Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A R Banerjee

Publications and source records attributed to A R Banerjee.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Acetowhite staining in the detection of laryngeal disease.

The acetowhite staining reaction is widely used as a reliable adjunct to the diagnosis of malignant lesions in gynaecology, but its application in vocal cord lesions has not been assessed before. The use of the acetic acid staining reaction in selecting sites for sampling on the vocal cord is considered in this study. A 3% acetic acid solution was applied intraoperatively before biopsy to the larynx of eight patients who had either diffuse erythematous or polypoidal vocal cords. Attempts were made to correlate the degree of acetowhitening with the underlying histological findings. There was a very poor correlation between acetowhitening and the histological diagnosis, and very poor demarcation between stained and unstained areas. The application of acetic acid is not a useful adjunct to biopsy selection in the larynx.

Acetic Acid↗

Is pre-operative patient assessment effective? A prospective trial of 100 patients.

The working patterns of clinical postgraduate trainees are being scrutinised in preparation for the implementation of new, structured and shortened postgraduate specialist training programmes. Current practice in the National Health Service dictates, in all branches of surgery, the evaluation of elective admissions undergoing procedures under general anaesthetic by a junior trainee (SHO or HO) who then arranges the appropriate preoperative investigations. This doctor acts as a "generalist' in that he is primarily concerned with the patient's general fitness for the operation as well as with the specific condition to be treated. The anaesthetist also evaluates the patient prior to the operation. In his case his sole concern is to whether or not the patient is fit for a general anaesthetic. This prospective study investigated the extent of duplication in preoperative elective patient assessment by both the otolaryngology trainee and the anaesthetist in order to answer the question: are both assessments necessary? The medical records of 100 consecutive adult elective admissions to the Leicester Royal Infirmary Otolaryngology Department which provides inpatient services to a catchment population of 900,000 were reviewed. The case histories obtained by clinicians blind to the study were classified as positive or negative for relevant features. The case histories obtained by the otolaryngology trainee and anaesthetist showed a level of disagreement which was 9 per cent greater than chance. It appears that there is a low level of duplication in preoperative elective otolaryngology patient assessment and both otolaryngology trainee and anaesthetic examination are of value.

Adolescent↗

The time dependence of chemical modification reveals slow steps in the folding of a group I ribozyme.

L-21 ScaI ribozyme is a linear form of the self-splicing intron from the precursor of the Tetrahymena thermophila LSU intron. The time scales for tertiary folding of L-21 ScaI were investigated in two ways after bringing it from a partially denatured state at 60 degrees C and 1 mM Mg2+ to a renatured state of 15 degrees C and 10 mM Mg2+. First, formation of a catalytically active structure was monitored by measuring the kinetics of the reaction: p*CUCUA3 + G<==>p*CUCU + GA3. This reaction mimics the first step of splicing. After 1 min of folding time, the catalytic rate is roughly 10% of the rate attained after 8 h of folding. This indicates that much of the structure refolds quickly. Also, at least two time scales of folding are observed, separated by a lag time of about 30 min. To define the regions folding on various time scales, all the guanosines of L-21 ScaI were probed with kethoxal at 15 degrees C while folding was in progress. Based on folding time scales, the guanosines can be placed into at least four classes. These are guanosines that (1) are already protected at 60 degrees C in 1 mM Mg2+ or which fold immediately, (2) fold during the lag time, (3) continue to fold after 1 h, and (4) never fold. These results give insight into the folding pathway of a group I ribozyme at nucleotide resolution. This provides useful information on the regions whose foldings are important for catalytic function of the ribozyme. The method may also provide a general way to suggest regions of an RNA that may interact with each other to form tertiary structure.

Base Sequence↗

Neck dissection.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Free rib graft reconstruction of the mandible: a forgotten option?

Eleven patients underwent primary mandibular reconstruction following resection of a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Reconstruction consisted of a free rib graft and a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. One rib graft failed and one graft, although successful, required removal during a wider resection for tumour recurrence. A further three patients have died since operation, two from tumour recurrence and one from unrelated medical causes. Six patients have undergone long-term follow-up of between 22 and 78 months with a mean of 51 months. They have oral continence, take a normal or semisolid diet, and have satisfactory cosmesis. We present the first long-term follow-up of a series of patients undergoing mandibular reconstruction with a free rib graft and pectoralis major myocutaneous flap.

Aged↗

Thermal unfolding of a group I ribozyme: the low-temperature transition is primarily disruption of tertiary structure.

Little is known about the folding pathways of RNA. A particularly interesting RNA is L-21 Sca I, a linear form of the self-splicing intron from the precursor of the Tetrahymena thermophila large subunit (LSU) rRNA. Thermal unfolding of L-21 Sca I is studied by UV absorption and chemical mapping in 50 mM Na+ and 10 mM free Mg2+ at pH 7.5. UV melting experiments identify two major transitions with maxima at 65 and 73 degrees C. Chemical mapping at the beginning and middle of the first transition suggests it primarily involves disruption of tertiary structure. Phylogenetic comparisons suggest a potential tertiary interaction between loops L2.1 and L9.1a. Chemical mapping and melting experiments on a truncated form of the intron lacking P9.1a, L-21 Nhe I, are consistent with this hypothesis. The results indicate that increasing temperature disrupts tertiary interactions before disrupting secondary structure. This suggests tertiary interactions are weaker than secondary interactions in this case. These results support an important assumption for RNA structure prediction: that secondary structure dominates the free energy of folding.

Animals↗

Ectopic salivary gland tissue in the palatine and lingual tonsil.

A case is reported of a child born with a developmental field defect of the first branchial arch in whom there was partial obstruction of the oropharynx by a horseshoe-shaped mass of what was thought to be tonsillar tissue. 'Tonsillectomy' was performed but histopathological examination of the excised specimens showed them to be almost entirely made up of salivary gland tissue.

Child, Preschool↗

Haptoglobin subtypes in a Bengalee population sample.

HP1 subtyping has been performed on a Bengalee population sample of heterogeneous caste composition. The total sample size comes to n = 140 nonrelated adult individuals (68 males, 72 females). The following allele frequencies were observed: HP*1F = 0.0714, HP*1S = 0.1178, and HP*2 = 0.8107. It can be pointed out that the HP subtype distribution pattern found in the Bengalee sample follows in general the Oriental distribution pattern, though some differences are seen, especially concerning the HP*1F frequency.

Alleles↗

Pygopagus twins.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗