Evaluation of caries arresting potential of silver diamine fluoride and sodium fluoride varnish in primary molars: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Caries management in the modern era has shifted away from the traditional surgical method toward a medical paradigm, which often includes fluoride therapy. Fluoride used in various forms has been proven to be effective in dental caries prevention. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) and sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish are effective in arresting caries in primary molars. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 38% SDF and 5% NaF varnish in arresting caries in primary molars. Settings and Design: This study was a split-mouth randomized controlled trial. Materials and Methods: The randomized controlled trial comprised 34 children aged 6-9 years with teeth having caries in both right and left primary molars without pulpal involvement. Teeth were randomly allocated into two groups. In Group 1 (n = 34), 38% SDF + potassium iodide was applied and in Group 2 (n = 34), 5% NaF varnish was applied. The second application was done after 6 months in both groups. Children were recalled at 6- and 12-month intervals and evaluated for caries arrest. Statistical Analysis: Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Results: Caries arresting potential was found to be higher in the SDF group compared to the NaF varnish group at both 6-month (SDF - 82% and NaF varnish - 45%) and 12-month intervals (SDF - 77% and NaF varnish - 42%) and the difference was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.002 and 0.004, respectively). Conclusion: SDF was more effective in arresting dental caries in primary molars compared to 5% NaF varnish.

Pilocytic astrocytoma with spontaneous malignant transformation with intracranial and skeletal dissemination: case report and review of the literature.

Pilocytic astrocytoma is a benign low-grade tumor with a favorable prognosis. We present a 47-year-old- lady with a posterior fossa pilocytic astrocytoma who underwent surgical decompression. She developed multiple early local recurrences Along with malignant transformation of the cranial lesion she developed skeletal dissemination within a very short time frame. There were no features or family history of neurofibromatosis 1. She did not receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy prior to the recurrences.

A critical review on sludge management from onsite sanitation systems: A knowledge to be revised in the current situation.

Access to safe excreta disposal is a basic human right and an essential element of human development. Developing countries (like India) have constructed millions of toilets with on-site sanitation technologies (OSTs). However, these OSTs lack the required management system for collection, transportation and disposal of Faecal Sludge (FS, sludge getting accumulated in OST), leading to considerable water and soil pollution. The major challenge in FS Management is the collation of scattered data and concentrated experiences (i.e., existing knowledge remains with the practitioners in the field without a written record). Therefore, a critical review of existing knowledge on OST, FS collection, transportation, and its utilisation is essential. This study highlighted shortcomings associated with existing OST, FS collection, transportation, and treatment systems. Furthermore, this study provided a framework for appropriate selection of OST based on available sanitation chains, and a critical analysis of FS characteristics (i.e., total solids, pH, electrical conductivity, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and pathogens of FS ranged from 830 to 72000 mg/L, 6.8 to 7.8, 1.9 to 3.5 mS/cm, 500-5000 mg/L, 100 to 49,000 mg/L, and 106 to 107 E-coli and 103 to 104 parasitic worms per litre of FS, respectively) to design treatment systems for FS utilisation as a resource in agricultural, aqua-culture, and construction application.

Assessing inter and intra-variation in the characteristics of faecal sludge from Vadgaon Maval, Maharashtra: For better faecal sludge management in India.

Faecal Sludge (FS) produced in developing countries has become a significant source of water pollution. The optimal treatment of FS can lead to a sustainable economy. In India, the second phase of the open defecation free (ODF) initiative (energy recovery by providing city- or town-level centralised FS treatment plants) has begun from 2019 to sustain millions of toilets. However, to achieve this goal, India must address significant knowledge gaps such as the type of available on-site sanitation treatments (OSTs), optimal time of emptying the OSTs, and variations in the FS characteristics with age. Thus, the present study analysed FS samples collected from Vadgaon Maval, Maharashtra, India, to understand the inter- and intra-variation in FS characteristics. The pH, electrical conductivity, total solids (TS), specific gravity (SG), organic matter (OM), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pathogen content of FS samples were observed to be in the range of 7-7.65, 1.19-4.01 mS/cm, 1-123 g/L, 0.88-1.26, 18.4%-100%, 960-6080 mg/L, and 105-109 number/L of FS, respectively. The inter-variation of FS characteristics exhibited that the pH, EC, TS, and SG increased, whereas OM, settling, and drying capacity decreased with an increase in age. Fresh FS (excreta degraded for ≤3 years) was yellowish-brown in colour and exhibited low TS, low SG, and high OM. On the other hand, older FS (excreta degraded for >3 years) was blackish-brown in colour and exhibited high TS, SG, and pathogen content. This observation indicates that FS vacuum pumping may be difficult in the sludge zone after 3 years of excreta degradation, which may encourage the manual scavenging practice. Additionally, the analysis of FS treatment plant (FSTP) process control parameters (settled sludge volume, sludge volume index, and sludge drying capacity) indicated that the treatment time required for older FS is long, which increases the FSTP cost. Furthermore, FS intra-variation in OST exhibited that effluent FS could be directly sent for effluent treatment without any solid-liquid separation process. Thus, the present study can help practitioners in establishing or modifying FS treatment systems for addressing conditions based on the variation in FS characteristics at the town level in India.

Eight different bioactivity profiles of 40 cinnamons by multi-imaging planar chromatography hyphenated with effect-directed assays and high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Spices contain plenty of bioactive compounds, used to valorize foods. However, product quality may be affected by contaminations and adulterations along the global production chain. A newly developed multi-imaging in combination with bioactivity screening directly pointed to individual multi-potent compounds. For cinnamon as prominent example, the multi-imaging results provided a wealth of new information on their effects and clearly visualized the valorizing potential of cinnamon to foods. The separation focus was in the mid-polar to apolar range. Eight effect-directed assays (EDA, i.e. one radical scavenging, two biological and five biochemical assays) were performed in situ the high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) adsorbent. Several multi-potent compound zones were revealed and further characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), highlighting the bioactive potential of cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, benzoic acid, coumarin, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, caproic acid, and linalool oxide. This HPTLC-UV/Vis/FLD-EDA-HRMS profiling provided comprehensive information on product quality and safety.

Comprehensive bioanalytical multi-imaging by planar chromatography in situ combined with biological and biochemical assays highlights bioactive fatty acids in abelmosk.

The identification of the bioactivity of individual compounds in natural products is helpful to understand their therapeutic applications. Thus, a bioanalytical multi-imaging screening was developed and applied to 54 bark, leaf and seed extracts of Sri Lankan Abelmoschus moschatus (abelmosk) to find out the most bioactive individual compounds. The focus was laid on a comprehensive bioactivity profiling of its extracts. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was hyphenated with seven effect-directed assays (EDA), i. e. biological (Gram-negative Aliivibrio fischeri and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis), biochemical (α-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase) and chemical (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assays. This multi-imaging was complemented by ultraviolet (UV), white light (Vis), fluorescence detection (FLD) and eight microchemical derivatizations. Heated electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (HESI-HRMS) was used to characterize the most prominent multi-potent compound zone. It consisted of coeluting unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and oleic acid), but also saturated fatty acids (palmitic acid and to a lower extent stearic acid, arachidic acid and behenic acid). For confirmation of the detected effects (antibacterial, free radical scavenger and inhibitor of α-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase), oleic acid was exemplarily analyzed by co-development and overlapped application (with sample). The proven effects underlined the beneficial health effects derived from unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid. Exemplarily, the α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibition responses of the multi-potent compound zone were quantified equivalently in reference to oleic acid. The comparable results obtained by two independent enzymatic responses successfully proved the use of biochemical quantification by planar enzyme assays, and thus the new method based on HPTLC-UV/Vis/FLD-EDA-HESI-HRMS.

Improvement in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Following Right Anterior Temporal Lobectomy and Amygdalohippocampectomy in a Patient with Refractory Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Right Mesial Temporal Sclerosis.

There are reports of co-occurrence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). We present a report of a patient with refractory TLE due to hippocampal sclerosis with concomitant OCD on pharmacotherapy for both. She underwent surgery for standard anterior temporal lobectomy with amygdalohippocampectomy and reported improvement in obsessive-compulsive symptoms subsequently. We seek to further evidence of interaction between the two conditions and argue to undertake future research exploration on the same.