Comparative Evaluation of Antibacterial Effect of GIC Containing Chlorhexidine and Miswak on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus in Early Childhood Caries Children: A PCR Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The therapeutic procedures used in the treatment of caries do not always eliminate all the microorganisms. Persisting cariogenic bacteria can cause recurrent caries and failure of restoration. Incorporation of an antimicrobial agent in the restorative material may be of paramount significance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the antibacterial effect of glass ionomer cement (GIC) containing CHX and miswak extract on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus in ECC children using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five children with ECC in the age-group 3-6 years were selected. The children were randomly allocated into three groups. Supragingival plaque samples (S1) were collected from sound buccal or labial surfaces of primary teeth. Cavity preparation was done and the teeth were restored according to the group to which the child had been allotted. The second plaque sample (S2) was collected 1 month and the final sample after 3 months of restoring all the decayed teeth. All the samples were sent for PCR analysis. RESULTS: Intergroup analysis was done using Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Mann-Whitney post hoc test showed statistically significant difference in S. mutans and S. sobrinus count between group I (CHX) and group III (control) and group II (miswak) and group III (control) but no statistically significant difference between group I (CHX) and group II (miswak) in S. mutans and S. sobrinus count. CONCLUSION: 1% chlorhexidine digluconate and aqueous extract of miswak are equally effective against S. mutans and S. sobrinus. Miswak can be used as an alternative herbal antimicrobial that can be incorporated in anhydrous GIC. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kalpavriksha AJ, Siddaiah SB, Bilichodmath S, et al. Comparative Evaluation of Antibacterial Effect of GIC Containing Chlorhexidine and Miswak on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus in Early Childhood Caries Children: A PCR Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(2):229-234.

Aldo-ketoreductase 1 (AKR1) improves seed longevity in tobacco and rice by detoxifying reactive cytotoxic compounds generated during ageing.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance of seed viability is an important factor for seedling vigour and plant establishment. Lipid peroxidation mediated reactive carbonyl compounds (RCC's) and non-enzymatic modifications of proteins through Maillard and Amadori products reduce seed viability and seedling vigour. RESULTS: In this study, the relevance of RCCs on genotypic variation in rice seed viability and overexpression of an aldo-ketoreductase (AKR1) enzyme that detoxify cytotoxic compounds to improve seed viability and vigour was studied. Physiological and biochemical approaches were integrated to quantify the variation in seed viability and seedling vigour in rice genotypes after exposing to ageing treatment. AKR1 was overexpressed in a susceptible rice genotype and tobacco to study the relevance of reduced RCC's on seed viability and seedling vigour. The glycation and lipid peroxidation compounds accumulated after accelerated ageing treatments in rice genotypes. The accumulation of malondialdehyde, methyl glyoxal, Maillard and Amadori products affected the seed viability and germination as they showed a significant negative relationship. The transgenic rice and tobacco seeds expressing AKR1 showed lower levels of cytotoxic compounds and glycation products that resulted in improved seed viability and seedling vigour in rice and tobacco. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that, reactive cytotoxic compounds affect the seed viability during storage. Detoxification of reactive cytotoxic compounds by Aldo-keto reductases is one of the mechanisms to improve the seed longevity during storage.

Aldo-keto reductase enzymes detoxify glyphosate and improve herbicide resistance in plants.

In recent years, concerns about the use of glyphosate-resistant crops have increased because of glyphosate residual levels in plants and development of herbicide-resistant weeds. In spite of identifying glyphosate-detoxifying genes from microorganisms, the plant mechanism to detoxify glyphosate has not been studied. We characterized an aldo-keto reductase gene from Pseudomonas (PsAKR1) and rice (OsAKR1) and showed, by docking studies, both PsAKR1 and OsAKR1 can efficiently bind to glyphosate. Silencing AKR1 homologues in rice and Nicotiana benthamiana or mutation of AKR1 in yeast and Arabidopsis showed increased sensitivity to glyphosate. External application of AKR proteins rescued glyphosate-mediated cucumber seedling growth inhibition. Regeneration of tobacco transgenic lines expressing PsAKR1 or OsAKRI on glyphosate suggests that AKR can be used as selectable marker to develop transgenic crops. PsAKR1- or OsAKRI-expressing tobacco and rice transgenic plants showed improved tolerance to glyphosate with reduced accumulation of shikimic acid without affecting the normal photosynthetic rates. These results suggested that AKR1 when overexpressed detoxifies glyphosate in planta.

Effects of intravenous zoledronic acid plus subcutaneous teriparatide [rhPTH(1-34)] in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Clinical data suggest concomitant therapy with bisphosphonates and parathyroid hormone (PTH) may blunt the anabolic effect of PTH; rodent models suggest that infrequently administered bisphosphonates may interact differently. To evaluate the effects of combination therapy with an intravenous infusion of zoledronic acid 5 mg and daily subcutaneous recombinant human (rh)PTH(1-34) (teriparatide) 20 µg versus either agent alone on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers, we conducted a 1-year multicenter, multinational, randomized, partial double-blinded, controlled trial. 412 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (mean age 65 ± 9 years) were randomized to a single infusion of zoledronic acid 5 mg plus daily subcutaneous teriparatide 20 µg (n = 137), zoledronic acid alone (n = 137), or teriparatide alone (n = 138). The primary endpoint was percentage increase in lumbar spine BMD (assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA]) at 52 weeks versus baseline. Secondary endpoints included change in BMD at the spine at earlier time points and at the total hip, trochanter, and femoral neck at all time points. At week 52, lumbar spine BMD had increased 7.5%, 7.0%, and 4.4% in the combination, teriparatide, and zoledronic acid groups, respectively (p < .001 for combination and teriparatide versus zoledronic acid). In the combination group, spine BMD increased more rapidly than with either agent alone (p < .001 versus both teriparatide and zoledronic acid at 13 and 26 weeks). Combination therapy increased total-hip BMD more than teriparatide alone at all times (all p < .01) and more than zoledronic acid at 13 weeks (p < .05), with final 52-week increments of 2.3%, 1.1%, and 2.2% in the combination, teriparatide, and zoledronic acid groups, respectively. With combination therapy, bone formation (assessed by serum N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen [PINP]) increased from 0 to 4 weeks, declined minimally from 4 to 8 weeks, and then rose throughout the trial, with levels above baseline from 6 to 12 months. Bone resorption (assessed by serum ß-C-telopeptide of type I collagen [ß-CTX]) was markedly reduced with combination therapy from 0 to 8 weeks (a reduction of similar magnitude to that seen with zoledronic acid alone), followed by a gradual increase after week 8, with levels remaining above baseline for the latter half of the year. Levels for both markers were significantly lower with combination therapy versus teriparatide alone (p < .002). Limitations of the study included its short duration, lack of endpoints beyond DXA-based BMD (e.g., quantitative computed tomography and finite-element modeling for bone strength), lack of teriparatide placebo, and insufficient power for fracture outcomes. We conclude that while teriparatide increases spine BMD more than zoledronic acid and zoledronic acid increases hip BMD more than teriparatide, combination therapy provides the largest, most rapid increments when both spine and hip sites are considered.

New records of Porrocaecum sp. and Hysterothylacium sp. Nematoda: Anisakidae; from fishes of bay of bengal

El presente artículo trata de nuevos registros de nematodes de la familia Heterocheilidae Railliet y Henry, 1912. Durante un estudio de los parásitos de peces marinos (tiburón, raya y teleósteos) de la Bahía de Bengala, fueron observadas hembras de interesantes nematodes parásitos en el estómago y cavidad visceral de Chiloscyllium (Gmelin), Torpedo panthera (Olfers), Pomadasys maculatus (Bloch) y Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier de Visakhapatnam, Beheemunipatnam y Yarada (Andra Pradesh). La mayoría de sus características concuerdan con Porrocaecum galeocerdonie e Hysterothylacium engraulisi, pero difieren en variaciones mínimas. Debido a que no se dispuso del macho, no es posible clasificar los presentes ejemplares en ningula de las especies conocidas del género Porrocaecum y Hysterothylacium. Por lo tanto, deben ser referidas como Porrocaecum sp. y Hysterothylacium sp. Chiloscyllium indicum y Torpedo panthera son nuevos huéspedes registrados. Visakhapatnam, Bheemunipatnam y Yarada son las nuevas localidades registradas

Redescriptions of Genera Raphidascaris Railliet et Henry, 1915 and Paranisakis Baylis, 1923 (Nematoda Heterocheilidae), and ParaCammallanus Yorke and Maplestone, 1926 (Nematoda Cammallanidae) from fish of Andhra Pradesh

En el presente artículo se tratan las redescripciones de la especie de un nematode de las familias Heterocheilidae Raillet y Henry, 1915 y Camallanidae Raillet y Henry, 1915 del intestino y estómago de los peces marinos Epinephelus areolatus (Forskal), Tachysurus tenuispinis (Day), Johnius diacanthus (Lecépedes), Ilisha filigera (Valenciennes), Pomadasys maculatus (Bloch), Dasyatis (Himantura) uarnak (Forkal), Pterois russelli Benet, Scoliodon sorrakowah (Cuvier) y Carangoides malabaricus Bloch y Schneider, de Visakhapatnam y Katinada (Andra Pradesch). La mayoría de las características concuerda con las de Raphidascaris chirocentri Yamaguti, 1935, Paranisakis pastinacae (Rudd., 1819) Baylis, 1936 y Paracamallanus Theraponis Kalyankar, 1970, pero difiere de él en las medidas de su cuerpo, longitud esofágica, ubicación del anillo nervioso, longitud de los tridentes, presencia de estriaciones, forma y posición de la estructura vulval y tamaño de los huevos. Con la excepción de estas variaciones menores, en todas las otras características hay concordancia con las especies antes mencionadas. Debido a que no se dispone de macho, no es posible ubicar a los presentes ejemplares en ninguna de las especies conocidas del género Raphidascaris, Paranisakis y Paracamallanus, por lo que serán referidos como Raphidascaris sp., Paranisakis sp. y Paracamallanus sp. Dasyatis uarnak, Pterois russelli, Scoliodon sorrakowah y Carangoides malabaricus son nuevos huéspedes registrados, en tanto que Visakhapatnam y Kakinada son las nuevas localidades registradas