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S Sharma

Publications and source records attributed to S Sharma.

At least 883 records · Page 49Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Comparative evaluation of commonly used catheters through histopathological changes induced in bladder urothelium.

There is growing concern about the toxic potential of chemicals coating various catheter materials, especially due to lack of international standards for toxicity testing. The present study evaluates the toxicity potential in terms of pathological changes induced by the catheters commonly used in practice, i.e. latex-, silicone- and Teflon-coated catheters. Teflon-coated catheters appear to be superior to others in the present study.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1994

Homicide or accidental death?

A case of unnatural death was registered by the police as homicide due to the hue and cry made by the local people. The police could not locate the 'murderer'. The case was ultimately referred to the Forensic Science Laboratory at Shimla. Examination of the evidence proved that the case was one of accidental death. The victim had been hit and dragged along by a moving train. The forensic aspects of the case are presented and discussed in this article.

Accidents↗
PubMed1994

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity during chronic central administration of interleukin-2.

The cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) exerts numerous effects within the immune as well as the central nervous system and is thought to serve as a humoral signal in their communication. Brain-derived or blood-borne IL-2 may also control the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis at various levels of regulation. In this study we investigated whether persistently elevated levels of central IL-2, which are associated with several diseases or induced during immunotherapeutic use of this cytokine, could induce long term activation of the HPA axis. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received an intracerebroventricular infusion of the recombinant cytokine at a rate of 5 U/h (equivalent to 2.5 ng/h or 162 fmol/h) by means of osmotic minipumps. Control animals received heat-inactivated IL-2. After 7 days of continuous infusion, blood samples were taken at intervals of 4 h over a period of 24 h, and plasma levels of ACTH and corticosterone (CORT) were determined. IL-2 caused a significant increase in ACTH levels during the later portion of the dark phase of the cycle. Plasma CORT concentrations were significantly elevated over almost the whole diurnal cycle. Measurements of CORT-binding globulin concentrations revealed IL-2-induced decreases during the dark phase, resulting in a marked increase in free CORT. Additionally, after 11 days of chronic infusion, both groups of animals underwent a 20-min restraint stress. IL-2-treated animals showed stress-induced increases in plasma ACTH and CORT that were not significantly different from those of animals treated with heat-inactivated IL-2. Along with the alteration of HPA activity seen in the IL-2-treated animals, chronic delivery of the cytokine caused periventricular tissue damage and gliosis. Taken together, the data reflect the capacity of IL-2 to modulate neuroendocrine activity over an extended period of treatment. Moreover, the IL-2-induced effects on HPA activity seen here may help to explain some of the endocrine disturbances seen in patients undergoing IL-2 immunotherapy.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1994

Insulin expression in pancreatic islet cells relies on cooperative interactions between the helix loop helix factor E47 and the homeobox factor STF-1.

The development of endocrine cell types within the pancreas is thought to involve the progressive restriction of pluripotential stem cells, which gives rise to the four major cell types: insulin-, glucagon-, somatostatin-, and pancreatic polypeptide-expressing cells. The mechanism by which these peptide hormone genes are induced and then either maintained or repressed during development is unknown, but their coexpression in early precursor cells suggests the involvement of common regulatory factors. Here we show that the somatostatin transcription factor STF-1 is also a principal regulator of insulin expression in beta-cells of the pancreas. STF-1 stimulates the insulin gene by recognizing two well defined islet-specifying elements on the insulin promoter and by subsequently synergizing in trans with the juxtaposed helix-loop-helix protein E47. Within the STF-1 protein, an N-terminal trans-activation domain functions cooperatively with E47 to stimulate insulin transcription. As truncated STF-1 polypeptides lacking the N-terminal activation domain strongly inhibit insulin promoter activity in beta-islet cells, our results suggest that the specification of islet cell types during development may be in part determined by the expression of STF-1 relative to other islet cell factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Distribution of beta-thalassemia mutations in three Asian Indian populations with distant geographical locations.

We have identified the beta-thalassemia alleles in 47 pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major from a clinic in New Delhi and in 105 heterozygous relatives. Surprisingly, only five mutations were present in 94 beta-thalassemia chromosomes with frequencies from 10 to 32%. This observation greatly facilitated the initiation of a prenatal diagnostic program. Similar studies were conducted for seven Asian Indian patients from Calgary, Canada, seven Asian Indian patients from Durban, South Africa, and from heterozygous relatives, and persons with a beta-thalassemia trait who were not related. Besides beta-thalassemia alleles, common to Asian Indian beta-thalassemia patients, some unexpected alleles were observed in the patients from South Africa, including a newly discovered frameshift at codon 15 (-T).

Alleles↗
PubMed1994

In-migration in Madhya Pradesh.

"The aim of this paper is to analyse the expectancy of in-migration in the districts of Madhya Pradesh State [India, using the 1981 census.].... The percentage of in-migration in Madhya Pradesh from rural areas is very high (84.83), in comparison to the urban areas (15.17). The influences of industrialisation, urbanisation and facilities of higher education on in-migration has been analysed and found significant. The Chhattisgarh Basin and Malwa Plateau are the regions where the expectancy and actual in-migration are high."

Asia↗
PubMed1994

Cystic hygroma: anaesthetic considerations and review.

A 3-day-old child presented with a gross swelling on the right side of the neck extending beyond the midline and inability to swallow. It was diagnosed to be cystic hygroma and decision was made to excise the swelling as an emergency operation to enable the child to swallow and thrive better. During the gaseous induction, difficulty was encountered in maintaining the airway and subsequently to intubate the patient. Intraoperatively the surgeon was not able to excise the tumour completely. Postoperatively it was decided to ventilate the child electively because of the intubation difficulties encountered and not so firm floor of the mouth because of surgical excision. The stay in the neonatal ICU was marked with infection and facial nerve palsy.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1994

Coronary heart disease and coronary risk factor prevalence in rural Rajasthan.

To determine the prevalence of coronary risk factors and coronary heart disease (CHD) in rural Rajasthan, 1150 randomly selected individuals in a cluster of villages in central Rajasthan have been studied. These included 805 men and 345 women. The prevalence of various coronary risk factors in the whole group were: Smoking 488 (42.4%); Diabetes (history): 5(0.4%); Alcohol intake: 146 (12.7%); Sedentary lifestyle: 797 (69.3%); Stressful life events: 48 (4.2%); Hypertension (BP > or = 140/90) 152 (13.2%); obesity (BMI > or = 27 Kg/M2): 194 (10.9%); and Truncal obesity (waist:hip > or = 0.93): 20.8%. The overall prevalence of CHD was 46.1/1000. Patients with CHD had a higher prevalence of male sex (67.9 vs 51.5%); educated persons (30.2 vs 28.8%); businessmen (13.2 vs 10.2%); smoking (47.2 vs 40.5%); sedentary lifestyle (75.5 vs 62.3%); stressful life events (7.5 vs 4.8%); and hypertension (26.4 vs 14.8%). On the other hand, persons without CHD had higher prevalence of alcohol intake (10.8 vs 7.5%); regular prayers (23.1 vs 22.6%); physically active lifestyle (37.7 vs 24.5%); obesity (13.6 vs 6.9%), and truncal obesity (21.0 vs 20.0%). The following risk factors emerged significant on statistical analysis (Odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals): male sex (1.99, 1.04 to 3.7); hypertension (2.04, 1.01 to 4.09); male smokers (1.80, 1.28 to 4.09); and sedentary lifestyle (1.86, 1.01 to 3.59). This study shows a low prevalence of CHD in rural population which is however more than previously reported studies from India.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Noninvasive estimation of pulmonary artery wedge pressure by dual-M-mode-echocardiography.

Pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) measurement is invasive, associated with complications, contraindications and its high cost limits its use in clinical practice. We evaluated the use of dual-M-mode-echocardiography as a possible noninvasive alternative method in 20 patients for estimating the PAWP. The interval from the Q-wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) to the mitral valve closure on the mitral valve M-mode-echocardiogram (Q-MVC), the interval between the aortic valve closure and mitral valve E point (AVC-E) on aortic and mitral valve M-mode-ECG respectively and the ratio of these intervals (Q-MVC/AVC-E) was correlated to the mean PAWP measured at catheterization. The mean PAWP correlated excellently with Q-MVC/AVC-E ratio [r = 0.89, p < 0.0001, y = 14.51 (Q-MVC/AVC-E) + 6.71]. The estimation of PAWP by a dual-M-mode-ECG offers a useful estimate of mean PAWP noninvasively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Tumours of the male urogenital tract: a clinicopathologic study.

The present communication deals with the study of 388 tumours of the male urogenital tract diagnosed histopathologically during the period of 1984 to 1990. Of these 12 (3.09%) were benign and the rest 376 (96.91%) malignant. The incidence of malignant growths of male urogenital tract was 8.71% of all the malignancies or 14.19% of all cancers in males. Renal tumours constituted 10.64% of all the malignant tumours of male urogenital tract or 1.51% of all the male cancers. Morphological variants were renal cell carcinoma (37.5%), Wilms' tumour (47.5%), transitional cell carcinoma (7.5%), papillary cystic adenocarcinoma (3.5%), leiomyosarcoma (2.5%), metastatic from thyroid (2.5%). The mean age of the cases for renal cell carcinoma was 50.3 years and for Wilms' tumour 3.5 years. Urinary bladder cancer comprised 29.52% of all the malignancies of male urogenital tract or 4.19% of all malignant growths in males. The average age of the patients was 53.9 years. Transitional cell carcinoma was the commonest type of tumour (91.9%). Primary malignant tumours of the testis constituted 0.95% of all the malignancies, 1.55% of all male cancers, 10.9% of all malignancies of male urogenital tract or 18.3% of all the malignant growths of male genital tract. The mean age of the patients was 40.6 years. Seminoma was the commonest -46.34% of all the testicular tumours. The incidence of prostatic cancer was 1.81% of all cancers, 2.95% of all malignancies in males or 20.74% of all malignancies of male urogenital tract or 34.82% of malignancies of male genital tract.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Sterility and the disinfection potential of Indian contact lens solutions.

Ocular infection associated with microbial contamination of contact lens care products is a major problem in contact lens wearers. The sterility and the antimicrobial activity of contact lens care systems reflect their suitability for disinfection of contact lenses. These factors remain to be evaluated for the various newer contact lens care products manufactured in India. In this study, 35 bottles of contact lens solutions marketed by different manufacturing units in India were tested for sterility. Seven solutions were tested for antimicrobial effectiveness employing the D value method of analysis. The D value is defined as the time required to reduce a population of organisms by 90% (one log unit). A standard inoculum of the ocular isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium solani, and Acanthamoeba castellanii were used as challenge organisms. Bacterial contamination was detected in 20 (57.1%) solution bottles and none yielded fungus or Acanthamoeba. Pseudomonas species were the most commonly encountered contaminant (11/20; 55%). Only sterile solutions were analyzed for antimicrobial activity. D values ranging between 12 and 20 minutes were demonstrated by six of the seven solutions against bacterial challenge. Good antifungal activity was noticed in five solutions against Fusarium solani though results varied with Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans. All solutions were adequately effective against Acanthamoeba.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Donor corneoscleral rim contamination by gentamicin-resistant organisms.

Gentamicin is the most widely used antibiotic in the decontamination of donor cornea for penetrating keratoplasty. However, the incidence of resistance to gentamicin is on the rise. Bacterial isolates from 178 donor corneal rims were studied for gentamicin sensitivity. The overall rate of gentamicin resistance was 63.4%. At 86.2% the Pseudomonas. species had the highest rate of resistance, followed by Streptococci at 84.6%. The high rate of gentamicin resistance encountered by us and others suggest that either addition of a second antibiotic to corneal storage media or replacement of gentamicin by an antibiotic with a broader spectrum of activity may help reduce the risk of endophthalmitis following penetrating keratoplasty.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1994

What dictates the position of the diaphragm--the heart or the liver? A review of sixty-five cases.

Case histories of 65 patients with cardiac malposition were reviewed to assess abdominal taxis and hemidiaphragm posture. We present their roentgenographic findings to support the hypothesis that the cardiac mass determines the caudad displacement and lower position of the related hemidiaphragm. The popular hypothesis that the liver lifts the corresponding hemidiaphragm is questioned. Incidentally, a review of their echocardiographic findings demonstrate the presence of complex congenital heart defects in a majority of these patients.

Diaphragm↗
PubMed1994

Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy using Inoue catheter in juvenile rheumatic mitral stenosis.

Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) using Inoue balloon was performed in 270 patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis. Of these 81 (27%), 48 males and 33 females, had juvenile mitral stenosis (age < 20 years, range 9-20 years mean 14 +/- 5). All patients were symptomatic (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class III in 61 patients and class IV in 20 patients). Following PTMC, the mitral valve area (MVA) increased from 0.8 +/- 0.4 to 2.2 +/- 0.5 cm2 (P < 0.001) and the cardiac index increased from 2.4 +/- 0.8 to 3.0 +/- 0.8 L/min/m2 (P < 0.001). Mean transmitral gradients decreased from 24 +/- 8 to 4 +/- 3 mm Hg (P < 0.001). Three (4%) patients had an increase in mitral regurgitation by 1 grade (grade 2/4); however, none required surgery. Significant left to right atrial shunt (Qp/Qs > 1.3: 1) on oximetry was detected in 8 (10%) patients. Overall results were compared to those with adult subgroup of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (n = 189, 100 females and 89 males), who underwent PTMC simultaneously. Their age ranged from 21 to 44 years (mean 32 +/- 11 years). The percentage increase in MVA was higher in juvenile as compared to adult patients (172 +/- 61 vs. 154 +/- 69, respectively, P < 0.01). A larger final MVA was achieved in the juvenile group (2.2 +/- 0.5 vs. 1.9 +/- 0.3 cm2, P < 0.05). However, the incidence of increase in mitral regurgitation by 1 grade was similar in two groups (6% vs. 4%, P = NS).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗