Humoral and T cell-mediated immune response against trichomoniasis

Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) infection leads to the synthesis of specific antibodies in the serum and local secretions. The profile of T. vaginalis-specific antibodies and T cell-mediated immune responses may influence the outcome of infection, towards parasite elimination, persistence or pathological reactions. Studies have indicated that Th1-, Th17- and Th22 cell-related cytokines may be protective or pathogenic, whereas Th2- and Treg cell-related cytokines can exert anti-inflammatory effects during T. vaginalis infection. A number of T. vaginalis-related components such as lipophosphoglycan (TvLPG), α-actinin, migration inhibitory factor (TvMIF), pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFO), legumain-1 (TvLEGU-1), adhesins and cysteine proteases lead to the induction of specific antibodies. T. vaginalis has acquired several strategies to evade the humoral immune responses such as degradation of immunoglobulins by cysteine proteases, antigenic variation and killing of antibody-producing B cells. The characterization of the T. vaginalis-specific antibodies to significant immunogenic molecules and formulation of strategies to promote their induction in vaginal mucosa may reveal their potential protective effects against trichomoniasis. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of antibody and T cell-mediated immune responses to T. vaginalis and highlight novel insights into the possible role of immune responses in protection against parasite.

Biofabricated BiOI with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

The use of plant extract eliminates the usage of harmful chemicals and serves as an eco-friendly approach for environmental remediation.

MINIMAL INVASIVE SURGICAL APPROACH IN THEMANAGEMENT OF COMMINUTED CROWN-ROOT FRACTURE- A CASE REPORT

Comminuted root fractures have a questionable prognosis and present with limited treatment options. In the following case, a comminuted crown root fracture in relation to maxillary left central incisor was managed with a minimally invasive surgical approach. The procedure involved repairing the multiple fracture lines in the root with Biodentine following the endodontic therapy and root resection. The patient was found to be asymptomatic at the end of a follow up period of ten months.

Functional annotation of a novel toxin-antitoxin system Xn-RelT of Xenorhabdus nematophila; a combined in silico and in vitro approach

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) complexes play an important role in stress responses and programmed cell death in bacteria. The RelB-RelE toxin antitoxin system is well studied in Escherichia coli. In this study, we used combined in silico and in vitro approaches to study a novel Xn-RelT toxin from Xenorhabdus nematophila bearing its own antitoxin Xn-RelAT-a RelB homolog of E. coli. The structure for this toxin-antitoxin pair is yet unknown. We generated homology-based models of X. nematophila RelT toxin and antitoxin. The deduced models were further characterized for protein-nucleic acid, protein-protein interactions and gene ontology. A detrimental effect of recombinant Xn-RelT on host E. coli was determined through endogenous toxicity assay. When expressed from a isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside-regulated LacZ promoter, Xn-RelT toxin showed a toxic effect on E. coli cells. These observations imply that the conditional cooperativity governing the Xn-RelT TA operon in X. nematophila plays an important role in stress management and programmed cell death.

Searching for quality in the Quality of work life: an Indian power sector perspective

Purpose

Inspired by India’s focus in the 11th and 12th Five Year Plans on fulfilling the surging energy needs, the purpose of this paper is to capture the Quality of work life (QWL) in the Indian power sector.

Design/methodology/approach

QWL measured with seven dimensions was validated with CFA, and the χ2 difference test based on the Bonferroni method (Simes, 1986) was used for discriminant validity. Individual processes were analyzed with correlation analysis and ANOVA. The influencers of QWL in three processes were compared with standardized coefficients and model fit indices.

Findings

Freedom from work-related stress, salary, relationship with work colleagues, job security and communication and job satisfaction positively influenced QWL. Supervisor support was not found to influence QWL, while job involvement was found to negatively influence QWL.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this study is limited to India, however, and results may not generalize to other countries. Hence, future studies should replicate the study in power sector or allied manufacturing sector in different cultural settings. Another limitation lies in its relatively small sample size; therefore, generalizability of the results may be restricted.

Practical implications

The findings provide useful information to assist HR managers in improving the QWL among Indian power sector employees.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first studies to date to empirically examine the QWL among Indian power sector employees.

MARGINAL MICROLEAKAGE PROPERTIES OF ACTIVA BIOACTIVE RESTORATIVE AND NANOHYBRID COMPOSITE RESIN USING TWO DIFFERENT ADHESIVES IN NON CARIOUS CERVICAL LESIONS - AN IN VITRO STUDY

BACKGROUND

In clinical practice, the restoration of non-carious cervical lesions is a challenge, because most of the time the cervical margin is located in cementum or dentin. This characteristic makes the cervical margin more susceptible to microleakage, causing cavosurface stains, postoperative sensitivity and also favours the incidence of carious lesions.

AIM

To compare and evaluate the microleakage in class V lesions restored with Activa Bioactive restorative and nanohybrid composite resin using two different bonding agents.

METHODOLOGY

In this study, 50 class V cavities were prepared in freshly extracted teeth. The samples were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10), depending on the type of restorative material and bonding agent: Group 1 - Activa Bioactive (Pulpdent, USA) + No bonding, Group 2 - Activa Bioactive + Tetric N Bond (Ivoclar Vivadent, Colombia),Group 3 - Activa Bioactive + G Bond (GC Corp., Tokyo, Japan), Group 4 - Nanohybrid Composite (Ivoclar Vivadent, Colombia) + Tetric N Bond, Group 5 - Nanohybrid Composite + G Bond. The samples were restored with their respective material based on the group. After curing all the specimens were subjected to thermocycling and cyclic loading. Specimens were stained with 2% rhodamin b dye and evaluated for dye penetration.

RESULTS

Results were obtained based on Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U- test.

CONCLUSION

Within the limitations of this study, none of the materials were free from microleakage. All the materials showed more microleakage at gingival margins compared to occlusal margins. Among all the groups Activa Bioactive restorative when used in combination with Tetric N Bond showed the least microleakage.

Zinc peroxide nanomaterial as an adsorbent for removal of Congo red dye from waste water

In the past decade, various natural byproducts, advanced metal oxide composites and photocatalysts have been reported for removal of dyes from water. Although these materials are useful for select applications, they have some limitations such as use at fixed temperature, ultra violet (UV) light and the need for sophisticated experimental set up. These materials can remove dyes up to a certain extent but require long time. To overcome these limitations, a promising adsorbent zinc peroxide (ZnO₂) nanomaterial has been developed for the removal of Congo red (CR) dye from contaminated water. ZnO₂ is highly efficient even in the absence of sunlight to remove CR from contaminated water upto the permissible limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States- Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA). The adsorbent has a specific property to adjust the pH of the test solution within 6.5-7.5 range irrespective of acidic or basic nature of water. The adsorption capacity of the material for CR dye was 208mgg^-1 within 10min at 2-10pH range. The proposed material could be useful for the industries involved in water purification. The removal of CR has been confirmed by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The adsorption data followed a second order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm.

Kallman Syndrome

Kallman syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized clinically by failure to attain puberty or failure to fully complete it along with an absent or impaired sense of smell with absence of bilateral olfactory bulbi and sulci alongwith absent olfactory tracts. Only very few cases of Kallman syndrome have been reported in females in Indian population.

Escherichia vulneris: an unusual cause of complicated diarrhoea and sepsis in an infant. A case report and review of literature

Escherichia vulneris is an opportunistic human pathogen. It has been primarily reported in adult patients and invasive infections have been observed in immune-suppressed individuals. This is the first report of E. vulneris causing complicated diarrhoea and sepsis in an infant.

Two month old sick infant, born full-term, was admitted to the paediatrics department with loose motions and refusal to feed for four days. E. vulneris was isolated from blood in pure culture. The isolate was characterized for diarrhoeal virulence markers: heat labile and heat stable toxins (LT, ST) and hemolysin (hlyA) by PCR. The presence of LT enterotoxin and hemolysin provides strong evidence of the diarrhoeagenic potential of E. vulneris, further leading to the invasive infection triggering sepsis.

As E. vulneris can lead to serious complications, an attempt should be made in clinical laboratories to identify and further characterize this new Escherichia species.

Role of PHOSPHO1 in Periodontal Development and Function

The tooth root and periodontal apparatus, including the acellular and cellular cementum, periodontal ligament (PDL), and alveolar bone, are critical for tooth function. Cementum and bone mineralization is regulated by factors including enzymes and extracellular matrix proteins that promote or inhibit hydroxyapatite crystal growth. Orphan Phosphatase 1 (Phospho1, PHOSPHO1) is a phosphatase expressed by chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and odontoblasts that functions in skeletal and dentin mineralization by initiating deposition of hydroxyapatite inside membrane-limited matrix vesicles. The role of PHOSPHO1 in periodontal formation remains unknown and we aimed to determine its functional importance in these tissues. We hypothesized that the enzyme would regulate proper mineralization of the periodontal apparatus. Spatiotemporal expression of PHOSPHO1 was mapped during periodontal development, and Phospho1(-/-) mice were analyzed using histology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, radiography, and micro-computed tomography. The Phospho1 gene and PHOSPHO1 protein were expressed by active alveolar bone osteoblasts and cementoblasts during cellular cementum formation. In Phospho1(-/-) mice, acellular cementum formation and mineralization were unaffected, whereas cellular cementum deposition increased although it displayed delayed mineralization and cementoid. Phospho1(-/-) mice featured disturbances in alveolar bone mineralization, shown by accumulation of unmineralized osteoid matrix and interglobular patterns of protein deposition. Parallel to other skeletal sites, deposition of mineral-regulating protein osteopontin (OPN) was increased in alveolar bone in Phospho1(-/-) mice. In contrast to the skeleton, genetic ablation of Spp1, the gene encoding OPN, did not ameliorate dentoalveolar defects in Phospho1(-/-) mice. Despite alveolar bone mineralization defects, periodontal attachment and function appeared undisturbed in Phospho1(-/-) mice, with normal PDL architecture and no evidence of bone loss over time. This study highlights the role of PHOSPHO1 in mineralization of alveolar bone and cellular cementum, further revealing that acellular cementum formation is not substantially regulated by PHOSPHO1 and likely does not rely on matrix vesicle-mediated initiation of mineralization.

Carbohydrate compounds as green corrosion inhibitors: electrochemical, XPS, DFT and molecular dynamics simulation studies

Corrosion inhibition effect of 5,6-bis(2-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)hydrazono)hexane-1,2,3,4-tetraol (BIHT) and 5,6-bis(2-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)hydrazono)hexane-1,2,3,4-tetraol (MIHT) on N80 steel in 15% HCl was measured by electrochemical method.

Supervisory support and organizational citizenship behavior

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of participation in decision making (PDM) and job satisfaction (JS) in supervisory support and the organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two models with PDM and JS as mediators were tested on the supervisory support-OCB relationship. A sample of 198 Indian business executives was collected exclusively through management development programs (MDPs). To test the hypotheses in this research, correlation and regression analysis were both used. Furthermore, to test the mediation level, Baron and Kenny’s (1986) method was deployed.

Findings

– All variables in the study were found to be significantly related to each other. Both models were supported by the findings, suggesting that supervisory support promotes both PDM and JS. This, in turn, increases OCB in employees. PDM was found to be the better mediator within the relationship. Implications of these results are also discussed.

Research limitations/implications

– Self-reported responses could give biased results; peers should also have been included in the data gathering. Variables in the study cannot be analyzed in isolation. Hence control variables need to be included to arrive at more accurate and informative results.

Practical implications

– The findings contribute to better understanding of the supervisory support/OCB relationship, and the ways of improving this through PDM and JS. As an outcome of this research, organizations should aim to support, empower and involve their employees. Satisfying their needs will lead to them becoming more effective citizens within the organization. Businesses can harness the potential of OCB in employees by giving them a “voice” in decision making and by encouraging them to share ideas.

Originality/value

– The use of PDM and JS in this relationship is unprecedented. The establishment of PDM as a better mediator of the relationship is also unique. The study draws its strength from a multi-organizational sample and the use of MDPs to provide unbiased responses. Since the study is based on an Indian sample, it also adds to the growing literature of OCB from non-western economies.

Families of Pseudohypoparathyroidism presenting as Seizure

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable insensitivity to parathyroid hormone. We describe two cases of 22 year male and 24 year female who have typical clinical features of Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO). Laboratory investigation revealed evidence of pseudohypoparathyroidism and skeletal survey showed shortening of the metacarpals and metatarsals.