The annual morbidity and mortality rate in dialysis patients remains high despite the marked improvement in dialysis technology and patient care. Many hemodialysis (HD) patients 1-4 show increase in IL 6, which is indicated by increased circulating levels of nonspecific markers of inflammation. IL-6 plays an important role in inflammation, being the most potent inducer of the acute-phase response. 5 Nutritional status is important to analysis the CKD patients for morbidity and mortality 6,7 as well as in their quality of life and ultimate rehabilitative potential.

Background: Gingival diseases affect 80% of the adult population in India and are considered to be plaque initiated inflammatory conditions with the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The term, Gingivitis means inflammation of the gums or gingiva. Gingivitis is a non-destructive type of periodontal disease if left untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis. Thus it can eventually lead to loss of teeth. It is a well-known fact that all periodontitis are initiated by gingivitis. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of 5% propolis mouth wash in chronic generalized gingivitis and also to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of 5% propolis mouth wash with respect to the chlorhexidine mouth wash. Method: A total of 45 randomly selected patients (lottery method) between the age group of 18-70 years were selected for the study and grouped as follows: Group I with 15 patients who were treated with 5% propolis mouth wash. Group II with 15 patients were treated with chlorhexidine mouth wash controlled group and Group III with 15 patients were treated with normal saline (placebo). Result: The results indicated that there was a significant improvement in clinical parameters (p<0.05) in group 1 at the end of the study. Conclusion: Our study data showed that propolis mouthwash is more effective than other mouth washes on plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation. The study suggests that propolis can be used as a natural mouthwash, an alternative to chemical mouthwashes, e.g., chlorhexidine.

The authors describe a five year-old plump looking female child with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus, hepatomegaly and growth retardation. Contrary to the usual phenotype of thin emaciated appearance in type 1 diabetes mellitus, the presence of above features should make one suspect Mauriac syndrome. Since the basis of this syndrome is poor metabolic control, early recognition is important. The authors emphasize the importance of optimal glycaemic control in preventing complications associated with Mauriac syndrome.