Oral Health Promotion: Evidences and Strategies

Oral health promotion is for upliftment of oral health of community rather than an individual and has long‐term impact. Since Ottawa Charter for health promotion is implemented, significant advancements have happened in oral health promotion. Under comprehensive health programs, India has been running oral health promotion programs, and these evidences are shared here. Such examples are apt learning and execution to any part of world having similarities. The chapter put forward the strategic view points to consider further oral health promotion aspects and based on the needs. The authors have gathered various examples from national programs implemented in India. The authors discuss how these programs are linked to the Oral health promotion concept. For example, National tobacco control program which currently running across many states in India, how the banning on tobacco products near school premises helped to reduce the incidence is discussed. The worldwide literature and evidences of oral health promotion strategies are explained. The evidences and strategies mentioned can be significant for another region of world. Unless published, many programs remain hidden and are loss of valuable evidences to oral health science

Distribution of Gaseous Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Rural Environment of India

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are considered as atmospheric contaminants due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. In the present study, 8 selected gaseous phase PAHs were determined in ambient air representing rural environment. The gaseous phase PAHs samples were investigated for quantification of selected PAHs in various seasons and possible sources of gaseous phase PAHs in rural environment. The samples were collected using a cartridge containing XAD-2 resin placed between layers of polyurethane foam (PUF) and analyzed by fluorescence technique. The seasonal variation in selected gaseous phase individual PAHs varied between 28-496.9 ng m-3 during winter, summer and post-monsoon season respectively. The concentration of gaseous phase PAHs was dominated by Phen, Anth and Flt. The gaseous phase concentration of PAHs were 3.9 and 5.1 times higher in winter as compared to summer and post-monsoon season respectively. The higher concentration winter may be due to higher emission from biomass burning, fuel used for cooking such as coal and kerosene and other heating activities to protect from cold winter. The three ring gaseous phase PAHs were predominant than four and five membered ring PAHs and contribution varied between74.9-93.9 % of selected PAHs. The ratio analysis studies showed that traditional fuel used for cooking purposes mainly wood, kerosene, coal and biomass burning are the major contributors in rural environmen

A study on major inorganic ion composition of atmospheric aerosols

Abstract: Atmospheric aerosol samples were collected from Akola and Buldana region covering around 40 sqkm area during October-November 2002 and were analyzed for ten major inorganic ions namely F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, PO42-, Na +, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and NH using ion chromatographic technique. Theaverage mass of aerosols was found to be 225.81 µg/m3 4+ with standard deviation of 31.29 and average total water soluble load of total cations and anions was found to be 4.32 µg/m3. The concentration of ions in samples showed a general pattern as SO42->NO3->Cl- >PO>Ca2+> NH4+> Mg2+>K for cations. The overall composition of the aerosols was taken into account to identify the sources. The trend showed higher concentration of sodium followed by calcium, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate and ammoinum and found to be influenced by terrestrial sources. The presence of SO42- and NO3- in aerosols may be due to re-suspension of soil particles. Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cl are to be derived from soil materials. The presence of NH+4 may be attributed to the reaction of NH3- vapors with acidic gases may react or condense on an acidic particle surface of anthropogenic origin. Theatmospheric aerosol is slightly acidic due to neutralization of basicity by SO2 and NOx

Characterization and Source Identification of PM bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs) in Semi-Arid Region of India

Respirable particulate (PM10) and particulate phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air were measured by collecting samples during winter, summer and post-monsoon season at rural environment in north-western part of India. The concentration of 8 selected PAHs, Acenaphthene (Ace), Fluorene (Flu), Phenanthrene (Phen), Anthracene (Anth), Fluoranthene (Flt), Pyrene (Pyr), Chrysene (Chr), Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were quantified and characterized for different seasons. The ratio of average total PAHs concentration of winter to summerand winter to post-monsoon were assessed for rural environment was 5.7 and 6.4 for summer and pot-monsoon season respectively which is in agreement with the general trend of 1.5-10. The four membered ring PAHs were predominant and contributed to about 62% of total PAHs during winter season. A correlation study was performed among selected PAHs for source identification for all the three seasons. The results are in agreement with the traditional method of burning biomass, wood, coal and agricultural waste for cooking, a practice still followed in rural environmen

Effect of aspirin on the diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test for colorectal advanced neoplasia

Background: Aspirin (ASA) is a drug that can cause gastrointestinal lesions and symptoms. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most prevalent type of cancer in Western countries. We assessed the effect of aspirin on the diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for CRC and/or advanced neoplasia (AN) in patients undergoing colonoscopy for gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicentre observational study of diagnostic tests that included patients with gastrointestinal symptoms undergoing colonoscopy between March 2012 and 2014 (the COLONPREDICT study). Symptoms were assessed and a FIT and blood tests assessing haemoglobin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were performed. Results: The study included 3052 patients: A total of 2567 did not take aspirin (non-user group) and 485 (16%) took aspirin (user group). Continuous treatment with ASA did not change the AUC (0.88, 0.82; p = 0.06), sensitivity (92%, 88%; p = 0.5) or specificity (71%, 67%; p = 0.2) of the FIT for CRC detection. Similarly, we found no differences in the AUC (0.81, 0.79; p = 0.6), sensitivity (74%, 75.5%; p = 0.3) or specificity (76%, 73.6%; p = 0.3) for AN detection. Patients with an aspirin use of = 300 mg/day had a lower prevalence of AN and the sensitivity, specificity and AUC for AN for these patients were 54%, 68% and 0.66, significantly lower than for the non-user group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Aspirin does not modify the diagnostic accuracy of FIT for CRC and/or AN in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. Aspirin use of = 300 mg/day decreases the accuracy of the test

Chemical Characterization of rainwater at Akkalkuwa, India

The chemical composition of rainwater changes from place to place and region to region under the influence of several major factors, viz., topography, its distance from sea and overall rainfall pattern. The present study investigated the chemical composition of precipitation at Akkalkuwa, district Nandurbar, in the State Maharashtra during southwest monsoon. The rainwater samples were collected on event basis during June-September 2008 and were analyzed for pH, major anions (F, Cl, NO3, SO4) and cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, NH4). The pH varied from 6.0 and 6.8 with an average of 6.29 ± 0.23 indicating alkaline nature and dominance of Ca in precipitation. The relative magnitude of major ions in precipitation follows the pattern as Ca>Cl>Na>SO4>NO3>HCO3>NH4>Mg>K>F>H. The Neutralization factor (NF) was found to be NFCa = 0.95, NFNH4 = 0.31, NFMg = 0.27 and NFK = 0.08 indicating below cloud process in which crustal components are responsible for neutralization of anions. Significant correlation of NH4 with SO4 and NO3 was observed with correlation coefficient of r = 0.79 and 0.75, respectively

Retrospective cohort study: Risk of gastrointestinal cancer in a symptomatic cohort after a complete colonoscopy: Role of faecal immunochemical test

BACKGROUND: Faecal immunochemical test (FIT) has been recommended to assess symptomatic patients for colorectal cancer (CRC) detection. Nevertheless, some conditions could theoretically favour blood originating in proximal areas of the gastrointestinal tract passing through the colon unmetabolized. A positive FIT result could be related to other gastrointestinal cancers (GIC). AIM: To assess the risk of GIC detection and related death in FIT-positive symptomatic patients (threshold 10 µg Hb/g faeces) without CRC. METHODS: Post hoc cohort analysis performed within two prospective diagnostic test studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of different FIT analytical systems for CRC and significant colonic lesion detection. Ambulatory patients with gastrointestinal symptoms referred consecutively for colonoscopy from primary and secondary healthcare, underwent a quantitative FIT before undergoing a complete colonoscopy. Patients without CRC were divided into two groups (positive and negative FIT) using the threshold of 10 µg Hb/g of faeces and data from follow-up were retrieved from electronic medical records of the public hospitals involved in the research. We determined the cumulative risk of GIC, CRC and upper GIC. Hazard rate (HR) was calculated adjusted by age, sex and presence of significant colonic lesion. RESULTS: We included 2709 patients without CRC and a complete baseline colonoscopy, 730 (26.9%) with FIT = 10 µgr Hb/gr. During a mean time of 45.5 ± 20.0 mo, a GIC was detected in 57 (2.1%) patients: An upper GIC in 35 (1.3%) and a CRC in 14 (0.5%). Thirty-six patients (1.3%) died due to GIC: 22 (0.8%) due to an upper GIC and 9 (0.3%) due to CRC. FIT-positive subjects showed a higher CRC risk (HR 3.8, 95%CI: 1.2-11.9) with no differences in GIC (HR 1.5, 95%CI: 0.8-2.7) or upper GIC risk (HR 1.0, 95%CI: 0.5-2.2). Patients with a positive FIT had only an increased risk of CRC-related death (HR 10.8, 95%CI: 2.1-57.1) and GIC-related death (HR 2.2, 95%CI: 1.1-4.3), with no differences in upper GIC-related death (HR 1.4, 95%CI: 0.6-3.3). An upper GIC was detected in 22 (0.8%) patients during the first year. Two variables were independently associated: anaemia (OR 5.6, 95%CI: 2.2-13.9) and age = 70 years (OR 2.7, 95%CI: 1.1-7.0). CONCLUSION: Symptomatic patients without CRC have a moderate risk increase in upper GIC, regardless of the FIT result. Patients with a positive FIT have an increased risk of post-colonoscopy CRC

CASCADE-The Circum-Arctic Sediment CArbon DatabasE

Biogeochemical cycling in the semi-enclosed Arctic Ocean is strongly influenced by land–ocean transport of carbon and other elements and is vulnerable to environmental and climate changes. Sediments of the Arctic Ocean are an important part of biogeochemical cycling in the Arctic and provide the opportunity to study present and historical input and the fate of organic matter (e.g., through permafrost thawing). Comprehensive sedimentary records are required to compare differences between the Arctic regions and to study Arctic biogeochemical budgets. To this end, the Circum-Arctic Sediment CArbon DatabasE (CASCADE) was established to curate data primarily on concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and OC isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C) yet also on total N (TN) as well as terrigenous biomarkers and other sediment geochemical and physical properties. This new database builds on the published literature and earlier unpublished records through an extensive international community collaboration. This paper describes the establishment, structure and current status of CASCADE. The first public version includes OC concentrations in surface sediments at 4244 oceanographic stations including 2317 with TN concentrations, 1555 with δ13C-OC values and 268 with Δ14C-OC values and 653 records with quantified terrigenous biomarkers (high-molecular-weight n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and lignin phenols). CASCADE also includes data from 326 sediment cores, retrieved by shallow box or multi-coring, deep gravity/piston coring, or sea-bottom drilling. The comprehensive dataset reveals large-scale features of both OC content and OC sources between the shelf sea recipients. This offers insight into release of pre-aged terrigenous OC to the East Siberian Arctic shelf and younger terrigenous OC to the Kara Sea. Circum-Arctic sediments thereby reveal patterns of terrestrial OC remobilization and provide clues about thawing of permafrost. CASCADE enables synoptic analysis of OC in Arctic Ocean sediments and facilitates a wide array of future empirical and modeling studies of the Arctic carbon cycle. The database is openly and freely available online (https://doi.org/10.17043/cascade; Martens et al., 2021), is provided in various machine-readable data formats (data tables, GIS shapefile, GIS raster), and also provides ways for contributing data for future CASCADE versions. We will continuously update CASCADE with newly published and contributed data over the foreseeable future as part of the database management of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University

Salmonella enterica Subclinical Infection: Bacteriological, Serological, Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles-Longitudinal Study in a Three-Site Farrow-to-Finish Farm

Fil: Vigo, German B. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Laboratorio de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Bacteriológicas; Argentina.Fil: Cappuccio, J. A. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Cátedra de Patología Especial; Argentina.Fil: Pineyro, Pablo E. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Cátedra de Patología Especial; Argentina.Fil: Salve, Angela. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Machuca, Mariana A. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Cátedra de Patología Especial; Argentina.Fil: Quiroga, Maria A. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Cátedra de Patología Especial; Argentina.Fil: Moredo, Fabiana. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Laboratorio de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Bacteriológicas; Argentina.Fil: Giacoboni, Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Laboratorio de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Bacteriológicas; Argentina.Fil: Cancer, Jose L. Private practitioner; Argentina.Fil: Caffer, María Ines. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Binsztein, Norma. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Pichel, Mariana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Perfumo, Carlos J. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Cátedra de Patología Especial; Argentina.The aim of this surveillance was to study both Salmonella spp. shedding patterns and the time course of serological response in farrow-to-finish reared pigs from a subclinically infected farm. Antimicrobial resistance profile, molecular subtyping, and the relationship among the isolates were determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A farrow-to-finish farm of 6000 sows, with a history of Salmonella Typhimurium septicemia, was selected. A longitudinal bacteriological and serological study was conducted in 25 sows before farrowing (M=S1) and in 50 offspring at 21 (M=S2), 35 (M=S3), 65 (M=S4), 86 (M=S5), 128 (M=S6), and 165 (M=S7) days of age. Serum antibodies were tested using Herdcheck Swine Salmonella antibody test kit (Idexx Laboratories, ME). Bacteria were isolated from pooled fecal samples. Suspected isolates were confirmed by conventional biochemical assays, and those identified as Salmonella spp. were serotyped. A variation between seropositive percentages and positive fecal samples was observed. Serologically positive pigs decreased from S1 to S4, and subsequently increased from S4 to S7. The percentages of fecal positive culture increased from M1 to M3, and then declined in M4, increased in M5, and were negative in M6 and M7. In the study three serovars, Salmonella 3,10:e,h:-, Salmonella Muenster, and Salmonella Bovismorbificans, were identified with low pathogenicity for swine. Three multidrug resistance strains (one belonged to Salmonella 3,10:e,h:- and two belonged to Salmonella Muenster) were found. PFGE results showed three different but closely related patterns among the 13 isolates of Salmonella Bovismorbificans, and two patterns for the three Salmonella Muenster and Salmonella 3,10:e,h:- isolates. This longitudinal study established critical points of Salmonella spp. infection in the farm and the production stages, where appropriate control measures must be taken. PFGE showed clonal relationships in each serovar. Antibiotic resistance profiles should be periodically included due to public health concerns