Determination of a cut-off value for the serological diagnosis of scrub typhus by detecting anti-Orientia tsutsugamushi immunoglobulin M

Background & objectives: The diagnosis of scrub typhus (ST) is usually done using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) due to its ease of performance and reading objectivity. The cut-off value for ELISA needs to be calculated for each geographical location as it depends on zonal endemicity of the disease. This study was, therefore, undertaken to calculate the pan-India cut-off for anti-Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT) immunoglobulin M (IgM) by ELISA. Methods: Samples from cases (cases of ST) and controls (voluntary, consenting, healthy adults) were collected by a network of 29 laboratories across India and tested for anti-OT IgM by immunofluorescence assay (IFA), the considered gold standard test. These samples were retested by ELISA for anti-OT IgM and their optical densities (ODs) were used for cut-off estimation by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Anti-OT IgM ELISA ODs from 273 controls and 136 cases were used for the cut-off estimation. The ODs of the anti-OT IgM ELISA on healthy individuals and those of confirmed ST cases ranged from 0.1 to 0.75 and 0.5 to 4.718, respectively. ROC curve-based cut-off for ELISA was calculated as 0.554 at a sensitivity of 95.2 per cent and specificity of 95.1 per cent. A value of >1 was noted to have a specificity of 100 per cent in diagnosing ST. Interpretation & conclusions: The cut-off calculated for India was similar to the previous cut-off that was used until now.

Growth and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Very Low Birth Weight Infants From Southern India at Corrected Age of One Year

Objective: To assess the growth and neurodevelopmental outcome of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants at corrected age of one year. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled VLBW infants delivered in a tertiary care hospital, and followed up till oneyear corrected age. The WHO Anthropo version 3.2.2 software was used to calculate weight for age, length for age, and head circumference z-score during follow up. Neurodevelopmental assessment was done using Developmental Assessment Scale for Indian Infants (DASII) at the age of one year. Results: The mean (SD) z-scores at one-year for weight for age, length for age and head circumference were -2.1 (1.1), -1.4 (1.03) and -2.2 (1.2), respectively. The mean (SD) DASII motor and mental scores were 90.8 (13.4) and 96.5 (13.2), respectively. Major and minor developmental abnormalities were noted in 9.4% and 18.2%, infants, respectively. Cerebral palsy was noted in 5.8% infants. Conclusion: VLBW infants showed impaired growth and significant developmental abnormalities at the corrected age of one year.

Integrated care teams in primary care improve clinical outcomes and care processes in patients with non-communicable diseases

INTRODUCTION@#Primary care physicians face the increasing burden of managing multimorbidities in an ageing population. Implementing an integrated care team (ICT) with defined roles and accountability to share consultation tasks is an emerging care model to address this issue. This study compared outcomes with ICT versus usual care for patients with multimorbidities in primary care.@*METHODS@#Data was retrospectively extracted from the electronic medical records (EMRs) of consecutive adult Asian patients empanelled to ICT and those in UC at a typical primary care clinic (polyclinic) in eastern Singapore in 2018. The study population had hypertension, and/or hyperlipidaemia and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Clinical outcomes included the proportion of patients (ICT vs. UC) who attained their treatment goals after 12 months. Process outcomes included the proportion of patients who completed annual diabetic eye and foot screenings, where applicable.@*RESULTS@#Data from 3,302 EMRs (ICT = 1,723, UC = 1,579) from January 2016 to September 2017 was analysed. The ICT cohort was more likely to achieve treatment goals for systolic blood pressure (SBP) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38-1.68), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.49-1.99), and glycated haemoglobin (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.09-1.51). The ICT group had higher uptake of diabetic retinal screening (89.1% vs. 83.0%, P < 0.001) and foot screening (85.2% vs. 77.9%, P < 0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#The ICT model yielded better clinical and process outcomes than UC, with more patients attaining treatment goals.

Does Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) reflect the impact of malocclusion on facial aesthetics?

ABSTRACT Introduction: Malocclusion is presumed to have adverse effects on dental and facial attractiveness, leading to deleterious psychosocial impact and Quality of life(QoL) of the individual. The Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetic Questionnaire (PIDAQ) has proved to be effective for assessment of psychosocial impact of malocclusion on dental aesthetics, but it's effectiveness for assessing facial aesthetics is unknown. Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of PIDAQ on its ability to reflect the psychosocial impact of malocclusion on facial attractiveness, using the Facial Aesthetic index (FAI) after its translation and validation in the regional language. Methods: The 23-item PIDAQ, after translation process, cross-cultural adaptation and pilot testing, was administered to 330 subjects (62.5 % females and 37.5 % males; age range 18-30 years) with varying degrees of severity of malocclusion, assessed by the two components of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (Dental Health Component, IOTN-DHC, for normative need; and self-administered Aesthetic Component, IOTN-AC, for subjective need) and FAI. Results: The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.859 - 0.958; Intraclass correlation coefficient =0.984). FAI, IOTN-DHC and IOTN-AC scores showed highly significant correlation with PIDAQ scores, depicting strong convergent validity (p< 0.001). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc test showed highly significant correlations (p-value < 0.001) for all comparisons. There were no significant differences between responses of males and females. The regional version of PIDAQ had excellent reliability. Conclusions: PIDAQ showed good psychometric properties and was able to effectively reflect the psychosocial impact of malocclusion on altered facial aesthetics.

RESUMO Introdução: Acredita-se que a má oclusão tenha efeitos adversos na estética dentária e facial, levando a um impacto psicossocial e na qualidade de vida (QV) do indivíduo. O questionário PIDAQ (Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetic Questionnaire) provou ser eficaz para avaliação do impacto psicossocial da má oclusão na estética dental, mas sua eficácia para avaliar a estética facial é desconhecida. Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a eficácia do PIDAQ em refletir o impacto psicossocial da má oclusão na atratividade facial, usando o Índice de Estética Facial (FAI) após sua tradução e validação na linguagem regional. Métodos: O PIDAQ com 23 itens, após o processo de tradução, adaptação transcultural e teste piloto, foi administrado a 330 indivíduos (62,5% do sexo feminino e 37,5% do sexo masculino; faixa etária de 18 a 30 anos) com má oclusão de gravidade variada, avaliados pelos dois componentes do Índice de Necessidade de Tratamento Ortodôntico (Componente de Saúde Dentária, IOTN-DHC, para necessidade normativa; e Componente Estético auto-administrado, IOTN-AC, para necessidade subjetiva) e pelo FAI. Resultados: A consistência interna e a confiabilidade teste-reteste foram boas (alfa de Cronbach = 0,859-0,958; coeficiente de correlação intraclasse = 0,984). Os escores FAI, IOTN-DHC e IOTN-AC mostraram correlação altamente significativa com os escores do PIDAQ, representando forte validade convergente (p< 0.001). A análise de variância (ANOVA) de uma via e o teste post-hoc de Bonferroni mostraram correlações altamente significativas (p < 0,001) para todas as comparações. Não houve diferenças significativas entre as respostas de homens e mulheres. A versão regional do PIDAQ apresentou excelente confiabilidade. Conclusões: O PIDAQ mostrou boas propriedades psicométricas e foi capaz de refletir efetivamente o impacto psicossocial da má oclusão na estética facial alterada.

Clinical Profile and Outcome of Newborns Discharged Against Medical Advice From a Tertiary Care Centre

Objective: To determine the clinical profile and outcome of neonates discharged against medical advice (DAMA) from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary care public hospital. Methods: We retrieved information from hospital records of infants who had been discharged against medical advice from the NICU between January, 2016 and December, 2020. This was followed by a telephonic interview to document the infant’s outcome. Results: Out of the 187 (7.7%) neonates that had left DAMA, 165 case records were available, and 65 (39%) families could be contacted telephonically. Congenital malformations accounted for 96 (58%) of the cases; cardiac malformations accounting for 42 (43.7%). 52 (80%) out of the 65 infants had died after median (IQR) 11 (5-35) days of DAMA, and 13 (20%) were alive at a median (IQR) age of 31 (18.5-31.5) months. Post-DAMA medical care was continued at another health facility in 12 (18%). Conclusions: One out of every five infants was alive for a median age of 31 months after having left DAMA. Mechanisms to ensure continuation of care after DAMA need to be explored.

Role of Swept source optical coherence tomography in management of acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada’s disease

Purpose: To evaluate the role of swept?source optical coherence tomography (SS?OCT) in the management of acute Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada’s (VKH) disease. Methods: Retrospective analysis of SS?OCT images of acute VKH patients between January 2015 and February 2020 in a tertiary eye care hospital. Results: We studied 34 eyes of 17 patients with acute probable VKH disease. The mean age was 31.6 ± 10.4 years. Twelve patients were women. The mean follow?up was 17.1 ± 9.3 months. The mean visual acuity was 0.86 logMAR (Snellen equivalent: 6/45) at presentation and 0.18 logMAR (Snellen equivalent: 6/9) at the last follow?up. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was 784.97 microns at presentation, 431.40 microns at the first month of therapy, 453.94 microns at six months of therapy, and 405.83 microns at the last follow?up. Qualitative features noted on SS?OCT on presentation was subretinal fluid (SRF) in 29 (85%) eyes, subretinal hyperreflective dots in 34 (100%) eyes, subretinal septa in 33 (97%) eyes, RPE undulations in 21 (61.7%) eyes, posterior vitreous cells in 34 (100%) eyes, SRF around disc in 9 (26%) eyes, and disc swelling in 34 (100%) eyes. At the end of 1 year of follow?up, RPE undulations were absent in 30 eyes (88%) and disc swelling was notably absent in all 34 eyes (100%), though SRF around disc was noted in 4 eyes (11.7%) of 2 patients who had recurrences. Conclusion: SFCT, SRF around disc, RPE undulation, and disc swelling may be important indicators on SS?OCT to guide therapy and prognosticate recurrences in acute VKH.

Development of the India COVID-19 vaccine tracker

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Since then, efforts were initiated to develop safe and effective vaccines. Till date, 11 vaccines have been included in the WHO’s emergency use list. The emergence and spread of variant strains of SARS-CoV-2 has altered the disease transmission dynamics, thus creating a need for continuously monitoring the real-world effectiveness of various vaccines and assessing their overall impact on disease control. To achieve this goal, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, took the lead to develop the India COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker by synergizing three different public health databases: National COVID-19 testing database, CoWIN vaccination database and the COVID-19 India portal. A Vaccine Data Analytics Committee (VDAC) was constituted to advise on various modalities of the proposed tracker. The VDAC reviewed the data related to COVID-19 testing, vaccination and patient outcomes available in the three databases and selected relevant data points for inclusion in the tracker, following which databases were integrated, using common identifiers, wherever feasible. Multiple data filters were applied to retrieve information of all individuals ?18 yr who died after the acquisition of COVID-19 infection with or without vaccination, irrespective of the time between vaccination and test positivity. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against the reduction of mortality and hospitalizations was initially assessed. As compared to the hospitalization data, mortality reporting was found to be much better in terms of correctness and completeness. Therefore, hospitalization data were not considered for analysis and presentation in the vaccine tracker. The vaccine tracker thus depicts VE against mortality, calculated by a cohort approach using person-time analysis. Incidence of COVID-19 deaths among one- and two-dose vaccine recipients was compared with that among unvaccinated groups, to estimate the rate ratios (RRs). VE was estimated as 96.6 and 97.5 per cent, with one and two doses of the vaccines, respectively, during the period of reporting. The India COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker was officially launched on September 9, 2021. The high VE against mortality, as demonstrated by the tracker, has helped aid in allaying vaccine hesitancy, augmenting and maintaining the momentum of India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive

Age‑Appropriate Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Slum‑Dwelling Young Children in Kolkata during COVID‑19 Pandemic: A Cross‑Sectional Study

Introduction: COVID‑19 pandemic was postulated to affect the infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and their nutritional status. This study was planned to assess IYCF practices and nutritional status of infant and young children residing in slum areas and their association with selected background characteristics. Materials and Methods: Acommunity‑based, cross‑sectional study was conducted in slums of Kolkata Municipal Corporation among 161 mother–child dyads from October to December 2020. After obtaining informed consent, mothers were interviewed to collect information about their socioeconomic status, hardship faced during pandemic, and IYCF practices of their children using indicators proposed by the World Health Organization and Government of India. Weight and height were measured using the standard operating protocol. The proportion was used to express descriptive statistics. Binary logistic regression models were used for calculating the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) using PSPP (v 1.20). Results: Only 64 (39.8%) children received age‑appropriate feeding; 73 (45.3%) had single/multiple anthropometric failure(s). Reduction of family income was reported by 142 (88.2%) respondents. Children aged 6–8 months (AOR = 17.08, 6.43–45.42) were more likely to not have appropriate feeding. Association of female gender (AOR = 2.00, 1.01–4.00), maternal education less than middle class (AOR = 2.58, 1.22–5.46), and lack of appropriate feeding (AOR = 2.57, 1.08–6.12) were statistically significant with the presence of anthropometric failure. Conclusions: The study revealed a dismal scenario of child feeding and nutritional status of young children in the urban slums of Kolkata. Pandemic and imposed restrictions hit the families hard by reducing income and increasing food‑related costs.

High Dilutions of Drugs show Distinct Variation from each other in their Electronic Spectra

Drugs at high dilution (HD) produce therapeutic effect on man, animals and plants. Experimental evidence shows that free water molecules and hydrogen bond strength of OH groups constitute the physical basis of HDs which are otherwise devoid of original drug molecules. HDs are produced in aqueous EtOH by serial dilution of a substance with mechanical agitation or succussion in each step, and are called potencies. Three potencies 6 cH, 12 cH and 30 cH of two drugs Anacardium orientale and Natrum muriaticum(NaCl) and their mother tincture (MT) are used in this study. Electronic spectra of these MTs and potencies, all in 90% EtOH, were taken in the wavelength region of 190 nm ­350 nm. The objective is to find out any additional physical-chemical entities in potencies besides the aforesaid two factors. It was reported earlier that charge transfer (CT) interaction accompanies potentization of drugs. This study focused on the CT interaction. The results indicate that spectral pattern and absorbance intensities of the test samples vary from each other. Natm 6cH (absorbance 0.30 at 196.53nm), 12cH (abs. 0.06 at 196.53nm) and 30cH (abs. 1.32 at 196.5nm). Anac 6cH (abs. 0.33 at 203nm), 12cH (abs. 0.61 at 208nm) and 30cH (abs. 0.09 at 200.67nm). The spectrum of each potency shows two peaks. The 2nd peak at higher wave length belongs to CT interaction. Anac 6cH suc, 7cH unsuc. Insersections at 197.14nm with abs. 0.05, and 290nm with abs. 0.01. Anac 12cH suc, 13cH unsuc. Intersections at 196.93nm with abs. 0.06, and 273nm with abs. 0.00. Anac 30cH suc, 31cH unsuc. Intersections at 194.42nm with abs. -0.05, 238.03nm with abs. -0.01, 252.15nm with abs. -0.002, and 261nm with abs. 0.004. Natm 6cH suc, 7cH unsuc. Intersection at 199.44nm with Abs -0.11. Natm 12cH suc, 13cH unsuc. Instersection at 200.48nm with abs. -0.11. Natm 30cH suc, 31cH unsuc. Intersection at 204.24nm with abs. -0.08. Potentization involves CT interaction in consecutive potencies. Water and EtOH do not form a homogeneous mixture and have aggregates of EtOHand water molecules. CT interactions occur in these individual aggregates and are mostly inter molecular within EtOH or water. These aggregates vary from each other in the test samples. The spectra of test samples were analysed for margin of error (MOE). The MOE is very small (0.001-0.002%), and for this reason the difference between the spectra is significant. Besides that the intersection between consecutive spectra vary in number and position. It is concluded that water and EtOH aggregates and their relative distribution constitute additional physical-chemical basis of potencies.

Development of Nipah virus-specific IgM & IgG ELISA for screening human serum samples

Background & objectives: Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic paramyxovirus that causes fatal encephalitis in humans. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is a safe, sensitive, specific, and affordable diagnostic tool that can be used during screening of large-scale epidemiological investigations. Development and evaluation of IgM and IgG ELISA for screening serum samples of NiV suspected cases would also help in planning public health interventions. Methods: An IgM capture (MAC) ELISA and an indirect IgG ELISA were developed using NiV antigen to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against NiV in human sera. The sensitivity, specificity, and cross- reactivity of the assays were evaluated using NiV IgM, IgG positive, negative human sera and measles, mumps, rubella, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Kyasanur forest disease IgM, IgG positive sera, respectively. Results: The developed anti-NiV IgM and IgG ELISAs have shown specificity of 99.28 per cent and sensitivity of 100 per cent compared to reference test from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA. Assays demonstrated negative predictive value of 100 per cent and positive predictive value as 90 and 93.94 per cent for anti-Nipah IgM ELISA and IgG ELISA respectively with test accuracy of 99.33 per cent. Interpretation & conclusions: Timely diagnosis of NiV is crucial for the management of cases, which could prevent further spread of infection in the community. IgM ELISA can be used as primary diagnostic tool followed by polymerase chain reaction. These assays have advantages of its applicability during outbreak investigations and surveillance activities at hospital or onsite laboratories with basic biosafety practices.

Ultrasound biomicroscopy as a tool in the evaluation and management of ocular hypotony in uveitis

Purpose: Chronic uveitis can lead to hypotony that may result in severe visual impairment. We highlight the use of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) as an imaging tool to decide the modality of therapy and management of uveitic hypotony. Methods: This was a retrospective hospital?based interventional case?series study that included a total of 36 eyes of 25 patients with uveitic hypotony seen between January 1997 and January 2020. Results: Thirty?six eyes of 25 patients with uveitic ocular hypotony were included. Unilateral involvement was seen in 56%. The median age of presentation was 21 years with a median follow?up of 21.5 months. Anterior uveitis was noted in 13.88%, intermediate uveitis in 52.77%, and panuveitis in 33.33% eyes. UBM findings commonly noted were pars plana membranes, supraciliary effusion, blunted ciliary process, and ciliary body traction. Other findings included ciliochoroidal detachment and ciliary body edema. Moreover, 22.2% eyes were managed with medical therapy alone, whereas 77.8% eyes received both medical and surgical intervention based on UBM findings. Furthermore, 66.7% eyes showed improvement in intraocular pressure, 13.9% eyes maintained the same IOP, whereas 19.4% eyes had worsening of IOP at final follow?up. Conclusion: We found UBM as a useful imaging tool in evaluating and judiciously deciding the mode of management of uveitic hypotony.

Neutralization assays for SARS-CoV-2: Implications for assessment of protective efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines

The WHO emergency use-listed (EUL) COVID-19 vaccines were developed against early strains of SARS-CoV-2. With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron, it is necessary to assess the neutralizing activity of these vaccines against the VOCs. PubMed and preprint platforms were searched for literature on neutralizing activity of serum from WHO EUL vaccine recipients, against the VOCs, using appropriate search terms till November 30, 2021. Our search yielded 91 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed a drop of 0-8.9-fold against Alpha variant, 0.3-42.4-fold against Beta variant, 0-13.8-fold against Gamma variant and 1.35-20-fold against Delta variant in neutralization titres of serum from the WHO EUL COVID-19 vaccine recipients, as compared to early SARS-CoV-2 isolates. The wide range of variability was due to differences in the choice of virus strains selected for neutralization assays (pseudovirus or live virus), timing of serum sample collection after the final dose of vaccine (day 0 to 8 months) and sample size (ranging from 5 to 470 vaccinees). The reasons for this variation have been discussed and the possible way forward to have uniformity across neutralization assays in different laboratories have been described, which will generate reliable data. Though in vitro neutralization studies are a valuable tool to estimate the performance of vaccines against the backdrop of emerging variants, the results must be interpreted with caution and corroborated with field-effectiveness studies.

Clinical Profile and Outcome of Emergencies in Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease

Objective: To describe the clinical profile and outcome of emergencies in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: This retrospective analysis studied children with CKD presenting with acute emergencies. The clinical profile, renal and patient outcomes were compared between incidentally diagnosed - iCKD, previously diagnosed not on dialysis - pCKD and those on maintenance dialysis - dCKD groups. Results: 82 children (67 boys, median age – 8 years) with 99 visits were included. Uremic encephalopathy was the most common emergency in iCKD (64.7%) and pCKD (38.4 %), and access-related infections (32.1%) in dCKD group. Children with iCKD had higher Pediatric Risk of Mortality score (P<0.001), emergent initiation of dialysis (P=0.03) and discontinuation of treatment (P<0.001) when compared to the pCKD group. Conclusion: Uremic encephalopathy and access-related infections were the most common emergencies in children with CKD. Incidentally diagnosed CKD had a worse clinical profile and outcome.

Inter-laboratory testing as a strategy for external quality assessment for qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 by real-time RT-PCR testing in India

To implement the strategy of test, track and treat to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the number of real-time RT-PCR–based testing laboratories was increased for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in the country. To ensure reliability of the laboratory results, the Indian Council of Medical Research initiated external quality assessment (EQA) by deploying inter-laboratory quality control (ILQC) activity for these laboratories by nominating 34 quality control (QC) laboratories. This report presents the results of this activity for a period of September 2020 till November 2020. A total of 597 laboratories participated in this activity and 86 per cent of these scored ?90 per cent concordance with QC laboratories. This ILQC activity showcased India’s preparedness in quality diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.

Evaluating anxiety levels and pain perception while administering local anesthesia using conventional, insulin, and deception syringes in 6-12-year-olds

Background@#Injections are one of the most fear-provoking stimuli in dentistry. Painless administration of an injection is a vital step in alleviating anxiety, which in turn leads to good behavior in children. The aim is to evaluate and compare anxiety levels and pain perception using conventional, insulin, and deception syringes during the administration of local anesthesia in children. @*Methods@#Forty-five children aged 6–12 were selected using a standard sample size formula and equally divided into three groups. Local anesthesia was administered using a conventional syringe to Group A participants and an insulin syringe for Group B participants. Group C participants were administered local anesthesia using a deception syringe by showing the patient disposable obturation tips, and eventually a conventional syringe was used for administration of local anesthesia after hiding them from the patient. Anxiety levels were assessed using Venham’s Picture Scale and pulse rate at baseline and after administration of local anesthesia. The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale was used to assess pain perception after the administration of local anesthesia. @*Results@#Insulin and deception syringes showed better reduction in anxiety levels and pain perception than conventional syringes, demonstrating a high statistically significant difference. @*Conclusion@#The use of insulin and deception syringes for administration of anesthesia was demonstrated to be effective in alleviating anxiety in children and is therefore recommended as an alternative to conventional syringes.

Assessment of knowledge and attitude toward informed consent and assent for biomedical research involving children among health-care professionals in Belagavi city A questionnaire study

Background: Most of the nations have proposed research regulations to protect the rights and welfare of the research participants. Among such regulations are the informed consent and assent. In the present world, informed consent and assent is the cornerstone in health practice. Aims and Objectives: To compare and evaluate the knowledge and attitude toward informed consent and assent for biomedical research involving children among health-care professionals in Belagavi city. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 300 house surgeons divided into four groups of Medical, Dental, Nursing, and Ayurveda faculty of Belagavi city. A self-administered multiple choice questions were used to evaluate the knowledge and a five-point Likert scale was used to asses attitude regarding informed consent and assent for research involving children. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: There was statistically significant difference in mean knowledge and attitude among all four groups (P < 0.05), and there was no significant correlation between knowledge and attitude as a whole in each group of professionals (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Emphasis on additional training is the need of the hour for all the faculty participants and also incorporation of study material regarding informed consent and assent for research involving children by the policy makers.

Brush up: an innovative technological aid for parents to keep a check of their childrens oral hygiene behaviour / Brush up: uma ajuda tecnológica inovadora para os pais controlarem o comportamento de higiene bucal de seus filhos

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the impact of "Brush Up" - a mobile application, on oral hygiene behaviours of 4-6-year-old children in Bangalore city. Methods: In this experimental study, 247 children aged 4-6, were randomly divided into three groups. Considering "Brush Up" is a mobile application, parents of the children in Group 1 (n=82) downloaded the application on their smartphones. Children in Group 2 (n=83) and Group 3 (n=82) received tooth brushing instructions by an educative video and manual demonstration, respectively. Effectiveness of tooth brushing was assessed with plaque scores, which were recorded for all the groups at baseline and one month using Visible Biofilm Index. Results: Wilcoxon signed rank test showed a significant improvement in the tooth brushing behaviour for the Brush Up group, which was indicated by a lower plaque score after a follow-up of one month. Kruskal-Wallis test followed by post-hoc test showed that the mean ranks of plaque scores of Brush Up group are consistently lower than those of video demonstration group and manual demonstration group. Conclusions: The lower plaque score in subsequent follow-up in Brush Up group suggests that using a smart system can enhance learning a correct tooth brushing method in young children and can also help in implementing the required reinforcement and motivation to brush and aid in better plaque control.

RESUMO Objetivo: Investigar o impacto do "Brush Up", um aplicativo móvel, sobre comportamentos de higiene bucal de crianças de 4 a 6 anos na cidade de Bangalore, na Índia. Métodos: Neste estudo experimental, 247 crianças de 4 a 6 anos foram divididas aleatoriamente em 3 grupos. Como "Brush Up" é um aplicativo móvel, os pais das crianças do Grupo 1 (n=82) baixaram o aplicativo em seus smartphones. As crianças do grupo 2 (n=83) e do grupo 3 (n=82) receberam instruções sobre escovação por meio de vídeo educativo e demonstração manual, respectivamente. A efetividade da escovação foi avaliada por meio de escores de placa bacteriana, registrados para todos os grupos antes da intervenção e um mês depois. Resultados: O teste de Wilcoxon sinalizou uma melhora significativa na escovação para o grupo "Brush Up", com uma pontuação mais baixa na placa bacteriana após um mês de acompanhamento. O teste de Kruskal-Wallis, seguido do teste post hoc, mostrou que as classificações médias das pontuações do grupo "Brush Up" foram consistentemente mais baixas do que as do grupo com demonstração em vídeo e demonstração manual. Conclusões: Os resultados obtidos no grupo "Brush Up" sugerem que o uso de um sistema inteligente pode melhorar o aprendizado de um método correto de escovação em crianças pequenas e ajudar na implementação do reforço e motivação necessários para escovar e controlar melhor a placa bacteriana.

Sequential Approach to Differential Diagnosis of TMJ Disorder from Other Oro Facial Muscles Pain – A Systematic Review

This systematic review (SR) synthesises recent evidence and assesses the methodological quality of published SRs in the Differential diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Bandolier databases for 1987 to September 2019. Three investigators evaluated the methodological quality of each identified SR using two measurement tools: The assessment of multiple systematic reviews (AMSTAR) and level of research design scoring. Thirty-one SRs met inclusion criteria and 28 were analysed: 20 qualitative SRs and eight meta-analysis.The main aim of this article is to Differential diagnose the pain which is not related to any dental disease. Most of dental clinician have problem to diagnose TMD (Temporomandibular Disorders) and Orofacial Muscle pain. The approach of this article is to simplify the differential diagnosis for better and fast treatment of the respective disease by classifying various TMJ related and muscle related problems

Prevalence of menopausal symptoms and its association with various factors among women in post menopausal age group: a cross-sectional study

Background: Menopause is an important time in women's life and it is a natural event in the process of aging. The onset of menopause heralds a time of diminished estrogen exposure, which may have both acute and chronic effect on health and quality of life.Methods: It was a cross sectional study, conducted for a period of 3months i.e. June to August 2018 among post menopausal women in 8 selected villages with a sample size of 247.Results: The common post- menopausal symptoms were joint and muscular discomfort, bladder problems, symptoms of dryness of vagina, physical and mental exhaustion. Factors like education, occupation, socio-economic status, marital status, parity, mode of delivery, age at menopause and BMI was related to one or more menopausal symptoms.  Conclusions: Proper and timely intervention among post menopausal women will help to reduce the symptoms and lead a better quality of life.

Perception of Laypersons to Appearance of Orthodontic Appliances their Acceptance and Value for Money: A Questionnaire Study

Introduction: Orthodontic market has experienced remarkableevolution in the development and creation of orthodonticappliances that are designed to appeal the patients. With theadvent of newer technology like invention of CAD-CAMthe brackets travelled its life from a bulky metal appliance,to aesthetic brackets (ceramics and plastic brackets), lingualbracket systems and finally bracket-less approach (Invisalignand Clear Path). This, although enhanced the aesthetic aspect,but lost its dexterity to the common man due the increasingtreatment cost (Value). Study aimed at evaluation of Perceptionof Laypersons to Appearance of Orthodontic Appliances, theirAcceptance and value for money.Material and methods: A sample of 200 laypersons wereselected by simple random sampling. A questionnaire wasframed for evaluation of attractiveness, acceptability andvalue of orthodontic appliances as grouped from group 1 togroup 6 and distributed amongst laypersons. The statisticalanalysis was done using the Statistical Package for the SocialScience (SPSS version 22, Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) andDescriptive statistics were performed.Result: The attractiveness and acceptability of appliances goin favour of ceramic brackets with aesthetic arch wire andaesthetic ligature ties.Conclusion: But the practical acceptability of appliancesbased on three parameters conclusively favour ceramicbrackets with standard arch wire and metal ligature ties whichfulfils both the aesthetics and cost effectiveness.