Evaluation of Intranasal Administration of Dexmedetomidine during Therapeutic Extraction

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine during therapeutic extraction.Materials and Methods: The study design is a split mouth double blinded randomized control trial. Patients who visited the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery for the therapeutic extraction of premolars were assessed for enrollment. Each subject participated in two surgical sessions, with the extraction of premolars of the upper and lower quadrant of the same side during a single session. A week later subjects were asked to report back for the extraction of the upper and lower premolar on the contralateral side. The patients were randomized by a computer generated number into two groups. Group A received intranasal dexmedetomidine (100 mcg/ml) and group B received intranasal saline at the first session. An alternate regimen was used during the second session during which group A received intranasal saline and in group B intranasal dexmedetomidine was administered. A mucosal atomization device was used to deliver the drug. Pain from local anesthesia infiltration was rated on the numerical rating scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Sedation status was measured using the Observer's Assessment of Sedation. Blood pressure and heart rate of the patient were also monitored.Original Research ArticleXavier et al.; JPRI, 32(18): 112-119, 2020; Article no.JPRI.59782113Results: A total of 14 patients were involved in the study. Observer assessment scale indicated that significant sedation was obtained in group A when compared to group B. Compared to group B there was a significant reduction in heart rate and blood pressure in group A at the end of 10 minutes and 40 minutes. These parameters were normalized to the baseline at the end of 60 minutes. There was no significant difference in pain score noted during the local anesthesia infiltration. None of the patients had bradycardia, hypotension, and respiratory depression in this trial.Conclusion: In this study, we conclude that the intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine controls the patient's fear and anxiety during the therapeutic extraction but not the pain during the administration of local anesthesia.

Changes in the levels of comet parameters before and after fluoxetine therapy in major depression patients

Major depression belongs to mood disorders and characterized by worthlessness, no interest or happiness in any activity; lasting for atleast two weeks. Etio-pathological changes of major depression include oxidative stress leading to free radical synthesis which causes damage to carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Nucleic acid damage can be identified by either single or double strand breaks and for quantitative estimation of the same, neutral or alkaline comet assay is performed. Fluoxetine is the drug of choice for treatment of major depression having antioxidant function. In the current study eighty drug naïve major depression patients were recruited and comet parameters namely total comet length, head diameter and tail length were measured before starting the treatment and after completion of eight week fluoxetine therapy. The levels of comet parameters were higher in females than males suggesting higher prevalence of major depression among females. On categorizing into three age groups, the numbers of major depression patients belonging to 18–30 year age group were higher than 31–40 and 41–50 year age groups. All the parameters of deoxyribonucleic acid damage were reduced after eight week of fluoxetine therapy indicating that fluoxetine has anti-oxidant action along with its antidepressant properties, which cause reversal of oxidative stress induced damage occurring during major depression.

Nonadiabatic charge pumping across two superconductors connected through a normal metal region by periodically driven potentials

Periodically driven systems exhibit resonance when the difference between an excited state energy and the ground state energy is an integer multiple ofℏtimes the driving frequency. On the other hand, when a superconducting phase difference is maintained between two superconductors, subgap states appear which carry a Josephson current. A driven Josephson junction therefore opens up an interesting avenue where the excitations due to applied driving affect the current flowing from one superconductor to the other. Motivated by this, we study charge transport in a superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junction where oscillating potentials are applied to the normal metal region. We find that for small amplitudes of the oscillating potential, driving at one site reverses the direction of current at the superconducting phase differences when difference between the subgap eigenenergies of the undriven Hamiltonian is integer multiple ofℏtimes the driving frequency. For larger amplitudes of oscillating potential, driving at one site exhibits richer features. We show that even when the two superconductors are maintained at same superconducting phase, a current can be driven by applying oscillating potentials to two sites in the normal metal differing by a phase. We find that when there is a nonzero Josephson current in the undriven system, the local peaks and valleys in current of the system driven with an amplitude of oscillating potential smaller than the superconducting gap indicates sharp excitations in the system. In the adiabatic limit, we find that charge transferred in one time period diverges as a powerlaw with pumping frequency when a Josephson current flows in the undriven system. Our calculations are exact and can be applied to finite systems. We discuss possible experimental setups where our predictions can be tested.

Latex agglutination test for rapid on-site serodiagnosis of Japanese encephalitis in pigs using recombinant NS1 antigen

Background & objectives

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquitoe-borne viral zoonotic disease and globally around three billion people are at the risk of disease. The occurrence of JE cases has shown a rising trend during last decade in India. Pig is the amplifying host for JE virus and serves as a suitable sentinel model for the prediction of disease outbreak in humans. The development of a diagnostic test that is suitable for surveillance of JE in pigs is the need of the hour. The existing tests require elaborate laboratory facilities which make their application in rural settings difficult. Therefore, realizing the need for a rapid test, efforts were made to standardize a latex agglutination test (LAT) for serodiagnosis of JE in pigs.

Methods

Standardization of LAT by physical adsorption of recombinant NS1 (non-structural) protein of JE virus onto latex beads was done by altering six different variables, namely the antigen concentration, sensitization condition, surface blocking agent, blocking condition, particle concentration and reaction time. The standardized latex-protein complex was used for screening 246 pig serum samples under optimal conditions.

Results

The test was standardized with a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 82.24 and 87.83%, respectively. Screening of 246 field pig serum samples using standardized LAT showed a seropositivity of 50.4%. The results were available within 5 min after addition of test serum sample to the sensitized beads.

Interpretation & conclusion

The findings of the study highlight the potential of LAT as a rapid on-site assay for JE diagnosis in pigs which would aid in predicting JE outbreaks in humans.

Virulent methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in street vended foods

Street foods are one of the important sources of foodborne infections and Staphylococcus aureus is an important infectious agent transmitted through various sources including street foods. The methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are of public health significance, hence the study was taken to assess the street foods as a source of MRSA, for which 430 street vended foods of animal origin (meat, milk, eggs and their products) and associated environmental samples were processed for isolation and characterization. A total of 52 (12.1%) S. aureus were isolated and resistant was observed to oxacillin (36.5%), cefoxitin (25%) and penicillin G (82.7%) by disc diffusion test. On genotypic screening, mecA and blaZ have detected in 17.3% and 69.2% isolates, respectively. The virulence typing identified nuc, coa, clfA, spA, FnbA and enterotoxin A (sea) genes in 100%, 96.2%, 30.8%, 55.8, 50% and 7.7% isolates, respectively. Genetic diversity among the isolates was observed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR with a D value of 0.77. The presence of virulent MRSA in street vended foods trigger the public health concern and emphasis to educate the consumers and street food vendors about quality and safety of such foods.

Physicochemical exfoliation of graphene sheets using graphitic carbon nitride

The development of methods for the synthesis of graphene on a large scale at an affordable cost using less toxic materials has attracted significant interest in recent years.

Synthesis and Electrochemical Performance of PEG-MnO₂-Sulfur Composites Cathode Materials for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been achieved great attention in recent years owing to its high theoretical capacity (1675 mAh/g) and energy density (2600 Wh/kg). PEG embedded MnO2/Sulfur composite was prepared via solid state reaction method. The composite was characterized by Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometer. MnO2 effectively suppress the diffusion of polysulfides and add a mechanical strength to the electrode. PEG binds the MnO2 and S, resulting in the minimization of active material loss and improves the electrochemical performance in lithium sulfur batteries. The PEG/MnO2/Sulfur composite exhibits discharge capacity of 647 mAh/g even after 30 cycles with appreciable sustainability. Therefore, the resulting PEG/MnO2/Sulfur composite exhibited as a desirable cathode material for Li-S battery.

Carbon Wrapping Effect on Sulfur/Polyacrylonitrile Composite Cathode Materials for Lithium Sulfur Batteries

A sulfur-Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-acetylene black (AB) composite was synthesized via thermal treatment processes. The as-prepared ternary composite was characterized by expending transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and electrochemical investigations. The improved electrochemical performance can be attributed to the formation of PAN layer, which can keep a tight contact between carbon and sulfur which leads to improve the conductivity. Moreover, the PAN can also act as a flexible cushion to accommodate volume changes of sulfur cathode as well as a barrier to trap soluble polysulfide intermediates during the charge-discharge process. The PAN-S-AB composite exhibits discharge capacity of 620 mAh/g even after 50 cycles with appreciable sustainability. Therefore, the resulting PAN/S/AB composite exhibited as a desirable cathode material for Li-S battery with great performance.

Structural and Morphological Studies on Li₂Fe0.5Mn0.5SiO₄/C Composite Synthesized Using Polyvinyl Alcohol for Energy Storage Devices

In this study, we first focus on effects of PVA surfactant on Li2Fe0.5Mn0.5SiO4/C by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, micro Raman analysis, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and magnetization measurements. XRD result reveals the formation of new phase (Li2Fe0.5Mn0.5SiO4/C), as a result of embedded carbon, intensity of the peaks was also suppressed. Intensity domination of G-band in micro Raman analysis affirmed that the establishment of graphene formation which was yielded from decomposition of organic materials of both PVA and acetate. Confirmation of Si-O and Si-C bond in the as-prepared material was made by FTIR analyses. A well uniform spherical shaped morphology was observed in both SEM and TEM images. In addition, the TEM picture further demonstrates Li2Fe0.5Mn0.5SiO4/C with average particle size of about 20 nm by PVA introducing.

Effect of Dispersoid on Sulfonium Ionic Liquid Based Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium Secondary Battery

The present study emphases on the effect of toting of TiO2 filler on the electrochemical enactment of polymer electrolyte containing PVdF-co-HFP(30) + SEt3TFSI(10) + EC/PC(60) + TiO2(x) wt% (Poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene + Triethylsulfoniumbis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide + Ethylene carbonate/Propylene carbonate (1:1 ratio) + Titanium dioxide) for lithium battery applications. Composite electrolytes with different weight percentages of TiO2 were prepared and characterized by different surface analytical, thermal and electrochemical techniques. With gradual increase of the amount of TiO2 upto 6 wt%, broadening of the prominent peak has been noted, suggesting a decrease in the degree of crystallinity upon the addition of TiO2, as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman and FT-IR studies confirm the presence of various functional groups, present in the matrix. The electrolyte with TiO2 (6 wt%) has maximum stability of 460 °C, as confirmed by thermal analysis. Conductivity of the composite polymer electrolytes increases upto 6 wt% of TiO2 (3.42 × 10-3 S/cm at 303 K) and further addition, causes a dip down in conductivity, indicating an improvement in the ionic conductivity and thermal stability with the incorporation of TiO2 filler. Surface morphologic images show the presence of surface and cavity in the polymer matrix, filled with the filler uniformly. Voltammetric studies confirm the electrochemical stability of films upto 4.62 V. Coin cell containing Li anode and LiFePO4 cathode along with polymer electrolyte/6 wt% TiO2 filler, delivers a first discharge capacity of 145 mAh/g with the working voltage of 3.4 V.

Facile Synthesis and Characterization of ZrO₂ Nanoparticles via Modified Co-Precipitation Method

The crystalline Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nano particles were synthesized using optimized content of Zirconium nitrate (Zr(NO3)2·3H2O) with varying KOH concentration (0.5, 1 and 1.5 M) by co-precipitation method. The thermal history of the precursor was carefully analyzed through Thermogravimetric (TG/DTA) measurement. The as prepared samples were characterized to ensure structural, functional, morphological, compositional, chemical composition and band gap by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Laser Raman, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), High resolution Transverse Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), EDX, Photo luminescence spectroscopy (PL). The monoclinic structure with space group P21/c has been confirmed from XRD (JCPDS 89-9066). The Zr-O stretching vibration and Zr-O2-Zr bending vibrations were confirmed through FTIR analysis. The well dispersed particles with spherical morphology were confirmed through SEM and TEM analysis. The oxidation states of Zr, O and C were confirmed through XPS analysis. The oxygen vacancies and band gap of the particles were investigated through PL analysis.

Antimicrobial resistance and typing of Salmonella isolated from street vended foods and associated environment

The present study was carried out to find out the occurrence and types of Salmonella present in street vended foods and associated environment, and their resistance pattern against various antibiotics. About 1075 street vended food and associated environment samples were processed for isolation and confirmation of different Salmonella spp. by targeting gene specific invA gene and serotype specific Sdf I, Via B and Spy genes by PCR. Selected Salmonella isolates were screened for antibiotic resistance by using Baeur-Kirby disk diffusion test. Out of 1075 samples, only 31 (2.88%) isolates could be amplified the invA gene of which 19 could be recovered from meat vendors; 8 from egg vendors while remaining 4 from milk vendors. Though, majority of Salmonella recovered from raw foods the ready-to-eat food like chicken gravy and rasmalai also showed its presence which pose a serious public health threat. Overall, 19, 6 and 1 isolates of S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis and S. Typhi could be detected by PCR while remaining 5 isolates could not be amplified suggesting other type of Salmonella. Selected Salmonella isolates were completely resistance to Oxacillin (100%) followed by Cefoxitin (30.43%) and Ampicillin (26.10%). Thus, it is observed that the street vended foods of animal origin and associated environment play an important role in transmission of food borne pathogens including Salmonella.

Bifurcation and spatiotemporal patterns of a density-dependent predator–prey model with Crowley–Martin functional response

In this paper, we consider a diffusive density-dependent predator–prey model with Crowley–Martin functional responses subject to Neumann boundary condition. We analyze the stability of the positive equilibrium and the existence of spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous periodic solutions through the distribution of the eigenvalues. The direction and stability of Hopf bifurcation are determined by the normal form theory and the center manifold theory. Finally, numerical simulations are given to verify our theoretical analysis.