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Background. Recently, the National Council on Disability urged the Commission on Dental Accreditation to require more thorough training in the care of developmentally disabled patients. Curricula is early in its development and its’ effectiveness is unknown. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine if special needs dental education has had an impact on providers’ professional behavior, practice characteristics, attitudes, and confidence when treating these patients and managing their dental anxiety. Methods. A nonrandomized, noninterventional, and anonymous, Qualtrics survey was administered prospectively to members of one local and one national organization. Results. Of the 107 respondents (response rate of 81.06%), 89% treat special needs patients. Positive reinforcement (88.64%), distraction (85.23%), and enhancing control (85.23%) were the modalities most used by these participants. Regarding treating this population, the average response regarding both confidence and wanting to learn more fell between disagree and agree at 2.92, while the average response regarding concern about safety fell between agree and strongly agree at 3.22. Level of specific expertize had the strongest influence on a provider’s decision to treat, while reimbursement level had the least influence. Among participants who completed postdoctoral education, the average response for how well their education prepared them to manage patients with special needs was higher for their postdoctoral training compared to their dental school training, with pediatric dentists reporting the highest rate of preparation. No correlation was found between year of dental school graduation and how well they felt their education prepared them for treating this population. Significance level was set at 5%. Conclusion. Dental education can have a significant impact on dentists’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and confidence about treating those with developmental disabilities and managing their dental anxiety. Acknowledging that this relationship exists should encourage educational improvements in this area.

Installation of stone columns is a widely used stabilization method in improving the characteristics of soft clays. In this study, laboratory tests were conducted to understand the influence of column number, spacing and encasement on the load-carrying capacity of the modified soil. Unit cell concept is adopted for column diameters of 25.4 and 31.75 mm, one and two numbers of columns and spacings of 50, 70, and 90 mm under the conditions of with and without encasement. In addition to the laboratory study, finite element analysis was also done for similar parameters to understand the modified soil’s settlement characteristics and stress concentration ratio. Based on the analysis, it is understood that the load-carrying capacity increases with number of columns and spacing. Considering the influence of encasement, larger diameter columns showed a more significant increase in the load-carrying capacity when compared to the smaller diameter columns.

We report a case of bimatoprost induced serous macular detachment and choroidal folds following uneventful cataract surgery. A 66-year-old male using topical bimatoprost in both eyes for open angle glaucoma underwent uneventful cataract surgery in the right eye. Postoperatively, he was restarted on topical bimatoprost and antibiotic-steroids combination drops. One week after surgery, he presented with conjunctival hyperemia, serous macular detachment, and choroidal folds at the posterior pole. Fundus fluorescein angiography showed perifoveal leaks in early stage with pooling of dye in late stage. Discontinuation of bimatoprost led to resolution of serous detachment and choroidal folds within 3 weeks with significant improvement in visual acuity. Occurrence of serous macular detachment and choroidal folds in this case could be probably related to the proinflammatory property of bimatoprost. Hence, it should be used with caution in the immediate postoperative period after cataract surgery.

Transverse facial clefts (macrostomia) are rare disorders that result when the embryonic mandibular and maxillary processes of the first branchial arch fail to fuse due to failure of mesodermal migration and merging to obliterate the embryonic grooves between the maxillary and mandibular processes to form the angle of the mouth at its normal anatomic position. Macrostomia may be seen alone or in association with other anomalies. It may be unilateral, extending along a line from the commissure to the tragus or bilateral. It is usually partial but rarely complete. Transverse facial clefts are more common in males and more common on the left side when unilateral. The goal of macrostomia reconstruction is to achieve functional, symmetrical, and accurate oral commissure with minimal scar. In this paper, we present a six-year-old girl with unilateral macrostomia with preauricular skin tags and malformation of pinna on ipsilateral side treated with vermillion-square flap method. The scar is placed at the upper lip. At two-month followup, the oral commissures are symmetric, the scars are inconspicuous, and the overall balance of facial contour and lip is excellent. We recommend this method for patients with mild to moderate macrostomia.

Trichomonas vaginalis infection is the most commonly encountered sexually transmitted disease. There is a need for more accurate and rapid laboratory diagnostic methods, leading to better control and treatment strategies. Various virulence factors such as adherence, contact-independent factors, hemolysis and acquisition of host macromolecules have been shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of this infection. Detection of the factors that are only present in the pathogenic isolates of trichomonads will lead to a better understanding of the epidemiology of this pathogen. Culture technique is highly specific compared with microscopic techniques, but it is time consuming. Immunological techniques lack proper correlation with clinical manifestations. The application of monoclonal antibodies, either singly or in a group that recognizes a common antigen, along with methods such as detection of common DNA fragment from clinical specimens, may have a promising future in the laboratory diagnosis of trichomoniasis.

Laccases are blue copper oxidases (E.C. 1.10.3.2 benzenediol: oxygen oxidoreductase) that catalyze the one-electron oxidation of phenolics, aromatic amines, and other electron-rich substrates with the concomitant reduction of O2 to H2O. They are currently seen as highly interesting industrial enzymes because of their broad substrate specificity. A positive strain was isolated and characterized as nonspore forming Basidiomycetes Pleurotus sp. Laccase activity was determined using ABTS as substrate. Laccase was purified by ionexchange and gel filtration chromatography. The purified laccase was a monomer showed a molecular mass of 40 ± 1 kDa as estimated by SDS-PAGE and a 72-fold purification with a 22% yield. The optimal pH and temperature were 4.5 and 65°C, respectively. The Km and Vmax values are 250 (mM) and 0.33 (μmol/min), respectively, for ABTS as substrate. Metal ions like CuSO4, BaCl2, MgCl2, FeCl2, ZnCl2 have no effect on purified laccase whereas HgCl2 and MnCl2 moderately decrease enzyme activity. SDS and sodium azide inhibited enzyme activity, whereas Urea, PCMB, DTT, and mercaptoethanol have no effect on enzyme activity. The isolated laccase can be used in development of biosensor for detecting the phenolic compounds from the effluents of paper industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]