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Background: The literature is replete with studies establishing Streptococcus mutans as a major player in the formation of pit and fissure caries in all dentitions. Salivary bacterial levels in turn are related to the number of colonized surfaces. Therefore, decreasing the salivary levels of S. mutans would have a great benefit in decreasing the incidence of dental diseases. Aims: Keeping in mind the potential antimicrobial effects of saturated saline and alum solutions, the present study was attempted to compare and evaluate the effects of saturated saline rinse and 0.02 M alum mouthrinse on salivary S. mutans levels in children. Materials and Methods: The investigation was a double-blind, stratified comparison of three parallel groups of children who used either saturated saline rinse, 0.02 M alum mouthrinse or distilled water (placebo) rinse twice daily under professional supervision for a 21-day period. A total of three saliva samples were taken from each individual - at baseline, on the 10 th day and on the 21 st day, and colony counts of S. mutans were determined. All data were subjected to statistical analysis using Wilcoxon′s Signed Ranks Sum and Mann-Whitney "U" test. Results and Conclusions: Children using saturated saline rinse and alum rinse showed statistically significant reductions in salivaryS. mutans counts after 10 days and also after 21 days. After 21 days, the saturated saline rinse and alum rinse groups showed statistically significant differences over the placebo rinse group. Again, the alum rinse group showed a statistically significant difference over the saturated saline rinse group.

Backround: Lipoma arborescens is a very uncommon benign intra-articular tumour of unknown etiology that is characterized by diffuse villous proliferation of the synovium and replacement of the sub-synovial tissue by mature adipocytes. Patients with lipoma arborescens often have a gradually worsening swelling of the affected joint, which may also be accompanied by effusion, a restricted range of motion, and pain. MR imaging narrow downs the possible diagnosis. Case report: We report an unusual case of knee swelling in a patient with HIV infection. The patient underwent an open total synovectomy. Histopathological specimen revealed hyperplastic synovial tissue with synovial lining, with sub-synovial tissue showing lobules of mature adipocytes with dense chronic inflammatory infiltrates containing lymphocytes, eosinophils, and plasma cells suggestive of lipoma arborescens. The patient was completely asymptomatic with near total range of knee movements at the two-year follow-up and there were no signs of recurrence. Conclusion: Lipoma arborescens is indeed a rare condition and necessitates a high index of suspicion for such a precise diagnosis. HIV infection can be one of the associations with lipoma arborescens. Early treatment is necessary to stop the condition's progression toward joint degeneration, and open synovectomy with a very low recurrence rate provides excellent functional outcomes.

Switching elements are crucial components in electrical and electronic systems that undergo severe degradation due to the electrical arc that is generated during breaking. Understanding the behavior of the electrical arc and modifying its characteristics via proper electrode design can significantly improve durability while also promoting optimal performance, reliability, and safety in circuit breakers. This work evaluates the feasibility of carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced silver and copper metal matrix composites (MMCs) as switching electrodes and the influence of CNT concentration on the characteristics of the arcs generated. Accordingly, three different concentrations per MMC were manufactured via powder metallurgy. The MMCs and reference materials were subjected to a single break operation and the electrical arcs generated using 100 W and 200 W resistive loads were analyzed. The proposed MMCs displayed promising results for application in low-voltage switches. The addition of CNTs improved performance by maintaining the arc's energy in the silver MMCs and reducing the arc's energy in the copper MMCs. Moreover, a CNT concentration of at least 2 wt.% is required to prevent unstable arcs in both metallic matrices. Increased CNT content further promotes the splitting of the electrical arc due to a more complex phase distribution, thereby reducing the arc's spatial energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In comparison to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging, this study compares the diagnostic efficacy of meniscal injury with clinical examination tests such the McMurray's test, Thessaly test, and joint line tenderness. Methodology: Two hundred and fifteen patients having a history of knee injuries with symptoms such as pain, instability, and locking were studied from June 2020 to June 2022 at our institution, for a 2-year period. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of McMurray's test for medial meniscus were 84% and 84.21%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for medial joint line tenderness were 88.15% and 55.55%, respectively. Thessaly's test for the medial meniscus was 92.10% sensitive and 88.8% specific. The sensitivity and specificity of MRI for medial meniscal injury were 94.87% and 93.75%, respectively. McMurray's test for lateral meniscus had a sensitivity of 84.44% and a specificity of 76.92%. Lateral joint line tenderness for lateral meniscus had a sensitivity of 86.95% and a specificity of 66.66%. The sensitivity and specificity of Thessaly's test for lateral meniscus were 93.33% and 84.61%, respectively. MRI revealed a sensitivity of 93.75% and a specificity of 90% for lateral meniscus injuries. Conclusion: Even though MRI is a precise and noninvasive method for detecting meniscal injuries, a thorough clinical examination by a skilled physician has the same diagnostic power as MRI to rule out meniscal injuries. In contrast to previous tests, the Thessaly test can be used as a useful tool to detect meniscal injuries, as we discovered in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, an attempt has been made to improve the combustion of diesel oil. Biodiesel derived from waste fish oil along with ethanol was used for this purpose. The esterification process was undertaken to synthesize the biodiesel. TiO2, Graphene (Gr), and Al2O3 were added to the diesel blends to improve the turbulence in the engine. The fuel mixture consisted of 20% waste fish oil, 5% ethanol, 50 ppm of particulate matter and the rest was commercially available diesel oil. The magnetic stirring method was adopted to prepare the mixture. The B20-Al2O3 biodiesel had a viscosity of 4.99 cSt and a density of 0.875 gram/cc. The flash point was found to be the least for the ethanol added biodiesel and it increased in the case of the nanoparticle added biodiesel. Heavy mining engines like generators, compressors, and locomotives can run on the produced biodiesel as an alternative fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: The mandibular buccal shelf area is an extra‑alveolar anchorage site that has high quality and quantity of bone, provides biomechanical benefits and has low failure rates. It is essential to place the implant in the region of bone with optimal thickness. The aim of this study was to determine the suitable site of the mandibular buccal shelf for bone screw insertion at 90 degrees and 30 degrees angles of insertion and various heights, angulations, areas of the buccal shelf in prognathic and retrognathic mandibles, and vertical and horizontal growth patterns. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we evaluated the cone‑beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 48 patients in the age range of 18–30 years, divided into four groups. Seven sectional sites were examined at 3, 5, and 7 mm from the alveolar crest at 90 degrees and 30 degrees. The angulation and area of the buccal shelf were examined. RESULTS: Cortical bone thickness increased distally from the first to the second molar in all four groups. CONCLUSIONS: The preferred site for buccal shelf implant placement was distal to the mandibular second molar. The maximum amount of cortical bone was observed distal to the second molar, 7 mm vertically from the alveolar crest, when the buccal shelf implant was placed at 30 degrees angulation to the long axis of the tooth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work involved the production of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) of Aluminium Silicon (Al-Si) alloy reinforced with Multi Walled Carbon Nano Tubes (MWCNTs) using Powder Metallurgy (PM) process. MWCNTs with concentrations of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 wt% were used. Validation of dispersion nature, existence and chemically stable of MWCNTs carried out using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Energy Dispersive Spectrum (EDS) for fabricated composites. Sliding wear investigations were investigated in accordance with the ASTM G99-95a standard. Test variables such as sliding distance, load and speed were examined. Under a given load with sliding distance, the wear rate was found to reduce by varying disc rotation speed between 250 to 750 rpm. The rate of wear is dropped suddenly with the increment in sliding distance from 500 m to 1000 m. However, for 1500 m sliding distance, the wear rate increased linearly for all nanocomposites. The reinforcement of 0.25 wt% and 0.5 wt% of MWCNTs shown lower wear resistance and further addition of 0.75 wt% MWCNTs shown enhanced wear resistance but the addition of reinforcement of above 0.75 wt% resulted in slightly higher wear rate. The wear resistance enhanced due to the excellent properties of reinforcement particles. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used for identifying the kind of wear mechanism.

Byline: Gnana. Gummadi, B. Pai, U. Nayak, P. Prakash, Kanthilatha. PaiSir,A 44-year-old immunocompetent male patient presented to the department of dermatology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, with itching and progressive hardening [...]

Background Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased. They are known to cause skin complications, as documented by observations in the healthcare workers. However, the data regarding the same remains unexplored in the general population. This study is aimed to fill this knowledge gap. Methods A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 121 dermatologists, noting how often they have observed PPE related skin conditions. Results Majority of them (81.8%) reported a rise in cases like contact dermatitis, dry hands, contact urticaria, cuts on the nose and ears, which was attributable to PPE. A flare of pre-existing dermatoses like acne, seborrheic dermatitis, hair loss, rosacea, and skin infections were also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]