Prevalence of Ponticulus Posticus in Dental Patients using CBCT: A Radiologic study

AIM : To evaluate the prevalence of Ponticulus posticus in dental patients using CBCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS : In a series of 116 patients including 66 males and 50 females aged between 11to80 yrs attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology were advised CBCT for various reasons such as orthodontic treatment, implants, patients with chronic neck and head pain and TMJ disorders. Detailed examination of the patient including cervicogenic pain was recorded. Intensity of pain was assessed using Visual Analog scale. Unpaired Students ’t’ test was used to test the significance of association between incidence of Ponticulus Posticus and quantitative variables and Yate’s or Fisher’s chi square test for qualitative variables. A 'p' value less than 0.05 was taken to denote significant difference. RESULTS : CBCT examination revealed 15 patients positive for PP giving a result of 12.9% as prevalence of PP. the prevalence of PP was more common in the age group of 11 to 20 years (33.3%) and the next common age group was 21 to 30 years (22.2%). CONCLUSION : This study suggests the prevalence of PP is higher than previously believed and PP is a common anomaly. CBCT is an important tool for diagnosis and characterisation of PP in three dimensional views, providing professionals with access to excellent image quality and greater diagnostic accessory and sensitivity

Behavioral genomics of honeybee foraging and nest defense

The honeybee has been the most important insect species for study of social behavior. The recently released draft genomic sequence for the bee will accelerate honeybee behavioral genetics. Although we lack sufficient tools to manipulate this genome easily, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence natural variation in behavior have been identified and tested for their effects on correlated behavioral traits. We review what is known about the genetics and physiology of two behavioral traits in honeybees, foraging specialization (pollen versus nectar), and defensive behavior, and present evidence that map-based cloning of genes is more feasible in the bee than in other metazoans. We also present bioinformatic analyses of candidate genes within QTL confidence intervals (CIs). The high recombination rate of the bee made it possible to narrow the search to regions containing only 17–61 predicted peptides for each QTL, although CIs covered large genetic distances. Knowledge of correlated behavioral traits, comparative bioinformatics, and expression assays facilitated evaluation of candidate genes. An overrepresentation of genes involved in ovarian development and insulin-like signaling components within pollen foraging QTL regions suggests that an ancestral reproductive gene network was co-opted during the evolution of foraging specialization. The major QTL influencing defensive/aggressive behavior contains orthologs of genes involved in central nervous system activity and neurogenesis. Candidates at the other two defensive-behavior QTLs include modulators of sensory signaling (Am5HT(7) serotonin receptor, AmArr4 arrestin, and GABA-B-R1 receptor). These studies are the first step in linking natural variation in honeybee social behavior to the identification of underlying genes

Insect Bio-inspired Neural Network Provides New Evidence on How Simple Feature Detectors Can Enable Complex Visual Generalization and Stimulus Location Invariance in the Miniature Brain of Honeybees

This work was supported by a Human Frontier Science Program Grant RGP0022/2014 to LC and Queen Mary University of London Scholarship to MR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

A Comparative Analysis on SARS, MERS and COVID-19

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19) is on its way to become the pandemic of the century, if not already. As a coronavirus, it is known to cause severe respiratory illness, especially for those with compromised immune systems. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) and The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) are the most notable of past coronaviruses infecting thousands in numerous countries. All three viruses are from a zoonotic origin predominantly from bats, one of the coronavirus’s natural reservoir hosts. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to compare and contrast the attributes and features of all three coronaviruses. While SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and COVID-19 share many viral similarities due to their similar classification, they are not as closely related genetically. COVID-19 shares about 79% of its genome with SARS-COV and only about 50% with MERS-CoV. One of the most notable genetic similarities between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 is their shared receptor protein, ACE2. Although all three viruses share the same dominant mode of human-to-human transmission, respiratory droplets, SARS-CoV-2 seems to have drastically higher infection rates than the other two. Aerosol and asymptotic transmission could be a leading factor for COVID-19’s explosive infectivity. Currently, social distancing seems to be the only effective preventive strategy to tackle COVID-19

A bioinformatic analysis of the spike glycoprotein & evolution of COVID-19

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) has become the pandemic of the century due to its drastically infectious nature. SARS & MERS are the most notable of past coronaviruses infecting merely thousands compared to COVID-19s gigantic magnitude. COVID-19s global spread has been attributed to its high asymptotic transmission and explosive infectious nature, mainly due to mutational changes in the spike glycoprotein. The purpose of this research is to comprehend & evaluate the divergent evolution of the spike glycoprotein in COVID-19, and other coronaviruses, at the molecular level via bioinformatic analysis. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using spike glycoprotein sequences from viral genomes using MEGA X program. Nucleotide composition analysis and genome organization study were carried out. Dot plot comparisons were performed using EMBOSS Dot Matcher program. Phylogenetic analysis produced four distinct clades for each coronavirus genera with a common ancestral origin sometime in recent history. More importantly, COVID-19 and SARS formed their own subclade suggesting that evolution of sequence has taken place in the spike glycoprotein over the period time. Genome organization and nucleotide composition provided further evidence of mutational changes in the spike glycoprotein. The results from this study demonstrated the divergent evolution of coronaviruses. Mutational changes in the spike glycoprotein have resulted in more virulent forms of COVID-19. [Med-Science 2022; 11(1.000): 171-5

Risk Factors contributing to Methylation Shifts in BRCA1 and associated genes in African Americans with Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains one of the most lethal breast cancers while only accounting for 10-20% of all breast cancers. Mortality rates are a staggering 50%, with high likelihood of metastasis to other tissues if left untreated. This is due to this cancers heterogeneous nature and differentiation from other breast cancers, negatively staining for common mutations in estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2). The patient population is shifted more towards African Americans (AA) with increased incidence and mortality rates. To date the nature of this statistic remains multifaceted with no clear therapeutic regiment. Through the identification of methylation as viable cause for TNBC, the exploration of environmental, genetic, and socioeconomic risk factors serve as an important aspect of overall mortality rate. This review seeks to investigate the relationship between AA with TNBC and potentially important DNA methylation markers that change in response to multiple risk factors. [Med-Science 2017; 6(4.000): 787-792

The microbial community of persistent endodontic infection and the use of root canal disinfectants against E. faecalis: In vitro and in vivo review

In cases of unsuccessful endodontic treatment, E. faecalis is commonly detected and remains popular among the scientific community for in vitro and in vivo research. The nature of the bacteria's predominance is dependent on the difficulty in cleaning the apical portion of the tooth and E. faecalis' capacity to grow deep into the dentinal tubules. The purpose of this review is to gather current research on root canal disinfection against E. faecalis. In this literature review, four databases were searched: PubMed, EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, with explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. The compiled review shows that a predominant multi-microbial community within a persistent root canal infection include Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Enterococcus faecalis. E. faecalis produces moderate biofilms and causes infection through its virulence factors such as esp, cylA, ace, gelE, asa, and efaA. Several disinfecting agents and approaches have been explored for their capacity to eradicate E. faecalis and penetrate the dentinal tubules. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX) gel eliminate E. faecalis and other resistant microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Combing NaOCl irrigation with the following: Photon-induced photoacoustic streaming, passive ultrasonic irrigation, and diode laser irradiation, eradicates E. faecalis. The current research has shifted towards nanoparticles against E. faecalis because of its dissolution capacity, size, and antimicrobial efficacy. E. faecalis resists calcium hydroxide through its proton pump mechanism, but it is susceptible to Ca(OH)2 when applying a proton pump inhibitor or chlorhexidine. [Med-Science 2023; 12(2.000): 606-12

Normal Placental Development and the Triad of Placental Dysfunction: The Maternal and Fetal Complications

The placenta is crucial to the development of a fetus, playing a vital role from fertilization of an egg by sperm until the delivery of the fetus. Without the placenta, the fetus would not receive essential nutrients or oxygen from the mother and be able to rid itself of toxic wastes. Given the necessity of this temporary organ, improper formation of the placenta can lead to many health problems. These complications have an effect on the mother as well as the fetus given the essential link the placenta makes between fetal and maternal circulation. The main concerns with impaired placental function are commonly known as the triad of placental dysfunction. The triad of placental dysfunction includes preeclampsia, HELLP Syndrome, and IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) . The purpose of this review article is to explore the pathogenesis, the diagnostic and predictive criteria, and treatment for the disorders composing the triad of placental dysfunction to allow better outcomes for both the mother and fetus