Micro-Raman spectroscopy study of blood samples from myocardial infarction patients.

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is found to be a major causative factor for global mortality and morbidity. This situation demands necessity of developing efficient and rapid diagnostic tools to detect acute MI. Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive optical diagnostic technique, which has high potential in probing biochemical changes in clinical samples during initiation and progress of diseases. In this work, blood was taken as the sample to examine inflammation in acute MI patients using Raman spectroscopy. Ratio of Raman peak intensities that corresponds to phenylalanine (1000 cm-1) and tyrosine (825 cm-1) can facilitate indirect information about tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) availability, which can indicate inflammatory status in patients. This ratio obtained was higher for MI patients in comparison with control subjects. The decrease in phenylalanine and tyrosine ratio (Phe-Tyr ratio) is attributed to the prognosis of standard of care (medications like antiplatelets including aspirin, statin and revascularisation) leading to inflammation reduction. Phe-Tyr ratio estimated from the Raman spectra of blood can be exploited as a reliable method to probe inflammation due to MI. The method is highly objective, require only microliters of sample and minimal sample preparation, signifying its clinical utility.

Data-Driven Techniques for Low-Cost Sensor Selection and Calibration for the Use Case of Air Quality Monitoring.

With the emergence of Low-Cost Sensor (LCS) devices, measuring real-time data on a large scale has become a feasible alternative approach to more costly devices. Over the years, sensor technologies have evolved which has provided the opportunity to have diversity in LCS selection for the same task. However, this diversity in sensor types adds complexity to appropriate sensor selection for monitoring tasks. In addition, LCS devices are often associated with low confidence in terms of sensing accuracy because of the complexities in sensing principles and the interpretation of monitored data. From the data analytics point of view, data quality is a major concern as low-quality data more often leads to low confidence in the monitoring systems. Therefore, any applications on building monitoring systems using LCS devices need to focus on two main techniques: sensor selection and calibration to improve data quality. In this paper, data-driven techniques were presented for sensor calibration techniques. To validate our methodology and techniques, an air quality monitoring case study from the Bradford district, UK, as part of two European Union (EU) funded projects was used. For this case study, the candidate sensors were selected based on the literature and market availability. The candidate sensors were narrowed down into the selected sensors after analysing their consistency. To address data quality issues, four different calibration methods were compared to derive the best-suited calibration method for the LCS devices in our use case system. In the calibration, meteorological parameters temperature and humidity were used in addition to the observed readings. Moreover, we uniquely considered Absolute Humidity (AH) and Relative Humidity (RH) as part of the calibration process. To validate the result of experimentation, the Coefficient of Determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) were compared for both AH and RH. The experimental results showed that calibration with AH has better performance as compared with RH. The experimental results showed the selection and calibration techniques that can be used in designing similar LCS based monitoring systems.

A rare case of neglected parasitic zoonosis.

ABSTRACT: Infections caused due to zoonotic hookworms are rare and are often under reported. Here we report a case of diarrheal disease caused by Ancylostoma ceylanicum, an important emerging zoonotic hookworm. There is limited knowledge about the epidemiology and disease burden of A. ceylanicum infections in Kerala. A 50-year-old male patient presented with complaints of loose stools for past five weeks. The laboratory investigations revealed a high total WBC count and eosinophil count. Diagnostic colonoscopy showed numerous worms which were identified as A. ceylanicum. Timely diagnosis aided in successful treatment of the patient. Improvement in diagnostic tools and awareness enable accurate and early detection of this neglected but emerging pathogen.

Comparison of accuracy of immediate implant placement between planned and actual position in pre-extractive versus conventional method - A prospective study.

This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of immediate implants in mandibular molars between the conventional method and the pre-extractive inter-radicular method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 patients were equally divided into two groups. Implants were placed using the conventional method (Group A) and pre-extractive inte-rradicular method (Group B). Coronal, apical and angular deviation between planned and placed implants were evaluated by superimposing preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional (3D) STL models in Geomagic Freeform software. The data were subjected to an unpaired Student t-test. RESULTS: Results revealed that the coronal, apical and angular deviation were lower in the pre-extractive inter-radicular drilling method than in the conventional method, which was statistically significant. Apical deviation was greater than coronal deviation in both the sagittal and coronal planes. It was also found that the mean deviation was greater in the sagittal plane (mesio-distal axis) than in the coronal plane (bucco-lingual axis). CONCLUSION: Comparison of the two methods revealed significant changes between the planned and actual positions of implant. When stringent steps were followed, the degree of deviation was found to be less in the pre-extractive inter-radicular approach, proving it to be more accurate than the conventional method. However, large-scale research studies are required to extrapolate our findings.

Detection of Visually Imperceptible Blood Contamination in the Surgical Area Using Luminol Among Different Oral Surgical Procedures: An Observational Study.

Introduction Oral surgeons often encounter a significant occupational risk of exposure to potentially harmful infectious diseases during minor oral surgical procedures. These diseases can be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids and aerosolized splatters that may not be visibly detectable. The likelihood of transmission is heightened for clinicians, healthcare workers, and patients alike. The reported prevalence of exposure to blood-borne infections in this field is as high as 90%, with half of these exposures being visually imperceptible. Aim The aim was to detect visually imperceptible blood contamination on personal protective equipment (PPE) and clinical surfaces using the chemiluminescence agent luminol during oral surgical procedures. Materials and methods Thirty minor oral surgical procedures were performed in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC), Vinayaka Mission's Sankarachariyar Dental College, Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation, Salem, India. The surgeon, assistant, patient, and clinical surfaces (comprising 15 subsites within the surgical field) wore PPE. The PPE was scrutinized for traces of visually imperceptible blood contamination using luminol. The results of blood splatter on PPE and clinical surfaces in different oral surgical procedures between the non-aerosol and aerosol groups of different durations were analyzed statistically using the chi-square test with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results We observed that visually imperceptible blood contamination in non-aerosol procedures was detected on the assistant PPE kit (46.7%, n = 14), assistant face shield (40%, n = 12), suction apparatus (50%, n = 15), wall (30%, n = 9), and floor (56.7%, n = 17), in both aerosol and non-aerosol procedures. The p-value has been considered statistically significant at p < 0.05 between both the groups (aerosol and non-aerosol). Conclusion Our study results confirmed the presence of undetected blood spillage during aerosol procedures of 30 minutes and non-aerosol surgical procedures of more than 30 minutes over an area of 3.1 feet horizontally and 4.8 feet vertically. So, we strongly emphasize that PPE kits and face shields are mandatory for both surgeon and assistant while performing oral surgical procedures in order to prevent the risk of cross infections, proper infection prevention control protocol for the clinical surfaces also needs to be followed as a standard protocol in all operations.

Comparative evaluation on surface nanohardness, surface microhardness, surface roughness, and wettability of plant-based organic nanoparticle reinforced polyetheretherketone as an implant material - An in vitro study.

AIM: Synthetic inorganic materials are commonly used as reinforcing agents in polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composite, whereas natural organic plant-based reinforcing agents are negligible. Surface hardness, roughness, and wettability are indicative factors of osseointegration behavior to be used as an implant material. This study evaluated micro surface hardness (MSH), nano surface hardness (NSH), surface roughness (SR), and contact angle (CA) of PEEK-Azadirachta indica reinforced at 10 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt%. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was an in vitro study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Neem (A. indica) leaf nanoparticles were prepared and reinforced with PEEK powder at 10%, 20%, and 30% weight ratios by injection molding. Sixty specimens underwent the microhardness and CA testing using a digital microhardness tester, and CA goniometer, respectively, and later nanoindentation test to analyze the nanohardness and SR. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: A one-way ANOVA test with a 95% confidence interval for MSH and NSH, SR, and CA was performed on the samples. A post hoc Bonferroni test was conducted (α = 0.05) to compare the groups. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in nanohardness (P = 0.000) with zero difference in microhardness (P = 0.514). The addition of 10 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt% nanoparticles increased the SR value of the pure PEEK from 273.19 nm to 284.10 (3.99%), 296.91 (8.68%), and 287.54 (5.24%), respectively. In the analysis of the CA, CA 20% shows the lowest angle (63.69) with the highest for control specimens (82.39). There is an increase in the PEEK composite SR with a decrease in CA. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of plant-derived nanoparticles into the PEEK matrix has a significant impact on the hardness and hydrophobicity enhancing cell growth and osteoblastic differentiation during osseointegration of dental implants.

HPLC-LED-Induced Fluorescence Analysis of Tear Fluids: An Objective Method for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Diagnosis.

PURPOSE: The study showcased the application of the lab-assembled HPLC-LED-IF system to analyze proteins in tear fluid samples collected from individuals diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: Clinical application of the said technique was evaluated by recording chromatograms of tear fluid samples from control and POAG subjects and by analyzing the protein profile using multivariate analysis. The data analysis methods involved are principal component analysis (PCA), Match/No-Match, and artificial neural network (ANN) based binary classification for disease diagnosis. RESULTS: Mahalanobis distance and spectral residual values calculated using a standard calibration set of clinically confirmed POAG samples for the Match/No-Match test gave 86.9% sensitivity and 81.8% specificity. ANN with leaving one out procedure has given 87.1% sensitivity and 81.8% specificity. CONCLUSION: The results of the study revealed that the utilization of a 278 nm LED excitation in the HPLC system offers good sensitivity for detecting proteins at low concentrations allowing to obtain reliable protein profiles for the diagnosis of POAG.

Protein profile pattern analysis: A multifarious, in vitro diagnosis technique for universal screening.

Universal health care is attracting increased attention nowadays, because of the large increase in population all over the world, and a similar increase in life expectancy, leading to an increase in the incidence of non-communicable (various cancers, coronary diseases, neurological and old-age-related diseases) and communicable diseases/pandemics like SARS-COVID 19. This has led to an immediate need for a healthcare technology that should be cost-effective and accessible to all. A technology being considered as a possible one at present is liquid biopsy, which looks for markers in readily available samples like body fluids which can be accessed non- or minimally- invasive manner. Two approaches are being tried now towards this objective. The first involves the identification of suitable, specific markers for each condition, using established methods like various Mass Spectroscopy techniques (Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (SELDI-MS), Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI-MS), etc., immunoassays (Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (ELISA), Proximity Extension Assays, etc.) and separation methods like 2-Dimensional Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (2-D PAGE), Sodium Dodecyl-Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), etc. In the second approach, no attempt is made the identification of specific markers; rather an efficient separation method like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/ Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC/UPLC) is used to separate the protein markers, and a profile of the protein pattern is recorded, which is analysed by Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (MI) methods to derive characteristic patterns and use them for identifying the disease condition. The present report gives a summary of the current status of these two approaches and compares the two in the use of their suitability for universal healthcare.

Prognostic Significance of Proliferative Markers: Cyclin D1 and CENPF in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients-A Cohort Study.

Introduction: Oral cancer ranks sixth place worldwide among other cancers and is known for its high morbidity and mortality rates. Among oral cancer, oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) remains the most common. Expression of specific biomarkers are known to be related to the prognosis of the OSCC. Methodology: An immunohistochemistry study was performed to evaluate the expression of Cyclin D1 and CENPF for their prognostic significance in twenty OSCC patients. The follow-up period ranged from 10 to 18 months. The expression of these proliferative markers was correlated with demographic, clinical and histopathological grade of the disease. Results: The results revealed 28% mortality rates in relation to OSCC involving retro-molar trigone. Based on the Cyclin D1 and CENPF expression, high mortality rate (Pearson coefficient = 0.800) was seen with grade 3 and 4 expressions of the markers. Decreased survival rates (Pearson coefficient = 0.824) were observed with stage III and IV disease with grade 3 and 4 expressions of the markers. Conclusion: Cyclin D1 and CENPF have shown promising results as proliferative markers which can be linked with prognosis of OSCC in this study. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to extrapolate our findings.

A Variant of Gorlin-Goltz Syndrome with Synchronous Malignant and Multiple Benign Lesions of the Jaws - A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Although numerous syndromic and non-syndromic odontogenic lesions of the jaws have been documented in the literature, there are very few cases of simultaneous benign and malignant jaw lesions. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a case of right maxillary squamous cell carcinoma along with several benign odontogenic cystic lesions of the jaws and skeletal abnormalities that meet the criteria for Gorlin-Goltz syndrome. TAKEAWAY LESSONS: With a review of the literature, the specifics of management and follow-up are discussed.

Evaluation of Expression of WNT1 and PTCH Genes in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Odontogenic Cysts and Tumours of the Jaws by Quantitative RT-PCR: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Odontogenic lesions of the maxillofacial region constitute a complex group of lesions with diverse histopathologic types and clinical behaviour. Early diagnosis is important to minimize the need for radical surgery and to improve quality of life of the patients. Tumour markers play an essential role in the molecular level understanding of Odontogenic lesions and also used for early diagnosis and target therapies which improves the quality of life of the patients. Patched, a tumour suppressor gene encodes the transmembrane protein PTCH and is a receptor for the morphogen Sonic Hedgehog. It is evident that PTCH gene mutations occur in odontogenic keratocysts and the Hedgehog signalling pathway has an important role during tooth formation. WNT 1 is a key signal molecule that controls cell growth and proliferation. WNT pathway abnormalities are reported to induce tumour occurrence. Hence, my study was to determine the presence of WNT1 and PTCH in peripheral blood of patients with Odontogenic lesions using quantitative RT-PCR. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, two groups were included: Group 1-blood samples from 8 individuals with odontogenic cysts and tumours, and Group 2-blood samples of 8 individuals without Odontogenic lesions. 2 ml of blood sample was collected from radial veins into PAX gene tubes containing RNA stabilizing agent and stored at a temperature of 2 to 4 degrees and transported to Enable Biolabs India Pvt Ltd., Chennai. PAX gene tubes were subjected to centrifugation at 8000 rpm to separate plasma fraction. Reverse transcription of mRNA was performed using miScript II RT Kit (Cat#218161, Qiagen, Germany) to synthesize cDNA. GAPDH house-keeping gene used as control. Results: The study group had 3 males and 5 females (n = 8) with a mean age group of 32.6 years and the control group had 2 males and 6 females (n = 8) with mean age of 35.2 years. Group I (study group) showed 37.5% positive expression of WNT1 gene with a p value of 0.055 (p > 0.05) and 50% positive expression of PTCH with a p value of 0.021 (p < 0.05) (Figs. 3 and 4) which was statistically significant when compared with control group. Group II (control group) showed 100% negative expression for WNT1 and PTCH genes. Conclusion: WNT1 and PTCH genes were expressed in peripheral blood of patients with odontogenic lesions. WNT1 and PTCH genes may be potential predictors in individuals who would develop odontogenic lesions. Further studies on expression of WNT1 and PTCH genes with larger number of samples might give a future scope for target therapy in odontogenic lesions.

Serum protein profile study of myocardial infarction using a LED induced fluorescence based HPLC system.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major health conditions for high mortality and morbidity in humans. Delay in the diagnosis of CVDs effect patients long and short-term health condition. In -house assembled UV-light emitting diode (LED) based fluorescence detector for high -performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (HPLC-LED-IF) system is used to record serum chromatograms of three categories of samples namely, before medicated- myocardial infarction (B-MI), after medicated- MI (A-MI), and normal. The sensitivity and performance of HPLC-LED-IF system is estimated using commercial serum proteins. Statistical analysis tools like, descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and Match/ No Match test were applied to visualize the variation in three groups of samples. Statistical analysis of the protein profile data showed fairly good discrimination among the three categories. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve also supported the reliability of the method to diagnose MI.

Protein profile analysis of tear fluid with hyphenated HPLC-UV LED-induced fluorescence detection for the diagnosis of dry eye syndrome.

Tear fluid contains organic and inorganic constituents, variations in their relative concentrations could provide valuable information and can be useful for the detection of several ophthalmological diseases. This report describes the application of the lab-assembled light-emitting diode (LED)-based high-performance liquid chromatography system for protein profiling of tear fluids to diagnose dry eye disease. Principal Component Analysis (PCA), match/no-match, and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based binary classification of protein profile data were performed for disease diagnosis. Results from the match/no-match test of the protein profile data showed 94.4% sensitivity and 87.8% specificity. ANN with the leaving one out procedure has given 91.6% sensitivity and 93.9% specificity.

Correction: Protein profile analysis of tear fluid with hyphenated HPLC-UV LED-induced fluorescence detection for the diagnosis of dry eye syndrome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D3RA04389D.].

Mini - Retromandibular access to sub condylar mandibular fractures - Our experience.

Condylar fractures alone accounts to about 25% to 40% of all the fractures of mandible. Management of condylar fractures has always been a controversy. Nowadays there has been more emphasis on open reduction of condylar fractures by the surgeons.The reasons could be the result of complications of closed reduction where the patient may not be able to masticate properly and deviation still present thereby the structural and functional loss forcing the surgeons' choice to open up. The anterior parotid approach has lesser risk of injury to parotid gland and also to facial nerve we attempted to use mini retro mandibular access for such fractures. So the aim was to explore the feasibility of the mini retro mandibular approach to sub condylar fractures. The patients reported to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery department clinically and radio logically diagnosed and treated for condylar fractures were included. The maximal mouth opening, protrusive and lateral excursive movements, midline orientation with opposing arch, scar visibility, sialocele and facial nerve weakness were all recorded post operatively and compared with pre-operative recording. The mini retro mandibular access with anterior parotid transmessetric approach to sub condylar fractures can be the choice for the surgical management of sub condylar fractures which is absolutely easy, reliable, with less visible scar and with less chances of landing in facial nerve complications.

Management of recurrent lymphangioma of the cheek in an adult patient: An interdisciplinary approach.

Lymphangiomas are congenital malformations. Swellings in the cheek may arise from infection, cyst and tumors.Pathological lesions are not always confined to its common site and age of occurrence. Occurrence of lymphangioma in buccal mucosa especially in adults are very rare. Exact knowledge about anatomy and nature of lesion is mandatory for its complete removal as incomplete removal results in recurrence. Herewith,a rare case of recurrent lymphangioma involving left buccal mucosa in an adult is presented with its management. Emphasis is laid on the necessity of combined approach through multidisciplinary team while treating such lesions.

Students Perception toward Effectiveness of Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic among University Dental Students in India and United Arab Emirates: A Multi Centric Study.

Objectives: The rationale of this study was to compare the efficiency of online learning and the differences in outcome between the two universities in India and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a validated questionnaire among dental students of a dental college in India and a dental college in the UAE. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 22, and comparison was done using the Chi-square test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 491 students responded to the questionnaire, of which 314 were from India and 177 from UAE. The awareness of online learning among students had increased after COVID-19, and Zoom was the most common platform (30.9%). The satisfaction ratio was 78.4%, and smartphones were commonly used by students. Based on the satisfaction of online learning, study participants from UAE had a higher mean attitude score (2.72 ± 0.98) as compared to Indian students (2.47 ± 0.77) (P < 0.027*). Conclusion: The study results show that online learning was comparable to traditional method of learning. Although poor network connectivity was a deterrent for online learning among students from India and UAE, future teaching methods could inculcate online teaching methods and hence encourage blended learning as part of the teaching curriculum.

Cardiovascular biomarkers in body fluids: progress and prospects in optical sensors.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the major causative factors for high mortality and morbidity in developing and developed nations. The biomarker detection plays a crucial role in the early diagnosis of several non-infectious and life-threatening diseases like CVD and many cancers, which in turn will help in more successful therapy, reducing the mortality rate. Biomarkers have diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic significances. The search for novel biomarkers using proteomics, bio-sensing, micro-fluidics, and spectroscopic techniques with good sensitivity and specificity for CVD is progressing rapidly at present, in addition to the use of gold standard biomarkers like troponin. This review is dealing with the current progress and prospects in biomarker research for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Expert opinion. Fast diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) can help to provide rapid medical intervention, which can affect the patient's short and long-term health. Identification and detection of proper biomarkers for early diagnosis are crucial for successful therapy and prognosis of CVDs. The present review discusses the analysis of clinical samples such as whole blood, blood serum, and other body fluids using techniques like high-performance liquid chromatography-LASER/LED-induced fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, mainly, optical methods, combined with nanotechnology and micro-fluidic technologies, to probe patterns of multiple markers (marker signatures) as compared to conventional techniques.

Impact of Lockdown on the Attitude of University Students in South India-A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: The whole world is under the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which has put all nations in a unique lockdown situation to contain the disease. Though the environment got ameliorated with low pollution levels, this unexpected lockdown has taken a toll on humans' mental health. As the effects of lockdown can affect college students due to fear, anxiety and stress, this study intends to assess the attitude of the university students. METHODOLOGY: An online questionnaire survey comprising 15 questions was conducted among four South Indian state university students. Their responses were recorded through Google Forms. The submitted responses were analysed using SPSS software version 17. RESULTS: In total, 1241 responses were recorded from university students belonging to various faculties. Though 43% considered this lockdown as a convenient break, 60% could not focus on their studies. The importance of renewing relationships was felt by 47%, and 83% tried to learn a new skill. Students from Tamil Nadu were looking forward towards a brighter future after the lockdown. CONCLUSION: This survey conducted in the early days of lockdown indicated that the university students were not anxious about the long-term effects of the pandemic but showed a decline in their academic performance.