A Comparative Study to Evaluate Efficacy of Curcumin and Aloe Vera Gel along with Oral Physiotherapy in the Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Rationale (Hypothesis): The antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,immunomodulatory and anti-tumorigenic properties of natural plant's extracts like aloe Vera and curcumin  may produce beneficial therapeutic effects on OSMF patients and may lead to their symptomatic relief. Also, increase in the tissue elasticity with the help of oral physiotherapy excercises , would help in reinforcing increment in  mouth opening. AIM: The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of Curcumin gel with Aloe Vera gel when both the gel are supplemented along with oral physiotherapy in the management of OSMF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A study of parallel group trial design, using simple randomization technique, was conducted on confirmed cases of OSMF. Patients were divided into two groups, one group(30 patients) was given curcumin gel(Curenext) and other group (30 patients) aloe Vera gel (Aloe Vera 100% relief) and each group was asked to do same oral physiotherapy excercises supplementally. Follow-up was done for 6 weeks and patients were assessed on the basis of improvement in mouth opening and burning sensation at 2, 4, and 6 weeks. RESULTS: There was an improvement in both the parameters at subsequent visits, but the Aloe Vera gel showed better improvement than curcumin gel in burning sensation after 6 weeks of treatment which was highly statistically significant p < 0.01. CONCLUSION: Curcumin gel and Aloe Vera gel are effective in improving OSMF symptoms, but aloe Vera gel is more efficacious in burning sensation improvement without any side effects. Hence, we can advocate these drugs as adjuvant treatment in addition to the recommended treatment.

Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy: A Rare Case Report.

A rare case melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy occurring in 2-year-old girl affecting left maxilla is described. Computed tomography showed benign expansile type of lesion affecting left maxilla. The lesion was surgically excised completely. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of melanotic neuroectodermal tumor. Four months' follow-up showed no recurrence.

Preparedness of dental under-graduate students towards practicing endodontics in rural and remote areas of India.

BACKGROUND: Undergraduate students can provide valuable opinions and suggestions for modifying the educational program for the enhancement of learning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the preparedness of undergraduate dental students with regard to practice endodontics in the rural and remote areas of India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among dental undergraduates (interns). The survey was conducted among the students of 3 private dental colleges. For the data collection, a close-ended questionnaire was designed to test the knowledge for performing endodontic therapy, root canal therapy (RCT), attitude, and behavior of performing these procedures in the rural set-ups. Unpaired t test and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the significant difference based on demographics and Pearson's correlation was applied to find the associations among knowledge, attitude, and behavior of study participants. The level of significance was set at below 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 79 students participated, out of which 22 respondents were males (27.8%), and 57 were females (72.15%). Overall mean knowledge scores for endodontics was 9.72 ± 2.19, and the scores of female students were slightly higher than males, whereas the attitude and behavior were better in males but there was no statistical significant difference between both the genders (P > 0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between attitude and behavior on practicing endodontics in rural settings among study subjects (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings highlights the necessity for taking initiatives to enhance the community-based dental education programs by various dental colleges for improving oral health care access for rural and isolated populations.

Myofibroblasts as important diagnostic and prognostic indicators of oral squamous cell carcinoma: An immunohistochemical study in normal oral mucosa, epithelial dysplasia, and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cancer invasion is a critical step for tumor growth and its progression. The focus on epithelial changes is shifting to increasing recognition that the microenvironment makes significant contributions to tumor progression. Stromal myofibroblasts play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis due to its ability to modify the extracellular matrix. Based on this literary evidence, we carried out an immunohistochemical study to observe the expression of myofibroblasts in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate, compare, and correlate the presence of myofibroblasts in normal oral mucosa, oral epithelial dysplasia, and OSCC and to observe different patterns of myofibroblast arrangement using alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) as a marker, Thus assisting in early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of oral carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six cases including 12 cases of OSCC, 12 cases of epithelial dysplasia, and 12 cases of normal oral mucosa were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to confirm the diagnosis and immunohistochemically using α-SMA antibody. The slides were evaluated for positivity and intensity of staining. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The result was subjected to statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: α-SMA expression in the stroma of squamous cell carcinoma was greater than its expression in epithelial dysplasia and normal oral mucosa.

Relationship between chronological age, dental age, and body height using Demirjian method among children aged 4-14 years in Pune - A radiographic study.

CONTEXT: The assessment of dental age is useful in the planning of orthodontic treatment, in pediatric dentistry, pediatric endocrinology, and forensic medicine. It is essential for a pediatric dentist to formulate treatment plan and it is a source of complementary information for pediatrician. Changes in the body proportion and composition are the essential elements of growth, especially maturation. AIMS: The present study was aimed to correlate the chronological age, dental age, and body height in children from Pune region of Maharashtra, India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: : Four hundred and thirty-one panoramic radiographs of 177 boys and 254 girls in the age group of 4-14 years were obtained. Chronological age was assessed by recording date of birth. Dental age assessment was done using orthopantamogram following the method described by Demirjian. Body height was recorded using a measuring tape. RESULTS: Chronological age and dental age showed significant positive correlation between male and female sample, i.e., r = 0.905 for males and r = 0.901 for females. Statistically significant correlation was observed between calculated dental age and body height. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, it can be concluded that the Demirjian method of dental age assessment showed high accuracy when applied to pediatric population in Pune.

Crystal structure of ß-glucosidase 1A from Thermotoga neapolitana and comparison of active site mutants for hydrolysis of flavonoid glucosides.

The ß-glucosidase TnBgl1A catalyses hydrolysis of O-linked terminal ß-glycosidic bonds at the nonreducing end of glycosides/oligosaccharides. Enzymes with this specificity have potential in lignocellulose conversion (degrading cellobiose to glucose) and conversion of bioactive flavonoids (modification of glycosylation results in modulation of bioavailability). Previous work has shown TnBgl1A to hydrolyse 3, 4' and 7 glucosylation in flavonoids, and although conversion of 3-glucosylated substrate to aglycone was low, it was improved by mutagenesis of residue N220. To further explore structure-function relationships, the crystal structure of the nucleophile mutant TnBgl1A-E349G was determined at 1.9 Å resolution, and docking studies of flavonoid substrates were made to reveal substrate interacting residues. A series of single amino acid changes were introduced in the aglycone binding region [N220(S/F), N221(S/F), F224(I), F310(L/E), and W322(A)] of the wild type. Activity screening was made on eight glucosylated flavonoids, and kinetic parameters were monitored for the flavonoid quercetin-3-glucoside (Q3), as well as for the model substrate para-nitrophenyl-ß-d-glucopyranoside (pNPGlc). Substitution by Ser at N220 or N221 increased the catalytic efficiency on both pNPGlc and Q3. Residue W322 was proven important for substrate accomodation, as mutagenesis to W322A resulted in a large reduction of hydrolytic activity on 3-glucosylated flavonoids. Flavonoid glucoside hydrolysis was unaffected by mutations at positions 224 and 310. The mutations did not significantly affect thermal stability, and the variants kept an apparent unfolding temperature of 101°C. This work pinpoints positions in the aglycone region of TnBgl1A of importance for specificity on flavonoid-3-glucosides, improving the molecular understanding of activity in GH1 enzymes. Proteins 2017; 85:872-884. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Phylogenetic analysis and substrate specificity of GH2 ß-mannosidases from Aspergillus species.

Phylogenetic analysis of glycoside hydrolase family 2 including Aspergillus sequences and characterised ß-mannosidases from other organisms, clusters putative Aspergillus ß-mannosidases in two distinct clades (A and B). Aspergillus species have at least one paralog in each of the two clades. It appears that clade A members are extracellular and clade B members intracellular. Substrate specificity analysis of MndA of Aspergillus niger (clade A) and MndB of Aspergillus nidulans (clade B) show that MndB, in contrast to MndA, does not hydrolyse polymeric mannan and has probably evolved to hydrolyse small unbranched ß-mannosides like mannobiose. A 3D-model of MndB provides further insight.