New insight into the synthesis, morphological architectures and biomedical applications of elemental selenium nanostructures.

Selenium nanoparticles have been shown to be versatile in their applications by being used in catalysis, solar cells, electronic devices and especially in medical applications such as antiviral, anticancer, antitumor and antibacterial agents in different concentrations. They have also shown enhanced drug and gene delivery by conjugating with drug molecules and showing high synergistic effects. After realising their usefulness in the biomedical field, we have made a sincere effort to correlate and consolidate the recent developments made in their synthesis methods, structural features and biological applications. This review paper highlights the three preparation methods, being the chemical, physical and biological approaches. The variation in the different techniques employed for synthesis and the different parameters and process conditions dictating the size and morphology are discussed. The importance and influence of various reducing agents used in the chemical method, pulsed laser ablation technique in the physical method and green plant extract microorganism in the biological approach have been explored. The detailed structural features of trigonal crystalline structures, with different nanoscaled morphologies such as nano spheres, rods, wires, tubes and belts have also been explored. An overview of selenium nanoparticle activity in various biomedical applications such as anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antidiabetics is discussed.

Response of malaria vectors to conventional insecticides in the southern districts of Odisha State, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Updating information on response (susceptible / resistant status) of vectors to the insecticides in use is essential to formulate and introduce appropriate resistance management strategy. Therefore, a study was undertaken in the 10 southern districts of Odisha State, which are endemic for Plasmodium falciparum malaria, to determine the insecticide susceptibility/ resistance status of Anopheles fluviatilis and An. culicifacies, the vectors of malaria. METHODS: Mosquitoes were collected during September 2010 - February 2012 from 60 randomly selected villages in the 10 districts and blood-fed females were exposed to the diagnostic dosage of DDT (4.0%), malathion (5.0%) and deltamethrin (0.05%) for one hour. Mortality was recorded at 24 h after the exposure. The test mortality was corrected to the control mortality. RESULTS: An. fluviatilis was susceptible to the three insecticides tested while, An. culicifacies was resistant to DDT and malathion in all the 10 districts except in two, where its response against malathion was under 'verification required' category. Against deltamethrin, An. culicifacies was susceptible in two districts; while in the other eight districts its response was under 'verification required' category. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Since An. fluviatilis the vector species primarily associated with transmission of malaria, was still susceptible to DDT, indoor residual spraying with DDT could be continued in the 10 districts. Also, in view of the large scale implementation of long lasting insecticidal nets and the signs of development of resistance in An. culicifacies to deltamethrin, response of the vectors to synthetic pyrethroids needs to be periodically monitored.

Comparative evaluation of marginal integrity of glass ionomer and resin based fissure sealants using invasive and non-invasive techniques: an in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: Occlusal surfaces of the molars are highly susceptible to dental decay. Pit and fissure sealants are one of the best methods of preventing fissure caries. The main problem encountered is microleakage leading to deterioration of material and increased possibility of the development of secondary caries. AIMS: To assess and compare the marginal integrity of glass ionomer (Fuji VII) and resin based (Clinpro) fissure sealants using invasive and non-invasive technique. SETTING AND DESIGN: Experimental in-vitro study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in-vitro study was conducted on 40 healthy, extracted premolars. The teeth were divided into 4 groups. Group I: Clinpro-invasive technique, group II: Clinpro-non-invasive technique, group III: Fuji VII-invasive technique, group IV: Fuji VII-non-invasive technique. Sealants were applied and subjected to an evaluation under SEM (scanning electron microscopy) for the width of the marginal gap. ANOVA (analysis of variance) and Duncan's multiple range tests were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean width of the marginal gap was 0.4089 µm in group I as compared to 3.0485 µm in group III; and the difference was statistically highly significant (P<0.001). In non-invasive technique, Clinpro and Fuji VII showed a mean marginal gap width of 0.4486 µm and 3.0485 µm, respectively. This difference was statistically highly significant at a P<0.001. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean widths between invasive and non-invasive techniques. CONCLUSION: Clinpro performed better in terms of marginal adaptation than did the Fuji VII sealant. The techniques (Invasive and non-invasive) does not influence the marginal integrity significantly.

Assessment of Discomfort Experienced by School Children While Performing 'ART' and 'MCP'-An Experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) is a minimal intervention technique in the management of carious lesions, which results in negligible discomfort to the patient. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the discomfort levels during Atraumatic Restorative Treatment and Minimal Cavity Preparation (MCP: a method using rotary instruments) treatment procedures in a sample of school children in Davangere city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experimental study was performed aimed at comparing discomfort levels as measured by subjective (Venham index) and objective (Heart rate) methods at six specified moments during the treatment. A total of 200 children were randomly divided into two groups of 100 each. In each child, one class II restoration with GIC in a deciduous molar was performed. One group received treatment using rotary instruments (MCP) and the other group with ART. Discomfort levels were measured using Venham index (behavioural dimension) and heart rate (physiological dimension). RESULTS: The behavioural measurement revealed that in ART group the majority of the children(64%) showed an overall Venham score of '<1'(relaxed) as compared to MCP group in which the majority of children (76%) showed a Venham score of '1'(uneasy). The physiological measurement revealed that the children in ART group experienced less discomfort when compared to children in MCP group. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that ART induces less discomfort; is patient friendly and has a higher extent of community acceptance when compared to MCP.

Spontaneous rupture of unscarred gravid uterus.

Rupture of gravid uterus during pregnancy is a rare entity. Overall incidence of rupture of uterus during pregnancy is 0.07%. The maternal and fetal prognoses are bad especially when the rupture occurs in an unscarred uterus. Fortunately, the sole major risk factor of spontaneous rupture of unscarred uterus is preventable, which is "multiparity." In this article, we report the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child because of spontaneous rupture of unscarred uterus.

Synthesis of 1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-3-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amine derivatives as antimicrobial agents.

A series of novel substituted 1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-3-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amine benzamides 9(a-h) were synthesized to determine their antibacterial and antifungal activities as well as possible structure-activity relationships (SARs) to improve therapeutic efficacy. The pyrazol-5-amine benzamides were screened for their antibacterial activity against standard strains of Gram-positive (Streptococcus pyogenes NCIM 2608, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29737, Bacillus subtilis NCIM 2010) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 20852, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 618) bacteria by using streptomycin as positive control. They were also tested for their antifungal activities against mycotoxic strains of Fusarium verticillioides, Aspergillus ochraceous, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria alternata, and Penicillium chrysogenum using nystatin as positive control. Among the synthesized compounds, 9d, 9g, and 9h showed potent antimicrobial activities.

Critical incidents in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit.

We aimed to determine the type and frequency of critical incidents in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit, to determine outcomes consequent to these incidents and to devise corrective strategies. Prospectively collected data on critical incidents during a 33-month period were analysed. In all, 1918 patients were admitted to the unit during the study period. Each incident was analysed in detail. A system-based corrective strategy was sought for and implemented as appropriate. In these patients, 280 critical incidents were reported during the study period, resulting in 3.4 incidents per 100 patient days. Airway-related incidents were the most frequent (32.8%) followed by line-related (21.8%) and drug-related (15%) incidents. Thirty-two incidents (11.4%) led to adverse outcomes. There were four deaths that occurred as a direct consequence of or contributed to by the incident, all due to airway-related incidents. A major physiological change occurred in 3.6% of incidents, while 6.4% of incidents resulted in a minor physiological change. Critical incidents were common in our multidisciplinary ICU, although adverse outcomes were rare.