Biomedical subjects

Bilal Ahmed

Publications and source records attributed to Bilal Ahmed.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Compliance to antihypertensive therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine compliance, factors affecting compliance to antihypertensive therapy and to compare compliant and non-compliant groups, in a tertiary care setting. STUDY DESIGN: Analytical (cross-sectional) study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The outpatient clinics at the Aga Khan University from May 2004 to February 2005. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred patients presenting to the outpatients clinic were included. All patients 18 years and above, who had stage 1 and 2 hypertension, had one clinic visit to a medicine clinic, 6 months prior to presentation and started on antihypertensive medicines, were included. RESULTS: Sixty six percent were males and 33.5 % were females. Mean age was 58.1(+/-12) years and mean duration of hypertension was 7.2 (+/- 6.7) years. Fifty-seven percent were compliant and 43 % were noncompliant. In the noncompliant group, 53.4 % had mild noncompliance, 24.4 % had severe non-compliance, while 22% had moderate noncompliance. Factors of noncompliance were 56.8% missed doses due to forgetfulness, 12.7% deliberately missed their doses, 11.6% could not take the medicine due to side effects, 10.4% did not take the dose due to increased number of tablets, 4.6% were not properly counseled by the physician and 3.48% did not take medicines due to cost issues. The mean systolic blood pressure was 126 +/- 19.2 mmHg in the compliant group while it was 133 +/-16.5 mmHg in the noncompliant group p-value 0.004). The mean diastolic blood pressure in the compliant group was 76 +/- 11.9 mmHg, while in the noncompliant group it was 81.9 +/-10.9 mmHg (p-value 0.001). CONCLUSION: Compliance to antihypertensive therapy in a tertiary care center is significantly good. Forgetfulness was the major reason for noncompliance. The mean blood pressure control was better in the compliant group.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED).

Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (HED) is a hereditary congenital disorder of ectodermal origin. It is characterized by lack of sweat glands (hypohidrosis), nail dystrophy(onychodysplasia), alopecia (hypotrichosis), defective palms and soles (palmoplantar hyperkeratosis) and the oral presentations of partial absence of teeth (hypodontia) or complete absence of teeth (anodontia). Hypodontia of primary and permanent dentition is one of the most frequently occurring oral symptoms in HED patients. These features of poor aesthetic affect the social and the psychological well-being of the patient. This case report describes the prosthetic rehabilitation of a HED patient.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Protection of the hemopoietic system by Podophyllum hexandrum against gamma radiation-induced damage.

A semi-purified extract of low-altitude Podophyllum hexandrum (REC-2001) containing a relatively low content of podophyllotoxin (3.25 %) exhibited potent antioxidant ability in lipid media (at 1000 microg/mLagainst 0.25 kGy) and significant (p < 0.05) hydroxyl ion scavenging potential (78.83 % at 500 microg/mL). In vitro investigations revealed the ability of REC-2001 to significantly (p < 0.05) reduce radiation-induced hemolysis (2 microg/mL; 46.184 %) and nitric oxide scavenging levels (IC (50): 792 +/- 1.25 microg/mL). Protection of the hemopoietic system of Strain 'A' mice administered 20 mg/kg BW REC-2001 30 min prior to lethal irradiation (10 Gy) was recorded and was mediated by free radical scavenging and lowering of lipid oxidation. Further studies investigating the effects of REC-2001 on stem cell modulation are warranted.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Coronary artery bypass surgery in the elderly: experience of tertiary care hospital.

In the subcontinent, improving life expectancy may increase the number of elderly patients requiring coronary artery bypass. The elderly have a higher risk of mortality, and cost vs benefit is presumed to be unrewarding, leading to a disinclination to operate on such patients. We reviewed the records of patients >or= 70 years old undergoing coronary revascularization in a 10-year period. Between 1995 and 2004, 3,312 coronary bypass operations were performed, including 242 (7.3%) in patients >or= 70 years. Of these, 207 (86%) were male, 73 (30%) had non-elective surgery, and 177 (73%) had a high-risk EuroSCORE. Early postoperative mortality was 8.7% (21/242), and 33 (13.6%) patients experienced morbidity. One-year follow-up of 106 (44%) patients was possible. There were 4 (1.7%) late deaths from noncardiac causes. Death, morbidity, and postoperative functional class were significantly associated with preoperative functional class. Meticulous selection of elderly patients for coronary artery bypass may help maximize the benefits of this surgery.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2006

Oral stereognostic ability: a test of oral perception.

Oral stereognosis (form or shape recognition in the oral cavity) can be utilized to assess oral perceptual abilities. This assessment can be beneficial in planning as well as predicting the future outcome of any treatment modality in the orodental region. This article provides a meta analysis of different studies conducted in the last fifty years to quantify magnitude of oral sensory capacity using oral stereognostic ability tests and their implication in clinical dental sciences.

Humans↗

PubMed2006

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma with involvement of the pancreas presenting as panniculitis in a patient with a history of acute myeloid leukemia--case report and review of the literature.

A 66-year-old man with history of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) presented with B-symptoms and abdominal pain. A CT scan of the abdomen demonstrated an enlargement of the head and uncinate of pancreas and diffuse lymphadenopathy. The patient developed respiratory distress and expired. An autopsy of the pancreas revealed clusters of large, atypical cells, which morphologically and immunophenotypically were consistent with CD30 positive, ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) of T-cell lineage and multifocal fat necrosis (panniculitis) in the peripancreatic adipose tissue. This is the first case of ALCL of the pancreas and panniculitis in a patient with history of AML.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2005

The endophytic fungus Trametes hirsuta as a novel alternative source of podophyllotoxin and related aryl tetralin lignans.

The aryl tetralin lignans are synthesized by Podophyllum sps. and are in great demand worldwide due to their use in synthesis of topoisomerase inhibitors. However, the sustained production of these aryl tetralin lignans requires large-scale harvesting from the natural environments, which has resulted in the plant-endangered status. In view of the difficulties in their total chemical synthesis, cultivation and failure of metabolic engineering approaches, there is a need to search for alternative sources of production of aryl tetralin lignans. We unequivocally established the methodology for isolation, identification, and characterization of a novel fungal endophyte (Trametes hirsuta) that produces aryl tetralin lignans consistently as shown by HPLC, LC-MS, LC/MS-MS and (1)H NMR. The lignans produced by the microorganism are biologically active, and exhibit potent antioxidant, anticancer and radioprotective properties. This strategy promises to improve the production of these therapeutically important compounds at lower costs.

Cell Fractionation↗

PubMed2005

Complicated unroofed coronary sinus syndrome.

A young boy planned for the surgical closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) and mitral valve regurgitation (MR) was found peroperatively as having a complete unroofed coronary sinus (URCS). Intracardiac re-routing of left superior vena cava (LSVC) and mitral valve replacement (MVR) were performed concomitantly with success.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed2003

A prospective study of social support, anger expression and risk of periodontitis in men.

BACKGROUND: Stress is associated with poor oral hygiene, increased glucocorticoid secretion that can depress immune function, increased insulin resistance and potentially increased risk of periodontitis. METHODS: The authors examined the association between social support, anger expression and periodontitis in 42,523 male, U.S.-based, health professionals. Subjects were aged 40 to 75 years in 1986, and more than half were dentists. The men were free of a diagnosis of periodontitis at the start of follow-up in 1996. RESULTS: Subjects who reported having at least one close friend had a 30 percent lower risk of developing periodontitis compared with those who did not have a close friend (relative risk, or RR = 0.70; 95 percent confidence interval, or CI, 0.51-0.96). Men who participated in religious meetings or services had a 27 percent lower risk of developing periodontitis compared with men who did not participate in religious meetings (RR = 0.73; 95 percent CI, 0.64-0.83). After the authors adjusted for potential confounding variables, men whose anger scores were in the top quintile were 72 percent more likely to report having periodontitis compared with men whose scores were in the lowest quintile (RR = 1.72; 95 percent CI, 1.39-2.12). Men who reported being angry on a daily basis had a 43 percent higher risk of developing periodontitis compared with men who reported being angry seldom. CONCLUSION: Reduced social isolation and anger expression may play an important role in maintaining oral health, as well as general health and well-being. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: When treating patients with periodontitis, clinicians should be cognizant of the social and behavioral factors that may affect oral health.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Agreement between normative and perceived orthodontic need amongst deprived multiethnic school children in London.

The Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) has been used in dental epidemiology and to prioritize orthodontic treatment. The aim of this paper was to use the aesthetic component (AC) of the IOTN to measure agreement between normative and perceived orthodontic need amongst school children. Three hundred and seventy-eight children aged 11-14 years, enrolled in London UK state schools participated in this survey. The study focused on three ethnic groups: white, black and South Asian. Townsend deprivation scores suggested that the children were from areas of high socio-economic deprivation. Logistic regression analysis was carried out for agreement between normative and perceived need at each threshold value. Perceived need for braces, ethnic background, social class and hours of television viewing were significant variables. Black pupils were significantly less likely to concur on normative and perceived need scores, tending to perceive less need for treatment than did the dentist. Subjects from lower social classes were significantly more likely to concur on normative and perceived need scores. In conclusion, the study showed that using the IOTN AC at various points along the scale, different influences play a significant role in agreement/disagreement between normative and perceived needs, indicating that patient-clinician agreement regards orthodontic treatment is sensitive to several cultural factors.

Journal Article↗