Risk factors associated with increasing prevalence of gonorrhea and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Neisseria gonorrhoeae among adolescents: A decade-long, hospital-based study from India.

Background: Gonorrhea is a significant cause of morbidity among sexually active population. Young adults and adolescents have a high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to behavioral, biological, and cultural factors fuelling the epidemic among them. The Centers for Disease Control recommends annual STI screening for sexually active individuals under twenty-five and those at higher risk. The present study aims at determining the risk factors linked to the rising prevalence of gonorrhea among Indian adolescents and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Materials and Methods: Clinical samples from adolescents attending the STI clinics were collected over 10 years. The isolates were confirmed as N. gonorrhoeae and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed to various drugs using the minimum inhibitory concentration strip method. Results: A total of 7308 genital discharge specimens were collected from STI clinic attendees, of which 417 samples were positive for gonorrhea (25 among male adolescents). Seventy six percent of positive adolescents had multiple sex partners, with only 4% using condoms. Nearly 20% practiced exchange of drugs for sex. Antimicrobial susceptibility rates were 96% sensitive for azithromycin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone. Gentamicin and spectinomycin reported 100% sensitivity rates. High resistance rates were reported to penicillin, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline at 80%, 88%, and 68%, respectively. Conclusion: Regular screening for STIs helps understand the trends and transmission of gonorrhea, which helps initiate appropriate control measures. The resistance to recommended treatment regimens such as azithromycin and cefixime seems to be escalating gradually, probably due to irrational use of antibiotics for non-STI cases and empirical treatment, which needs close monitoring.

Understanding the role of gut microfloral bifidobacterium in cancer and its potential therapeutic applications.

Gut microbiota research has gained a tremendous amount of attention from the scientific community because of its contribution to gut homeostasis, human health, and various pathophysiological conditions. The early colonizer of the human gut, i.e., bifidobacteria, has emerged as an efficient probiotic in various diseased conditions, including cancer. This review explores the pros and cons of Bifidobacterium in various malignancies and various therapeutic strategies. We have illustrated the controversial role of bifidobacteria participating in various malignancies as well as described the current knowledge regarding its use in anticancer therapies. Ultimately, this article also addresses the need for further extensive research in elucidating the mechanism of how bifidobacteria is involved and is indirectly affecting the tumor microenvironment. Exhaustive and large-scale research is also required to solve the controversial questions regarding the involvement of bifidobacteria in cancer research.

Recent Advances in the Carotenoids Added to Food Packaging Films: A Review.

Food spoilage is one of the key concerns in the food industry. One approach is the improvement of the shelf life of the food by introducing active packaging, and another is intelligent packaging. Detecting packed food spoilage in real-time is key to stopping outbreaks caused by food-borne diseases. Using active materials in packaging can improve shelf life, while the nonharmful color indicator can be useful to trace the quality of the food through simple color detection. Recently, bio-derived active and intelligent packaging has gained a lot of interest from researchers and consumers. For this, the biopolymers and the bioactive natural ingredient are used as indicators to fabricate active packaging material and color-changing sensors that can improve the shelf life and detect the freshness of food in real-time, respectively. Among natural bioactive components, carotenoids are known for their good antimicrobial, antioxidant, and pH-responsive color-indicating properties. Carotenoids are rich in fruits and vegetables and fat-soluble pigments. Including carotenoids in the packaging system improves the film's physical and functional performance. The recent progress on carotenoid pigment-based packaging (active and intelligent) is discussed in this review. The sources and biological activity of the carotenoids are briefly discussed, and then the fabrication and application of carotenoid-activated packaging film are reviewed. The carotenoids-based packaging film can enhance packaged food's shelf life and indicate the freshness of meat and vegetables in real-time. Therefore, incorporating carotenoid-based pigment into the polymer matrix could be promising for developing novel packaging materials.

A Comparative Study to Assess Accuracy of Casts Prepared using Direct Impression Technique with and without Splinting of Multiple Dental Implants Utilising Two Different Splinting and Impression Materials.

Background: The current study examined the accuracy of casts generated using direct impression processes with and without splints for multiple dental implants utilizing two different splinting materials and impression materials. Materials and Methods: Dental replacement base intensity alleviating acrylic tar was used to create a reference model of a mandible with four inserts (Uniti, Equinox, D-3.7 mm, and L-13 mm) in the front. Polyether and polyvinyle siloxane impression materials were used to make impressions of the reference model utilizing direct non-splinted and splinted techniques. Results: Polyether impression material was found to produce more accurate impressions than polyvinyl siloxane, and impressions made using transfer copings splinted with pattern resins were found to be more accurate than those made using either unsplinted copings or copings splinted with light-cured wax resin. Conclusions: All six impression techniques resulted in casts that were different from the reference model. Next, the polyether-splinted (SPR) technique is the nonsplinted technique employing polyether and polyvinyle siloxane imprint materials, and then, the splinted techniques using polyether and polyvinyle siloxane and produced the most accurate casts in comparison with the reference model.

Assessment of the Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Herbal Root Canal Irrigants (Propolis, Triphala, and Aloe Vera) and Chlorhexidine Against Enterococcus Faecalis.

BACKGROUND: Complete microbial eradication from the root canal and 3-dimensional obturation of the canal space are necessary for an efficient root canal procedure. AIM: The current research was conducted to assess the antimicrobial effectiveness of herbal root canal irrigants and Chlorhexidine against Enterococcus faecalis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The brain heart infusion (BHI) broth was used to grow the E. faecalis (ATCC) bacterial culture overnight before it was inoculated onto Mueller-Hinton agar plates. Agar-well diffusion was used to measure antibacterial inhibition. Respective propolis, Triphala, aloe vera, and chlorhexidine irrigants were added to the appropriate wells in agar plates and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. Each well's bacterial inhibition zone was measured and recorded. Statistics were used to tabulate and analyze the results. RESULTS: Chlorhexidine indicated the maximum inhibitory zone against E. faecalis, subsequently propolis and Triphala, and the lowest by A. vera extract. CONCLUSION: Propolis, Triphala, and aloe vera were tested herbal remedies that demonstrated an inhibitory zone against E. faecalis. These irrigants are therefore, suitable for use as root canal irrigating solutions.