Assessment of cross-sectional thickness and activity of masseter, anterior temporalis and orbicularis oris muscles in oral submucous fibrosis patients and healthy controls: an ultrasonography and electromyography study.

OBJECTIVES: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is an insidious chronic disease that is associated with significant functional morbidity and an increased risk for malignancy. It initially affects the lamina propria of the oral mucosa, and, as the disease progresses, it involves the submucosa and deeper tissue, including muscles of the oral cavity, resulting in loss of fibroelasticity. OSMF is a pre-malignant condition mainly caused by areca nut chewing. The aim of this study was to find out the involvement of muscles of mastication and facial expression in patients with OSMF by assessing the cross-sectional thickness and activity of the masseter, anterior temporalis and orbicularis oris muscles by ultrasonography and electromyography and comparing with healthy controls and also to find out any correlation between the ultrasonographic cross-sectional thicknesses of the masseter, anterior temporalis and orbicularis oris muscles with electromyographic activity. METHODS: 40 patients with OSMF were included in the study group, and the patients were divided into four groups on the basis of interincisal mouth opening, i.e. Group I (mouth opening >35 mm), Group II (mouth opening between 30 and 35 mm), Group III (mouth opening between 20 and 30 mm) and Group IV (mouth opening <20 mm). Ultrasonographic cross-sectional thickness and electromyographic activity (amplitude and duration) of the masseter, anterior temporalis and orbicualris oris muscles were recorded in patients with OSMF and 20 controls. Intergroup comparison of ultrasonographic cross-sectional thickness and activity (amplitude and duration) was done, and Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied to find out any relation between ultrasonographic and electromyographic findings. RESULTS: Thickness and activity of the masseter muscle was significantly reduced in Group IV (mouth opening <20 mm) when compared with the control group. The anterior temporalis and orbicularis oris muscles remained unaffected. A positive correlation was observed between the thicknesses of the masseter muscle and the amplitude in Groups I, II and III; the anterior temporalis muscle in Group II and the control group; and the orbicularis oris muscle in Groups II, III and IV. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that, among the muscles studied, there was an early involvement of the masseter muscle in patients with OSMF compared with that of other muscles.

Faecal calprotectin levels before and after weight loss in obese and overweight subjects.

Faecal calprotectin (FCP) is a non-invasive biomarker of intestinal inflammation, levels of which are reported to be elevated in individuals with increased body mass index (BMI). We investigated whether weight loss (WL), induced by dietary and behavioural change in a community weight loss programme (Slimming World), was associated with a reduction in FCP in a longitudinal cohort study. We obtained paired stool samples at the start and 11-15 weeks into the weight loss programme in 40 individuals with a BMI >25 kg m(-2) and no known colorectal or systemic inflammatory condition. Eight of 40 (20%) 'healthy' participants had a baseline FCP greater than 50 µg g(-1) (the accepted adult cutoff value for FCP), termed FCP(high). Although the degree (%) of WL was similar (5.1 FCP(high) versus 6.1 FCP(normal); P=0.63), only FCP(high) individuals, but not FCP(normal) participants, demonstrated a reduction in FCP level (median 0.3-fold versus 1.0-fold (that is, no change) during the study period (P=0.065). A large prospective cohort study of FCP(high) and FCP(normal) obese individuals is now required to determine the relationship between local mucosal inflammation and the systemic inflammatory state associated with obesity, as well as understand the relationship between FCP levels, WL and future risk of colorectal neoplasia.

Alumina-supported oxime for the degradation of sarin and diethylchlorophosphate.

1-(4-Chlorophenyl))-N-hydroxymethanimine and cyclohexyl-N-hydroxymethanimine were synthesized and a well-established oxime, i.e., 2-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]-1-methylpyridinium chloride was purchased. Thereafter; all were loaded over Al(2)O(3) using incipient wetness technique. The prepared systems were characterized using surface area analyzer, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and thermogravimetric analyzer. Kinetics of the degradation of sarin (GB) and simulant, i.e. diethylchlorophosphate (DEClP) was studied over synthesized oxime impregnated Al(2)O(3) and results were compared with well reported oxime impregnated Al(2)O(3). Kinetics of reaction was found to be following the pseudo first order reaction kinetics. The order of reactivity of the prepared systems was found to be cyclohexyl-N-hydroxymethanimine/Al(2)O(3)>1-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-hydroxymethanimine/Al(2)O(3)>2-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]-1-methylpyridinium chloride/Al(2)O(3)>Al(2)O(3). From the reaction kinetics it was observed that the reaction with DEClP was faster than with GB. Cyclohexyl-N-hydroxymethanimine/Al(2)O(3) was found to be the most reactive system with half-life of 0.94 and 15 h for DEClP and GB respectively.

Higgs boson mass in supersymmetry to three loops.

Within the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model, the mass of the light CP-even Higgs boson is computed to three-loop accuracy, taking into account the next-to-next-to-leading order effects from supersymmetric quantum chromodynamics. We consider two different scenarios for the mass hierarchies of the supersymmetric spectrum. Our numerical results amount to corrections of about 500 MeV, which is of the same order as the experimental accuracy expected at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Effect of beta-endorphin and naloxone on rat testicular steroidogenesis.

With a view to examine the possibility of a direct role of opioids in the regulation of testicular steroidogenesis, the following in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted in male rats of different age groups. Intratesticular (i.t.) injections of beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and its antagonist naloxone (nal) were given bilaterally to adult (80-100 days), peripubertal (40 days) and juvenile (20 days) rats and blood was collected at different time intervals up to 90 min and assayed for testosterone (T). beta-EP suppressed T levels in all age groups of rats while naloxone stimulated T secretion only in adult rats. In another experiment, adult rats were also injected with 60 IU of hCG (sc) after 30 min. of beta-EP/nal treatment. Naloxone induced a greater rise in T in the presence of hCG while beta-EP blocked the hCG induced rise in testosterone. In the in vitro sets of experiments, isolated interstitial cells from testes of adult, 40 and 20 days old rats were incubated for 4 hr with hCG (25 IU), beta-EP (0.5ng) and nal (5.0ng) alone or in combinations. Naloxone alone was ineffective although it significantly enhanced hCG stimulated T release. beta-EP decreased both basal and hCG stimulated T release. Based on these results we postulate that opioids may influence steroidogenesis possibly by altering the response of interstitial cells to LH.

Electron microscopical morphometry of pituitary adenomas. Comparison of tumours in acromegaly and hyperprolactinemia.

By electron microscopical morphometry (point counting method) 4 groups of adenomas were compared in order to identify the source of prolactin in hyperprolactinemia. The 4 types of adenomas were characterized by the following features: Group I: acromegaly without hyperprolactinemia (GH positive and PRL negative on the immunohistochemical level); Group II: acromegaly with hyperprolactinemia and/or galactorrhea (GH positive and PRL positive on the immunohistochemical level); Group III: adenomas with hyperprolactinemia without acromegaly (GH negative and PRL positive on the immunohistochemical level); Group IV: adenomas with hyperprolactinemia without acromegaly (GH and PRL negative on the immunohistochemical level). Morphometry was performed in order to analyse the relative amount of the following cellular structures: nuclei, nucleoli, rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi fields, immature secretory granules, mature secretory granules, lysosomes, mitochondria, unorganized cytoplasm, and cellular membranes. Significant differences (Student t-test, Wilcoxon test; 2 p less than 0.05) were found for the following compartments: rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi fields in group III had significantly larger volumes than in group IV. The volume of secretory granules of group II and group IV was larger than of group III. The volume of mitochondria of group IV was larger than in group I, and it was larger in group I and group III than in group II. Despite these differences a distinctive morphometrical pattern of the different subgroups could not be established. The quantitative data are valuable for interpretation of high or low functional activity but not for differential diagnoses. Therefore, if only the source of PRL in hyperprolactinemia has to be identified, immunocytochemistry is the best and simpler method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In vivo tuberculoma creation and its radioimmunoimaging.

Since tubercular lesions form an important differential diagnosis in our country, tuberculoma models in mice have been created and imaged using iodine-125 radiolabelled antimycobacterial monoclonal antibodies for the aetiopathological diagnosis.