Mercury or Mercury Free Restorations in Oral Cavity

Amalgam is basically a concoction of metals that has been used as a potent filling material in dentistry for the last 150 years. Amalgam usually consists of silver, mercury, tin and copper. Dental amalgam is a material used to fill cavities of tooth. Over the years, amalgam has become a topic of concern because it contains mercury. Mercury is a naturally occurring metal in the environment. Mercury exists as a liquid in room temperature but when heated, it becomes a gas. Flexibility of amalgam as a filling material is due Mercury. An alloy powder, a compound that is soft in nature when mixed with mercury makes it enough to mix and condense into the tooth. It hardens quickly and offers strong resistance to the forces of biting and chewing. There are studies reported on the safety of amalgam fillings. In 2005, European Union launched a comprehensive mercury strategy to reduce use of mercury. In 2008, countries like Norway and Denmark restricted the use of dental amalgam containing mercury. In 2009, this research was evaluated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and found no rationale to limit the use of amalgam. There are certain restorative materials that are available commercially that are mercury free in nature like Gold, Porcelain, Gallium alloys, Composite resin restoratives etc. They offer many advantages over amalgams containing mercury like: seals the dentin from future decay, reinforces remaining tooth structure, provides smooth and bonded margins, conservative and it blends naturally

Kadaknath Chicken Meat Scope and Source of Animal Origin Nutrients for High Altitude Regions

Leh-Ladakh falls in the category of a high-altitude region with low oxygen, low atmospheric pressure and lack of moisture in the air, thus rendering the climate harsh. Therefore, humans staying in this region need different diets, nutrient levels, and other health supplements compared to low-lander people to thrive under these stressful conditions. Chicken meat and eggs have high biological value proteins that play an important role in nutrient supply in human diets. Among them, Kadaknath chicken meat is very famous for its nutritious brown and greyish-black flesh. Its meat contains more protein, less cholesterol and less fat. Its flesh is also known for its various medicinal properties, so it is very popular among health-conscious people. However, fresh chicken production at high-altitude is very limited due to stressful conditions, making poultry rearing very difficult and uneconomical. Kadaknath is an Indian breed of chicken from the Jhabua region of Madhya Pradesh known for its hardy nature to thrive in any harsh environment. Therefore, the Kadaknath breed can be a good choice for high-altitude due to its hardy nature and disease-resistant ability. Hence, Kadaknath chicken meat can prove to be a superfood in high-altitude and such remote regions, especially during the acclimatization period. We have recently started working on the propagation of Kadaknath chicken among the farmers of Ladakh and evaluating their meat quality and medicinal value. The present review focuses on the scope of Kadaknath chicken at Leh-Ladakh under backyard farming, its acceptance, and the advantage of its meat in providing complete nutrition to human consumers

What Causes Cancer Gallbladder?: A Review

Gallbladder cancer is a common malignancy of the biliary tract. It is the fifth common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract in United States [1] and third in Northern India [2]. Despite such high prevalence, there is scanty published literature about this disease in indexed journals. Therefore, this article is intended to provide a brief overview of gallbladder cancer risk factors, based mainly on published evidence from analytical epidemiology and recent research findings of biologists and practising oncologists. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to establish an association between different causative factors and the occurrence of the disease

Growing Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) under Low-input System in Arid trans-Himalayan Ladakh, India

Feasibility of growing muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), a warm season crop, was studied under a low-input cultivation system in open field condition in high altitude (elevation 3344 m) trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. The marketable yield of five cultivars in different treatments varied from 5.4±0.4 t.ha-1 to 18.8±1.7 t.ha-1 and 4.0±0.2 t.ha-1 to 15.8±1.0 t.ha-1 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Treatment of black polyethylene mulch (BPM) increased marketable yield by 25 per cent to 155 per cent depending on year and cultivar. The marketable yield of the best performing cultivar (Pusa Madhuras) under BPM was 17.3 t.ha-1, which suggested that muskmelon can successfully be grown in open field condition in trans-Himalaya. The fruit become ready for harvest in mid-August. Number of fruit per plant ranged from 2.3 to 6.3, and TSS ranged from 8.9 to 14.1 °Brix depending on cultivar. Temperature 10 cm beneath the BPM was 2.9±0.4 ºC higher than in bare soil. BPM reduced 74 per cent weed and save 77 per cent time in manual weeding

Growing Cauliflower in Winter under Passive Solar Greenhouse in Trans Himalayan Ladakh, India

Traditionally cauliflower is not grown during winter months in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region due to sub-zero degree celsius at night. Accordingly, the feasibility of growing cauliflower, a temperature-sensitive crop, was studied during winter months in a passive solar greenhouse in the high altitude (elevation 3340 m) trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. Studies were conducted during 2017-2020 with three commercial varieties. Curd was formed in all the varieties despite the temperature extremes (0.0±1.6 to 39.5±0.9 ºC) in the greenhouse. Harvesting was done in the month of February. The mean marketable curd weight ranged from 258±113 to 743±62 g depending on variety and year, which suggested that cauliflower can be successfully grown during winter months in the trans-Himalaya. However, the marketable curd weight was significantly lower as compared to the yield potential of the varieties. High temperature inside the greenhouse resulted in the occurrence of fuzziness, and it ranged from 0-35% of the harvested curd depending on the year and variety. Fuzziness was not observed in cv Shentha while 10.4-35% of cv Amazing exhibited fuzziness

Effect of Cladding Material and Date of Transplanting on Growth and Yield of Greenhouse Broccoli During Winter in High Altitude Ladakh, India

Broccoli is a cool-season crop. The optimum temperature for initiation of flowering and head growth is 15-20°C. Due to subfreezing temperatures at night, the crop is not traditionally cultivated in winter in the high-altitude Ladakh region. We found that growing broccoli in a passive solar greenhouse in winter is feasible. The choice of greenhouse cladding material and the date of transplanting are important factors that need to be considered. The mean marketable head weight of the cv. Fiesta and KTS-1 in a passive solar trench greenhouse with polycarbonate cladding material transplanted on 8 September were 403±106 and 169±100 g, respectively. Delayed transplanting on 8 October did not produce any marketable head. Covering the greenhouse with a polyethylene sheet did not result in marketable heads on both transplanting dates. We anticipate our study to be a starting point for researchers and the farming community to optimize the greenhouse production of broccoli during freezing winter-months in high-altitude regions

Morphometric analysis of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don), a critically endangered orchid in cold desert Ladakh region of India

The morphometric study was conducted during 2009 to 2010. About 28 morphological characters were measured under 13 natural populations of Dactylorhiza hatagirea. Geographic variation in morphology reflects phenotypic responses to environmental gradients and evolutionary history of populations and species. At points, beside its broad geographic range (Nubra, Suru and Indus valley) characterization of Dactylorhiza phenotype is normally accomplished by use of morphological descriptors, hence as a first step, phenotype collection and its morphometric analysis was assessed. However, plant height, leaf length, lowermost leaf length, length of second leaf from base and mean length from lowest bract to the top of inflorescence are presented to account for the remarkable variation in morphological characters. Tirith population showed more values of this trait while Skurru showed less value. From this, it is concluded that Tirith showed great morphometric variation as compared to other population. Multivariate morphometric techniques, principal component analysis (PCA), multidimensional scaling (MDS) and cluster analysis were used to determine whether these populations can be reliably morphologically similar or dissimilar. The first two principal components encompass more than 75% variation among population. The results of PCA and MDS analysis were comparable to the cluster analysis, which shows considerable phenotypic variation in morphological and horticultural traits that can be utilized in its genetic improvement. To support this study, further constructive information were provided on the status of the populations of D. hatagirea which may increase the conservation value of this site and resolve the suitable areas with taxonomic and nomenclatural controversies.Keywords: Morphological characters, principal component analysis (PCA), multidimensional scaling (MDS), plant height, leaf length, leaf widt

Multienzymatic immobilization of laccases on polymeric microspheres:A strategy to expand the maximum catalytic efficiency

Laccase enzymes of were covalently coimmobilized on poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres. The objective of this work was to create a biocatalyst that works efficiently in a wide range of pH. The coimmobilization was performed using two different strategies to compare the most efficient. The results showed that by correctly selecting the enzymes and concentrations involved in the commobilization, it is possible to obtain a biocatalyst that works efficiently at a wide pH range (2.0-7.0). The maximum activity values reached per gram of support for the obtained biocatalyst were 41.90 U (pH 3.0), 40.89 U (pH 4.0), and 39.54 U (pH 6.0). Moreover, the thermal, storage, and mechanical stabilities were improved compared to the free and single-immobilized laccases. It was concluded that enzymatic coimmobilization is an excellent alternative to obtain a robust biocatalyst that works in a wide pH range, with potential environmental and industrial applications