Case Report: Case report: Rapidly progressing tooth wear dominated by intrinsic and extrinsic erosion.

Tooth wear is multi-factorial presenting as a combination of abrasion, attrition, and erosion. This case report represents a case of combined tooth wear in a 46-year-old Indo-Trinidadian male, with a predominant erosive component with both the clinical signs and features of intrinsic and extrinsic erosion. This patient case is unique since the wear predominated by dental erosion has occurred rapidly evidenced by the physical clinical appearance of a lack of compensation and the upper left premolars and molars relatively unaffected by the overall effects of tooth wear.

Axial dystonia as a manifestation of stiff-person syndrome in a paediatric patient.

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological condition that frequently affects adults, with the neurologist diagnosing only one or two cases during his or her career. Reports of paediatric SPS are exceedingly rare, with less than 20 cases described in the literature.The patient presented was initially diagnosed with a functional movement disorder then a genetic dystonia, with a poor response to treatment trials and negative genetic testing.

DNA Barcoding Analysis of Trinidad Mosquitoes Reveals Evidence for Putative New Species.

is a primary sylvan vector of yellow fever virus and the emerging Mayaro virus. However, despite its medical importance, there is a dearth of data on the molecular taxonomy of this mosquito species. In this study, DNA barcoding analysis was performed on 64 adult female mosquitoes from Trinidad morphologically identified as The mitochondrial (COI) gene and ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of the mosquitoes were PCR amplified and sequenced, and molecular phylogenies inferred.

Multi-trait efficiency and interactivity of bacterial consortia used to enhance plant performance under water stress conditions.

Water stress is a major limiting factor for agricultural production under current and projected climate change scenarios. As a sustainable strategy, plant growth-promoting bacterial consortia have been used to reduce plant water stress. However, few studies have examined the effects of stress on multi-trait efficiency and interactivity of bacterial species.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Trinidad and Tobago: A Qualitative Study.

Background After three years of COVID-19, the WHO declared that the pandemic was no longer a global health emergency. Vaccination remains part of the management strategy, given the current phase of the pandemic. This study explored the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Trinidad and Tobago (TT).

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Germany: a cross-sectional, population-based study.

Purpose Of The Study: Achieving high COVID-19 vaccination rates is a key public health challenge. The study aims to investigate factors determining COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and adherence to prevention measures, in German adults.

Study Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Germany, from 21 February 2021 to 3 April 2021, during the strict lockdown period of the third COVID-19 wave.

The knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine amongst Primary Health care workers in North-Central Trinidad.

Aim: To determine the effects of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of primary care health workers toward receiving the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in North Central, Trinidad.

Methods: A pretested questionnaire containing forty-eight (48) closed ended questions and one (1) open ended question was used to gather data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire.

Health and economic burden of disease of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in four Latin American and Caribbean countries: a modelling study.

Objective: Overweight and obesity are important contributors to the non-communicable disease burden. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease, cancer and other conditions. The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of disease attributable to the consumption of SSBs and the costs to the healthcare systems in Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Acute myotonic reaction during succinylcholine anaesthesia.

A 21-year-old woman developed an acute myotonic reaction while undergoing anaesthesia using succinylcholine. Examination later showed she had shoulder, neck and calf hypertrophy, bilateral symmetrical ptosis and eyelid, handgrip and percussion myotonia. Peripheral neurophysiology studies identified significant, continuous myotonic discharges in both upper and lower limbs.

Enhancing the Predictive Performance of Credibility-Based Fake News Detection Using Ensemble Learning.

Fake news detection continues to be a major problem that affects our society today. Fake news can be classified using a variety of methods. Predicting and detecting fake news has proven to be challenging even for machine learning algorithms.

Core competencies and challenges among nurses transitioning into positions of leadership - a Caribbean perspective.

Purpose: Nurses are a significant part of the professional workforce, but leaders may be promoted without the requisite competencies. This study aims to explore the perspectives of nurse managers about the core competencies necessary for promotion as leaders in health.

Design/methodology/approach: This was a mixed-methods study that targeted nurses ( = 126) who were promoted in four Caribbean countries over the past five years.

Role of Information Technology in COVID-19 Vaccination Drive: An Analysis of the COVID-19 Global Beliefs, Behaviors, and Norms Survey.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, information technology has played a critical role in healthcare. A broad spectrum of information technology tools and applications played an essential role to create awareness of the COVID-19 vaccination drive and its health benefits. Research conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with information technology platforms like Facebook with inputs from World Health Organization (WHO), John Hopkins University (JHU), and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) shows that 65.

Chronic airflow obstruction and ambient particulate air pollution.

Smoking is the most well-established cause of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) but particulate air pollution and poverty have also been implicated. We regressed sex-specific prevalence of CAO from 41 Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study sites against smoking prevalence from the same study, the gross national income per capita and the local annual mean level of ambient particulate matter (PM) using negative binomial regression. The prevalence of CAO was not independently associated with PM but was strongly associated with smoking and was also associated with poverty.

A Critical Overview of the Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Equine Medicine Over the Last Decade.

In the 1990s, the role of platelets in inflammation and tissue healing was finally recognized. Since then, the clinical use of platelet-derived products (hemocomponents), such as, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), markedly increased. The promise of a more economical option of a disease-modifying treatment led to the intensive and continuous research of PRP products and to its widespread clinical use.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress among healthcare workers of Trinidad and Tobago during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress among healthcare workers (HCWs) during COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Cross-sectional online survey.

Setting: HCWs from four major hospitals within the Regional Health Authorities of Trinidad and Tobago.

A Comparative Review of Autologous Conditioned Serum and Autologous Protein Solution for Treatment of Osteoarthritis in Horses.

Many alternative treatments aimed at modulating osteoarthritis (OA) progression have been developed in the past decades, including the use of cytokine inhibitors. IL-1β is considered one of the most impactful cytokines in OA disease and therefore, its blockage offers a promising approach for the modulation of OA. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory protein belonging to the IL-1 family that competes with IL-1β for occupancy of its receptors, without triggering the same downstream inflammatory response.

Driving factors influencing the rhizobacteriome community structure of plants adapted to multiple climatic stressors in edaphic savannas.

The natural variation of multiple abiotic stresses in hyper-seasonal edaphic savanna provides a unique opportunity to study the rhizobacteriome community structure of plants adapted to climate change-like conditions in the humid tropics. In this study, we evaluated changes in soil, plant and rhizobacteriome community structure parameters across seasons (wet and dry) in two edaphic savannas (SV-1 and SV-5) using four dominant plant species. We then examined relationships between rhizobacteriome community structure and soil properties, plant biomass, and conventional and novel root traits.

Community acceptance of yeast interfering RNA larvicide technology for control of Aedes mosquitoes in Trinidad.

RNA interference (RNAi), a technique used to investigate gene function in insects and other organisms, is attracting attention as a potential new technology for mosquito control. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) was recently engineered to produce interfering RNA molecules that silence genes required for mosquito survival, but which do not correspond to genes in humans or other non-target organisms. The resulting yeast pesticides, which facilitate cost-effective production and delivery of interfering RNA to mosquito larvae that eat the yeast, effectively kill mosquitoes in laboratory and semi-field trials.

Child Sexual Abuse and the Complexities of Gender, Power, and Sexuality.

This article contributes to the still limited analysis of gender and sexuality in the exploration of HIV infection in the Caribbean. In Trinidad and Tobago, child sexual abuse was identified as a prevalent behavior. This motivated a gendered exploration of the sociocultural factors underlying child sexual abuse and the link with HIV.

Exploring the Experiences of Deportation and Reintegration of Aging Deported Men in Trinidad and Tobago.

Older deported men in Trinidad and Tobago face unique challenges in reintegrating into life after deportation. This qualitative study examined the intersection of aging and deportation to identify factors that affect the reintegration experiences of aging deported men. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 deported men over the age of 50 and were analyzed using the constant comparison method.

Microbial Community Structure and Function of Soil Following Ecosystem Conversion from Native Forests to Teak Plantation Forests.

Soil microbial communities can form links between forest trees and functioning of forest soils, yet the impacts of converting diverse native forests to monoculture plantations on soil microbial communities are limited. This study tested the hypothesis that conversion from a diverse native to monoculture ecosystem would be paralleled by a reduction in the diversity of the soil microbial communities. Soils from Teak () plantations and adjacent native forest were examined at two locations in Trinidad.

Does preoperative psychological status of patients affect postoperative pain? A prospective study from the Caribbean.

Objectives: Patients with high anxiety states in the preoperative period often have more intense postoperative pain, despite adequate pain control during the intraoperative period. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the preoperative psychological status and the pain experienced postoperatively in a sample of Caribbean patients.

Design And Methods: A prospective study was conducted in elective surgical adult patients at a teaching hospital in the Caribbean.

Prevalence of Diabetes, Obesity and Dyslipidaemia in Persons within High and Low Income Groups Living in North and South Trinidad.

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus, obesity and dyslipidaemia are metabolic disorders characterized by similar risk factors, complications and outcomes including stroke, insulin resistance, MI and even death. Studies have indicated that impoverished and low income areas of developing countries are more prone to increasing obesity which when uncontrolled can lead to diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia.

Aim: The study was aimed to compare the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, obesity and dyslipidaemia in high and low income groups of North and South Trinidad, to determine factors that contribute to its prevalence and to observe any associations between the three aforementioned diseases.