Search

Background: African horse sickness (AHS) is a devastating viral disease of equids that was first recorded in 1327. Currently, prevention and control of the disease are based on attenuated vaccines and midge control. It has been shown that attenuated Orbivirus vaccines are not always safe as they may reverse to virulence. Objectives: In the Emirate of Dubai, a vaccination experiment was carried out with an inactivated AHS vaccine produced at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), Dubai, UAE to investigate the humoral antibody response of AHS‐naïve horses to this vaccine. Our vaccination experiment was performed to establish an AHS vaccine bank in the UAE to protect horses from the disease in case of an outbreak. Therefore, CVRL established an inactivated AHS vaccine containing all nine serotypes which induce high neutralising antibodies. Study design: A total of 10 horses kept in a desert isolation area were subcutaneously and intramuscularly vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine containing all nine AHS serotypes previously isolated from Kenyan horse fatalities. Primary immunisation was followed by two booster immunisations 4 weeks and 6 months apart. After 13 months, an annual booster was administered. Methods: Blood samples were regularly withdrawn for ELISA and virus neutralisation testing. Additionally, EDTA blood was tested every second day for 14 days post each vaccination for the presence of AHS virus or its RNA. Results: Results show that ELISA and virus neutralising antibodies appeared after the first booster, declined after 4‐6 months and therefore three vaccinations and an annual vaccination are necessary to achieve high protective virus neutralising antibodies. Main limitations: No challenge infection was carried out due to the lack of a safe facility in the UAE. Conclusion: Before more advanced AHS vaccines become a reality, inactivated vaccines containing all nine serotypes should be used as they produce high ELISA and neutralising antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aspergillosis in falcons may be associated with high mortality and difficulties in clinical and laboratory diagnosis. We previously cloned an immunogenic protein, Afmp1p, in Aspergillus fumigatus and showed that anti‐Afmp1p antibodies were present in human patients with A. fumigatus infections. In this study, we hypothesise that a similar Afmp1p‐based enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) could be applied to serodiagnose falcon aspergillosis. A specific polyclonal antibody was first generated to detect falcon serum IgY. Horseradish peroxidase‐conjugate of this antibody was then used to measure anti‐Afmp1p antibodies in sera collected from falcons experimentally infected with A. fumigatus, and the performance of the Afmp1p‐based ELISA was evaluated using sera from healthy falcons and falcons with documented A. fumigatus infections. All four experimentally infected falcons developed culture‐ and histology‐proven invasive aspergillosis. Anti‐Afmp1p antibodies were detected in their sera. For the Afmp1p‐based ELISA, the mean ± SD OD450 nm using sera from 129 healthy falcons was 0.186 ± 0.073. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis showed an absorbance cut‐off value of 0.407. One negative serum gave an absorbance outside the normal range, giving a specificity of 99.2%. For the 12 sera from falcons with confirmed aspergillosis, nine gave absorbance values ≥ cut‐off, giving a sensitivity of 75%. The Afmp1p‐based ELISA is useful for serodiagnosis of falcons with aspergillosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dental caries status in children is influenced by a number of risk factors such as sex, age, socioeconomic status, diet, and oral hygiene practices. The objective of the study was to assess and compare the prevalence of dental caries and calculus in 12-13 year old school children. Materials and methods: A sample of 761 children aged 12-13 years of both sexes from government and private schools. Clinical examination was carried out using the DMFT index for assessing the caries prevalence and Calculus component of Simplified-Oral Hygiene Index was used for assessing calculus in these children. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was seen more in children studying in government schools than in private schools which was statistically significant (p=0.018). When the gender differences were compared it was seen that girls showed a higher prevalence of dental caries (66.37% in private schools; 87.58% in government schools) than boys (64.47% in private schools; 71.98% in government schools). There was no significant difference seen in the prevalence of calculus between government and private school children. Conclusion: High prevalence of dental caries was found in these school children which suggested a poor performance of oral hygiene practices in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluated the effect of overcrowding stress on production parameters, hematology, organs and gastrointestinal enzymes activity in broiler chicken. Twenty day-old broiler chicks were divided into two groups: unstressed group and stressed group, with 10 birds in each group. Stress was induced by reducing the floor space of each bird by 1/3 of the optimum requirement (1116 cm²/ bird) at 30 days of age and the birds were subjected to stress for 15 days, until 45 days of age. Overcrowding stress lowered the erythrocyte and leukocyte counts but enhanced the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio. The reduction in bursal weight and hypertrophy of adrenals adversely affected the immune status and hematology of stressed birds. Even though only pancreatic lipase expressed lowered activity, the overall results indicated that overcrowding stress could culminate in poor digestion in broilers. The economics revealed that there is a net revenue loss to the farmers due to overcrowding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The present study aimed to assess the use of various local drug delivery systems in the management of chronic periodontitis., Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients aged around 30-55 years were included. The subjects who were enrolled under took a phase I therapy that included scaling and root planing (SRP). Patients who satisfied the conditions for selection to enter the trial were assigned randomly to three groups, with each group consisting of 20 participants as follows: group I: controlled-release drugs-chlorhexidine gel, group II: metronidazole gel, group III: tetracycline fibers. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and periodontal pocket depth (PPD) were recorded after 1st week as the baseline data and were recorded again after 15 days and 30 days post-baseline., Results: The mean GI scores were 1.32 ± 0.10, 0.88 ± 0.16, and 0.76 ± 0.12, at baseline, 15 days, and 30 days, respectively, in group I. In group II, the mean GI score reduced to 1.09 ± 0.83 at 30 days from 1.48 ± 0.27 at baseline. Likewise, in group III the mean GI score reduced to 0.90 ± 0.62 at 30 days from 1.38 ± 0.06 at baseline. All the groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference at various intervals. The mean PI score decreased to 0.90 ± 0.78 at 15 days from 1.46 ± 0.22 at baseline in group III. A statistically significant difference at different intervals was seen in group III only. In all groups, the intergroup comparison of PPD was found to be statistically significant., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that although thorough SRP is an effective treatment method for elimination of chronic periodontal pockets, improved results can be obtained by adjunctive use of locally administered chlorhexidine gel, metronidazole gel, and tetracycline fibers., Clinical Significance: The use of the adjunctive local drug delivery system along with mechanical cleansing in the treatment of periodontal pockets in chronic periodontitis is therapeutically beneficial.

Aim: Aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of different treatment modalities for oral submucous fibrosis., Materials and Methods: Sixty patients were included in the study, which was diagnosed as stage II oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) based on habitual history and clinical findings. Three groups were made after randomization, i.e., group 1: capsule lycopene group, group 2: capsule lycopene and injection dexamethasone, group 3: injection dexamethasone and hyaluronidase group. Symptom severity was done by visual analog scale (VAS) scoring system viz burning sensation/pain in the patients; patient satisfaction was assessed. Vernier calipers were used to measure patients' maximum mouth opening at day 1, 1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month., Results: Male and female had the mean age of 28.20 ± 4.26 and 39.34 ± 2.12 in group 1, in group 2 was 27.88 ± 7.12 and 40.92 ± 7.16, in group 3 was 28.90 ± 8.69 and 40.10 ± 6.22, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between treatment modalities based on satisfaction. On 2nd month, maximum patients with no pain were more in group 3 followed by group 2, and this was statistically significant. At a 3rd month, the maximum reduction in pain was in group 3 followed by group 2 and group 1. Mouth opening was improved in the group 3 followed by groups 2 and 1, respectively. On 3rd month statistically significant difference was observed between the study groups., Conclusion: The present study concludes that the treatment with dexamethasone + hyaluronidase group showed better results in improvement in mouth opening in OSMF patients than lycopene, lycopene and dexamethasone groups. Improvement in mouth opening, reduced burning sensation in OSMF patients was also shown by lycopene. Hence lycopene can be considered as a good alternative for treatment for OSMF when dexamethasone is contraindicated due to different reasons., Clinical Significance: Any oral cavity part can be affected by OSMF including the pharynx. It is a potentially malignant disorder. So early recognition and initiation of the effective regimen for the treatment in both early and advanced cases of OSMF are necessary.

Aim: The study aims to assess the Mentha piperita leaf extract's effectiveness against oral pathogens., Materials and Methods: The leaf extract of M. piperita was prepared using cold water method. The three microbial strains, i.e., Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetem-comitans, and Candida albicans were used as microbiological materials. Chlorhexidine 0.2% was used as positive control. The digital caliper was used to measure the zone of inhibition to know the antimicrobial activity at 24 and 48 hours. To compare the activity within and between the different microbial strains, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. To analyze the data, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version of 21.0 was used. The p-value ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant., Results: Maximum inhibition zone was seen in both M. piperita extracts and 0.2% chlorhexidine with S. mutans at 24 and 48 hours, followed by A. actinomycetemcomitans, and C. albi-cans respectively. The statistical analysis ANOVA reveals the statistically significant association of M. piperita extracts with p-value <0.001. The comparison with 0.2% chlorhexidine at 24 hours showed a p-value of <0.04 and at 48 hours, it showed a p-value <0.001, which was statistically significant., Conclusion: The present study concluded that M. piperita showed antimicrobial activity against the oral microorganisms which are causing major less or more severe oral diseases and it can be administered as an alternative medicine for the conventional treatment., Clinical Significance: The study results serve as a guide in selecting and providing information about the efficacy of M. piperita extracts to the dental professionals. The discovery of a potential herbal medication would be a great development in the field of antimicrobial therapies.