Prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders among Undergraduate Dental Students Using Fonseca Questionnaire

Background: The term “temporomandibular joint diseases” refers to a group of linked conditions that affect the TMJ and its accompanying muscles, teeth as well as ligaments, and Occlusion. Dental undergraduates are more prone to temporomandibular joint disorders because of study stress and clinical workload. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the frequency and severity of temporomandibular joint disorders and their associated sign and symptoms in undergraduate dental students using Fonseca’s Questionnaire a cross-sectional study conducted in Karachi. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental students of two public sector dental colleges in Karachi, from June 2019 to December 2019. The inclusion criteria were dental students aged 18 or above, from first to final year BDS. Exclusion criteria were dental students with a history of systemic, musculoskeletal, or neurological disorders, under current temporomandibular joint treatment, and with orofacial pain. The sample size of 375 was calculated and recruited through convenience sampling. Fonseca’s questionnaire was used to assess Temporomandibular Disorders. The questionnaire includes bibliographic details along with an assessment of joint disorder according to Fonseca criteria. The data was analyzed on SPSS version 26.0. Results: The total number of participants enrolled in the study was 375, with a mean age of 20.61 + 1.16 years. Female participants account for the majority of TMDS i.e. 57.3% (n=215). Almost equal responses were received from all undergraduate BDS students. Findings showed that 58.4% (n=219) participants had no TMD followed by 36.3% (n=136) who suffered from mild TMD according to Fonseca’s score. Only 4.8% (n=18) participants reported moderate and 0.5% (n=2) reported severe TMD. The evaluation of different signs and symptoms associated with TMD revealed that difficulty to move the mandible, opening the mouth, and pain while chewing were statistically significant symptoms related to gender Conclusion: A concise anamnestic index makes it possible to recognize a TMD patient and, at the same time, categorize the patient based on the severity of the illness. The study concluded that temporomandibular disorders were seen frequently in undergraduate dental students. Fonseca’s index could effectively screen TMDs among undergraduate dental students which may lead to early diagnosis and effective treatment planning by the clinician

Bioactive and Antimicrobial Properties of Eggplant (<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.) under Microwave Cooking

Fruits and vegetables constitute a considerable amount of antioxidants and among them eggplant is a rich source of polyphenol compounds. This study investigated the bioactive and antimicrobial properties of eggplant under different degree of microwave cooking. The eggplant was cooked for 7 min (light cooked), 10 min (medium cooked), and 15 min (high cooked). The highest total polyphenol content was observed in the light cooked eggplant sample (27.35 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight (DW)) followed by high cooked sample (26.10 mg GAE/g DW), while the lowest total polyphenol content (2.79 mg GAE/g DW) was obtained for the uncooked (control) sample. The total polyphenol content of the samples ranged in the following order; light cooked > high cooked > medium cooked > uncooked. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging of eggplant ranged between 16.16% (control) and 47.88% (high cooked). The highest reducing power was exhibited by the light cooked (absorbance 1.708) eggplant sample followed by the high cooked (absorbance 1.597), while the lowest reducing power was shown by uncooked sample (absorbance 0.389). Moreover, antimicrobial studies showed that light cooked eggplant sample demonstrated broad-spectrum inhibition of growth in Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans. Slightly lower antimicrobial potential was exhibited by medium cooked eggplant sample while no antibacterial or antifungal activity was recorded for the extract of high cooked eggplant sample. Microwave cooking might be a method to enhance the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of eggplant

Different drying techniques effect on the bioactive properties of rose petals

This study explored the effect of different drying methods (sun, shade, oven) on the total polyphenol content (TPC) using the Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) procedure, total flavonoid content (TFC) using the AlCl3 colorimetric method, volatile organic compounds using GC/MS and the antioxidant properties of the rose petals using the protocol of DPPH assy. The results demonstrated that the drying methods had a significant impact and the highest TPC (34.24 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/ g fresh weight (FW)) and TFC (5.56 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/g FW) were obtained for the oven-dried sample. While, the fresh sample exhibited the lowest TPC (15.6 mg GAE/g FW) and TFC (3.83 mg CE/g FW), respectively. Similarly, the oven-dried sample showed the highest DPPH scavenging activity (60.30 %) and reducing power (absorbance 1.138) among all the samples. Fresh rose sample GC–MS analysis revealed that the there are two major compounds heptacosane 64.56 % and citronellyl propionate 28.35 %. Pentadecyl 2-phenylethyl ester oxalic acid was the second dominant compound in sun and oven-dried rose samples, 18.5 % and 14.79 % respectively

Effect of Air-Frying on the Bioactive Properties of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

The eggplant is an important vegetable that is used all over the world and it contains valuable bioactive properties. Cooking methods affect the nutritional value as well as the functional characteristics of vegetables. This study investigated the effect of air-frying at different temperatures and the extraction solvents on the bioactive properties of eggplant. The eggplant air-fried for 25 min and extracted with 50% ethanol exhibited the highest total flavonoid content (35.10 mg catechin equivalent per gram dry weight), while its total polyphenol content was found as 87.81 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram dry weight. The uncooked sample exhibited the lowest DPPH scavenging (IC50: 422.12 mg/mL reducing power: 0.914), while the highest DPPH scavenging activity (IC50: 2.87 mg/mL; reducing power: 0.936) was recorded for the sample air-fried for 25 min and extracted with 50% ethanol. The highest amount of tannic acid was found in medium-cooked eggplant, while chlorogenic acid was the highest in the high-cooked sample. These results might be helpful for functional food processors

Bioactive and Antimicrobial Properties of Oven-Dried Beetroot (Pulp and Peel) Using Different Solvents

Beetroot is a widely consumed crop all over the world and contains plenty of bioactive compounds. In this study, we analyzed the bioactive as well as the antimicrobial properties of the oven-dried beetroot (pulp and peel) using different solvents. The 50% methanolic extract yielded the highest content of total polyphenols and total flavonoids as well as the reducing power of the beetroot. The beetroot peel exhibited a higher content of total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and reducing power activity under all the extraction solvents. Mixture of methanol and water (50% v/v) extracted the highest chlorogenic acid (78.24 mg/100 g) of the dried beetroot peel, while 1,2-dihydroxybenzene was the most noteworthy phenolic compound (42.52 mg/100 g) in beetroot peel methanolic extract. The 50% methanolic extract of both peel and pulp demonstrated the highest antibacterial and anticandidal potential. These results can be helpful for beetroot consumption

Newborn Screening by Genomic Sequencing: Opportunities and Challenges

Newborn screening for treatable disorders is one of the great public health success stories of the twentieth century worldwide. This commentary examines the potential use of a new technology, next generation sequencing, in newborn screening through the lens of the Wilson and Jungner criteria. Each of the ten criteria are examined to show how they might be applied by programmes using genomic sequencing as a screening tool. While there are obvious advantages to a method that can examine all disease-causing genes in a single assay at an ever-diminishing cost, implementation of genomic sequencing at scale presents numerous challenges, some which are intrinsic to screening for rare disease and some specifically linked to genomics-led screening. In addition to questions specific to routine screening considerations, the ethical, communication, data management, legal, and social implications of genomic screening programmes require consideration

Patterns of Genetic Diversity among Alphasatellites Infecting Gossypium Species

Alphasatellites are small single-stranded circular DNA molecules associated with geminiviruses and nanoviruses. In this study, a meta-analysis of known alphasatellites isolated from the genus Gossypium (cotton) over the last two decades was performed. The phylogenetic and pairwise sequence identity analysis suggested that cotton-infecting begomoviruses were associated with at least 12 different alphasatellites globally. Three out of twelve alphasatellite were associated with cotton leaf curl geminiviruses but were not isolated from cotton plants. The cotton leaf curl Multan alphasatellite, which was initially isolated from cotton, has now been reported in several plant species, including monocot plants such as sugarcane. Our recombination analysis suggested that four alphasatellites, namely cotton leaf curl Lucknow alphasatellites, cotton leaf curl Multan alphasatellites, Ageratum yellow vein Indian alphasatellites and Ageratum enation alphasatellites, evolved through recombination. Additionally, high genetic variability was detected among the cotton-infecting alphasatellites at the genome level. The nucleotide substitution rate for the replication protein of alphasatellites (alpha-Rep) was estimated to be relatively high (~1.56 &times; 10&minus;3). However, unlike other begomoviruses and satellites, the first codon position of alpha-Rep rapidly changed compared to the second and third codon positions. This study highlights the biodiversity and recombination of alphasatellites associated with the leaf curl diseases of cotton crops

Boiling Technique-Based Food Processing Effects on the Bioactive and Antimicrobial Properties of Basil and Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn) are mostly used as herbal teas, made by steeping whole or ground herbs in boiling water. Hence, it is important to know the effect of boiling time on the bioactivity of these herbs. The effect of different boiling times (5, 10, and 15 min) on the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and some selected phenolic compounds of these herbs was examined in this study. Experimental results revealed that basil displayed the highest total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity when it was boiled for 5 min, and the lowest TPC was obtained when it was boiled for 15 min. On the other hand, rosemary had the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant potential after being boiled for 15 min, while it had the lowest after being boiled for 5 min. There was no growth inhibition of rosemary extracts against gram-negative bacteria, whereas higher growth inhibition was observed against gram-positive bacteria. The MIC and MBC of rosemary ethanolic extract against Listeria monocytogenes were 5 and 5 mg/mL and against B. subtilis were 10 and 10 mg/mL, respectively. While MIC and MBC of methanolic extract against L. monocytogenes were 5 and 5 mg/mL and against Bacillus subtilis were and 5 and 5 mg/mL, respectively. Salicylic acid was the most abundant (324.7 mg/100 g dry weight (dw)) phenolic compound in the rosemary sample boiled for 5 min, and acetyl salicylic acid was the most abundant (122.61 mg/10 g dw) phenolic compound in the basil sample boiled for 15 min