World Alzheimer’s Day: The Need to Spread Awareness

Short Commentray on the Occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day by Dr. Harpreet Grewal, Professor & Head (Unit-II), Department of Dentistry, UCMS & GTB Hospital, Delhi-110095 &nbsp

A Case Report of Carcinoma ex Pleomorphic Adenoma

Carcinoma ex-pleomorphic nonmalignant tumour (Ca ex PA, CXPA) is a rare, aggressive, poorly understood malignancy of the exocrine gland. The clinical findings typical of this neoplasm embrace history of a slow growing, ulcerated, painless mass that enlarges speedily.  The current definition of Ca ex PA became widely accepted in the second half of the twentieth century. It is uncommon, having a prevalence rate of 5.6 cases per 100,000 malignant neoplasms and a yearly incidence rate of 0.17 tumours per 1 million persons in the world. The cancer is found predominantly in the sixth to eighth decades of life and is slight female predilection.&nbsp

A comparison of macro and micronutrient intake of adult men with different degrees of abdominal obesity

One hundred and two volunteer male subjects (40-60 years) were divided on the basis of abdominal obesity into three groups - No abdominal obesity i.e. Grade 0 with waist circumference <94 cm; Abdominal obesity i.e. Grade I with waist circumference: 94.1 to 101.9 cm and Grade II with waist circumference: >102 cm. The daily consumption of protein per kg body weight of the subjects was 1.28, 1.21 and 1.06g, the protein intake of the subjects with Grade II AO was significantly (p?0.001) lower than the subjects with either no AO or Grade I AO. The carbohydrate: protein ratio varied between a narrow range of 3.48 to 3.69 among the three groups indicating high carbohydrate diets of all the subjects. Energy and fat intake of the subjects in all the groups was much higher than the recommended dietary allowances. The ratio of animal: plant protein intake was almost similar in the subjects with no AO or with Grade I and II AO, the ratio being 0.74, 0.81 and 0.89, respectively.  The micronutrient intake of the studied group was fairly adequate. Out of eight major vitamins, six were more than adequate (>100%) or marginally adequate (>75%), while the intake of minerals namely calcium, iron and zinc was adequate or nearly adequate among the subjects in the all the three groups, thereby indicating a good mineral and vitamin status of subjects in the present study

IMPACT OF HUMAN CAPITAL ON THE PERFORMANCE (QUALITY OF PUBLICATIONS) OF RESEARCH INSTITUTES IN INDIA- AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

The purpose of the paper is to see the impact of Knowledge, skills, Innovation & creative ability and human capital as a whole on the quality of publications in research institutions in India. The quality of publication is defined as number of SCI publications in last five years and Knowledge, skills, Innovative &Creative Ability and human capital is measured through a comprehensive research questionnaire on 5 point scale. The responses from 119 scientists across various research institutions were collected and analyzed using Structural Equation model. The results of the study show that Knowledge, skills and Innovative and creative capability and human capital as a whole have a positive significant impact on the quality of publications in India. Key Words: human capital, intellectual capital, knowledge, R&D, performanc

The effect of COVID-19 on orthodontic treatment demand and its delivery in India

Introduction: The ongoing pandemic has transformed the entire structural and functional framework of the world including the medical and dental healthcare services. The current study intends to examine the pattern of dynamically changing working conditions and orthodontic treatment delivery during the various phases of pandemic. Method: An online survey was conducted using Google form for orthodontic specialists practicing in India. Information regarding the impact of the pandemic on various aspects like patient turnover, treatment demand, clinical management, and new challenges faced were analysed through a self-designed close-ended questionnaire for two phases. Phase I (March 2020 to September 2020) corresponded to the onset of COVID 19 pandemic and lockdown, whereas the Phase II (October 2020 to March 2021) coincided with the time of Unlock and resumption of activities thereafter. Results: The parameters showing similar trend in Phases I and II included the willingness of ongoing orthodontic patients to report for appointments, choice of treatment modality, number and type of emergencies, cost of materials, guidelines for work, and duration of non-delivery of orthodontic procedures. The new patients reporting, complex orthodontic therapy, tele-consultation, and financial wellbeing showed an improvement while the usage of personal protective equipment kit, fear amongst orthodontists reduced in Phase II. Conclusions: Challenging situations warrant prudent measures to combat and continue the essential services, especially those related to the healthcare. A detailed analysis of the various phases of the ongoing pandemic will enable us to devise suitable measures to ensure uninterrupted orthodontic treatment even in such critical times

Tribological Behavior of Bioinspired Surfaces

Energy losses due to various tribological phenomena pose a significant challenge to sustainable development. These energy losses also contribute toward increased emissions of greenhouse gases. Various attempts have been made to reduce energy consumption through the use of various surface engineering solutions. The bioinspired surfaces can provide a sustainable solution to address these tribological challenges by minimizing friction and wear. The current study majorly focuses on the recent advancements in the tribological behavior of bioinspired surfaces and bio-inspired materials. The miniaturization of technological devices has increased the need to understand micro- and nano-scale tribological behavior, which could significantly reduce energy wastage and material degradation. Integrating advanced research methods is crucial in developing new aspects of structures and characteristics of biological materials. Depending upon the interaction of the species with the surrounding, the present study is divided into segments depicting the tribological behavior of the biological surfaces inspired by animals and plants. The mimicking of bio-inspired surfaces resulted in significant noise, friction, and drag reduction, promoting the development of anti-wear and anti-adhesion surfaces. Along with the reduction in friction through the bioinspired surface, a few studies providing evidence for the enhancement in the frictional properties were also depicted

Prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs amongst the school children of three educational zones of urban Delhi, India

Context : D0 ental caries is the most common oral disease that affects significant number of Indian population. The prevalence of caries in India is reported 31.5% to 89%. Aims : T0 his study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs in school going children of Delhi. Materials and Methods : A0 school based cross-sectional study was conducted in various educational zones of Delhi. A total of 520 school children in age range of 9-12 years were examined using WHO (1997) criteria. Statistical Analysis Used : C0 hi-square test. Results : T0 he prevalence of dental caries was found to be 52.3% with mean deft and DMFT of 0.5038 ± 1.0859 and 0.8250 ± 1.3437, respectively. Besides various treatment needs 49.7% required restorative treatment. Conclusion : T0 he prevalence of dental caries in Delhi school children is high with D+d components comprising of more than 95%. This indicates lack of awareness and affordability to the dental facilities available. Therefore, there is a need to develop preventive and promotional oral health strategies to combat this infectious disease

Corrosion, Erosion and Wear Behavior of Complex Concentrated Alloys: A Review

There has been tremendous interest in recent years in a new class of multi-component metallic alloys that are referred to as high entropy alloys, or more generally, as complex concentrated alloys. These multi-principal element alloys represent a new paradigm in structural material design, where numerous desirable attributes are achieved simultaneously from multiple elements in equimolar (or near equimolar) proportions. While there are several review articles on alloy development, microstructure, mechanical behavior, and other bulk properties of these alloys, then there is a pressing need for an overview that is focused on their surface properties and surface degradation mechanisms. In this paper, we present a comprehensive view on corrosion, erosion and wear behavior of complex concentrated alloys. The effect of alloying elements, microstructure, and processing methods on the surface degradation behavior are analyzed and discussed in detail. We identify critical knowledge gaps in individual reports and highlight the underlying mechanisms and synergy between the different degradation routes