Superglue in otology.

BACKGROUND: The use of stitches and staples for the closure of surgical wounds is associated with complications for both the surgeon and the patient. Histoacryl (butyl1-2cyanoacrylate glue) is widely used for wound closure in Accident and Emergency departments, in particular for facial and scalp wounds. METHOD: We have used Histoacryl for closure of various surgical incisions in a series of 50 cases and assessed the cosmetic outcome at three to four weeks. RESULTS: There were no wound related complications in the form of infection or dehiscence. In one case however, there was formation of synechiae in the external auditory meatus following an endaural incision. CONCLUSION: We recommend the use of Histoacryl over traditional closure using skin suture material in otological surgery. Our experience was also successful in parotid cases.

Cytogenetic monitoring of men occupationally exposed to airborne pollutants.

A study of structural chromosomal aberration frequencies in peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed in a group of 20 professional drivers exposed to airborne pollutants and 20 matching controls. The subjects in the latter group were of the same sex (males) and of similar age as the exposed ones, and also had similar habits of smoking and alcohol. A statistically significant increase of chromosomal aberration was observed in the exposed subjects over the control group. An increasing trend of aberrations was observed with the duration of service (exposure) in the exposed individuals. This study clearly indicates the effect of occupational exposure to airborne pollutants.

Antibacterial activity of Mappia foetida leaves and stem.

Successive petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol extracts of Mappia foetida leaves and stem were tested for their antibacterial activity. The methanol fractions were found to be most effective against all the tested organisms.

An anticlastogenic in vivo micronucleus assay for tea.

Common use of antimutagens and anticarcinogens in everyday life is an effective measure for preventing human cancer and genetic diseases. Antioxidant properties of tea have vast potential as protective agents against diverse toxic effects. The present study was aimed to evaluate the role of aqueous clonal tea extracts (green tea, oolong tea and black tea) in modulating the genotoxic damage induced by cyclophosphamide (CP), a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug and a well-known mutagen and clastogen. All the three tea extracts at 1 and 2% concentration did not increase the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MPE) in bone marrow cells of mice when administered individually. The tea extracts decreased the micronuclei (MN) induced by CP. Therefore, regular intake of tea may improve the antioxidant status in in vivo and thereby reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart disease.

Trace metal concentration in scalp hair of occupationally exposed autodrivers.

The concentrations of Cr, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni and Cd were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer in the scalp hair of professional male autodrivers who are occupationally exposed to the vehicular/industrial pollutants in the industrial city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The unwashed hair samples when compared with the washed hair showed a significantly higher levels of Cr, Zn and Pb. The correlation coefficient showed a strong mutual dependence on the scalp hair of the exposed individuals and no correlation was found among the trace metals except for Ni-Pb and Ni-Cd. The results in general showed a positive exogenous contribution of all the analyzed industrial trace metals. The drivers who are occupationally exposed to vehicular/industrial pollution are at risk.

Insertion/deletion polymorphisms in tribal populations of southern India and their possible evolutionary implications.

India has the unique distinction of having perhaps the largest diversities, both biological and cultural. The Nilgiri Hills of southern India, a home for several tribal pockets representing different genetic isolates, provides a genetic wealth to understand human evolution. We have analyzed eight widely distributed polymorphic insertion/deletion loci (AluAPO, AluACE, AluDI, AluPLAT, AluPV92, AluFXIIIB, CD4 del and mtNUC) in 250 unrelated individuals from five tribal populations (Badaga, Irula, Kota, Kurumba, and Toda). All loci were highly polymorphic except the CD4 del locus, at which the deletion allele was fixed in Kotas and Kurumbas. The levels of average heterozygosities were found to be high in all the populations. In most populations, they were also higher than those predicted by the island model of population structure. The gene diversity (GST = 8.3%) was found to be higher than that in populations of most global regions with the exception of Africa. It is clear from the present study that drift effects could have accentuated the process of genetic differentiation of the tribal populations. The possibility of an early demographic expansion of modern humans within south India also cannot be ruled out.

Genetic structure and affinities among tribal populations of southern India: a study of 24 autosomal DNA markers.

We describe the genetic structure and affinities of five Dravidian-speaking tribal populations inhabiting the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, in south India, using 24 autosomal DNA markers. Our goals were: (i). to examine what evolutionary forces have most significantly impacted south Indian tribal genetic variation, and (ii). to test whether the phenotypic similarities of some south Indian tribal groups to Africans represent a signature of close relationship to Africans or are due to convergence. All loci were polymorphic and average heterozygosities were substantial (range: 0.347-0.423). Genetic differentiation was high (Gst= 6.7%) and genetic distances were not significantly correlated with geographic distances. Genetic drift therefore probably played a significant role in shaping the patterns of genetic variation observed in southern Indian tribal populations. Otherwise, analyses of population relationships showed that Indian populations are closely related to one another, regardless of phenotypic characteristics, and do not show particular affinities to Africans. We conclude that the phenotypic similarities of some Indian groups to Africans do not reflect a close relationship between these groups, but are better explained by convergence.

Genomic structures and population histories of linguistically distinct tribal groups of India.

There are various conflicting hypotheses regarding the origins of the tribal groups of India, who belong to three major language groups--Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman. To test some of the major hypotheses we designed a genetic study in which we sampled tribal populations belonging to all the three language groups. We used a set of autosomal DNA markers, mtDNA restriction-site polymorphisms (RSPs) and mtDNA hypervariable segment-1 (HVS-1) sequence polymorphisms in this study. Using the unlinked autosomal markers we found that there is a fair correspondence between linguistic and genomic affinities among the Indian tribal groups. We reconstructed mtDNA RSP haplotypes and found that there is extensive haplotype sharing among all tribal populations. However, there is very little sharing of mtDNA HVS-1 sequences across populations, and none across language groups. Haplogroup M is ubiquitous, and the subcluster U2i of haplogroup U occurs in a high frequency. Our analyses of haplogroup and HVS-1 sequence data provides evidence in support of the hypothesis that the Austro-Asiatic speakers are the most ancient inhabitants of India. Our data also support the earlier finding that some of the western Eurasian haplogroups found in India may have been present in India prior to the entry of Aryan speakers. However, we do not find compelling evidence to support the theory that haplogroup M was brought into India on an "out of Africa" wave of migration through a southern exit route from Ethiopia. On the contrary, our data raise the possibility that this haplogroup arose in India and was later carried to East Africa from India.