Community Violence, PTSD, Hopelessness, Substance Use, and Perpetuation of Violence in an Urban Environment.

We investigated the relationships among chronic violence exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, hopelessness, substance use, and perpetuation of violence to facilitate the development of trauma-related interventions for residents of Newark, NJ. A convenience sample of Newark residents (N = 153) was recruited from community centers during various events in 2016-2017. Anonymous, self-report survey measures included a PTSD screen (PCL-C), Beck's Hopelessness Scale, the CAGE questionnaire, and a CDC Health Behavior Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, Chi square analyses, logistic, and linear regressions were used for analysis. Thirty percent (95% CI [22.7, 37.4]) of our sample screened positive for PTSD. Drug and alcohol use, fighting, and hopelessness were related to severity of PTSD symptoms (p < 0.05). Female gender, CAGE scores, and hopelessness predicted the severity of PTSD symptoms (R2 = 0.354, p < 0.05). Our data has informed the development of a resilience support group currently in the pilot stage for community members.

The Duration of Intestinal Immunity After an Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine Booster Dose in Children Immunized With Oral Vaccine: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In 2014, 2 studies showed that inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) boosts intestinal immunity in children previously immunized with oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). As a result, IPV was introduced in mass campaigns to help achieve polio eradication. Methods: We conducted an open-label, randomized, controlled trial to assess the duration of the boost in intestinal immunity following a dose of IPV given to OPV-immunized children. Nine hundred healthy children in Vellore, India, aged 1-4 years were randomized (1:1:1) to receive IPV at 5 months (arm A), at enrollment (arm B), or no vaccine (arm C). The primary outcome was poliovirus shedding in stool 7 days after bivalent OPV challenge at 11 months. Results: For children in arms A, B, and C, 284 (94.7%), 297 (99.0%), and 296 (98.7%), respectively, were eligible for primary per-protocol analysis. Poliovirus shedding 7 days after challenge was less prevalent in arms A and B compared with C (24.6%, 25.6%, and 36.4%, respectively; risk ratio 0.68 [95% confidence interval: 0.53-0.87] for A versus C, and 0.70 [0.55-0.90] for B versus C). Conclusions: Protection against poliovirus remained elevated 6 and 11 months after an IPV boost, although at a lower level than reported at 1 month. Clinical Trials Registration: CTRI/2014/09/004979.

Assault Injury and Community Violence.

Community violence happens between unrelated individuals, who may or may not know each other, generally outside the home, and often results in assaultive injuries. Community violence interventions can prevent assaultive injuries and assist victims of community violence. Trauma-informed care is foundational to the success of community violence intervention. Place-based environmental interventions can decrease community violence on the population level, and further research and developments are needed in this area. Substance use is a significant barrier to intervention program involvement and greater research and program development is needed to support substance use treatment of those impacted by community violence.

Resident Perspectives on Palliative Care at an Urban Teaching Hospital.

Background: There has been an increasing need to address end of life (EOL) care and palliative care in an era when measures to extend life for terminal illnesses are often initiated without consideration of quality of life. Addressing the barriers for resident physicians to initiate EOL conversations with patients is an important step towards eliminating the disconnect between patient wishes and provider goals. Objective: To assess resident physician perspectives on initiating palliative care conversations with terminally ill patients at an urban teaching hospital. Methods: This paper solicited the experiences of pediatric, general surgery, and internal medicine residents through an anonymous survey to assess exposure to palliative care during training, comfort with providing palliative care, and barriers to implementing effective palliative care. Results: 45% of residents reported exposure to palliative care prior to medical training. Ninety-three percent of these residents reported being formally introduced to palliative care during medical training through formal lecture, although the majority reported also being exposed through either small group discussions or informal teaching sessions. Time constraints and lack of knowledge on how to initiate and continue conversations surrounding EOL care were the greatest barriers to effectively caring for patients with terminal illnesses. Residents concurred that either attending physicians or hospital-designated palliative care providers should initiate palliative care discussions, with care managed by an interdisciplinary palliative care team; this consensus demonstrates a potential assumption that another provider will initiate EOL discussions. Conclusions: This study evaluated the current state of physician training in EOL care and provided support for the use of experience-based training as an important adjunct to traditional didactic lectures in physician education.

The effect of probiotics and zinc supplementation on the immune response to oral rotavirus vaccine: A randomized, factorial design, placebo-controlled study among Indian infants.

BACKGROUND: Strategies are needed to improve oral rotavirus vaccine (RV), which provides suboptimal protection in developing countries. Probiotics and zinc supplementation could improve RV immunogenicity by altering the intestinal microbiota and immune function. METHODS: Infants 5weeks old living in urban Vellore, India were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 4-arm factorial design to assess the effects of daily zinc (5mg), probiotic (1010Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) or placebo on the immunogenicity of two doses of RV (Rotarix®, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals) given at 6 and 10weeks of age. Infants were eligible for participation if healthy, available for the study duration and without prior receipt of RV or oral poliovirus vaccine other than the birth dose. The primary outcome was seroconversion to rotavirus at 14weeks of age based on detection of VP6-specific IgA at ≥20U/ml in previously seronegative infants or a fourfold rise in concentration. RESULTS: The study took place during July 2012 to February 2013. 620 infants were randomized equally between study arms and 551 (88.9%) completed per protocol. Seroconversion was recorded in 54/137 (39.4%), 42/136 (30.9%), 40/143 (28.0%), and 37/135 (27.4%) infants receiving (1) probiotic and zinc, (2) probiotic and placebo, (3) placebo and zinc, (4) two placebos. Seroconversion showed a modest improvement among infants receiving probiotic (difference between groups 1, 2 and 3, 4 was 7.5% (97.5% Confidence Interval (CI): -1.4%, 16.2%), p=0.066) but not zinc (difference between groups 1, 3 and 2, 4 was 4.4% (97.5% CI: -4.4%, 13.2%), p=0.272). 16 serious adverse events were recorded, none related to study interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Zinc or probiotic supplementation did not significantly improve the low immunogenicity of rotavirus vaccine given to infants in a poor urban community in India. A modest effect of combined supplementation deserves further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in India (CTRI/2012/05/002677).

Oral lesions of 500 habitual psychoactive substance users in Chennai, India.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of oral lesions among 500 psychoactive substance users in a hospital-based population. The study group consisted of 500 consecutive patients attending TTK Hospital, a non-governmental organisation involved in rehabilitation of substance users. Patient history was recorded in a pre-determined format and clinical findings were recorded by a trained physician and dental surgeons. Psychoactive substances used by the patients were alcohol (97%), tobacco (72%), arecanut (57.2%), narcotics (6.8%), cannabis (3.2%) and benzodiazipines (1.8%). Ninety-one percent of patients had one or more oral lesions: dental caries (39%), gingivitis (37.6%), extrinsic stains (24%), oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) (8%), periodontitis (7.4%), leukoplakia (6.6%), melanosis (5.2%), nicotina palatini (2.2%) and erythroplakia (0.6%). For OSF, those using arecanut and alcohol had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.4 [95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.23-4.69, P=0.009], smokers using arecanut products and alcohol had an OR of 3.07 (95% CI 1.59-5.91, P=0.000), and smokers who chewed arecanut products and used drugs had an OR of 23.1 (95% CI 2.05-260, P=0.001) compared with the general population. Those who smoked and used alcohol, arecanut and drugs had a 20.67-fold higher risk of developing leukoplakia compared with those who did not engage in these habits. In conclusion, 91% of patients had one or more oral lesions that needed dental treatment, and most patients were not aware of their oral lesions. The high prevalence of OSF and leukoplakia in substance abusers compared with the general population emphasises the need for regular dental assessments in these patients.

The effect of azithromycin on the immunogenicity of oral poliovirus vaccine: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial in seronegative Indian infants.

BACKGROUND: Oral poliovirus vaccine is less immunogenic and effective in low-income countries than in high-income countries, similarly to other oral vaccines. The high prevalence of intestinal pathogens and associated environmental enteropathy has been proposed to explain this problem. Because administration of an antibiotic has the potential to resolve environmental enteropathy and clear bacterial pathogens, we aimed to assess whether antibiotics would improve oral poliovirus vaccine immunogenicity. METHODS: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of azithromycin on the immunogenicity of serotype-3 monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine given to healthy infants living in 14 blocks of Vellore district, India. Infants were eligible to participate if they were 6-11 months old, available for the study duration, and lacked serum neutralising antibodies to serotype-3 poliovirus. Infants were randomly assigned (1:1) at enrolment to receive oral 10 mg/kg azithromycin or placebo once daily for 3 days, followed by serotype-3 monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine on day 14. The primary outcome was detection of serum neutralising antibodies to serotype-3 poliovirus at a dilution of one in eight or more on day 35 and was assessed in the per-protocol population (ie, all those who received azithromycin or placebo, oral poliovirus vaccine, and provided a blood sample according to the study protocol). Safety outcomes were assessed in all infants enrolled in the study. The trial is registered with the Clinical Trials Registry India, number CTRI/2014/05/004588. FINDINGS: Between Aug 5, 2014, and March 21, 2015, 754 infants were randomly assigned: 376 to receive azithromycin and 378 to placebo. Of these, 348 (93%) of 376 in the azithromycin group and 357 (94%) of 378 infants in the placebo group completed the study per protocol. In the azithromycin group, 175 (50%) seroconverted to serotype-3 poliovirus compared with 192 (54%) in the placebo group (risk ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·81-1·08; p=0·366). Azithromycin reduced faecal biomarkers of environmental enteropathy (calprotectin, myeloperoxidase, α1-antitrypsin) and the prevalence of bacterial but not viral or eukaryotic pathogens. Viral pathogens were associated with lower seroconversion. Three serious adverse events were reported (two in the azithromycin group and one in the placebo group), but none was considered related to the study interventions. INTERPRETATION: Azithromycin did not improve the immunogenicity of oral poliovirus vaccine despite reducing biomarkers of environmental enteropathy and the prevalence of pathogenic intestinal bacteria. Viral interference and innate antiviral immune mechanisms might be more important determinants of the immunogenicity of live-virus oral vaccines. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Comparative efficacy of aceclofenac and etoricoxib in post extraction pain control: randomized control trial.

The study is a prospective randomized double blind clinical trial comparing the efficacy of nonselective NSAIDs (Aceclofenac) and highly selective COX-2 inhibitors (Etoricoxib) in post extraction pain control. The primary efficacy was judged by overall assessment of onset and duration of analgesic effect and rate of decrease in pain intensity by a visual analogue scale over a 3-day investigation period. 100 patients were enrolled in the study (50 patients in aceclofenac group and 50 patients in etoricoxib group). Twice-daily dosage of aceclofenac 100 mg and etoricoxib 60 mg were recommended for the double blind study. 64 patients completed the study. Efficacy of pain control over baseline data documented in both the treatment groups were statistically significant (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two drugs.

Autogenous Reconstructive Modalities of TMJ Ankylosis-A Retrospective Analysis of 45 Cases.

The study reports the authors' experience in managing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis in Chennai, India (1995-2006) and compares the surgical modalities used. Forty-five patients (67 joints) were reviewed in this retrospective study. Pre- and post-operative assessment included history, radiological, physical examination, and range of mouth opening. Age, gender, aetiology, joint(s) affected, surgical modality, complications and follow-up periods were evaluated. Various types (fibrous, fibroosseous and bony) of TMJ ankylosis were diagnosed. Trauma was the commonest aetiology. The patients' age range was 2-50 years, 51.1 % were males and the follow-up period ranged from 14 to 96 months. Average mouth opening was significantly increased to 32 mm 12 months post-operatively. Mouth opening was compared following different interpositional materials like temporalis interpositioning (33 mm), costochondral graft (30.6 mm) and autograft (30 mm). Minor and major complications were encountered in 37.4 % of cases, including 6.7 % recurrence rate. Early release of TMJ ankylosis; reconstruction of the ramus height with distraction osteogenesis or bone grafting combined with interpositional arthroplasty, followed by vigorous physiotherapy is a successful strategy for the management of TMJ ankylosis.

To compare standard incision and comma shaped incision and its influence on post-operative complications in surgical removal of impacted third molars.

OBJECTIVES: To compare standard incision and comma shaped incision and its influence on post operative complications in surgical removal of impacted third molar. METHODS: This was a cross-over trial. Twenty subjects with bilateral impacted mandibular third molars were recruited for the study. A standard incision was made on one side of the lower jaw and a comma incision was made on the other side to reflect the mucoperiosteal flap, after which the common steps for removal of impacted third molars were followed. The post- operative parameters were recorded immediately on the post -operative days 1, 3 and 7 respectively. RESULTS: The pain scores which were recorded on days 1, 3 and 7 in the surgical area with comma incisions were found to be significantly lower as compared to the pain scores in the area where standard incisions were made. Similarly, swelling was lesser with comma incisions than with standard incisions. There was a significant difference in mouth opening between the two incisions on day 1, but no significance was seen on days 3 and 7. All these findings showed significant statistical differences. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the new incision design was preferable over the conventional method, considering the lesser degree of post-operative complications. The cross-over design of the study greatly enhanced its statistical power and validity.

Solitary bone cyst.

The solitary or traumatic bone cyst (TBC) is an uncommon non-epithelial lined cavity of the jaws. The lesion is mainly diagnosed in young patients most frequently during the second decade of life. The majority of them are located in the mandibular body between the canine and the third molar. Clinically, the lesion is asymptomatic and is often accidentally discovered on routine radiological examination. The definite diagnosis of traumatic cyst can only be determined at surgery. Often, the material for histological examination may be scanty or non-existent. We present a documented case of a solitary bone cyst involving the body of the mandible. A brief review of literature regarding the main characteristics of the lesion is provided.