Impact of Personality Trait of Emotional Stability on Oral Parafunctional Habits

OBJECTIVES To find the impact of emotional stability on oral parafunctional habits. METHODOLOGY A Cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the College of Dentistry, Sharif Medical and Dental College, Lahore, over five months, from July to November 2021. Data was collected using a medical questionnaire and a ten-item personality inventory scale (TIPI). The medical questionnaire comprised two sections with 11 items. The first section had six demographic statements, including age, gender, marital status, occupation, educational level and medical condition. The second section consisted of a pre-validated parafunctional habits questionnaire. RESULTSThere was a non-significant difference in the scores of the personality trait of emotional stability across categories of oral parafunctional habits of nail-biting (p=0.093), tooth grinding (p=0.192), tooth clenching (p=0.055), biting on hard objects (p=0.17) and chewing gum (p=0.116). CONCLUSION Emotional stability was most prevalent in individuals who denied having the habit of nail-biting, teeth grinding, tooth clenching and biting hard objects but neither agreed nor disagreed with having the habit of chewing gum

Comparative corrosion behavior of Au50-Ag25-Pd25 and Ni88.6-Cr11.4 alloys utilized in dental applications

The electrochemical behaviour of alloys (Au50-Ag25-Pd25 and Ni88.6-Cr11.4) was studied in Fusayama's artificial saliva at pH 6.5 and 37 °C by using open circuit potential, electro­chemical impedance spectroscopy, and potentiodynamic polarization measure­ments. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results were simulated with an equivalent electrical circuit. After immersion in artificial saliva, surface characterization of samples was done using scanning electron microscopy connected with energy-dispersive spectro­scopy. All obtained results revealed that Au50-Ag25-Pd25 alloy is much more resistive than Ni88.6-Cr11.4 and can be recommended for the effective treatment of patients with dental prosthetics that have metal frameworks. s

A cross-sectional study on the etiological causes of cervical lesions among patients without caries in Lahore, Pakistan

Background and Aim: Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) are defined as any deterioration of the tooth tissue in terms of abrasion, composition, and erosion during normal and/or pathological function. The present study aimed to assess different etiological causes of cervical lesions among patients without caries in the population of Lahore, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 62 patients aged 16-60 years in the Department of Dentistry of a Tertiary Care Hospital of Lahore, Pakistan from July 2022 to December 2022. Patients were categorized into two groups: Group-I (Non-carious dental lesions patients) and Group-II (without non-carious dental lesions patients). All the patients underwent clinical examinations and answered a questionnaire which included inquiries related to oral hygiene, personal impressions, eating habits, teeth appearance and functionality, and it also emphasized on the different etiologies of non-carious dental lesions.Results: Out of the total 62 patients, the study and the control groups consisted of 38 (61.3%) and 24 (38.7%) patients respectively. Age-wise distribution of the patients was as follows: 19 (30.6%) in 16-30 years, 12 (19.4%) in 31-45 years, and 31 (50%) in 46-60 years.&nbsp

Herbal Medicines against Hydatid Disease: A Systematic Review (2000–2021)

Echinococcosis is a serious public health issue that affects people and livestock all over the world. Many synthetic and natural products have been examined in vitro and in vivo on Echinococcus species but only a few are used clinically, however, they may cause some complications and side effects. To overcome these limitations, new horizons of herbal drugs to cure echinococcosis are opening with every passing day. To summarize the developments during the last 21 years, we conducted this review of the literature to identify medicinal herbs utilized throughout the world that have anti-Echinococcus activity. From 2000 to 2021, data were carefully obtained from four English databases: Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and OpenGrey. Botanical name, extraction technique, extract quantities, efficacy, duration of treatment, year of publication, and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were all well noted. Ninety-one published papers, with 78 in vitro and 15 in vivo, fulfilled our selection criteria. Fifty-eight different plant species were thoroughly tested against Echinococcus granulosus. Zataria multiflora, Nigella sativa, Berberis vulgaris, Zingiber officinale (ginger), and Allium sativum were the most often utilized anti-Echinococcus herbs and the leaves of the herbs were extensively used. The pooled value of IC50 was 61 (95% CI 60–61.9) according to the random effect model and a large degree of diversity among studies was observed. The current systematic study described the medicinal plants with anti-Echinococcus activity, which could be investigated in future experimental and clinical studies to identify their in vivo efficacy, lethal effects, and mechanisms of action

Image_1_Prevalence, risk factors and first record of mitochondrial cox1 gene-based molecular characterization of Paramphistomum epiclitum from Pakistan.JPEG

Parasitic infestations are one of the major threats to the livestock industry in Pakistan. These have a negative impact on the production of domesticated livestock species. Paramphistomes belong to the superfamily Paramphistomoidea and are involved in infecting ruminants all over the world. To date, there was no information on mitochondrial DNA-based molecular characterization of Paramphistomum epiclitum from Pakistan. To close this research gap, this study was designed to provide insights into the epidemiology of Paramphistomum species. Paramphistomum epiclitum isolates were recovered from the rumen of small ruminants slaughtered at an abattoir located in Faisalabad city and animal demographics were recorded. DNA was extracted and mitochondrial cox1 was amplified and sequenced. Prevalence was calculated along with a 95% confidence interval in various groups. The chi-square test was applied to determine the association between different variables under investigation. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the Bayesian method. Population diversity indices were calculated using DnaSP 4.5 software. A total of 43 mutations were observed among 7 haplotypes. Negative values of Fu's Fs values, and Tajima's D indicated population expansion. Deworming, season, and grazing were the variables that significantly correlate (p < 0.05) with the prevalence of P. epiclitum. The high prevalence of P. epiclitum demonstrates that more studies are indeed needed to further understand the prevalence and distribution of P. epiclitum in definitive and all potential intermediate hosts in addition to intraspecies variation and relationship with populations from other locations.</p

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially