Anticancer Potential of the Principal Constituent of Piper nigrum, Piperine: A Comprehensive Review.

Black pepper's main component, piperine, is a phytochemical that gives the spice its distinctively pungent flavor, which has made it a staple in human diets for decades and a widely used food item. In addition to its use as a culinary component and preservation agent, it is also employed in traditional medicine for a diverse range of objectives, a practice that has been substantiated by existing scientific investigations on its physiological impacts in the majority of instances. Piperine contains various bioactive effects, such as antibacterial activity, in addition to several physiological benefits that could help overall human health, such as immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antimetastatic, anticancer, and many more properties that have been established. Clinical trials revealed that this phytochemical has exceptional antioxidant, anticancer, and drug availability-enhancing properties, as well as immunomodulatory potential. The different components of evidence indicate the therapeutic potential of piperine and underscore the importance of incorporating it into both broad health-promoting interventions and supplementary treatment pharmaceutical formulations. This inclusion can enhance the bioavailability of other therapeutic medications, including those used in chemotherapy.

Working hours impact on the sleep quality and oral health status among migrant construction workers in Chennai.

Background: Nowadays, a shift in our lifestyle which espouses long working hours and low sleep quality can have a direct impact on the general health and oral health status. Sleep deprivation results from intense long working hours. Aim: To recognize the impact of long working hours, on sleep and oral health assessments of migrant construction workers. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among migrant construction workers working in Chennai comprised of 1,521 participants. The sleep quality was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Scale-7 and the working hours was found using the Google forms and their oral health status was assessed using the Oral hygiene index- Simplified (OHIS-S) and the Decayed Missing and Filled teeth (DMFT) index. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistical Software version 23.0. Statistical tests like the Chi-square association and one-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) (normally distributed) were used for the analysis of three group comparisons. Results: From the study results, most of the participants were between 25 and 35 years, smokers, had negligence on oral health and had poor sleep quality due to their long working hours. On the association between the working hours per week and OHIS, DMFT and Insomnia Severity Scale total score, a statistically significant relationship was found using the one-way ANOVA. Conclusion: The results from our study brought neglected oral health care of the construction workers into the limelight which will help us in our future efforts to improve the oral health of the construction workers.

Analysis of Skin Cancer and Patient Healthcare Using Data Mining Techniques.

Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of irregular cancer cells in the human-skin's outer layer. Skin cells commonly grow in an uneven pattern on exposed skin surfaces. The majority of melanomas, aside from this variety, form in areas that are rarely exposed to sunlight. Harmful sunlight, which results in a mutation in the DNA and irreparable DNA damage, is the primary cause of skin cancer. This demonstrates a close connection between skin cancer and molecular biology and genetics. Males and females both experience the same incidence rate. Avoiding revelation to ultraviolet (UV) emissions can lower the risk rate. This needed to be known about in order to be prevented from happening. To identify skin cancer, an improved image analysis technique was put forth in this work. The skin alterations are routinely monitored by this proposed skin cancer categorization approach. Therefore, early detection of suspicious skin changes can aid in the early discovery of skin cancer, increasing the likelihood of a favourable outcome. Due to the blessing of diagnostic technology and recent advancements in cancer treatment, the survival rate of patients with skin cancer has grown. The strategy for detecting skin cancer using image processing technologies is presented in this paper. The system receives the image of the skin lesion as an input and analyses it using cutting-edge image processing methods to determine whether skin cancer is present. The Lesion Image Analysis Tools use texture, size, and shape assessment for image segmentation and feature phases to check for various cancer criteria including asymmetries, borders, pigment, and diameter. The image is classified as Normal skin and a lesion caused by skin cancer using the derived feature parameters.

Awareness and Attitude toward the Replacement of Missing Teeth among Patients at a Dental Institute: A Cross-sectional Study.

AIM: To evaluate the awareness among the patients visiting a dental college in replacing the missing teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to know the patient's awareness and preference for the treatment options. A list of the closed-ended questionnaire was used to record the patient's response about being edentulous. The collected data were statistically analyzed. SPSS, Version 2.1, statistical software was used. The descriptive statistics were done using frequency and percentage. Bar graphs and pie graphs were used wherever applicable. RESULTS: Maximum patients reported to dental treatment with less than 1 year period of edentulousness. This directly indicates an increased awareness among the patients (77.5%). The need to replace the missing teeth was a function such as mastication of food for 42.6% of the patients and 36.6% of the patients wanted to replace their missing teeth for improving their appearance. The most preferred method of the replacement is fixed partial denture (FPD) as it was cost-effective and affordable for them. Only 22% of the patients wanted an implant as a treatment option as it did not involve the adjacent teeth. CONCLUSION: The awareness and knowledge about the treatment options among the patients visiting the dental college have increased, but still, the awareness about the consequences of being edentulous for a long time should be improved through social media by the dentists. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The replacement of missing teeth is important in rehabilitating the form, function, esthetics, and integrity of the stomatognathic system. There are various treatment options available for replacing missing teeth. Very few patients are aware of all the options and the consequences of not replacing the posterior teeth.

Metabolite Effect on Angiogenesis: Insights from Transcriptome Analysis.

Metabolic status of the cells is important in the expression of the angiogenic phenotype in endothelial cells. Our earlier studies demonstrated the effects of metabolites such as lactate, citrate and lipoxygenase products, on VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling pathway. Though this link between metabolite status and molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis is becoming evident, it is not clear how it affects genome-level expression in endothelial cells, critical to angiogenesis. In the present study, computational analysis was carried out on the transcriptome data of 4 different datasets where HUVECs were exposed to low and high glucose, both in vitro and in vivo, and the expression of a key enzyme involved in glucose metabolism is altered. The differentially expressed genes belonging to both VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling pathway, as well as several VEGF signature genes as hub genes were also identified. These findings suggest the metabolite dependence, particularly glucose dependence, of angiogenesis, involving modulation of genome-level expression of angiogenesis- functional genome. This is important in tumor angiogenesis where reprogramming of metabolism is critical.

Identification of Hub Genes and Key Pathways Associated with Anti-VEGF Resistant Glioblastoma Using Gene Expression Data Analysis.

Anti-VEGF therapy is considered to be a useful therapeutic approach in many tumors, but the low efficacy and drug resistance limit its therapeutic potential and promote tumor growth through alternative mechanisms. We reanalyzed the gene expression data of xenografts of tumors of bevacizumab-resistant glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients, using bioinformatics tools, to understand the molecular mechanisms of this resistance. An analysis of the gene set data from three generations of xenografts, identified as 646, 873 and 1220, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the first, fourth and ninth generations, respectively, of the anti-VEGF-resistant GBM cells. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses demonstrated that the DEGs were significantly enriched in biological processes such as angiogenesis, cell proliferation, cell migration, and apoptosis. The protein-protein interaction network and module analysis revealed 21 hub genes, which were enriched in cancer pathways, the cell cycle, the HIF1 signaling pathway, and microRNAs in cancer. The VEGF pathway analysis revealed nine upregulated (IL6, EGFR, VEGFA, SRC, CXCL8, PTGS2, IDH1, APP, and SQSTM1) and five downregulated hub genes (POLR2H, RPS3, UBA52, CCNB1, and UBE2C) linked with several of the VEGF signaling pathway components. The survival analysis showed that three upregulated hub genes (CXCL8, VEGFA, and IDH1) were associated with poor survival. The results predict that these hub genes associated with the GBM resistance to bevacizumab may be potential therapeutic targets or can be biomarkers of the anti-VEGF resistance of GBM.

Idiopathic Basal Ganglia Calcification: Fahr's Syndrome, a Rare Disorder.

Fahr's syndrome is a rare neurological disorder with varied clinical manifestations. It is characterized by the progressive deposition of calcium in the walls of the blood vessels of basal ganglia and dentate nuclei of the cerebellum in young and middle-aged people. It is important for neurologists, geneticists, psychiatrists, dentists, and other appropriate care specialists to have a thorough knowledge of this syndrome as any of them could be the first person to diagnose the disease. This case report of Fahr's syndrome presents the signs and symptoms of the patient and the treatment for oral conditions were done.

Assessing Quality of Life using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) in Subjects with and without Orthodontic Treatment need in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

INTRODUCTION: Dental ailments like malocclusion affect not only the functional ability and aesthetic appearance of the person but also the psychological aspect of the individual. AIM: The aim of the present study was to the find relationship between quality of life and dental malocclusion among school going adolescents in Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 342 subjects of age range 14-19 years. Oral health status was assessed using WHO basic oral health survey (2013), orthodontic treatment needs according to Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs (IOTN) and oral health quality of life using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). RESULTS: A total of 342 subjects were interviewed and examined. The mean DMFT score was 1.86±2.77. A 203 (59.4%) did not require any orthodontic treatment while 139 (40.6%) had orthodontic treatment need ranging from mild to very severe. It was seen that malocclusion affected some aspects of OHIP-14 significantly namely functional limitation, psychological discomfort and psychological disability. The comparison of OHIP-14 scores between treatment needed and treatment not needed was highly significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Hence, it is stated that there is an urgent need to educate the school children and in turn their parents regarding the malocclusion for its treatment to prevent any effect on quality of life of the young adults.

Gentiana lutea exerts anti-atherosclerotic effects by preventing endothelial inflammation and smooth muscle cell migration.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Studies suggest that Gentiana lutea (GL), and its component isovitexin, may exhibit anti-atherosclerotic properties. In this study we sought to investigate the protective mechanism of GL aqueous root extract and isovitexin on endothelial inflammation, smooth muscle cell migation, and on the onset and progression of atherosclerosis in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our results show that both GL extract and isovitexin, block leukocyte adhesion and generation of reactive oxygen species in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs), following TNF-alpha and platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) challenges respectively. Both the extract and isovitexin blocked TNF-α induced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in HUVECs. PDGF-BB induced migration of RASMCs and phospholipase C-γ activation, were also abrogated by GL extract and isovitexin. Fura-2 based ratiometric measurements demonstrated that, both the extact, and isovitexin, inhibit PDGF-BB mediated intracellular calcium rise in RASMCs. Supplementation of regular diet with 2% GL root powder for STZ rats, reduced total cholesterol in blood. Oil Red O staining demonstrated decreased lipid accumulation in aortic wall of diabetic animals upon treatment with GL. Medial thickness and deposition of collagen in the aortic segment of diabetic rats were also reduced upon supplementation. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated reduced expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) in aortic segments of diabetic rats following GL treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, our results support that GL root extract/powder and isovitexin exhibit anti-atherosclerotic activities.

An analysis of adverse drug reactions to radiographic contrast media reported during a 3 year period in a tertiary care hospital in south India.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyse the nature and incidence of adverse drug reactions to radiographic contrast media (ionic and non ionic) reported during a 3 year period in a tertiary care hospital in South India METHODS: Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) to radiographic contrast media (ionic and non ionic) reported during a 3 year period to the pharmacovigilance centre, JIPMER, Pondicherry were retrospectively analysed for demographic profile, frequency, severity, causality and the temporal relationship of contrast administratior to the occurrence of ADR. RESULTS: A total of 99 ADRs were spontaneously reported from 63 patients. It included 38 (60.3%) males and 25 (39.7%) females. The most common ADRs were nausea 26 (26.5%), vomiting 33 (33.7%) and rashes 30 (30.6%). As per Naranjo's algorithm and WHO causality assessment, all reactions were 'probable' According to the Hartwig severity scale, 60 reactions were mild (60.6%), 34 (34.3%) were moderate and 5 (5.1%) were severe. There was no fatality reported. Adverse events required treatment in 38 (60.3%) patients Most of the reactions (n = 48, 76.2%) occurred immediately after contrast administration. Five (7.9%) reactions occurred during contrast administration and 10 (15.9%) reactions occurred within the next 30 minutes after contrast administration. Among the ADRs reported, the proportion of mild reactions were significantly higher in patients who received ionic contrast (n = 42) than those who received non-ionic contrast (n = 21) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The common adverse reactions to contrast were nausea, vomiting and rashes. Most of the reactions occur immediately after administration of contrast and are of milder severity.

Survey of emergency and surgical capacity in the conflict-affected regions of Sri Lanka.

BACKGROUND: Three decades of internal conflict in the North and East of Sri Lanka have taken a toll on the health care system in that area. METHODS: We proposed to quantify the current status of capacity to deliver emergency, anesthesia, and surgical interventions in the conflict affected areas of Sri Lanka. The World Health Organization (WHO) Tool for Situational Analysis to Assess Emergency and Essential Surgical Care (EESC) was used to evaluate 47 health facilities. RESULTS: Although most have trained health care providers capable of basic procedures, infrastructure and supplies were severely lacking. CONCLUSION: These data can be used as a basis for the recovery and rebuilding of EESC capacity in conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka.