Will gum disease raise the risk of cancer?

 

Gum disease may raise the risk of some cancers

People who have periodontal or gum disease may have a higher risk of developing some forms of cancer, suggests a letter published in the journal.

US researchers found that a history of the periodontal disease appeared to be associated with a raised risk of oesophageal (gullet) cancer and gastric (stomach) cancer and this risk was also higher among people who had lost teeth previously.

The authors point to possible reasons for an association between oral bacteria and oesophageal and gastric cancer, with evidence from other studies suggesting that tannerella forsythia and porphyromonas gingivalis -- members of the red complex' of periodontal pathogens -- were associated with the presence or risk of oesophageal cancer.

Another possible reason is that poor oral hygiene and periodontal disease could promote the formation of endogenous nitrosamines known to cause gastric cancer through nitrate-reducing bacteria.

This was an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers cannot rule out the possibility that some observed risk may be due to other unmeasured (confounding) factors.

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.

How to prevent mouth cancer?

 How to prevent mouth cancer?

Mouth cancer, often known as oral cancer or cancer of the oral cavity, is cancer that starts in the region of the mouth.

 Mouth cancer starts in the cells lining the mouth. Damaged cells can then grow uncontrollably to form a tumour. 

The two main risk factors for mouth cancer are alcohol and tobacco, and the combined effect of drinking and smoking is far greater.

 Mouth cancer risk increases as you get older, and men are three times more likely than women to develop the disease. 

Mouth cancer can be treated if diagnosed at an early stage, so it’s important to see your dentist or doctor immediately if you notice any changes in your mouth.

Tobacco and alcohol are responsible for over 75% of mouth cancers, by exposing your mouth to cancer-causing substances (carcinogens).

 If you smoke and drink, your risk of developing mouth cancer is significantly higher. Alcohol may enable other carcinogens, including tobacco, to enter and damage cells.   

Tobacco use includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing. 

If you smoke or chew tobacco, you are twice as likely to develop mouth cancer as a non-smoker. 

Chewing or smoking areca nut, betel quid, pan or gutka also increases your risk. 

Where in the mouth cancer develops depends on how you use the tobacco product. For example, if you have a habit of chewing tobacco on your left cheek, you may be prone to cancer of that cheek. 

Mouth cancer is six times more common in alcohol drinkers than in non-drinkers. The more you drink, the greater the risk.  

Other risk factors include: 

• being over 40 years of age
• being male – men are three times as likely to develop mouth cancer as women 
• sun exposure – ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to skin cancer on the lips
• poor oral hygiene
• being overweight or obese

 Prevention

1. Stop using tobacco or don't start
2. Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all. Chronic excessive alcohol use can irritate the cells in your mouth, making them vulnerable to mouth cancer
3. Avoid excessive sun exposure to your lips

See your dentist regularly

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.

Bleeding Gums And Vitamin Deficiency

                            

 Bleeding gums may be a sign you need more vitamin C in your diet

Bleeding of the gums on gentle probing, or gingival bleeding tendency, and also bleeding in the eye, or retinal haemorrhaging was associated with low vitamin C levels in the bloodstream.

If your gums bleed,  it could be a sign of gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease. 

That can be treated with the help of a dentist. 

However, a new University of Washington study suggests you should also check your intake of vitamin C.

Gum bleeding tendency and retinal bleeding could be a sign of general trouble in one's microvascular system, resulting in microvascular bleeding tendency in the brain, heart and kidneys.

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.

Symptoms of Coronavirus variants

Symptoms of Coronavirus  variants

According to the NHS guidelines, the most commonly observed symptoms in people infected by the new COVID strain (UK variant) are

•  fever
• sore throat
• muscle pain
•  cough 
•  fatigue

FEVER

19% of COVID patients involved in the study experienced fever linked to the original variant, whereas 22% cases were associated with the new COVID strain.

COUGH

 Patients who had contracted the new variant showed a higher percentage of experiencing cough symptoms than those who were infected with the original strain. 

Shortness of breath

No difference was found in people suffering from the original or the new coronavirus strain.

Muscle pain

Of the people infected with the original strain, 21% showed signs of muscle aches, while 24% of the cases infected with the UK strain were susceptible to the same symptom.

Loss of sense of smell and taste

About 19% and 18% of the patients with the original strain complained of loss of sense of smell and taste respectively. On the other hand, of those who had contracted the new COVID-19 strain, 16% reported loss of sense of smell and 15% complained of loss of taste as a symptom.

Headaches

The study however showed no difference between the two strains.

Sore throat22%, sore throat was higher in people who had contracted the new strain as compared to the 19% linked to the original variant.

Gastrointestinal symptoms

No difference in the percentage of gastrointestinal symptoms experienced by both the variant groups.

BY, Growing evidence suggests that the mutant virus may be more infectious than the original strain, considering the recent rise in the number of COVID cases in England. Besides that, the new UK strain is said to have a higher than ever mortality rate. Young people, apart from the high-risk groups are now at risk too.

https://vrvblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/corona-virus-update.html

Covid19

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA

Nanoparticles

 Nanoparticles:

Nanotechnology produced materials of various types at the nanoscale level.

 Nanoparticles (NPs) are a wide class of materials that include particulate substances, which have one dimension less than 100 nm at least. 

Depending on the overall shape these materials can be 0D, 1D, 2D or 3D.

The importance of these materials realized when researchers found that size can influence the physicochemical properties of a substance e.g. the optical properties. A 20-nm gold (Au), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), and palladium (Pd) NPs have characteristic wine red colour, yellowish-grey, black and dark black colours.

Nanorods - 50nm

Nanoshells - 140nm

Nanocages - 50nm

NPs are composed of three layers i.e. (a) The surface layer, which may be functionalized with a variety of small molecules, metal ions, surfactants and polymers.

 (b) The shell layer, which is a chemically different material from the core in all aspects, and 

(c) The core, which is essentially the central portion of the NP and usually refers to the NP itself

Owing to such exceptional characteristics, these materials got the immense interest of researchers in multidisciplinary fields.

Classification of Nanoparticles

NPs are broadly divided into various categories depending on their morphology, size and chemical properties. 

Carbon-based NPs

Fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are two major classes of carbon-based NPs. 

 Fullerenes contain nanomaterial that is made of the globular hollow cage. CNTs are elongated, tubular structure, 1–2 nm in diameter.

The rolled sheets can be single, double or many walls and therefore they named as single-walled (SWNTs), double-walled (DWNTs) or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs).

They are widely synthesized by deposition of carbon precursors especially the atomic carbons, vaporized from graphite by laser or by electric arc on to metal particles.

 Lately, they have been synthesized via chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique. Due to their unique physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics, these materials are not only used in pristine form but also in nanocomposites for many commercial applications such as fillers.

Metal NPs

Metal NPs are purely made of the metals precursors. These NPs possess unique optoelectrical properties.  .Due to their advanced optical properties, metal NPs find applications in many research areas. 

Ceramics NPs

Ceramics NPs are inorganic nonmetallic solids, synthesized via heat and successive cooling. They can be found in amorphous, polycrystalline, dense, porous or hollow forms.

Semiconductor NPs

Semiconductor materials possess properties between metals and nonmetals and therefore they found various applications in the literature due to this property.

Polymeric NPs

These are normally organic-based NPs and in the literature a special term polymer nanoparticle (PNP) collective used for it. They are mostly nanospheres or nanocapsules shaped.

 Lipid-based NPs

These NPs contain lipid moieties and effectively used in many biomedical applications. Generally, a lipid NP is characteristically spherical with the diameter ranging from 10 to 1000 nm. Like polymeric NPs, lipid NPs possess a solid core made of lipid and a matrix contains soluble lipophilic molecules. Surfactants or emulsifiers stabilized the external core of these NPs .

BY,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA