Background:Early childhood caries (ECC) is a severe form of dental decay with multi-factorial origin.Objectives:The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and related risk factors of ECC among preschool children residing in rural and urban areas of Trivandrum district in Kerala.Methods:A sample size of 1329 preschool children of <60 months of age was randomly selected from rural and urban areas of Trivandrum and decayed missing filled teeth indices were recorded. A standardized questionnaire was distributed to the parents. The data were subjected to SPSS version 16 and statistically analyzed with Chi-square test.Results:Prevalence of ECC in the study sample was found to be 54%. Furthermore, a positive association was obtained between ECC and age of the child, location of residence, dietary habits, and oral hygiene habits.Conclusion:There is an urgent need to implement preventive and curative oral health programs for preschool children in rural and urban areas.

The cervical vertebrae presents foramen transversaria in each transverse process. In all but the seventh cervical vertebra, the foramen normally transmits vertebral artery and vein and a branch from the cervicothoracic ganglion.140 cervical vertebrae were studied. Variations were noticed in the number of foramen transversarium unilaterally and bilaterally. Variations in foramen transversarium may indicate the variation in course of vertebral arteries

Microsatellites known as simple-sequence repeats (SSRs) or short-tandem repeats (STRs), represent specific sequences of DNA consisting of tandemly repeated units of one to six nucleotides. The repetitive nature of microsatellites makes them particularly prone to grow or shrink in length and these changes can have both good and bad consequences for the organisms that possess them. They are responsible for various neurological diseases and hence the same cause is now utilized for the early detection of various diseases, such as, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, Congenital generalized Hypertrichosis, Asthma, and Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness. These agents are widely used for forensic identification and relatedness testing, and are predominant genetic markers in this area of application. The application of microsatellites is an extending web and covers the varied scenarios of science, such as, conservation biology, plant genetics, and population studies. At present, researches are progressing round the globe to extend the use of these genetic repeaters to unmask the hidden genetic secrets behind the creation of the world.

BACKGROUND Clavicle is an important bone concerned with movements of upper limb. It has a shaft and two ends, sternal end and acromial end. Inferior surface of the sternal end presents with an impression called costoclavicular area. The presence of costoclavicular groove for the attachment of costoclavicular ligament was studied in 78 clavicles. The most common type seen was rough and elevated. This area is clinically important for radiologists and orthopaedicians. Aim-To study the attachment of costoclavicular ligament on clavicle. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried on 78 clavicles, out of which 27 were of right side and 51 belonging to left side of unknown age and sex. The impressions for the attachment of costoclavicular ligament were observed. Bones were obtained from the Department of Anatomy, K. S. Hegde Medical Academy, Deralakatte, Mangalore. The results were tabulated and percentages were calculated. RESULTS Inferior surface of sternal end of clavicle provides attachment for costoclavicular ligament. The impression is well-demarcated from the rest of the bone in most of the cases and invariably oval in outline and showed distinctive types of surface projection. In this study 78 clavicles comprising of 27 right and 51 left were taken and impressions were noticed, i.e. flat and smooth (FS), rough and elevated (RE), depressed and rough (DR), flat and rough (FR) and no impression. We found 6 (6.4%) flat and smooth (FS), 38 (48.7%) rough and elevated (RE), 23 (29.5%) depressed and rough (DR) and 6 (6.4%) flat and rough (FR) impressions on the clavicle. Out of 78 clavicles, 5 of them had no impressions. CONCLUSION The most common type of pattern of attachment of costoclavicular area on the clavicle is rough and elevated. The knowledge of morphological variation of costoclavicular impression area is clinically useful for radiologists and orthopaedicians.