ABSTRACT
In the past few years, there has been an enormous increase in the application of artificial intelligence and its adoption in multiple fields, including healthcare. Forensic medicine and forensic odontology have tremendous scope for development using AI. In cases of severe burns, complete loss of tissue, complete or partial loss of bony structure, decayed bodies, mass disaster victim identification, etc., there is a need for prompt identification of the bony remains. The mandible, is the strongest bone of the facial region, is highly resistant to undue mechanical, chemical or physical impacts and has been widely used in many studies to determine age and sexual dimorphism. Radiographic estimation of the jaw bone for age and sex is more workable since it is simple and can be applied equally to both dead and living cases to aid in the identification process. Hence, this systematic review is focused on various AI tools for age and sex determination in maxillofacial radiographs. The data was obtained through searching for the articles across various search engines, published from January 2013 to March 2023. QUADAS 2 was used for qualitative synthesis, followed by a Cochrane diagnostic test accuracy review for the risk of bias analysis of the included studies. The results of the studies are highly optimistic. The accuracy and precision obtained are comparable to those of a human examiner. These models, when designed with the right kind of data, can be of tremendous use in medico legal scenarios and disaster victim identification.
Subject(s)
Artificial Intelligence , Humans , Sex Determination by Skeleton/methods , Age Determination by Skeleton/methods , Forensic Dentistry/methods , Mandible/diagnostic imaging , Radiography, Dental/methodsABSTRACT
The distribution and public health significance of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in humans and bovine differ across geographical areas. Cryptosporidium species causes a disease known as cryptosporidiosis in humans and animals. To characterize the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in humans in southern Assam, India, stool samples (n = 1119) of diarrhea patients were collected from different hospitals and from the community during the period January 2014 to July 2016. Fecal smears were examined microscopically for Cryptosporidium species using modified acid fast staining and were screened to ascertain the presence of Cryptosporidium antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The genomic DNA of positive fecal samples were analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which were subsequently genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), based on small subunit (SSU) 18S rRNA. It was found that the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was high during the monsoon season. The average infection rate of Cryptosporidium spp. was found to be 2.4% (27/1119) microscopically. When subjected to nested PCR using amplification of the 18S rRNA gene, Cryptosporidium was found to be 8.57% (98/1119). Based on the 18S rRNA gene, two Cryptosporidium spp., namely Cryptosporidium andersoni (6.97%: 78/1119) and Cryptosporidium parvum (1.7%: 20/1119), were identified. Cryptosporidium andersoni infections were found to be of either zoonotic or anthroponotic origin. The prevalence was statistically significant (p = 0.03, R2 = 0.042) considering age, gender, and cast.
Subject(s)
Cryptosporidiosis/epidemiology , Cryptosporidiosis/parasitology , Cryptosporidium/classification , Cryptosporidium/isolation & purification , Diarrhea/epidemiology , Diarrhea/parasitology , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , DNA, Protozoan/chemistry , DNA, Protozoan/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Feces/parasitology , Female , Genotype , Humans , Incidence , India/epidemiology , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Microscopy , Middle Aged , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Prevalence , RNA, Ribosomal, 18S/genetics , Seasons , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
This study developed a fast and high throughput dot-blot technique to evaluate the presence of Entamoeba in stool samples (n = 643) followed by a PCR-based method to validate and differentiate the two species E. histolytica and E. dispar. The prevalence rate of the parasite has been detected in a cross-sectional study carried out in the population of the Eastern and Northern parts of India. Of the various demographic features, prevalence was highest in the monsoon season (P = 0·017), in the <15 years age group (P = 0·015). In HIV-positive individuals, the prevalence rate was significantly high (P = 0·008) in patients with a CD4 cell count <200 as well as in patients without antiretroviral therapy (ART) (P = 0·011). Our analysis further confirmed that risk factors such as toilet facilities, living conditions, hygienic practices, drinking water source, occupation and level of education are important predictors as they were found to contribute significantly in the prevalence of the parasite.
Subject(s)
Entamoeba/isolation & purification , Entamoebiasis/diagnosis , Feces/parasitology , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/methods , Nucleic Acid Hybridization/methods , Parasitology/methods , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Entamoeba/classification , Entamoeba/genetics , Entamoeba/immunology , Entamoebiasis/epidemiology , Entamoebiasis/parasitology , Female , Humans , India , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Interaction of bacteria with lectin using anti-lectin antibody by ELISA is an established method. In the present study, we have devised a simple ELISA using a biotinylated lectin and antibiotin-HRP. Ficus cunia agglutinin (FCA), which has shown the specificity towards alpha/beta anomers of GlcNAc and other-NAc containing sugars like LacNAc and GlcNAcbeta(1-4/6)GlcNAc, was used as a model lectin for the study of interaction with immobilized microorganisms on ELISA plate. The bacterial cells of E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus showed binding with FCA and the degree of binding was dependent on the bacterial surface antigen. This method is considered a simple technique to study the lectin-bacteria interaction.
