Antimicrobial Efficacy of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate with and without Silver Nanoparticles

Introduction: Most current root-end filling materials do not provide a perfect seal. Thus, a microscopic space is likely to exist in the interface between walls of the root-end cavity and filling material, which allows microorganisms and their products to penetrate. In addition to good sealing ability and biocompatibility, root-end filling materials should ideally have some antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this in vitro study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of Angelus white mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and the mixture of MTA with silver nanoparticles (1% weight; MTA/SN). Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial properties of MTA and MTA/SN were tested by agar diffusion technique against Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The microbial inhibition zones around the materials were measured by a caliper with 0.1-mm accuracy. Student’s t-test was used for comparison between the two groups in normal data distribution and Man-Whitney U test for non-normal distribution. Results: Student’s t-test revealed that for E. faecalis, C. albicans, and P. aeruginosa, microbial inhibition zone of MTA/SN was significantly greater than that of MTA (P=0.000). Mann-Whitney U test indicated no significant difference between the effect of MTA and MTA/SN on S. aureus (P>0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, adding silver nanoparticles to MTA improved its antimicrobial efficacy

Social Mobilization in the Wake of Coronavirus Disease-19: A Brief Report of a Planned Approach to Community Health in Iran

BACKGROUND: Several plans have been taken by health system to deal with COVID-19. The rapid spread of the virus and the special care that critical patients need put a major pressure on the healthcare system, which may not be able to compensate for its dimensions in various aspects. Therefore, the participation and cooperation of the society in the form of mobilizing the society with the health system will be effective in controlling and preventing this disease. AIM: The overall purpose of this study is to design a community mobilization framework based on the PATCH Model to prevent the spread and control of coronavirus disease. METHODS: This community-based research is a type of health system research (HSR) which designs the community mobilization framework based on the PATCH Model RESULTS: In this project, the community mobilization framework is in the form of the PATCH Model. In this study, interventions and activities will be performed based on the PATCH Model in the neighborhood. Health volunteers consist of popular volunteers, Basij, clerics, neighborhood trustees, donors. After training and issuing the identification card, Corona Anti-Corruption Assistant will start operating. Activities will be purposeful in three areas: education and information, neighborhood surveillance, and disinfection. CONCLUSION: Community mobilization for disease prevention and control in the neighborhood using the PATCH model as presented will be effective

Shelf life extension of walnut kernels using rice starch-based edible coating formulations

The shelf life of raw walnut kernel is limited due to the influenced of various factors such as its chemical composition, storage condition and environments etc. The effects of five different rice starch-based edible coating formulations on the chemical, physicochemical and textural properties of coated walnut kernels were studied. The peroxide value, anisidine value, totox value, free fatty acid content, hexanal content, color, moisture content, and textural properties were monitored in coated walnuts stored at accelerated temperature (60°C). Results indicated that the coated walnuts had a better quality in terms oxidative stability based on all the chemical indicators of rancidity, and a firmer texture when compared to the uncoated ones, even after 20 days of storage at high temperature. The walnut kernels that were coated with the basic rice starch formulation can be stored longer than the uncoated control samples i.e. with additional of 6 to7 days at 60°C. However, the color of the coated sample was significantly (P≤0.05) lighter than the control group with L values of 49.86 and 46.88, respectively. The predicted shelf life based on calculation showed that the shelf life of the walnut kernels can be extended to 1024 days from 160 days at storage temperature of 20 ± 2°C.It can be concluded that the physicochemical and storage qualities of walnut kernels can be improved by addition of palm oil or chitosan to the rice starch-based edible coating formulations

Biocompatibility of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate with TiO2 Nanoparticles on Human Gingival Fibroblasts

The New compositions of white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA) or use of various additives like nanoparticles might affect MTA’s ideal characteristics This study was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of WMTA and WMTA with Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (1% weight ratio) at different storage times after mixing on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). HGFs were obtained from the attached gingiva of human premolars. HGFs were cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle medium, supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, penicillin and streptomycin. The cells were exposed to WMTA (groups 1 and 2) and WMTA+TiO2 (groups 3 and 4). The fifth and sixth groups served as controls. Each group contained 15 wells. After 24h (groups 1, 3 and 5) and 48 h (groups 2, 4 and 6) of exposure, HGF viability was determined by Mosmann’s tetrazolium toxicity (MTT) assay. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test, with significance of p < 0.05. With both materials, the viability of HGFs significantly decrased with increasing the incubation time from 24h to 48 h (P0.05). Under the limitations of the present study, incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles into MTA at 1 wt% had no negative effect on its biocompatibility

Primary pleural lymphoma of T cell origin in a paediatric patient with a focus on radiological findings : a case report and review of literature

Purpose: Pleural lymphoma is a medical condition characterised by shortness of breath and obscure chest pain, which may be a diagnostic challenge, especially when it occurs in children. Plain chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scan are the main imaging techniques and are the initial diagnostic methods utilised. Case report: A four-year-old boy was admitted to the emergency ward with pain in the right thoracoabdominal region, which had persisted for two months. Physical examination revealed reduced respiratory sounds in the right chest, but with no other significant findings. The patient underwent chest X-ray and CT scan, which showed right sided pleural thickening coupled with a massive pleural effusion. The patient underwent pleural biopsy, and a diagnosis of T-cell primary pleural lymphoma was made. The patient underwent treatment with BFM-NHL and was followed for three years, during which the patient remained disease free. Conclusions: Pleural lymphoma is a rare diagnosis especially in children and could have overlapping clinical manifestations with more common conditions. Imaging techniques are the main route of clinical work-up towards final diagnosis. Here, we present a rare paediatric patient with no significant past medical history, who underwent imaging and was diagnosed with T-cell primary pleural lymphoma, a very rare subtype of primary pleural lymphoma

Prevalence, antibiotic resistance and virulence of Enterococcus spp. isolated from traditional cheese types

BACKGROUND: Enterococci are naturally found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of animals and humans, as well as animal-derived foods and vegetables. We here aimed to determine the prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and virulence determinants of E. faecium and E. faecalis in traditional cheese in the North-west of Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty specimens of popular traditional cheese from dairy stores of Urmia and Tabriz, Iran, were collected. Identification of the genus and species of enterococci was done using molecular and phenotypic techniques.RESULTS: Forty-eight (96 %) of 50 traditional cheese samples were harboring Enterococcus spp, including Enterococcus faecalis (n= 40; 83.33 %) and E. faecium (n= 8; 16.67 %). The prevalence of enterococci ranged from 1.1×105 to 9.7×104 CFU/g, and 1.1×103 to 9.8×103 CFU/g in Urmia and Tabriz samples, respectively. Rifampicin resistance (n= 38; 79.2 %) was the most common pattern observed in the susceptibility test, which was followed by quinupristin/dalfopristin (n= 33; 68.75 %). Among E. faecalis isolates, cpd (100 %), ace (92.5 %) and gelE (87.5 %), and among E. faecium isolates, gelE (100 %) and asa1 (75 %) were found to have the most common virulence genes.CONCLUSION: E. faecalis was the predominant species, displaying more virulence determinants. It also had high antibiotic resistance, as compared to E. faecium. The enterococci identified here commonly expressed virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants. So, it is required to improve the maintenance and production quality of traditional cheese to avoid enterococci contamination

Antibacterial Activity of MTA Fillapex and AH 26 Root Canal Sealers at Different Time Intervals

Introduction: The main goal of endodontic treatment is elimination of bacteria and their by-products from infected root canals. This study compared the antibacterial effect of two different sealers, AH 26 and MTA Fillapex, on 4 microorganisms 24, 48 and 72 h and 7 days after mixing. Methods and Materials: The microorganisms used in this study consisted of Lactobacillus acidophilus (ATCC 4356), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 39392), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212). This test is based on the growth of bacteria and turbidity measurement technique using a spectrophotometer, and direct contact was conducted. Multiple comparisons were carried out using repeated-measures ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test and student’s t-test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: The antibacterial activity in the indirect technique was more than the technique with both sealers. In the direct technique the antibacterial activity on all microorganisms were higher for MTA Fillapex sealer. In the indirect technique, both sealers exhibited similar antibacterial properties. Conclusion: The antibacterial effect of MTA Fillapex sealer was significantly more than that of AH 26 sealer in the direct technique. The antibacterial effects of both sealers were similar in the indirect technique.Keywords: Antibacterial; Enterococcus faecalis; Lactobacillus; MTA Fillapex; Sealers; Staphylococcu

Oral Health Indices in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Receiving Insulin Treatment Compared With Metformin: A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives: Due to the important influence of glycemic control on oral health, this study aimed to compare the gingival index and decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) in participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving insulin and metformin. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 130 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin and metformin were studied in two groups based on the type of treatment. The information for DMFT and gingival indices were obtained using the oral examination. In the insulin group, participants received insulin Lantus 0.2 unit/kg once daily, and in the metformin group, participants received metformin tablets 500 mg every 12 hours. Glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was measured by lab test in all participants. Finally, HbA1c, the information of DMFT, and gingival indices were compared between the two groups. Results: The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in decayed, missed, and restored teeth, as well as the overall DMFT index between the two groups. The gingival index was significantly higher in the insulin group (P=0.046). Conclusions: Gingival health of insulin users is poorer than metformin users, but it seems that type of diabetes treatment does not affect the DMFT inde

An In Vitro Comparison of Coronal Microleakage of Three Orifice Barriers Filling Materials

Introduction: A coronal barrier in root-filled teeth is one of the most effective methods for prevention of coronal microleakage. The aim of this study was to compare coronal microleakage of three materials [light-cured glass-ionomer (GI), mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), and composite resin] as coronal barriers. Materials and Methods: A total of 188 intact maxillary incisors were used. After instrumentation, all the canals were obturated with gutta-percha and lateral condensation technique using AH26 sealer. Then, the teeth were sectioned just apical to the cemento-enamel junction. The roots were randomly assigned to three experimental groups (n=56) and two negative and positive control groups (n=20). After placing the orifice barrier, the samples were immersed in 2% methylene blue solution for 2 weeks at 37°C. Then the teeth were longitudinally sectioned mesiodistally and dye penetration was measured under a stereomicroscope at ×10 magnification. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and a post-hoc Tukey test. Results: The positive control group leaked significantly more than all the experimental groups (P=0.001). MTA exhibited less leakage than composite and GI (P=0.002) but no significant differences were found between GI and composite groups. Conclusion: Immediate placement of a suitable intra-orifice barrier like MTA, before final restoration, may help minimize recontamination of the remaining apical gutta-percha

A Framework for Stabilizing the Person-Organization Relationship

In many organizational interactions,the employee and the organization have different understandings of the obligations of each party and how to fulfill their obligations.Divergence of these perceptions can lead to misunderstandings,conflicts and even breaches of contract.The main purpose of this study is to "provide a framework for stabilizing the employee-organization relationship,studied:Snapp".This research is applied-developmental in terms of purpose and mixed method in terms of approach and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection method.The statistical population used in this study were Snapp managers and experts in middle and senior levels and the sample size was 15 Snapp organizational experts.To select these people,targeted sampling and snowball sampling methods were used.In this study,interpretive structural modeling(ISM) and MICMAC analysis were used to identify the criteria and explore the relationships between them,After studying the literature and conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with the sample size.Findings of the study showed the extraction of six components "employee characteristics,cultural characteristics,structural factors, governance model, policy rationality and environmental context" in a four-level ISM graph. Environmental contexts and policy rationality were identified as the most effective components and employee characteristics as the most impressive component in stabilizing the relationship between the employee and the organization