Probiotics. Going on the natural way.

Science is providing us the tools to diagnose and treat the infection before it causes damage. For some decades now, bacteria known as probiotics have been added to various foods because of their beneficial effects for human health. It comprises knowledge of the relationship between diet and health and the effects of food ingredients on physiological functions and health. Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures; such as in yogurt or as dietary supplements. The potential application of probiotics for oral health has recently been the focus of attention for various health researchers. The number of products containing probiotics entering the market is increasing. These products usually contain streptococci, lactobacilli or bifidobacteria. The application of probiotic strategies may, in near future provide an end to many infections occurring in oral cavity. This article summarizes the currently available data on the potential benefits of probiotics for oral health and potential risks associated with them

Oral Myiasis: a review

Myiasis is the infestation of tissues, organs of living vertebrate, animals and humans by certain dipterans fly larvae which feed on the host’s tissues and body fluids, often causing extensive damage to the host tissues if left untreated. Oral Myiasis is a rare pathology and is associated with poor oral hygiene, alcoholism, senility, suppurating lesions, severe halitosis. It arises from invasion of body tissues or cavities of living animals by maggots or larvae of certain species of flies. It occurs in tropical areas with poor living conditions and insufficient public and personal hygiene. Mouth-breathing during sleep, alcoholism, mental handicap, cerebral palsy and hemiplegia may facilitate the development of myiasis. The commonest clinical manifestations of myiasis infestation include inflammatory and allergic reactions. Ear, eye and respiratory tract infestations are also frequently encountered. Human myiasis may affect the skin, bones, intestines and body cavities. Treatment consists of manual removal of maggots, broad spectrum antibiotics and oral therapy with Ivermecti

Sonoporation, a redefined ultrasound modality as therapeutic aid: a review.

Traditionally a diagnostic modality, ultrasound is emerging as a promising tool for non-invasive therapy, drug delivery, and gene therapy. The ultrasound is a mechanical wave energy generated in a medium as oscillating pressure in space and time at frequencies above 20 kHz, beyond the audible range. The ultrasound exposure generates bioeffects resulting in tissue heating, shear stress, and cavitation, which have been exploited for therapeutic applications. Ultrasound cavitation, enhanced by injected micro bubbles, perturbs cell membrane structures to cause sonoporation and increases the permeability to bioactive materials. Ultrasound-mediated gene delivery has been applied to heart, blood vessel, lung, kidney, muscle, head and neck tumour with enhanced gene transfection efficiency. The genes can be incorporated into microbubbles which in turn can target a specific disease site. Local drug delivery ensures sufficient drug concentration at the diseased region while limiting toxicity for healthy tissues. Nevertheless, it has only recently become popular as a technique to enhance drug release from drug delivery systems. This review presents the main findings in the field of sonoporation, namely drug delivery, gene delivery and DNA transfer

Desmoplastic Ameloblastoma: A Case Report

Desmoplastic ameloblastoma is a rare variant of ameloblastoma. Up until now, less than 150 patients have been reported in the literature. We report a case of desmoplastic ameloblastoma in a 45-year-old female with a painless swelling in the left anterior maxillary region. Fine needle aspiration yielded no fluid. Periapical and panoramic radiographs as well as computer tomography scan showed a mixed lesion with multilocular appearance. The present case deserves special importance because of its unfamiliar appearance, potentially aggressive nature and high chances of misdiagnosis. Moreover, the radiographic features of this lesion rarely point towards ameloblastoma. A partial maxillectomy for tumor resection was performed and the involved teeth were removed. This report is an attempt to help the dental community in developing familiarity with the clinical presentation and at the same time advocating to develop a high index of suspicion in recognizing such cases