Evaluation of antioxidant potential of melatonin in periodontitis with a focus on vitamin C

Background: The present study was done with an objective to evaluate the effect of melatonin as an antioxidant, with a focus on vitamin C, in patients suffering from periodontitis.Methods: This study was conducted jointly in the Department of Periodontics, Rural Dental College, and Department of Pharmacology, PIMS, Loni. Patients suffering from chronic periodontitis, of age between 18 to 65 years of either gender were included in the study, after obtaining a written informed consent. Patients were divided into three Groups. Group A included patients who underwent scaling and root planning (SRP) alone, Group B included patients who underwent SRP and supplemented with vitamin E 200 IU daily at night for 4 weeks. Group C included patients who underwent SRP and supplemented with tablet melatonin 3 mg daily at night for 4 weeks. Estimation of vitamin C was done on day 0, day 30, day 60 and day 90.Results: A total 240 patients were enrolled in the study, 80 in each group. Statistical analysis was done using ‘Z’ test of difference between two sample means for comparison of vitamin C among the three groups. It was observed that, there was a highly significant increase in mean values of vitamin C in group C when compared with group A and group B at 1st, 2nd and 3rd visits (p<0.01).Conclusions: Melatonin acts as an antioxidant in the patients of periodontitis which has positive effect on biochemical parameters of periodontitis, conferring a new facet to the management of periodontitis and an attempt to impede the disease progression

Advanced data acquisition system implementation for the ITER Neutron Diagnostic use case using EPICS and FlexRIO technology on a PXIe platform

In the framework of the ITER Control Breakdown Structure (CBS), Plant System Instrumentation & Control (I&C) defines the hardware and software required to control one or more plant systems [1]. For diagnostics, most of the complex Plant System I&C are to be delivered by ITER Domestic Agencies (DAs). As an example for the DAs, ITER Organization (IO) has developed several use cases for diagnostics Plant System I&C that fully comply with guidelines presented in the Plant Control Design Handbook (PCDH) [2]. One such use case is for neutron diagnostics, specifically the Fission Chamber (FC), which is responsible for delivering time-resolved measurements of neutron source strength and fusion power to aid in assessing the functional performance of ITER [3]. ITER will deploy four Fission Chamber units, each consisting of three individual FC detectors. Two of these detectors contain Uranium 235 for Neutron detection, while a third "dummy" detector will provide gamma and noise detection. The neutron flux from each MFC is measured by the three methods: . Counting Mode: measures the number of individual pulses and their location in the record. Pulse parameters (threshold and width) are user configurable. . Campbelling Mode (Mean Square Voltage): measures the RMS deviation in signal amplitude from its average value. .Current Mode: integrates the signal amplitude over the measurement perio

Pigeonpea Baseline and Early Adoption Surveys in South Asia, Insights from TL-II (Phase 1) Project in India.

Pigeonpea is an important pulse crop particularly in the semi-arid tropics of India contributing towards the nutritional security and also generates significant income to small and marginal farmers. Its share in India’s pulse production is around 16%. India is the largest pigeonpea producing country in the world accounting for nearly 67% of the total production. Being a major pigeonpea consumer in the world, India imports around 0.6 million tons of pigeonpea per year to meet the domestic needs from Africa, Nepal and Myanmar. Area and production of pigeonpea in India showed a steady growth until recently. However, the productivity in the country has stagnated between 700 and 800 kg ha-1. Recent initiatives like National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Accelerated Pulse Production Programme (A3P) and enhancement of minimum support price created more interest in pigeonpea growers in the country. Pigeonpea is one of the mandate crops of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and this premier international institute has been contributing significantly to the genetic improvement and crop management in India and Africa during the last four decades. The generous support received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has provided ICRISAT an opportunity to work more intensively with its research and development partners to demonstrate the potential of new technologies to enhance the yields, raise the profitability and revive the interest of the farmers in pigeonpea crop in India and the strategy chosen is farmer participatory varietal selection (FPVS). This report synthesizes the efforts made under the Tropical Legumes-II Project during the short period of three years (2007-10) in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra for pigeonpea crop improvement in India. Overall, the FPVS results established that the new improved varieties outyielded the respective check varieties in the two states. The diffusion and adoption of these varieties increased significantly in the targeted districts. From the past lessons learnt, the report re-focuses on further efforts needed during the second phase of the project to achieve greater success and impact

Estimation of changes in C-reactive protein level and pregnancy outcome after nonsurgical supportive periodontal therapy in women affected with periodontitis in a rural set up of India

Aims and Objectives: Estimation of changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) level and pregnancy outcome after nonsurgical supportive periodontal therapy in pregnant women affected with Periodontitis. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 pregnant females with periodontitis were assigned to treatment and control groups. All the details about previous and current pregnancies were obtained. Full-mouth periodontal examination was done at baseline, which included oral hygiene index simplified plaque index, gingival index, and clinical attachment loss. CRP level was also measured from collected blood sample initially at baseline and later after the delivery in both the group. Subjects in the treatment group received nonsurgical periodontal treatment during the second trimester of gestational period, and those in the control group did not receive any periodontal therapy during this period. Periodontal therapy included mechanical plaque control instructions and scaling and root planning. Outcome measures assessed were changes in CRP levels, gestational age, and birth weight of the infants. When delivery occurred at 0.05). Conclusion: Nonsurgical supportive periodontal therapy may lower the risk of preterm delivery in females affected with periodontitis by reducing CRP level

Spontaneous healing of a shredded esophagus after ACDF without direct repair

Esophageal perforation is a catastrophic complication of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). While direct surgical repair has been reported as optimal for restoration of upper gut function, we present the case of a 58-year-old woman who achieved complete resolution when treated only with debridement and drainage. We find that a supportive approach, surgical management without direct repair, may play a vital role in select patient populations in order to avoid potentially long-term consequences or radical treatments, like esophageal diversion. Decisions regarding direct repair versus debridement and inspection only should be made on a case-by-case basis through a multidisciplinary approach