The present research decided to study prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythus in chronic periodontitis patient by use of Multiplex PCR. The subgingival plaque samples from 61 ...patients suffering from chronic periodontitis with probing depth PD > or = 6 and 40 healthy controls were collected by sterile curette. In this study we used two species-specific Forward primers in combination with a single Reverse primer. These primers target variable and conserved region of 16S rRNA gene, respectively. The study included 61 patients (34 women, 27 men; 24-69 years of age; mean 43) and 40 periodontally healthy controls (22 Women, 18 men, 21-69 years in age; mean 41.35%). Porphyromonas gingivalis was detected in 51 samples (83.61%) and 16 samples (40%) of chronic periodontitis patients and healthy subjects, respectively and Bacteroides forsythus was detected in 32 samples (52.50%) of chronic periodontitis patients and was not detected in any sample from healthy persons. We set up Multiplex PCR in order to detect P. gingivalis and B. forsythus simultaneously. The present data suggest that P. gingivalis is a more important cofactor in etiology of chronic periodontitis. Further studies are needed to determine spectrum of pathogenicity of the disease and effective management of diagnosis and treatment in order to decrease the risk of periodontic complicates such as systemic infection.
Stem extracts of Commelina benghalensis (Linn.), although not extensively documented, are frequently used in traditional medicine for the treatment of ailments such as skin malformations and ...outgrowths. Accordingly, the study was aimed to investigate possible molecular mechanisms that are associated with the potential anti-carcinogenic property of this agrofield weed. Jurkat T cells were exposed to different concentrations (0-600 mg/ml) of the crude methanolic extract of C. benghalensis to evaluate their growth inhibitory and apoptosis inducing effects. The extract elicited a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation, followed by a concomitant decrease in cell viability. The observed cytotoxicity was linked to the induction of apoptosis as determined by morphological and biochemical features known to be associated with the advent of apoptosis. Real time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analyses of Bax, Bcl-2 and p53 exhibited aberrant expression profiles of these genes under various treatment conditions. Taken together, the data suggest that the crude methanolic extract of C. benghalensis contains bioactive compounds that may be beneficial in the treatment of malignant growths, and that this apparent antineoplastic activity is a consequence of dysregulated expression of apoptosis-responsive genes. These observations could provide a credible scientific justification upon which the ethnopharmacological utilisation of C. benghalensis is founded.
The purpose of this article is to provide a review of mobility devices available for the rehabilitation of individuals with (spinal cord injury) SCI. The technologies that improve mobility and ...potentially enhance community participation that will be discussed include those devices that are used to improve ambulation, wheeled mobility, and functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems. This review should provide a guide to biomedical engineers to understand the tools developed, the design characteristics, and the functionality of such technologies that strive to improve functional mobility of individuals with SCI. This review is not intended to suggest the optimal device(s) geared for a given individual with SCI. Conversely, since it is important to match the person with the technology, the purpose of this review is to offer a series of mobility options that may be available to a person with SCI.
This study determined the physiologic responses to prolonged functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) leg-cycle exercise in seven quadriplegic and seven paraplegic subjects. Each subject completed ...30 minutes of continuous FNS leg cycling during which open-circuit spirometry, impedance cardiography, auscultation, and fingertip capillary blood sampling were used to assess metabolic and hemodynamic responses. Compared with resting values, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), pulmonary ventilation, heart rate (HR), left ventricular stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (Qt), and blood lactate (La) concentration were significantly (p less than .05) elevated, whereas plasma volume, bicarbonate concentration, and pH were significantly decreased in both groups during prolonged FNS leg-cycle exercise. Mean arterial pressure remained unchanged in quadriplegic and paraplegic subjects during the prolonged FNS leg-cycle exercise bout. Persons with quadriplegia elicited significantly lower MAP and tended to have lower SV and Qt responses than persons with paraplegia, probably due to a higher degree of sympathetic dysfunction and circulatory hypokinesis during FNS leg-cycle exercise. All other physiologic variables responded similarly between groups. We speculate that the relative increases observed for HR (33% to 60%), SV (45% to 69%), and Qt (113% to 142%) during prolonged FNS leg-cycle exercise create a sufficient cardiac-volume load to promote central cardiovascular conditioning in persons with both quadriplegia and paraplegia. The La accumulation (4.7 to 5.2 mmol.L-1) in the spinal cord injured during prolonged FNS leg cycling is unusually high for the power output attained (5.2W and 6.1W for quadriplegia and paraplegia, respectively).
GenoML is a Python package automating machine learning workflows for genomics (genetics and multi-omics) with an open science philosophy. Genomics data require significant domain expertise to clean, ...pre-process, harmonize and perform quality control of the data. Furthermore, tuning, validation, and interpretation involve taking into account the biology and possibly the limitations of the underlying data collection, protocols, and technology. GenoML's mission is to bring machine learning for genomics and clinical data to non-experts by developing an easy-to-use tool that automates the full development, evaluation, and deployment process. Emphasis is put on open science to make workflows easily accessible, replicable, and transferable within the scientific community. Source code and documentation is available at https://genoml.com.
The purpose of this article is to provide a review of mobility devices available for the rehabilitation of individuals with (spinal cord injury) SCI. The technologies that improve mobility and ...potentially enhance community participation that will be discussed include those devices that are used to improve ambulation, wheeled mobility, and functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems. This review should provide a guide to biomedical engineers to understand the tools developed, the design characteristics, and the functionality of such technologies that strive to improve functional mobility of individuals with SCI. This review is not intended to suggest the optimal device(s) geared for a given individual with SCI. Conversely, since it is important to match the person with the technology, the purpose of this review is to offer a series of mobility options that may be available to a person with SCI.
Deep venous thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolism due to venous pooling/stasis commonly occur in patients during hip and/or knee arthroplasty (i.e., replacement). This problem may be ...alleviated by using techniques to promote lower limb blood flow. Electrical stimulation-induced contractions have been shown to activate the skeletal muscle pump, promote limb blood flow, and may be effective for reducing venous pooling/stasis and edema. Therefore, electrical stimulation may reduce the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) during and following surgery. The overall goal of this project was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of sequential electrical stimulation-induced leg muscle contractions on the venous blood flow during surgery. The degree of venous pooling/stasis was monitored via electrical impedance changes in the thorax. The changes in the patient's central hemodynamics were then calculated. Thirty patients were recruited and randomly assigned to either a control group (n=15, mean age=66.4/spl plusmn/7.3) or experimental group (n=15, age 60.7/spl plusmn/9.7). Both groups received the standard medical treatment for prevention of DVT (i.e., coumadin, heparin, etc.) and compression stockings (TED, Kendall). The control group used the sequential compression device (SCD+TED) and the experimental group used electrical stimulation (ES+TED). Electrical stimulation was applied via surface electrodes to the lower-limb muscles (tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius) and upper limb muscles (quadriceps femoris and hamstrings). These muscles contracted sequentially, using an 8-channel electrical stimulator. Four seconds of calf (contraction/compression) were followed by 7-s of calf and thigh (contraction/compression) interspersed by 60-s rest period during both electrical stimulation or sequential compression device. This cycle continued throughout the surgery (60-75 min) for both groups. At 15 min intervals, venous return was monitored by impedance cardiograph. Physiologic responses including ventricular stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR), total peripheral resistance (TPR), as well as mean arterial pressure (MAP) were monitored. These responses were statistically analyzed and compared throughout the surgery within each group and between the 2 groups. The results show stroke volume and cardiac output to be higher throughout surgery in the electrical stimulation group as compared with the sequential compression device group. The heart rate was consistently lower during electrical stimulation for both groups. Total peripheral resistance did not change in the electrical stimulation group; but increased in the sequential compression device group.