Antimicrobial Efficacy of Essential Oils and Their Combination Against Microorganisms Associated With Postradiation Therapy in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: An In Vitro Study.

Background Head and neck cancer ranks as the sixth most common cancer globally. Reduced saliva production brought on by postradiation therapy upsets the delicate balance between bacterial load and a weakened immune system. Oral hygiene is commonly neglected in patients who have undergone radiotherapy and they often develop dry mouth, mucositis due to radiation therapy, etc., as side effects. Despite being a part of the current standard, chlorhexidine carries numerous disadvantages such as taste alteration, teeth staining, and dry mouth. An extensive review of the literature demonstrates the antibacterial properties of essential oils (EOs) derived from plant materials, which may be able to prevent the development of such opportunistic microorganisms in the oral cavity. Methodology The cinnamon bark EO and Cajeput EO were procured and checked for their solubility. The final ratio at which the oils were found to be soluble was the 1:1 (w/v) ratio. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cinnamon bark oil (Cinnamomum verum) and Cajeput oil (Melaleuca leucadendron) against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans was determined by serial dilution method using Resazurin dye, and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was done by a spread plating method. The polyherbal mouthwash was subjected to cytotoxicity assay against human gingival fibroblasts. All the experiments were performed in triplicates. Results The overall results showed that cinnamon bark EO had the strongest efficacy against S. aureus (0.33 ± 0.14 mg/mL) and E. faecalis (0.41 ± 0.14 mg/mL), but not against C. albicans (2.85 ± 2.11 mg/mL). Cajeput EO showed the least efficacy against all the groups; whereas the combination of EOs proved to be the most efficacious and showed good antimicrobial activity against these most commonly encountered microorganisms in head and neck cancer postradiotherapy. Conclusions Cinnamon and Cajeput EOs in combination proved to be effective in this in vitro study against the most common microorganisms encountered in patients with head and neck cancer postradiotherapy and are comparable to 0.2% chlorhexidine.

Impact of dental caries and periodontal disease on oral health-related quality of life among the Karnataka State Reserve Police Personnel in Belagavi, India.

Introduction: The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) is a state-level police force in India. Good Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) among them is quintessential for the welfare of the society. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of dental caries and periodontal disease on the OHRQoL among the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) stationed in Belagavi, India. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with a total sample size of 720. The personnel were recruited by simple random sampling. The Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP 14) was used to assess OHRQoL in 7 domains. The intra-examiner reliability for World Health Organisation (WHO) oral assessment form 2013 was assessed using Kappa statistics and was found to be 0.86. Dentition and periodontal status were recorded using the same. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's coefficient of correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Physical pain and psychological discomfort had the highest mean scores among the seven domains of OHIP-14. Constables had higher mean OHIP-14 scores among the study population. A significant positive correlation was found between oral health parameters with the domains of OHIP-14. The highest dependence on the socio-demographic and oral health predictors were found in the domains of physical pain (44.2%), psychological discomfort (38.3%), and physical disability (30.5%). Conclusions: The study revealed that dental caries and periodontal disease had a significant impact on OHRQoL among reserve police personnel and the OHRQoL was poor particularly among the lower ranked personnel.

Design and synthesis of nickel-doped cobalt molybdate microrods: An effective electrocatalyst for the determination of antibiotic drug ronidazole.

Ronidazole (RDZ) is a veterinary antibiotic drug that has been used in animal husbandry as feed. However, improper disposal and illegal use of pharmaceuticals have severely polluted water resources. Doping/substitution of metal ions is an effective strategy to change the material's crystal phase, morphology, and electrocatalytic activity. In this work, nickel (Ni2+)-doped cobalt molybdate microrods (NCMO MRs) were prepared for the electrochemical detection of RDZ. The catalyst was prepared by reflux method followed by calcination at 500 °C. The prepared catalyst was confirmed by various spectroscopic and microscopic analyses. XRD and Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the phase transition from ß-CoMoO4 to α-CoMoO4 was achieved by Ni2+ doping. The SEM analysis showed that cobalt molybdate (CMO) microrods were self-assembled during Ni2+ doping and formed an urchin-like structure, and the average diameter of the MRs was ±50 nm. The electrocatalytic activity of the catalysts was analyzed using the CV technique. The NCMO MRs/GCE exhibited the higher current response than the pristine CMO. The electron transfer coefficient (α = 0.56) and heterogeneous rate constant (ks = 0.32 s-1) of NCMO MRs/GCE were evaluated by kinetic studies. In addition, the diffusion coefficient of RDZ was determined to be 2.32 × 10-5 cm2/s. Moreover, NCMO MRs/GCE exhibits a low detection limit for RDZ (15 nM) as well as a higher sensitivity (1.57 µA µM-1 cm-2). The fabricated RDZ sensor was successfully applied to analysis of lake and tap water samples. Based on the results, we believe that the as-prepared NCMO MRs/GCE is a viable electrode material for RDZ sensors in environmental monitoring.

Effect of bismuth doping on zircon-type gadolinium vanadate: Effective electrocatalyst for determination of hazardous herbicide mesotrione.

Pesticides are used to promote the growth of plants and crops by killing weeds and other pests. On the other hand, overused and unused pesticides can leach into groundwater and agricultural lands, easily contaminating water, air, and soil resources. Doping with metal ions is an effective method to improve the catalytic activity of potential electrode materials. In the present study, an electrochemical sensor based on Bi3+-doped gadolinium vanadate nanoparticles (GVB NPs) was fabricated for sensitive and selective detection of harmful pesticide mesotrione (MST). The crystalline nature, functional groups, and elemental composition of the prepared electrocatalysts were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) showed that the undoped gadolinium vanadate had a rice-like nanostructure and was designated as GV NRs, while GVB had the morphology of nanoparticles. The fabricated electrode exhibited a well-resolved MST reduction peak in cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). Bismuth doping effectively enhanced the MST reduction and produced a stronger cathodic current response than bare and GV NRs-modified GCE. Moreover, GVB NPs/GCE show a nanomolar detection limit of 45 nM with a sensitivity of 0.43 µA µM-1 cm-2. The proposed sensor showed good repeatability, reproducibility, and stability in LSV analysis. The fabricated MST sensor was successfully applied to the analysis of real samples (river water and corn) with good recovery results.