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Neighboring radio networks are those that do not instantly supply communications infrastructure after deployment, have radio transceivers with restricted transmission range, and are unaware of possible neighbors. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is an effective means to convey information through an asymmetric vehicle ad hoc network, and it can provide high security while also reducing energy usage. A new protocol is known as energy efficiency, the D-LAR (Directed Location Assist) protocol, is used to determine a node's energy efficiency. To determine the sleep and active states of nodes, propose a sleep scheduling technique. It can also provide a more accurate location of a moving vehicle than existing location support protocols. In comparison to other current systems, the simulation results suggest that the proposed D-LAR technique has the advantages of decreasing the collision attack detection delay time and enhancing security.

Internet of things (IoT) is an inventive technology which permit the association of physical things by means of the digital world throughout the use of heterogeneous networks and communication technologies. Ad-hoc routing protocols may be dispersed and involve every node in route discovery process by making routing data more reliable. Mobile-Adhoc-Networks (MANETs) consist of many portable nodes that can commune directly with each other or through intermediate nodes. Repeatedly, nodes in a MANETs operate with batteries and can roam freely, and thus, a node may exhaust its energy or move away without providing any notice to its cooperative nodes. IoT system using a combination of MANET, a route consists of numerous links in sequence, and so, its lifetime is based on the lifetime of every node and also the wireless links among adjacent nodes. In this research work Fuzzified Particle Swarm Optimization oriented Routing (FPSOR) algorithm is planned to minimize data loss and computational overhead, which in turn maximizes the lifetime of MANETs. Particle Swarm Optimization oriented Routing protocol (PSOR) have taken energy competence as significant criterion for processing routing and driving optimized path for the data accelerating and processing to the source node. The PSOR produces a fresh route for routing by considering fitness value of energy to evaluate diverse path and to choose best-optimized path whose energy consumption is less as compared to ant colony optimization routing paths. This algorithm utilizes a good approach focusing energy levels/status of the nodes through fuzzification and the lengths of the routed ways. NS2 simulator is casted for performance evaluation.

The motivation of the research work is Respiratory Rate (RR) monitoring which is susceptible to environmental and physiological stimuli, knowing it may help in assessing the health of patients. In this work, at rest, six trials on a treadmill were to be completed by 10 healthy males, while low-speed jogging in order to evaluate a new approach based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Random Forest (RF) with PCA for sensory selection using a special wearable system with six piezoresistive sensors. For instance, a single sensor is needed for a breathing evaluation while at rest, three sensors are needed for a low-speed walk, and four sensors are needed for a high-speed walk and run assessment. The findings may be helpful in the deployment of specialized algorithms to continuously and accurately monitor RR, as well as the creation of the best instrumented wearable devices for RR monitoring both while the subject is at rest and when they are engaging in physical activity. A smart garment was utilized to obtain the breathing information delivering six respiration signals in the three compartmental parts, and a data gathering board (DAQ NI USB6002 from National Instruments) was used to gather the reference respiratory data. The performance measurements are often calculated using it (e.g., accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision and F1 score).

Ships and other large equipment must meet strict standards for equipment integrity and operational dependability in order to perform missions. To meet this demand, one of the essential linkages is to guarantee the long-term safe and healthy functioning of their power transmission equipment. The Optimized Back Propagation Neural Network (OBPNN) technique used in this study introduces a unique method for monitoring sensor data and evaluating the health state, with the SVM being optimized using the fish swarm algorithm (FSA). A major problem that maintenance is facing nowadays is reliable fault prediction. One of the trickiest difficulties is arguably automatically modelling typical behaviour from condition monitoring data, particularly when there is little information about actual failures. A data-driven learning framework with the best bandwidth selection is suggested to address this challenge. It is based on nonparametric density estimation for outlier identification and OBPNN for normality modelling. The distance to the separating hyper plane's log-normalization is used to provide a health score that is also available. The algorithm's viability is shown by experimental findings while evaluating the progression of a major defect over time in a marine diesel engine. Improved prediction capabilities and low false positive rates on healthy data are realized.

Abstract The farmer interest in biological control-based management practices using entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) for the control of many economically important insects has increased. In this process, selection of effective strains of EPF is an important criterion to control the target insect pests in efficient manner. In this context, this research work was formulated to find out environmentally effective strains of EPF in the soils of costal districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Out of 135 soil samples collected, 9 yielded 9 strains of Lecanicillium lecanii. Among all 9 L. lecanii isolates, the least median lethal concentration (LC50) for 3rd instar larvae of the tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was 1.17 × 106 spores ml−1 in L-8, followed by 1.27 × 106 spores ml−1 in L-5 in an increasing order. Likewise, the median lethal time (LT50) values of different isolates of EPF against the 3rd instar of S. litura were calculated for the uniform highest concentration of 1 × 108 spores ml−1. Among all 9 L. lecanii isolates, the lowest median lethal time (LT50) was observed as 7.70 days by L-8, followed by 7.77 days by L-5 and 8.50 days by L-7.

Abstract In the recent years, the keen interest has been increased towards biological control-based management practices using entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) for the control of many economically important insects. In this management practices, selection of right strains of EPF is an important criteria to control the target pests in effective manner. In this context, this research work was formulated to find out environmentally effective strains of EPF in the soils of costal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Out of 135 soil samples collected, 8 soil samples yielded 8 strains of Metarhizium anisopliae. Among all 8 M. anisopliae isolates, the least median lethal concentration (LC50) for 2nd instar of the tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was 1.24 × 105 spores ml-1 in M-7, followed by 1.72 × 105 spores ml-1 in M-5 and 1.86 × 105 spores ml-1 in M-4 in an increasing order. Likewise, the median lethal time (LT50) values of different isolates of EPF against 2nd instar of S.litura were calculated for a uniform highest dose of 1 × 108 spores ml−1. Among all 8 M. anisopliae isolates, the lowest LT50 was observed as 186.44 hours post infection (hpi) with M-5 and 189.34 hpi with M-7.

Epilepsy can well be stated as a disorder of the central nervous systems (CNS) that brought about recurring seizures owing to chronic abnormal blasts of electrical discharge on the brain. Knowing if an individual is having a seizure and diagnosing the seizure type or epilepsy syndrome could be hard. Many methods were developed to recognize this disease. But the existing techniques for detection of epilepsy are not satisfied with accuracy, and cannot identify the diseases effectively. To trounce these drawbacks, this paper proposes an approach for the recognition of Epilepsy as of the electroencephalography (EEG) signals. This is implemented as follows. Primarily, the Kalman filter (KF) is utilized for pre-processing to eradicate the impulse noise present in the EEG signals. This filtered signal is then decomposed utilizing variable modes decomposition (VMD). Feature extraction (FE) is performed by computing 7 features. The dimensionality of this signal is then lessened using Modified-Principal Components Analysis (M-PCA). Finally, classification is conducted utilizing the artificial neural networks (ANN) that is optimized using the hybrid dragonfly algorithm (HDA). Disparate performance metrics such as sensitivity, accuracy, and false discovery rates (FDR) are ascertained and as well weighted against with the existent works.

Along with the great increase of internet and e-commerce, the use of credit card is an unavoidable one. Due to the increase of credit card usage, the frauds associated with this have also increased. There are a lot of approaches used to detect the frauds. In this paper, behavior based classification approach using Support Vector Machines are employed and efficient feature extraction method also adopted. If any discrepancies occur in the behaviors transaction pattern then it is predicted as suspicious and taken for further consideration to find the frauds. Generally credit card fraud detection problem suffers from a large amount of data, which is rectified by the proposed method. Achieving finest accuracy, high fraud catching rate and low false alarms are the main tasks of this approach.

Bluetooth is a short range radio technology to form a small wireless system. It is used in low –cost, low power ad-hoc networks and it suffers from long service discovery delay and high power consumption. Bluetooth employs the 2.4 GHz ISM band, sharing the same bandwidth with the wireless LAN implementing the IEEE 802.11 standards. Thus it causes significantly lower interference. For improving the efficiency of SDP, we present an implementation of Bluetooth 2.1 in the NS-2 simulator, discuss the IEEE 802.11b as a Bluetooth controller and propose a new alternative Bluetooth Controller based on Adaptive Frequency Hopping techniques using Amplifier Power. The resulting approach significantly reduces the service discovery time, thereby lowering power consumption and increasing the throughput. We present the benefits of our new approach and compare it with existing approach using NS-2 Simulations and we have presented the comparison graphs in support of our approach.

A field experiment on drip irrigation for Chowghat Orange Dwarf X West Coast Tall (COD X WCT) coconut hybrid was conducted in laterite soil at Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod (Kerala, India) to study the drip irrigation requirement and its influence on growth and yield. The treatments included were three levels of drip irrigation (at 33, 66 and 100% E0 daily), basin irrigation (100% E0) and rainfed control. The experimental results revealed that annual leaf production and leaf nutrient status of coconut palm was significantly higher in the irrigated treatments compared to the rainfed control. The female flower production and nut yield with 66 per cent of Eo was on par with 100 per cent of Eo through drip and 100 per cent of Eo through basin irrigation and significantly superior compared to drip irrigation at 33 per cent of E0 and rainfed control. Drip irrigation equal to 66 per cent of open pan evaporation (Eo) proved to be the economically efficient method of irrigation with water saving of 34 per cent compared to 100 per cent of Eo through basin and drip method.

A field experiment on drip irrigation for Chowghat Orange Dwarf X West Coast Tall (COD X WCT) coconut hybrid was conducted in laterite soil at Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod (Kerala, India) to study the drip irrigation requirement and its influence on growth and yield. The treatments included were three levels of drip irrigation (at 33, 66 and 100% E0 daily), basin irrigation (100% E0) and rainfed control. The experimental results revealed that annual leaf production and leaf nutrient status of coconut palm was significantly higher in the irrigated treatments compared to the rainfed control. The female flower production and nut yield with 66 per cent of Eo was on par with 100 per cent of Eo through drip and 100 per cent of Eo through basin irrigation and significantly superior compared to drip irrigation at 33 per cent of E0 and rainfed control. Drip irrigation equal to 66 per cent of open pan evaporation (Eo) proved to be the economically efficient method of irrigation with water saving of 34 per cent compared to 100 per cent of Eo through basin and drip method.

A field experiment was conducted at Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, India for six years (1993-1999) to study the impact of drip irrigation levels and mulching on coconut in littoral sandy soil. The treatments consisted of three levels of drip irrigation (66, 100, and 133 % of open pan evaporation (E0)) along with basin irrigation (100 % of E0) and rainfed control as main plot treatments and mulching with coconut leaves and no mulching as sub plot treatments. The experimental results revealed that annual leaf production and leaf nutrient status of coconut was better in the irrigated treatments compared to the rainfed control. The drip irrigation at 66 per cent of E0 (27 litres of water per palm per day during December-January months and 32 litres of water per palm per day during February-May months) resulted in water saving and the nut yield was on par with 100 per cent and 133 per cent of E0 through drip and 100 per cent of E0 through basin irrigation and differed significantly compared to rainfed control. The nut characters like nut weight, husk weight, copra thickness, copra content and copra yield was superior under irrigated treatments compared to rainfed control. The copra yield was 499 kg per ha under rainfed condition, where as it was 2087 to 2202 kg per ha under irrigated treatments. Irrigation along with mulching with coconut leaves resulted in significantly higher nut yields.

Coconut-Based Mixed Farming System which evolved from the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute is one of the technologies recommended for sustainable coconut production. The economic analysis of this system for the period 1989-90 to 1997-98, realized a net return between Rs. 49,700 to Rs. 126,900. The Cash Flow Analysis preformed using a discount rate of 14% realized the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.36, the Net Present Worth of the system was Rs.286,500,, the Internal Rate of Return was 27.44%, and, the Pay Back Period was five years.

Analysis of past weather data indicated increase in maximum temperature at varied magnitudes over various coconut growing areas across the country except in southern Kerala. In case of minimum temperature, sixty percent of the locations studied showed a declining trend, widening the difference between maximum and minimum temperatures. The days above 33 oC, optimal for coconut growth and development, were in increasing trend in most of the coconut growing area while days below 15 oC are increasing in northern Kerala, plains of Karnataka and western Tamil Nadu. Annual Rainfall showed declining trend in most of the coconut growing areas with change in amount. Dry spells are in increasing trend in parts of Karnataka and Kerala. Change in coconut productivity during past three decades across the country ranged from -114 to 270 nuts/ha/year. The productivity of coconut during the study period was in increasing trend except for parts of Maharastra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where consecutive droughts affected the yields.

Summary: The development of electronic exchanges has created a more important interest in fast and accurate customer IDs and verification. Structures, bank records, and PC framework often use personally identifiable access code IDs and test numbers (PINs) for reliable status. Biometric verification requires a level of security, unchanged structure, spoofing, and reliability. In this research work, a biometric authentication system was developed to provide security for access to the ATM network. Honest technology used for security purposes to provide efficient ATM network security is a finger vein. This method undergoes image processing technology such as preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification to locate the finger vein region for accessing the ATM network. Finally, the cascade neural network acts as a classifier method to differentiate registered and unregistered user. The performance analysis of this method is simulated by MATLAB and the process is evaluated to measure the efficient security of the network. The dataset is segregated into two stages; one for training and other for testing. The features extracted with the help of hidden layers with neurons. The matched finger vein is compared to check the accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: H19, a 2.3 kb lncRNA, has been linked to tumor metastasis and progression, but its significance in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. H19 was initially thought to have a tumor-suppressive function, but recent studies have shown that it possesses both tumor-promoting and suppressive functions. The variation in H19 expression may be due to the influence of tobacco or low basal expression levels. However, there are limited studies available on the association between H19 and its role in the prognosis of OSCC., Objective: The present study analyzes the expression of H19 correlated with clinicopathological parameters, tobacco habit, loco-regional recurrence, and overall survival., Methods: A longitudinal study was undertaken using 96 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) OSCC tissues and 30 FFPE adjacent normal mucosa (NM) tissues from patients who had surgery between 2015 and 2018. The tissues were subjected to quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine H19 expression. The differential expression levels of H19 in OSCC were compared to clinicopathological variables and risk habits using the t-test and ANOVA. H19 expression correlated overall survival was analyzed by drawing the Kaplan-Meier curve followed by the log-rank test. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine the ability of H19 to independently predict loco-regional recurrence and overall survival for OSCC., Result: H19 was significantly underexpressed in OSCC compared to NM in both the study cases and the TCGA OSCC database. The lower expression of H19 was significantly associated with the tobacco smoking habit and was not associated with any clinical or pathological features. Multivariate Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that low H19 expression and positive lymph node metastasis were independent predictors of overall survival for OSCC. Higher age, higher TNM staging, and low H19 expression were independent predictors of loco-regional recurrence., Conclusion: The findings in the present study indicate that H19 is a novel prognostic marker and may provide a therapeutic strategy for the targeted treatment of OSCC, and tobacco may play a role in the expression of H19., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Kumar, Hallikeri, Oli, Radder, Jain, Shilpasree, Dhanapal, Tabnjh and Selvaraj.)

Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, also renowned as the silver leaf whitefly, is among the most damaging polyphagous insect pests in many commercially important crops and commodities. A set of field experiments were conducted for three consecutive years i.e., 2018-2020, to investigate the role of variations in rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity on the abundance of B. tabaci in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). In the first experiment, the variety Arka Anamika was cultivated twice a year to analyse the incidence of B. tabaci concerning the prevailing weather factors and the overall pooled incidence recorded during the dry and wet season was 1.34 ± 0.51 to 20.03 ± 1.42 and 2.26 ± 1.08 to 18.3 ± 1.96, respectively. Similarly, it was observed that the highest number of B. tabaci catch (19.51 ± 1.64 whiteflies/3 leaves) was recorded in morning hours between 08:31 to 09:30 a.m. The Yellow Vein Mosaic Disease (YVMD) is a devastating disease of okra caused by begomovirus, for which B. tabaci acts as a vector. In another experiment, screening was conducted to check the relative susceptibility of three different varieties viz., ArkaAnamika, PusaSawani, and ParbhaniKranti against B. tabaci (incidence) and YVMD ((Percent Disease Incidence (PDI), Disease Severity Index (DSI), and Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC)). The recorded data was normalized by standard transformation and subjected to ANOVA for population dynamics and PDI. Pearson's rank correlation matrix and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) have been used to relate the influences of various weather conditions on distribution and abundance. SPSS and R software were used to create the regression model for predicting the population of B. tabaci. Late sown PusaSawani evolved as a highly susceptible variety in terms of B. tabaci (24.83 ± 6.79 adults/3leaves; mean ± SE; N = 10) as well as YVMD i.e., PDI (38.00 ± 4.95 infected plants/50plants), DSI (71.6-96.4% at 30 DAS) and AUDPC (mean β-value = 0.76; R 2  = 0.96) while early sown Parbhani Kranti least susceptible to both. However, the variety ArkaAnamika was observed as moderately susceptible to B. tabaci and its resultant disease. Moreover, environmental factors were predominantly responsible for regulating the population of insect pests in the field and hence its productivity like rainfall and relative humidity were negative while the temperature was positively correlated with B. tabaci (incidence) and YVMD (AUDPC). The findings are helpful for the farmers to choose need-based IPM strategies than timing-based, which would fit perfectly with the present agro-ecosystems in all ways., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Nitro-PAH) are highly toxic PHA derivatives. Nitro-PHAs are emitted by carbonaceous materials and PHA post-emission transformation, which causes water and environmental pollution and also exists as carcinogenic and immunotoxic agents. UV light has been shown to cause DNA damage and improves the covalent binding of PAH to DNA significantly. Mosquito breeding grounds are pools of water that can be large open zones or encased ponds with varying levels of sunlight exposure. This research was performed to assess the combined effects of UV-B exposure and Nitro-PAH on the physiological function of Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. To assess the impact of UV-B irradiation and Nitro-PAH exposure on mosquito vectors, parameters were examined: (1) Nitro-PAH availability and its impact on cell fatalities; (2) the detoxifying abilities of cytochrome P450, glutathione-S-transferase, and esterase; (3) the reactions to Reactive Oxygen Species; and (4) The resistance of mosquito larvae to three synthetic pesticides (temephos, imidacloprid, and permethrin). UV-B and Nitro-PAH treatment caused cellular damage and increased major detoxification enzymes such as α & β-esterase, cytoP450, CAT, GST, and POX. The levels of oxidative stress, ROS and protein carbonyl content, nitrite, ascorbic acid and thiobarbituric acid were decreased significantly. Toxicology bioassays revealed that UV-B + Nitro-PAH exposure significantly increased larval susceptibility. The current study concludes that prior exposure to Nitro-PAHs and UV-B may make mosquito larvae more vulnerable to chemical insecticides., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Context: The bcl-2 proto-oncogene was discovered at the chromosomal breakpoint of t (14;18) found in follicular lymphoma. Histological changes in dysplasia are considered the earliest signs preceding the progression into squamous cell carcinoma. Serving as critical regulators of apoptotic pathways, bcl-2 prohibits programmed cell death and subsequently assists in uncontrolled neoplastic growth., Settings and Design: This study included 48 cases, eight each of epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining using bcl-2 antibody was performed and different histological parameters were correlated with bcl-2 positive cells in all the cases., Materials and Methods: All 3 μ m thick sections were stained with bcl-2 antibody. After identifying four representative fields at 40x, their images were obtained for assessment of bcl-2 labelled cells and their intensity along with different histological parameters in all the cases., Statistical Analysis: The differences between different histological parameters were analysed using the Anova test, post hoc test and Bonferroni test. Pearson's Chi-square test was carried out to determine the level of correlation between the bcl-2 positive cells in both epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma cases., Conclusion: Sequential increase in the bcl-2 expression was observed in increasing grades of epithelial dysplasia, whereas bcl-2 expression was significantly decreased in ascending stages of squamous cell carcinoma thus, suggesting a possible role of bcl-2 in disease progression from premalignancy to malignancy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.)

A field survey was done in teak ( Tectona grandis F.) forests in South India to explore the entomopathogenic effect of Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycota: Sordariomycetes) against teak defoliator, Hyblaea puera (Lepidoptera: Hyblaeidae). About 300 soils and infected insect samples were collected during the survey and thirty-six fungal isolates were isolated from soil and insect samples and characterized. The fungi were cultured on PDAY with dodine and antibiotics. Generally, the EPF culture was incubated at 27 °C in darkness for 15 days. Virulence of the Entomopathogenic Fungi (EPF) ability to germinate under cold and heat temperatures was assessed in a culture impregnated with conidia. In the experiment, it was found that for the first time M etarhizium quizhouense , Metarhizium robertsii , and M etarhizium majus species caused significantly higher mortality to hosts. These isolates of M. anisopliae, M. robertsii, M. majus , and M. quizhouense were all considered to be effective virulent and environmentally adaptive. The Metarhizium isolates were recommended as effective bio-control agents through the field investigation of teak defoliator Hyblaea puera from South India forest. This study paves the way to utilize the indigenous isolates of EPF for the control of teak defoliator and to combat the pests thatare resistant to insecticide.

Although production of microalgae in open ponds is conventionally practiced due to its economy, exposure of the algae to uncontrollable elements impedes achievement of quality and it is desirable to develop closed reactor cultivation methods for the production of high value products. Nevertheless, there are several constraints which affect growth of in closed reactors, some of which this study aims to address for the production of Spirulina. Periodic introduction of fresh medium resulted in increased trichome numbers and improved algal growth compared to growth in medium that was older than 4 weeks in 20 L polycarbonate bottles. Mixing of the cultures by bubbling air and use of draft tube reduced the damage to the growing cells and permitted increased growth. However, there was better growth in inclined cylindrical reactors mixed with bubbling air. The oxygen production rates were very similar irrespective differences in the maintained cultures densities. The uniformity in oxygen production rate suggested a tendency towards homeostasis in Spirulina cultures. The frequency of biomass harvest on the productivity of Spirulina showed that maintenance of moderate culture density between 0.16 and 0.32 g/L resulted in about 14% more productivity than maintaining the cell density between 0.16 and 0.53 g/L or 48% more than by daily harvest above 0.16 g/L. An artificial neural network based predictive model was developed, and the variables useful for predicting biomass output were identified. The model could predict the growth of Spirulina up to 3 days in advance with a coefficient of determination >0.94., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Immune-mediated oral disorders are characterised by their chronicity, and some are refractory to treatment. Interference RNA (iRNA) has been implicated in the underlying mechanism of such immune-mediate oral and refractory inflammatory oral diseases. iRNA-based understanding of the mechanism in these diseases may help to produce non-invasive diagnostic methodologies and treatment modalities of such drug non-responsive diseases. Oral lesions in these immune-mediated diseases can precede the occurrence of lesions in other regions of the body. The early diagnosis and treatment of these drug non-responsive diseases might benefit the patient by reducing chronicity and probably even resolving the disease. This aim of the present minireview is to give an overview of the possible implications of iRNA on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatments of immune-mediated and inflammatory oral diseases. The manuscript can form the framework for research on iRNA in these immune-mediated oral disorders., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic oral mucosal disease characterized by progressive deposition of collagen in subepithelial connective tissue and epithelial atrophy. The present study was conducted to evaluate the changes in epithelial thickness and cellular and nuclear morphometric characteristics of parabasal and spinous compartments of the epithelium in various stages of OSMF in comparison to normal epithelium., Materials and Methods: Sample included 30 cases of OSMF of various stages and five cases of normal buccal mucosa. Measurements for epithelial thickness and cellular morphology using morphometric analysis were performed on captured digital images using image analysis software., Statistical Analysis: The ANOVA analysis of epithelial thickness and correlation of epithelial thickness with cell contour and cell roundness was done using Karl Pearson's coefficient of correlation., Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in epithelial thickness with increase in severity/stage of OSMF. It was also observed that there is a highly statistically significant correlation ( P = 0.000) between the thickness of epithelium and cell morphology in varying stages of OSMF., Conclusion: The morphometric parameters and the use of quantitative histological methods in determining the squamous epithelial structures thus made it possible to evaluate that there is reduction in thickness of epithelium or "atrophy" with increasing stages of OSMF which may be due to actual change in cell morphology of the individual cells of specific compartment or all compartments in the epithelium., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Objectives: Oral cancer ranks third among all cancers in the Indian population. Human papilloma virus (HPV) plays a significant role in oral carcinogenesis. Population-based subtype variations are present in the HPV prevalence. This study gives an emphasis on the parameters to be considered in formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based research work., Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study on archival paraffin-embedded tissue samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), epithelial dysplasia, and normal oral mucosa surrounding impacted tooth was amplified by PCR for the E6 gene of HPV type 16 and E1 gene of HPV type 18., Results: HPV 18 was positive in three OSCC cases. There was no statistically significant association of the positivity of HPV with the age, gender or habit. The HPV positive patients had a tobacco habit and were of a younger age group., Conclusion: The presence of HPV in carcinomatous tissue highlights the possible role of HPV in carcinogenesis and archival paraffin embedded tissue specimen can be used for this analysis. Recent studies on genomic analyses have highlighted that the HPV positive tumors are a separate subgroup based on genomic sequencing. The results of a larger retrospective study will help further in our understanding of the role of HPV in carcinogenesis, this study could form the baseline for such follow-up studies.

Unlabelled: Helicobacter pylori is a microaerophilic organism, which colonizes in the gastric mucosa. Its role in etiology and development of acute and chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases is scientifically proved. Oral cavity especially supragingival, subgingival plaque and so forth simulate the same microaerophilic environment favorable for the growth of this bacterium., Aim: Detection of H. pylori simultaneously in the oral cavity and gastric mucosa of patients suffering from gastric pathologies., Objectives: To detect H. pylori in the oral cavity and gastric mucosa using endoscopy, urease test and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (urease A gene). Determining its association and corelation with patient demographics, oral hygiene maintenance and periodontal disease status., Materials and Methods: Endoscopic examination, oral findings oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) and community periodontal index and treatment needs (CPITN) indices were recorded. Antral biopsies and supragingival plaque samples were taken from 56 dyspeptic adult patients. The collected samples were subjected to histological examination, urease broth test and urease A gene amplification using real-time PCR., Result: H. pylori was detected in the supragingival plaque of individuals with H. pylori-induced gastric diseases using rapid urease test and real-time PCR analysis. Occurrence of same strain of H. pylori simultaneously in plaque and gastric mucosa was observed. Positive correlation was obtained between the collected indices and quantity of H. pylori colonization.

Introduction: Displaced middle third clavicle fractures were treated conservatively with figure of '8' harness in the past. Current management trend in treating displaced clavicle fractures with internal fixation provide rigid immobilization and pain relief avoiding non-union, shortening and deformity. This study prospectively evaluates the functional outcome of 25 patients with clavicle fractures treated surgically., Materials and Methods: 25 patients with displaced mid third clavicle fractures were included in the study. Open reduction and internal fixation with clavicular locking plate placed superiorly was done. Patients were followed up on 3, 6, 8, and 12 weeks. Functional outcome was assessed using DASH scores and Simple Shoulder Test (SST). Statistical analysis was done using One-way ANOVA., Results: Out of the 26 clavicles operated (one patient had bilateral fracture), 6 were comminuted (23%) and the rest were 2 part displaced fractures. Interfragmentary screws were used in 3 cases with butterfly fragment. All fractures united (mean = 6.8 weeks). The DASH scores reduced to a significant negligible level by 8 weeks in all but 4 cases with comminution where it took longer than 8 weeks to reach negligible levels. The SST showed significant improvement in all cases by 8 weeks after surgery. All patients were satisfied with the outcome. 84% of patients returned to their work by 6 weeks., Conclusion: Primary plating of displaced mid third clavicle fractures with superiorly placed locking plate avoids complications of non-operative management and leads to early return to pre injury activities.

Dentist and oral health screening may be the latest weapon in identifying persons at risk of cardiovascular disease. Oral infections, specifically periodontitis, may confer independent risks for different systemic conditions. The risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases also suggest that the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes works in both ways. The aim of this study was to support and strengthen the association and relationship between oral hygiene status of individuals with cardiovascular diseases and its associated risk factors. A simple random sampling was carried out in 200 inhabitants of Western Utter Pradesh, India. An oral health visit and examination was made for an equal number of males and females of different age groups with cardiovascular diseases. Evaluation of the oral status was made by means of an oral hygiene index, community periodontal index of treatment needs and loss of attachment. Evaluation of oral status in patients with cardiovascular diseases and in the control group has shown a statistically significant low level of oral health in patients with cardiovascular diseases as compared to control. Prevalence of systemic diseases in different age groups significantly correlated with the prevalence of severe periodontal diseases. Treating gum disease may reduce the risk of heart disease and improve health outcomes for patients with periodontal disease and vascular heart problems.

Highly fluorescent quinoline derivatives were synthesized using Sc(OTf)(3) catalyzed imino Diels-Alder reaction. Both the aromatic and their analogous tetradehydroquinoline derivatives were explored for the detection of bacteria using fluorescent imaging studies. Surprisingly the aromatic quinoline derivatives show a remarkable fluorescent response that can be useful in the detection of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria even at a concentration in the range of 0.078 mM., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the antispermatogenic and testicular antisteroidogenic activities of Feronia limonia fruit pulp southern India., Methods: Fourty Wistar male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were equally divided into four groups. Experimental groups were administered with the ethanolic extract of Feronia limonia (F. limoni) fruit pulp at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight once daily for 55 days. All treated rats had corresponding recovery groups. At the end of each treatment periods, various spermatological indices, tissue biochemicals and testicular enzymes levels were analysed. Blood profiles were also estimated., Results: Compared with the control, the F. limonia fruit pulp at both dose levels did not decrease body weight, which were associated with decline in epididymal sperm count, motility, viability and increased percent of abnormal sperm. Further, F. limonia fruit pulp at 500 mg/kg body weight markedly reduced the epididymal and testicular protein content by 24.58% and 29.86%, respectively, as well as the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and Δ(5)-3β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase) levels by 42.82% and 38.08%, respectively, while a significant elevation was observed in testicular cholesterol and ascorbic acid content. A gradual recovery of all parameters was observed after 55 days of treatment withdrawal. No significant alterations in haematological indices were observed., Conclusions: The present findings indicate that F. limonia fruit pulp may have reversible antispermatogenic and antisteroidogenic properties, and could partially support the traditional use as male contraceptive.

Objective: To evaluate the possible antifertility activity of Enicostemma axillare (E. axillare) leaves and Urena lobata (U. lobata) root in adult male Wistar albino rats., Methods: Six groups of rats were treated with ethanolic (70%v/v) extracts of E. axillare (375 and 750 mg/kg body weight) and U. lobata root (300 and 600 mg/kg body weight) once daily for 55 days. Control groups received the distilled water and vehicle. All the treated rats had corresponding recovery groups. At the end of each treatment periods, animals were killed and organ weights, sperm characteristics, testicular and epididymal biochemicals as well as testicular enzymes were assessed., Results: The E. axillare and U. lobata at tested doses did not decrease body weight, whereas the weight of testes, epididymides and seminal vesicles were significantly (P<0.01) reduced. Significantly (P<0.01) more reductions in the sperm motility, viability and counts, epididymal and testicular protein contents were noted in the rats treated with higher dose of both the plants. Both the plants at the higher dose caused a marked increase (P<0.01) in sperm morphological abnormalities, testicular cholesterol and ascorbic acid contents were remarkably increased (P<0.01), while, the activities of testicular glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) and Δ(5)-3β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase (Δ(5)-3β-HSD) were significantly reduced (P<0.01). However, reversal of these changes occurred after 55 days of treatment withdrawal., Conclusions: This study suggests that the E. axillare leaves and U. lobata root reversibly inhibited spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis indicating reversible antifertility activity which could partially support the traditional of these plants as male contraceptives., (Copyright © 2012 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hypohidrotic (anhidrotic) ectodermal dysplasia (HED) is a congenital syndrome characterized by sparse hair, oligodontia, and reduced sweating. It is estimated to affect at least one in 17000 people worldwide. We report a rare case of HED in a 14-year-old male child patient which extraorally manifested as alopecia, scanty eyebrow and eye lashes, frontal bossing, depressed nasal bridge, and full and everted lips. Intraoral examination revealed complete anodontia of the deciduous teeth and partial anodontia of the permanent teeth. It is usually inherited as an X-linked recessive trait caused by mutation in any of the three EDA pathway genes. X-linked and autosomal recessive forms are phenotypically similar; thus, identification of carriers of partial forms of the disorder in their families is the key to clarifying intrafamilial genetic transmission.

Cancer cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by weight loss, anorexia, asthenia and anemia. The pathogenicity of this syndrome is multifactorial, due to a complex interaction of tumor and host factors. The signs and symptoms of cachexia are considered as the prognostic parameters in cancer patients. This review gives an emphasis on the various mechanisms involved in cachexia and an insight into head and neck cancer cachexia.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate differences in the palatal rugae patterns in males and females of a cross-sectional hospital-based coastal Andhra population and application of discriminant function analysis in sex identification., Materials and Methods: One hundred pre-orthodontic plaster casts, equally distributed between males and females belonging to an age range of 15-30 years, were examined for different rugae patterns. Thomas classification was adopted for analysis. Association between rugae patterns and sexual dimorphism were tested using Unpaired t test, Chi square test and discriminant function analysis developed using SAS package., Results: Difference in unification pattern among males and females was found to be statistically significant. The total number of the rugae was not statistically significant between the sexes. Association between rugae length and shape with sex determination was computed using discriminant analysis which enabled sex differentiation in this population with an accuracy of 78%., Conclusion: Palatal rugae revealed a specific pattern in unification among males and females of the coastal Andhra population. Discriminant function analysis enabled sex determination of individuals. However, these interpretations were precluded by the small sample size and further research work on larger samples and use of different classification systems is required to validate its use in forensic science.

Objective: This study is intended to analyze the predominant pattern of lip and finger prints in males and females and to correlate lip print and finger print for gender identity., Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised of 200 students of Vishnu Dental College, Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, 100 males and 100 females aged between 18 to 27 years. Brown/pink colored lip stick was applied on the lips and the subject was asked to spread it uniformly over the lips. Lip prints were traced in the normal rest position of the lips with the help of cellophane tape. The imprint of the left thumb was taken on a white chart sheet and visualized using magnifying lens. While three main types of finger prints are identified, the classification of lip prints is simplified into branched, reticular, and vertical types. Association between lip prints and finger prints was statistically tested using Chi-square test., Results: This study showed that lip and finger patterns did not reveal statistically significant results within the gender. The correlation between lip and finger patterns for gender identification, was statistically significant. In males, branched type of lip pattern associated with arch, loop, and whorl type of finger pattern was most significant. In females, vertical lip pattern associated with arch finger pattern and reticular lip pattern associated with whorl finger patterns were most significant., Conclusion: We conclude that a correlative study between the lip print and finger print will be very useful in forensic science for gender identification.

Anthocephalus cadamba (Roxb.) Miq. Syn A. chinensis (Lamk) A. Rich (Rubiaceae) is ethnomedicinally widely used in the form of paste by tribe in western Ghats for treating skin diseases. In this context, antimicrobial potential of A. cadamba against a wide range of microorganisms was studied. To validate the ethnotherapeutic claims of the plant in skin diseases, wound healing activity was studied, besides antioxidant activity to understand the mechanism of wound healing. The alchoholic and aqueous extract of this plant showed significant antibacterial and antifungal activity against almost all the organisms: Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and four fungi Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum--dermatophyte fungi, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus nidulans--systemic fungi, with especially good activity against the dermatophyte (Trichophyton rubrum) and some infectious bacteria (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus) with an MIC of 2.5 microg/disc. The results show that A. cadamba extract has potent wound healing capacity as shown from the wound contraction and increased tensile strength. The results also indicated that A. cadamba extract possesses potent antioxidant activity by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and increase in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity.