Stem cell therapy: a novel approach against emerging and re-emerging viral infections with special reference to SARS-CoV-2.

The past several decades have witnessed the emergence and re-emergence of many infectious viral agents, flaviviruses, influenza, filoviruses, alphaviruses, and coronaviruses since the advent of human deficiency virus (HIV). Some of them even become serious threats to public health and have raised major global health concerns. Several different medicinal compounds such as anti-viral, anti-malarial, and anti-inflammatory agents, are under investigation for the treatment of these viral diseases. These therapies are effective improving recovery rates and overall survival of patients but are unable to heal lung damage caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, there is a critical need to identify effective treatments to combat this unmet clinical need. Due to its antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, stem cell therapy is considered a novel approach to regenerate damaged lungs and reduce inflammation. Stem cell therapy uses a heterogeneous subset of regenerative cells that can be harvested from various adult tissue types and is gaining popularity due to its prodigious regenerative potential as well as immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. These cells retain expression of cluster of differentiation markers (CD markers), interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), reduce expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and, show a rapid proliferation rate, which makes them an attractive tool for cellular therapies and to treat various inflammatory and viral-induced injuries. By examining various clinical studies, this review demonstrates positive considerations for the implications of stem cell therapy and presents a necessary approach for treating virally induced infections in patients.

Evaluation of immunomodulatory (humoral as well as cell-mediated) and cytokines (TNF-α & IL-10) regulating potential of Neolamarckia cadamba fruit extract in Wistar albino rats.

Current work has been designed to investigate the immunomodulatory efficacy with particular reference to humoral, cell-mediated and cytokine-modulating potential of hot aqueous extract of Neolamarckia cadamba (HAENC) fruits in Wistar albino rats. The effect of different concentrations of HAENC fruits over cell-mediated immune response was assessed using six groups (Gp-I as control, Gp-II with 20 µg/mL, Gp-III with 50 µg/mL, Gp-IV with 100 µg/mL, Gp-V with 250 µg/mL, and Gp-VI with 500 µg/mL) of Wistar albino rats having six animals in each. The amount of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-10 was measured by sandwich ELISA with different concentrations of HAENC (50-500 µg/mL) in splenocyte culture supernatant and their expression was determined by qRT-PCR Humoral immune response was determined by measuring the serum antibody titer of Wistar albino rats against Salmonella typhimurium 'O' antigen using four groups containing six animals each (Gp-I as control, Gp II, III & IV were respectively fed orally with 125, 250, and 500 mg/Kg body weight using HAENC fruits). LC-MS analysis suggested the presence of cadambine, chlorogenic acid, cadambagenic acid, stearic acid, octadecanoic acid ethyl ether, and 7-hydroxy-5,2'-4'-trimethoxyflavonon in the extract based on their m/z ratio. The result suggested significant (p < 0.01) dose-dependent proliferation of Concanavalin A (Con A)-treated splenocytes, depicting cell-mediated immunostimulatory potential of HAENC fruits. A dose-dependent significant decrease (p < 0.01) was found in the amount of TNF-α and IL-10 was found to increase significantly (p < 0.01) as extract concentrations increased. TNF-α and IL-10 expressions were confirmed at the molecular level by qRT-PCR analysis of mRNA transcripts of TNF-α and IL-10 genes. Fold expression of TNF-α and IL-10 gene was 0.197 and 3.58 at 250 µg/mL, 0.02 and 20.11 at 500 µg/mL concentrations of HAENC respectively in comparison to control. Serum antibody titer was significantly increased (p < 0.01) in animals fed with different doses of HAENC fruits. The present study suggested the anti-inflammatory effect of HAENC fruits which also influences the networking of cytokines, implying that it may play a role in regulating the activity of the host's immune system and can serve as a potent herbal drug with immuno-stimulatory potential.

Enhancement-Mode Ambipolar Thin-Film Transistors and CMOS Logic Circuits using Bilayer Ga2O3/NiO Semiconductors.

Recent advancements in power electronics have been driven by Ga2O3-based ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor devices, enabling efficient high-current switching. However, integrating Ga2O3 power devices with essential silicon CMOS logic circuits for advanced control poses fabrication challenges. Researchers have introduced Ga2O3-based NMOS and pseudo-CMOS circuits for integration, but these circuits may either consume more power or increase the design complexity. Hence, this article proposes Ga2O3-based CMOS realized using heterogeneous 3D-stacked bilayer ambipolar transistors. These ambipolar transistors consist of HfO2/NiO/Ga2O3/NiO/HfO2 heterostructures that are wrapped around by the Ti/Au gate electrode, resulting in record high electron and hole current on/off ratios of 109 and 107. The threshold voltage, subthreshold swing, and current density measured from 100 ambipolar devices (across 5 batches) are around -7.99 ± 0.92 V (p-channel) and 7.81 ± 0.81 V (n-channel), 0.59 ± 0.07 V/dec (p-channel) and 0.61 ± 0.06 V/dec (n-channel), and 0.99 ± 0.26 mA/mm (p-channel) and 58.23 ± 12.99 mA/mm (n-channel), respectively. All the 100 ambipolar devices showed decent long-term stability over a period of 200 days, exhibiting reliable electrical performance. The threshold voltage shift (ΔVTH) after negative bias stressing for a period of 3500 s is around 11.52 V (p-channel) and 10.21 V (n-channel), respectively. Notably, the n-channels exhibit ∼2 orders higher on/off ratio than the best Ga2O3 unipolar transistors at 300 °C. Moreover, the polarities of ambipolar transistors are reconfigurable into p- or n-MOS, which are integrated to demonstrate CMOS inverter, NOR, and NAND logic gates. The switching periods from "0" to "1" and from "1" to "0" of NOR are 0.12 and 0.17 µs, and those of NAND are 0.16 and 0.13 µs. This work lays the foundation of oxide-semiconductor-based CMOS for future integrated electronics.

Repositioning a laterally luxated maxillary central incisor with a vacuum-formed splint: a case report.

Splinting is the standard care for stabilizing replanted or repositioned permanent teeth following trauma. Traditionally, semirigid splints are used to stabilize a repositioned tooth, with support provided by adjacent teeth. However, in cases when the adjacent teeth are wide and/or can only provide minimal anchorage and support, it is difficult to fix the luxated tooth to its original position. This case report describes how a clear vacuum-formed splint was used to reposition and stabilize an avulsed maxillary left central incisor. Due to the avulsion, an unerupted canine, and partially erupted premolars, it was difficult to fabricate a traditional splint, hence the creation of the vacuum-formed splint.

Immunological depiction of synthetic B-cell epitopes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: To combat the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, the development of a better and faster diagnosis or more effective vaccine is essential. Pulmonary TB (PTB) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis of TB is difficult. Serological assays have been performed with several antigens of laboratory strains such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv which have not been found to be highly sensitive. In the present study, various peptides were synthesized which were predicted on the basis of immunoreactivity and differential expression in clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis compared to their expression in a laboratory strain of M. tuberculosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the antibody levels in PTB and healthy controls against these peptides. Methods: An effort was made to evaluate antibody response to peptides derived from proteins Rv2588c, Rv0512, Rv0148, Rv0896, and Rv0635 of M. tuberculosis in PTB patients and healthy individuals through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Five milliliters of venous blood samples was collected from each participant, and serum was separated and stored until use. Results: Antibody levels against these peptides, Rv2588c, Rv0512, Rv0148, Rv0896. and Rv0635 in 139 PTB patients and 52 healthy controls were evaluated. Higher immune response was observed in PTB patients when compared with healthy individuals. Strong immunoglobulin G responses with high percentage, considerable difference among patients and healthy controls was observed with P < 0.0001. Conclusion: In our study, we found significant statistical differences in antibody levels in PTB patients and healthy individuals against these peptides. These peptides are suggestive of being a potential new candidate (s) for early diagnosis of TB.

Ti3 C2 Tx MXene van der Waals Gate Contact for GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors.

Gate controllability is a key factor that determines the performance of GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). However, at the traditional metal-GaN interface, direct chemical interaction between metal and GaN can result in fixed charges and traps, which can significantly deteriorate the gate controllability. In this study, Ti3 C2 Tx MXene films are integrated into GaN HEMTs as the gate contact, wherein van der Waals heterojunctions are formed between MXene films and GaN without direct chemical bonding. The GaN HEMTs with enhanced gate controllability exhibit an extremely low off-state current (IOFF ) of 10-7 mA mm-1 , a record high ION /IOFF current ratio of ≈1013 (which is six orders of magnitude higher than conventional Ni/Au contact), a high off-state drain breakdown voltage of 1085 V, and a near-ideal subthreshold swing of 61 mV dec-1 . This work shows the great potential of MXene films as gate electrodes in wide-bandgap semiconductor devices.

Prevalence of traumatic injuries to the anterior teeth among 3-17-year-old school children of Indore and correlating it with Kuppuswamy SES, occlusal relationship and ascertaining percentage of those seeking the treatment.

BACKGROUND: Orofacial trauma is one of the most prevailing oral health problems among the children. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and distribution of traumatic injuries and to correlate the causes, specific age groups, socio-economic status, occlusal relationship and ascertain the percentage of those seeking the treatment among school children in Indore (Madhya Pradesh, India). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five thousand school going children aged between 3 and 17 years belonging to different zones of Indore were randomly selected and divided into three age groups, Group I - 3-5 years; Group II - 6-11 years and Group III - 12-17 years. The study was carried out by a single investigator and assisted by a well-trained cooperative alert assistant. An American Dental Association (ADA) type 3 examination was carried out using a mouth mirror and explorer under sufficient natural light. Traumatic injuries to the anterior teeth were recorded according to the Ellis and Davey classification. Details were noted concerning the gender, age and socio-economic status of patient; cause of trauma, number, type and relationship of teeth, lip competence and the level of unmet treatment needs. RESULTS: One thousand and seventeen children had traumatized anterior teeth with a mean prevalence of 20.34%. Prevalence was more in boys than in girls with a ratio of 2:1. Single tooth injury was observed in 81.7%. The prevalence of trauma was highest in the upper socio-economic class (31.4%) and least was seen in lower class (14.8%). The most common cause of trauma was from a fall (36.72%). Maximum prevalence was seen in either class II division 1 malocclusion or distal step terminal plane primary molar relationship. Only 2.95% of the children had undergone treatment for traumatically injured anterior teeth. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of traumatized teeth with the low percentage of children receiving treatment emphasizes the need for education programs about traumatic dental injuries that should be directed towards the children, parents and school teachers.

Knowledge of hepatitis B virus infection and its control practices among dental students in an Indian city.

Background Hepatitis B virus infection is a general cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma worldwide. It is highly contagious. It is an important reason for morbidity and mortality in the Indian population. Oral health professionals are at the highest risk. Vaccination for hepatitis B can prevent this deadly disease. Methods The present study was designed to evaluate the degree of awareness, knowledge of hepatitis B infection and status of hepatitis B vaccination among dental students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 students of 3rd year, 4th year and interns of a professional dental course. A pre-tested questionnaire was given to the students of each year. All the data management and analysis were carried out using SPSS software version 16. Results Eighty-six percent of the students had knowledge about hepatitis B infection. The majority of the students had correct knowledge regarding mode of transmission, however, 21% failed to recognize saliva as the mode of hepatitis B transmission. Forty-five percent of the students were vaccinated for hepatitis B. Conclusion The present study concludes that there is reasonable awareness of hepatitis B infection hazards, its transmission and vaccination, among the dental students who will be entering into the profession. However, half of the students were not vaccinated for hepatitis B in our study group, which keeps them at risk to the disease. The Indian Health Ministry should make hepatitis B vaccination mandatory for all health care professionals. A strategy should be executed for health education and compulsory vaccination of all students joining the health care professional colleges. Antibody titers should be routinely checked among those who are vaccinated.

Oral submucous fibrosis in a school-going Indian adolescent boy.

A 14-year-old boy presented to our hospital with a chief complaint of difficulty in opening his mouth and a burning sensation on eating spicy food. The oral mucosa showed generalized diffused blanching and he was unable to protrude his tongue. For 6 years he had habitually chewed gutkha - a mixture of betel nut and tobacco for several minutes a day. This oral submucous fibrosis condition is very rare in young patients. The case highlights the link between oral submucous fibrosis and the regular use of areca nut (gutkha) products in a young boy.

Hookah addiction among adolescents of five major cities in Central India.

INTRODUCTION: Hookah use among the Indian adolescents is on the rise without them being aware of its tobacco content. This prevalence study highlights the issues associated with hookah use among high school students of five cities of Central India. METHODS: A study among 3500 students of high schools was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of hookah users and its associated factors including initiation/cessation, patterns, perceptions and behavior. Responses were received from 225 hookah users. RESULTS: The prevalence of hookah users in the present study was found to be 6.4% (225). Most of the subjects first learned about hookah use from friends (64.5%) and smoked hookah in hookah lounges (90.7%). Generally, the adolescents were aware of various lounges in their locality. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the use of hookahs is attracting adolescents at a very early age and is attributed to the presence of hookah lounges in various cities of Central India. Hence, the legality of hookah lounges in India should be reconsidered.

The effect of xylitol on dental caries and oral flora.

Dental caries, the most chronic disease affecting mankind, has been in the limelight with regard to its prevention and treatment. Professional clinical management of caries has been very successful in cases of different severities of disease manifestations. However, tertiary management of this disease has been gaining attention, with numerous methods and agents emerging on a daily basis. Higher intake of nutritive sweeteners can result in higher energy intake and lower diet quality and thereby predispose an individual to conditions like obesity, cardiovascular disorders, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Non-nutritive sweeteners have gained popularity as they are sweeter and are required in substantially lesser quantities. Xylitol, a five-carbon sugar polyol, has been found to be promising in reducing dental caries disease and also reversing the process of early caries. This paper throws light on the role and effects of various forms of xylitol on dental caries and oral hygiene status of an individual.

Gingival squamous cell carcinoma presenting as periodontal lesion in the mandibular posterior region.

Gingival squamous cell carcinoma (GSCC) is a relatively rare malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity. It represents less than 10% of diagnosed intraoral carcinoma. Because of its close proximity to the teeth and periodontium, the tumour can mimic tooth-related benign inflammatory conditions. This case report describes a patient diagnosed with GSCC presenting as localised periodontitis.

Fragment reattachment of fractured anterior teeth in a young patient with a 1.5-year follow-up.

Crown fracture of maxillary anterior teeth is relatively common among children and teenagers. Aesthetic rehabilitation of crown fractures of the maxillary anterior is one of the greatest challenges to the dentist. Reattachment of a fractured fragment to the remaining tooth can provide better and long-lasting aesthetics, improved function, a positive psychological response and is a faster and less-complicated procedure. This article presents a case of reattachment of anterior tooth with a coronal fracture involving enamel, dentin and pulp with a 1.5-year follow-up.

Multiple idiopathic apical root resorption.

Idiopathic external root resorption is a rarely reported condition which has been observed in single or multiple teeth. This is a rare case of multiple idiopathic apical root resorption (MIARR) in a 16-year-old boy. External root resorption of the permanent teeth is a multifactorial process. Well-recognised causes of apical root resorption in permanent teeth include orthodontic therapy, trauma, periapical or periodontal inflammation, tumours, cysts, occlusal stresses, impacted teeth, systemic conditions, endocrine imbalances and dietary habits. When none of these causes are present, it is termed idiopathic root resorption which may be either cervical or apical. MIARR is a rare condition which is usually detected as an incidental radiographic finding. However, it may cause pain and mobility in severe cases.

Simplified design and precautionary measures in fabrication of a feeding obturator for a newborn with cleft lip and palate.

The immediate problem to be addressed in a new born with cleft lip and palate is the interference of feeding. Here we present a case of cleft lip and palate for which a feeding obturator was made to facilitate feeding till the defect could be surgically repaired. The design was modified by placing orthodontic wire on the acrylic plate for attaching the ties of mouth mask. Different precautionary measures undertaken while making impression for infant have also been described. Feeding appliance improved the sucking ability of the infant. The attachment of mouth-mask ties help in easy retrieval of the obturator intraorally in case of airway obstruction.

Fixed functional space maintainer: novel aesthetic approach for missing maxillary primary anterior teeth.

The first-line treatment of non-restorable traumatically injured or carious deciduous teeth is extraction which may be a curse for the future dentition as well as social activity of a child. Various therapeutic modalities from removable partial dentures to fixed space maintainer can be used for replacement of such lost teeth. Two types of fixed aesthetic space maintainers for replacing premature loss of maxillary deciduous incisors in 4-year-old children are discussed.

Management of an infant having natal teeth.

Eruption of teeth at or immediately after birth is a relatively rare phenomenon. These teeth are known as 'natal' teeth if present at birth and 'neonatal' teeth if they erupt during the first 30 days of life. Natal teeth might resemble normal primary dentition in size and shape; however, the teeth are often smaller, conical and yellowish and have hypoplastic enamel and dentin with poor or absent root formation. Complications include difficulty and discomfort during suckling, sublingual ulceration, laceration of the mother's breasts and aspiration of the teeth. These situations would warrant extraction. If the tooth does not interfere with breast feeding and is otherwise asymptomatic, no treatment is necessary. Negative cultural attitudes towards natal teeth demand good parental counselling and vigilant management in relation to child protection. Both general practice dentists and paediatric dental specialists may be involved in the supervision or treatment of patients with natal and neonatal teeth.

Taurodontism in deciduous molars.

Taurodont teeth are characterised by large pulp chambers at the expense of roots. An enlarged pulp chamber, apical displacement of the pulpal floor and no constriction at the level of the cement-enamel junction are the characteristic features of taurodont tooth. It appears more frequently as an isolated anomaly but its association with syndromes and other abnormalities have also been reported. Permanent dentition is more commonly affected than deciduous dentition. This paper presents a case report of taurodontism in relation to mandibular deciduous second molars.