Exploring the impact of southern ocean sea ice on the Indian Ocean swells.

The present study analyzes the impact of the Southern Ocean (SO) sea ice concentration on the north Indian Ocean (NIO) wave fields through swells using 6 years (2016-2021) of WAVEWATCH III (WWIII) simulations. We did two experimental runs of WWIII, one with sea ice concentration and winds as the forcing (W3with_ice) and the second run with only wind forcing (W3no_ice). Analysis shows the impact of the SO sea ice concentration on northward swell peaks in September-November, coinciding with the maximum sea ice extent in the Antarctic region of the Indian Ocean. W3no_ice simulations are biased more by ~ 60% and ~ 37% in significant wave height and period, respectively, against W3with_ice when compared with NIO mooring data. W3no_ice simulates low-frequency swells and travels fast towards NIO, with implications for operational oceanography. We have shown that the forecasts of the timing of high swell events along NIO coasts can be erroneous by ~ 12 h if the SO sea ice concentration is not included in the model. Further, W3no_ice could potentially produce false swell alerts along southeastern Australian coasts. In summary, our study highlights the importance of the SO sea ice concentration inclusion in the wave models to accurately simulate NIO waves.

Author Correction: Annihilation of the Somali upwelling system during summer monsoon.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Annihilation of the Somali upwelling system during summer monsoon.

Somali upwelling system during northern summer is believed to be the largest upwelling region in the Indian Ocean and has motivated some of the early studies on the Indian Ocean. Here we present results from observations and ocean model to show that the upwelling along the Somali coast is limited to the early phase of the summer monsoon and later primarily limited to the eddy dominated flows in the northern and some extent in the southern part of the coast. Major part of the Somali coast (~60% of the entire coastal length) shows prominent downwelling features driven by offshore negative windstress curl and subsurface entrainment mixing. Further, we show that the surface cooling of coastal waters are dominantly driven by subsurface entrainment and surface heat fluxes. These findings not only augment the existing knowledge of the Somali upwelling system, but also have serious implications on the regional climate. Most importantly, our analysis underscores the use of alongshore winds only to project future (climate driven) changes in the upwelling intensity along this coast.

Awareness about oral cancer among dental postgraduate students in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of dental postgraduate students regarding risk factors, signs of oral cancer, and treatment plan and post treatment complications. A questionnaire was given to the 450 dental postgraduate students of all specialties to various dental colleges in Andhra Pradesh. The questionnaire included 10 questions pertaining to knowledge about oral cancer, its risk factors, key symptoms, and treatment plan and post treatment complications. Majority of postgraduate students were aware that habits (94 %) were the main risk factor for most of oral cancer whereas 50 % of students were aware of clinical presentation of oral cancer and 67 % were confident about the proper treatment protocol. Majority of the postgraduate students were aware of the main risk factors. On the other hand, several aspects like clinical signs of oral cancer, treatment protocol, referrals, and post treatment complications need to be improved. Continuing dental education programs and workshops on oral cancer should be carried out to enhance the knowledge and awareness of the postgraduate students.

Intraductal papilloma: atypical presentation.

Ductal papillomas have unique papillary features arising from the salivary gland duct system. They comprise three rare benign adenomas, namely, inverted ductal papilloma, sialadenoma papilliferum, and intraductal papilloma. Intraductal papilloma is an extremely rare benign salivary gland tumor that occurs most commonly in the minor salivary glands. Here, we are presenting a case report of intraductal papilloma in an 18-year-old patient.

Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation induced parotid stimulation on salivary flow.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the duration of stimulation over the parotid salivary flow following the use of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) in different age groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out in three different age groups. Under group A individuals from 21 to 35 years of age, group B 36-50 years and group C above 51 years were considered. In each group 30 subjects were taken of whom 15 were males and 15 were females. The placement of pads was approximated bilaterally over the parotid glands. The working parameters of TENS unit were fixed at 50 Hz and the unit was in normal mode. RESULTS: Subjects belonging to group B were showing statistically significant increases in the duration of stimulated parotid salivary flow following the use of TENS. CONCLUSION: TENS can be considered as a non-pharmacological alternative to improve salivation for longer period in xerostomia patients.

Palatal lipoma: a case report.

Intraoral lipomas are benign mesenchymal neoplasms that originate in mature adipose cells with differential diagnosis of other soft tissue lesions. Lipoma, rarely, occurs in the oral cavity, and it corresponds to less than 4.4%, of all benign oral soft tissue tumors. Here, we are reporting a case of lipoma that occurred in the hard palate, which is extremely rare.

Evaluating and comparing phagocytic functions of salivary and blood neutrophils in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers and controls.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of recurrent aphthous ulceration (RAU) by evaluating and comparing the phagocytic functions of salivary and peripheral blood neutrophils in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers and in healthy subjects. METHOD AND MATERIALS: The study comprised 30 RAU and 30 healthy subjects. Neutrophils were separated from the unstimulated saliva and peripheral blood of RAU patients and healthy subjects. Then, the phagocytic activity and ingestion ability were determined using Candida as targets. RESULTS: Salivary and peripheral blood neutrophils in RAU patients showed significant reduction (P < .05) in phagocytic activity as compared to controls. The ingestion ability of salivary and blood neutrophils was reduced in RAU patients, but not significantly as compared to controls. The ingestion ability of salivary neutrophils was significantly reduced (P = .019) in comparison to blood neutrophils in RAU patients. There was no significant difference between the phagocytic activities of salivary and blood neutrophils in RAU. CONCLUSION: Phagocytic functions of salivary and peripheral blood neutrophils were reduced in RAU patients as compared to healthy subjects. The ingestion ability of salivary neutrophils was also decreased with that of peripheral blood neutrophils in RAU patients. All the above findings revealed that RAU is characterized by consistent changes in salivary and peripheral blood neutrophil functions, thus suggesting that the pathophysiology of RAU may be associated with reduction in phagocytic functions of neutrophils.