Background: Oral cavity cancers, the second most common type in India, are responsible for 10% of the overall cancer burden. With a recurrence rate of 30% to 40% and a 5-year survival rate of 50%, these malignancies account for substantial morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in treatment modalities, survival rates following treatment completion have not improved significantly. The present study aimed to establish specific epidemiological and pathological factors responsible for recurrence after treatment completion in buccal mucosa cancers. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the data of 116 patients treated for biopsy-proven cancers of the buccal mucosa was undertaken 1 year after treatment completion. Factors such as age, sex, education, lymphovascular invasion, extranodal extension (ENE), perineural invasion, depth of invasion, and pathological margin status were compared between patients who presented with recurrence and those who did not. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. Results: Of the 116 patients, 40 (34.5%) developed a recurrent disease within 1 year. The mean age of the study population was 43.3 years, and males constituted 91.4% of the included patients. Ipsilateral buccal mucosa was the commonest site of disease recurrence. Neck node metastasis, ENE, and margins of resection < 5 mm were significantly related to the recurrence of disease. However, surprisingly, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and depth of invasion > 10 mm did not show statistically significant associations. Conclusion Neck node metastasis, ENE, and margins of resection < 5 mm were the histopathological factors associated with recurrence in cancers of the buccal mucosa.

The present study was planned to investigate the pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone in experimentally induced febrile buffalo calves (n = 5). The fever was induced by intravenous injection of E.coli lipopolysaccaride (1 microgram/kg). To study the pharmacokinetics, ceftriaxone was administered at the dose rate of 10 mg/kg body wt. in all animals. At 1 min, the peak concentration of ceftriaxone was 79.4 +/- 2.37 microgram/ml and the drug was detected up to 6 h. The elimination rate constant was 0.35 +/- 0.02 /h and elimination half-life was 2.04 +/- 0.14 h. The apparent volume of distribution (Vd(area)) and total body clearance (ClB) were 1.21 +/- 0.15 l/kg and 0.41 +/- 0.03 l/kg/h, respectively. To maintain a minimum therapeutic concentration of 1 microgram/kg, a satisfactory dosage regimen of cefriaxone in febrile buffalo calves is 19 mg/kg followed by 18 mg/kg at 8 h intervals.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration&dosage/*pharmacokinetics ; Area Under Curve ; Buffaloes/*metabolism ; Ceftriaxone/administration&dosage/*pharmacokinetics ; Drug Administration Schedule/veterinary ; Fever/drug therapy/*metabolism/*veterinary ; Half-Life ; Lipopolysaccharides/administration&dosage ; Male ; Metabolic Clearance Rate

Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; adverse effects ; methods ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intraoperative Care ; instrumentation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Recovery of Function ; Risk Assessment ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Tourniquets ; adverse effects ; Treatment Outcome

【Objective】  To investigate the therapeutic effect of Hibiscus cannabinus Linn. (H. cannabinus) leaves on cholelithiasis and urolithiasis. 【Methods】  The study evaluated the effect of aqueous leaf extract of H. cannabinus on thiouracil and cholesterol cholic acid diet induced cholelithiasis in BALB/c mice and ethylene glycol induced urolithiasis in Wistar rats. Three doses of aqueous extract (40, 80, and 160 mg/kg) were selected to evaluate the effectiveness in cholelithiasis in mice; another three doses of aqueous extract (400, 800, and 1 600 mg/kg) were administered for evaluating the effect on urolithiasis in rats. Biochemical parameters such as biliary cholesterol, biliary phospholipid, and bile acid were determined in cholelithiasis model. Similarly, 24-hour urine output, urinary parameters such as creatinine, uric acid, protein, urea, presence of calcium oxalate crystals, red blood cells (RBCs), and pyuria were determined in urolithiasis model. 【Results】  Statistically significant differences were noted in the biliary and urinary parameters after administrating three test doses of H. cannabinus aqueous extract (P < 0.05). 【Conclusion】 H. cannabinus was found to be effective against high fat lithogenic diet urolithiasis and cholelithiasis.

Knee osteoarthritis is the commonest cause of knee pain in the elderly. It is characterized by unresolved pain, limitation of motion and reduced quality of life. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a safe and effective method in treating chronic knee osteoarthritis. We report a rare case of a seventy-seven-year-old Chinese female with multiple comorbidities and bilateral degenerative osteoarthritis who had sought services of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) for pain relief. The patient experienced unresolved pain and superficial skin scars following the unregulated procedure. This paper aims to outline the importance of awareness among surgeons regarding the unregulated practice of TCM that may exacerbate chronic osteoarthritis, joint synovitis, influence the surgical approach for future procedures with the presence of scars and prosthetic joint infection risk.

Introduction: Kratom or (Mitragyna speciosa) leaves are consumed as a folk remedy and opioid substitute in the Southeast Asian region. There is still a lack of information about the long-term or toxic-causing effects of kratom use. Methods: A total of thirteen regular kratom users, with long-term (>20 twenty years) kratom use history were recruited for this cross-sectional pilot study. Respondents were required to undergo a blood-test and laboratory anaysis was conducted to determine the mitragynine content in an acquired street sample of kratom. Results: The regular, longterm consumption of brewed kratom decoction did not cause any significant alterations in haematological, kidney, liver, thyroid, inflammatory and gastrointestinal analytes in a cohort of kratom users who had no history of substance misuse. However, those who had a higher intake (>3 glasses per day) of kratom exhibited higher lipid values (except for HDL-cholesterol), and a moderate elevation of homocysteine level. Conclusion: Long-term (>20 years with a daily intake of ≥87.54mg of mitragynine) kratom consumption was not associated with altered biochemical levels, although prolonged and heavy use (>3 glasses daily) may result in cardiovascular risks. The latter finding, however, requires further investigation.