Assessment of Self-Medication Practices and Knowledge Among Medical Students in Chengalpattu District: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The practice of self-medication is wherein individuals initiate the use of medications without consulting a healthcare professional. College life is a period marked by academic, social, and personal changes. Due to their greater freedom and the pressure of academic success, students face various health issues.

Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Efficacy of Silver Nanoparticles Infused with Extract and Chlorhexidine Against Red-complex Pathogens.

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of silver nanoparticles infused with extract and chlorhexidine against red-complex periopathogens.

Materials And Methods: Neem leaf extraction was done followed by standardization to the synthesis of neem-infused silver nanoparticles and fractionation of compounds done by using thin layer chromatography to separate the mixture of neem leaf extract. Characterization of neem-infused silver nanoparticles was done by scanning electron microscopy and UV-Visible spectroscopy.

Readiness, acceptability, and feasibility of differentiated TB care for COVID-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients diagnosed in a district in South India: Mixed methods study.

Background: Differentiated tuberculosis care (DTC) approach is the need of the hour to mitigate those risks and provide better treatment outcomes to reduce both mortality and morbidity. Before implementing such an approach, there should be adequate literature on healthcare facility assessment along with qualitative exploration on readiness and acceptability among various stakeholders that are currently needed to fill the gaps in National Tuberculosis Elimination Program.

Objectives: Our study objectives were to assess the availability of equipment, treatment, and investigations for managing patients under the DTC approach, to explore the readiness, acceptability, and feasibility of the DTC approach among healthcare providers involved in TB care provision, and to determine the knowledge regarding DTC approach among healthcare providers delivering TB care for COVID-positive pulmonary TB patients.

Yoga Therapy in Functional Dyspepsia. A Narrative Review.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disorder, characterized by bothersome epigastric pain or burning, fullness after meals or early satiety. The precise pathophysiology remains incompletely understood but may include the role of disordered gut-brain communication leading to disturbances in gastro-duodenal physiological functioning. Even if there are several pharmacological treatment options, it is a chronic and relapsing disorder with persistent symptoms that makes its management difficult.

Natal and neonatal teeth: early diagnosis and management.

The eruption of teeth in newborns is a rare disorder of the oral cavity and are called 'natal teeth' when they are present at birth or 'neonatal teeth' when they erupt within the first month of life. In most of these cases, they are prematurely erupted deciduous teeth or supernumerary teeth. Supportive management should be given, to facilitate child's feeding and to prevent further complications, such as aspiration as the tooth could be mobile.

Effect of estradiol on histopathology of brain in unilateral and bilateral ovariectomized rats.

Estradiol, a major form of estrogen, plays a crucial role in various aspects of brain function, including neuronal health, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive processes. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the histopathological changes of the rat brain following estradiol treatment in unilateral and bilateral ovariectomized rats, a commonly used method to induce estrogen deficiency and study the consequences of hormonal changes. Two months old Wistar albino female rats were divided into five experimental groups, each consisting of 6 animals.

Mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes and recent developments in colistin resistance detection.

The peptide antibiotic colistin has been reserved as a last resort antibiotic treatment option for cases where other antibiotics including carbapenems have failed. Recent emergence of colistin resistance and discovery of mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes, which encode the cell wall modifying phosphoethanolamine transferase enzyme, complicates the issue. The mcr genes have been associated with conjugative plasmids and can be horizontally transferred between different bacterial species.

Protein Drug Delivery Using a Novel Maxillofacial Technique Targeting the Visual Pathway in the Brain, the Optic Nerve, and the Retina.

Protein drugs are used for treating many diseases of the eye and the brain. The formidable blood neural barriers prevent the delivery of these drugs into the eye and the brain. Hence, there is a need for a protein drug delivery system to deliver large proteins across blood-neural barriers.

Public Health Dentistry as a Career Choice - Attitude of Dental Undergraduate Students in Puducherry.

Background: To pursue further education in a particular specialty of dentistry, it is important for dental students to be aware of the "expectation" associated with any specific specialty in dentistry. Therefore students 'attitudes' towards 'expectations' of various specialties, to a large extent enables a meaningful understanding that facilitates appropriate planning in the dental sector for the community.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire based survey was conducted, which included, final year and dental interns studying in two dental institutions, in the State of Puducherry.

Phenotypic heterogeneity in family members of patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To describe the phenotypic variations in family members of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with different modes of inheritance and to assess the ocular abnormalities in RP families.

Methods: A descriptive analysis of three types of inheritance of RP was carried out, where 64 family members were examined at a tertiary eye care center, South India. They underwent comprehensive eye examination, fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), full-field electroretinogram (FFERG), and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Adjuvant yoga therapy for symptom management of functional dyspepsia: A case series.

Functional Dyspepsia (FD), commonly called chronic indigestion, comes under the umbrella of 'Disorders of Gut-Brain Axis'. It manifests as a cluster of upper gastrointestinal symptoms including epigastric pain or burning, postprandial fullness and early satiety. Since the pathophysiology is complex, it is often difficult to effectively manage and significantly impacts the patient's quality of life.

Early shedding of membrane-bounded ACE2 could be an indicator for disease severity in SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 uses membrane bound Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a key host receptor for its entry. However, inconsistent results are available in terms of shedding of membrane ACE2 and circulating levels of soluble ACE2 during SARS-CoV-2. To ascertain soluble ACE2 as an effective biomarker for the prediction of COVID-19 outcome, in the present study, we investigated the levels of plasma ACE2 during the early phase of infection in COVID-19 patients.

Perception of Faculty toward Challenges in Teaching and the Role of Medical Education Workshops in Addressing Them: A Mixed-Methods Study.

 A medical teacher has a very complex job profile, wherein they are expected to train a cohort of newly joined medical aspirants to competent health care professionals. The current study was conducted to identify the challenges faced by the faculty members in medical teaching and to assess the perception of teachers on the role of medical education workshops in addressing these challenges.  It was a Mixed Methods study conducted over a period of 9 months from January to September 2021 in a tertiary teaching medical college and hospital of Chengalpet District of Tamil Nadu amongst the faculty members of the teaching medical college and hospital.

COVID-19 and impairment of mental health: public health perspective.

Objectives: The objective of the article is to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the members of the general population.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced the public health authorities to implement unprecedented public health measures with an intention to control the spread of the infection.

Methods: An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out in the PubMed search engine and World Health Organization website and a total of 27 articles were selected based upon the suitability with the current review objectives.

Manual small incision cataract surgery: a viable option for cataract with pseudoexfoliation.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the spectrum of clinical presentation, intraoperative challenges and immediate surgical outcome of cataract patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXF) following manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS).

Methods: This prospective observational study which was conducted in a rural tertiary care hospital included adult patients with cataract and associated PXF. MSICS was performed for all after a complete ophthalmic and systemic examination.

Exploring the role of macular thickness as a potential early biomarker of neurodegeneration in acute schizophrenia.

Objective: The retina has been investigated as a gateway to assess the neurodegenerative changes in the brain. Schizophrenia is also conceptualized as a neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The current literature suggests reduced retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness and macular thickness (MT), as a marker of neurodegeneration, in patient suffering from chronic schizophrenia.

SARS-CoV-2: The Road Less Traveled-From the Respiratory Mucosa to the Brain.

Neurological manifestations have been reported in COVID-19; however, the route used by SARS-CoV-2 to enter the brain is still under debate. Recent studies have focused on the olfactory route. SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins were also detected in the glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves originating from the lower brainstem and in isolated cells of the brainstem.

Strengthening risk communication and community engagement for the containment of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 outbreak.

Objectives: The objective of the article is to understand the need and importance of risk communication and community engagement in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

Introduction: The Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, which has been designated as a public health emergency of international concern has created a sense of fear and apprehension among the community across the world.

Methods: Acknowledging all these alarming facts, we cannot deny that we have to intensify our efforts and all the national policy makers should recognize the infection as of utmost public health priority and be prepared to respond to the potential outbreak within their own boundaries.

An assessment of age-appropriate infant and young child feeding practices among children in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, India.

Background: Appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are a cornerstone to reduce child morbidity and mortality. Assessment of IYCF practices among the mother of young children is the need of the hour to find the breaches in their performance and to find out the influencing factors for these gaps. The study was undertaken with the objectives to assess the IYCF practices and the factors influencing among the children of age 7-24 months.

Comparative Evaluation of the Remineralizing Efficacy of Fluoride Varnish and its Combination Varnishes on White Spot Lesions in Children with ECC: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the remineralizing efficacy of fluoride and its combination varnishes on white spot lesion (WSL) in children with early childhood caries (ECC).

Materials And Methods: Sixty children with active WSL on primary maxillary anterior teeth were randomly selected. At baseline, the WSL activity was evaluated using ICDAS II [lesion activity assessment (LAA)] and its dimensions through photographic method.