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Rifampicin nanoparticles (RF NPs) was sunthesized by lyophilization method and characterized by using scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) and atomic force spectroscopy (AFM). It is found that the dimension of the RF NPs was 85.74 nm. An electrochemical measurement approach has been used to examine the effects of various temperature degrees for a range of 30–70 °C on the redox current peaks of RF NPs in the KCl solution as an electrolyte. The results of the electrochemical analysis of RF NPs in KCl solution were obtained by the cyclic voltammetric method to find two oxidation peaks (I,II) at +900 and +225 mV, also two reduction peaks appeared at –680 and –300 mV. They were studied at different temperatures to identify the values of the activation energies (Ea*) of these peaks by Arrhenius equation as well as their thermodynamic values using the Eyring equation to determine the values of Gibbs activation energy (ΔG*), activation enthalpy (ΔH*), and activation entropy (ΔS*). RF NPs were analyzed through the effect of different temperatures on both the oxidation and reduction peaks, which showed that the high temperature leads to a catalytic state as an electrochemicalcatalyst.

BACKGROUND:Rabies is a fatal encephalitis caused by lyssaviruses, with most human cases worldwide resulting from rabid dog bites. Although effective animal and human vaccines have been available for over 100 years, control efforts have not been adequately implemented on the global scale and rabies remains one of the greatest global zoonotic threats to human health. We conducted a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey in Northern Cameroon to describe dog ownership characteristics, rates of dog bites, and post-bite healthcare seeking behaviors. METHODS:The survey was performed in four rural Cameroonian communities. A structured community-based questionnaire was conducted over a 20-day period in April 2010, and focused on socio-economic factors correlated with gaps in rabies knowledge. Information pertaining to socio-demographics, as well as attitudes and practices with regard to animal bites and bite treatment practices were recorded. Characteristics of dog ownership such as dog confinement, resources provided to dogs, and dog vaccination status were examined. Human to dog ratios were compared on a linear scale to poverty scores by community. When applicable, 2-tailed Chi-square tests or Fisher's exact tests were calculated to determine relationships between variables. We also used One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to identify associations between rabies knowledge and wealth with dog ownership, dog vaccination, and human healthcare seeking behaviors. Independent variables were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS:A total of 208 households were enrolled. Respondents were predominantly male (68.3%), with a median age of 43.6 years. Eighty-four households (39.9%) reported owning a total of 141 dogs (human dog ratio 10.4:1). The majority of dogs (61%) were allowed to roam freely. A history of rabies vaccination was reported for 30.8% of owned dogs. Respondents reported 11 bites during the two years preceding the survey (annual bite incidence was 2.6% [95% CI 1.4%- 4.6%]). Only one person (9.1%) received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and none described symptoms of clinical illness consistent with rabies. Respondents who indicated that they would seek medical care and PEP after a dog bite had higher average wealth and rabies knowledge index scores (p = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). Respondents who indicated that they would seek care from a traditional healer had significantly lower wealth scores, but not significantly different knowledge scores (p < 0.01 and p = 0.49, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:In the communities evaluated, the majority of dogs were allowed to roam freely and had no history of rabies vaccination; factors that favor enzootic transmission of canine rabies virus. We also identified a strong relationship between poverty and dog ownership. Bite events were relatively common among respondents, and very few victims reported utilizing health services to treat wounds. Increased wealth and knowledge were significantly associated with increased likelihood that a respondent would seek medical care and post-exposure prophylaxis. These findings indicate the need for educational outreach to raise awareness of dog rabies and proper prevention measures.

Marshlands are important ecosystems that provide valuable habitats for wildlife communities. We investigated the small mammal community-level response to different human disturbances and land use in the Kis-Balaton Landscape Protection Area, which is an endangered marshland ecosystem of Hungary. Land use, conservation management and other human disturbances (burning, mowing) together with unfavorable weather conditions have caused the degradation of the original homogeneous sedgy marshland on both sampled areas. We measured the species turnover between the different periods separated by the habitat changes. Our results suggest that populations of the habitat-specialist species of marshland areas (e.g. endangered Hungarian subspecies of root vole) are sensitive to the negative effects of environment and human disturbances. The combined effect of human disturbances and the stochastic processes of the environment can cause the disappearance and substitution of character species stabilizing the communities, which in turn leads to the modification of species composition and structure of small mammal assemblages.

Objectives The aim of this artificial intelligence (AI) study was to develop a deep learning algorithm capable of automatically classifying periapical and bitewing radiography images as either periodontally healthy or unhealthy and to assess the algorithm's diagnostic success. Materials and methods The sample of the study consisted of 1120 periapical radiographs (560 periodontally healthy, 560 periodontally unhealthy) and 1498 bitewing radiographs (749 periodontally healthy, 749 periodontally ill). From the main datasets of both radiography types, three sub-datasets were randomly created: a training set (80%), a validation set (10%), and a test set (10%). Using these sub-datasets, a deep learning algorithm was developed with the YOLOv8-cls model (Ultralytics, Los Angeles, California, United States) and trained over 300 epochs. The success of the developed algorithm was evaluated using the confusion matrix method. Results The AI algorithm achieved classification accuracies of 75% or higher for both radiograph types. For bitewing radiographs, the sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, and F1 score values were 0.8243, 0.7162, 0.7439, 0.7703, and 0.7821, respectively. For periapical radiographs, the sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, and F1 score were 0.7500, 0.7500, 0.7500, 0.7500, and 0.7500, respectively. Conclusion The AI models developed in this study demonstrated considerable success in classifying periodontal disease. Future applications may involve employing AI algorithms for assessing periodontal status across various types of radiography images and for automated disease detection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Yavuz et al.)

Background: This retrospective study aimed to develop a deep learning algorithm for the interpretation of panoramic radiographs and to examine the performance of this algorithm in the detection of periodontal bone losses and bone loss patterns., Methods: A total of 1121 panoramic radiographs were used in this study. Bone losses in the maxilla and mandibula (total alveolar bone loss) (n = 2251), interdental bone losses (n = 25303), and furcation defects (n = 2815) were labeled using the segmentation method. In addition, interdental bone losses were divided into horizontal (n = 21839) and vertical (n = 3464) bone losses according to the defect patterns. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based artificial intelligence (AI) system was developed using U-Net architecture. The performance of the deep learning algorithm was statistically evaluated by the confusion matrix and ROC curve analysis., Results: The system showed the highest diagnostic performance in the detection of total alveolar bone losses (AUC = 0.951) and the lowest in the detection of vertical bone losses (AUC = 0.733). The sensitivity, precision, F1 score, accuracy, and AUC values were found as 1, 0.995, 0.997, 0.994, 0.951 for total alveolar bone loss; found as 0.947, 0.939, 0.943, 0.892, 0.910 for horizontal bone losses; found as 0.558, 0.846, 0.673, 0.506, 0.733 for vertical bone losses and found as 0.892, 0.933, 0.912, 0.837, 0.868 for furcation defects (respectively)., Conclusions: AI systems offer promising results in determining periodontal bone loss patterns and furcation defects from dental radiographs. This suggests that CNN algorithms can also be used to provide more detailed information such as automatic determination of periodontal disease severity and treatment planning in various dental radiographs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can determine automatic tooth numbering, frenulum attachments, gingival overgrowth areas, and gingival inflammation signs on intraoral photographs and to evaluate the performance of this model., Method and Materials: A total of 654 intraoral photographs were used in the study (n = 654). All photographs were reviewed by three periodontists, and all teeth, frenulum attachment, gingival overgrowth areas, and gingival inflammation signs on photographs were labeled using the segmentation method in a web-based labeling software. In addition, tooth numbering was carried out according to the FDI system. An AI model was developed with the help of YOLOv5x architecture with labels of 16,795 teeth, 2,493 frenulum attachments, 1,211 gingival overgrowth areas, and 2,956 gingival inflammation signs. The confusion matrix system and ROC (receiver operator characteristic) analysis were used to statistically evaluate the success of the developed model., Results: The sensitivity, precision, F1 score, and AUC (area under the curve) for tooth numbering were 0.990, 0.784, 0.875, and 0.989; for frenulum attachment these were 0.894, 0.775, 0.830, and 0.827; for gingival overgrowth area these were 0.757, 0.675, 0.714, and 0.774; and for gingival inflammation sign 0.737, 0.823, 0.777, and 0.802, respectively., Conclusion: The results of the present study show that AI systems can be successfully used to interpret intraoral photographs. These systems have the potential to accelerate the digital transformation in the clinical and academic functioning of dentistry with the automatic determination of anatomical structures and dental conditions from intraoral photographs.

Background: No updated data currently exist regarding Neisseria meningitidis carriage and genomic epidemiology among young Israeli adults., Methods: Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 1801 military recruits on the day of recruitment during 2019. Neisseria meningitidis was detected and identified by culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Confirmed isolates were serotyped by qPCR, and encapsulated strains underwent whole-genome sequencing. Risk factors for carriage were determined by analyzing focused questionnaires using uni- and multivariate models. Genomic typing was performed by means of core genome multilocus sequence typing., Results: Carriage rates overall and of encapsulated strains were 20.1% and 6.7%, respectively. Genogroups B (49.2%) and Y (26.7%) were the most commonly encapsulated strains. Genogroups C, W, and X were scarce, and genogroup A was absent. The most notable clonal complexes (CCs) were CC23 (n = 30), CC32 (n = 16), and CC44/41 (n = 9). Carriage was significantly associated with smoking (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% CI, 1.43-2.33) and boarding school attendance before recruitment (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.14-1.96)., Conclusions: The prevalence of meningococcal carriage among young Israeli adults is high, compared with similar studies in other developed countries. This might be due to sociocultural characteristics including smoking and boarding school attendance during and after high school. The dominant genogroups and CCs found were compatible with those implicated in invasive disease in Israel., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Introduction: Investigations to explore the relationship between smoking and its oral manifestations are important to clinicians. Among these oral manifestations, periodontal diseases and dental caries have still a controversial association. This study aims to analyze the effect of smoking on periodontal disease and caries and their relevance to each other., Methods: Data on demographic and clinical features were retrieved from 7028 patients. Smoking status was categorized as a smoker, non-smoker, former smoker and passive smoker. Each patient received a diagnosis according to the new classification system for periodontal disease, in which periodontal disease is divides into stages (PS). The carries status was diagnosed by evaluating the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index., Results: Of the patients, 66.6% were non-smoker women, whereas 53.7 % of passive smokers were women. Being a worker and having a Bachelor's degree was associated with a higher likelihood of getting diagnosed with periodontal disease and caries in smokers. Smoking significantly influences periodontal disease severity and DMFT values (p<0.001). This becomes more evident in former smokers by showing the highest severe periodontal problems (PS3: 29.7% and PS4: 18.9%), and the highest DMFT mean (16.4 ± 7.4) Accordingly, persons having high DMFT had significantly the most severe periodontal disease, namely PS4 (p<0.05)., Conclusions: Smoking is associated with higher caries prevalence and more severe periodontal disease, and DMFT tend to increase with the severity of periodontitis in the same subjects., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2022 Beklen A. et al.)

Various reasons lead to non-adherence to drug therapy, such as forgotten reordering of medications or wrong intake behavior. Blind and visually impaired persons face additional challenges, such as recognizing the medication package or reading the package insert which additionally impacts on patient safety. To address these challenges, we developed a concept for supporting medication management. In the center of the concept is the mobile application MyPills. It reminds on drug intake and reordering. These functionalities are made available to blind and visually impaired persons using screen reader functionalities. The current medication is entered into MyPills using the eMediplan, a Swiss national exchange format for eMedication. Beyond, package inserts are made accessible through voice output. MyPills supports in scanning the global trade item number (GTIN) for medication package identification. A usability tests carried out with six participants including two blind persons showed that users get along well with the app and the functionalities are helpful. In future studies with patients, it should be checked whether the MyPills app can improve compliance with drug therapy and impacts on intake behavior.

A fluorescence-based enzymatic microplate intracellular glucose assay was designed and fully validated. The method was tested in a hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG2). Our novel one-step extraction reagent gave stable cell lysates for glucose, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and total protein determination from the same sample. Limit of detection for glucose was 0.13 µM (26 pmol/well), which is superior to commercially available glucose assays. Both intra- and interday assay imprecision in HepG2 cultures were less than 12% coefficient of variance (CV). In cell lysates spiked with glucose, recovery at two levels varied between 83.70% and 91.81%, and both linearity and stability were acceptable. HepG2 cells treated with agents affecting glucose uptake/metabolism (phloretin, quercetin, quercetin-3'-sulfate, NaF, 3-bromopyruvate, NaN₃, oligomycin A, ochratoxin A, cytochalasin B, and anti-GLUT1 antibody) showed dose-dependent changes in glucose and ATP levels without total protein (cell) loss. Finally, we performed flow cytometric glucose uptake measurement in the treated cells using 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose fluorescent glucose analog. Glucose uptake did not always mirror the intracellular glucose levels, which most likely reflects the differences between the two methodologies. However, interpreting data obtained by both methods and taking ATP/protein levels at the same time, one can get information on the mode of action of the compounds.

Introduction: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normal metabolic products of living cells. However, a decrease of the defense mechanisms against the effects of ROS or increased ROS production maybe one important causative factor of cellular damage. A non-enzymatic scavenger system is considered to be responsible for the maintenance of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as a protection against oxidative injuries that exist in all higher plants and in mammals as well., Methods: In our work, we optimized and validated a luminol-peroxidase-4-iodophenol-H 2 O 2 enhanced chemiluminescence-based (ECL) TAC measurement technique. BSA was applied in the reagent to prevent peroxidase from auto-oxidation. The ECL method was suitable for plant extracts and for human blood serum as well. Our TAC technique was adapted to microplates and compared to ORAC assay using plant extracts., Results and Discussion: The ECL method is fast (10min) with an interassay precision of <10% as CV. TAC values of ethanolic extracts of 10 plant species did correlate (ECL vs ORAC assay data: r=0.84, 95% confidence interval, CI=0.78-0.89, P<0.001) but with systematic bias. Analysis of serum samples obtained from septic and control patients showed significantly higher TAC values in the patient group compared to those of controls (p<0.01). Moreover, we could discriminate between surviving and non-surviving patients, based on their TAC values (p<0.01). Pearson's statistics showed the strongest positive correlation with serum uric acid (r=0.73). Besides the routine laboratory parameters, our novel TAC method might give complementary information on the severity of systemic inflammation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In cellular viability assays the sole determination of a single parameter might not give precise information on the extent of toxicity. In our study we worked out a multiparametric microplate assay based on bioluminescent ATP quantification, esterase activity-related fluorescence, nucleic acid staining and total intracellular protein measurement from the same sample in MDCK and HepG2 tissue cultures., Methods: Dose-response analyses were done after ATP depletion by metabolic poisons (NaF, NaN3) and by ochratoxin A (OTA) mycotoxin treatments. A novel perchloric acid fixation/extraction technique was applied in order to obtain intracellular ATP levels, esterase activity, DNA content and protein data simultaneously. Esterase activity was assessed by a fluorogenic staining. Estimation of cell number was done by DAPI fluorescence. Our results were expressed as ATP/protein, calcein fluorescence/ATP, calcein fluorescence/protein and ATP/DAPI ratios. Apoptosis/necrosis rates were measured by Annexin V-propidium iodide and 7-aminoactinomycin D flow cytometric assays and effects of OTA on actin cytoskeleton were also studied by using labeled phalloidin for visualization of actin., Results: We could verify that the esterase assay was not an energy driven (true viability) process. ATP/protein, calcein fluorescence/ATP, calcein fluorescence/protein ratios, DAPI fluorescence and protein levels together with morphological and apoptosis/necrosis parameters deciphered subtle changes in cell viability with good between-run precision. Dose dependent loss in cell number and decreased protein levels were observed in all cases, while disorganization of actin microfilaments was seen in OTA treated cells. The two cell lines did not respond uniformly to the same treatments., Discussion: ATP/protein ratio proved to be a useful viability parameter however, the suppression and/or loss of intracellular protein could cause difficulty in interpreting ATP/protein data. We conclude that correct assessment of cellular viability should be done by measuring multiple parameters related to the specific mode of action of the tested toxic compound., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the antioxidant activity, total phenolic and total tannin content of the pericarp and the seed of Coffea benghalensis (C. benghalensis) and Coffea liberica compared to Coffea arabica (C. arabica)., Methods: The antioxidant potential, total tannin and polyphenol contents of the immature and mature seed and pericarp of C. benghalensis and Coffea liberica were quantified and compared to C. arabica. Enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), oxygen radical absorbance capacity, Folin-Ciocalteau method and total tannin content assays were used., Results: Trolox equivalent (TE/g plant material) values obtained by ECL and DPPH methods showed loose correlation (r(2) = 0.587) while those measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay were higher without correlation in each plant. A closer correlation was detected between the ECL method and the percentage antioxidant activity of the DPPH technique (r(2) = 0.610 7) in each species, however the immature pericarp of C. benghalensis showed much higher DPPH scavenging potential than was seen in the ECL assay. The immature pericarp of C. benghalensis expressed the highest tannin and polyphenol content, and a high polyphenol level was also detected in the immature seed of C. arabica. The immature pericarp of Bengal and Liberian coffees showed the largest amount of phenolic contents., Conclusions: The obtained data highlight the potential role of C. benghalensis as a new source of natural antioxidants and polyphenols compared to C. arabica., (Copyright © 2016 Hainan Medical College. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Citrinin (CIT) is a mycotoxin produced by several Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Monascus species. CIT occurs worldwide in different foods and drinks and causes health problems for humans and animals. Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant plasma protein in human circulation. Albumin forms stable complexes with many drugs and xenobiotics; therefore, HSA commonly plays important role in the pharmacokinetics or toxicokinetics of numerous compounds. However, the interaction of CIT with HSA is poorly characterized yet. In this study, the complex formation of CIT with HSA was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrafiltration techniques. For the deeper understanding of the interaction, thermodynamic, and molecular modeling studies were performed as well. Our results suggest that CIT forms stable complex with HSA (logK ~ 5.3) and its primary binding site is located in subdomain IIA (Sudlow's Site I). In vitro cell experiments also recommend that CIT-HSA interaction may have biological relevance. Finally, the complex formations of CIT with bovine, porcine, and rat serum albumin were investigated, in order to test the potential species differences of CIT-albumin interactions.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a widespread xenoestrogenic mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species. ZEA can cause reproductive disorders in farm animals and hyperoestrogenic syndromes in humans; therefore, development of more sensitive analytical methods (to quantify the mycotoxin) as well as strategies for prevention of its toxic impacts is highly important. In this study, the interactions of ZEA with native and chemically modified cyclodextrins (CDs) were investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, in vitro experiments on liver cells were also performed to test the potential effect of CDs on toxin uptake. Our results demonstrate that ZEA forms stable complexes with CDs (logK values are approximately 3.7-4.7) resulting in the considerable elevation of its fluorescence signal. In addition, some of the CDs show ability to inhibit the cellular uptake of ZEA, suggesting their potential suitability to develop new CD-based preventive/detoxification strategies against ZEA in the future., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Rationale: Atherosclerotic vascular disease (AVD), including coronary heart disease (CHD), is on the rise in India. Mortality due to CHD is estimated to be 40% higher in Indian Asians compared with Europeans. Hyperhomocyst(e)inaemia (hypertHcy) is emerging as a novel independent risk factor for AVD. Moreover, there is increasing evidence of its association with CHD in subjects of Indian origin possibly because of inadequate folic acid and B(12) status. However, there is a lack of epidemiological data on its prevalence in Indians. A need to evaluate the optimum dose of folic acid required to reduce plasma homocyst(e)ine (tHcy) also exists., Objectives and Methods: The CARDIOVIT study, divided into two stages, is designed to determine the prevalence and relevance of hypertHcy in Indian subjects and also evaluate the tHcy-lowering effect of a marketed multivitamin formulation (Cardiovit). Stage I is a cross-sectional epidemiological study to estimate the prevalence of hypertHcy in a randomly selected population in South India. We planned to screen 2000 subjects between 25 and 64 years of age for established risk factors; plasma tHcy levels will be estimated and the correlation of AVD with established risk factors, plasma tHcy and nutritional factors was evaluated. Subjects having tHcy levels > 12 micromol/L are recruited in Stage II; a randomized, three-arm, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, comparative study designed to evaluate the tHcy-lowering effect of a multivitamin formulation containing 300 microg folic acid, 1 microg vitamin B(12) and 1.5 mg vitamin B(6), along with Vitamins A, C, E and selenium. Subjects will be randomized into three groups (n = 64 completed subjects each) and receive either two placebos, or one placebo and multivitamin, or two multivitamin tablets for 6 weeks. Serum vitamin B(12), serum and red cell folate are estimated at baseline and at 6 weeks. Descriptive, univariate analysis, multiple logistic regression model and appropriate statistical tests will be used to analyse the prevalence of hypertHcy, association with risk factors of AVD, efficacy and safety of the multivitamin formulation and other data per protocol., Conclusions: CARDIOVIT is one of the first and largest studies in India to provide insight into the prevalence of hypertHcy, its association with AVD and conventional risk factors and the role of multivitamins in reducing it.

Out of hundred syringes and hundred needles (both presterile, disposable) tested, 41 syringes (41%) and 6 needles (6%) showed aerobic growth. Forty of the above syringes were tested simultaneously for fungi and anaerobes. Fungi isolated were 5.7% and no anaerobe was grown. Fifty glass syringes and fifty needles autoclaved in the departmental laboratory served as controls and did not show any growth. As a preventive measure, proper disposal of used disposable material should be made mandatory so that it does not find its way into the market. Or has the time come to switch back to the former conventional practice of using in house autoclaved articles?

Four hundred ninety nine sera from pregnant mothers with bad obstetric history were tested for presence of antibodies to T.gondii by indirect haemagglutination test. Prevalence was 19.44 percent as 97 out of 499 sera were positive.