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Abstract We investigate the inverse moment of the B s -meson light-cone distribution amplitude (LCDA), denoted as λ B s $$ {\lambda}_{B_s} $$ and defined within the heavy quark effective theory, through the calculation of B s → η s form factors. The presence of the s-quark inside the B s -meson dictates a notable departure of approximately 20% in the λ B s $$ {\lambda}_{B_s} $$ value compared to the non-strange case λ B q $$ {\lambda}_{B_q} $$ , as computed within the QCD sum rule approach, albeit with significant uncertainty. First, we compute the decay constant of the η s -meson utilizing two-point sum rules while retaining finite s-quark mass contributions. Next, we constrain the parameter λ B s $$ {\lambda}_{B_s} $$ by calculating B s → η s form factors within the light-cone sum rule approach, using B s -meson LCDAs, and leveraging Lattice QCD estimates at zero momentum transfer from the HPQCD collaboration. Our findings yield λ B s $$ {\lambda}_{B_s} $$ = 480 ± 92 MeV when expressing the B s -meson LCDAs in the Exponential model, consistent with previous QCD sum rule estimate yet exhibiting a 1.5-fold improvement in uncertainty. Furthermore, we compare the form factor predictions, based on the extracted λ B s $$ {\lambda}_{B_s} $$ value, with earlier analyses for other channels such as B s → D s and B s → K.

Nickel–Copper alloys hybrid composite was formed in an induction furnace set up on a sand substrate. With different percentages of Al2O3 (3, 6, 9 and 12 wt%) and TiO2 (constant 9 wt%) reinforcements, the goal is to examine the wear behavior and friction coefficient of Ni–TiO2–Al2O3. The factors considered for the wear analysis were sliding distance (1500, 1000, and 500 m), applied load (25, 50, and 75 N), and sliding velocity (1.46, 2.93, and 4.39 m/s). The pin-on-disc equipment is utilized to perform different wear tests are carried out using in accordance with the Taguchi L27 orthogonal array. The machine learning used to correlate between actual and anticipated values for both metrics is strong, with a reasonable error margin. The Mean Squared Error (MSE) for the wear rate was 0.1025 (10.25%) in the Linear Regression model and 0.2390 (23.89%) in the Random Forest model. Regression analysis determined the impact of several parameters on wear rate, whilst machine learning approaches expanded the evaluation of wear rate and coefficient of friction beyond experimental data. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of combining Taguchi methods with machine learning to accurately anticipate wear mechanisms in Ni–Cu alloy composites.

Abstract Background Anemia is a worldwide problem with iron deficiency being the most common cause. When anemia occurs in pregnancy, it increases the risk of adverse maternal, fetal, and postnatal outcomes. It induces preterm births and low birth weight (LBW) deliveries, long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae, and an increased risk of earlier onset of postnatal iron deficiency. Anemia rates are among the highest in South Asia, and India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) for 2019–2021 indicated that over half of pregnant women, and more than 65% of children, in the country are classified as anemic (Sciences IIfP, National Family Health Survey-5, 2019–21, India Fact Sheet). In 2021, the parent RAPIDIRON Trial (Derman et al., Trials 22:649, 2021) was initiated in two states in India, with the goal of assessing whether a dose of intravenous (IV) iron given to anemic women during early pregnancy results in a greater proportion of participants with normal hemoglobin concentrations in the third trimester and a lower proportion of participants with LBW deliveries compared to oral iron. As a follow-up to the RAPIDIRON Trial, the RAPIDIRON-KIDS Study will follow the offspring of previously randomized mothers to assess, neurobehavioral, hematological, and health outcomes. Methods This prospective observational cohort study will follow a subset of participants previously randomized as part of the RAPIDIRON Trial and their newborns. Study visits occur at birth, 6 weeks, 4 months, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months and include blood sample collection with both maternal and infant participants and specific neurobehavioral assessments conducted with the infants (depending on the study visit). The primary outcomes of interest are (1) infant iron status as indicated by both hemoglobin and ferritin (a) at birth and (b) at 4 months of age and (2) the developmental quotient (DQ) for the cognitive domain of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Version IV (BSID-IV) at 24 months of age. Discussion This RAPIDIRON-KIDS Study builds upon its parent RAPIDIRON Trial by following a subset of the previously randomized participants and their offspring through the first 3 years of life to assess neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral (infants, children), hematological, and health outcomes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05504863 , Registered on 17 August 2022. Clinical Trials Registry – India CTRI/2022/05/042933 . Registered on 31 May 2022.

Background: Online learning is a virtual learning system that combines teaching and learning processes with the use of the Internet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this approach has proven to be a viable solution for maintaining the learning process. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the perception of e-learning among undergraduate dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Dakshina Kannada District. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 195 undergraduate dental students (1st year to final year) studying across Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India. They were surveyed through a self-administered online questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. The Chi-square test was used to find statistical associations, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age (±standard deviation) of the participants was 20.3 (±1.0). The results revealed that 70% of the participants were aware of online training before the COVID-19 pandemic, 84% responded that online learning was difficult to understand without getting acquainted with appropriate guidance, 78% believed that student and teacher interaction was less during the online classes, and 87% expressed that online learning was stressful. Conclusion: According to the findings, nearly half of the participants had a negative attitude about online learning. As a result, encouraging face-to-face connection between students and teachers, as well as promoting a learning environment at home for online learning, is encouraged.

Aim: The present study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX), Nisin, and Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid (Augmentin) as an intracanal irrigant against Enterococcus faecalis (EF). Materials and Methods: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for EF against Nisin and Augmentin was determined by microbroth dilution technique. Time kill cycle (TKC) analysis was done for 0 MIC, ½ MIC, 1 MIC, and 2 MIC at 0 hour, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes. At the end of each time period, dilutions were pipetted and swabs of agar plates were done. Incubation of agar plates was done at 37C for 24 hours. Colonies formed were counted. Results: The time kill curve analysis of EF for CHX, Nisin, and Augmentin at different concentrations and time periods showed a gradual decline in mean bacterial count between 0 and 45 minutes for CHX; this decline increases with increase in concentrations and time. Whereas in group Nisin, not much decline in bacterial count is noted for ½ MIC concentrations but a signification reduction of P < 0.001 after exposure to Nisin at 1 MIC ant 2 MIC concentrations. Group Augmentin showed not much reduction in bacterial count with increase in concentration and time. Conclusion: From this study, Nisin is found to be a promising agent in eliminating EF in comparison to other irrigants tested. However, the systemic effect of this irrigant, its biocompatibility, allergic potential, and bacterial resistance needs further investigation.

Background: Ageism persists in many different societies as it is innate and subconscious in nature. Negative effects such as loneliness, mistreatment, and occupational discrimination are frequently present due to ageism. The dental students in our study were wary of the possible benefits of expensive dental care because ageism is rife in their field. There is no validated and reliable ageism scale to assess how dental students perceive ageism in India. The current study was carried out to validate the ageism scale for dental students in the Indian context. Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study carried out among both males and females in Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore in which the instrument was 27-item Ageism scale for dental students. Content validity was done by six subject experts. The final version was administered to 213 students/Residents of dental school. The factorability of data was confirmed with KMO = 0.61 and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity resulting in p < 0.001. Results: Final PCA model resulted in 15 items and six components that together accounted for 70.37% of overall variance. The six components had reliability ranging from marginal 0.51 (Component 6) to a high of 0.81 (Component 3). As per the gender differences by component females showed less ageism than men in “non-compliance” (-0.9(-1.66-0.14), p

BackgroundDental caries is a serious public health issue globally. It is one of the most prevalent chronic disease in children worldwide. An important public health concern is the existence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled tooth surfaces in any primary teeth of preschool children. Early childhood caries (ECC) can be halted with the use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) solution. Previous research has indicated that it may have a preventive impact in the treatment of ECC. It is well known that 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is helpful at preventing dental caries. On the other hand, there is not enough evidence on SDF’s ability to prevent caries in primary teeth. To date, no well-planned clinical study has been carried out to investigate SDF’s impact on caries protection. ObjectiveThe study’s objective is to evaluate and compare the efficacy of 12%, 30%, and 38% silver diamine fluoride in preventing ECC in children aged 24 to 72 months in Mangaluru Taluk. MethodsThis is a single-center, randomized, active-controlled, parallel-group pragmatic trial. Children attending preschool in Mangalore Taluk aged 24 to 72 months will be included in the study. There will be three study groups: group 1 will receive 12% SDF semiannually; group 2 will receive 30% SDF semiannually; and group 3 will receive 38% SDF semiannually. After 6 and 12 months, the principal examiner will conduct a clinical examination of the teeth with a visual and tactile assessment. The effectiveness of the various concentrations of SDF will be determined after 12 months. ResultsThe research was funded in September 2020, and data collection started in September 2022. As of February 2023, 150 participants have enrolled in the study. The project is still underway, and it is expected to be completed in December 2023. ConclusionsUncertainty surrounds the efficacy of 38% SDF in preventing ECC. Consensus-Based Clinical Case Reporting (CARE) guidelines recommending the use of SDF for ECC prevention will be modified if the findings are as expected. Additionally, since the findings will be broadly disseminated, more nations will implement the use of SDF, easing the burden of ECC on the entire world. Future research on the treatment and prevention of ECC will benefit from the study results. If SDF is successful in preventing caries in a classroom or community context, it will mark an important turning point for preventive dentistry. Trial RegistrationClinical Trial Registry of India CTRI/2020/02/023420; https://tinyurl.com/3ju2apab International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/46144

Background: Microplastic particles are used as ingredients in personal care products such as face washes, shower gels and toothpastes and form one of the main sources of microplastic pollution, especially in the marine environment. In addition to being a potential pollutant to the environment, the transfer of microplastics to humans can become a severe threat to public health. This systematic review was conceptualized to identify evidence for the presence of and characteristics of microplastics in toothpaste formulations. Methods: The PICOS Criteria was used for including studies for the review. Electronic databases of Scopus, Embase, Springer Link, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched, as well as hand and reference searching of the articles was carried out. The articles were screened using the software application, Covidence® and data was extracted. Results: This systematic review showed that toothpastes from China, Vietnam, Myanmar and the UAE, reported no evidence of microplastics and those from Malaysia, Turkey and India reported the presence of microplastics. The shape of the microplastics present in these toothpastes were found to be granular, irregular with opaque appearance and also in the form of fragments and fibers and the percentage weight in grams ranged from 0.2 to 7.24%. Malaysia releases 0.199 trillion microbeads annually from personal care products into the environment and toothpastes in Turkey release an average of 871 million grams of microplastics annually. Similarly, in India, it has been reported that 1.4 billion grams of microplastic particles are emitted annually from toothpaste. Conclusions: The findings of this systematic review provide evidence that toothpastes, at least in some parts of the world, do contain microplastics and that there is a great risk of increase in the addition of microplastics to the environment by the use of toothpaste.

Hospitalized, critically ill children are at increased risk of developing malnutrition. While several pediatric nutrition screening tools exist, none have been validated in the pediatric intensive care units (PICU). The Children’s Wisconsin Nutrition Screening Tool (CWNST) is a unique nutrition screening tool that includes the Pediatric Nutrition Screening Tool (PNST) and predictive elements from the electronic medical record and was found to be more sensitive than the PNST in acute care units. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the tool in detecting possible malnutrition in critically ill children. The data analysis, including the results of the current nutrition screening, diagnosis, and nutrition status was performed on all patients admitted to PICUs at Children’s Wisconsin in 2019. All 250 patients with ≥1 nutrition assessment by a dietitian were included. The screening elements that were predictive of malnutrition included parenteral nutrition, positive PNST, and BMI-for-age/weight-for-length z-score. The current screen had a sensitivity of 0.985, specificity of 0.06, positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.249, and negative predictive value of 0.929 compared to the PNST alone which had a sensitivity of 0.1, specificity of 0.981, PPV of 0.658, and NPV of 0.749. However, of the 250 included patients, 97.2% (243) had a positive nutrition screen. The CWNST can be easily applied through EMRs and predicts the nutrition risk in PICU patients but needs further improvement to improve specificity.

Many chronic inflammatory conditions are mediated by an increase in the number of monocytes in peripheral circulation, differentiation of monocytes to macrophages, and different macrophage subpopulations during pro- and anti-inflammatory stages of tissue injury. When hepcidin secretion is stimulated during inflammation, the iron export protein ferroportin is targeted for degradation on a limited number of cell types, including monocytes and macrophages. Such changes in monocyte iron metabolism raise the possibility of non-invasively tracking the activity of these immune cells using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that hepcidin-mediated changes in monocyte iron regulation influence both cellular iron content and MRI relaxation rates. In response to varying conditions of extracellular iron supplementation, ferroportin protein levels in human THP-1 monocytes decreased two- to eightfold, consistent with paracrine/autocrine regulation of iron export. Following hepcidin treatment, ferroportin protein levels further decreased two- to fourfold. This was accompanied by an approximately twofold increase in total transverse relaxation rate, R2*, compared to non-supplemented cells. A positive correlation between total cellular iron content and R2* improved from moderate to strong in the presence of hepcidin. These findings suggest that hepcidin-mediated changes detected in monocytes using MRI could be valuable for in vivo cell tracking of inflammatory responses.

Background: Second-hand smoke (SHS) causes more than 1.2 million premature deaths per year and other serious diseases. Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine exposure to SHS among college students in Mangalore, South India. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 2063 college students aged 18–24 years in Mangalore. Data regarding exposure to SHS at home and indoor work areas were collected. Chi square test was used to test the association between study variables. Multinomial logistic regression was used to find factors influencing SHS exposure. Results: In the present study, 9.9% of the respondents were exposed to tobacco smoke at home of which 8.4% were nonsmokers. Among the respondents, 21.7% were exposed to tobacco smoke at indoor work areas of which 19.3% were nonsmokers. Significant association was found between current tobacco smoking status and anyone smoking inside the home or workplace. Logistic regression analysis revealed that males had 1.814 more odds of getting exposed to SHS at home and 1.976 more odds of getting exposed to SHS at indoor work areas than females. Conclusion: Exposure to SHS was higher at indoor work areas than at home and majority of the respondents exposed to SHS were nonsmokers. The findings emphasize the need for increased efforts to implement strategies to control SHS exposure.

The production and productivity of paddy (Oryza sativa L.) has been reported to be severely affected by an emerging disease called seed discolouration. It is a complex disease because several pathogenic fungi infect rice grains in the field. The infection reduces the seed quality by producing harmful mycotoxins that are hazardous to humans and animals. The current study was carried out from 2016–19 at IARI, New Delhi to determine the effect of seed discolouration on seed quality parameters in terms of physio-chemical changes. The findings revealed a significant loss in the seed quality of paddy in popular rice varieties. We observed a significant reduction in the germination percentage (9–42%), seedling length (3.4–33.3%), seedling dry weight (2.7–36.5%), and seedling vigour index I (20.1–52.5%) and II (12.3–53.7%), whereas an increase in electrical conductivity (EC) (18.7–38.9%) were observed in discoloured seeds compared to healthy seeds. Similarly, the significant decrease in starch (5.3–37.6%) and protein (1.6–46.2%) content was recorded, whereas, an increase in total antioxidant (3.3–37.1%) and total phenol content (0.58–26.03%) was seen in discoloured seeds, as compared to healthy seeds. The results show that the seed quality is highly compromised in discoloured seeds, as compared to healthy seeds and need to be addressed through the development of different management practices.

Hydro energy is one of the world’s most abundant and valuable renewable electricity sources. Hydropower is an important source since it is a clean, sustainable, and cost-effective source of energy. The most perilous characteristic that affects the performance of the hydraulic turbine and its allied parts is the cavitation phenomenon, which is clear as the increase of vapor bubbles in the liquid through any hydraulic turbine. Cavitation causes vibration, which is very harmful to turbine guide bearings and their supporting structures. Sometimes heavy vibration causes cracks in the civil structure of the powerhouse where the bulb turbines are installed. The performance of the bulb turbine and the stability of the powerhouse structure are studied with the effect of cavitation, vibration, and deformation of the turbine casing. Experimental measurements are used to determine at what force the shape of cavitation is very destructive and crucial when the local pressure is less than the vapor pressure of the flowing water, at which static pressure cavities begin to breed and ruin. This paper focuses on small hydropower stations with bulb turbine installations, which emphasized the performance improvement of these turbines by avoiding cavitation on the runner blades. Allowing some cavitation on these machines is also recommended, which is within repairable condition, and the cavitation pitting can be repaired during annual maintenance.

In the recent advancements attention mechanism in deep learning had played a vital role in proving better results in tasks under computer vision. There exists multiple kinds of works under attention mechanism which includes under image classification, fine-grained visual recognition, image captioning, video captioning, object detection and recognition tasks. Global and local attention are the two attention based mechanisms which helps in interpreting the attentive partial. Considering this criteria, there exists channel and spatial attention where in channel attention considers the most attentive channel among the produced block of channels and spatial attention considers which region among the space needs to be focused on. We have proposed a streamlined attention block module which helps in enhancing the feature based learning with less number of additional layers i.e., a GAP layer followed by a linear layer with an incorporation of second order pooling(GSoP) after every layer in the utilized encoder. This mechanism has produced better range dependencies by the conducted experimentation. We have experimented our model on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100 and FGVC-Aircrafts datasets considering finegrained visual recognition. We were successful in achieving state-of-the-result for FGVC-Aircrafts with an accuracy of 97%.

When moderate wave activity at the shoreline is acceptable, pile breakwaters can serve as an alternative to conventional breakwaters. Increasing the size of the pile breakwater in the vicinity of the free surface increases the hydraulic efficiency, as most of the wave energy is concentrated around the free surface. Therefore, a conical pile head breakwater (CPHB) is proposed in the present study by gradually widening the diameter of the piles towards the free surface. Using the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model REEF3D, the transmission, reflection, and dissipation characteristics of the CPHB with monochromatic and irregular waves are examined. The investigation is carried out for both perforated and non-perforated CPHBs using monochromatic waves, and the numerical results are validated using experimental data. Further, optimally configured non-perforated and perforated CPHBs are investigated numerically by subjecting them to irregular waves using the Scott–Wiegel spectrum. The wave attenuation characteristics of the CPHBs are found to be better with irregular waves compared to monochromatic waves. With irregular waves, the minimum transmission coefficients for non-perforated and perforated CPHBs are 0.36 and 0.34, respectively. Overall, the CPHB appears to be a potential solution for coastal protection.

Background: We are in the midst of a pandemic caused by the novel SARS-Cov-2 virus. A large percentage of the patients are asymptomatic and hospitals around the world are struggling to restart routine services. We report the results of a universal testing protocol of all patients who underwent orthopaedic surgery in the month of July 2020 in a large orthopaedic speciality hospital in Bangalore, India. Methods: A retrospective study of all patients who underwent orthopaedic surgery in the month of July 2020 at a tertiary care orthopaedic speciality hospital in Bangalore, India. All patients underwent nasopharyngeal swab test before surgery. A questionnaire was used to assess the patient before the RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab test. Data regarding imaging, investigations and follow up was recorded. Results: In the month of July 2020, 168 patients underwent routine nasopharyngeal RT-PCR swab test for COVID-19 prior to planned orthopaedic surgical procedure (Both trauma and elective cases). 16 of the RT-PCR tests were positive. However vascular cases and absolute emergencies were done without a RT-PCR test with PPE and all universal precautions. 11 patients underwent emergency surgery without a RT-PCR test. All 16 cases who were positive were asymptomatic. The asymptomatic positive rate was 9.52%. Of the 11 patients who underwent emergency surgery without a RT-PCR test, only one patient had a positive test post-operatively. Conclusions: Routine nasopharyngeal RT-PCR testing revealed a high rate of asymptomatic cases. If the RT-PCR test is positive, it is best to defer the case till the test returns negative. All precautions must be taken while performing emergency surgeries. Our algorithm in managing patients has proven to be effective and can be replicated with ease to continue operating and taking care of orthopaedic patients during this pandemic.

This research proposes a novel topology optimization method using neural style transfer to simultaneously optimize both structural performance for a given loading condition and geometric similarity for a reference design. For the neural style transfer, the convolutional layers of a pre-trained neural network extract and quantify characteristic features from the reference and input designs for optimization. The optimization analysis is evaluated as a single weighted objective function with the ability for the user to control the influence of the neural style transfer with the structural performance. As seen in architecture and consumer-facing products, the visual appeal of a design contributes to its overall value along with mechanical performance metrics. Using this method, a designer allows the tool to find the ideal compromise of these metrics. Three case studies are included to demonstrate the capabilities of this method with various loading conditions and reference designs. The structural performances of the novel designs are within 10% of the baseline without geometric reference, and the designs incorporate features in the given reference such as member size or meshed features. The performance of the proposed optimizer is compared against other optimizers without the geometric similarity constraint.

Background: There are several occupations where individuals are exposed to high concentration of dust particles. The exposed dust can be organic, inorganic, bacterial toxins, viruses or lipopolysaccharides. Exposure to rice husk causes activation of eosinophils and inammation reactions. Cardiovascular diseases are associated with increased lipid peroxidation and decrease in levels of antioxidants. Aim & Objectives: Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of occupational exposure on haematological and biochemical parameters of rice mill workers by analyzing blood cell Counts, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric Oxide (NO) and Ascorbic acid. Material and Methods: A total of 134 eligible individuals who had been exposed to dust in rice mills for more than 5 years were included in the study group where as another 134 unexposed individuals constituted control group. Estimation of serum MDA, serum NO and plasma Ascorbic acid were done by using semiautoanalyzer. Results: There was no signicant difference between Total Leucocyte Count of exposed and unexposed individuals. Lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil and basophil counts are signicantly increased in exposed individuals. Serum levels of MDA, NO and Ascorbic acid are also signicantly increased in exposed group compared with control group. Conclusion: The ndings of our study clearly indicate that the rice mill workers are under high level of dust exposure which has deleterious effects on their blood and tissues. Increased MDA, NO and decreased Vitamin-C are probably due to high oxidative stress.

Hallermann–Streiff syndrome (HSS) is a rare congenital disorder with multiple abnormalities mainly affecting face, skull, hair, eyes, and teeth. We report a case of an 18-year-old Indian girl with HSS having typical physical features and ophthalmological manifestations. She had been operated for bilateral congenital cataract in her infancy, and since then, she had been aphakic in both eyes. She had poor vision in the right eye and irreversible blindness in the left eye. She underwent scleral-fixated (glued) intraocular lens implantation in the right eye with good visual recovery.

Introduction: Among etiological factors, multiparity remains inconclusive with various conflicting studies. Considering that multiparity is a common norm in the reproductive life of women in developing countries it is important to find a clear relationship between anaemia and multiparity. Aim: To ascertain the exclusive role of multigravidity as a risk factor for anaemia in pregnancy as well as to bring to light the incidence of anaemia in pregnancy in the women of Raichur. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a focus group of female patients attending Civil Hospital Raichur over a period of six months. Total 300 pregnant women (150 primigravida women and 150 multigravida women) of similar socioeconomic standing within the age group of 18-40 years were selected. Medical history was collected from the participants. Complete blood count, inclusive of Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH and MCHC was estimated using automated haematological Analyzer Sysmexkx 21. Peripheral smear were done using Leishman’s stain. Statistical analysis of the data collected was done by percentage, proportion, mean± SD and p-value

To assess and compare the effect of herbal and fluoride mouth rinses on Streptococcus mutans count and glucan synthesis by Streptococcus mutans and dental caries, a parallel group placebo controlled randomized trial was conducted among 240 schoolchildren (12–15 years old). Participants were randomly divided and allocated into Group I (0.2% fluoride group), Group II (herbal group), and Group III (placebo group). All received 10 ml of respective mouth rinses every fortnight for a period of one year. Intergroup and intragroup comparison were done for Streptococcus mutans count and glucan synthesis by Streptococcus mutans and dental caries. Streptococcus mutans count showed a statistically significant difference between Group I and Group III (p=0.035) and also between Group II and Group III (p=0.039). Glucan concentration levels showed a statistically significant difference (p=0.024) between Group II and Group III at 12th month. Mean DMF scores showed no statistical difference between the three groups (p=0.139). No difference in the level of significance was seen in the intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis. The present study showed that both herbal and fluoride mouth rinses, when used fortnightly, were equally effective and could be recommended for use in school-based health education program to control dental caries. Trial registration number is CTRI/2015/08/006070.

Granular cell ameloblastoma (GCA) is one of the rare histological variants of ameloblastoma (1.5-3.5%), identified by Krompechner in 1918 and is diagnosed by the characteristic presence of granular cells. These granular cells are seen in several physiological and pathological conditions and the granularity in GCA is due to lysosomal aggregates. This review is about the clinical features, histopathological features and differential diagnosis of GCA and also adds the theories for occurrence of granularity, electron microscopic findings, cell signaling pathways and immunohistochemistry findings related to these granular cells in GCA.

Aim and Methodology: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT) and orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst (OOC), to identify their clinicopathological features among the patients by studying the biopsy specimens obtained from the archives of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, College of Dental Sciences, Davangere, Karnataka, India during the period of 2001-2013. Data for this study is retrieved from the case records of the patients fitting the histological classification of the World Health Organization (2005). The following clinical variables, namely age, gender, anatomical location, and histological features are analyzed. Results: Of the 3026 biopsy reports (100%) present in the archives, we had 31 cases (1.02%) of KCOT, 11 cases (0.36%) of OOC and a combination of para and orthokeratinized lining epithelium made 1 case (0.033%). The most frequent clinical manifestation was asymptomatic followed by the combination of pain and swelling. The male: female ratio was 1.4:1 with a mean age of 30 years in KCOT, while 2.7:1 with a mean age of 29.1 years in OOC. Posterior molar-ramus region was most commonly involved in both KCOT and OOC. Conclusion: Due to aggressiveness and high recurrence rate of KCOT, differentiation between KCOT and OOC is important, with respect to their treatment modalities. Such epidemiological pools are also essential for the analysis of geographical distribution of odontogenic tumours

Objective: The study was designed to analyze the frequency and clinical features of multicystic ameloblastoma and its histological variants in South Indian sample population, as there is minute information available in the English literature. Methodology: The study source was the biopsy specimens retrieved from the archives of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, College of Dental Sciences, Davangere, Karnataka, India, during the past 13 years, from 2001 to 2013. Clinical data for the study were obtained from the case records of patients and the analyzed clinical variables were age, gender and anatomical location. Histologically, hematoxylin and eosin stained sections fitting the World Health Organization (2005) criteria for diagnosis of multicystic ameloblastoma were selectively included. Results: Of the 3026 biopsy reports analyzed, 103 cases were odontogenic tumors (3.4%) and 58 cases were ameloblastoma. 31 cases of multicystic ameloblastoma, including follicular ameloblastoma (54.8%), acanthomatous ameloblastoma (29%), plexiform ameloblastoma (6.5%), granular cell ameloblastoma (6.5%) and desmoplastic ameloblastoma (3.2%) were recorded. The age of the patients during the presentation of the lesion was ranging from 21 to 73 years, with a mean of 39.5 years. The most frequent clinical manifestation was swelling, followed by a combination of pain and swelling. In our study, ameloblastoma showed distinct anatomic predilections for occurrence in mandible (96.8%) rather than maxilla (3.2%). This study result also indicated that there is geographical variation in the frequency and distribution of ameloblastoma.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) is an endocrine disorder that occurs commonly in an age group, where the development of primary and permanent dentition takes place. As altered endocrine functions may affect the shape and size of teeth leading to dental anomalies, this study was conducted to look for the occurrence of any dental anomalies in type I DM patients. Materials and Methods: A diabetic camp was conducted at Alur Chandrashekharappa Memorial Hospital, Davangere, where 30 diabetic patients were examined and the impressions of their maxillary and mandibular arches were recorded. Age and sex matched controls were selected randomly, and similar recordings were done. Results: Type I diabetic patients showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) morphological alterations of total number of cusps, including presence of 6 th cusp in mandibular molars and extra cusps in mandibular premolars. Other alterations such as microdontia, flower shaped mandibular molars, prominent cusp of carabelli, and oblique ridge in maxillary molars were also noted. Severe attrition was found in 11 (36.6%) of the diabetic patients, whereas the control group showed attrition only in 2 (6.8%) patients. Conclusion: Remarkable morphological alterations do occur in the dentition of type I DM patients.

Background: The control of excessive bleeding after paediatric cardiac surgery can be challenging. This may make the use of recombinant-activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in preventing this excessive bleeding, after adopted conventional methods have failed, desirable. Our aim is to highlight our experience with the use of rFVIIa in preventing excessive bleeding after paediatric cardiac surgery. Patients and Methods: The data for 14 patients who had rFVIIa for excessive haemorrhage after cardiac surgery from December 2009 to November 2010 was analysed. The perioperative blood loss from the chest drain before and after the administration of rFVIIa, use of blood products, international normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT), before and after administration of rFVIIa, were analysed. Results: The rFVIIa was successful in stopping bleeding in all the patients. The mean coagulation factors before rFVIIa were as follows: INR, 2.88 (1.82-4.5); aPTT, 65 seconds (33.4-95.1); after rFVIIa, the mean INR was 1.2 (0.82-1.56), mean APTT was 38.7 seconds (25.6-54.9). No thromboembolic events or allergic reactions or deaths were recorded. Conclusions: rFVIIa use is not only effective in stopping excessive perioperative bleeding but also safe and indirectly reduces transfusion of blood and its products.

Introduction: Under normal conditions, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems interact to regulate the heart rate of about 70 beats per minute. Activation of sympathetic nervous system by emotional or physical stress increases heart rate and the force of heart beat. There are many factors which alter the heart rate. The chemical and mechanical stimulation of receptors can also cause change in blood pressure through autonomic nervous system. Exposure to dust also causes alteration in blood cell counts. This can be due to allergic reactions and inflammation which in turn evoked by dust entering the lungs. Objectives: Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of occupational exposure on haematological and cardiovascular parameters of rice mill workers by analysing Blood Cell Counts, ECG and Blood Pressure. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried on 134 rice mill workers and an equal number of age and sex matched healthy individual. The blood cell counts were determined by automated cell counter machine, ECG was recorded by using ECG machine and Blood Pressure was measured by using mercurial sphygmomanometer. Results: Neurtrophil, Eosinophil and Lymphocyte count among haematological parameters were significantly increased in exposed individuals. Marked variation was seen in ECG and Blood pressure among cardiovascular parameters of exposed individuals compared with control group. Conclusion:The findings of our study clearly indicate that the rice mill workers are under high level of dust exposure which has deleterious effects on their blood and tissues. It is due to high oxidative stress. There are abnormalities seen in cardiovascular system.

Routine radiographs made in the orthodontic office can often give way to detection and diagnosis of unusual syndromes, signs or foreign bodies. A case report of one such accidental detection of a very unusual foreign body within the nasal cavity of an orthodontic patient has been presented here to emphasize the importance of routine radiographic views, which over and above aiding in Orthodontic diagnosis, can also often detect potentially life threatening problems in the Oro-facial region.

We report a large cystic tumour of about 40cms size in a perimenopusal woman mimicking ovarian tumour, with peroperative surprise of finding it as degenerated fibroid arising from fundus of the uterus.

Spontaneous evisceration is a rare complication associated with incisional hernia which demands an emergency surgery. A few cases have been reported on this. We report a spontaneous evisceration of bowel with strangulation which was managed by bowel resection and anastomosis and anatomical repair of incisional hernia.

Aims and Objectives. To evaluate the clinicopathologic features, response to cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy with or without paclitaxel. Materials and Methods. A retrospective observational study of 8 women with a histopathologic diagnosis of primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) from January 2000 to February 2013. Results. 4/8 (50%) of the women were in the early stage and an intraoperative frozen section was 100% effective in identifying fallopian tube carcinoma and then a staging laparotomy was performed. All 4/8 cases in the early stage had received and responded to single agent carboplatin and all are alive without clinical, radiological, or biochemical evidence of recurrence at the end of 2 years and the longest survivor has completed 13 years. Primary optimal cytoreductive surgery was achievable in 3/4 (75%) in advanced disease. All showed response to adjuvant paclitaxel and carboplatin (T+C), but all had succumbed to the disease following recurrence with mean progression-free survival of 19 months (range 15–21 months) and mean overall survival of 27 months (range 22–36 months). Conclusion. The pivotal role played by a frozen section in diagnosing PFTC which is rare needs to be reemphasized, therefore justifying a primary staging laparotomy in an early stage. Prolonged survival observed in this group following an optimum tailored adjuvant single agent carboplatin is worth noting.

Pediatric Feeding Disorder, a common problem in children, is commoner in children with various developmental disorders. Children with pediatric feeding disorder can have food selectivity and lack dietary diversity (DD). In this paper, an understanding of DD in these children is provided along with a dietary diversity index that can be helpful in measuring and understanding the risks posed by this lack of DD. An overview of a management strategy to address decreased DD is proposed. In these children, improving DD can improve growth, micronutrient status, long-term metabolic health, and potentially quality of life.

Background: Hypertension is the commonest cardiovascular disorder, among elderly population .It is evident that the urban poor living in slums has poor access to healthcare, partly related to their poor purchasing ability. Present study was undertaken to determine treatment seeking behavior and health expenditure incurred among elderly hypertensive. Objectives: To determine treatment seeking behavior and health expenditure incurred for hypertension among elderly. Material and methods: A Cross sectional study was conducted among elderly population aged 60 years and above in three slums of urban health centre Ram Nagar, Belgaum. Results: Out of the 336 elderly population studied, 174(52%) were found to be hypertensive. Of the 174 hypertensive’s, 146 were found to be known hypertensive’s. Among the known hypertensive patients only 41 (28%) took regular treatment. High level of out of pocket spending by elderly is observed by way of purchase of medicines, high cost of hospitalization of varying length and charges for diagnostic services. Conclusion: With reduced ability to generate resources, the elderly lack basic needs that affect their health status. Emphasis for an effective health policy for the elderly is recommended.

The objective of this study was to know the complications following vulvectomy and inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy including the time taken to complete wound healing. 42 patients who were subjected to either radical or modified radical vulvectomy for primary and inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (80 groins) for groin metastases were analysed retrospectively. The complications analysed were wound breakdown, wound cellulitis or infection, lymphocyst, limb edema and the time to wound healing. In a total of 80 inguinofemoral lymphadenectomies 55% had wound breakdown, 17.5% had wound infection/cellulitis, lymphocyst in 31%, limb edema in 36% and time taken for complete wound healing ranged from 10-134 (average 46 days). Overall post operative morbidity was 85%.

Xanthogranulomatous inflammation is an uncommon form of chronic inflammation that is destructive to affected organs; it is characterized by the presence of lipid-filled macrophages with admixed lymphocytes, plasma cells, and neutrophils. Only a few cases of xanthogranulomatous oophoritis have been reported to date. We describe a rare case of xanthogranulomatous oophoritis with involvement of omentum.

Primary hydatid cyst in the pelvis is rare, and usually presents with pressure symptoms affecting the adjacent abdominal organs. We describe a rare hydatid cyst which was eroding the sacral hallow, protruding into the right sciatic foramen and presenting as a radiating pain and weakness of right lower limb due to compression of the lumbosacral nerve roots. Laparotomy with removal of cyst and postoperative treatment with albendazole is effective in controlling the disease and preventing recurrence.