Effectiveness of Tooth Brushing using Modified Manual Tooth Brush and Powered Tooth Brush on Dental Plaque and Gingivitis among Spinal Cord Injury patients

BACKGROUND: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) refers to damage to the spinal cord resulting from trauma (e.g. Road Traffic Accident – (RTA)) or from disease or degeneration .Of the total world population, incidence of Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) varies from 8.0 to 246.0 cases per million inhabitants per year. SCI patients have poor oral health status and Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) compared to normal individuals. Tooth brushing by manual tooth brush is greatly dependent on the manual dexterity and skill of the users. Patients with spinal injury lack manual dexterity and fine motor skills. In order to perform tooth brushing by themselves with some supportive aids, a pragmatic approach was identified, which included modification of conventional manual toothbrush and powered tooth brush. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the effectiveness of tooth brushing using modified manual tooth brush and powered tooth brush on control of dental plaque and gingivitis among spinal cord injury patients. METHODOLOGY: The present cross over clinical trial was conducted among spinal cord injury patients to compare and assess the effectiveness of tooth brushing using modified manual tooth brush and powered tooth brush. The study was conducted in Government Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine, KK nagar, Chennai over a period of 16 weeks. A total of 30 participants, 15 in each group were selected (Group A and Group B). Since it was a cross over design, intervention to the participants were given in two different phases. After the first intervention phase, follow up examinations were carried out among both the groups at the 6 weeks period (Interchanging the intervention arm between Group A and Group B). Washout period of 4 weeks were given between two phases, to nullify the effects from the previous phase of intervention. Following this, the cross over intervention was administered & assessment were conducted at the end of 16th week. The baseline data regarding the oral health knowledge, attitude and practice among the spinal cord injury participants was assessed using the WHO Oral Health Questionnaire for adults (2013). The Oral Health Status of participants in both the groups was assessed using Plaque Index (Silness and Loe 1964) and Gingival Index (Loe and Silness 1963). The data was compiled and analyzed using SPSS software and results were generated. RESULTS: In phase I intervention, at baseline examination, the plaque & gingival score among the Group A and Group B were 1.88 ± 0.32 & 1.79 ± 0.25 and 1.47± 0.28 & 1.46 ± 0.27 respectively. After 6 weeks, the post intervention examination the plaque & Gingival scores were reduced to 1.48 ± 0.19 & 1.53 ± 0.16 and 1.19 ± 0.22 and 1.25 ± 0.17 in both the groups respectively. Later in the phase II intervention after the washout period, baseline the plaque & Gingival score among the Group A and Group B were 1.58 ± 0.20 & 1.63 ± 0.16 and 1.27± 0.20 & 1.33 ± 0.18 respectively. After 6 weeks, the post intervention examination the plaque & Gingival score reduced to 1.42 ± 0.20 & 1.34 ± 0.16 and 1.15 ± 0.19 & 1.12 ± 0.20 in both the groups respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in plaque and gingival scores between the groups (P-0.124, 0.487 respectively). CONCLUSION: Both the modalities can be used as an effective tool for brushing among patients with spinal cord injury to improve their oral hygiene. However, further longitudinal studies could be designed to assess the effectiveness of both the interventions among SCI patients

Emission estimation of neat paradise tree oil combustion assisted with superheated hydrogen in a 4-stroke natural aspirated DICI engine

This research work investigates the use of neat paradise tree oil in a 4-stroke natural aspirated direct injection compression ignition engine assisted with the help of super-heated hydrogen (hydrogen in gaseous state or above its saturation temperature) as a combustion improver. The high calorific gaseous fuel hydrogen gas was used as a combustion improver and admitted into the engine during the suction stroke. A 4-stroke single cylinder Diesel engine was chosen and its operating parameters were suitably modified. Neat paradise tree oil was admitted through standard injector of the engine and hydrogen was admitted through induction manifold. Inducted super-heated hydrogen was initiated the intermediate compounds combustion of neat paradise tree oil. This process offers higher temperature combustion and results in complete combustion of heavier molecules of neat paradise tree oil within shorter duration. The results of the experiment reveal that 40% higher NOx, 20% lower smoke, 5% lower CO, and 45% lower HC than that of neat paradise tree oil fuel operation and the admission of superheated hydrogen has improved the combustion characteristics of neat paradise tree oil. The investigation successfully proved that the application of neat paradise tree oil with 15% of hydrogen improver is possible under a regular Diesel engine with minimal engine modification

Mechaniczne i termiczne właściwości hybrydowych kompozytów na bazie żywicy epoksydowej/poliestrowej wzmocnionych włóknem szklanym i jutowym

The hybrid glass/jute fiber composites were fabricated by hand layup (HL) and vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) method using epoxy and isophthalic polyester resins as matrices. The effects of fiber and matrix type as well as fabrication method on the tensile and flexural mechanical strength of resulting composites were investigated. The morphological fracture was analyzed based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Also, the curing characteristics of two matrix resins was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For glass fiber composite, the curing rate of polyester resin is faster at 100 °C than that of composite with epoxy matrix. Using VARTM process, the composite with high fiber volume fraction (Vf) of 52% was obtained.Hybrydowe kompozyty z włóknem szklanym i jutowym otrzymano metodami laminowania ręcznego (HL) oraz wspomaganego próżniowo formowania polimeryzacyjnego (VARTM) na osnowie żywicy epoksydowej lub izoftalowej poliestrowej. Badano wpływ rodzaju wzmocnienia i osnowy oraz metody wytwarzania kompozytów na ich wytrzymałość w testach rozciągania i zginania. Morfologię przełomów kompozytów analizowano za pomocą skaningowej mikroskopii elektronowej (SEM). Metodą skaningowej kalorymetrii różnicowej (DSC) określono charakterystykę utwardzania kompozytów na różnych osnowach żywicznych. Szybkość utwardzania w temperaturze 100 °C kompozytów żywicy poliestrowej z włóknem szklanym jest większa niż kompozytów z osnową żywicy epoksydowej. Metodą VARTM uzyskano kompozyt z dużym udziałem objętościowym włókna (Vf) równym 52%

A biotechnological approach to mitigate green house gas emissions from coal mine ventilation air in Australia

Coal mines are the second largest contributor of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions with an estimated emission of around 5-30 Tg CH4 year-1. Considering the global warming potential of CH4 (~ 25 times that of CO2 over a 100 year period), developing a unique technology to mitigate the low levels of CH4 (0.2-5 %) emissions especially coming from coal mine ventilation air is highly important for countries with considerable coal reserves like Australia. A research project "Bioremediation of methane from mine ventilation air" jointly funded by the Advanced Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centres (AMCRC) and MBD Energy Ltd., Australia, aims to develop a dual culture system to convert CH4 into green fuels using indigenous bacteria and cyanobacteria in novel bioreactors. Methanotrophic bacteria are capable of metabolizing CH4 into CO2 under optimized bioreactor conditions. Subsequently, the CO2 can be converted into oxygen (O2) by cyanobacteria resulting in biomass generation for biofuel production. This study is the first of its kind in developing such novel bioreactors to implement at commercial sites after vigorous laboratory testings/optimization to mitigate both CH4 and CO2. Further, this technology is readily transferable to other CH4 generating industries like landfills, anaerobic composting systems and dairy farms. In addition, successful implementation allows claiming of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) benefits for carbon capturing in Australia and other parts of the world

Turning bad gas into good solids

Given the long term socioeconomic and economic importance of Australian coal mining, introducing clean coal technologes will lower green house gas (GHG) emissions and guarantee long-term viability of this sector of the mining industry, particularly in rural Queensland.\ud \ud Any mitigation strategy has to be ultimately economically and environmentally sustainable. Therefore our research project aims to implement and test novel methanotrophic biofilters and diazotrophic cyanobacteria cultivation for CH₄ and CO₂, remediation from mine ventilation air whilst generating value adding co-products. such as biofuels and biopolymers from the biomass generated in both stages of the remediation approach (Fig.1) \u

Low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels are associated with aggressive breast cancer variants and poor prognostic factors in patients with breast carcinoma

ABSTRACT Objective: This study was conducted to assess the serum 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D levels in patients with breast cancer compared to healthy controls and to identify its association with aggressive breast cancer phenotypes. Materials and methods: Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels of 78 breast cancer patients and 78 matched healthy controls were estimated using ELISA. The cases and controls were matched with respect to age, menopausal status, parity, weight, height and co-morbidities. Prognostic factors like grade of tumour, hormone receptor status, HER2 neu status and lymphovascular invasion were compared with 25-OH vitamin D levels. Results: The mean serum 25-OH vitamin D levels of cases were significantly lower compared to the controls (22.33 ± 8.19 vs. 37.41 ± 12.9 ng/mL; p = 0.0001). Patients with higher grades of tumour, non-luminal types of breast cancer and breast cancers with estrogen receptor negativity had significantly lower serum 25-OH vitamin D levels than their opposing groups. Patients with excellent and good Nottingham's prognostic Index (NPI) had significantly higher serum 25-OH vitamin D levels than the moderate and poor NPI groups. Conclusion: Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients have significantly lower serum 25-OH vitamin D levels than healthy controls. Lower level of serum 25-OH vitamin D correlates with aggressive breast cancer phenotypes

Towards component-based validation of GATE: Aspects of the coincidence processor

GATE is public domain software widely used for Monte Carlo simulation in emission tomography. Validations of GATE have primarily been performed on a whole-system basis, leaving the possibility that errors in one sub-system may be offset by errors in others. We assess the accuracy of the GATE PET coincidence generation sub-system in isolation, focusing on the options most closely modeling the majority of commercially available scanners. Independent coincidence generators were coded by teams at Toshiba Medical Research Unit (TMRU) and UC Davis. A model similar to the Siemens mCT scanner was created in GATE. Annihilation photons interacting with the detectors were recorded. Coincidences were generated using GATE, TMRU and UC Davis code and results compared to "ground truth" obtained from the history of the photon interactions. GATE was tested twice, once with every qualified single event opening a time window and initiating a coincidence check (the "multiple window method"), and once where a time window is opened and a coincidence check initiated only by the first single event to occur after the end of the prior time window (the "single window method"). True, scattered and random coincidences were compared. Noise equivalent count rates were also computed and compared. The TMRU and UC Davis coincidence generators agree well with ground truth. With GATE, reasonable accuracy can be obtained if the single window method option is chosen and random coincidences are estimated without use of the delayed coincidence option. However in this GATE version, other parameter combinations can result in significant errors

Towards component-based validation of GATE: Aspects of the coincidence processor

GATE is public domain software widely used for Monte Carlo simulation in emission tomography. Validations of GATE have primarily been performed on a whole-system basis, leaving the possibility that errors in one sub-system may be offset by errors in others. We assess the accuracy of the GATE PET coincidence generation sub-system in isolation, focusing on the options most closely modeling the majority of commercially available scanners. Independent coincidence generators were coded by teams at Toshiba Medical Research Unit (TMRU) and UC Davis. A model similar to the Siemens mCT scanner was created in GATE. Annihilation photons interacting with the detectors were recorded. Coincidences were generated using GATE, TMRU and UC Davis code and results compared to “ground truth” obtained from the history of the photon interactions. GATE was tested twice, once with every qualified single event opening a time window and initiating a coincidence check (the “multiple window method”), and once where a time window is opened and a coincidence check initiated only by the first single event to occur after the end of the prior time window (the “single window method”). True, scattered and random coincidences were compared. Noise equivalent count rates were also computed and compared. The TMRU and UC Davis coincidence generators agree well with ground truth. With GATE, reasonable accuracy can be obtained if the single window method option is chosen and random coincidences are estimated without use of the delayed coincidence option. However in this GATE version, other parameter combinations can result in significant errors