Nevin Manimala

J Genet Eng Biotechnol. 2022 Jul 1;20(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s43141-022-00360-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The utilization of bioluminescent bacteria in environmental monitoring of water contaminates considers being a vital and powerful approach. This study aimed to isolate, optimize, and apply luminescent bacteria for toxicity monitoring of various toxicants in wastewater.

RESULTS: On the basis of light intensity, strain Vibrio sp. 6HFE was initially selected, physiologically/morphologically characterized, and identified using the 16SrDNA gene. The luminescence production was further optimized by employing statistical approaches (Plackett-Burman design and central composite design). The maximum bioluminescence intensity recorded 1.53 × 10⁶ CPS using optimized medium containing (g/L), yeast extract (0.2g), CaCl₂ (4.0), MgSO₄ (0.1), and K₂HPO₄ (0.1) by 2.3-fold increase within 1h. The harnessing of Vibrio sp. 6HFE as a bioluminescent reporter for toxicity of organic solvents was examined using a bioluminescence inhibition assay. According to IC₅₀ results, the toxicity order of such pollutants was chloroform > isoamyl > acetic acid > formamide > ethyl acetate > acetonitrile > DMSO > acetone > methanol. However, among eight heavy metals tested, the bioluminescence was most sensitive to Ag⁺ and Hg⁺ and least sensitive to Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺. Additionally, the bioluminescence was inhibited by benzene, catechol, phenol, and penta-chlorophenol at 443.1, 500, 535.1, and 537.4 ppm.

CONCLUSION: Vibrio sp. 6HFE succeeded in pollution detection at four different environmental and wastewater samples revealing its efficiency in ecotoxicity monitoring.

PMID:35776216 | DOI:10.1186/s43141-022-00360-1

J Math Biol. 2022 Jul 1;85(1):3. doi: 10.1007/s00285-022-01768-6.

ABSTRACT

The linear noise approximation models the random fluctuations from the mean-field model of a chemical reaction that unfolds near the thermodynamic limit. Specifically, the fluctuations obey a linear Langevin equation up to order [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the size of the chemical system (usually the volume). In the presence of disparate timescales, the linear noise approximation admits a quasi-steady-state reduction referred to as the slow scale linear noise approximation (ssLNA). Curiously, the ssLNAs reported in the literature are slightly different. The differences in the reported ssLNAs lie at the mathematical heart of the derivation. In this work, we derive the ssLNA directly from geometric singular perturbation theory and explain the origin of the different ssLNAs in the literature. Moreover, we discuss the loss of normal hyperbolicity and we extend the ssLNA derived from geometric singular perturbation theory to a non-classical singularly perturbed problem. In so doing, we disprove a commonly-accepted qualifier for the validity of stochastic quasi-steady-state approximation of the Michaelis -Menten reaction mechanism.

PMID:35776210 | DOI:10.1007/s00285-022-01768-6

Clin Oral Investig. 2022 Jul 1. doi: 10.1007/s00784-022-04603-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards pediatric dental radiography and its associated factors among Turkish parents seeking dental care for their children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 483 parents of children aged 6-15 years. Data were collected using the questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes based on The Health Belief Model and planned behavior theory. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistics were performed.

RESULTS: More than half of parents had correct knowledge on their rights to access health information, the radiation risk and exposure from dental X-rays, children’s vulnerability to radiation, and using lead apron. Most parents (70.4%) perceived dental X-rays as valuable. They had limited knowledge regarding the permanent damage and negative attitudes regarding its safety and goodness. There were positive correlations between knowledge-attitudes, knowledge-perceived benefits, and attitudes-perceived benefits (all p values < 0.01). Having a previous dental X-ray (p = 0.014) and not having parents’ information needs (p = 0.007) were associated with higher attitudes. Increasing education levels, having a educational need and higher perceived benefit were found to be predictors of higher parental knowledge.

CONCLUSION: Turkish parents had some knowledge and positive attitudes towards pediatric dental X-rays but not at optimum levels. Parents’ education levels, information needs, and beliefs were the most important factors affecting parental knowledge. Attitudes towards radiation safety and goodness should be improved.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings may provide useful insight to clinicians when developing theory-driven health education interventions on pediatric dental X-rays and identifiying the parents with low knowledge.

PMID:35776204 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04603-w

Clin Oral Investig. 2022 Jul 1. doi: 10.1007/s00784-022-04604-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The assessment of whether different orthodontic pliers used in bracket debonding have different effects on pain and sensitivity experience.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients (17 females, 16 males) with metal brackets were included in the study. Compressed air and freshly melted ice water were applied to each tooth (6-6) in upper and lower arch before bracket debonding (T0), just after debonding (T1), and 1 week after debonding (T2). Bracket remover plier (BRP) and Weingart plier (WP) were used to debond brackets. A numeric rating scale (NRS) was used to assess sensitivity for each tooth at T0, T1, and T2. Tooth pain was assessed for each tooth using NRS during bracket debonding.

RESULTS: Statistically higher pain scores were found in teeth U4 (upper first premolar) (p = 0.017) and L6 (lower first molar) (p = 0.026) in Weingart plier group. No statistically significant difference was found during debonding in the other teeth between groups. Statistically high sensitivity score was found at T1 time point in tooth U3 (upper canine) by applying air stimulus in Weingart plier group (p = 0.024). There was no statistically significant difference between the sensitivity scores measured at T2 time point by applying air and cold stimuli between groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the debonding pain scores were statistically significant in two teeth and the sensitivity score in one tooth, there was no clinical significance between the two pliers in terms of pain and sensitivity.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Both debonding pliers gave clinically similar results in terms of pain and sensitivity.

PMID:35776201 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04604-9

Clin Oral Investig. 2022 Jul 1. doi: 10.1007/s00784-022-04582-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To describe and compare the pontic site development for fixed-dental prostheses (FDPs) with and without soft tissue grafting up to one-year post insertion of FDPs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A convenience sample of 24 patients participating in an ongoing RCT was provided with three-unit tooth-borne FDPs. Six patients received a subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) at the pontic site, whereas 18 patients were treated without any soft tissue graft (CONTROL). Digital impressions were taken prior to tooth preparation, after tooth preparation, after insertion of the final FDP, and at the 1 year of follow-up. The obtained stereolithography files (STL) were superimposed and profilometric as well as linear changes of the soft tissue profile were assessed at the pontic regions. Profilometric outcomes included changes of the ridge contour, the alveolar ridge width, and the crown height of the pontic. Further outcomes assessed included: the papilla index, the pink esthetic score (PES), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque control record (PCR). Descriptive and nonparametric statistics were applied for all outcome measures.

RESULTS: The median profilometric contour between tooth preparation and 1 year after the insertion of the final FDP decreased by – 0.25 mm [Q1, Q3: – 0.36, 0.14] in the CONTROL group and increased by 0.61 mm [Q1, Q3: – 0.18, 1.06] in the SCTG group (intergroup p = 0.038). The alveolar ridge width between prior to tooth preparation and the one-year follow-up amounted to – 0.12 mm [Q1, Q3: – 0.74, 0.70] (= loss) in the CONTROL group and to 2.23 mm [Q1, Q3: 0.62, 3.86] (= gain) in the SCTG group (intergroup p = 0.032). At one year, the median crown height of the pontic tended to decrease by – 1.24 mm [Q1, Q3: – 2.05, – 1.05] in the SCTG group (intragroup p = 0.094) and by – 0.22 mm [Q1, Q3: – 0.58, 0.66] in the CONTROL group (intragroup p = 0.831), with significant differences between the groups (intergroup p = 0.022). The papilla index between prior to tooth preparation and one year of follow-up improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.05). Between FDP delivery and one year of follow-up, the PES values decreased significantly in the CONTROL group (intragroup p = 0.007), while in the SCTG group the change was not significant (intragroup p = 0.875). Clinical parameters (PD, BOP, and PCR) remained stable over time and did not differ between the groups at any time point (intergroup p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the present study, soft tissue grafting tends to limit contour changes at pontic sites, thus maintaining the esthetic outcomes over time. The lack of soft tissue grafting results in stable clinical outcomes; however, it may lead to a decrease in aesthetic outcomes over time.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Autogenous soft tissue grafting seems to be a valid therapeutic option for the development of the pontic site to restore ridge defects prior to the delivery of fixed dental prostheses and to limit dimensional changes over time.

PMID:35776200 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04582-y

J Clin Invest. 2022 Jul 1;132(13):e151666. doi: 10.1172/JCI151666.

ABSTRACT

Cancers avoid immune surveillance through an array of mechanisms, including perturbation of HLA class I antigen presentation. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive, HLA-I-low, neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin often caused by the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). Through the characterization of 11 newly generated MCC patient-derived cell lines, we identified transcriptional suppression of several class I antigen presentation genes. To systematically identify regulators of HLA-I loss in MCC, we performed parallel, genome-scale, gain- and loss-of-function screens in a patient-derived MCPyV-positive cell line and identified MYCL and the non-canonical Polycomb repressive complex 1.1 (PRC1.1) as HLA-I repressors. We observed physical interaction of MYCL with the MCPyV small T viral antigen, supporting a mechanism of virally mediated HLA-I suppression. We further identify the PRC1.1 component USP7 as a pharmacologic target to restore HLA-I expression in MCC.

PMID:35775490 | DOI:10.1172/JCI151666

Ann Med. 2022 Dec;54(1):1732-1737. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2064542.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of combined detection of serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in children with bacteria or non-bacterial respiratory tract infection.

METHODS: 200 children with respiratory tract infections diagnosed in our hospital were included in the study. According to the results of the aetiological examination, they were divided into bacterial infection group and non-bacterial infection group. At the same time, 100 healthy children admitted to the hospital for physical examination during the same period were selected as the healthy subjects control group. Changes in serum SAA, PCT and CRP in three groups were compared. Comparison of a positive rate of the single index and combined detection were performed. Children with bacterial infections were treated with conventional antibiotics. The changes in serum SAA, PCT and CRP in the infection group before and after treatment were compared. The efficacy of SAA, PCT and CRP alone and in combination was compared.

RESULTS: The serum SAA, PCT and CRP levels in the bacterial infection group were higher than those in the non-bacterial infection group and healthy children, and the differences were statistically significant. The positive detection rates and combined detection rates of serum SAA, PCT and CRP in the bacterial infection group were higher than those in the non-bacterial infection group and the healthy subject’s control group. After conventional antibiotic treatment, serum SAA, PCT and CR levels in children with bacterial infection were significantly decreased.

CONCLUSION: The combined detection based on SAA, CRP and PCT can effectively identify and diagnose respiratory tract infection in children, providing a certain reference for the promotion of the diagnostic scheme. Key messagesSerum SAA, PCT and CRP were highly expressed in children with respiratory tract infection, and the expression level was the highest in children with bacterial pneumonia.The combined detection of serum SAA, CRP and PCT indicators have higher diagnostic efficiency and can effectively make a differential diagnosis of respiratory tract infection in children.

PMID:35775463 | DOI:10.1080/07853890.2022.2064542

J Clin Nurs. 2022 Jun 29. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16427. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To understand key factors for shared decision-making (SDM) and the quality improvement of nursing decisions in the orthopaedic clinical environment.

METHOD: This study applied the consistent consistent fuzzy preference relations (CFPRs) and importance-performance analysis (IPA) methods to explore the attribute weights and SDM performance, respectively. The dataset was collected from 16 orthopaedic clinical nurses’ experiences in a third-grade and first-level general hospital in Taizhou, China. This study was performed according to the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.

RESULTS: The results showed that “I made clear to my patient or patient’s family that a nursing care decision needs to be made”, “I explained the advantages and disadvantages of the nursing care options to my patient or patient’s family” and “I told my patient or patient’s family that there are different nursing care options for caring his/her medical condition” were key factors for affecting SDM. The statistical significance confidence and difference error of weight results were 98.321% and 1.679%, respectively. In addition, “I asked my patient or patient’s family which nursing care option he/she prefers” was the key factor for improving orthopaedic clinical nursing in the case hospital.

CONCLUSION: The hybrid CFPRs-IPA model can help hospital managers effectively understand the key factors of SDM quality and improve the orthopaedic clinical nursing performance from nurses’ perspectives.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A quantitative decision-making model can help nurses understand the key factors affecting the quality of SDM in nursing decision-making and promote nursing decision-making and patient-centred nursing service quality. A series of corresponding SDM training courses (i.e. concepts, knowledge and skills) can be provided for hospital and nursing department managers to maximise the potentially available resources.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The clinical care process should be committed to involving patients in their care decisions and also provide an opportunity for patients to gain a comprehensive understanding of the care decision-making process in order to inform future patient contributions to care decisions.

PMID:35775418 | DOI:10.1111/jocn.16427

Dent Med Probl. 2022 Apr-Jun;59(2):263-270. doi: 10.17219/dmp/143078.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: YouTube™ is considered a convenient and popular platform to seek healthcare information, which is uploaded by people of various professions.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the content and the quality of the YouTube videos containing information about vitamin D for children.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A YouTube search was performed using the terms ‘vitamin D for children’ and ‘vitamin D deficiency in children’. Two independent reviewers scored the videos with the use of a customized 11-point scoring scheme and the 5-point Global Quality Scale (GQS) to assess the content and the quality of each video. The videos were further classified into poor, moderate and good videos. The Kruskal-Wallis and χ2 tests as well as Spearman’s correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: In a total of 120 videos screened, 70 videos were included. They had a median content score of 4 and a median GQS score of 3. According to the information included in the videos and their overall quality, most of the videos were categorized as moderate (n = 33; 47.14% and n = 32; 45.71%, respectively). Good-quality videos had statistically significantly higher content scores as compared to the other groups (p = 0.001). A positive correlation was found between the content score and the GQS score (ρ = 0.434; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Most of the videos on YouTube about vitamin D were rated as moderate according to the sufficiency of the information and also their overall quality. This suggests that health organizations need to make further efforts to create good-quality medical content on popular social media platforms, such as YouTube.

PMID:35775413 | DOI:10.17219/dmp/143078

Dent Med Probl. 2022 Apr-Jun;59(2):187-193. doi: 10.17219/dmp/146791.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, dentists must avoid the aerosol-generating procedures during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the rate of bracket bond failure with the aerosol-generating and non-aerosol generating bonding techniques.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on a sample of 44 patients (880 teeth), equally divided into 2 groups: the conventional aerosol-generating bonding technique (ABT); and the novel non-aerosol-generating bonding technique (NABT). The rate of bracket survival and total number of bracket breakages in the 2 groups were assessed by means of the survival regression analysis. The influence of pre-treatment factors, such as the sagittal jaw relationship (ANB), the Frankfort-mandibular plane angle (FMA), overjet, overbite, and upper and lower crowding, on the rate of bracket survival was also evaluated.

RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between ABT and NABT in terms of bracket survival. The mean bracket survival with ABT was 176.21 ±77.89 days and with NABT it was 162.53 ±83.34 days. The novel technique showed a hazard ratio of bracket survival of 2.99 as compared to the conventional method. There was a statistically significant influence of overjet on the rate of bracket survival (p = 0.010). The posterior segment had a higher rate of bracket failure as compared to the anterior segment in NABT, which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). However, this difference was statistically non-significant in the case of ABT.

CONCLUSIONS: There was an increased rate of bracket failure with NABT as compared to ABT. The rate of bracket breakages in the anterior quadrants was comparable for both bonding techniques.

PMID:35775411 | DOI:10.17219/dmp/146791