Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice about Oral Health in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases - An Original Study.

BACKGROUND: Lack of exercise and change in diet habits and urbanization had led to the rapid increase in the case of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about oral health in patients with CVDs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted among 172 CVDs patients. Oral health indices (OHIs) such as OHI, decay-missing-filled, and periodontal disease index were recorded. KAP components were categorized into poor, moderate, and good. RESULTS: Out of 172 patients, males were 102 and females were 70, age group 30-60 years had 46 and >60 years had 126 patients. Thirty-four were illiterate, 72 had up to primary and 46 had up to secondary and 20 had degree, 104 were married and 68 were unmarried. Resident was urban in 110 and rural in 62 and financial status was very good in 26, good in 50, and moderate in 96. Females had higher KAP score than males; however, the difference was nonsignificant (P > 0.05). As the age advanced, KAP score increased (P < 0.05), patients living in urban area had significantly higher KAP score than living in rural area, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Patients with very good financial status had significantly higher KAP score than living in rural area (P < 0.05). As the education level increased, KAP score increased, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Authors found that patients with CVDs had moderate knowledge and attitude, but the practice was poor. There is need to educate the people about the importance of oral hygiene and their subsequent effect on general body.

Phase Transition Microemulsion of Brimonidine Tartrate for Glaucoma Therapy: Preparation, Characterization and Pharmacodynamic Study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to formulate brimonidine tartrate loaded phase transition microemulsions (PMEs), which undergo phase transition from water in oil (W/O) microemulsions to liquid crystalline (LC) and then oil in water (O/W) microemulsions after instilled into the eye and prolong the precorneal residence time and ocular bioavailability for the effective treatment of glaucoma.Methods: The pseudo-ternary phase diagram was developed and various PMEs were prepared using Tween 80 and Span 80 with isopropyl myristate and water. Globule size and shape, physicochemical parameters, in vitro and ex vivo drug release of PMEs were studied. The in vivo anti-glaucoma efficacy of optimized PMEs was studied in an experimental rabbit eyes model and compared with marketed formulation (MF).Results: Globule size of PMEs was found less than 200 nm, which was confirmed by both dynamic light scattering technique and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Physicochemical properties such as pH, refractive index, percentage transparency, viscosity and conductivity were also found in the acceptable ranges. In vitro release studies of PMEs exhibited sustained release property. Ex vivo permeation study also supported the enhanced drug flux through cornea from PMEs as compared with MF. In pharmacodynamic study, a greater reduction in intraocular pressure was seen in PMEs as compared to MF.Conclusion: PMEs as ocular drug delivery system offer a promising approach to enhance the corneal contact, higher permeation and prolonged precorneal retention time in the eye leading to sustained drug release, enhanced bioavailability and patient compliance.

Bone Regenerative Biomaterials in Periapical Surgery: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Successful treatment in the endodontics and periodontics depends on the periapical status. Hence, in the present meta-analysis, we evaluate the various bone regenerative materials in the periapical surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Online data were collected from the search engines of EBSCO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The searched terms were bone regenerative, bone grafts, bio materials, periapical surgery, and endodontic surgery. Based on the PRISMA guidelines, the meta-analysis was performed. The studies for the past 10 years were considered that included at least 10 patients. The translatable articles were included that had the human studies that were clinical studies and/or trials and also had the bone regenerative materials used in the procedure. RESULTS: A total of 475 articles were selected, of which 30 were selected based on the criteria. Of these, after the removal of the 21 duplicate articles, 9 articles were finalized. The meta-analysis showed that when the bone graft materials are used along with the barriers for the regeneration, there were observed higher success rates. CONCLUSIONS: The bone regenerative materials can be used for the successful outcome for the periapical surgeries. The guided tissue regeneration along with the bone regenerative materials may aid in the good prognosis of the endodontic and periodontal cases.

Topical Ocular Delivery of Nanocarriers: A Feasible Choice for Glaucoma Management.

Topical ocular delivery is an acceptable and familiar approach for the treatment of common ocular diseases. Novel strategies for the treatment of inherited eye diseases include new pharmacologic agents, gene therapy and genome editing, which lead to the expansion of new management options for eye disorders. The topical ocular delivery of nanocarriers is a technique, which has the potential to facilitate novel treatments. Nanocarrier- based strategies have proven effective for site-targeted delivery. This review summarizes recent development in the area of topical delivery of different nanocarriers (Polymer, Vesicular and dispersed systems) for the management of glaucoma, a group of ocular disorders characterized by progressive and accelerated degeneration of the axons of retinal ganglion cells, which make up the optic nerve. Unique cellular targets for glaucoma treatment, primarily the trabecular meshwork of the anterior segment of the eye, make glaucoma facilitated by the use of nanocarriers an ideal disorder for novel molecular therapies.

Tamoxifen citrate loaded chitosan-gellan nanocapsules for breast cancer therapy: development, characterisation and in-vitro cell viability study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of chitosan-gellan nanocapsules (CGNCs) for encapsulation and sustained release of Tamoxifen citrate (TMC) for breast cancer therapy. Polyelectrolyte complex coacervation method was used for production of CGNCs. Interaction studies were conducted by Fourier-transform infra-red (FT-IR), differential scanning colorimetric (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to investigate any interaction between drug and excipients. Physicochemical parameters, in vitro drug release and release kinetic were studied. In vitro cell viability study using Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) breast cancer cells was also investigated. CGNCs had a smooth surface and nanosize range with a positive surface charge and exhibited sustained drug release. Further, TMC loaded CGNCs were found to be more cytotoxic than the free drug in MCF-7. Thus CGNCs may be suitable for breast cancer treatment due to delivering the drug at the site of action for a prolonged period of time.

Development of microemulsions for ocular delivery.

Microemulsions (MEs) are thermodynamic stable dispersion of oily phase and aqueous phase stabilized by surfactants and co-surfactants, and are a small droplet size of less than 100 nm. MEs are appropriate systems for ocular drug delivery because they improve ocular drug retention, extended duration of action, high ocular absorption, permeation of loaded drugs and effortlessness of preparation and administration. This review is an effort to summarize the recent development in the area of MEs, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems, which are examined in relation to their uses in ocular drug delivery. The noteworthy patent, toxicity and stability issues related to these ME systems are also explored here.