Awareness and Practices of Oral Hygiene and its Relation to Sociodemographic Factors among Patients attending the General Outpatient Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Kolkata, India.

Background: Periodontal diseases, dental caries, malocclusion, and oral cancer are the most prevalent dental diseases affecting people in the Indian community.

Objective: The study was conducted to assess the awareness and practices on oral hygiene and its association with the sociodemographic factors among patients attending the general Outpatient Department (OPD).

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 224 patients attending the general OPD of the SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, India, from 1 April to 30 April, 2013.

Raised serum proinflammatory cytokines in Alzheimer's disease with depression.

The purpose of the present study was to identify the changes in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in peripheral circulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects and to correlate these with associated depression and cognitive deficit. Fifty five AD subjects and thirty seven age and sex matched controls were included in the study. The AD patients were grouped as AD with depression (n= 31) and AD without depression (n= 24).

Combination of N-acetylcysteine, α-lipoic acid and α-tocopherol substantially prevents the brain synaptosomal alterations and memory and learning deficits of aged rats.

This study has compared several synaptosomal parameters in three groups of rats: young (46 months), aged (22-24 months) and antioxidant supplemented aged rats (antioxidant supplementation given with the diet as a combination of N-acetylcysteine, α-lipoic acid and α-tocopherol from 18 months onwards till 22-24 months). The synaptosomes from aged rat brain, in comparison to those of young animals, exhibit an increased membrane potential with altered contents of Na(+) and K(+) under basal incubation condition and in the presence of depolarizing agents. The intrasynaptosomal Ca(2+) is also higher in aged than in young rat.

Perceptions of couples about contraception in eastern India.

This community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in sampled villages and municipal wards of Paschim Medinipur District of West Bengal, India among 2,000 respondents, 3/4 were from rural and 1/4 from urban areas, to determine perceptions of couples about contraception. Decision-making about fertility and contraception was mostly made by the husband. Forty-four point three percent of rural and 77.