Acute toxicity and effect of fenitrothion on liver esterase of fish

The acute toxicity of fenitrothion (FNT) alone and combined with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) or triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and their effect on liver esterase (LE) activity of Gambusia holbrooki, Pseudorasobora parva and Oncorhynchus mykiss was studied in aquaria for 96h. The results indicated that fenitrothion is moderately toxic to the three species of fish tested, the toxicity being highest to O. mykiss followed by P. parva and G. holbrooki. Both FNT concentrations and the exposure time on the activity of LE and FNT (two way ANOVA

Trend of Malaria Cases in Hana and Keyafer Health Centers, South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Data registered in health facilities about malaria are vital source of information regarding the trend and pattern of the disease. Moreover the data also used to evaluate the impact of the intervention methods and to plan malaria control accordingly. The aim of this study was to assess the number of malaria cases in the service providing health institutions of South Omo Zone, SNNPR, over a period of seven years, 2008-2014. METHODS: A retrospective review of routinely collected and recorded data on malaria was conducted at Hana and Keyafer health centers located in South OmoZone, during December-March/2014. RESULT: This retrospective study examined records of 54,160 presumptive and confirmed malaria cases registered over seven years (January 2008-December 2014). Among the registered, a total of 22,494 laboratory confirmed malaria cases were reported. The mean annual prevalence of malaria was 3213, with total slide positivity rate (SPR) of 41.53%. The seven years' overall trend of malaria occurrence in the study sites showed a fluctuating trend from 2008 to 20114. P. falciparum was the predominant species with no trend shift in seven years period. Plasmodium falciparum accounted for 61.03% and Plasmodium vivax for 32.44%. Most of the confirmed cases were males (63.26%) and most were above 15 years old (70.7%). Rainfall at lag of one month was significantly predicting number of cases at Hana Health center (P< 0.001), though it was found to be not significant in case of Keyafer Health Center. CONCLUSION: The finding of the retrospective study revealed that malaria still remains as a public health problem in the study areas. The deadly species P. falciparium was most predominant, and the age group above 15 was more infected. Hence, malaria intervention methods should be scaled up in the study sites

Improving Science Process Skills of Students: A Review of Literature

This paper aims to review and assess the strategies available in literature to improve the practices of science process skills (SPS) among students. SPS encompasses the mental and physical activities of students in collecting and organizing information and then using the information to make predictions, explain phenomena, solve problems, understand the scientific endeavor, and learn science. Students were required to develop and use these skills in the teaching and learning process. The commonly identified and described SPS are observation, measuring, classifying, communicating, predicting, inferring, using numbers, using space/time relationship, questioning, identifying and controlling variables, hypothesizing, defining operationally, designing experiments, interpreting data, and modeling. These skills are important for students as tools for exploration and investigation of the natural world, improving academic achievements and attitudes towards science, learning science with understanding, and promoting development of mental and intellectual processes. From the literature reviewed the following strategies were recognized for the development of SPS in students: integration of SPS in curriculum materials, classroom lessons and assessments, use of instructional strategies or methods, and providing explicit instruction or training on SPS. The instructional strategies identified for enhancing SPS were student-centered teaching methods and multiple representation approaches. Student-centered teaching approaches promote the development of SPS in students by engaging them in mind-on and hand-on activities. Multiple representation approaches involve presenting lessons by using a combination of various teaching methods or various media in the same lesson and are found important for SPS development in students. Therefore, it was recommended to use these strategies for developing SPS to attain science education goals

Active matrix metalloproteinase-8 : A potential biomarker of oral systemic link

Objectives: This mini review aims to address some possible gaps in periodontal diagnosis in clinical studies particularly involving the oral-systemic connection with a view to minimize such gaps, and thus improve patient treatment experiences and outcomes. Methods: The conventional assessment of periodontitis has traditionally been by clinical and radiographic oral parameters. We reviewed numerous studies published mainly within the past decade, to affirm the oral-systemic link, the contribution of periodontitis to the inflammatory burden in various systemic diseases and conditions, and the potential role of active matrix metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8). Results: While it is established that periodontal pathogens in dental plaque biofilm are the primary initiating agents in periodontitis, it has become clear from the appraisal of recent studies that the host inflammation, including biomarkers such as aMMP-8 play a major role, being the driving underlying pathological mechanism in both periodontitis and systemic diseases. Conclusions: The apparent limitations of conventional diagnostic tools have led researchers to seek alternative methods of evaluation such as the quantification of biomarkers including aMMP-8, which can be a bridge between oral/periodontal and systemic diseases; aMMP-8 can form a mouth-body connection.Peer reviewe

Active MMP-8 (aMMP-8) as a Grading and Staging Biomarker in the Periodontitis Classification

The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of incorporating active matrix metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8) as a biomarker into the new periodontitis classification system (stage/grade) presented in 2018. This study included 150 Greek adults aged 25–78, of whom 74 were men and 76 women. Participants were tested with an aMMP-8 point-of-care mouthrinse test, after which a full-mouth clinical examination was performed to assess their periodontal and oral health. The aMMP-8 levels in mouthrinse were significantly lower among healthy patients compared with patients in more severe periodontitis stages and grades (Kruskal–Wallis test and Dunn–Bonferroni test for pairwise post-hoc comparisons; p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, aMMP-8 levels were less correlated with plaque levels than bleeding on probing (BOP) (Spearman’s rho = 0.269, p < 0.001; Spearman’s rho = 0.586, p < 0.001); respectively). Thus, aMMP-8 was more robust to the confounding effects of oral hygiene than traditional periodontal parameter bleeding on probing. The aMMP-8 point-of-care mouthrinse test can be utilized as an adjunctive and preventive diagnostic tool to identify periodontal disease, classified by stage and grade, and ongoing periodontal breakdown chairside in clinical practice in only 5 min. Overall, integrating aMMP-8 into the new periodontitis classification system seems beneficial

aMMP-8 Point-of-Care/Chairside Oral Fluid Technology as a Rapid, Non-Invasive Tool for Periodontitis and Peri-Implantitis Screening in a Medical Care Setting

This communication article addresses currently available rapid non-invasive methods to screen and detect periodontitis and dental peri-implantitis. In this regard, oral fluid biomarkers have been researched extensively but self-reported oral health (SROH)-questionnaires have also been developed. Both alternatives may offer a quick and easy way to screen and detect diseased patients. Active matrix metalloproteinase (aMMP-8) is one of the most validated biomarkers for screening and detecting periodontal breakdown related to periodontitis and peri-implantitis and monitoring their treatment effects revealing successful, less- and non-successful treatment results. Currently available aMMP-8 lateral-flow technologies allow this kind of analysis, as demonstrated here, to be conducted quantitatively online and real-time as point-of-care/chairside testing in dental and even medical care settings. In this study, an aMMP-8 peri-implant sulcular fluid point-of-care-test diagnosed peri-implantitis and healthy implants far more accurately than bleeding-on-probing or the other biomarkers, such as polymorphonuclear (PMN)/neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase and MMP-9. Although, SROH-questionnaires allow screening in similar settings but they lack the information about the current disease activity of periodontitis and peri-implantitis, which is of essential value in periodontal diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Thus, both methods can be considered as adjunct methods for periodontitis and peri-implant diagnostics, but the value of oral fluid biomarkers analysis does not seem to be substitutable.Peer reviewe

Ability of matrix metalloproteinase-8 biosensor, IFMA, and ELISA immunoassays to differentiate between periodontal health, gingivitis, and periodontitis

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Periodontal Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic utility of an MMP-8 biosensor assay in differentiating periodontal health from gingivitis and periodontitis and compare it with an established time-resolved immunofluorescence assay (IFMA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Background: Currently available antibody-based assays display a wide variability in their ability to accurately measure matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) levels in saliva. Methods: Salivary MMP-8 levels were analyzed in 189 systemically healthy participants using an antibody-based biosensor prototype that operates using a surface acoustic wave technology and compared with IFMA and ELISA antibody assays. Participants were categorized into 3 groups: periodontal health (59), gingivitis (63), and periodontitis (67). A sub-population of participants (n = 20) with periodontitis received periodontal treatment and were monitored for 6 months. Results: All the assays demonstrated significantly higher salivary MMP-8 concentrations in participants with periodontitis versus gingivitis, periodontitis versus health, and gingivitis versus health (all p <.05). The biosensor data demonstrated significant correlations with IFMA (r =.354, p <.001) and ELISA (r =.681, p <.001). Significant reductions in salivary MMP-8 concentrations were detected by the biosensor (p =.030) and IFMA (p =.002) in participants with periodontitis 6 months after non-surgical periodontal treatment. IFMA had the best sensitivity (89.2%) for detecting periodontitis and gingivitis versus health and 96.6% for detecting periodontitis versus health and gingivitis. The biosensor had an AUC value of 0.81 and diagnostic accuracy of 74.2% for differentiating periodontitis and gingivitis from health; an AUC value of 0.86 and diagnostic accuracy of 82.8% for periodontitis versus health and gingivitis. Conclusions: The biosensor, IFMA, and ELISA assays differentiated between periodontal health, gingivitis, and periodontitis based on salivary MMP-8 levels. Only the biosensor and, particularly, IFMA identified an effect of periodontal treatment in the participants with periodontitis. Our findings support the potential utility of salivary oral fluid aMMP-8-based point-of-care technology in the future of periodontal diagnostics.Peer reviewe

On the diagnostic discrimination ability of mouthrinse and salivary aMMP-8 point-of-care testing regarding periodontal health and disease

This study investigated the diagnostic utility of mouthrinse and saliva in aMMP-8 measurements to analyze patients' risk for active periodontal tissue destruction and progression of periodontal disease among 47 adolescents. Results show that measurements from mouthrinse produce better discrimination and should be used instead of saliva measurements. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety : 20 Years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use

Levosimendan was first approved for clinical use in 2000, when authorization was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the hemodynamic stabilization of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure (HF). In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitization and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced HF, right ventricular failure, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care, and emergency medicine. Levosimendan is currently in active clinical evaluation in the United States. Levosimendan in IV formulation is being used as a research tool in the exploration of a wide range of cardiac and noncardiac disease states. A levosimendan oral form is at present under evaluation in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To mark the 20 years since the advent of levosimendan in clinical use, 51 experts from 23 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine) contributed to this essay, which evaluates one of the relatively few drugs to have been successfully introduced into the acute HF arena in recent times and charts a possible development trajectory for the next 20 years.Peer reviewe