Patient perceptions and experiences of dental fear of different dental specialties: a mixed-method study.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to validate an Urdu translation of Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey (DFS) for use in Pakistan and to explore which items contribute the most to the variance in dental fear scores based on patient perceptions and lived experiences during dental care. METHODOLOGY: This mixed-method study was conducted at Dow Dental Hospital from February 2022 to June 2022. For quantitative analysis, a total of 273 participants were enrolled through convenience sampling. After obtaining signed consent, participants were asked to self-report their dental fear. In-depth interviews with 25 patients displaying moderate to high dental fear were conducted to clarify the elements of dental fear scores through the lens of individual perceptions and experiences. RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate dental fear was significantly higher among female participants than males. The mean dental fear score was higher among females (39.47 ± 14.23) as compared to males (30.83 ± 10.50). Most of the female participants reported an increase in breathing rate and heartbeat during dental treatment. The highest mean fear score was reported by participants who underwent oral surgical treatment (42.98 ± 14.21), followed by participants who received restorative care (36.20 ± 12.60). Approaching the dentist's office was the significant factor that contributed the most to the variance in dental fear scores. Four themes were generated through the content analysis of the interviews: physical reactions to dental procedures, perceptions and fears about surgical and restorative procedures, and gender and environmental factors in dental fear and interaction with dentists. CONCLUSION: The Urdu translation of DFS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing dental fears in Pakistan based on the findings of this study. Patients perceive surgical and restorative procedures as unpleasant and threatening. It was noted that "the heart beats faster" and "the breathing rate increases." were the top two physiological responses.

Comparison Between Early Appendectomy vs. Conservative Management in Cases of Appendicular Mass.

INTRODUCTION: At present, the treatment of choice for appendicular masses is unclear. Recent studies claimed that conservative management of appendicular masses was safe in terms of frequency of perforation. However, there is controversy in the existing literature. OBJECTIVE: This research is designed to compare the results of early appendectomy versus conservative management of appendicular masses. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was a randomized controlled trial performed in the Combined Military Hospital, Lahore. The study lasted six months, from 01/03/2019 to 30/09/2019. It involved 60 patients of both genders aged between 16 and 70 years diagnosed with appendicular masses with an Alvarado score of 4-7. These patients were randomly divided into two treatment groups. In Group A patients, an early appendectomy was performed, while patients in Group B were managed conservatively. Outcome variables were the mean length of hospital stay and frequency of appendicular perforation. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 26.8±11.9 years. There were 33 (55.0%) male and 27 (45.0%) female patients, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. The mean length of hospital stay was significantly longer in patients managed conservatively as compared to those undergoing early appendectomy (2.80±1.54 vs. 1.83±0.83; p=0.004). However, the frequency of perforation was not significantly higher in the conservative group as compared to the early appendectomy group (16.7% vs. 10.0%; p=0.448). CONCLUSION: Conservative management of patients with appendicular mass was associated with prolonged hospital stays, yet it was found equally safe in terms of frequency of appendicular perforation, which advocates conservative management of patients with appendicular mass, particularly in high-risk patients.

Biochemical characterization and molecular docking of cloned xylanase gene from Bacillus subtilis RTS expressed in E. coli.

This study employed mesophilic Bacillus subtilis RTS strain isolated from soil with high xylanolytic activity. A 642 bp (xyn) xylanase gene (GenBank accession number MT677937) was extracted from Bacillus subtilis RTS and cloned in Escherichia coli BL21 cells using pET21c expression system. The cloned gene belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 11 with protein size of approximately 23 KDa. The recombinant xylanase showed optimal enzyme activity at 60 °C and at pH 6.5. Thermostability of recombinant xylanase was observed between the temperature range of 30-60 °C. Xylanase also remained stable in different concentration of various organic solvents (ethanol, butanol). This might be due to the formation of protein/organic solvent interface which prevents stripping of essential water molecules from enzyme, thus enzyme conformation and activity remained stable. Finally, the molecular docking analysis through AutoDock Vina showed the involvement of Tyr 108, Arg140 and Pro144 in protein-ligand interaction, which stabilizes this complex. The observed stability of recombinant xylanase at higher temperature and in the presence of organic solvent (ethanol, butanol) suggested possible application of this enzyme in biofuel and other industrial applications.

Direct growth of m-BiVO4@carbon fibers for highly efficient and recyclable photocatalytic and antibacterial applications.

Owing to photocatalytic and antibacterial properties, bismuth based oxides has drawn much attention in recent past. However, non-recyclability of these oxides has restricted their practical applications. In present work, a novel nanostructured composite monoclinic bismuth vanadate@ activated carbon fibers (BiVO4@ACF) photocatalyst was efficaciously synthesized using a solvothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Bruner-Emmett-Teller (BET). The specific surface area, phase composition, microstructure, binding and photocatalytic activity of BiVO4@ACF pose great dependence on solvent nature and chelating agents utilized for synthesis. The photocatalytic and antibacterial potential of this composite was evaluated and optimized by using a model pollutant, Reactive Rhodamine Blue (RhB) and pathogenic microbes (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). The composite possesses enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity and was reutilized for three rounds of respective reaction without any loss of activity and structure as evident from SEM and XRD results. The photocatalytic mechanism of photodegradation of dye and bactericidal properties of samples under visible light irradiation was determined by scavenger and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity, chemical stability and most importantly good recyclability of BiVO4@ACFs highlight the potential application of this composite in water purification and other biological applications.

Z-scheme 2D-m-BiVO4 networks decorated by a g-CN nanosheet heterostructured photocatalyst with an excellent response to visible light.

For economical water splitting and degradation of toxic organic dyes, the development of inexpensive, efficient, and stable photocatalysts capable of harvesting visible light is essential. In this study, we designed a model system by grafting graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) (g-CN) nanosheets on the surface of 2D monoclinic bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO4) nanoplates by a simple hydrothermal method. This as-synthesized photocatalyst has well-dispersed g-CN nanosheets on the surface of the nanoplates of m-BiVO4, thus forming a heterojunction with a high specific surface area. The degradation rate for bromophenol blue (BPB) shown by BiVO4/g-CN is 96% and that for methylene blue (MB) is 98% within 1 h and 25 min, respectively. The 2D BiVO4/g-CN heterostructure system also shows outstanding durability and retains up to ∼95% degradation efficiency for the MB dye even after eight consecutive cycles; the degradation efficiency for BPB does not change too much after eight consecutive cycles as well. The enhanced photocatalytic activities of BiVO4/g-CN are attributed to the larger surface area, larger number of surface active sites, fast charge transfer and improved separation of photogenerated charge carriers. We proposed a mechanism for the improved photocatalytic performance of the Z-scheme photocatalytic system. The present work gives a good example for the development of a novel Z-scheme heterojunction with good stability and high photocatalytic activity for toxic organic dye degradation and water splitting applications.