Effects of low-level laser therapy on orthodontic tooth movement: a randomised clinical trial

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on Little Irregularities Index, acceleration of tooth movement, dental arch dimensional changes, pain perception, inter radicular and buccolingual bony changes, root resorption, bone densities and chairside time in orthodontic extraction cases using self-ligating and conventional bracket systems with three-dimensional (3D) evaluation via cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital dental models (DDM). A randomised clinical trial was performed with a total of thirty-two patients (eight patients in each group) with the mean age of 22.41 (4.18) years. The patients were further divided in four groups randomly [A= self-ligating laser (SLL), B = conventional bracket laser (CBL), C = self-ligating non laser group (SLNL), D = conventional non laser bracket (CBNL)]. A 940 nm wavelength laser device (iLase; Biolase, Irvine, Calif) was used. Laser irradiation applied for both upper and lower incisors and canine tooth for 6 seconds at mesial and distal side of apical, middle, mesial and distal side of cervical area with 100mW laser output and energy density was 75J/cm2 per tooth. Patient’s pre-treatment and at the end of levelling and alignment stage, the CBCT and DDM acquisition were taken and measured via Planmeca RomexisTM Software 2.3.1.R (Helsinki, Finland). DDM assessed the acceleration of tooth movement and dental arch dimensional changes. The root resorption, inter radicular, buccolingual bony changes and bone densities measured via CBCT acquisitions of patients. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was given to the patients to record their pain intensity for seven days. The normality of the data was evaluated with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficient test was applied to check the reliability for all the variables. For the intragroup comparison, the paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed. Descriptive statistic was applied for assessment of pain perception based on the different wire placement up to seven consecutive days. For the intergroup comparison, regardless of a bracket system and LLLT application, an independent t-test and Mann Whitney test were performed. One-way ANOVA with Post Hoc Bonferroni correction and Kruskal Wallis with pair wise comparison were performed to assess the comparison of four groups. The intraclass correlation (ICC) values for intra and inter-examiner reliability were in the range of excellent correlation of all variables. Most of the variables showed significant differences in intra group comparison. However, few variables exhibited significant differences during intergroup comparison regardless of the bracket system (acceleration of tooth movement, root resorption on 22, bone density on CM11, AD11) and LLLT application (mandibular IMW, pain on 0.017×0.025 NiTi wire and bone density on MM33, CD31, CD 41, MP33). Moreover, when comparing all four groups, significant difference (P<0.05) observed in accelerating tooth movement, inter radicular bony changes (42 to 41 for CBNL vs CBL), pain (0.014 NiTi archwire), bone density (AM22, AD12, CP21, AM42, MM33) and chairside time. Other variables showed no significant differences. In conclusion, LLLT group needed less mean time to complete levelling and alignment than the non LLLT group. LLLT does not affect dental arch dimensional changes, inter radicular and buccolingual bony changes, root resorption and bone density. Bracket system has no effects on the acceleration of the tooth movement, dental arch dimensional changes, orthodontic pain, inter radicular, buccolingual bony changes, root resorption and bone density. Self-ligating bracket takes less chair side time compared to the conventional bracket

CSR AS AN INVESTMENT OR AN EXPENSE: EVIDENCE FROM BANKING SECTOR OF PAKISTAN

If engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities costs at least in short run and it is beyond a firm’s legal obligation then why do firms especially financial services firms engage in CSR activities. This question urges us to investigate the role of CSR in Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) in the banking sector of Pakistan.  Therefore, data of 15 banks, listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange, have been collected from annual reports of respective banks’ websites and the State Bank of Pakistan for 6 years from 2009 to 2014. Correlation and regression analysis have been conducted through SPSS software.  Strong correlation between CSR and ROA, Firm Size as well as Firm Age was found out. On the hand, it was revealed that CSR did not have a significant impact on ROA as well as on ROE. The study contributes to the banking sector of Pakistan and gives insights to stakeholders including managers, leaders, investors and general public

Efficient free radical scavenging activity of Ginkgo biloba, Stevia rebaudiana and Parthenium hysterophorous leaves through DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl)

Free radical scavenging activity of three important plants Ginkgo biloba, Stevia rebaudiana and Parthenium hysterophorous was carried out to evaluate and explore new potential sources of natural antioxidants. For this purpose the leaves of the three plants were processed. In these experiments the order of the antioxidant activity was, maximum activity shown by methanolic extract of Ginkgo biloba followed by Parthenium hysterophorous and Stevia rebaudiana. Furthermore the ethanolic extract of Ginkgo biloba also showed maximum antioxidant activity seconded by Stevia rebaudiana and Parthenium hysterophorous.Keywords: Ginkgo biloba, Stevia rebaudiana and Parthenium hysterophorous, DPPH, radical scavenging activit

Validity and reliability of external apical root resorption (EARR) measurements: a 3D cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of external apical root resorption (EARR) measurements on commercial and open source software. The data sources were CBCT high volumetric data acquisition from the Malay ethnic group who are undergoing orthodontic treatment in School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. A total of 16 CBCT radiograph with 512 variables were measured using the Planmeca Romexis TM Software 2.3.1.R (Helsinki, Finland) and 3D Slicer v. 4.8.1 (open-source software, http://www.slicer.org). Two examiners (A and B) carried out all the measurements of the selected radiographs using the two softwares. Intra class correlation (ICC) coefficient test was applied to check the validity and reliability of EARR measurements. The validity of the 3D EARR measurements from both examiners A and B showed strong correlations. Moreover, ICC co-efficient values of inter examiner A and B were all in the range of strong correlation for EARR measurements in which reliability coefficient values were comparable with the measurements using Planmeca Romexis and 3D Slicer, respectively. All ICC coefficient values were positively correlated. Linear measurements of EARR using 3D CBCT in both commercial and open source software and are valid and reliable

Abrasivos de pasta de dientes comunes y métodos para evaluar su abrasividad.

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Towards Improved Food and Nutrition Security in Sindh Province, Pakistan

The 2011 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) in Pakistan showed that Sindh province continues to have some of the worst undernutrition rates in South Asia. For determinants of acute and chronic malnutrition to be better understood, Action Against Hunger (ACF) conducted a Nutrition Causal Analysis (NCA) in two districts of Sindh province, where persistently critical prevalences of wasting were recorded, for example, Dadu district with GAM and SAM rates at 19.5 per cent and 5.3 per cent respectively (October 2011). ACF findings confirmed that Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices do not receive the attention required to prevent the irreversible damages caused by undernutrition when occurring during the critical 1,000 days window. The study also showed a high occurrence of illnesses related to poor access to water and sanitation infrastructures, as well as a high level of poverty paired with the lack of alternative income sources

External Apical Root Resorption and IL-1A, IL-1RN Gene Polymorphisms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies

Objective: To reconnoiter the IL-1A (-889) and IL-1RN (+2018) gene polymorphisms and their association with EARR. Material and Methods: The Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases were comprehensively searched by two independent reviewers. In addition, the bibliographies of all relevant publications and textbooks were searched manually. A meta-analysis was performed using data available up to May 9, 2020. Results: A total of 13 and 9 publications were selected for the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively for both IL-1A and IL-1RN genes. Odds ratio (OR) was used to evaluate the association of the gene polymorphism and the risk of EARR. The risk of EARR was estimated using the overall OR from the published studies. No association was found for IL-1A gene for the risk of EARR. However, the dominant and co-dominant models of IL-1RN gene polymorphism were associated with the risk of EARR. Conclusion: More studies are warranted to determine the relationship between IL-1A and IL-1RN gene polymorphisms and EARR for a clearer understanding of their interactions

Quantum beat laser as a source of entangled radiation

Journals published by the American Physical Society can be found at http://publish.aps.org/We consider a quantum beat laser [Scully and Zubairy, Phys. Rev. A 35 752 (1987)] as a source of entangled radiation. The system essentially consists of three-level atoms inside a doubly resonant cavity such that coherence is introduced by driving the upper two levels with a strong classical field of Rabi frequency Omega. We study the dynamics of this system for different values of Rabi frequencies in the presence of cavity losses. It is shown that entanglement can be generated in this system for different initial states of the field in the two modes

Synthetically modified bioisosteres of salicyl alcohol and their gastroulcerogenic assessment versus aspirin: biochemical and histological correlates

The present study was conducted to synthesize nitrogen containing derivatives of salicyl alcohol and to investigate in vivo their ulcerogenic potential in comparison with aspirin in rats. The compounds [4-(2-hydroxybenzyl) morpholin-4-iumchloride (I)] and [1,4-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl) piperazine-1,4-diium chloride (II)] were synthesized and their chemical structures were characterized using spectral data. In our previous study (Ali et al., Afr J Pharm Pharmacol 7:585–596, 2013), both compounds showed anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antipyretic properties in standard animal models and a greater binding affinity for cyclooxygenase-2 versus cyclooxygenase-1 in molecular docking and dynamics analysis. For in vivo studies, animals were randomly divided into four groups. The synthetic compounds (both at 100 or 150 mg/kg), aspirin (150 mg/kg), or saline vehicle was administered orally, once daily for 6 days and then tested for ulcerogenic activity. At the end of the procedure, gastric juice and tissues were collected and subjected to biochemical and histological analyses. The results of the study revealed that in the case of the aspirin-treated group, there was a significant increase in gastric juice volume, free acidity, total acidity, and ulcer score and a decrease in gastric pH. Moreover, histological examination of the gastric mucosa of the aspirin-treated group indicated morphological changes while neither of the synthetic compounds showed any significant ulcerogenic or cytotoxic properties. The results of the present study suggest that both compounds are free from ulcerogenic side effects and may represent a better alternative to aspirin