Using XTCE on the GOES-R Series

This presentation provides an overview of the mechanisms and methods used to implement the XTCE (XML (eXtensible Markup Language) Telemetric and Command Exchange format) schema for Telemetry and Command databases for the GOES-R series satellites

The Challenges Faced By Dental Students in Studying Oral Pathology Online During Covid-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVES The way of practising and teaching dentistry has changed significantly worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact on dental education should not be neglected. Therefore, sharing experiences about online teaching from in-person education is essential to a better learning process during this period. This study aimed to assess the challenges faced by dental students in studying oral pathology online during covid-19: a cross-sectional study. METHODOLOGY It was a descriptive cross-sectional study in the Department of oral pathology at Altamash Institute of dental medicine to assess the challenges students faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 110 participants were approached, and among them, 105 participants responded. Of 105 participants, 78% were females, and 22% were males. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.RESULTSAlmost 93.3% of the students felt in-person lectures are more effective than online lectures. Fourth-year students showed higher satisfaction with the number of online tutorial / practical classes taken to provide an in-depth view of the subject than 3rd year students (8.8% vs 91.2%, p=0.045). Fourth-year students showed significantly higher satisfaction with several online theory classes to provide an in-depth view of the subject than 3rd year students (p=0.045). CONCLUSION The present study concluded that most students prefer in person classes over virtual learning and face a lack of online interaction with the faculty.

Diagnostic Value of Gauze Filtration Technique: A Comparison with Conventional Methods in a Diagnostic Laboratory in Pakistan

Background: Intestinal parasites cause significant morbidity and impact human development with an enormous global burden. Diagnosis of intestinal parasites by conventional methods has several limitations. The gauze filtration technique is a relatively simple method that has been shown to identify intestinal parasites with a high sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of this technique as compared to more conventional methods in a large acclaimed laboratory within Pakistan. Methods: A total of 50 stool samples collected for routine diagnostic workup from patients age between 2-70 years were collected from the parasitology section of the Aga Khan University Hospital Clinical Laboratory. A direct wet mount, sedimentation technique, and gauze filtration technique were performed on all of the stool samples, and the sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were analyzed. Results: It was observed that the number of organisms observed by gauze filtration as compared to direct wet mount and sedimentation technique was higher for B. hominis, G. lamblia cysts and trophozoites, and I. bütschlii. Also, the detection rate was significantly higher for B. hominis and G. lamblia cysts using the gauze filtration technique. The sensitivity and specificity of the gauze filtration technique were found to be 95.8% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: There is a significantly better stool sample parasite detection rate using the gauze filtration technique as compared to the conventional sedimentation techniques. The utility of the gauze filtration technique seems economically and technically feasible for diagnostic laboratories in resource-limited settings

Indication of Hyperhomocysteinemia in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Cardiovascular Complications

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the prominent causes of mortality in cases of chronic Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and necessitates improving risk categorization. There are few available biomarkers that can assess preceding or current glycemic and cardiac status, but not prognosis. Serum homocysteine (Hcy) has been indicated and reported to be a likely biomarker that can detect cardiovascular complication in patients with T2DM. Methodology Present study details the comparative analysis of several biochemical and metabolic biomarkers including Hcy in T2DM patients with and without CVD complications. A total of eighty patients, n = 40 each in T2DM with CVD and T2DM without CVD, were included in the study.  Patient’s preparation, blood sample collection and analyses of all biochemical, metabolic markers including Hcy were performed as per standard protocols.  One way ANOVA was used for independent measures including Tukey HSD with level of significance at P< 0.05. Results Indication of hyperhomocysteinemia, was significantly apparent in patients with T2DM who have CVD, as compared to those with T2DM without CVD.  All other biochemical and metabolic parameters manifested marked significant (P< 0.00001) elevations, which was more perceptible in T2DM CVD as compared to T2DM non CVD. Clinical relevance of high Hcy in blood in patients with T2DM CVD thus suggested being prominent risk factor for proceeding renal and cardiac complications

An insight into perceptions of general pathologists about the need for oral pathology services: An observational study

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the degree of perception of oral pathology as a specialty among the general pathologists and the need of utilizing oral pathologists in assisting to identify oral lesions in diagnostic challenges. Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among qualified general pathologists to collect the data. The survey items focused on various aspects, including the analysis of oral pathology as a specialty, the importance of employing oral pathologists for identifying oral lesions in diagnostic challenges, and the difficulties encountered in managing such lesions. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. For comparing the relationship between work experience and the referral of odontogenic cysts and tumors cases, a Chi-square test was employed. A significance level of p  ⩽ 0.05 was deemed as statistically significant. Results: Two hundred and fifty general pathologists responded to the questionnaire. Two hundred and thirty two (92.8%) participants showed awareness of oral pathology as a specialty. For the diagnosis of oral, jaws, and salivary glands pathologic lesions, the majority 198 (79.2%) respondents believed that oral pathologists are required for the diagnosis. Regarding the referrals of lesions to oral pathologists, 137 (54.8%), participants did not refer. In terms of training in oral pathology, all of the participants agreed that they would undertake short-term posting in oral pathology. For challenging cases, all the general pathologists believed that oral pathologists should be part of the team. Conclusion: The general pathologists recognized oral pathology as a specialty and feel the need for an oral pathologist opinion in diagnosis. However, most of the general pathologists did not refer the complex cases to oral pathologists. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to encourage oral pathologists and their hiring at histopathology laboratories that are diagnosing complex head and neck cases

Comparison of Dental Anxiety While Visiting Dental Clinics before and after Getting Vaccinated in Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic

Vaccination is critical to control the rate of coronavirus transmission and infectivity. Dental practices are a high-risk area for contracting coronavirus; this fact generates psychological disturbances amongst patients. In this study, we aimed to assess the levels of anxiety of patients while visiting dental practices before and after getting vaccinated. This cross-sectional study was carried out between March and December 2021. An electronic survey was distributed among the vaccinated individuals who visited dental clinics before and after getting vaccinated. The survey consisted of the following four parts: demographic characteristics, questions related to coronavirus, and anxiety scores before and after getting vaccinated. SPSS-25 was used to perform the statistical analysis, where paired t-test was used to compare the anxiety scores, and Mann–Whitney U test to assess the association of gender with anxiety scores. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. A total of 400 vaccinated individuals participated in this study, with a response rate of 88.23%. The majority of the respondents (71.0%) did not test positive for coronavirus. More than half of the participants (54.0%) reported to not be suffering from any coronavirus-related symptoms. About 100 (25.0%) of the individuals stated that dental clinics are an environment in which there is a high risk of contracting coronavirus. In regards to the comparison of the mean MDAS scores of the participants before and after getting vaccinated, a significant difference (p = 0.001) was found. Vaccination has been recommended for all eligible individuals to control the transmission and infectivity of coronavirus. Vaccinations have decreased the dental anxiety of patients while visiting dental clinics. However, the protective measures are still valid and should be followed, regardless of the vaccination status

The effectiveness of single antibiotic paste nitrofurantoin V/S double antibiotic paste in alleviation of post-operative pain of patients suffering from symptomatic irreversible pulpitis—A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The present research evaluated and compared effectiveness between nitrofurantoin and double antibiotic paste in alleviating post-operative pain in patients suffering from symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Methods: There were 60 subjects enrolled who were allotted among three groups: Group 1 – Nitrofurantoin, Group 2 – double antibiotic paste, and Group 3 – Control. Succeeding access opening and chemo mechanical preparation, intracanal medicament was placed in the root canals. Using a numerical pain scale, pain scores were measured at the following time intervals: preoperative, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h. One-way ANOVA and post hoc statistical analysis were conducted, with a p -value of ⩽ considered as statistically significant. Results: Preoperatively, most patients experienced moderate to severe pain. The patients in groups 1 and 2 reported considerable reduction in their pain scores ( p  ⩽ 0.001) on each time interval. However, patients in group 3 experienced a higher level of pain even at 72 h. No considerable distinction was found among participant’s pain scores of groups 1 and 2 ( p  = 0.193). Conclusion: For effective pain-relieving, both nitrofurantoin and double antibiotic paste can be successfully used in patients suffering from symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. However, when calcium hydroxide was used, patients experience high levels of pain

Nasolabial Flap in the Management of Oral Sub Mucous Fibrosis: A Series of Cases

The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of the nasolabial flap in the management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). The descriptive case series included 75 patients diagnosed with OSMF who underwent surgical intervention under general anesthesia. Preoperative mouth opening measurements were compared with postoperative measurements taken after 2 months. Regarding mouth opening, out of the 75 patients, 4 (5.3%) had unsatisfactory results after treatment, while 22 (29.3%) experienced satisfactory outcomes. The majority of patients, 49 (65.3%), achieved normal mouth opening (more than 30 mm) following the Nasolabial flap procedure. This indicates that the Nasolabial flap yielded favorable results in terms of restoring normal mouth opening and benefiting the patients. Based on the findings of this study, the Nasolabial flap was determined to be a viable surgical option for managing oral submucous fibrosis due to its ease of operation, reliable flap vascularity, and low post-operative complication rate. The only drawback identified was the presence of a surgical scar, which can be addressed through secondary correction procedures

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Dentistry: Highlights from the Current Research

Many modern advancements have taken place in dentistry that have exponentially impacted the progress and practice of dentistry. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are becoming the trend in the practice of modern dentistry because of their impact on changing the patient’s experience. The use of AR and VR has been beneficial in different fields of science, but their use in dentistry is yet to be thoroughly explored, and conventional ways of dentistry are still practiced at large. Over the past few years, dental treatment has been significantly reshaped by technological advancements. In dentistry, the use of AR and VR systems has not become widespread, but their different uses should be explored. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide an update on the contemporary knowledge, to report on the ongoing progress of AR and VR in various fields of dental medicine and education, and to identify the further research required to achieve their translation into clinical practice. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for articles in peer-reviewed English-language journals published in the last 10 years up to 31 March 2021, with the help of specific keywords related to AR and VR in various dental fields. Of the total of 101 articles found in the literature search, 68 abstracts were considered suitable and further evaluated, and consequently, 33 full-texts were identified. Finally, a total of 13 full-texts were excluded from further analysis, resulting in 20 articles for final inclusion. The overall number of studies included in this review was low; thus, at this point in time, scientifically-proven recommendations could not be stated. AR and VR have been found to be beneficial tools for clinical practice and for enhancing the learning experiences of students during their pre-clinical education and training sessions. Clinicians can use VR technology to show their patients the expected outcomes before the undergo dental procedures. Additionally, AR and VR can be implemented to overcome dental phobia, which is commonly experienced by pediatric patients. Future studies should focus on forming technological standards with high-quality data and developing scientifically-proven AR/VR gadgets for dental practice

Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength between Resin Composites and Conventional Glass Ionomer Cement in Class II Restorative Technique—An In Vitro Study

The success of dental restorations depends mainly on the ability to bond to other filling materials and tooth substances, in order to resist the multitude of forces acting on the bond within the oral cavity. Although the shortcomings of composite resins have been significantly reduced over the past three decades, microleakage due to shrinkage under masticatory loads is unavoidable. In order to overcome such problems, two materials laminated with matched properties can be used to achieve optimum results. The sandwich technique is an approach in which dentine is replaced by glass ionomer cement (GIC), and enamel is replaced by composite resin. In the past, numerous materials have been proposed with adequate properties to be used in this manner, but the results are conflicting in terms of bonding to the various forms of GIC, and the appearance of microcracks or gap formation during functional loading. This study aimed to evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) and mode of failure between the following core materials: composite resins (CR) (Methacrylate Z350™, Ceram X™, and Spectrum™) with a base material of glass ionomer cement (GIC, Ketac Molar™). Eight samples were made with the help of polytetrafluoroethylene sheets (TEFLON, Wilmington, DE, USA). Each sheet consisted of holes which were 4 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness. The combination of materials was sandwiched. The samples were stored in distilled water and then placed in an incubator for 24 h in order to ensure complete polymerization. The samples were thermocycled for 500 cycles between 5–55 °C/ 30 s. Following thermocycling, SBS testing was performed using a universal testing machine. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed on representative samples for the bond failure analysis between GIC and the composite resins. The Ceram-X™ nanocomposite showed significantly higher bond strength than Methacrylate Z350™ or Spectrum™ (p = 0.002). The Methacrylate Z350™ and the Spectrum™ composite specimens demonstrated a similar SBS (p = 0.281). The SBS of the Ceram X™ to GIC was the highest compared to Methacrylate Z350™ and Spectrum™. Therefore Ceram X™ may produce a better bond with GIC, and may protect teeth against recurrent caries and failure of the restoration. Methacrylate Z350™ is comparable to Spectrum™ CR and can be used as an alternative. A combination of adhesive and mixed failure was observed in Methacrylate Z350™ CR and GIC, while adhesive failure was predominantly found in both Ceram X™ and Spectrum™ with GIC restorations