Salivary Diagnostics in Oral Diseases

Common oral diseases like dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral cancer have major impact on quality of life. For prevention, treatment and prognosis, it is essential to measure the disease objectively and accurately in a quantitative manner. Quantification of biochemical or molecular specific products of cancers in serum or localized body juices can be one of the current methods of measuring oral diseases objectively. Salivary diagnostics has influenced several researchers and has been verified as an important tool in the diagnosis of many systemic conditions and prognosis of the disease. Developments in the field of molecular biology, salivary genomics and proteomics have directed to the detection of novel molecular markers for oral disease diagnosis, therapeutics and prognosis

A comparative study on efficacy and safety profile of risperidone and iloperidone in patients of schizophrenia: randomized controlled study

Background: Antipsychotics are most commonly used as first line therapy for schizophrenia. Treatment with antipsychotics is marked by poor compliance, drug discontinuation and frequent switching attributable to lack of efficacy of recently introduced atypical antipsychotics. The objectives of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety profile of risperidone, most commonly used drug with iloperidone,a recently introduced antipsychotic.Methods: In this prospective, randomized open label 6-week study, 80 patients with diagnosis of Schizophrenia were randomized to two groups to receive either risperidone (4-8 mg) or iloperidone (6-24 mg). Their efficacy was assessed using reduction in PANSS score and safety profile was assessed by monitoring the adverse effects during follow-up visits at 2, 4, 6 weeks.Results: Efficacy parameter, PANSS score showed significant reduction in both groups as compared to baseline values after 6 weeks. But there were no significant differences between two groups. The safety profile assessed by comparison of adverse effects showed statistically significant differences between the groups (<0.01).Conclusions: Iloperidone with better extrapyramidal side effect profile and equivalent efficacy can be considered as good alternative to risperidone in schizophrenia treatment

Status of Serum and Salivary Levels of Superoxide Dismutase in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Oral Manifestations: A Case Control Study

BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a very well known metabolic disorder that has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Evidence suggests that oxidative stress increases in Diabetes Mellitus because of the excessive production of reactive oxygen species and an impaired antioxidant defence mechanism. This study estimated, compared and correlated the serum and salivary Superoxide dismutase levels in healthy subjects and subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus having oral manifestations.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, serum and salivary Superoxide dismutase levels were estimated in 45 healthy subjects and 45 patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with oral manifestations.RESULTS: The mean serum and salivary Superoxide dismutase levels were significantly decreased in subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with oral manifestations compared to the healthy subjects. Positive correlation in both healthy and diabetics was observed between serum and salivary samples.CONCLUSION: This study highlights that the abnormally high levels of oxidative stress in diabetics coupled with simultaneous decline in antioxidant defence mechanism results in complications in Diabetes mellitus. Thus exploring saliva for antioxidant markers that accurately reflect the redox status of the body is worthwhile.KEYWORDS: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Superoxide dismutase, antioxidan

Smart Battery Management System for Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are showing some promises in the automotive industry and can be the answer for mitigating carbon footprint. In the process of upgrading electric vehicles to the customer demands, battery performance serves a crucial part in deciding the performance of the electric vehicles. So, Battery Management System becomes the brains behind monitoring and controlling the battery. Real-time sensing of the battery parameters, decision-making capability to choose the type of charging, and which cell to be charged are all the functionalities of BMS. All these criteria can be assessed precisely and efficiently via processors like Raspberry pi, along with IoT and cloud computing technologies. These approaches can be used for remote accessing of the battery’s performance, which will help the customer and the company to analyse the vehicle's condition. They also help prevent battery degradation. Since IoT and cloud computing technologies are being used, if an adverse state occurs in the battery, the customer can be notified directly via their mobile. In this article, a combined technology of locally hosted processor and cloud-based decision making has been discussed to improve the battery intern Electric Vehicle’s performance

Genotype × Environment Studies on Resistance to Late Leaf Spot and Rust in Genomic Selection Training Population of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Foliar fungal diseases especially late leaf spot (LLS) and rust are the important production constraints across the peanut growing regions of the world. A set of 340 diverse peanut genotypes that includes accessions from gene bank of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), elite breeding lines from the breeding program, and popular cultivars were screened for LLS and rust resistance and yield traits across three locations in India under natural and artificial disease epiphytotic conditions. The study revealed significant variation among the genotypes for LLS and rust resistance at different environments. Combined analysis of variance revealed significant environment (E) and genotype × environment (G×E) interactions for both the diseases indicating differential response of genotypes in different environments. The present study reported 31 genotypes as resistant to LLS and 66 to rust across the locations at 90 DAS with maturity duration 103 to 128 days. Twenty-eight genotypes showed resistance to both the diseases across the locations, of which 19 derived from A. cardenasii, five from A. hypogaea, and four from A. villosa. Site regression and Genotype by Genotype x Environment (GGE) biplot analysis identified eight genotypes as stable for LLS, 24 for rust and 14 for pod yield under disease pressure across the environments. Best performing environment specific genotypes were also identified. Nine genotypes resistant to LLS and rust showed 77% to 120% increase in pod yield over control under disease pressure with acceptable pod and kernel features that can be used as potential parents in LLS and rust resistance breeding. Pod yield increase as a consequence of resistance offered to foliar fungal diseases suggests the possibility of considering ‘foliar fungal disease resistance’ as a must-have trait in all the peanut cultivars that will be released for cultivation in rain fed ecologies in Asia and Africa. The phenotypic data of the present study will be used for designing genomic selection prediction models in peanut

Detecting and Studying the Lightest Pseudo-Goldstone Boson at Future pppp, e+e−e^+e^- and μ+μ−\mu^+\mu^- Colliders

For an attractive class of dynamical symmetry breaking (technicolor) models, the lightest neutral pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson (\pzero) contains only down-type techniquarks and charged technileptons. We discuss the prospects for discovering and studying the \pzero of such models at the Tevatron and the LHC and at future \epem and \mupmum colliders. Depending upon the number of technicolors, \ntc, discovery of the \pzero at the Tevatron and the LHC in the gg\to\pzero\to\gam\gam mode could be possible over a wide range of mass. For \ntc=4, discovery of the \pzero at an \epem collider via the reaction \epem\to\gam \pzero should be possible as long as \mpzero is not near \mz. In the \gam\gam collider mode of operation at an \epem collider, the \gam\gam\to\pzero\to b\anti b signal should be very robust if \ntc=4. For the minimal \ntc=1 case, detection of the \pzero at the Tevatron and in \epem collisions will be very difficult, and the precision of measurements at the LHC and the \gam\gam collider decline markedly. A \mupmum collider yields a \pzero production rate that does not depend markedly upon \ntc. At a \mupmum collider discovery of the \pzero as an $s$-channel resonance should prove possible via scanning, even if it has not already been detected elsewhere. Once \mpzero is precisely known, operation of the \mupmum collider as a \pzero factory will allow precision measurements of enough observables to determine the number of technicolors of the theory and (up to a discrete set of ambiguities) the fundamental parameters of the low-energy effective Lagrangian describing the Yukawa couplings of the \pzero.Comment: 54 pages, latex equations.sty, 21 figures; revised to include results for $N_{TC}=1$ as well as $N_{TC}=4$, and other minor changes to yield correspondence to final published versio

Measurement of Semileptonic Branching Fractions of B Mesons to Narrow D** States

Using the data accumulated in 2002-2004 with the DO detector in proton-antiproton collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron collider with centre-of-mass energy 1.96 TeV, the branching fractions of the decays B -> \bar{D}_1^0(2420) \mu^+ \nu_\mu X and B -> \bar{D}_2^{*0}(2460) \mu^+ \nu_\mu X and their ratio have been measured: BR(\bar{b}->B) \cdot BR(B-> \bar{D}_1^0 \mu^+ \nu_\mu X) \cdot BR(\bar{D}_1^0 -> D*- pi+) = (0.087+-0.007(stat)+-0.014(syst))%; BR(\bar{b}->B)\cdot BR(B->D_2^{*0} \mu^+ \nu_\mu X) \cdot BR(\bar{D}_2^{*0} -> D*- \pi^+) = (0.035+-0.007(stat)+-0.008(syst))%; and (BR(B -> \bar{D}_2^{*0} \mu^+ \nu_\mu X)BR(D2*0->D*- pi+)) / (BR(B -> \bar{D}_1^{0} \mu^+ \nu_\mu X)\cdot BR(\bar{D}_1^{0}->D*- \pi^+)) = 0.39+-0.09(stat)+-0.12(syst), where the charge conjugated states are always implied.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Mapping geographical inequalities in oral rehydration therapy coverage in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17

Background Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is a form of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for diarrhoea that has the potential to drastically reduce child mortality; yet, according to UNICEF estimates, less than half of children younger than 5 years with diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) received ORS in 2016. A variety of recommended home fluids (RHF) exist as alternative forms of ORT; however, it is unclear whether RHF prevent child mortality. Previous studies have shown considerable variation between countries in ORS and RHF use, but subnational variation is unknown. This study aims to produce high-resolution geospatial estimates of relative and absolute coverage of ORS, RHF, and ORT (use of either ORS or RHF) in LMICs. Methods We used a Bayesian geostatistical model including 15 spatial covariates and data from 385 household surveys across 94 LMICs to estimate annual proportions of children younger than 5 years of age with diarrhoea who received ORS or RHF (or both) on continuous continent-wide surfaces in 2000-17, and aggregated results to policy-relevant administrative units. Additionally, we analysed geographical inequality in coverage across administrative units and estimated the number of diarrhoeal deaths averted by increased coverage over the study period. Uncertainty in the mean coverage estimates was calculated by taking 250 draws from the posterior joint distribution of the model and creating uncertainty intervals (UIs) with the 2 center dot 5th and 97 center dot 5th percentiles of those 250 draws. Findings While ORS use among children with diarrhoea increased in some countries from 2000 to 2017, coverage remained below 50% in the majority (62 center dot 6%; 12 417 of 19 823) of second administrative-level units and an estimated 6 519 000 children (95% UI 5 254 000-7 733 000) with diarrhoea were not treated with any form of ORT in 2017. Increases in ORS use corresponded with declines in RHF in many locations, resulting in relatively constant overall ORT coverage from 2000 to 2017. Although ORS was uniformly distributed subnationally in some countries, within-country geographical inequalities persisted in others; 11 countries had at least a 50% difference in one of their units compared with the country mean. Increases in ORS use over time were correlated with declines in RHF use and in diarrhoeal mortality in many locations, and an estimated 52 230 diarrhoeal deaths (36 910-68 860) were averted by scaling up of ORS coverage between 2000 and 2017. Finally, we identified key subnational areas in Colombia, Nigeria, and Sudan as examples of where diarrhoeal mortality remains higher than average, while ORS coverage remains lower than average. Interpretation To our knowledge, this study is the first to produce and map subnational estimates of ORS, RHF, and ORT coverage and attributable child diarrhoeal deaths across LMICs from 2000 to 2017, allowing for tracking progress over time. Our novel results, combined with detailed subnational estimates of diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality, can support subnational needs assessments aimed at furthering policy makers' understanding of within-country disparities. Over 50 years after the discovery that led to this simple, cheap, and life-saving therapy, large gains in reducing mortality could still be made by reducing geographical inequalities in ORS coverage. Copyright (c) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Mapping geographical inequalities in oral rehydration therapy coverage in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17

Background Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is a form of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for diarrhoea that has the potential to drastically reduce child mortality; yet, according to UNICEF estimates, less than half of children younger than 5 years with diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) received ORS in 2016. A variety of recommended home fluids (RHF) exist as alternative forms of ORT; however, it is unclear whether RHF prevent child mortality. Previous studies have shown considerable variation between countries in ORS and RHF use, but subnational variation is unknown. This study aims to produce high-resolution geospatial estimates of relative and absolute coverage of ORS, RHF, and ORT (use of either ORS or RHF) in LMICs. Methods We used a Bayesian geostatistical model including 15 spatial covariates and data from 385 household surveys across 94 LMICs to estimate annual proportions of children younger than 5 years of age with diarrhoea who received ORS or RHF (or both) on continuous continent-wide surfaces in 2000–17, and aggregated results to policy-relevant administrative units. Additionally, we analysed geographical inequality in coverage across administrative units and estimated the number of diarrhoeal deaths averted by increased coverage over the study period. Uncertainty in the mean coverage estimates was calculated by taking 250 draws from the posterior joint distribution of the model and creating uncertainty intervals (UIs) with the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of those 250 draws. Findings While ORS use among children with diarrhoea increased in some countries from 2000 to 2017, coverage remained below 50% in the majority (62·6%; 12 417 of 19 823) of second administrative-level units and an estimated 6 519 000 children (95% UI 5 254 000–7 733 000) with diarrhoea were not treated with any form of ORT in 2017. Increases in ORS use corresponded with declines in RHF in many locations, resulting in relatively constant overall ORT coverage from 2000 to 2017. Although ORS was uniformly distributed subnationally in some countries, within-country geographical inequalities persisted in others; 11 countries had at least a 50% difference in one of their units compared with the country mean. Increases in ORS use over time were correlated with declines in RHF use and in diarrhoeal mortality in many locations, and an estimated 52 230 diarrhoeal deaths (36 910–68 860) were averted by scaling up of ORS coverage between 2000 and 2017. Finally, we identified key subnational areas in Colombia, Nigeria, and Sudan as examples of where diarrhoeal mortality remains higher than average, while ORS coverage remains lower than average. Interpretation To our knowledge, this study is the first to produce and map subnational estimates of ORS, RHF, and ORT coverage and attributable child diarrhoeal deaths across LMICs from 2000 to 2017, allowing for tracking progress over time. Our novel results, combined with detailed subnational estimates of diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality, can support subnational needs assessments aimed at furthering policy makers' understanding of within-country disparities. Over 50 years after the discovery that led to this simple, cheap, and life-saving therapy, large gains in reducing mortality could still be made by reducing geographical inequalities in ORS coverage

Search for a new scalar resonance decaying to a pair of Z bosons in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV

A search for a new scalar resonance decaying to a pair of Z bosons is performed in the mass range from 130 GeV to 3 TeV, and for various width scenarios. The analysis is based on proton-proton collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The Z boson pair decays are reconstructed using the 4ℓ, 2ℓ2q, and 2ℓ2ν final states, where ℓ = e or μ. Both gluon fusion and electroweak production of the scalar resonance are considered, with a free parameter describing their relative cross sections. A dedicated categorization of events, based on the kinematic properties of associated jets, and matrix element techniques are employed for an optimal signal and background separation. A description of the interference between signal and background amplitudes for a resonance of an arbitrary width is included. No significant excess of events with respect to the standard model expectation is observed and limits are set on the product of the cross section for a new scalar boson and the branching fraction for its decay to ZZ for a large range of masses and widths.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]