Comparative Assessment of Herbal Mouthwash with Chlorhexidine on Plaque Accumulation, Gingivitis, and Salivary Streptococcus mutans Growth.

Objectives: The goal of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of a commercially available herbal mouthwash with chlorhexidine on the number of Streptococcus mutans in the saliva, the condition of the gingival tissue, and plaque development. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two adults in all, ranging in age from 20 to 30, were divided into two groups at random. Throughout the 14-day clinical trial, Group A (11) and Group B (11) received 10 mL of test herbal mouthwash and chlorhexidine, respectively. Result: Herbal mouthwash was discovered to be equally as effective as chlorhexidine in lowering the salivary mutans streptococci count and in affecting plaque and gingival scores. Conclusion: Alternatives from the herbal world may show to be a reliable and secure therapy option.

A Comparative Analysis of Health News in Indigenous and Mainstream Media.

It is important to evaluate the media's health coverage of Indigenous communities both because these communities have been hit very hard by health inequities, and because misinformation can negatively affect the future health of Indian Country. This study takes the unique angle of examining both Indigenous and non-Indigenous ("mainstream") news publications to evaluate information gaps in health, health policy, and health efficacy coverage. The Indigenous media examined, which covered 14 times more health stories than mainstream media, highlighted health issues in Indian Country through the lens of resilience by using framing to emphasize unequal power, while at the same time providing depth and specificity. Instead of putting Indigenous health stories into historical and cultural context, mainstream media focused on the lack of resources and the chronic struggle of Indigenous communities. Mainstream media often only covered the topic once per outlet; however, those outlets with connections to Indigenous communities did provide more balanced coverage. Instead of promoting change, most mainstream media stories blamed Indigenous people for their situation and offered a doom trajectory for tribes hit hardest by health disparities. This study reveals how embedded framing and mediatization direct non-Native readers' attention away from the systemic deprivation of support to U.S. Indigenous tribes that was guaranteed to them by the U.S. government in tribal agreements. The implications for journalism and policy are discussed.

Pea p68, a DEAD-box helicase, provides salinity stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco by reducing oxidative stress and improving photosynthesis machinery.

BACKGROUND: The DEAD-box helicases are required mostly in all aspects of RNA and DNA metabolism and they play a significant role in various abiotic stresses, including salinity. The p68 is an important member of the DEAD-box proteins family and, in animal system, it is involved in RNA metabolism including pre-RNA processing and splicing. In plant system, it has not been well characterized. Here we report the cloning and characterization of p68 from pea (Pisum sativum) and its novel function in salinity stress tolerance in plant. RESULTS: The pea p68 protein self-interacts and is localized in the cytosol as well as the surrounding of cell nucleus. The transcript of pea p68 is upregulated in response to high salinity stress in pea. Overexpression of p68 driven by constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus-35S promoter in tobacco transgenic plants confers enhanced tolerances to salinity stress by improving the growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant machinery. Under stress treatment, pea p68 overexpressing tobacco accumulated higher K+ and lower Na+ level than the wild-type plants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation was remarkably regulated by the overexpression of pea p68 under salinity stress conditions, as shown from TBARS content, electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide accumulation and 8-OHdG content and antioxidant enzyme activities. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge this is the first direct report, which provides the novel function of pea p68 helicase in salinity stress tolerance. The results suggest that p68 can also be exploited for engineering abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants of economic importance.

Human parvovirus B19 associated dilated cardiomyopathy.

We describe two children presenting with acute left ventricular dysfunction. Both cases had evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy, requiring inotropic support and were tested for cardiotropic viruses by conventional or real-time polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for enteroviruses, human parvovirus B19, Adenoviruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV), human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). IgG and IgM antibodies against parvovirus B19, EBV, HSV and CMV were also tested by ELISA. One case tested positive for parvovirus B19 infection and recovered completely within 6 months in absence of any specific therapy. The other case tested positive for parvovirus B19 infection in association with hypocalcaemia and was cured following standard heart failure therapy along with calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Sequence analysis of DNA products from both patients revealed genotype 3. To best of our knowledge this is first report of circulating genotype 3 from India.

A rare case of chronic intussusception due to non Hodgkin lymphoma.

Chronic intussusception is defined as intussusception with a history of more than 14 days and is generally associated with a predisposing factor. We are reporting a rare case of chronic intussusception due to Non Hodgkin lymphoma of ileum, appendix, caecum and ascending colon presented as acute intestinal obstruction in emergency. Chronic Intussusception is rare in childhood due to Non Hodgkin lymphoma. A five year male child presented with fever, pain abdomen, vomiting, diarrhoea and mass in right flank. Ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed a mass in ileao-caecal region with chronic intussusception which was confirmed on surgery. X ray of the abdomen showed dilated bowel loops. It is very difficult to make diagnosis of intestinal lymphoma on pre-operative investigations. Patient presented with obstruction should be explored as surgery is the treatment of the choice. Diagnosis can be confirmed by histopathologically. In conclusion, a high index of suspicion and appropriate investigations (USS, Barium enema and CT scan) can result in prompt diagnosis. In majority of children the diagnosis is made at laparotomy and surgery plays a pivotal role in the management.