Publications by authors named "Joseph Alex"

Objectives: Qualitative research was undertaken to determine the perceptions and treatment-seeking behaviors of the Irula tribal populations in Tamil Nadu, India, and to explore the depth, diversity, and complexity of viral hepatitis.

Methods: An in-depth interview (IDI) was conducted among the eligible respondents. A purposive sampling technique was used to obtain the study subjects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Oral diseases are a significant global health issue, with over 3.5 billion cases worldwide. Caries and periodontitis are primary contributors to tooth loss, which not only incurs significant rehabilitation costs but also profoundly affects overall well-being.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This study aims to assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among the Irula tribes and to know the factors influencing quality of life among the elderly irula tribes of Tamil Nadu.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Northern district of Tamil Nadu, including 486 Irula individuals aged 65 and above. Participants were selected using a multistage sampling method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Polyamines are abundant and evolutionarily conserved metabolites that are essential for life. Dietary polyamine supplementation extends life-span and health-span. Dysregulation of polyamine homeostasis is linked to Parkinson's disease and cancer, driving interest in therapeutically targeting this pathway.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) enzyme plays a critical role in governing the cell cycle, positioning it as a promising target for the development of anticancer drugs. In this study, we endeavored to design and synthesize innovative EGFR inhibitors with potential applications in anticancer therapy. A novel series of compounds, namely 3-(4-(4-(1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-1-imidazol-2-yl)phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazoles (30a-j), were meticulously designed using FBDD efforts and synthesized.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: Low-glycemic diets are crucial, particularly for individuals with diet-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Therefore, observing the impact of multiple forms of red beetroot-based products on the glycemic profiles of humans under various health conditions has arguably become significant due to beetroot's high fiber content, antioxidants, inorganic nitrates, etc., which this review aims to summarize.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Proteins and peptides have secured a place as excellent therapeutic moieties on account of their high selectivity and efficacy. However due to oral absorption limitations, current formulations are mostly delivered parenterally. Oral delivery of peptides and proteins (PPs) can be considered the need of the hour due to the immense benefits of this route.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms among predoctoral dental students in the United States and examine potential correlates.

Methods: A survey was emailed to all 66 dental schools in the United States, inviting them to distribute it to their predoctoral students. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ongoing research in cancer treatment underscores the significance of dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors targeting both mutant and wild-type variants. In this study, employing in silico fragment-based drug design (FBDD) and computational analysis, we have successfully developed a novel chemical series of 2-(pyrimidin-4-yl)oxazole-4-carboxamide (16a-j) derivatives designed as dual EGFR kinase inhibitors. A comparative in vitro anticancer profile of the newly synthesized compounds (16a-j) was tested against a panel of five human cancer cell lines like prostate cancer (PC3 & DU-145), lung cancer (A549), human liver cancer (HEPG2), and breast cancer (MDA-MB-468) by employing MTT method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dengue is an emerging, mosquito-borne viral disease of international public health concern. Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries across the world. However, there are no clinically approved antivirals for its cure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Functional disability develops in a dynamic and progressive manner. As people age, their health problems worsen and they lose the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, using the toilet, bathing, and eating. With a better understanding of the underlying risk factors and the related mechanisms of the disablement process, it is possible to make more effective and more efficient programs to prevent or delay the onset of disability in older people.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Emerging threats of multi-drug resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and totally drug-resistant (TDR) tuberculosis led to the discovery of a novel target which was entitled Decaprenylphosphoryl-β-D-ribose 2'-epimerase (DprE1) enzyme. DprE1 is composed of two isoforms, decaprenylphosphoryl-β-D-ribose oxidase (DprE1) and decaprenylphosphoryl-D-2-keto erythro pentose reductase (DprE2). The enzymes, DprE1 and DprE2, regulate the two-step epimerization process to form DPA (Decaprenylphosphoryl arabinose) from DPX (Decaprenylphosphoryl-D-ribose), which is the sole precursor in the cell wall synthesis of arabinogalactan (AG) and lipoarabinomannan (LAM).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. There are currently no cures for AD, although various drugs are used to manage the symptoms and reduce the disease's progression. AChE inhibitors such as rivastigmine, donepezil, galantamine, and the NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist memantine are currently FDA-approved drugs used in the treatment of AD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Nowadays, Viral Hepatitis can be comparable to the big three communicable diseases: tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malarial infections. The main purpose of this study was to summarize the prevalence of viral Hepatitis in India from peer-reviewed articles published from February 2000 to February 2021.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a systematic search on Science Direct, Scopus, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and other open access journals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The efficacy of topical antifungal therapy in onychomycosis has been hindered by the failure of the antimycotic to permeate the nail plate. This research aims to design and develop a transungual system for the effective delivery of efinaconazole utilizing constant voltage iontophoresis. Seven prototype drug-loaded hydrogel formulations (E1-E7) were prepared to assess the influence of solvent (ethanol) and cosolvent (Labrasol) on transungual delivery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Irulas are known for their traditional medicine and healing practices. Ethnomedicine primarily describes the traditional medical approaches that take consideration of the cultural perspectives on health, illness, disease while addressing the delivery of healthcare and therapeutic modalities. The current study explores the ethnomedical practices towards hepatitis among the Irula traditional healers in Tamil Nadu.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The purpose of this research was to investigate correlates of burnout among predoctoral dental students in the United States.

Methods: All 66 dental schools in the US were invited to distribute a survey on topics such as demographics, year of dental school, and burnout to their predoctoral students. Burnout was assessed via the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, which has three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Aging poses a significant risk for activity and functional limitations. Problems among aged populations are interrelated, and these problems can lead to other disorders and finally leave a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL) This study used the screening of activity limitation and safety awareness (SALSA) scale to screen and measure activity limitations among the elderly.

Materials And Methods: A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 928 elderly from the three districts of Tamil Nadu, India.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lichens are symbiotic organisms that have been traditionally used for treating different kinds of ailments. As there are only a few reports on the antiviral activity of lichens, we thought of evaluating the anti-Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) activity of methanolic extract of and their isolated compounds. Fractionation of crude methanolic extract of by column chromatography isolated two pure compounds.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: For rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS), a multidisciplinary evaluation is mandatory to determine the optimal treatment: medical, percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) or valve surgery. Clinical and imaging evaluations are essential for procedural risk assessment and outcomes. PBMV interventions are increasingly available in Africa and are feasible options for selected candidates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder involving cognitive dysfunction like short-term memory and behavioral changes as the disease progresses due to other unaltered physiological factors. The solution for this problem is Multi-targeted Drugs (MTDs), which can affect multiple determinants to realize the multifunctional effects. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist memantine are FDA-approved drugs used to treat AD symptomatically.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19, which primarily affects the pulmonary system, turned out to be a global pandemic, whereas the effects on other systems are still unknown. SARS-CoV-2, binds to angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors in the lungs, causing pneumonia-like symptoms. The same ACE receptors are also present in organs other than the lungs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF