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Biomedical subjects

P M Kulkarni

Publications and source records attributed to P M Kulkarni.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effects of atorvastatin on higher functions.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to assess the effects of atorvastatin on cognition and higher mental functions. METHODS: In this before and after comparison study with controls, group one included 55 subjects aged > or =40 years requiring statins for cardiovascular indications who were started on atorvastatin (10 mg/day). Group two assigned to receive placebo were men and women chosen from the same geographical area and matched for age, sex, education and presence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Assessment was done with the Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Span, Picture Test (average and delayed), Trail Making Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test and Auditory Vigilance and Digit Vigilance Test at baseline and after 6 months. Changes between baseline and 6 months in the above parameters of mental function were compared using suitable statistical tests in the atorvastatin and placebo groups. To limit experiment-wise error, performance scores were grouped into five cognitive domains, which were labeled as attention, psychomotor speed, mental flexibility, working memory and memory retrieval. Summary effect sizes were estimated as z-scores. RESULTS: Both subjects on atorvastatin and placebo showed improvement in the majority of scales consistent with a learning effect on test performance. However, subjects treated with atorvastatin scored significantly over the placebo group in all domains, i.e. tests of attention [z-score=0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.38-0.64, p=0.001], psychomotor speed (z-score=0.28, 95% CI: O.09-0.47, p<0.001), mental flexibility (z-score=0.27, 95% CI: 0.22-0.32, p=0.01), working memory (z-score=1.22, 95% CI: 0.93-1.50, p<0.001) and memory retrieval (z-score=0.59, 95% CI: 0.36-0.82, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study concludes that there are significant beneficial effects of atorvastatin in a dose of 10 mg/day for a period of 6 months on higher functions as measured by the above standard neurocognitive tests.

Atorvastatin↗
PubMed2006

Papillon Lefevre syndrome.

Papillon Lefèvre syndrome is a rare disease characterized by skin lesions caused by palmar-plantar hyperkeratosis, and severe periodontal destruction involving both the primary and permanent dentitions. It is transmitted as an autosomal recessive condition and consanguinity of parents is evident in about one-third of cases. Pyogenic liver abscess is an increasingly recognized complication. We report a new case of this association and review the current literature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Johanson--blizzard syndrome.

Johanson-Blizzard syndrome is an extremely rare ectodermal dysplastic disorder characterized by aplasia or hypoplasia of alae nasi, midline scalp defects, growth retardation, varying degrees of mental retardation, hypothyroidism, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and congenital deafness. This condition is supposed to be an autosomal recessive disorder. We are reporting a female neonate with the characteristic features and an uncommon less emphasized feature viz. cafe-au-lait spots.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed2004

Importance of reciprocal leads in acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: To study the relevance of the ECG changes in the reciprocal leads in patients with acute anterior and inferior wall myocardial infarction, with regard to culprit artery localization and left ventricular (LV) function. METHODS: Three hundred patients of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (180 anterior, 120 inferior) aged between 30-90 years (mean age - 60 yrs; M:F - 220:80) were studied with regard to the reciprocal lead changes which were correlated with the culprit coronary artery and LV function. 285/300 (95%) patients underwent echocardiography and 62/300 (20.67%) underwent coronary angiography (CAG). RESULTS: In patients with acute anterior wall MI (AWMI), Q wave in inferior leads was found in 38.8% (70/180) patients. Nineteen patients underwent (CAG) and all 70 patients underwent 2D echocardiography. CAG revealed 10/19 and 9/19 patients to have single vessel disease (SVD) and multivessel disease (MVD), respectively. In presence of SVD, 80% (8/10) patients were found to have a distal/mid LAD occlusion. The echocardiogrpahy of these 19 patients showed that 15/19 (78.94%) of these had LV ejection fraction (EF) > 40% as against only 4/19 (21.05%) patients with LVEF < 40%. The echocardiographic study of patients with and without reciprocal ST depression in inferior leads more than or equal to the ST elevation in anterior leads, showed higher incidence of LV dysfunction i.e. LVEF < 40% in patients with reciprocal changes (72.05%) as compared to patients without the reciprocal changes (27.94%). In patients with acute inferior wall MI (IWMI), anterior and lateral ST depression more than or equal to ST elevation in inferior leads was found in 80% (96/120) patients. 27/96 patients underwent coronary angiography and all 96 underwent echocardiography. Patients with ST depression in I, a VL, V4-V6 (apicolateral leads) > or = ST elevation in inferior leads were found to have more occurrence of multivessel disease (21/27) with LVEF < 40% (50/64 i.e. 78.12%, P < 0.001). 12.5% (4/32) patients with reciprocal changes in anterior i.e. VI-V3 leads and 15% (3/20) patients without significant reciprocal changes in anterior and lateral leads had LVEF < 40%. Also, patients with ST depression in I, aVL showed higher incidence of right coronary artery (RCA) lesion (23/27) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients of acute AWMI with Q waves in inferior leads indicate a smaller infarct with higher incidence of mid/distal LAD occlusion and a relatively preserved LV function. AWMI patients without reciprocal changes in inferior leads have a better LVEF. Patients of acute IWMI with ST depression in apicolateral leads have more occurrence of multivessel disease with significant LV dysfunction. Reciprocal ST depression in I, aVL suggests a possibility of RCA lesion.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Maximum likelihood estimation for longitudinal data with truncated observations.

We obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters when the observations on the response variable in a repeated measures design are truncated above a cutpoint. The maximum likelihood equations are solved iteratively using an EM-like procedure. It is observed that these estimates have smaller mean squared error than recently proposed iterative weighted least-squares estimates. The results are applied to data arising from a study of dioxin elimination in Air Force veterans. Published in 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMed1999

Analysis of in vitro migration patterns of human spermatozoa by a petri dish-based horizontal column.

Spermatozoa are required to travel a considerable distance in vivo to meet the oocyte at the fertilization site. However, none of the existing in vitro tests critically evaluates migration of sperm to assess their potential of reaching the oocyte. On the other hand, an in vivo model is not suitable for this type of study because of ethical and technical constraints. In the present study we utilized a horizontal column technique to analyze sperm migration. Migratory characteristics of fresh, unwashed semen sperm and sperm undergoing various treatments were examined in vitro using a Petri dish-based horizontal fluid column. The procedure involved loading a sperm sample into the column and determining sperm concentration, motility, and viability at different column segments for different migration durations (6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h). All sperm samples produced an exponential migration pattern in all durations of migration. Propagation along the column edge, tendency to exit from the column, and hiding in the blind pouches were some of the important characteristic features exhibited by the migratory sperm. Variations in migration patterns were documented among semen donors, between fresh and frozen semen, and between washed and unwashed sperm. Prolonged postejaculation time diminished migratory potential. The recovery of sperm in the column end was independent of seminal variables with the exception of oligozoospermia. These observations suggest that the Petri dish-based horizontal column is effective for analyzing sperm migration characteristics for prolonged periods. The potential of this migration assay in predicting the in vivo potential of spermatozoa to reach the fertilization site will be worth exploring.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Maximum (Max) and Mid-P confidence intervals and p values for the standardized mortality and incidence ratios.

The authors present algorithms to compute the confidence interval for a Poisson parameter (lambda) and the p value for testing the hypothesis that lambda is equal to a constant, which can be used to make inferences about the standardized mortality ratio and the standardized incidence ratio. The p value and confidence interval always agree, despite the discrete nature of the Poisson distribution. The authors also give simple equations to compute numeric approximations of the confidence limits that do not require the use of any probability distributions. An example based on data arising from a study of cancer incidence is given.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of significant morphological differences between human X and Y spermatozoa and their precursor cells (spermatids) exposed to different prehybridization treatments.

Human X and Y spermatozoa were previously compared by several nonmolecular techniques. Recent studies show that in many of the previous investigations, the methods used to identify the spermatozoa were nonspecific and thus produced contradictory findings. In the present study, the comparison of the 2 germ cell types, X and Y, were performed following fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which is the most reliable genotyping technique currently available. The FISH technique was performed under 3 different treatments: permeabilization with liquid N2, fixation with Carnoy's, and chromatin decondensation with lithium di-iodosalicylate. Mature and immature germ cells (spermatozoa and spermatids) were compared. Lithium showed higher hybridization efficiency, while liquid N2 and Carnoy's fixative maintained better morphological integrity of cells with lower hybridization. The sperm exhibiting hybridization signals were not different in any of the morphometric or qualitative comparisons from those that did not exhibit signals. No significant deviation of the sex ratio from 1:1 was seen in either the mature or immature germ cell population. The spatial distribution of X and Y chromosome-specific signals in the sperm head were identical. The hybridization treatments did not have any preferential effect on the cells of specific genotype (X or Y). Neither head parameters (length, HL; width, HW; area, HA) nor tail length (TL) significantly differed between X and Y populations of spermatozoa under any of the treatments. Similarly, the haploid, X-specific round cells did not differ from Y-specific ones by their size (diameter) and shape. These results indicate that neither mature sperm nor their precursors possess significant morphological differences between X and Y genotypes.

Cell Separation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impact of mortality decline on marital duration and length of post-dissolution life at different divorce levels.

"The effects of changing life span on certain life cycle measures of post-marital life are examined with the help of numerically computed values of such measures under various mortality and divorce levels. The results show that in the absence of divorce the increase in mean marital duration effected by a mortality decline is even greater than the increase in total post-marriage life. Thus, in such populations, the expected length of widowhood actually declines in spite of the fact that a greater proportion of women face widowhood as mortality falls. But this is not true for populations with moderate or high divorce levels, which would experience relatively smaller improvements in mean marital durations and consequently the length of post-dissolution life increases through a mortality decline in such populations." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND ITA)

Demography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Additions to Pollard's "fun with Gompertz".

"In a recent paper, Pollard (1991) has demonstrated that under the Gompertz law of mortality quick accurate or approximate answers can be obtained to many queries on survival. Some of Pollard's formulae can also be developed in the context of multiple decrement life tables so as to arrive at simple solutions to problems on the probability of death due to a given cause and the effect of the elimination of a cause of death. It is realized that the cause-specific force of mortality may not obey the Gompertz law. Still, it may be possible to group the causes in such a way that for each group the Gompertz curve provides a good approximation."

Cause of Death↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The reliability of the serum dioxin measurement in veterans of Operation Ranch Hand.

A study was conducted on the reliability of the serum dioxin measurement of enlisted Ranch Hands veterans participating in the Air Force Health Study using paired serum dioxin measurements. The 46 veterans were not randomly selected, but their demographic characteristics, health, and dioxin levels were similar to those of 404 other enlisted Ranch Hand veterans who had a single dioxin measurement made in 1987. The average time between the measurements was 0.61 years, the first measurement made from blood drawn on 10 April 1987 and the second from blood collected at a subsequent physical examination. In original unit, the coefficient of reliability was 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.76, 0.94) when the first measurement was at or below 50 parts per trillion. The measurement had no reliability in original units when the first measurement was greater than 50 parts per trillion. After a logarithmic transformation, the coefficient of reliability was 0.96 (95% confidence interval: 0.93 to 0.98). These results suggest that the serum dioxin measurement should not be used in original units for any purpose when the value exceeds 50 parts per trillion. The measurement is, however, highly reliable after a logarithmic transformation over the entire range of concentrations. Other studies using the same analytical method to measure dioxin in serum could similarly benefit if the measurement used is on the natural logarithm scale.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Levels of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in 1,302 unexposed Air Force Vietnam-era veterans.

We summarize the distribution of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxin) in 1,302 Air Force veterans who serve as controls in a 20-year prospective epidemiologic study of health and exposure to herbicides and their dioxin contaminant in Air Force veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, the unit responsible for aerial spraying of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam. We present statistics summarizing the dioxin distribution overall and by stratum of age and body mass index of these veterans. The average dioxin measurement was 4.23 and the standard deviation was 2.53 parts per trillion. With 95% confidence, 99% of the distribution is less than or equal to 10.4 parts per trillion.

Adult↗