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Komal Smriti,1,* Murali Venkata Rama Mohan Kodali,2 Mathangi Kumar,1,* Anoushka Saraf,1 Medhini Madi,1 Kalyana Chakravarthy Pentapati,3 Prakashini K,4 Yogesh Chhaparwal,1 Unati Sai Kodali,5 Srikanth Gadicherla6 1Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India; 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf, Eastern Province-Al Ahsa, 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104 India; 4Department of Radio Diagnosis, Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India; 5Dr Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Foundation, Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada, India; 6Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, Karnataka, India*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Medhini Madi; Yogesh Chhaparwal, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India, Email medhini.madi@manipal.edu; yogesh.chhaparwal@manipal.eduIntroduction: Dental age estimation using third molars is a reliable method for estimating the age of individuals. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head and neck has been found to be applicable for age estimation of third molar teeth. In the present study, we aimed to apply the Modified Demirjian method of age estimation to magnetic resonance (MR) image sections for dental age estimation by determining the mineralization patterns of the maxillary third molars.Methods: MRI scans of the patients were performed using SIGNA™ 3.0Tesla MRI GE Healthcare (Chicago, USA) with a moving, multifunctional coil. Two expert radiologists with more than three years of experience independently analyzed the image sections using the open-source Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) viewer software. The age and sex of the patients whose images were included in the study were recorded using a specially designed proforma. The stage of development of the maxillary third molars was determined using the modified Demirjian method. Inter observer agreement was calculated using the intra class correlation coefficient. Simple linear regression analysis was used to predict the actual age at the third molar development stage.Results: There was excellent agreement between observers (ICC =0.99 (95% CI = 0.98– 0.99)). There was also a significant association between the maxillary third molar tooth development stage and chronological age of the individual (P=0.001; B=1.54; 95% CI = 0.71– 2.37).Discussion: The findings from the present study establish that the Modified Demirjian method can also be reliably applied for dental age assessment in MR sections.Keywords: third molars, forensic science, age estimation by teeth, odontogenesis

Atqah AbdulWahab,1,2 Saad J Taj-Aldeen,3 Emad Bashir Ibrahim,3 Eman Talaq,4 Marawan Abu-Madi,4 Rashmi Fotedar5 1Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar; 2Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar; 3Microbiology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar; 4Department of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; 5Biotechnology Center, Ministry of Environment, Doha, Qatar Introduction: Early identification of microbial organisms from respiratory secretions of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is important to guide therapeutic decisions. The objective was to compare the accuracy of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) relative to the conventional phenotypic method in identifying common bacterial isolates, including nonfermenting Gram-negative bacteria, in a cohort of patients with CF. Methods: A total of 123 isolates from 50 patients with CF representing 14 bacterial species from respiratory specimens were identified using MALDI-TOF MS in parallel with conventional phenotypic methods. Discrepancies were confirmed by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing in five Gram-negative isolates. Results: The MALDI-TOF MS managed to identify 122/123 (99.2%) bacterial isolates to the genus level and 118/123 (95.9%) were identified to the species level. The MALDI-TOF MS results were 100% consistent to the species level with conventional phenotypic identification for isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and other uncommon organisms such as Chryseobacterium gleum and Enterobacter cloacae. The 5/123 (4.6%) isolates misidentified were all Gram-negative bacteria. The isolation of E. cloacae and Haemophilus paraphrohaemolyticus may extend the potentially pathogenic list of organisms isolated from patients with CF. Conclusion: Although the technique provides an early identification and antimicrobial therapy approach in patients with CF, limitation in the diagnosis of uncommon Gram-negative bacteria may exist. Keywords: cystic fibrosis, MALDI-TOF MS, bacteria, respiratory secretions, molecular identification

Atqah AbdulWahab,1 Saad J Taj-Aldeen,2 Emad Ibrahim,2 Shaikha H Abdulla,3 Ramees Muhammed,3 Irshad Ahmed,3 Yasmine Abdeen,4 Omnia Sadek,4 Marawan Abu-Madi4 1Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, 2Microbiology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, 3Molecular Biology Unit, Central Food Laboratories, Supreme Council of Health, 4Department of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the primary pathogens isolated more frequently in cystic fibrosis (CF) and it exhibits innate resistance to a wide range of antibiotics. Purpose: We sought to determine whether the highly prevalent genotypes of P. aeruginosa are specifically linked to CF patients and have any related multidrug antibiotic resistance. Isolates from hospitalized non-CF patients and from environmental sources were also genotypically analyzed. Methods: Collections of P. aeruginosa from lower respiratory secretions (n=45) were genotyped using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Phenotypic screening for antibiotic susceptibility was performed for the common antimicrobial agents by E-test and automated Phoenix method. Results: P. aeruginosa isolates from CF (n=32), hospitalized non-CF patients (n=13), and environment sources (n=5) were analyzed. The population structure of P. aeruginosa is highly diverse and population-specific. All PFGE results of P. aeruginosa isolates fall among four major clusters. Cluster 1 contained 16 P. aeruginosa isolates from CF patients and two from environmental sources; cluster 2 contained 11 P. aeruginosa isolates from CF and one each from non-CF and environmental sources; cluster 3 contained 12 P. aeruginosa isolates from hospitalized non-CF patients and two P. aeruginosa isolates from one CF patient and one environmental source; and cluster 4 consisted of three isolates from CF patients and one from the environment. The majority of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were in clusters 3 and 4. P. aeruginosa isolates from CF patients were resistant to ciprofloxacin (34.4%) followed by resistance to amikacin and gentamicin (each 28%), whereas the majority of isolates from non-CF patients were resistant to meropenem (69%) and were grouped in cluster 3. Conclusion: PFGE of P. aeruginosa isolates from CF patients shows a high degree of similarity, suggesting specific adaptation of these clones to CF-affected lungs. The hospitalized non-CF cluster has a different clonal origin, indicating specific clustering in a specific location, suggesting hospital-acquired P. aeruginosa infections. Keywords: cystic fibrosis, drug susceptibility testing, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

Over the last two decades, climatic changes have played a major role in increasing the frequency of floods. El Bayadh city in Algeria has experienced many floods over the last years; the worst flood occurred in October 2011, which affected both population and property. In this paper, some of the local parameters that contribute to flooding in El Bayadh city were analyzed. These include the constriction caused by urban expansion at the edges of Wadi Deffa, which crosses the city, considerably reducing its cross-section and thereby increasing the risk of flooding. The lack of storm drain designs for severe rainstorms contributes to the stagnation of storm water, further increasing the risk. A reduction in the cross-section of the Wadi leads to a change in the flow velocity, which contributes to the overflow. To mitigate the risk, a redevelopment of Wadi Deffa in the zones that are at risk of overflow is necessary. For this purpose, a flood hazard map of the October 2011 flood was realized based on a numerical simulation using HEC-RAS software and the ArcGIS system. This map can be used as a reference to plan the necessary actions to mitigate flooding in El Bayadh city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]