Knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians and dentists on medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: A cross-sectional survey

Background Bisphosphonate medication can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, which is an uncommon but serious complication. This survey explores the knowledge, attitudes and practices of dentists and physicians regarding medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ).Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians and dentists of Pakistan\u27s secondary and tertiary care hospitals between March and June 2021. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire distributed among the eligible clinicians involved in prescribing bisphosphonates to patients or management of osteonecrosis. SPSS Statistics 23.0 was used for the data analysis. The frequencies and proportions of the descriptive variables were reported.Results A response rate of 29% was achieved. Only six dentists (n = 6/61; 9.8%) were aware that mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors could lead to osteonecrosis. Only one-third (n = 9/26; 34.6%) of physicians informed their patients about the possible side effects of bisphosphonates. The most commonly identified risk factor among them was the duration of the drug (n = 77/87; 88.5%) and the least identified was gender (n = 34/87; 39.0%).Conclusions Our study revealed insufficient knowledge among the respondents about the recently updated established guidelines available on MRONJ. The majority of physicians don\u27t refer patients to dentists before prescribing bisphosphonates and other associated medication

Performance Analysis of MPLS and Traditional IP in Node Scalable Networks

Multiprotocol label switching is the latest and developing technology in the world of the internet. It speeds up the network by using the technique of label instead of an IP address. It provides the reliable transmission of data with high speed and low delay. For efficient use of network utilization MPLS has a key feature of QoS. Due to the effective utilization of network resources, minimum delay and predictable performance MPLS technology make it more appropriate for implementing multimedia type applications. In this research, the performance of MPLS technology is compared with the traditional IP network for multimedia traffic in node scalable networks. For simulating and comparing the performance of both technologies OPNET modular 14.5 is used. This comparison is done on the basis of network performance parameters such as packet loss/ traffic drop, end-to-end delay, and throughput. Finally, the results have been evaluated which show that MPLS technology provides better performance as compared to IP in node scalable environment

An updated systematic review on toothbrush contamination: An overlooked oral health concern among general population

Objectives: The present systematic review was conducted to give an overview of toothbrush contamination among the general population and the factors affecting toothbrush contamination with an evidence-based approach. Data/sources: Medline (Pub Med), CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library and Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences Source were searched for the results after applying the search strategy from January 2012 to May 2022, following inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data were collected using a self-made data collection form on study characteristics, population attributes and the main features, including the study\u27s outcomes. The methodological quality of the included studies was independently evaluated based on the Joanna Briggs Institute\u27s (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for cross-sectional studies and the Risk of Biasness Tool-1 (Rob-1) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A descriptive analysis of the included studies was done using SWiM guidelines. The impact of charcoal and non-charcoal brushes on toothbrush disinfection was quantitatively analysed using a forest plot. Study selection: Of the 687 studies screened by title and abstract, 27 articles were selected for full-text evaluation using the EndNote reference program (Ver. X9.2). From these, 15 qualified and were included in the systematic review. Among the selected studies, eight were RCTs, six were cross-sectional studies, and the remaining one was an in vitro experimental study. Conclusions: The toothbrush becomes contaminated even after its first usage, and the contamination level rises with continued use. There are a number of factors that lead to the contamination of brushes, such as increased humidity brought on by a plastic cover or a toilet setting. Charcoal brushes show significant efficacy as compared to regular bristles in reducing toothbrush contamination; however, more RCTs are needed to further assess its efficacy. Nevertheless, rinsing with chlorhexidine mouthwash after daily brushing shows favourable result

Correlation, Regression Analysis of Seed Oil Contents in Relation to Morphological Characters in Cotton

Cotton is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. More than half of the export of Pakistan depends on cotton and cotton-based products. Morphological quantitative traits are important for estimation of cotton yield. In this regard, a study was conducted to evaluate the morphological responses on cotton crop at experimental farm of MNS-University of Agricultural Multan during the year 2019-2020. Four cotton varieties with different time windows (early, normal and late) were sown in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a split plot arrangement. Correlation and regression studies of cultivars of Gossypium and Malvaceae were analyzed for quantitative characters. Result revealed that significantly positive correlation of boll weight (r=0.211), seed volume (r=0.138), seed oil content (r=0.020) and negatively correlation with seed index (r= -0.005) was displayed by all traits with seed cotton yield, which showed that seed cotton yield was greatly influenced by all characters. Regression coefficients showed that a unit increase in seed index (b=71.375), seed volume (b=120.326), seed oil content (b=4.954) resulted into a proportional increased in seed cotton yield. In future, this study will helpful in selection program for improvement of cotton varieties towards the yield

Natural Clay Minerals as Potential Arsenic Sorbents from Contaminated Groundwater: Equilibrium and Kinetic Studies

Arsenic (As) contaminated groundwater is a worldwide concern due to its chronic effects on human health. The objectives of the study were to evaluate natural inexpensive raw laterite (RL) and kaolinite (RK) for their potential use as As sorbents and to understand the As sorption on laterite and kaolinite by employing sorption and kinetic models. Raw laterite and RK were tested for EC, pH, XRF and CEC as basic parameters. Batch sorption and kinetic experiments data were fitted in the sorption (Langmuir and Freundlich) model and kinetic (pseudo-first and pseudo-second order) reaction equations, respectively. Morphological and structural changes were observed in RL and RK samples before and after As saturation by employing FTIR and SEM. The major constituent in RL was Fe and Al oxides while in RK major oxides were silica and Al. The Freundlich sorption model well explained the experimental data, indicating a greater sorption capacity of RL on a hetero-layered surface compared to RK. The kinetic reaction equations showed that equilibrium was achieved after a contact time of 240 min and the adsorption was chemisorption in nature. The RL and RK were found to be effective sorbents for As removal, however, RL showed maximum As adsorption and thus superior in comparison with RK. Structural and morphological characterization reveals the role of Fe and Al oxides in the case of RL, and Al oxides in the case of RK, in the adsorption of As. Hence this study concludes that these naturally occurring inexpensive resources can be used as sorbent agents for As-contaminated drinking water treatment

Mechanically Stable Magnetic Metallic Materials for Biomedical Applications

The structural, electrical, and magneto-elastic properties of lanthanide base nitride (Ln = Dy-Lu) anti-perovskites were investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The reported structural outcomes are consistent with the experiment and decrease from Dy to Lu due to the decrease ofatomic radii of Ln atoms. According to the electronic band profile, the metallic characteristics of these compounds are due to the crossing over of Ln-f states at the Fermi level and are also supported by electrical resistivity. The resistivity of these compounds at room temperature demonstrates that they are good conductors. Their mechanical stability, anisotropic, load-bearing, and malleable nature are demonstrated by their elastic properties. Due to their metallic and load-bearing nature, in addition to their ductility, these materials are suitable as active biomaterials, especially when significant acting loads are anticipated, such as those experienced by such heavily loaded implants as hip and knee endo-prostheses, plates, screws, nails, dental implants, etc. In thesecases, appropriate bending fatigue strength is required in structural materials for skeletal reconstruction. Magnetic properties show that all compounds are G-type anti-ferromagnetic, with the Neel temperatures ranging from 24 to 48 K, except Lu3Nin, which is non-magnetic. Due to their anti-ferromagnetic structure, magnetic probes cannot read data contained in anti-ferromagnetic moments, therefore, data will be unchanged by disrupted magnetic field. As a result, these compounds can be the best candidates for magnetic cloaking devices

Multi-epitopes vaccine design for surface glycoprotein against SARS-CoV-2 using immunoinformatic approach

Background: The recent COVID vaccinations have successfully reduced death and severity but did not stop the transmission of viruses by the emerging SARS-CoV-2 strain. There is a need for better and long-lasting dynamic vaccines for numerous prevailing strains and the evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus, necessitating the development of broad-spectrum strains being used to stop infection by reducing the spread rate and re-infection. The spike (S) glycoprotein is one of the proteins expressed commonly in the early phases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has been identified as the most immunogenic protein of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: In this study, advanced bioinformatics techniques have been exploited to design the novel multi-epitope vaccine using conserved S protein portions from widespread strains of SARS-CoV-2 to predict B cell and T cell epitopes. These epitopes were selected based on toxicity, antigenicity score and immunogenicity. Epitope combinations were used to construct the maximum potent multi-epitope construct with potential immunogenic features. EAAAK, AAY, and GPGPG were used as linkers to construct epitopes. Results: The developed vaccine has shown positive results. After the chimeric vaccine construct was cloned into the PET28a (+) vector for expression screening in Escherichia coli, the potential expression of the construct was identified. Conclusion: The construct vaccine performed well in computer-based immune response simulation and covered a variety of allelic populations. These computational results are more helpful for further analysis of our contract vaccine, which can finally help control and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections worldwide