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ABSTRACT: Aim: This study aims to identify and evaluate the methods of oral health education (OHE) used by dental professionals in Chennai, India. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional survey was performed among 357 dentists to assess the standard technique for providing OHE. A 15-item questionnaire consisting of demographic variables and preferred method of OHE was distributed to the participants as Google Form. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed using descriptive analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Most participants (63.4%) reported the lecture method as the standard technique for delivering OHE. Among the study participants, 80% employed OHE aids, predominantly models (33.2%), pamphlets (16.8%), and AV projections (16.5%). Conclusion: The lecture method predominates among dental professionals for its perceived effectiveness and versatility. These findings underscore the importance of tailored educational strategies in oral health promotion, informed by demographic considerations and practitioner preferences, to enhance public health outcomes globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many tall buildings are being constructed in different Indian cities to cater to the demand generated by the large number of people migrating from rural areas to urban centres. The safety of such tall buildings is ensured by designing them for dynamic loads, viz. wind and earthquake. To withstand these loads, computation of the natural period becomes essential. The current Indian seismic code IS 1893 (2016) has outlined a few empirical expressions based on different structural systems to compute the natural period. These expressions have been developed using data obtained from experiments per-formed on low to midrise buildings. Thus, verifying their applicability for tall structures before using them is important. To achieve this, in the present study ambient vibration testing was done on 28 reinforced concrete (RC) tall buildings in the Indian cities of Hyderabad and Mumbai, whose heights ranged from 50 to 150 m. These tests' natural periods were compared with existing Indian and international codes. Based on the comparison, a novel empirical expression of RC tall buildings is proposed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antibiotics are routinely used in dental practice to treat microbial diseases. However, the spread of drug resistant pathogens has drawn researchers' interest to find out new antimicrobial agents against oral microbial diseases. Aim: To compare the anti-microbial activity of clove oil, cinnamon oil, turmeric oil, nutmeg oil, and peppermint oil against oral pathogens. Materials and Methods: It was an in-vitro study. The organisms used in this study were Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis. Agar Well Diffusion Method was used to assess the anti-microbial efficacy of the five essential oils against oral pathogens. Five discs/concentration/microorganism were used in the study. The zone of inhibition was measured after incubation. Kruskal Wallis Test was used to compare the difference in the anti-microbial activity of the oils. Results: The mean zone of inhibition of clove oil against Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, and Enterococcus faecalis was highest at 100 μL (29.8 mm, 44.75 mm, 40.33 mm, respectively), cinnamon oil was highest at 100 μL (39.8 mm, 40.33 mm, 40 mm, respectively), turmeric oil was highest at 100 μL (41.8 mm, 40.50 mm, 40 mm, respectively), peppermint oil was highest at 100 μL (41.8 mm, 27.16 mm, 17 mm, respectively) and nutmeg oil against was highest at 100 μL (24 mm, 24.83 mm, 9.3 mm, respectively). Conclusion: Clove oil, cinnamon oil, turmeric oil, nutmeg oil, and peppermint oil had anti-microbial activity against oral pathogens. Based on the findings, the most effective oil against Streptococcus mutans was turmeric oil and peppermint oil. The most effective oil against Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis was clove oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes the interdependency between earthquake ground motion parameters and seismic damage to various buildings. A novel ranking procedure between energy, damage and seismic risk has been proposed for buildings subjected to ground motions. Correlation analysis was done between damage to buildings, energy and total energy to confirm the trend of parameters and their influence on total energy ranking. It was found that high peak ground acceleration (PGA) or high energy alone may not lead to extensive damage to the buildings. However, they were affected by the predominant frequency, duration of ground motion and amplitude. A correlation study was performed using over 300 ground motions datasets. It was found that the seismic damage of low-rise buildings had a moderate correlation with root mean square acceleration, characteristic intensity, sustained maximum acceleration and effective design acceleration. Also, a weak correlation was observed between seismic damage of high-rise, tall buildings and (V/H)PGA, Arms. The damage and seismic risk rankings may help change Government policies for retrofitting buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present pandemic disease COVID-19 demands an urgent need for more efficient antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2. 22-Hydroxyhopane is a bioactive triterpenoid compound with antibacterial activity, present in the leaves of Adiantum latifolium. In this study, molecular docking method revealed strong binding affinity of the compound for ten proteins essential for SARS-CoV-2 multiplication in host cells, including seven nonstructural proteins, two structural proteins and one receptor protein, with a binding energy of −7.61 to −9.82 kcal/mol and inhibition constant <1 μM. MDS and MM-PBSA analysis of the best ranked complex further confirmed the results. The targets selected include six enzymes, RNA binding protein, spike protein, membrane protein and ACE2 receptor of SARS-CoV-2. It is the first report of a natural compound from A. latifolium having multitargeted activity against SARS-CoV-2. We conclude that 22-hydroxyhopane may be used as a best source for the development of novel therapeutic drugs for COVID-19, but requires further evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]