Prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders and its Correlation with Stress and Salivary Cortisol Levels among Students

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in students and to evaluate if any relationship existed between the stress levels, salivary cortisol levels, and TMD. Material and Methods: A total of 348 students, 187 female, and 161 male students, participated in this cross-sectional study. Students were evaluated based on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD. The stress levels were evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale. The students were divided into the control and TMD groups. Salivary cortisol levels in the salivary samples were analyzed. Results: The prevalence rate of TMDs was 30.7% in the study population. Of the female students, 61% had TMD compared with 46% of male students. Muscle disorders were the most predominant disorder in 14.2% of the students with TMD. The TMD group showed significantly higher salivary cortisol and stress levels than the control group. The TMD group also showed a moderate positive correlation between cortisol and stress levels (p=0.01). Conclusion: The study showed a strong association between salivary cortisol levels, stress, and temporomandibular disorders. Salivary cortisol could be used as a prognostic biomarker for stress while assessing the severity of TMJ problems in stressed individuals

Impact of Patient Counseling and Socioeconomic Factors on Initiation of Rehabilitation Program in Spinal Cord Injury Patients Presenting to a Tertiary Spine Unit in India

Study Design Prospective case series. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the impact of education, financial income, occupation, and patient counseling on the timing of enrolment in a spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation program. Overview of Literature A rehabilitation program following SCI is essential to improve functional outcomes. Socioeconomic factors can affect the timing of enrolment to a rehabilitation program. Literature on the effects of socioeconomic factors among patients with SCI in the Indian scenario is limited. Methods A prospective, consecutive analysis of patients with SCI was performed with 1-year follow-up. Assessment of the timing of enrolment to a rehabilitation program was performed using the modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scores (MKSS). Patients admitted to the SCI unit (group A), underwent intensive individual, group, and family counseling sessions to encourage early enrolment into a rehabilitation program. Patients presenting directly for rehabilitation (group B) were analyzed for comparison. Results A total of 153 patients were recruited. Group A was composed of 122 patients who started the rehabilitation program after a mean of 28 days, compared with a mean of 149 days for 31 patients in group B. In group A, 104 patients (85%; mean MKSS, 14.02) and 18 patients (15%; mean MKSS, 15.61) enrolled for rehabilitation 0.05). Conclusions Early patient counseling in the acute care unit helps in the early enrolment of patients with poor socioeconomic demographic profile to a rehabilitation program

<i>In Vitro</i> Activity of Two Cefepime-Based Novel Combinations, Cefepime/Taniborbactam and Cefepime/Zidebactam, against Carbapenemase-Expressing <i>Enterobacterales </i>Collected in India

In recent times, discovery efforts for novel antibiotics have mostly targeted carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative organisms. Two different combination approaches are pertinent: b-lactam-b-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) or b-lactam-b-lactam enhancer (BL/ BLE). Cefepime combined with a BLI, taniborbactam, or with a BLE, zidebactam, has been shown to be promising. In this study, we determined the in vitro activity of both these agents along with comparators against multicentric carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). Nonduplicate CPE isolates of Escherichia coli (n = 270) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 300), collected from nine different tertiary-care hospitals across India during 2019 to 2021, were included in the study. Carbapenemases in these isolates were detected by PCR. E. coli isolates were also screened for the presence of the 4-Amino-Acid insert in penicillin binding protein 3 (PBP3). MICs were determined by reference broth microdilution. Higher MICs of cefepime/taniborbactam (.8 mg/L) were linked to NDM, both in K. pneumoniae and in E. coli. In particular, such higher MICs were observed in 88 to 90% of E. coli isolates producing NDM and OXA-48-like or NDM alone. On the other hand, OXA-48-like-producing E. coli or K. pneumoniae isolates were nearly 100% susceptible to cefepime/taniborbactam. Regardless of the carbapenemase types and the pathogens, cefepime/ zidebactam showed potent activity (.99% inhibited at#8mg/L). It seems that the 4-amino-Acid insert in PBP3 (present universally in the study E. coli isolates) along with NDM adversely impact the activity of cefepime/taniborbactam. Thus, the limitations of the BL/BLI approach in tackling the complex interplay of enzymatic and nonenzymatic resistance mechanisms were better revealed in whole-cell studies where the activity observed was a net effect of b-lactamase inhibition, cellular uptake, and target affinity of the combination. IMPORTANCE The study revealed the differential ability of cefepime/taniborbactam and cefepime/zidebactam in tackling carbapenemase-producing Indian clinical isolates that also harbored additional mechanisms of resistance. NDM-expressing E. coli with 4-Amino-Acid insert in PBP3 are predominately resistant to cefepime/taniborbactam, while the b-lactam enhancer mechanism-based cefepime/zidebactam showed consistent activity against single-or dual-carbapenemase-producing isolates including E. coli with PBP3 inserts.</p

The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project : insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes

Helicobacter pylori, a dominant member of the gastric microbiota, shares co-evolutionary history with humans. This has led to the development of genetically distinct H. pylori subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host and with differential gastric disease risk. Here, we provide insights into H. pylori population structure as a part of the Helicobacter pylori Genome Project (HpGP), a multi-disciplinary initiative aimed at elucidating H. pylori pathogenesis and identifying new therapeutic targets. We collected 1011 well-characterized clinical strains from 50 countries and generated high-quality genome sequences. We analysed core genome diversity and population structure of the HpGP dataset and 255 worldwide reference genomes to outline the ancestral contribution to Eurasian, African, and American populations. We found evidence of substantial contribution of population hpNorthAsia and subpopulation hspUral in Northern European H. pylori. The genomes of H. pylori isolated from northern and southern Indigenous Americans differed in that bacteria isolated in northern Indigenous communities were more similar to North Asian H. pylori while the southern had higher relatedness to hpEastAsia. Notably, we also found a highly clonal yet geographically dispersed North American subpopulation, which is negative for the cag pathogenicity island, and present in 7% of sequenced US genomes. We expect the HpGP dataset and the corresponding strains to become a major asset for H. pylori genomics

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Helicobacter pylori in dyspepsia: Phenotypic and genotypic methods of diagnosis

Background: Helicobacter pylori affects almost half of the world's population and therefore is one of the most frequent and persistent bacterial infections worldwide. H. pylori is associated with chronic gastritis, ulcer disease (gastric and duodenal), mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric cancer. Several diagnostic methods exist to detect infection and the option of one method or another depends on various genes, such as availability, advantages and disadvantages of each method, monetary value, and the age of patients. Materials and Methods: Patients with complaints of abdominal pain, discomfort, acidity, and loss of appetite were chosen for endoscopy, detailed history was contained, and a physical examination was conducted before endoscopy. Biopsies (antrum + body) were received from each patient and subjected to rapid urease test (RUT), histopathological examination (HPE), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and culture. Results: Of the total 223 biopsy specimens obtained from dyspeptic patients, 122 (54.7%) were positive for H. pylori for HPE, 109 (48.9%) by RUT, 65 (29.1%) by culture, and 117 (52.5%) by PCR. The specificity and sensitivity were as follows: RUT (99% and 88.5%), phosphoglucosamine mutase PCR assay (100% and 95.9%), and culture (100% and 53.3%), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, we compared the various diagnostic methods used to identify H. pylori infection indicating that, in comparison with histology as gold standard for detection of H. pylori infection, culture and PCR showed 100% specificity whereas RUT and PCR showed 99% and 100% sensitivity, respectively

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ANISOCHILUS CARNOSUS (L.F.) WALL AGAINST THE HUMAN GASTRIC PATHOGEN HELICOBACTER PYLORI

  Objective: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in India is high, and majority leads to severe gastrointestinal infections. Existing treatment regimens for H. pylori infections have increased failure rates and adverse side effects that desire the search for an effective substitute therapy. Anisochilus carnosus (L.f.) wall (Lamiaceae), a herb which grows once in a year at high elevation is used widely in traditional treatment for the complaints of gastric ulcer and skin diseases. The present study was performed to assess the antibacterial activity of A. carnosus (L.f.) wall, against clinical isolates of H. pylori in vitro.Methods: A. carnosus leaves were collected-dried and extracted with water and ethanol by cold maceration with ethanol by soxhlet method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of extracts was made and tested against 32 clinical and 1 reference strains of H. pylori. Results: A. carnosus (L.f.) wall inhibited the growth of most of the clinical H. pylori strains. The MIC of A. carnosus (L.f.) wall extracted by cold maceration (aqueous and ethanol) and Soxhlet apparatus (ethanol) ranged from 500 to 62.5 μg/ml, and the majority of the clinical H. pylori strains were inhibited at the MIC of 500 μg/ml of aqueous, ethanol, and Soxhlet ethanol extraction were 63.63%, 43.75%, and 71.87%, respectively.Conclusion: A. carnosus (L.f.) wall is an efficient inhibitor of H. pylori growth in vitro. A. carnosus (L.f.) wall revealed enormous therapeutic potential to H. pylori infection as it was extremely active in the suppression of H. pylori. Hence, it can be taken as a potential agent against several H. pylori linked gastric pathogenic progressions

Exploring the multifactorial aspects of Gut Microbiome in Parkinson's Disease.

Funder: Manipal Academy of Higher Education, ManipalAdvanced research in health science has broadened our view in approaching and understanding the pathophysiology of diseases and has also revolutionised diagnosis and treatment. Ever since the establishment of Braak's hypothesis in the propagation of alpha-synuclein from the distant olfactory and enteric nervous system towards the brain in Parkinson's Disease (PD), studies have explored and revealed the involvement of altered gut microbiota in PD. This review recapitulates the gut microbiome associated with PD severity, duration, motor and non-motor symptoms, and antiparkinsonian treatment from recent literature. Gut microbial signatures in PD are potential predictors of the disease and are speculated to be used in early diagnosis and treatment. In brief, the review also emphasises on implications of the prebiotic, probiotic, faecal microbiota transplantation, and dietary interventions as alternative treatments in modulating the disease symptoms in PD

Dysbiosis of the beneficial gut bacteria in patients with Parkinson's disease from India

Objectives: Recent advancement in understanding neurological disorders has revealed the involvement of dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). We sequenced microbial DNA using fecal samples collected from PD cases and healthy controls (HCs) to evaluate the role of gut microbiota. Methods: Full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples was performed using amplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products on the GridION Nanopore sequencer. Sequenced data were analyzed using web-based tools BugSeq and MicrobiomeAnalyst. Results: We found that certain bacterial families like Clostridia UCG 014, Cristensenellaceae, and Oscillospiraceae are higher in abundance, and Lachinospiracea, Coriobacteriaceae and genera associated with short-chain fatty acid production, Faecalibacterium, Fusicatenibacter, Roseburia and Blautia, are lower in abundance among PD cases when compared with the HC. Genus Akkermansia, Dialister, Bacteroides, and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group positively correlated with constipation in PD. Conclusion: Observations from this study support the other global research on the PD gut microbiome background and provide fresh insight into the gut microbial composition of PD patients from a south Indian population. We report a higher abundance of Clostridia UCG 014 group, previously not linked to PD