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Background: Around 80% of preterm births (PTBs) occur spontaneously. Various biomarkers are being evaluated to assess the possible role of chorioamniotic inflammation in PTBs., Aim: The aim of this study was to establish the accuracy of serum bio-markers( cut off values of ferritin and alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] at midtrimester) along with cervical length [CL] assessment to predict preterm delivery among low-risk women., Methods: Three hundred low-risk pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary health care facility were included and underwent CL measurement during mid-trimester by transvaginal ultrasonography and their serum levels of ferritin and AFP were recorded. All were followed up till delivery., Results: Receptor-operated characteristic curves for ferritin, AFP, and CL were constructed. Area under curves and Youden Index calculated for each marker were very low (<0.5) which is statistically considered very poor for a screening test., Conclusion: Serum ferritin and AFP together with CL measurement in the second trimester of pregnancy had poor discriminatory value in predicting preterm delivery among low-risk asymptomatic pregnant women., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research.)

Introduction End-stage renal disease (ESRD) has increased in India due to the growing load of non-communicable diseases. The most prevalent psychological issue among these patients has been identified as depression, which may have an impact on treatment success. Around 20% to 90% of hemodialysis patients experience depression. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression among patients undergoing hemodialysis as well as the relationship between this condition and the sociodemographic and clinical parameters of the patients. Methods Basic demographic information and particulars of chronic morbidity, duration, and the number of cycles of hemodialysis per week were noted. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score was administered to screen for depression. Results A total of 92 participants were enrolled in the study; 69 (75%) were males. The mean age of participants was 52 years. Hypertension (100%) was the most common co-morbidity followed by diabetes mellitus (38%). The mean duration of chronic kidney disease was 3.9 years. The majority (68.5%) had hemodialysis twice per week. Forty-one percent (41%) screened positive for borderline clinical depression or more. The mean BDI score was 17.07. The number of hemodialyses per week had a significant relation with depression with an odds ratio of 4.16 and 95% CI of 1.4-12.38. Conclusion Depression is prevalent among patients with chronic kidney disease who are on dialysis. The management of this preventable illness demands a repertoire of measures such as launching a program for the detection and treatment of depression combining psychiatric professionals and social volunteer organizations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Shanmukham et al.)

Background Irrational prescriptions have an ill effect on health as well as on healthcare expenditure. Prescription auditing is an important tool to improve the quality of prescriptions, which in turn improves the quality of health care provided. Regular and timely audits of antibiotic prescriptions can prevent irrational antibiotic usage. Introduction The inappropriate use of drugs is a global health problem, especially in developing countries like India. In 2015, during the 68th World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Southeast Asia, all Member States of the region, including India, endorsed the "Regional Strategy for Patient Safety in the WHO Southeast Asia Region (2016-2025)" aiming to support the development of national quality of care and patient safety strategies, policies, and plans and commit to translating those objectives of the Regional Strategy into actionable strategies at country level. Methodology A retrospective observational study was conducted in a 330-bedded, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH)-accredited tertiary healthcare center. The study period was six months, from January 2019 to June 2019. Results Ninety-five point four-five percent (95.45%) of the doctors attended the sensitization program and all accepted following the standard prescribing protocols. Sixty-nine point seven percent (69.7%) of the doctors were aware of the availability of drugs in the hospital pharmacy stores. Seventy-four point two-four percent (74.24%) of the doctors were aware of the ongoing prescription audits. Seventy-two point two-seven percent (72.27%) of the treating doctors were of the opinion of selecting the appropriate antibiotics based on hospital antibiogram. The importance of antibiograms from cultures and environmental surveillance was followed well only after sensitizing all the treating doctors. Ninety-five point four-five percent (95.45%) of the doctors were of the opinion of taking the permission of a higher authority to start high-end antibiotics. Seventy-seven point one-zero percent (77.10%) doctors recommended sample collection prior to antibiotic administration. Sixty-three percent (63%) of the patient's clinical condition improved with the antibiotics prescribed prior to the culture report. Conclusion By judicious use of antibiotics, we can reduce the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and extend the useful life of antibiotics that are still effective. Antibiotic use patterns must be studied to address complications resulting from a large number of antibiotics., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Jyothi et al.)

Introduction Basic knowledge of anatomy is crucial in providing predictable, safe, and efficacious mandibular anesthesia as the mandibular nerve is vulnerable to injury during dental procedures and other surgical manoeuvers. The lack of availability of the appropriate topographical bony landmarks for the location of the branches of this nerve often accounts for iatrogenic injuries and the failure to obtain adequate local anesthaesia. Hence we aimed to describe the topographical landmarks of the branches of the mandibular nerve and their variations in the infratemporal fossa. Methodology In 16 formalin-fixed cadavers, irrespective of the sex of the cadavers, bilateral dissection of the infratemporal fossa was done after identifying the necessary bony landmarks. The mandibular nerve and its branches were traced out and the required measurements were taken using the digital vernier caliper. The results were statistically analysed for mean, range, and standard deviation. Results The masseteric nerve is 15.87+/-1.64 mm superior to the lowest point on the mandibular notch. The lingual nerve in the third molar area is at the depth of 24.75+/-2.38 mm from the angle of the mandible (gonion), making an angle of 50° with the base of the mandible. 20.13+/-3.1 mm inferior to the mandibular notch is the precise location of the mandibular foramen which allows access to the inferior alveolar nerve. The incidence of accessory mandibular foramen in the dissected samples is 9.37%. Conclusion The topography of the masseteric nerve, lingual nerve, and inferior alveolar nerve was studied using constant and reliable bony landmarks in the cadaver which might aid effective dental and facio-maxillary surgical procedures. However, the outcome of this study could not be applied to paediatric patients as the subjects were restricted to adult cadavers., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Kaliappan et al.)

Background: The study was designed taking into consideration the drawbacks of periodontal dressing and healing properties of curcumin. The aim was to assess and compare the effect of Curcumin gel (Curenext) and noneugenol periodontal dressing (Coe pak) on tissue response, wound healing in the early stages, and pain post periodontal flap surgery in patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis., Materials and Methods: Twenty patients requiring periodontal flap surgery were allotted to two groups at random, one receiving periodontal dressing and the other receiving curcumin for this cross over split-mouth study. Flap surgeries were performed on 2 quadrants with 3 weeks' interval. After suture removal, postoperative sites were assessed for tissue response (tissue color [TC] and tissue edema [TE]) and early wound healing as primary outcomes of the study. The secondary outcome was pain assessment and the number of analgesics taken by the individuals., Results: The two groups showed no significant differences with respect to tissue response, early wound healing, and pain perception. Curcumin group consumed lesser number of analgesics as compared to the one with periodontal dressing., Conclusion: It was confirmed that periodontal dressing and curcumin are effective in reducing the TE, normalizing the TC, enhancing the wound healing and reducing the pain perception. Curcumin can thus be used as an alternative to periodontal dressing., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology.)

Psychosocial risk exposure in childhood is associated with a greater probability of emotional, behavioral, and academic problems. It is not surprising that children who experience homelessness, a marker of high cumulative risk, show significant emotional and behavioral problems and lower academic achievement than other children, including impoverished children who are not homeless. Nonetheless, some children manifest positive adjustment despite the hazards associated with homelessness, and it is important to identify protective influences that might be targeted for intervention. One potential factor is mastery motivation (MM), or the drive to control and master challenges, theoretically associated with resilience and empirically linked to adaptive cognitive outcomes in low-risk children. Currently, there is little research on MM in high-risk young children overall, and data are particularly limited on the key question of whether MM is associated with better outcomes in domains crucial for school readiness, including socioemotional adjustment, self-regulation, and academic competence. This study examined observed MM in 85 young children ages 3 to 5 living with their parents in an emergency shelter. Children completed behavioral tasks to assess MM, and measures linked with school readiness were assessed directly or by parent report. Higher MM was associated with better social and emotional functioning and emotion regulation but not math achievement or executive functioning. Follow-up analyses indicated that MM was indirectly associated with prosocial behavior through better emotion-regulation abilities. Implications are discussed for further research and for interventions designed to address educational disparities and promote school success for children experiencing homelessness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Pain management after performing flap surgery is of paramount importance. Taking into consideration the side effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and the advantages of homeopathic medication, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of ibuprofen (NSAID) and traumeel (homeopathic AID) following flap surgery were evaluated., Materials and Methods: A randomized, triple-blinded, split-mouth clinical trial, with a sample size of 20 (age range of 20-60 years) was planned. Subjects included patients diagnosed with moderate chronic generalized periodontitis. Two quadrants for each subject were operated on, with an interval of 3 weeks. Random assignment of the operated quadrants to the following medication protocols was carried out by a third person: Ibuprofen, 600 mg and traumeel, 600 mg (up to three tablets) every 8 h for first 24 h and SOS (Si Opus Sit/if needed) thereafter for a period of 1 week as pain medication, respectively. After 1 week, sutures were removed. Primary outcomes were mean postoperative pain (modified visual analog scale) and number of tablets consumed in 1 week. The secondary outcome was postoperative tissue response. Any adverse effects were recorded., Results: Number of tablets consumed and pain perception was lower in traumeel compared to ibuprofen Group ( P < 0.001). A better tissue response was shown by the group treated with traumeel as compared to the ibuprofen receiving group ( P < 0.05). Three patients reported adverse drug reactions after consumption of ibuprofen., Conclusion: The present study suggested that while managing pain following flap surgery, traumeel was superior as compared to ibuprofen, with minimal or no side effects., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2019 Indian Society of Periodontology.)

ZnO nanoparticles doped with transition metal (Ag, Ni, Mn) were prepared by using co-precipitation method. Absorption spectra showed exciton peak for ZnO nanoparticles at 367 nm and for Ag, Ni, Mn doped ZnO nanoparticles at 328, 354 nm and 342 nm respectively. Photoluminescence dynamics showed shallow level-trap and deep-level emission where the intensity of deep-level trap increases with transition metal doping due to the oxygen deficiency. Nonlinear absorption measurements showed the two-photon absorption increasing with transition metal following the trend Ag > Ni > Mn when excited with 532 nm, 30 ps laser pulses. The transition metal doped and un-doped ZnO nanoparticles can be used as optical limiters.

The data here consists of time-dependent experimental parameters from chemical and biophysical methods used to characterize Aβ monomeric reactants as well as soluble oligomer and amyloid fibril products from a slow (3-4 week) assembly reaction under biologically-relevant solvent conditions. The data of this reaction are both of a qualitative and quantitative nature, including gel images from chemical cross-linking and Western blots, fractional solubility, thioflavin T binding, size exclusion chromatograms, transmission electron microscopy images, circular dichroism spectra, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiencies of donor-acceptor pair labels in the Aβ chain. This data enables future efforts to produce the initial monomer and eventual soluble oligomer and amyloid fibril states by providing reference benchmarks of these states pertaining to physical properties (solubility), ligand-binding (thioflavin T binding), mesoscopic structure (electron microscopy, size exclusion chromatography, cross-linking products, SDS and native gels) and molecular structure (circular dichroism, FRET donor-acceptor distance). Aβ1-40 soluble oligomers are produced that are suitable for biophysical studies requiring sufficient transient stability to exist in their "native" conformation in biological phosphate-saline buffers for extended periods of time. The production involves an initial preparation of highly monomeric Aβ in a phosphate saline buffer that transitions to fibrils and oligomers through time incubation alone, without added detergents or non-aqueous chemicals. This criteria ensures that the only difference between initial monomeric Aβ reactant and subsequent Aβ oligomer products is their degree of peptide assembly. A number of chemical and biophysical methods were used to characterize the monomeric reactants and soluble oligomer and amyloid fibril products, including chemical cross-linking, Western blots, fraction solubility, thioflvain T binding, size exclusion chromatography, transmission electron micrscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Surface plasmon resonance was used to investigate the kinetics, affinity, and specificity of binding between anti-Aβ (beta-amyloid) IgG antibodies and oligomeric Aβ. Two factors were needed to accurately characterize the IgG binding kinetics. First, a bivalent model was necessary to properly fit the kinetic association and dissociation sensograms. Second, a high concentration of IgG was necessary to overcome a significant mass transport limitation that existed regardless of oligomer density on the sensor surface. Using high IgG concentrations and bivalent fits, consistent kinetic parameters were found at varying sensor surface ligand densities. A comparison of binding specificity, affinity, and kinetic flux between monoclonal and natural human anti-Aβ IgG antibodies revealed the following findings. First, monoclonal antibodies 6E10 and 4G8 single-site binding affinity is similar between Aβ oligomers and monomers. Second, natural human anti-Aβ IgG binding readily binds Aβ oligomers but does not bind monomers. Third, natural human anti-Aβ IgG binds Aβ oligomers with a higher affinity and kinetic flux than 6E10 and 4G8. Both the current analytical methodology and antibody binding profiles are important for advances in antibody drug development and kinetic biomarker applications for Alzheimer's disease., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lu3Ga5O12 nano-garnet powders doped with Ho(3+)/Yb(3+) ions have been prepared using a citrate sol-gel technique. The structural and morphological properties have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The materials are found to exist in single phase of cubic garnet structure with an average particle size of around 45 nm. The Ho(3+)/Yb(3+)-doped Lu3Ga5O12 nano-garnet powders give rise to an intense green and weak red emission of Ho3+ ions under 457.5 nm direct excitation. Moreover, when the Yb3+ ions are excited at 950 nm a very bright green luminescence of the Ho3+ ions is observed by the naked eyes even for such low laser power as 10 mW and the intensity of the red emission have been increased compared to that found under direct excitation of the Ho3+ ions. The power dependency and dynamics of the infrared-to-visible upconverted luminescence confirm the existence of different two-photon energy transfer processes. All these results have been compared with those obtained for other garnets doped with similar lanthanide ions which suggest that the Lu3Ga5O12 nano-garnets are potential materials for light emitting devices.

Polyglutamine repeats in proteins are highly correlated with amyloid formation and neurological disease. To better understand the molecular basis of glutamine repeat diseases, structural analysis of polyglutamine peptides as soluble monomers, oligomers, and insoluble amyloid fibrils is necessary. In this study, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments and molecular dynamics simulations using different theoretical models of polyglutamine were conducted. This study demonstrates that a previously proposed simple C(α)C(β) model of polyglutamine, denoted as FCO, accurately reproduced the present FRET results and the results of previously published FRET, triplet-state quenching, and fluorescence correlation studies. Other simple C(α)C(β) models with random coil and extended β-strand parameters, and all-atom models with parm96 and parm99SB force fields, did not match the FRET result well. The FCO is an intrinsically disordered model with a high-effective persistence length producing extended peptides at short lengths (Q(N) < 10). Because of an increasing number of attractive Q-Q interactions at longer lengths, the FCO model becomes increasingly more compact at lengths between Q(N) ∼ 10-16 and is as compact as many folded proteins at Q(N) > 16., (Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Plaques containing fibrillar amyloid-beta (Abeta) are a characteristic finding in Alzheimer's disease. Although plaque counts correlate poorly with the extent of cognitive deficits in this disorder, fibrillar Abeta can promote neuronal damage through a variety of mechanisms. External beam radiotherapy has been reported to be an effective treatment for tracheobronchial amyloidosis, in which amyloid is deposited as submucosal plaques and tumor-like masses in the trachea and/or bronchi. Radiotherapy's effectiveness in this disorder is thought to be due to its toxicity to plasma cells, but direct effects of radiotherapy on amyloid may also be involved. On this basis, whole-brain radiotherapy has been suggested as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of external beam radiation on preformed Abeta1-42 fibrils and on the formation of these fibrils. Using the Thioflavin-T assay, no effects of radiation were found on either of these parameters. Our results in this in vitro study suggest that whole-brain irradiation is unlikely to directly reduce plaque counts in the Alzheimer's disease brain. This treatment might still lower plaque counts indirectly, but any potential benefits would need to be weighed against its possible neurotoxic effects, which could induce further cognitive deficits.

A fluorescently labeled 20-residue polyglutamic acid (polyE) peptide 20 amino acid length polyglutamic acid (E(20)) was used to study structural changes which occur in E(20) as it co-aggregates with other unlabeled polyE peptides. Resonance energy transfer (RET) was performed using an o-aminobenzamide donor at the N-terminus and 3-nitrotyrosine acceptor at the C-terminus of E(20). PolyE aggregates were not defined as amyloid, as they were nonfibrillar and did not bind congo red. Circular dichroism measurements indicate that polyE aggregation involves a transition from alpha-helical monomers to aggregated beta-sheets. Soluble oligomers are also produced along with aggregates in the reaction, as determined through size exclusion chromatography. Time-resolved and steady-state RET measurements reveal four dominant E(20) conformations: (1) a partially collapsed conformation (24 A donor-acceptor distance) in monomers, (2) an extended conformation in soluble oligomers (>29 A donor-acceptor distance), (3) a minor partially collapsed conformation (22 A donor-acceptor distance) in aggregates, and (4) a major highly collapsed conformation (13 A donor-acceptor distance) in aggregates. These findings demonstrate the use of RET as a means of determining angstrom-level structural details of soluble oligomer and aggregated states of proteins., ((c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)