Rheumatoid Arthritis among Periodontitis Patients in Ankleshwar Industrial Estate of Gujarat, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and objective: Periodontal disease may be related to a number of systemic diseases. Periodontitis is an extrasynovial chronic inflammatory condition, which has been proposed to be inter-related with rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of the study to determine whether there is a relationship betweenrheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease. Materials and methods: A total of 1600 individuals of 30 to 70 years of age and residents of Ankleshwar industry estate in Gujarat, India, were assessed for the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease. The prevalence and severity of periodontitis was determined by recording the community periodontal index (CPI) with loss of attachment based on WHO guidelines (1997). The criteria for diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis are as given by the American Rheumatism Association 1988. Frequency distributions for bivariate analysis and logistic  regression for multivariate analysis were used for assessment of statistical association between variables. Results: In patients referred for periodontal treatment, theprevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 4.5%. Females and subjects aged above 50 years showed a significantly higher prevalence in comparison to their counterparts (p < 0.05). The odds of rheumatoid arthritis in females were nearly three times  (OR = 2.78) higher than males which was also statisticallysignificant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings provide evidence for a relationship suggesting that individuals with moderate to severe periodontal disease are at higher risk of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and vice versa

Modeling the Relationship between Trust in Science and Reliance on Formal News Sources

Communication of scientific information to the population presents challenges because of the need to balance being transparent with avoidance of complex scientific terminology. The spread of information and news through social media and other informal sources rose during this past decade. The focus of this study is to understand what relates to reliance on formal news media. Formal news sources influence businesses and people, making them more apt to believe in science as measured by their beliefs in scientific concepts such as vaccinations, climate change, and compliance with COVID protocols. While this study looked at science because of the timeliness of COVID-related communication, this is a major issue related to all areas of business. For example, consider that in the case of COVID vaccines which has a consumer product manufactured by pharmaceutical firms, manufacture of the physical products related to vaccines, the distribution, and administration of vaccines. Trust in the predictive modeling that suggests vaccinations and PPE protocols impact pandemic and health concerns help influence actions. This empirical research shows that belief in science is correlated with the formality of the news source. Having a population that uses scientific information leads to behaviors like controlling the spread of something like COVID which is good for business, and not doing so results in the potential to have shutdowns or restrictions that are bad for business. If one fully understands the process, the public trusts in scientific modeling information, the impacts of non-compliance, and the negative business impact of non-compliance can be minimized

Cost of Conservation of Agrobiodiversity

The cost of conservation of germplasm stored in gene banks i.e., ex-situ collections has been studied in other parts of the world to estimate direct and indirect contributions by various actors involved in conservation. This is the first study of its kind in India done in collaboration with National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi. This was part of a sponsored research by Centre for Development Research, Germany. The limitations of this study are also listed so that future research in this regard can be pursued better. One of the costs not included is the cost of sharing data with local communities for enabling them to access germplasm in times of need. This is an important component of conservation and would require translation of gene bank and associated database in local language, making them available through public kiosks. This cost has not been included in any study on the subject so far. Separately, studies are underway to look at the conservation of germplasm under in-situ conditions.

Effects of Disorder State and Interfacial Layer on Thermal Transport in Copper/Diamond System

The characterization of Cu/diamond interface thermal conductance (hc) along with an improved understanding of factors affecting it are becoming increasingly important, as Cu-diamond composites are being considered for electronic packaging applications. In this study, ∼90 nm thick Cu layers weredeposited on synthetic and natural single crystal diamond substrates. In several specimens, a Ti-interface layer of thickness ≤3.5 nm was sputtered between the diamond substrate and the Cu top layer. The hc across Cu/diamond interfaces for specimens with and without a Ti-interface layer was determined usingtime-domain thermoreflectance. The hc is ∼2× higher for similar interfacial layers on synthetic versus natural diamond substrate. The nitrogen concentration of synthetic diamond substrate is four orders of magnitude lower than natural diamond. The difference in nitrogen concentration can lead to variations in disorder state, with a higher nitrogen content resulting in a higher level of disorder. This difference in disorder state potentially can explain the variations in hc. Furthermore, hc was observed to increase with an increase of Ti-interface layer thickness. This was attributed to an increased adhesion of Cu top layer with increasing Ti-interface layer thickness, as observed qualitatively in the current study

A case of phenobarbitone induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome-toxic epidermal necrolysis along with its causality assessment

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe cutaneous adverse drug reaction, which are mainly caused by drugs; and these are usually associated with high degree of morbidity and mortality. They are characterized by mucocutaneous tenderness and typically haemorrhagic erosions, erythema and more or less severe epidermal detachment as blisters and areas of denuded skin.  High risk drugs for the development of SJS-TEN include phenobarbitone, phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, nevirapine, NSAIDs, allopurinol, and cotrimoxazole. A 33 years old female patient came to skin and venereal diseases (VD) outpatient department (OPD) with complaints of painful skin lesions. She was apparently symptom free 15 days back. Then she took tablet phenobarbitone 60 mg, BD as her anti-epileptic treatment. After 12-13 days of taking the drug, she developed erythematous papules associated with itching over her both forearm, face, chest, abdomen, back and lower limbs bilaterally which rapidly progressed to fluid-filled blisters that ruptured to form painful erosions and desquamation of skin all over the body. The patient was managed by withdrawal of phenobarbitone and conservatively, and the patient recovered successfully. The causality of phenobarbitone in this reaction was “probable” as per Naranjo scale. Seriousness of the reaction was “prolonged hospitalization”. Phenobarbitone is one of the most common causative agents of SJS and TEN. The main stay of treatment is immediate withdrawal of causative agent along with supportive care

Radial artery pseudoaneurysm (RAP) following transradial intervention — an extremely rare complication successfully managed by surgery: case report

The transradial access for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose is becoming increasingly popular, mainly because of its lack of complications. Radial artery pseudoaneurysm (RAP) is an extremely rare complication, so many of its clinical features are unknown and treatment is not systematic. Therapeutic options are conservative management, ultrasound-guided compression, thrombin injection and surgical intervention. Here, we report a 43-year old female who underwent transradial percutaneous angioplasty of left anterior descending artery. During cannulation of her radial artery, multiple puncture attempts were done. Upon removal of the transra¬dial compression band (TR Band), forearm ecchymosis and small hematoma were noted with mild pain. Tight compression bandage was applied but on the following day, she had complaints of increasing right forearm pain and tenderness. Physical evaluation revealed increased swelling of the right forearm and an ultrasound of the right forearm demonstrated a RAP of the right radial artery measuring up to 3.9x1.9 cm with 3.4 mm neck. Tight compression bandage was further prolonged following ultrasound compression with vascular probe which failed to alleviate her complaints. Following failure of conservative therapy and in lieu of her symptoms, surgical exploration, clot removal and successful repair was done

Fast and easy visualization of blood flow patterns in 4D Qflow MRI

To enable efficient fast and easy visualization of blood flow patterns in 4D Qflow MRI we have automated vessel segmentation and flow pattern visualization. The new methods enable flow pattern visualization within 10 seconds. As such, our method allows for routine clinical use for flow pattern visualization

How sustainable practices influence guests’ willingness to pay a price premium in Fiji

Purpose This study seeks to determine the effect of sustainable practices on willingness to pay a price premium (WTPP) in the hotels and resorts in the Fiji islands. It will also assess how implementing these sustainable practices influences guest re-visit intentions. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research technique was used which included in-depth interview sessions with ten Fijian resort managers and 15 hotel guests. The website of Etic Hotels was also used to gather data about the green practices provided by resorts and hotels. A non-random purposive sampling method was used to select respondents. Findings Results indicate that implementing sustainability practices has significantly and positively affected guest intentions to return to Fijian Hotels and resorts. The results also demonstrated that customers are willing to pay a higher price for the use of environmentally friendly practices in Fiji's hotels and resorts. Originality/value Though a few studies have been conducted examining the linkages between sustainable practices and the Fijian hotel industry, this article is a novel exploration of the use of sustainable practices in hotels and resorts and how they influence guest re-visit intentions and WTPP in Fiji Islands

Pierwotna przezskórma interwencja wieńcowa za pomocą cewnika diagnostycznego typu Tiger w przypadku nietypowego odejścia gałęzi pnia lewej tętnicy wieńcowej

The use of smaller catheters for diagnostic and intervention purpose is becoming increasingly popular due to the shift towards transradial catheterisation. The use of smaller catheters permits smaller arterial punctures, which translates into early mobilisation and discharge, as it may obviate the need for closure devices, lesser contrast volume use, potential nephrotoxicity and decreased morbidity. Here, we report a case, where standard 5 F Tiger diagnostic catheters (Terumo Radifocus Optitorque, Japan) was used for primary percutaneous coronary intervention of left circumflex artery with abnormal take-off of the left main

Acute dislocation of fully deployed stent after use of non-compliant balloon: an enigma

Stent embolism is an established but rare complication of percutaneous coronary intervention, usually encountered when an undeployed stent unintentionally dislocates from the balloon. Published literature regarding incidence or clinical outcomes of embolism of fully deployed coronary stents is sparse. Here we report an unusual case of a 41-year-old male who had dislocation of a fully deployed stent into the distal part of left anterior descending artery following post dilatation by non-compliant balloon during percutaneous coronary intervention