Cure from the rhizomes: the medicine behind the Indian saffron Curcumin

Indian system of medicine has always focused on cure from the nature. Plant products from the Indian household have been used as medicine to cure myriad of ailments since ancestral times. Curcumin is a polyphenol, an active ingredient found in turmeric. In Southeast Asia, turmeric has been used as a coloring, flavoring and as a therapeutic agent. The use of turmeric to treat ailments dates back to the times of Charaka and Shushrutha. It has been widely used as an antiseptic for cuts, burns, and bruises, and as an antibacterial agent. Modern medicine has begun to understand its importance in recent times. Unfortunately its poor solubility, limited absorption and enhanced metabolism limits its bioavailability for its extended therapeutic use. Integration of nanotechnology in drug design and development has led the way to development of nanocurcumin with improved pharmacological properties. A precise understanding of effective dose, safety, and mechanism of action is required for the rational use of turmeric in the treatment of human diseases. This review focuses on the molecular actions of curcumin and its possibility to be used as a therapeutic agent in conditions affecting oral mucosa

An analgesic to bridge the gap between Narcotics and NSAIDs: opiorphin

Pain management is an all-time challenge in dentistry. Discontent to pain management is a concern among patients and professionals. Unrelieved pain affects physical and mental well-being contributing to delayed recovery, psychological distress and anxiety. Studies have revealed that chronic pain interferes with normal daily chores of the individual like exercise, sleep, social life and lifestyle. At one end of pain management spectrum are Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) while at the other end are the opioids. These drugs are not without constituent side effects. The quest is for new analgesics with potent and long term analgesia with minimal or no side effects. An analgesic that is intermediate in this spectrum is the need of the hour. Opiorphin is an endogenous peptide isolated from human saliva. Opiorphin produces analgesia, by inhibiting enkephalin (ENK) metabolizing enzymes, thus increasing the half-life of circulating ENKs. Apart from being a potent analgesic it can also be a potential biomarker for various systemic and psychosocial disorders. This review focuses on the pharmacological effects of opiorphin and its potential role as a biomarker in various disease conditions

Cure from the rhizomes: the medicine behind the Indian saffron Curcumin

Indian system of medicine has always focused on cure from the nature. Plant products from the Indian household have been used as medicine to cure myriad of ailments since ancestral times. Curcumin is a polyphenol, an active ingredient found in turmeric. In Southeast Asia, turmeric has been used as a coloring, flavoring and as a therapeutic agent. The use of turmeric to treat ailments dates back to the times of Charaka and Shushrutha. It has been widely used as an antiseptic for cuts, burns, and bruises, and as an antibacterial agent. Modern medicine has begun to understand its importance in recent times. Unfortunately its poor solubility, limited absorption and enhanced metabolism limits its bioavailability for its extended therapeutic use. Integration of nanotechnology in drug design and development has led the way to development of nanocurcumin with improved pharmacological properties. A precise understanding of effective dose, safety, and mechanism of action is required for the rational use of turmeric in the treatment of human diseases. This review focuses on the molecular actions of curcumin and its possibility to be used as a therapeutic agent in conditions affecting oral mucosa

Radiation safety protocol in dentistry: A neglected practice

Aim: The ready availability of radiodiagnostic aids has led to its overuse in dental practice. In addition, failure to reinforce the radiation safety procedures has unknowingly resulted in the negligence of the as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principles among many dentists. Apart from patients, the dentists and dental assistants are being exposed to radiation in the clinics during regular practice. The current survey was designed to assess the awareness, concern, and practice of radiation protection in general dental practice. Materials and Methods: The survey consisted of 86 dentists in Bangalore city. A cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire consisting of a total of 31 items was used. The obtained data were compiled and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 software (IBM Corporation, New York, United States). Results: All the dentists responded in the study (100%); the participants had limited knowledge regarding the radiation equipment. Majority of the participants were using rounded collimator (96.5%) and short cone (61.6%). E-speed film was used by most of the dentists (90.7%). Bisecting angle technique was preferred by most of the practitioners (69.8%) for making periapical radiographs. Only 20.9% of the dentists made their patients wear lead apron during X-ray exposure. None of them were using thyroid collar. Most of the dentists practiced at a safe distance of 6 ft from the X-ray tube, whereas 10.5% of the dentists assisted holding the radiographic receptor beside the patient. Radiation monitoring was performed by only 20% of the practitioners. Conclusion: The knowledge and practice of radiation protection were not satisfactory. Repeated reinforcement in the form of continued dental education program is necessary, and, most importantly, change in the attitude of the dentist to follow ALARA should be advocated

Functional characterisation and product specificity of Endo-β-1,3-glucanase from alkalophilic bacterium, Bacillus lehensis G1

Endo-β-1,3-glucanase from alkalophilic bacterium, Bacillus lehensis G1 (Blg32) composed of 284 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 31.6 kDa is expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Herein, Blg32 characteristics, substrates and product specificity as well as structural traits that might be involved in the production of sugar molecules are analysed. This enzyme functions optimally at the temperature of 70 °C, pH value of 8.0 with its catalytic activity strongly enhanced by Mn2+. Remarkably, the purified enzyme is highly stable in high temperature and alkaline conditions. It exhibits the highest activity on laminarin (376.73 U/mg) followed by curdlan and yeast β-glucan. Blg32 activity increased by 62% towards soluble substrate (laminarin) compared to insoluble substrate (curdlan). Hydrolytic products of laminarin were oligosaccharides with degree of polymerisation (DP) of 1 to 5 with the main product being laminaritriose (DP3). This suggests that the active site of Blg32 could recognise up to five glucose units. High concentration of Blg32 mainly produces glucose whilst low concentration of Blg32 yields oligosaccharides with different DP (predominantly DP3). A theoretical structural model of Blg32 was constructed and structural analysis revealed that Trp156 is involved in multiple hydrophobic stacking interactions. The amino acid was predicted to participate in substrate recognition and binding. It was also exhibited that catalytic groove of Blg32 has a narrow angle, thus limiting the substrate binding reaction. All these properties and knowledge of the subsites are suggested to be related to the possible mode of action of how Blg32 produces glucooligosaccharides

Iron-Zinc Co-Doped Titania Nanocomposite: Photocatalytic and Photobiocidal Potential in Combination with Molecular Docking Studies

In the current research study, iron-zinc co-doped TiO2 was reported as an energy efficient material for the degradation of DIPA and inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus under visible light irradiation. In addition, molecular docking simulation was performed to provide further insight into possible targets for inhibiting bacterial development. The synthesized nanocomposites were screened and optimized for different synthesis and reaction parameters. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized nanocomposites were evaluated through different characterization techniques. The wet impregnation (WI) approach was among the most successful methods for the synthesis of Fe-Zn-TiO2 nanocomposite (NC) utilizing anatase titanium. Moreover, 66.5% (60 min reaction time) and 100% (190 min reaction time) chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was obtained through optimized NC, i.e., 0.1Fe-0.4Zn metal composition and 300 °C calcination temperature. The energy consumption for the best NC was 457.40 KW h m−3. Moreover, 0.1Fe-0.4Zn-TiO2-300 was more efficient against S. aureus compared to E. coli with 100% reduction in 90 min of visible light irradiations. Furthermore, 0.1Fe-0.4Zn-TiO2-300 NC showed that the binding score for best docked conformation was −5.72 kcal mol−1 against β-lactamase from E. coli and −3.46 kcal mol−1 from S. aureus. The studies suggested the Fe-Zn in combination with TiO2 to be a possible inhibitor of β-lactamase that can be further tested in enzyme inhibition studies