Comparative Evaluation of Osteogenic Potential of Conventional Glass-ionomer Cement with Chitosan-modified Glass-ionomer and Bioactive Glass-modified Glass-ionomer Cement An In vitro Study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the osteogenic potential of conventional glass-ionomer cement (GIC) with chitosan-modified GIC (CH-GIC) and bioactive glass-modified GIC (BAG-GIC) as a function of time in varying proportions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CH-GIC was prepared by adding 10 v/v% (Group II) and 50 v/v% (Group III) CH to the commercial liquid of GIC. BAG-GIC was prepared by the addition of 10 wt% (Group IV) and 30 wt% (Group V) of BAG to the GIC powder. Conventional GIC was kept as Group I. Nine round-shaped samples measuring 2 mm thick and 5 mm in diameter were prepared for every experimental material. Human osteosarcoma cells were cultured and cell proliferation was assessed at 24, 48, and 72 h using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and cell differentiation was assessed at 7,14, and 21 days using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay. All experiments were done in triplicate. The data obtained were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey honestly significant difference post hoc multiple comparisons at 0.05 level significance. RESULTS: Cell culture studies showed a significant increase in proliferative activity and ALP activity in Group II, III, IV, and V than Group I at all-time intervals (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in osteogenic potential between CH-GIC and BAG-GIC groups. CONCLUSION: The osteogenic potential was significantly higher in CH-GIC and BAG-GIC compared to conventional GIC.

Predictors of bisexual behaviour among MSM attending intervention sites may help in prevention interventions for this bridge to the heterosexual epidemic in India: data from HIV sentinel surveillance.

BACKGROUND: Indian cultural tradition demanding marriage, many MSM howsoever they self-identify are likely to be married or have sex with women. To consolidate India's HIV prevention gains, it is important to understand and address the interaction between the MSM and heterosexual epidemics in India and create specific interventions for bisexual MSM. The challenge is to identify and intervene this hard to reach population. Data from HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2011 among MSM in four Indian states were analyzed to assess predictors and prevalence of bisexual behaviour in MSM. METHODS: Between March-May 2011, 4682 men (15-49 years) who had anal/oral sex with a male partner in the past month, attending intervention sites and consenting for an un-linked anonymous survey answered an 11- item questionnaire and provided blood for HIV test by finger stick at 19 designated surveillance sites. RESULTS: Of 4682 MSM tested overall, 5% were illiterate, 51% reported only receptive anal intercourse, 21% only penetrative and 28% both. 36% MSM had ever received money for sex. Overall 6.8% were HIV infected. 44% MSM were bisexual in the last six months. On multivariate analysis, 'being bisexual' was found to be independently associated with 'older age': 26-30 years [AOR = 3.1, 95% CI(2.7, 3.7)], >30 years [AOR = 6.5, 95% CI(5.5, 7.7)]; 'reporting penetrative behaviour alone' with other men [AOR = 5.8, 95% CI(4.8, 7.0), p<0.01] and 'reporting both penetrative and receptive behaviour' [AOR = 2.7, 95% CI(2.3, 3.1) p<0.01]. Those who both paid and received money for sex [AOR = 0.49, 95% CI (0.38, 0.62)] were significantly less likely to be bisexual. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of men receiving services from Targeted Intervention programs are bisexual and the easy opportunity for intervention in this setting should be capitalised upon. Focusing on older MSM, as well as MSM who show penetrative behaviour with other men, could help in reaching this population.

Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Its Effect on Survival of HIV-Infected Individuals in Jharkhand, India.

INTRODUCTION: Research in India has extensively examined the factors associated with non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) with limited focus on examining the relationship between adherence to ART regimen and survival status of HIV infected patients. This study examines the effect of optimal adherence to ART on survival status of HIV infected patients attending ART centers in Jharkhand, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from a cohort of 239 HIV infected individuals who were initiated ART in 2007 were compiled from medical records retrospectively for 36 months. Socio-demographic characteristics, CD4 T cell count, presence of opportunistic infections at the time of ART initiation and ART regimen intake and survival status was collected periodically. Optimal adherence was assessed using pill count methods; patients who took <95% of the specified regimens were identified as non-adherent. Cox-proportional hazard model was used to determine the relative hazards of mortality. RESULTS: More than three-fourths of the patients were male, on an average 34 year old and median CD4 T cell count was 118 cells/cmm at the time of ART registration. About 57% of the patients registered for ART were found to be adherent to ART. A total of 104 patients died in 358.5 patient-years of observation resulting in a mortality rate of 29 per 100 patient-years (95% confidence interval (CI): 23.9-35.2) and median survival time of 6.5 months (CI: 2.7-10.9). The mortality rate was higher among patients who were non-adherent to ART (64.5, CI: 50.5-82.4) than who were adherent (15.4, CI: 11.3-21.0). The risk of mortality was fourfold higher among individuals who were non-adherent to ART than who were adherent (Adjusted hazard ratio: 3.9, CI: 2.6-6.0). CONCLUSION: Adherence to ART is associated with a higher chance of survival of HIV infected patients, ascertaining the need for interventions to improve the ART adherence and early initiation of ART.

Male use of female sex work in India: a nationally representative behavioural survey.

Heterosexual transmission of HIV in India is driven by the male use of female sex workers (FSW), but few studies have examined the factors associated with using FSW. This nationally representative study examined the prevalence and correlates of FSW use among 31,040 men aged 15-49 years in India in 2006. Nationally, about 4% of men used FSW in the previous year, representing about 8.5 million FSW clients. Unmarried men were far more likely than married men to use FSW overall (PR = 8.0), but less likely than married men to use FSW among those reporting at least one non-regular partner (PR = 0.8). More than half of all FSW clients were married. FSW use was higher among men in the high-HIV states than in the low-HIV states (PR = 2.7), and half of all FSW clients lived in the high-HIV states. The risk of FSW use rose sharply with increasing number of non-regular partners in the past year. Given the large number of men using FSW, interventions for the much smaller number of FSW remains the most efficient strategy for curbing heterosexual HIV transmission in India.

Modeling evidence of episodic intercontinental long-range transport of lindane.

Two global atmospheric transport models for persistent toxic substances were employed to quantify the intercontinental atmospheric transport of lindane in 2005 using a recently constructed global lindane emission inventory. The focus of this numerical investigation was to identify, on an intercontinental scale, the major sources of lindane that contributed to the contamination of North America and the Arctic. Both models simulated several strong episodic trans-Pacific atmospheric transport events of lindane from its sources in Asia to the western seaboard of North America. Modeling results also detected, forthe firsttime, an important atmospheric pathway for persistent toxic substances from Western Africa/Western Europe to the Caribbean, the southern United States, and the eastern seaboard of North America. Several episodic lindane transAtlantic atmospheric transport events were found from May to October. These events were associated primarily with the easterly trade winds and the African easterly wave that extends from the subtropical eastern Atlantic to the Caribbean. This atmospheric pathway for toxic chemicals has a substantial implication for the level of toxic substances in North America. Atmospheric mechanisms contributing to these transport events are briefly discussed. Multiple modeling scenarios were studied to assess the contribution of lindane sources in Europe, Asia, and North America to its fate in the Arctic. Results show that these continental contributions are season-dependent with the highest contribution from Europe in the spring.

Generalized fabrication of two-dimensional non-close-packed colloidal crystals.

In this paper we report a generalized templating approach for fabricating wafer-scale, two-dimensional, non-close-packed (ncp) colloidal crystals. Polymer nanocomposites consisting of monolayer ncp colloidal crystals prepared by a spin-coating process are used as sacrificial templates. After removal of the colloidal silica templates, the voids in the polymer matrix are infiltrated with other materials. By plasma-etching the polymer matrix, wafer-scale ncp colloidal crystals from a variety of functional materials can be made. This technique is scalable and compatible with standard microfabrication. Two-component colloidal arrays with complex micropatterns can also be fabricated by combining microfabrication with this templating approach. Normal-incidence reflectivity spectra of replicated titania ncp arrays agree well with theoretical prediction using Scalar Wave Approximation.

Tracking toxaphene in the North American Great Lakes basin. 1. Impact of toxaphene residues in United States soils.

A coupled atmospheric transport model was employed to study six scenarios to assess the contribution of reemission and long-range transport of toxaphene from different sources in the United States to its environmental fate in the Great Lakes ecosystem in the year 2000. Modeled air concentrations at the first model level (1.5 m) range from less than 5 pg m(-3) over the upper Great lakes (Lakes Superior and Huron) to several tens of picograms per cubic meter over the lower Great Lakes (Lakes Erie and Ontario) in the summer but drop off to the range from 0.05 to 2 pg m(-3) in the wintertime. The modeled toxaphene depositions to the lakes suggest a decreasing trend from the mid-1990s to 2000. Modeling results showed that, on an annual basis, for the Great Lakes basin as a whole, the southeast U.S. sources made the largest contribution to the toxaphene air concentrations and dry and wet depositions at 72%, 78%, and 88% respectively. The model results also showed that a significant proportion of these contributions occur during relatively short episodic events due primarily to the interseasonal changes in atmospheric circulation patterns.

Tracking toxaphene in the North American Great Lakes basin. 2. A strong episodic long-range transport event.

In this paper we examine the modeled daily toxaphene air concentrations from September 9 to 13, 2000, during which air concentration levels were 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than those derived from in situ measurements around the Great Lakes during the same year and during the 1990s. Meteorological conditions revealed that a typical deformation flow system associated with a high-pressure system extending from the east coast of Canada to the southern United States was one of the critical elements that enabled the transport of toxaphene to the Great Lakes. Cloud bands seen on satellite imagery and the rain band predicted by an atmospheric forecast model indicate that the system also delivered warm and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico and the southern United States to the Great Lakes. This resulted in strong wet deposition of toxaphene to the lakes. Substantial increase in the air concentration of toxaphene over the Great Lakes in this short period contributed greatly to raising the annual average daily air concentration for all of 2000. The results suggest that such an episodic event could be a major pathway for atmospheric transport of toxaphene from the southern United States to the Great Lakes.