MoCA in five Indian languages: A brief screening tool to diagnose dementia and MCI in a linguistically diverse setting.

Introduction And Objectives: Early dementia diagnosis in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) is challenging due to limited availability of brief, culturally appropriate, and psychometrically validated tests. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is one of the most widely used cognitive screening tests in primary and secondary care globally. In the current study, we adapted and validated MoCA in five Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam) and determined the optimal cut-off points that correspond to screening for clinical diagnosis of dementia and MCI.

Picture-naming test for a linguistically diverse population with cognitive impairment and dementia.

Background: Picture-naming tests (PNTs) evaluate linguistic impairment in dementia due to semantic memory impairment, impaired lexical retrieval or perceptual deficits. They also assess the decline in naming impairment at various stages of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that occurs due to progressive cognitive impairment. With the increasing numbers of people with dementia globally, it is necessary to have validated naming tests and norms that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Validation of ICMR Neurocognitive Toolbox for Dementia in the Linguistically Diverse Context of India.

The growing prevalence of dementia, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), has raised the need for a unified cognitive screening tool that can aid its early detection. The linguistically and educationally diverse population in India contributes to challenges in diagnosis. The present study aimed to assess the validity and diagnostic accuracy of the Indian Council of Medical Research-Neurocognitive Toolbox (ICMR-NCTB), a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery adapted in five languages, for the diagnosis of dementia.

Bilingualism and Its Implications for Neuropsychological Evaluation.

Objective: In the background of a large population of bilinguals globally, the study aimed to develop standards of neuropsychological testing in the context of bilingualism. Because bilingualism is known to affect cognitive processes, bilinguals and monolinguals were compared on their performance on cognitive tests, to investigate the possibility of the need for separate normative data for the two groups.

Method: A comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, standardized across five Indian languages: the Indian Council of Medical Research-Neuro Cognitive Tool Box (ICMR-NCTB) was administered to 530 participants (267 monolingual and 263 bilinguals matched for age and education).

Molecular docking studies of a-mangostin with oral cancer targets ARRB1, FLNA, CALM3 and HTT.

Background And Aim: The genes ARRB1, FLNA, CALM3, and HTT are commonly expressed in oral cancer and have been hypothesized to be involved in the carcinogenic pathway. The present study investigates the inhibitive properties of alpha mangostin on the above gene using Autodock molecular docking tool.

Materials And Methods: The structures of the proteins were downloaded from the protein databank with PDB IDs 3HOP, 2F3Z, IZSH and 3IO6F for the genes FLNA, CALM3, ARRB1 and HTT, respectively.

Comparitive efficacies of a natural fixative with a conventional fixative.

Introduction: The quest for formalin substitutes has long been going on due to its health hazards. Honey has been recognized as a safe substitute for formalin. However, we explored jaggery as a natural substitute for formalin.

Correlation of salivary glucose level with blood glucose level in diabetes mellitus.

Background: Saliva is a unique fluid, which is important for normal functioning of the oral cavity. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease of absolute or relative insulin deficiency characterized by insufficient secretion of insulin by pancreatic beta-cells. The diagnosis of diabetes through blood is difficult in children, older adults, debilitated and chronically ill patients, so diagnosis by analysis of saliva can be potentially valuable as collection of saliva is noninvasive, easier and technically insensitive, unlike blood.

Antimicrobial Effect of Leaves of and on Caries Causing Bacteria: An In vitro Study.

Introduction: and are which are indigeneous to India. commonly called 'manathakkali Keerai' in Tamil, forms an indispensable part of South Indian diet. (keezhanelli in Tamil) is a widely used medicinal plant, the leaves of which have been used extensively in Ayurveda and native medicine to cure various liver ailments.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment - A cross-sectional comparison study between mild cognitive impairment of vascular and non-vascular etiology.

Purpose: To elucidate the cognitive profiles of post-stroke vascular mild cognitive impairment (VaMCI) in comparison to MCI of non-vascular etiology and cognitively normal healthy controls at a tertiary-care hospital in southern India.

Results: Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex comparing VaMCI [N=50] with controls [N=27] revealed significant impairment in visual, verbal learning-recall and executive function scores. As compared to the MCI group [N=36], VaMCI had significantly higher scores on Weschler's Memory Scale (WMS) verbal subset delayed recall scores (p=0.

Prediction of anthropometric measurements from tooth length--A Dravidian study.

Background: Anthropometric measurement is essential for identification of both victims and suspects. Often, this data is not readily available in a crime scene situation. The availability of one data set should help in predicting the other.

Antimicrobial effect of herbal dentifrices: An in vitro study.

Aim: This study was taken up to compare the antimicrobial effect of few herbal dentifrices against cariogenic organism such as Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Materials And Methods: This study was an in vitro model using the well method of microbial culture. Colgate total was used as the positive control and distilled water as the negative control.

Liaison between micro-organisms and oral cancer.

Oral cancer which is a subtype of head and neck, cancer is any neoplastic tissue growth in the oral cavity. It comprises an abnormal mass of cells that foists genetic mutation and impedes the normal cell cycle, resulting in its unrestrained growth. Various studies on the plausible link between oral microbial flora and cancer notwithstanding, our understanding of their link remains obscure and inadequate.

Enzymatic antioxidants and its role in oral diseases.

Antioxidants are substances that when present at very low concentration inhibits the oxidation of a molecule. It has the capacity to nullify the ill effects of oxidation caused by free radicals in the living organisms. The unpaired electrons of these free radicals are highly reactive and neutralize the harmful reactions of human metabolism.

Odontogenic myxoma.

Odontogenic myxoma is a rare intraosseous neoplasm, which is benign but locally aggressive. It rarely appears in any bone other than the jaws. It is considered to be derived from the mesenchymal portion of the tooth germ.

Role of coenzyme Q(10) as an antioxidant and bioenergizer in periodontal diseases.

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease process resulting from the interaction of a bacterial attack and host inflammatory response. Arrays of molecules are considered to mediate the inflammatory response at one time or another, among these are free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Periodontal pathogens can induce ROS overproduction and thus may cause collagen and periodontal cell breakdown.

Evaluation of HTR polymer (Bioplant HTR) as a bone graft material in the treatment of interproximal vertical bony defects: a clinical and radiological study.

Background And Objectives: Bone grafting is the most common form of regenerative therapy. Several bone substitutes have been used in clinical periodontal therapy to encourage bone formation. The present study has been undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of hard tissue replacement polymer (Bioplant HTR) as a bone graft material in the treatment of interproximal vertical bony defects in human beings, both clinically and radiologically.

Kinetics of hydrolysis of sucrose catalyzed by invertase immobilized on egg shells and on zeolites.

A simple, inexpensive and reliable method for immobilizing yeast invertase on egg shells and on zeolites was developed. The activity of the immobilized preparations when compared with that of native enzyme at varying pH, temperature and substrate concentrations, showed improved stability and sigmoidal kinetic behaviour. The immobilized enzyme could be easily removed from the reaction mixture at any specified time.