Properties and Applications of Biodentine in Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics: A Review

Recently, a new calcium silicate based cement known as “Biodentine” or “dentin in capsule” has been introduced. It is a biocompatible and bioactive material. It consists of tricalcium silicates, dicalcium silicates, calcium carbonate and zirconium oxide. It has many promising characteristics including antibacterial activity, high compressive strength and chemical bonding to tooth structure. Additionally, it also has the ability to initiate reparative dentine formation. These properties allow their use for various restorative and endodontic procedures such as management of deep carious lesions, vital pulp therapies, perforation repair, retrograde fillings, apexogenesis, and apexification.&nbsp

Pudendal nerve block in male goats: comparison of ischiorectal fossa and ischial arch approaches using low volume 1% lignocaine hydrochloride

Thirty (30) adult male goats were injected xylazine (0.05 mg/kg, IM) and randomly divided into three equal groups. Internal pudendal nerve block was tried using 3.5 ml (on each side) of 1% lignocaine hydrochloride byischiorectal fossa or ischial arch approaches in goats from Group 1 and Group 2 respectively, 15 minutes after giving xylazine. Inadvertent puncture of the rectal wall and prick to the finger placed in the rectum was experienced once in Group 1 animal. None of the animals showed protrusion of the penis without manual manipulation. Prolapse of the prepucial ring was noticed in three animals from Group 1 and two each from Group 2 and 3. The application of mild manual push percutaneously resulted in the exposure of the penis in eight and six animals belonging to Group 1 and Group 2 respectively, 15 minutes after injection of the local anaesthetic. Statistically significant (P>0.05) difference between Group 1 and 2 values was detected only once at 90 minutes following injection of the local anaesthetic. The block lasted longer in animals of Group 1. The exposed organ was flaccid and insensitive. The organ retracted into the prepucial cover within five minutes of its release in all the animals. The penile exposure could not be achieved by similar manipulation in any of the Group 3 animals. From this study it was concluded that the ischiorectal fossa approach is cumbersome and may lead to inadvertent punctures, but the block develops in more number of animals for a longer period than with the ischial arch approach.The outcome of the two techniques did not show statistically significant (P>0.05) difference for most of the assessment period. Reducing the concentration of lignocaine hydrochloride may reduce the chances of continued relaxation of the penis beyond the required period and also the drug toxicity. However, studies using larger volume of 1% lignocaine hydrochloride may be undertaken for short term exposure of the penis without manual manipulation

Controlled Evaluation of Bactec Peds Plus/F and Bactec Lytic/10 Anaerobic/F Media for Isolation of Salmonella enterica Serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A from Blood▿

We compared anaerobic lytic (AL) and pediatric aerobic resin-containing (Peds Plus/F) blood culture media for the isolation of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi or Paratyphi A from children. The yields from AL and Peds Plus/F media were the same with equal volumes of blood, but recovery was faster from AL medium than Peds Plus/F medium (10.7 and 16.4 h, respectively) (P < 0.001)

In Silico Characterization of Withania coagulans Bioactive Compounds as Potential Inhibitors of Hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMG-CoA) Reductase of Mus musculus

Hypercholesterolemia is a mediator for the etiology of cardiovascular diseases, which are characterized as the global leading cause of mortality. We aimed to investigate the inhibitory activity of Withania coagulans compounds against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (Hmgcr) of Mus musculus using an extensive in silico approach. The 3D structure of the Hmgcr protein is not yet known, so we performed the homology modeling using MODELLER and SWISS-MODEL tools, followed with structural validation and assessment. The PROCHECK web server showed that the top-ranked homology model from SWISS-MODEL has 93.4% of residues in the most-favorable region, the quality factor was 98%, and the Verify3D score was 91.43%, compared to the other generated models. The druggable protein-binding cavities in a 3D model of Hmgcr were investigated with the aid of commonly prescribed statin compounds using the CB-dock approach. We compiled a 3D compound library of W. coagulans, followed by drug-likeness evaluation, and found 20 eligible compounds. The pattern of consensus residues obtained from the CB-dock procedure was then used for grid-box docking of W. coagulans compounds and statin drugs using AutoDock 4.2, respectively. The results showed that withanolide R (−10.77 kcal/mol), withanolide Q (−10.56 kcal/mol), withanolide J (−10.52 kcal/mol), atorvastatin (−8.99 kcal/mol), simvastatin (−8.66 kcal/mol), and rosuvastatin (−8.58 kcal/mol) were promising candidates that bind Hmgcr protein. The key residues involved in protein–ligand (withanolide R) interactions were Y516, C526, V529, I530, M533, I535, and V537, and the formation of a H-bond was at C526, M533, and I535 residues. M533 was the consensus residue having a tendency to form a H-bond with withanolide Q, too. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to validate the top-ranked docked complexes for the stability of the modeled protein. We also predicted the pharmacokinetic properties of binding affinity-based top-ranked compounds and concluded that they could be used as potential inhibitors of Hmgcr. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are essential to completing the drug development process

Data_Sheet_1_Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific anti-spike IgM, IgG, and anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies during the second wave of the pandemic: A population-based cross-sectional survey across Kashmir, India.docx

BackgroundWithin Kashmir, which is one of the topographically distinct areas in the Himalayan belt of India, a total of 2,236 cumulative deaths occurred by the end of the second wave. We aimed to conduct this population-based study in the age group of 7 years and above to estimate the seropositivity and its attributes in Kashmir valley.MethodsWe conducted a community-based household-level cross-sectional study, with a multistage, population-stratified, probability-proportionate-to-size, cluster sampling method to select 400 participants from each of the 10 districts of Kashmir. We also selected a quota of healthcare workers, police personnel, and antenatal women from each of the districts. Households were selected from each cluster and all family members with age 7 years or more were invited to participate. Information was collected through a standardized questionnaire and entered into Epicollect 5 software. Trained healthcare personnel were assigned for collecting venous blood samples from each of the participants which were transferred and processed for immunological testing. Testing was done for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific anti-spike IgM, IgG antibodies, and anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. Weighted seropositivity was estimated along with the adjustment done for the sensitivity and specificity of the test used.FindingsThe data were collected from a total of 4,229 participants from the general population within the 10 districts of Kashmir. Our results showed that 84.84% (95% CI 84.51–85.18%) of the participants were seropositive in the weighted imputed data among the general population. In multiple logistic regression, the variables significantly affecting the seroprevalence were the age group 45–59 years (odds ratio of 0.73; 95% CI 0.67–0.78), self-reported history of comorbidity (odds ratio of 1.47; 95% CI 1.33–1.61), and positive vaccination history (odds ratio of 0.85; 95% CI 0.79–0.90) for anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. The entire assessed variables showed a significant role during multiple logistic regression analysis for affecting IgM anti-spike antibodies with an odds ratio of 1.45 (95% CI 1.32–1.57) for age more than 60 years, 1.21 (95% CI 1.15–1.27) for the female gender, 0.87 (95% CI 0.82–0.92) for urban residents, 0.86 (95% CI 0.76–0.92) for self-reported comorbidity, and an odds ratio of 1.16 (95% CI 1.08–1.24) for a positive history of vaccination. The estimated infection fatality ratio was 0.033% (95% CI: 0.034–0.032%) between 22 May and 31 July 2021 against the seropositivity for IgM antibodies.InterpretationDuring the second wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, 84.84% (95% CI 84.51–85.18%) of participants from this population-based cross-sectional sample were seropositive against SARS-CoV-2. Despite a comparatively lower number of cases reported and lower vaccination coverage in the region, our study found such high seropositivity across all age groups, which indicates the higher number of subclinical and less severe unnoticed caseload in the community.</p