dose models to calculate regimens iso-effective for late damage, even when modest changes in fraction size from 2 to 3 Gy are contemplated.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1992

Health profile of pregnant adolescents among selected tribal populations in Rajasthan, India.

Among primitive tribal communities in India, girls are traditionally married immediately after attaining menarche. In the present study all adolescent girls in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy from 15 randomly selected villages of 4 tribal development blocks of Udaipur district (South Rajasthan State, India) were studied. The data were analyzed with reference to parity, anthropometry, anemia, and other dietary deficiencies. A total of 54 adolescent girls (13-19 years of age) were included in the present study. Of these, 59% (n = 32) were found to be primigravidas, 30% (n = 20) were pregnant for the second time, and 2 girls were pregnant for the third time. A majority were illiterate (n = 46), and almost all of them were found to be suffering from moderate-to-severe anaemia (n = 51). Similarly, a large majority (n = 46) had a body mass index (BMI) less than normal and body weight less than 42 kg. Two of the pregnant girls were also found to be suffering from pellagra, while approximately one-third of the girls had vitamin A deficiency. Only 2 had ever practiced family planning, consisting of some herbal preparations given to them by the folk doctor. Of the study participants, 19 girls (35.0%) were in the third trimester of pregnancy; of these, 7 had evidence of malpresentation or cephalopelvic disproportion. This study highlights the health profile and needs of pregnant adolescents among tribal populations in a drought-affected area in India.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Effect of calcium on oxalate uptake and transport by the rat intestine.

The effect of calcium concentration (0-10 mmol 1(-1)) on oxalate uptake and transport was investigated in vitro using everted gut segments and sacs. Increase in calcium concentration in the incubation medium led to an increase in the amounts of precipitated oxalate on the intestine; however, the net oxalate flux to the serosal side decreased. The ions, i.e. Ca2+, Ox2-, H2PO4-, HPO4(2-), present in the incubation medium favoured formation of hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate crystals, as evidenced by Equil II analysis and free energy of the system. The nature of precipitates was confirmed by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction spectrometry and electron microscopy. Oxalate precipitated on the intestine following incubation with calcium could be released into a calcium- and oxalate-free medium. Animals fed oxalate in the absence and presence of calcium revealed that, during 1 h in the absence of calcium, oxalate moved down the intestinal tract as a distinct peak of greater than 50% (70-90 cm in the intestine), leaving less than 10% in the stomach and first 50 cm of the intestine. In the case of animals fed calcium along with oxalate, 35% of the oxalate was still present in the stomach, and the amounts of oxalate in the intestinal segments gradually increased from 4.5% to 21.7% (0-90 cm) and dropped to 2.1% in the next 20 cm. Since oxalaemia and oxaluria appear to be influenced by intestinal oxalate absorption, the present observations may help to improve understanding of the pathophysiology of disorders exhibiting altered oxalate metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Combination chemotherapy and radiation for palliation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Twenty seven patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were treated by sequential methotrexate (75 mg/m2) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (750 mg/m2) on day 1 followed on days 8-36 by external beam radiotherapy (total dose 30 cGy). The response was assessed by liver size on clinical examination. One patient had complete response, and six patients had partial response. The overall response to the treatment was 25.9%. More than a 50% reduction in serum alfa-fetoprotein level was noted in 66.6% patients. Seventy-one percent of patients had palliation of pain following therapy. The median survival of responders was 11 months and of nonresponders, 2 months. Radiation was discontinued in two patients who developed radiation hepatitis. Additional trials with different dosages and schedules are needed to fully evaluate this form of therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Specificity of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity to the diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were compared with non-ADHD psychiatric patients and normal controls on objective measures of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity to determine the specificity of these symptoms to ADHD. Inattention and impulsivity were assessed using a continuous performance test, and activity was measured using solid state actigraphs. Both patient groups were inattentive relative to normals, but were indistinguishable from each other. However, the ADHD group was more active than both non-ADHD patients and normals, who did not differ from each other. These data suggest that inattention may be a nonspecific symptom of child psychiatric disorder. However, ADHD may be uniquely characterized by overactivity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Methylphenidate response in aggressive and nonaggressive ADHD children: distinctions on laboratory measures of symptoms.

Response to a single, 5-mg dose of methylphenidate was compared in aggressive and nonaggressive attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children using objective measures of inattention, impulsivity, and activity level. After medication, both ADHD groups had a significant decrease in inattention, whereas impulsivity remained unchanged. Activity level decreased only in the nonaggressive ADHD group. Unmedicated normal controls showed no change on any measure. These results support the hypothesis that aggressive and nonaggressive ADHD children have somewhat different underlying determinants for some of their symptoms. In addition, they suggest that inattention, impulsivity, and overactivity may be mediated by partially distinct neural mechanisms.

Aggression↗
PubMed1992

Risk factors for depression in elderly people: a prospective study.

In 1982-1983 a random sample of 1486 people aged 65 years and above was generated from general practitioner lists; 1070 were interviewed in the community using the Geriatric Mental State and a Social History questionnaire. The cohort was followed up by interview 3 years later. At year 3 the diagnostic computer program AGECAT diagnosed 44 incident cases of depression. Information from the depressed group's initial and further interviews was compared with a control group (which excluded cases of affective or organic mental illness). Univariate analysis yielded three factors that were significantly associated with the development of depression 3 years later: a lack of satisfaction with life; feelings of loneliness; and smoking. Multivariate analysis confirmed their independent effects and revealed 2 further factors attaining significance: female gender and a trigger factor, bereavement of a close figure within 6 months of the third-year diagnosis. Some other factors traditionally associated with depression, such as poor housing, marital status and living alone, failed to attain significance as risk factors.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Menaquinone (vitamin K2) biosynthesis: nucleotide sequence and expression of the menB gene from Escherichia coli.

In Escherichia coli, the biosynthesis of the electron carrier menaquinone (vitamin K2) involves at least seven identified enzymes. One of these, naphthoate synthase, forms the bicyclic ring system by catalyzing the conversion of o-succinylbenzoyl-coenzyme A to 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid. The gene for this enzyme has been previously identified as menB. By genetic and biochemical tests, a 1.349-kb DNA fragment from the E. coli men locus complements menB mutants. This fragment contains a single 285-codon open reading frame (ORF). Recombinant plasmids containing deletions of either the amino or the carboxy region of the ORF fail to complement the mutants. The ORF is preceded by consensus sequences for a ribosomal binding site and a sigma 70 promoter. menB transcription sufficient to complement the menB mutant in vivo and in vitro can be initiated from the identified putative promoter, and that in the constructs, menB expression, can be made independent of read-through transcription from the lac promoter. However, multicopy plasmids containing menB fail to generate the expected levels of enzymatic activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Menaquinone (vitamin K2) biosynthesis: evidence that the Escherichia coli menD gene encodes both 2-succinyl-6-hydroxy-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylic acid synthase and alpha-ketoglutarate decarboxylase activities.

The formation of 2-succinyl-6-hydroxy-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylic acid (SHCHC), the first identified intermediate in the menaquinone biosynthetic pathway, requires two reactions. They are the decarboxylation of alpha-ketoglutarate by an alpha-ketoglutarate decarboxylase, which results in the formation of succinic semialdehyde-thiamine PPi (TPP) anion, and the addition of the succinic semialdehyde-TPP anion to isochorismate carried out by the enzyme SHCHC synthase. Evidence is provided to support the conclusion that both enzymatic activities are encoded by an extended menD gene which is capable of generating a bifunctional 69-kDa protein. Consistent with the requirement for TPP in the decarboxylation of alpha-ketoglutarate, the translated amino acid sequence contains the characteristic TPP-binding motif present in all well-characterized TPP-requiring enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Augmentation of valproate with lithium in a case of rapid cycling affective disorder.

Rapid cycling affective disorder is characteristically unresponsive to conventional interventions. In bipolar rapid cycling affective disorder, the manic episodes may be controlled with either neuroleptics or electroconvulsive therapy, but the depressive episodes are highly intractable. This report describes the successful treatment of a patient with a bipolar rapid cycling affective disorder using a combination of valproic acid and lithium carbonate.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, depression and pseudodementia: prevalence, incidence and three-year outcome in Liverpool.

A group of 1070 community-living persons aged 65 and over was assessed using the GMS-AGECAT package and other interviews at years 0 and 3. Year 3 interviewers were 'blind' to the findings at year 0, and the prevalence of organic disorders and depression was very similar in both years. According to the results at year 3, minimum and maximum prevalence figures for dementia at year 0 were 2.4% and 3.8% for moderate to severe and 0.4% and 2.4% for mild or early cases, with a best estimate of 3.5% and 0.8%, or 4.3% overall, divided into: senile, Alzheimer's type 3.3%; vascular 0.7%; and alcohol-related 0.3%. The overall incidence of dementia, clinically confirmed by six-year follow-up, was 9.2/1000 per year (Alzheimer type 6.3, vascular 1.9, alcohol related 1.0). Three years later, 72.0% of those with depressive psychosis and 62.3% of those with depressive neurosis were either dead or had some kind of psychiatric illness. Nearly 60% of milder depressive cases (7.2% of the total sample) had either died or developed a chronic mental illness. The outcome of depressive pseudodementias is equivocal so far. Findings at year 3 provide validation of AGECAT computer diagnosis against outcome; organic and depression diagnoses are seen to have important implications for prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Ossifying fibroma of the sella turcica.

Ossifying fibroma of the sellar turcica is extremely rare. There are only sporadic case reports in the literature. One such case simulating pituitary adenoma is presented in an 18-year-old girl.

Adenoma↗