Comprehensive characterization of tobacco-induced changes in enamel surface topography.

Introduction: Enamel translucency, essential for the aesthetic appeal of teeth, is primarily determined by its thickness, quality, and refractive index. Several factors, including age, genetics, diet, oral hygiene practices, fluoride exposure, and acidic challenges, can influence enamel translucency. Tobacco use, in particular, leads to significant alterations in enamel appearance by penetrating its micropores, causing yellowing and browning.

Human-driven evolution of color in a stonefly mimic.

Rapid adaptation is thought to be critical for the survival of species under global change, but our understanding of human-induced evolution in the wild remains limited. We show that widespread deforestation has underpinned repeated color shifts in wild insect populations. Specifically, loss of forest has led to color changes across lineages that mimic the warning coloration of a toxic forest stonefly.

Understanding the spatial and topographic characteristics of enamel white spot lesions for targeted remineralization.

Introduction: White spot lesions are opaque, chalky white or yellowish discolorations on the surface of teeth that result from the demineralization of the tooth structure. Many methods, including SEM, XRD, and FTIR spectroscopy, are crucial for identifying and evaluating enamel white spot lesions. It is imperative to have a thorough grasp of the morphology, crystallographic structure, mineral composition, and chemical changes associated with enamel white spot lesions.

Netrin 1 as a biomarker in cancer: scoping diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic perspectives with a focus on oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Goal of the review: The utilization of biomarkers to predict cancer risk, prognosis, and treatment outcomes is paramount. Netrin-1 (NTN1), known for its role in commissural axon guidance during embryonic development, has emerged as a versatile molecule with significant implications in cancer and neurobiology. Structurally resembling laminin, Netrin-1 regulates neuronal connectivity and plasticity in adulthood, influencing axonal and dendritic growth, neurotransmission, and cell migration.

Longitudinal study on salivary IL-6 trajectories in postoperative OSCC patients after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) poses a significant healthcare challenge globally, necessitating precise biomarkers for effective management. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in saliva has emerged as a potential biomarker, yet its dynamics post-chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain underexplored.

Aim: The aim of our study is to investigate the longitudinal dynamics of salivary interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression in postoperative OSCC patients over a one-year follow-up period after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Guest Encapsulation Alters the Thermodynamic Landscape of a Coordination Host.

The architecture of self-assembled host molecules can profoundly affect the properties of the encapsulated guests. For example, a rigid cage with small windows can efficiently protect its contents from the environment; in contrast, tube-shaped, flexible hosts with large openings and an easily accessible cavity are ideally suited for catalysis. Here, we report a "Janus" nature of a PdL coordination host previously reported to exist exclusively as a tube isomer ().

Identification of Novel Tau-Tubulin Kinase 2 Inhibitors Using Computational Approaches.

Tau tubulin kinase 2 (TTBK2) associated with multiple diseases is one of the kinases which phosphorylates tau and tubulin. Numerous efforts have been made to understand the role of TTBK2 in protein folding mechanisms and misfolding behavior. The misfolded protein intermediates form polymers with unwanted aggregation properties that initiate several diseases, including Alzheimer's.

Tuning the Regioselectivity of Topochemical Polymerization through Cocrystallization of the Monomer with an Inert Isostere.

Regiochemistry of topochemical reactions depends on the crystal packing and biasing the regiochemistry necessitates precise crystal engineering. The pristine crystals of monomer 1 upon topochemical azide-alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) reaction give a 1 : 1 blend of 1,4- and 1,5-triazole-linked polymers due to the presence of two self-sorted reactive conformers in the crystal. We designed a binary isomorphous cocrystal of monomer 1 and a structurally similar dummy molecule 2 to limit the number of reactive conformers of 1 to one and thus to get one type of polymer.

HIV care policy in India: A review of social security schemes.

Social protection schemes are available in India to mitigate the various challenges faced by people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) infection. The availability of the schemes should be uniform across the country and based on the rights of these people. We reviewed the schemes available in the high PLWH-burdened states of the country for the year 2019.

Reliability of palatal rugae patterns in individual identification.

Background: Dental identification plays a major role in mass disaster identification of human remains. Palatal rugae can be used as a substitute for a comparative method of identification.

Materials And Methods: The present cross-sectional study was done with 137 pre- and post-orthodontically treated casts of patients, which were divided into 50 cases each of extraction and nonextraction and 37 cases of palatal expansion involving both extraction and nonextraction.

Insights into the structure and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein double mutant L452R-E484Q.

Unlabelled: The Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, located on the S1 subunit, plays a vital role in the virus binding and its entry into the host cell through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Therefore, understanding the dynamic effects of mutants on the SARS-CoV-2 RBD is essential for discovering drugs to inhibit the virus binding and disrupt its entry into the host cells. A recent study reported a double mutant of SARS-CoV-2, L452R-E484Q, located in the RBD region.

The deleterious impact of a non-synonymous SNP on protein structure and function is apparent in hypertension.

Essential hypertension (EH) is a significant health issue around the globe. The indifferent therapy regimen suggests varied physiological functions due to the lifestyle and genetic presentations of an individual. The endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene is a crucial vascular system marker in EH that contributes significantly to the phenotype.

The structural, functional, and dynamic effect of Tau tubulin kinase1 upon a mutation: A neuro-degenerative hotspot.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to degenerate and die. AD is one of the common causes of dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person's ability to function independently. Tau-tubulin kinase1 (TTBK1) is a crucial disease regulating AD protein, which is majorly responsible for the phosphorylation and accumulation of tau protein at specific Serine/Threonine residues found in paired helical filaments, suggesting its role in tauopathy.

Atomic Resolution Homology Models and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Tubulins.

Microtubules are tubulin polymers present in the eukaryotic cytoskeleton essential for structural stability and cell division that are also roadways for intracellular transport of vesicles and organelles. In the human malaria parasite , apart from providing structural stability and cell division, microtubules also facilitate important biological activities crucial for parasite survival in hosts, such as egression and motility. Hence, parasite structures and processes involving microtubules are among the most important drug targets for discovering much-needed novel inhibitors.

Polymers with advanced structural and supramolecular features synthesized through topochemical polymerization.

Polymers are an integral part of our daily life. Hence, there are constant efforts towards synthesizing novel polymers with unique properties. As the composition and packing of polymer chains influence polymer's properties, sophisticated control over the molecular and supramolecular structure of the polymer helps tailor its properties as desired.

Structural stability predictions and molecular dynamics simulations of RBD and HR1 mutations associated with SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein.

The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by human transmission and infection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). There is no trusted drug against the virus; hence, efforts are on discovering novel inhibitors for the virus. The entry of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle into a host cell is initiated by its spike glycoprotein and host Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor interaction.

Topochemical polymerizations for the solid-state synthesis of organic polymers.

Topochemical polymerizations are solid-state reactions driven by the alignment of monomers in the crystalline state. The molecular confinement in the monomer crystal lattice offers precise control over the tacticity, packing and crystallinity of the polymer formed in the topochemical reaction. As topochemical reactions occur under solvent- and catalyst-free conditions, giving products in high yield and selectivity/specificity that do not require tedious chromatographic purification, topochemical polymerizations are highly attractive over traditional solution-phase polymer synthesis.

Unravelling high-affinity binding compounds towards transmembrane protease serine 2 enzyme in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection using molecular modelling and docking studies.

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak that is caused by a highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a zoonotic pandemic, with approximately 24.5 million positive cases and 8.3 lakhs deaths globally.

Nano-ellagic acid: inhibitory actions on aldose reductase and α-glucosidase in secondary complications of diabetes, strengthened by docking studies.

Increased blood sugar levels in prolonged diabetes lead to secondary complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy, which gradually end in death. Synthesis of nano-phytomedicines from active phytoconstituents for novel emerging applications in the field of pharmaceuticals is of huge interest among researchers. In the present investigation, encapsulated ellagic acid (NEA) was synthesized at four different concentrations (0.

β-Sheet to Helical-Sheet Evolution Induced by Topochemical Polymerization: Cross-α-Amyloid-like Packing in a Pseudoprotein with Gly-Phe-Gly Repeats.

Protein-mimics are of great interest for their structure, stability, and properties. We are interested in the synthesis of protein-mimics containing triazole linkages as peptide-bond surrogate by topochemical azide-alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) polymerization of azide- and alkyne-modified peptides. The rationally designed dipeptide N -CH CO-Phe-NHCH CCH (1) crystallized in a parallel β-sheet arrangement and are head-to-tail aligned in a direction perpendicular to the β-sheet-direction.

Topochemical synthesis of different polymorphs of polymers as a paradigm for tuning properties of polymers.

Different packing is a mechanism through which nature can produce materials of different properties from the same basic units. There is great interest in constructing different forms of the same polymer by utilising different packing. Common solution-synthesized polymers are amorphous and their post-synthesis crystallization into different topologies is almost impossible.

Frequency and variability of five non metric dental crown traits in the permanent maxillary dentitions of a racially mixed population from Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Introduction: Evaluation of Tooth Crown non metric traits benefits to assess the biological distance between populations. It is well known that these traits are characterised by a high inter-population differentiation, low sexual dimorphism, and their recording is loaded by relatively small intra and inter observer error. The dental morphological traits are successfully used in the description and explanation of the microevolutionary and ethnogenetic processes.

Crystal-to-Crystal Synthesis of Helically Ordered Polymers of Trehalose by Topochemical Polymerization.

The synthesis of crystalline helical polymers of trehalose via topochemical azide-alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) of a trehalose-based monomer is presented. An unsymmetrical trehalose derivative having azide and alkyne crystallizes in two different forms having almost similar packing. Upon heating, both the crystals undergo TAAC reaction to form crystalline polymers.

Topochemical Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction.

Topochemical reactions are solid-state reactions that transpire under the strict control of molecular packing in the crystal lattice. Due to this lattice control, these reactions generate products in a regio-/stereospecific manner and in very high yields. In a broader sense, topochemical reactions mimic nature's way of carrying out reactions in a confined environment of enzymes giving specific products.

Forensic odontology as a humanitarian tool.

Humanitarian forensic action is the application of skills of forensic science in a conflicts or disasters as a humanitarian action. Forensic odontologist promote forensic odontology and forensic science principles to caseworks with the purpose of preventing human right violation by human identification, age estimation and where ever dental evidence is involved. Forensic odontologist is involved in all phases of disaster victim identification.