"New Bully" in Town or More Opportunities: The Rise in Domestic Violence amidst COVID-19 Outbreak

The only job which never gets a break is &lsquo;house service&rsquo; and with more people living at home the work just adds on. There was a sudden rise of &lsquo;reported&rsquo; domestic violence in many countries of the world. Media, social and print hold the key in disseminating awareness of household abuse and call upon neighbors, families and friends to report violence.</p

Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Exhibit Osteogenic Differentiation Potential

Bone regeneration after trauma, pathologic and surgical procedures is considered a major medical challenge. Due to limitations in using conventional approaches, cell based regenerative strategies may provide an alternative option to address such issues. In the current study, we sought to determine the osteogenic potential of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) isolated from impacted 3rd molars. DPSCs were isolated from human dental pulp tissue (n=6) using explant culture. Growth characteristics of DPSCs were determined using plating efficiency, and the number and time of population doublings. After characterization, DPSCs were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts and were assessed using polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and histological analysis. Results indicated that DPSCs can be isolated from impacted human third molars, and that DPSCs exhibited typical fibroblastic morphology and excellent proliferative potential. In addition, morphological changes, histological analysis and expression of lineage specific genes confirmed osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. In conclusion, DPSCs isolated from impacted 3rd molars have high proliferative potential and ability to differentiate into osteoblasts

How Good Is Good Enough? - The Value of Impact Factor in Determining the Quality of Biomedical Research: A Review of Perspectives

The Journal Impact Factor is a Science Citation Index developed metric to evaluate the citations an article receives over a period of two years and serves as a surrogate marker to evaluate the quality of biomedical research. However, even though the calculation seems to be a straightforward mathematical equation, multiple confounders artificially impact the score- such as citing behavior, the region and language the journal is published in, and the ‘tip of the iceberg’ phenomenon. Despite an increase in metrics developed to alternatively gauge the prestige of research and the researcher- such as Eigenfactor Score, Article Influence Score and Google PageRank, the impact factor remains an essential instrument in dictating the scientist’s future in terms of job security, tenure extension, grant approval, and acquiring bonus, both hierarchical and monetar

Lung &amp;amp; Gynecological Cancers: Has COVID-19 Impacted Patients?

Coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) presented as case of viral pneumonia of unknown etiology is diagnosed by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test of the samples from upper and lower respiratory tract. It can present as a mild flu-like illness for healthy adults yet it may become a life-threatening disease for the immunocompromised, such as cancer patients, by predisposing them to respiratory pathogens which may manifest as life-endangering pneumonia. Physicians should carefully evaluate their patient&rsquo;s disease process and tailor treatment for individual patients to ensure that before doing beneficence, no further harm is done. Whether this is a wrinkle in time or the new normal, time will tell, but in light of recent evidence, &lsquo;extra&rsquo; caution is the way forward.</p

Application in medicine: Has artificial intelligence stood the test of time

Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven time and time again to be a game-changer innovation in every walk of life, including medicine. Introduced by Dr. Gunn in 1976 to accurately diagnose acute abdominal pain and list potential differentials, AI has since come a long way. In particular, AI has been aiding in radiological diagnoses with good sensitivity and specificity by using machine learning algorithms. With the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, AI has proven to be more than just a tool to facilitate healthcare workers in decision making and limiting physician-patient contact during the pandemic. It has guided governments and key policymakers in formulating and implementing laws, such as lockdowns and travel restrictions, to curb the spread of this viral disease. This has been made possible by the use of social media to map severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 hotspots, laying the basis of the smart lockdown strategy that has been adopted globally. However, these benefits might be accompanied with concerns regarding privacy and unconsented surveillance, necessitating authorities to develop sincere and ethical government-public relations