Radical Gastrectomy: Still the Gold Standard Treatment for Gastric Cancer-Our Experience from a Tertiary Care Center from Northeast India.

Gastric cancer (GC) is common in the northeast and southern parts of India. Radical surgery is the cornerstone of treatment and offers the only chance for cure. This study was conducted to assess the outcomes of all resectable gastric cancers that presented to our tertiary cancer center in Northeast India. All patients undergoing upfront surgery for gastric cancer with curative intention between 2012 and 2017 were included in the study. A total of 116 patients who underwent upfront radical gastrectomy were included in the study. Males (58.6%) were more common than females (41.4%). Mean age at presentation was 56.12 years (range 26-89). The most common mode of presentation was pain abdomen (53.8%). The most common location of tumor was the distal part (81%) followed by the proximal part (10.3%). The most commonly done procedure was distal radical gastrectomy (56.9%) followed by subtotal gastrectomy (32.8%). Median number of lymph nodes isolated was 14. Fifty-four patients received adjuvant chemotherapy while 32 patients received adjuvant chemoradiation (CTRT). At a median follow-up of 14 months (range, 2-78 months), overall 5-year survival was 23.75% (mean survival 33.77 months, median survival 24 months). The 5-year survival for stages I-III was 100%, 26.25%, and 11.25%, respectively (P < 0.001). Though perioperative chemotherapy has a role in gastric cancer, it is not the substitute for radical D2 gastrectomy which is still the gold standard treatment especially in high-volume centers.

Evaluation of efficacy of Aloe Vera as a Disinfectant by Immersion and Spray methods on Irreversible Hydrocolloid Impression Material and its Effect on the Dimensional Stability of Resultant Gypsum Cast - An in Vitro Study.

The need to use a natural alternative for disinfecting dental impression materials, which should be biocompatible and effective, led us to evaluate the efficacy of Aloe vera as a disinfectant by immersion and spray method on alginate impression material and its effect on the dimensional stability of the resultant gypsum cast. The efficacy of the disinfection procedures against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans was evaluated by determining the number of colony-forming units (CFU) recovered after disinfection of alginate discs inoculated with 1x106 CFU for defined intervals with aloe vera solution (99.96%). Dimensional stability was determined from the mean percentage deviation of three measurements that were taken between the fixed points on the casts using a traveling microscope and compared with corresponding measurements from the master model and controls. Statistical analysis of data was determined by analysis of variance. We found out that there is a mean percentage reduction in colony count of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and C. albicans after 3 minutes of immersion in aloe vera and after 3 minutes spray disinfection. Complete elimination of all the microorganism cells after 7 min immersion and spray disinfection. There was a statistically significant difference in the increase of the mean anteroposterior (AP) and cross arch (CA) dimension after 3 and 7 minutes immersion in aloe vera. Spraying with aloe vera for 7 minutes was proved to be the most effective disinfection procedure without altering dimensional stability.

Nicotine, the Predictor of Success or Failure of Dental Implants: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Dental implant therapy is a treatment of choice in missing teeth. However, certain conditions such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes have negative influence on success of dental implants. Nicotine is found to cause osteoclastic changes. The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between nicotine and implant failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present retrospective study included 2570 patients of both genders. They were divided into two groups. Group I consisted of 1250 patients with a history of smoking and Group II were nonsmokers and comprised 1320 patients. The presence of pain, mobility, and inflammation was considered positive signs for implant failure. RESULTS: The results showed that in Group I, males had 6.13% and females had 5% dental implant failure. Overall failure rate in Group I was 5.56%. In Group II, males had 2.98% and females had 0.9% failure. Overall failure rate in Group II was 2.35%. The difference between both groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In Group I, maximum (56), and in Group II, 18 patients had habit of >10 years of smoking. Maximum patients had habit of consumption of >20 cigarettes/day (Group I) and Group II had only 10 patients with this frequency. Maximum dental implant failures were observed in maxillary arch (70) than in mandibular arch (32). The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Smoking influences the survival rate of dental implants. Thus, patient should be educated to discontinue the habit before implant placement.