Knowledge and Awareness of Dentists Working at Tertiary Care Hospital Towards Radiation Protection and Safety

Background: Radiographs provide useful information and aid in diagnosis; though they have the potential to cause harmful effects as it uses ionizing radiation like X-Rays. In dentistry, it is mainly used for diagnostic purposes, and in a dental set‑up, usually the practicing dentist exposes, processes, and interprets the radiograph. Even though such exposure is less, it is critical to reduce exposure to the dental personnel and patients to prevent the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Certain amount of radiation is inevitably delivered to the patients, it should be as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). Dental practice has its own way of radiation exposure. Though the exposure is minimal, it is very important to reduce the radiation to avoid the accumulated dose to the dentist in their lifetime. Hence this present study was designed to assess the present knowledge and awareness towards radiation protection and safety. Methods: The study was conducted to explore the knowledge and awareness of Nepalese dentists towards radiation protection and safety. A cross-sectional study has been designed among 100 study participants.  The data obtained was analyzed by SPSS-16. Results: In this present study, 79(79%) of the participants think that dental X-Ray is harmful where as 21(21%) do not think it is harmful which is alarming. Awareness of ALARA principle was seen among 88(88%) of the participants. More than half of the participants 54(54%) in the study were aware of NCRP and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). 90% of the participants confirmed to adhere to radiation protection in the future. Conclusion: The knowledge and awareness of dentists in the study towards radiation protection and safety was seen to be insufficient in many arenas. Regular workshops should be facilitated at both the institutional and national level for motivating them towards maintaining radiation safety protocol

NALP3 inflammasome upregulation and CASP1 cleavage of the glucocorticoid receptor cause glucocorticoid resistance in leukemia cells

Glucocorticoids are universally used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and resistance to glucocorticoids in leukemia cells confers poor prognosis. To elucidate mechanisms of glucocorticoid resistance, we determined the prednisolone sensitivity of primary leukemia cells from 444 patients newly diagnosed with ALL and found significantly higher expression of CASP1 (encoding caspase 1) and its activator NLRP3 in glucocorticoid-resistant leukemia cells, resulting from significantly lower somatic methylation of the CASP1 and NLRP3 promoters. Overexpression of CASP1 resulted in cleavage of the glucocorticoid receptor, diminished the glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional response and increased glucocorticoid resistance. Knockdown or inhibition of CASP1 significantly increased glucocorticoid receptor levels and mitigated glucocorticoid resistance in CASP1-overexpressing ALL. Our findings establish a new mechanism by which the NLRP3-CASP1 inflammasome modulates cellular levels of the glucocorticoid receptor and diminishes cell sensitivity to glucocorticoids. The broad impact on the glucocorticoid transcriptional response suggests that this mechanism could also modify glucocorticoid effects in other diseases

The search for true sources of TBEV and related pathogens : the danger of professed beliefs on pathogens, host and vector interplays

Tick-borne disease in general is among the most important vector-borne diseases that are emerging as a threat to humans and is currently identified as a major health problem in many countries. Tick-borne encephalitis and lyme borreliosis are the main diseases transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks in Europe. Besides TBEV (Tick-borne encephalitis virus) and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, I. ricinus is known to transmit other pathogenic microorganisms like- louping ill virus, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Francisella tularensis, Coxiella burnetii and endosymbionts like-Wolbachia pipientis and Midichloria mitochondrii to humans and animals. Factors like climate change, human behavior and migrating animals are to blame for the spread of tick-borne diseases. The main route of disease transmission is through tick bites, but there is also evidence of infection through alimentary system for serious infectious agents like TBEV. The knowledge of natural foci and prevalence of these infectious microorganisms is important for risk assessment of human disease. In this study, a total of 3240 nymph and 234 adult ticks were collected from six location sites of three counties of Norway (Hordaland, Vest-Agder and Østfold). The tick samples were analyzed and detected with Real-time PCR, pyrosequencing and direct sequencing to detect the microorganisms. The minimum infection rate or prevalence was calculated from the confirmed observations. Because body fluids of the host animals are valuable epidemiological parameters for TBEV, we also analyzed cow milk and serum from sheep and cows from Hordaland, Vest-Agder and Skedsmokorset. Cow milk was analyzed with PCR and serum with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Two commercial ELISA kits were compared for their sensitivity and specificity. The study confirms the existence of TBEV endemic foci compared to earlier study. The overall estimated TBEV prevalence in nymphs was 0.12% and in adult 2.13%. The B. burgdorferi s.l. prevalence in adult ticks was 6.41%. A. phagocytophilum prevalence in nymph was 7.96% and in adult 19.23%. Prevalence of W. pipientis in adult ticks was 10.68% and M. mitochondrii 83.33%. We also found TBEV prevalence in a new location in Hordaland county. The detection of TBEV in milk and serum from cows has never been reported in Norway before

Controls of Organic Carbon Storage for Vegetation Along Valley Floors, Kananaskis, Canadian Rockies

The present study utilizes a field survey to investigate controls of organic carbon storage along valley floors in two steep, tributary drainage basins in a subalpine mountain environment, Kananaskis, Canadian Rockies. While terrestrial carbon remains one of the most uncertain components of the global carbon cycle, organic carbon storage along valley floors of small tributary basins has not been a focus of much previous research. Amounts of organic carbon storage in vegetation along valley floors is influenced by: (i) spatial organization of potential accommodation space associated with valley floors; and (ii) vegetation density. Field measurements show that valley floor widths are variable in the study basins, alternating between below-average, above-average and average values (in no particular order). Valley floor widths show an association with lithology and structural geology, such as folds and faults, in both study basins. Organic carbon density for vegetation is influenced by the availability of suitable substrate for vegetation growth. The availability of such substrate is controlled by deposition on valley floors resulting from mass wasting, debris flows, and floods. Together, the valley floor widths and organic carbon density result in significant variability in organic carbon storage along valley floors in the study basins. The 2013 flood in the Bow River drainage basin led to significant flood events and debris flow activity along tributary streams in Kananaskis. It is suggested that erosional and depositional activity along valley floors during this flood event may have killed significant amounts of vegetation and resulted in deposition of abundant, coarse-grained sediment (with the latter not being conducive to vegetation establishment). It is suggested that amounts of organic carbon storage associated with vegetation may have an underlying cyclicity that is driven by the episodic nature of geomorphic activity along valley floors resulting from recurring high magnitude hydroclimatic events

Mean Distance of Mental Foramen from Inferior Border of Mandible among Patients Visiting the Outpatient Dental Department in a Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction: Among many anatomical landmarks in the human skull, the mental foramen is a stable landmark on the mandible. The diverse morphology of the mandible indicates the specific characteristics of such anatomical structures in each individual. The aim of this study was to find out the mean distance of mental foramen from the inferior border of the mandible visiting the Outpatient Dental Department in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients undergoing orthopantomogram in the Outpatient Dental Department of a tertiary care centre from 3 February 2022 to 31 July 2022. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee. The patients with complete denture in the region of measurements were included in the study. A convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval. Results: Among 207 patients, the mean distance from the inferior border of the mandible to the lower border of the mental foramen was 11.83±1.83 mm (11.58-12.07, 95% Confidence Interval). Conclusions: The mean distance of mental foramen from the inferior border of the mandible was found to be similar to other studies done in similar settings

Tick-borne encephalitis virus in cows and unpasteurized cow milk from Norway

Tick‐borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is recognized as the most important zoonotic tick‐transmitted virus in Europe. TBEV is mainly transmitted to humans through bites from TBEV‐infected ticks (Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus). However, alimentary infection after consumption of unpasteurized milk and cheese from domestic ruminants has been reported. There is little information about TBEV in ruminants in Norway. The objectives of this study were to analyse unpasteurized cow milk for TBEV RNA and to study the presence of IgG antibodies to TBEV in the same animals. A total of 112 milk and blood samples were collected from cows from five different farms spread from southern to northern Norway. The milk samples were analysed by an in‐house reverse transcription (RT) real‐time polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by pyrosequencing. Serum samples were screened by a commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and verified by a TBEV‐specific serum neutralization test. We found TBEV RNA in unpasteurized milk collected from farms in the municipalities of Mandal, Skedsmo and Brønnøy in 5.4% of the tested animals. Specific antibodies to TBEV were only detected in Arendal, where 88.2% of the tested animals were positive. Further studies on milk containing TBEV RNA should be performed to conclude if TBEV found in unpasteurized milk in Norway is infectious, which could be of great importance in a One Health perspective

Feminist solidarity?:Women's engagement in politics and the implications for water management in the Darjeeling Himalaya

This article explores the motivations of a diverse group of women in the Himalayan region of Darjeeling district in India to engage (or not) in politics, and discusses how women, like men, are vulnerable to power and politics. In Darjeeling, class, ethnicity, and other divides are accentuated by unresolved, decades-long identity-based political conflicts that also obscure practical everyday needs and challenges. This defines which women engage in the political domain and, in the dominantly patriarchal political space, how these women relate to the region's enduring water challenges. In such a setting, it would be ideal to wish for solidarity among women that would overcome class and ethnic divisions and individual political aspirations, making space for gendering political causes and practical challenges. Such solidarity would be especially pertinent in the Eastern Himalaya, given the region's projected climate vulnerability and fragile democracy. However, reality is far removed from development discourse and policy which suggests an assumed camaraderie among mountain women: an imagined empathy and solidarity in relation both to environmental causes and concerns and the practice of equitable power and politics. In looking at how a diverse group of women in varying positions of power and powerlessness in Darjeeling District are unable, reluctant, or simply uninterested in addressing critical water injustices experienced by some, this paper calls for retrospection on both gender–environment myths and gender–politics fictions