Efficacy and safety evaluation of alcohol-containing and alcohol-free mouth rinses: A clinicocytological study.

CONTEXT: Whether the alcohol-based mouth rinses are as good as nonalcoholic mouth rinses as far as oral mucosal safety is concerned? AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate the oral mucosal safety of widely used alcohol- and nonalcohol-based mouth rinses at their recommended doses. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The clinical and cytological investigations were carried out by enrolling 120 systemically healthy volunteers fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The volunteers were subjected to a repeated mouth rinse for 60 days to either alcohol-based or alcohol-free mouth rinses at their recommended dosages. A comparative analysis for any clinical adverse response on the oral mucosa and efficacy, i.e., reduction of plaque and gingival index was done at the terminal of the exposure. The studies were also carried out to investigate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity potential of alcohol-based and alcohol-free mouth rinses in the exposed mucosal cells. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The data have been presented in comparative account between alcohol-based and alcohol-free mouth rinses in the volunteers at day 0 and day 60. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity potential of prescribed doses of alcohol- and alcohol-free mouth rinses have also been evaluated using tetrazolium bromide salt 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide, neutral red uptake, and trypan blue dye, micronucleus and chromosomal aberrations. RESULTS: The study findings reveal no statistically as well as biologically significant adverse responses of both alcohol-based and alcohol-free mouth rinses at clinical and cytological level. CONCLUSIONS: Under cytological observation, repeated dose exposure up to 60 days of the mouth rinses (alcohol-based and alcohol-free) used in the study was found to be effective and safe at their prescribed dosages.

In silico assay development for screening of tetracyclic triterpenoids as anticancer agents against human breast cancer cell line MCF7.

Experimental activity of a compound on cancer cell line/target is mostly analyzed in the form of percentage inhibition at different concentration gradient and time of incubation. In this study a statistical model has been developed referred as in silico assay using support vector regression model, which can act with change in concentration gradient and time of incubation. This model is a function of concentration gradient, treatment hour and independent components; which calculate the percentage inhibition in combination of above three components. This model is designed to screen tetracyclic triterpenoids active against human breast cancer cell line MCF7. The model has been statistically validated, checked for applicability domain and predicted results were reconfirmed by MTT assay, for example Oenotheranstrol derivatives, OenA & B. Computational SAR, target and docking studies were performed to understand the cytotoxic mechanism of action of Oenotheranstrol compounds. The proposed in silico assay model will work for specific chemical family for which it will be optimized. This model can be used to analyze growth kinetics pattern on different human cancer cell lines for designed compounds.

Tumor necrosis factor-ß Nco1 polymorphism and susceptibility to sepsis following major elective surgery.

BACKGROUND: Post-operative sepsis remains a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality. In injured patients, that a polymorphism of the gene for tumor necrosis factor-ß (TNF-ß) has been related to the development of sepsis. Genetic factors may also have a role in etio-pathogenesis of sepsis following surgery. We investigated the relationship of the polymorphism of the gene for TNF-ß and the serum concentration of TNF-α to the development of sepsis after elective major surgery. METHODS: The study population consisted of 211 patients undergoing major elective surgery. The NcoI polymorphism of TNF-ß was studied in genomic DNA through the analysis of restriction fragments of Nco1-digested DNA with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All patients were followed for 1 mo after surgery for any evidence of sepsis. Serum concentrations of TNF-α were measured pre- and post-operatively by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Genotypes of TNF-ß and the production of TNF-α were related to the occurrence of sepsis. RESULTS: Post-operative sepsis developed in 21.8% (n=46) of the patients. The overall mortality was 4.2% (n=9). The overall allele frequency of the TNF-ß genotype was 0.32 for TNFB1 and 0.68 for TNFB2. Within the TNF-ß genotype, 11.84% (n=25) of the patients were homozygous recessive for TNFB1, 41.23% (n=87) were heterozygous, with TNFB1/TNFB2, and 46.91% (n=99) were homozygous dominant for TNFB2. The incidence of post-operative sepsis was significantly (p=0.01) higher in patients homozygous for the TNFB2 allele. When compared with patients carrying at least one TNFB1 allele (TNFB1 homozygous and heterozygous genotype), the TNFB2 homozygous genotype was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.60 (p=0.005; 95% CI 1.32-5.15) for the development of sepsis. As compared with that for the heterozygous genotype, the OR for the homozygous TNFB2 genotype was 3.00 (p=0.003; 95% CI 1.39-6.44). In patients with post-operative sepsis, serum concentrations of TNF-α were significantly higher (p=0.02) in TNFB2 homozygous individuals than in those of individuals of the other TNF-ß genotypes. CONCLUSION: The development of sepsis was associated with a greater capacity to produce TNF-α after surgery. The Nco1 polymorphism of the TNF-ß gene was associated with the development of post-operative sepsis with an increased serum concentration of TNF-α. In patients without post-operative sepsis, polymorphism of the TNF-ß gene was not related to different levels of TNF-α production. This indicates an association between polymorphism of the TNF-ß gene and post-operative sepsis, suggesting the TNFB2/B2 genotype as a high-risk factor for the development of sepsis after elective surgery.

Comparative modeling of retinol-binding protein-3 and retinal S-antigen in Eales' disease and prediction of their binding sites using computational methods.

Retinal S-antigen and interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein-3 play a significant role in the etiopathogenesis of Eales' disease. Protein 3D structures are functionally very important and play a significant role in progression of the disease, hence these 3D structures are better target for further drug designing and relative studies. We developed 3D model structure of retinol-binding protein-3 and retinal S-antigen protein of human involved in Eales' disease. Functional site prediction is a very important and related step; hence, in the current course of analysis, we predicted putative functional site residues in the target proteins. Molecular models of these proteins of Eales' disease as documented in this study may provide a valuable aid for designing an inhibitor or better ligand against Eales' disease and could play a significant role in drug design.