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Background: Endemic fluorosis refers to the condition when individuals are exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride ion due to living in a region characterized by elevated levels of fluorine in the drinking water, food, and/or air. In Pakistan, a substantial proportion of the population is thereby affected, posing a public health concern. Objectives: Assessing how the gut microbiota and its metabolic profiles are impacted by chronic exposure to fluoride in drinking water (that caused Dental Fluorosis) as well as to perceive how this microbiota is connected to adverse health outcomes prevailing with fluoride exposure. Methods: Drinking water (n=27) and biological samples (n=100) of blood, urine and feces were collected from 70 high fluoride exposed (with Dental Fluorosis) and 30 healthy control (without Dental Fluorosis) subjects. Water and urinary fluoride concentrations were determined. Serum/plasma biochemical testing was performed. Fecal DNA extraction, 16S rRNA analysis of microbial taxa, their predicted metabolic function and fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) quantification were carried out. Results: The study revealed that microbiota taxonomic shifts and their metabolic characterization had been linked to certain host clinical parameters under the chronic fluoride exposure. Some sets of genera showed strong specificity to water and urine fluoride concentrations, Relative Fat Mass index and SCFAs. The SCFAs response in fluoride-exposed samples was observed to be correlated with bacterial taxa that could contribute to adverse health effects. Conclusions: Microbial dysbiosis as a result of endemic fluorosis exhibits a structure that is associated with risk of metabolic deregulation and is implicated in various diseases. Our results may form the development of novel interventions and may have utility in diagnosis and monitoring.

The pandemic of HIV/AIDS has been felt by nations throughout the world. This epidemic imposes a strain on the already limited resources of a country and, therefore, a better understanding of the disease is continuously being sought. This research aims to help the information requirements of HIV/AIDS researchers in the country through a bibliometric study. This study consisted of an investigation into the patterns of authorship and the publications of academic institutions in the sciences, medical institutions and affiliated organisations in South Africa. The focus was on HIV/AIDS literature for the period 1982-2002. Published literature in the sciences and medicine from two internationally recognised databases were used for the assessment. These were: ISI Science Citation Index Expanded and MEDLINE (OVID). A total of 2 281 records formed the basis of the analysis. The results of the study demonstrate exponential growth in the literature (as might be expected). Because of the multidisciplinary nature of the disease, research is scattered in a variety of discipline-based journals. South African researchers publish mainly in journals and the South African Medical Journal is the most productive in the field of HIV/AIDS. It is evident that there is a certain amount of collaboration in the research work on this subject. The results also demonstrate that South African researchers are fast becoming internationally recognised in the field of HIV/AIDS research. The Medical Research Council emerged as the leader in South Africa's research efforts on HIV/AIDS. Of the academic institutions, the University of the Witwatersrand is the most productive institution, followed by the then University of Natal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]