Monitoring of minerals level in dialysate during hemodialysis treatment of kidney patients using LIBS technique.

Chronic kidney patients may have difficulties in blood filtration to eliminate the waste from the blood and to maintain the level of the minerals in the blood. Hemodialysis (HD) is an artificial way to remove the waste from the blood of a kidney patient and to maintain the proper mineral level in the blood. Reverse osmosis (RO) water having less total dissolved solids (TDS) < 50 ppm is used to prepare dialysis fluid/dialysate in dialysis with two chemicals (electrolytes and salts such as sodium bicarbonate). To check the purity of RO water from various RO machines used to prepare dialysate, which is vital for the safety of the patient, the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique has been used. Also, the amount of replacement of electrolytes/minerals between the blood of the patient and dialysate after dialysis has been checked/determined for two different machines: hemodialysis machine (HDM) and on-line hemo-dia filtration machine (on-line HDF machine). It is observed that the proper amount of electrolytes (Na, Ca, and Mg) are maintained/normalized (depending upon patient's need), excess K is removed, and excess urea and creatinine is removed continuously from the blood of a patient during dialysis treatment which is essential for the better health of a kidney patient. Our results show that the RO water used in on-line HDF machine is purer (i.e., ultrapure); therefore, the quality of life of a kidney patient may be better if dialysis is performed with the on-line HDF machine. The experimental results also show that the filtration capacity of the dialyzer decreases after reusing it many times for dialysis treatment.

Analysis of constituents present in smokeless tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)using spectroscopic techniques.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique used to identify and quantify the elements present in any type of material present in any phase (solid, liquid, gas, and aerosol). In the present work, our objective is to find the presence of toxic and other elements in chewing tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) using LIBS. Spectral signatures of elements like C, Fe, Si, Mg, Mn, Ca, Ti, Na, H, N, K, O, along with some toxic elements Al, Sr, Li, Cu, Sb, and Cr are observed in the LIBS spectra of these tobacco samples. The spectral intensity ratio is measured for quantitative analysis of elements present in the samples. Further, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy is used for determining absolute concentration in these samples. A relation between the AAS result and the relative intensity of spectral lines measured in the LIBS is obtained using regression analysis. The multivariate technique, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), discriminates all the samples based on their toxicity and other constituents. Molecular study (Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS), UV-Visible (UV-vis), and FT-IR) of tobacco samples were performed to analyze the molecules present in the tobacco samples.

Comparative evaluation of open flap debridement alone and in combination with anorganic bone matrix/cell-binding peptide in the treatment of human infrabony defects: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The synthetic anorganic bone matrix/cell-binding peptide (ABM/P-15) has displayed an increased fibroblast migration and attachment with bone graft material, thus enhancing periodontal regeneration. The objective of the present study was to evaluate and to correlate the efficacy of open flap debridement (OFD) with and without ABM/P-15 in the treatment of human infrabony periodontal defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 chronic periodontitis patients with equal number infrabony defects were randomly selected and assigned into two groups depending on the treatment received: Control group (treated with OFD) and Test group (treated with OFD + ABM/P-15). Clinical parameters recorded included plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession, and radiographic defect depth (RDD) which were evaluated at baseline and 6 months postsurgically. RESULTS: When compared to baseline, both the treatment groups demonstrated improvements in the clinical parameters at 6 months. Test group exhibited a mean PPD reduction of 4.15 ± 1.04 mm, CAL gain of 3.10 ± 1.42 mm, and reduction in RDD of 1.90 ± 0.72 mm postoperatively at 6 months. In contrast to Control group, the Test group showed greater reduction in PPD (P < 0.05) which was statistically significant, greater CAL gain and greater mean RDD reduction (P < 0.001) which was highly significant. CONCLUSION: In the surgical management of periodontal infrabony defects, Test group elicited in statistically significant PPD reduction, CAL gain, and better infrabony defect fill at 6 months' postoperatively.

Dimensional influence of interproximal areas on existence of interdental papillae.

BACKGROUND: Restoring papillae in the gingival embrasures of the esthetic zone is a key consideration in periodontal, restorative, and orthodontic treatment. This study analyzes the existence of interdental papillae with regard to the vertical dimensions between the contact point and the alveolar crest and horizontal dimensions between adjacent roots. METHODS: A total of 259 papillae, in 60 patients, were examined. All patients were indicated for full-thickness periodontal flap surgery. A mucoperiosteal flap was raised and, after thorough debridement, horizontal and vertical dimensions between adjacent roots were recorded. The incidence of papillae was analyzed using χ(2) for linear trend analysis. RESULTS: Interdental papillae were present in 85.7% of the cases when the vertical dimensions were 4 mm (P <0.05). Also, papillae were present in 78.5% of cases when the horizontal dimensions were between 0.5 and 1 mm (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: The vertical and horizontal dimensions of interproximal areas had a substantial, independent, and combined effect on the existence of interproximal papillae.