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Biomedical subjects

S Rastogi

Publications and source records attributed to S Rastogi.

88 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Heavy metal pollution among autoworkers. I. Lead.

Lead pollution was evaluated in 216 individuals working in 10 garages on the Island of Funen, Denmark and related to data from biochemical and medical examinations. Clinical symptoms were recorded by means of a questionnaire. Increased blood test lead levels were foun in 59% with 9% having above 80 microgram lead/100 ml (3-86mumol/1) whole blood. Mechanics in eight out of ten garages had significantly increased blood lead levels. A decrease in delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity was associated with increased blood lead levels but the latter were not related to haematological changes, tobacco consumption or to length of service in the trade. Particulate lead air pollution was not the sole cause of increased blood lead levels. Raised lead values were maximal among diesel engine workers who are exposed to high pressure-resistant lubricants containing lead naphthenate. As these workers complained of skin damage, lead absorption may have occurred through the skin. Assay of lead content showed 9290 ppm in gear oil and 1500-3500 ppm in used motor oils. The data are discussed in relation to the occupational risks in auto repair shops.

Adolescent↗

Quantitative histochemical evaluation of normal human skeletal muscle.

Skeletal muscle tissue was obtained by open biopsy from the vastus lateralis and peroneus brevis muscles from 12 and 16 healthy paid volunteers, respectively. Frozen sections were examined with standard histochemical methods. Central nuclei, small and large angular fibers, and small round fibers were the most common "abnormalities" present. The number of fibers of these types were quantified, along with other more rare deviations from normal morphology. Several of the abnormalities were more common in the peroneus brevis than in the vastus lateralis.

Adolescent↗

Statistical evaluation of diluents and automatic diluting and pipetting machines in influenza serology.

The use of three diluents (i.e., 0.01 m phosphate-buffered saline, PBS; PBS with 0.2% gelatin, PBS/GEL; and PBS with 0.4% bovine plasma albumin) and three methods (i.e., the standard tube macro-procedure, TUBE; the manual microtechnique, MANUAL; and the semiautomatic microtechnique, AUTO) were statistically compared for their reproducibility and sensitivity in determining hemagglutinin (HA) and hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers. In the HA test, analyses of between-cell variances of the different methods showed the AUTO microtiter procedure to be more reproducible than the standard TUBE method. The MANUAL microtiter procedure was the least reproducible. In the HI test, the TUBE method was the most reproducible. No significant difference in the reproducibility of the diluents was observed in either the HA or HI test. When a comparison of the sensitivity of test methods and diluents was made for determining HA titers, the AUTO microtiter procedure and PBS/GEL diluent appeared to be the method and diluent of choice. Evaluation of another instrument, the autopipetter, which standardizes the volume of diluent to be added in the microtechnique, suggests that the reproducibility of the AUTO microtiter procedure might be further increased.

Analysis of Variance↗

Pseudohypoparathyroidism-Albright hereditary osteodystrophy.

A 13 year old girl with short stature, and retarded mental growth with coarse facies and deranged thyroid function test was initially suspected as a case of hypothyroidism and was started on thyroxine. Lack of response to treatment and on further investigations it was diagnosed as a case of pseudohypoparathyroidism. High index of suspicion and careful evaluation is important to diagnose such an entity.

Adolescent↗

Recurrent osteoid osteoma: a case report with imaging features.

We present a case of a 14-year-old boy, who presented with pain in the left thigh region for 1 year. The pain exacerbated at night, waking up the child and was relieved by salicylates. On the basis of clinical history, conventional radiography, computerized tomography and bone scintigraphy, a diagnosis of osteoid osteoma was made. The tumor was completely excised, and there was complete remission of symptoms. Six months following surgery, the pain recurred in the same region. Conventional radiography revealed dense sclerosis at the surgical site. Three-phase skeletal scintigraphy showed a focal area of increased blood pool activity followed by intense focal uptake in delayed images, characteristic of osteoid osteoma. Computerized tomography confirmed the findings of skeletal scintigraphy.

Adolescent↗

Novel route to fatigue-resistant fully sintered ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene for knee prosthesis.

The role of entanglements in obtaining a homogeneous product of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) has been explored. Studies performed in this report show that a disentangled state before melting is a prerequisite to obtain homogeneous products of an intractable polymer like UHMW-PE. The disentangled state is obtained directly from the reactor by controlling the polymerization conditions or in the solid state when there is enhanced chain mobility along the c axis of a unit cell. The disentangled state is maintained in the melt over a period of time, invoking implications in polymer rheology. This approach is applicable to polymers in general. The homogeneous fully sintered UHMW-PE, obtained for the first time, shows a considerable decrease in oxygen permeability and an increase in toughness and fatigue resistance. Such homogeneous products of UHMW-PE are beneficial in highly demanding applications, especially in knee prosthesis, where the polymer is used as an inlay between the human bone and a metal or ceramic part, which slides against the polyethylene component during normal gait.

Knee Prosthesis↗

Lipoprotein(a) in coronary heart disease: a case-control study.

To determine the significance of lipoprotein(a) levels in coronary heart disease patients, a case-control study was performed with 48 newly diagnosed coronary heart disease patients and 23 controls who were evaluated using clinical history and biochemical examination. Lipoprotein(a) was measured by quantitative latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric method. Geometric means of biochemical parameters were obtained. Comprehensive lipid tetrad index was calculated using a previously validated formula. There was no significant difference in prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and smoking in cases and controls. Dietary intake of calories, fats, fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins was also similar. The levels of fasting glucose, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were not significantly different in cases and controls (p > 0.05). Low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein ratio (4.33 +/- 1.5 vs 4.29 +/- 1.8) and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein ratio (6.59 + 1.7 vs 6.69 +/- 2.2) were similar. The mean lipoprotein(a) levels were significantly greater in cases (11.95 +/- 2.8 mg/dL, range 1-102 mg/dL) as compared to controls (6.68 +/- 3.4 mg/dL, range 1-73 mg/dL) (t = 2.08, p = 0.041). As compared to controls, in coronary heart disease cases, mean lipoprotein(a) levels in patients upto 50 years (10.27 +/- 2.8 vs 7.27 +/- 3.4 mg/dL) as well as those over 50 years (12.99 +/- 2.9 vs 4.91 +/- 3.5 mg/dL) were significantly more (p < 0.05). Coronary heart disease patients had a slightly greater prevalence of high lipoprotein(a) levels, 20 mg/dL or more (31.3 vs 13.0%; chi 2 = 2.83, l-tailed p < 0.05). Comprehensive lipid tetrad index (total cholesterol x triglycerides x lipoprotein(a) divided by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) was also slightly higher in cases (14688.2 +/- 3.6) than in controls (8358.2 +/- 4.3) (t = 1.68, 1-tailed p < 0.05). This study shows that lipoprotein(a) levels are significantly more in both younger and older coronary heart disease patients as compared to controls.

Adult↗