Fine-needle aspiration cytology of salivary gland lesions.

Background: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a sensitive, specific, cost-effective tool and has been widely used as a diagnostic tool for the management of various head-and-neck lesions. Salivary gland lesions constitute the most common head-and-neck lesions. These lesions can range from inflammatory to neoplastic, which can be either benign or malignant. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 104 patients who presented with salivary gland swelling to the department of pathology at a tertiary care center from January 2016 to June 2020. FNAC was performed using a 22-24G needle, and smears were stained with Giemsa, hematoxylin and eosin and Papanicolaou stain. Histopathology was assessed on routine hematoxylin- and eosin-stained paraffin sections. The cytological and histopathological slides were studied, analyzed and correlated. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive were calculated. Results: The study included 104 cases in the age range of 10-70 years and a mean of 45 years (±16 standard deviation). There was a male preponderance with a male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1. The parotid gland was the most common site 91 (87%). On cytology, 71 (68%) were neoplastic, of which 58 (81%) were benign and 13 (19%) were malignant. Histopathological correlation was available in 36 cases (50%), 24 (67%) of which were benign and the remaining 12 (33%) were malignant. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the present study are 95%, 85%, 91% and 92%, respectively. Conclusion: FNAC of the salivary gland is a safe, reliable and cost-effective technique which can be used as the first line of investigation in evaluating salivary gland lesions.

Evaluation of the Antiviral Potential of Halogenated Dihydrorugosaflavonoids and Molecular Modeling with nsP3 Protein of Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV).

Antiviral therapy is crucial for the circumvention of viral epidemics. The unavailability of a specific antiviral drug against the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) disease has created an alarming situation to identify or develop potent chemical molecules for remedial management of CHIKV. In the present investigation, in silico studies of dihydrorugosaflavonoid derivatives (5a-f) with non-structural protein-3 (nsP3) were carried out. nsP3 replication protein has recently been considered as a possible antiviral target in which crucial inhibitors fit into the adenosine-binding pocket of the macrodomain. The 4'-halogenated dihydrorugosaflavonoids displayed intrinsic binding with the nsp3 macrodomain (PDB ID: 3GPO) of CHIKV. Compounds 5c and 5d showed docking scores of -7.54 and -6.86 kcal mol-1, respectively. Various in vitro assays were performed to confirm their (5a-f) antiviral potential against CHIKV. The non-cytotoxic dose was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and was found to be <100 µM. The compounds 5c and 5d showed their inhibitory potential for CHIKV, which was determined through cytopathic effect assay and plaque reduction assay, which show inhibition up to 95 and 92% for 70 µM concentration of the compounds, respectively. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay result confirmed the ability of 5c and 5d to reduce the viral RNA level at 70 µM concentration of compounds to nearly 95 and 93% concentration, respectively, in cells with CHIKV infection. Further, the CHIKV-inhibitory capacity of these compounds was corroborated by execution of immunofluorescence assay. The executed work will be meaningful for the future research of studied dihydrorugosaflavonoids against prime antiviral entrants, leading to remedial management to preclude CHIKV infection.

Efficacy of a new interdental cleaning aid.

BACKGROUND: It is now well established that removal of bacterial plaque can reduce the severity of chronic inflammatory periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is seen to progress faster interdentally and plaque control in these areas is of great importance. Various types of interdental cleaning aids have been developed in recent years. This study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a newly developed interdental cleaning aid, BrushPick, in a split mouth randomized clinical trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a split mouth design study where the quadrant on one side of the oral cavity served as the control while another quadrant on the opposite side served as the test sample. Fifty-seven patients with mild-to-moderate periodontitis, presenting with open interdental embrasures, were selected for the study. After non-surgical periodontal therapy, they were asked to use the BrushPick in the embrasures on one side of the arch in a spilt mouth design study and the embrasures on the other side acted as controls. The Rustogi et al. modified Navy plaque index (RMNPI) and interdental bleeding index (IBI) were recorded at baseline, seven days, 14 days, and 28 days. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The mean differences between test and control sites were compared using the studentt test. The mean difference was compared between different durations using analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: The mean RMNPI was significantly different between the test and control sites at P<0.001 on both days 14 and 28. At 28 days the mean IBI was 0.08 (SD=0.02) for the experimental sites and 0.28 (SD=0.11) for the control sites. The difference was statistically significant at P<0.001. ANOVA showed that the mean RMNPI scores and mean IBI scores showed a statistically significant difference when compared at different durations at the test sites (P<0.0001). But, at the control sites there was no significant change. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that BrushPick reduces plaque and gingival bleeding in open interdental embrasures. Further large sampled clinical trials and comparative studies using gold standard interdental cleaning aids are required to establish the efficacy of this device.

Stability studies of crude plant material of Bacopa monnieri and quantitative determination of bacopaside I and bacoside A by HPLC.

INTRODUCTION: Bacopa monnieri (BM) contains several dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins including bacopaside I and bacoside A. These bioactive compounds may be used as chemical markers for the quality control of different BM products used for promoting mental health and intellect. OBJECTIVE: Quantification of bacopaside I and bacoside A in crude plant material of BM stored under the stability study conditions by HPLC. METHODOLOGY: Crude BM samples were stored at long-term (LS; 30°C and 65% RH), accelerated (AS; 40°C and 75% RH) and real-time (RT) study conditions. HPLC of BM extracts was carried out using a LiChroCART Purospher® STAR RP-18 endcapped column along with a guard column, Purospher STAR RP 18e 4.0 4.0 mm 5 µm using a gradient of acetonitrile (A) and water containing 0.05% (v/v) orthophosphoric acid (B) at a flow rate 1.5 mL/min with UV detection at 205 nm. RESULTS: The linear range of bacopaside I and bacoside A was 0.2 to 1 mg/mL. With the help of a regression equation the coefficient of determination (r²) values for bacopaside I and bacoside A were found to be > 0.999 and > 0.994 respectively. Relative standard deviation (RSD) values were < 4.0 for all the concentrations injected (n = 3). The HPLC study indicated that BM samples kept under LS condition are rich in saponin contents as compared with the samples stored under AS and RT study conditions. CONCLUSION: The study indicated that BM plant material should be used fresh to obtain maximum concentration of active saponins or it should be stored under LS conditions up to 3 months.

Modified Widman flap and non-surgical therapy using chlorhexidine chip in the treatment of moderate to deep periodontal pockets: A comparative study.

INTRODUCTION: It is a well established fact that periodontitis is caused by a group of highly specific microorganisms, organized as a bio-film on the tooth surface. Hence, therapeutic modalities are directed against elimination or adequate suppression of these organisms. Thorough debridement of these sites is possible mainly by scaling and root planing (SRP) and open- flap debridement in deeper sites. Open- flap debridement includes conventional surgical procedures such as the modified Widman flap procedure. Surgical procedures, however, have a number of disadvantages and hence efforts have been on at improving various non-surgical approaches, which are directed more specifically at the microbial nature of periodontal disease. Use of local drug-delivery devices is one such approach. The combined therapy of SRP and local drug delivery has been showing promising results in improving all the parameters in periodontal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study compares the clinical, as well as, microbiological results of a split-mouth trial using modified Widman flap and non-surgical therapy of SRP and the use of a controlled release drug-delivery device (Chlorhexidine chip), in the management of moderate to deep pockets. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results showed that the non-surgical most sites subjected to the non-surgical treatment were found to be maintainable without further deterioration, during the study period.

Plasmacytoid variant of myoepithelioma of palate: a case report.

Myoepitheliomas of intraoral minor salivary glands are rare and are usually of plasmacytoid type. Myoepitheliomas are considered difficult to diagnose without the aid of ultrastructural and histochemical studies. Here we present a case report of plasmacytoid type of myoepithelioma of palate that was diagnosed by light microscopic examination alone. Considering the non-specificity of ultrastructural and histochemical findings, it is important to pay attention to typical features of plasmacytoid myoepitheliomas to arrive at a diagnosis.