Oral care precautions for patients with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common severe autosomal recessive disease in the Caucasian population. Although it remains incurable, it is currently possible to extend the life expectancy of patients with modern therapeutic possibilities. Given the medical issues that a child with CF faces, oral health may be perceived as being of lesser importance. Thus, the establishment of good dietary and oral hygiene practices may not take place, leading to an increased risk of caries and gingivitis due to poor oral hygiene. A change in patient management may be necessary to ensure optimal care.

Food Allergy Prevention and Management in Children

Food allergy is a reaction mediated by immunological mechanisms that cause various symptoms in susceptible individuals while harmless in individuals who are not sensitive to the specific allergen. The reactions that take place are divided into three: IgE-mediated reactions, non-IgE-mediated reactions, and mixed-type reactions. While many types of food have the potential to cause allergen reactions, fewer foods are responsible for the most clinically severe reactions and for the majority of reported cases. Food allergy, which is increasingly common worldwide, is becoming an important public health problem. Although there are no clear epidemiological data, the prevalence of food allergy varies between 6-10% in preschool children and decreases to 2-5% in adulthood. Food allergy has long been recognized as a pediatric disease, as most cases tend to begin in childhood and disappear with growth. There is increasing evidence to support the role of early administration of potential food allergens to prevent food allergy. The management process of food allergy cases includes plans and innovative treatment strategies aimed at a personalized approach.

Effects of cystic fibrosis on the oral cavity

Cystic fibrosis is a complex, lethal, multi-system autosomal recessive disease resulting from mutations on chromosome 7 that cause dysfunction of an ion channel located on epithelial surfaces. Pulmonary disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in CF. The specific dental manifestations of the disease may result from the condition itself or from complications of treatment. This study presents the dental problems observed in patients with cystic fibrosis and reported in the literature. Particular attention was paid to dental caries, disturbances in the mineralization of hard dental tissues, gingivitis and changes in the content and properties of saliva.

Pharmacognostic and antidysentery screening of mixed ethanol leaf extract of Parkia biglobosa and Acanthus montanus (50:50)

Introduction: Parkia biglobosa belong to the family mimosaceae and Acanthus montanus belong to the family acanthaceae. The plants both have a multipurpose use as herbal medicine. Aim: This work investigate the pharmacognostic standard and anti-dysentery activity of the mixed ethanol extract of both plants on E. histolytical induced dysentery. Method: The phytochemical, chemo microscopy and proximate analysis were carried out using the standard procedures. The mixed extract of ratio 50:50 was administered to different groups of rats at different doses. Loperamide was administered as standard drug. The change in faecal consistency was observed and recorded. Result: The phytochemical analysis shows the presence of alkaloids, tannins, proteins, glycosides and carbohydrates. Chemomicroscopy of both plants showed the presence of starch, calcium oxalate, lignin, cellulose. While the extractive value analysis gave 25.0% and 32.7% for water extractive value and ethanol extractive value respectively (for Acanthus montanus) and 23.0% and 30.0% for water extractive value and ethanol extractive value respectively (for Parkiabiglobosa). The absence of death at 5000mg/kg of the extract shows that the lethal dose of the ethanol extract of the plant mixture is higher than 5000mg/kg which may be an indication of safety of the mixture. The anti-dysentery activity of the mixture of both plants with different concentration of 250mg/kg, 500mg/kg, 1000mg/kg body weight of ethanol extract showed a significant change in the faecal consistency of the rats. The effect obtained on the administration of 500mg/kg body weight of the extract mixture is more comparable to the standard (loperamide). Conclusion: The synergistic use of the extract contains the secondary metabolites glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, which may be responsible for their anti-dysentery synergistic activity. Mixed extracts from both leaves of P. biglobosa and A. montanus can be recommended as an anti-dysentery agent.

Formulation and evaluation of herbal ointment using leaves of Thuja orientalis l. Leaf extract

The study of diseases and their treatment are important part of our ancient time worldwide. The knowledge of medicinal plants must have been accumulated in the course of many centuries. Herbal plants are huge sources of neutraceuticals, prevent the different disease or maintain healthy life. Plant produces primary metabolites for their basic survival and secondary metabolites for their ecological, taxonomical and biochemical differentiation and diversity. Herbal medicine prepare different part of plant are used. Herbal drug is design as the alternative formulation for the external use in the form of ointment. For the clinical use the herbal ointment apply externally on human body. The main aims of this research are preparation of herbal ointment from the Thuja orientalis L.Plants used as antibacterial activity. Under this research work, it is design as herbal ointment with the help of Ethanolic extract of Thuja orientalis L. and determines the anti bacterial capacity on it. In vitro study the antibacterial activity of the Ethanolic extracts of dried leaves of Thuja orientalis L. are determine by using the Agar cup plate method versus different bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa etc. By blending the Ethanolic extract of Thuja orientalis L.(10 % w/w) into aqueous cream we formulated herbal ointment. The emulsifying agent and simple ointment bases are added in above herbal ointment for increase the antibacterial effectiveness during in vitro evaluation. Thuja orientalis L. (Family Cupressaceae) are broadly used in traditional system of medicine throughout different part of India, China, Russia, Korea, Japan, India, Florida and Iran. It is used in the treatment of diarrhea, cough, cold, bronchitis, and upper part repertory infection. The current study deals with the determination of formulation and evaluation of herbal ointment using Thuja orientalis leave extract.

Ultrastructural changes of the placenta in cases of preeclampsia

The placenta plays vital roles during fetal development and growth. The ultrastructure of the placenta together with remodeling of the uterine spiral arteries are very important to maintain the utero-placental blood flow. Preeclampsia (PE) is a multifactorial disorder with abnormal placentation affecting the mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to study the ultrastructural abnormalities of the placenta in cases of PE. The placentas of 10 PE women and 10 controls were studied. Women of PE group were delivered by caesarian section while seven control women were delivered vaginally, and three by caesarian section. Placental samples were studied both morphologically and histologically by light and transmission electron microscopy. Light microscopic study of control placentas showed numerous microvilli, few syncytial knots, thin-walled blood vessels. PE placentas showed reduced number of microvilli with numerous syncytial knots, thick-walled vessels, edematous spaces, fibrotic areas and fibrinoid degeneration. Electron microscopic study of the control placentas showed a thick layer of syncytiotrophoblast (Sy), numerous microvilli and a thin layer of cytotrophoblast (Cy). PE placenta showed hypertrophy of Cy with atrophy of Sy and scarce microvilli. The trophoblast showed edematous vacuoles and glycogen storage areas. The villous core had congested capillaries, edematous spaces, glycogen storage areas and widespread areas of fibrosis. All the changes in PE placentas were attributed to hypoxia and oxidative stress and reduced utero-placental flow due to abnormal remodeling of the uterine spiral arteries that was aggravated by the thick placental barrier and the presence of edema, fibrosis and glycogen storage areas.

Update on aesthetic coronoradicular reconstructions of posterior teeth

The restoration of teeth treated endodontically and having undergone significant loss of substance remains a challenge for dental surgeons. It represents one of the most frequent clinical sequences of general practice on a daily basis. This act is so common and so repetitive that the practitioner often performs it automatically, almost reflexively, applying the same mode of restoration to most clinical situations. Metal coronoradicular restorations (RCR) have long been considered the standard for restoring depulpated posterior teeth, as this type of restorations offer increased mechanical resistance to the occlusal stresses to which posterior teeth are subjected. The advent of adhesive dentistry has revolutionized the restoration of depulpated posterior teeth. It has become possible today to combine aesthetics, mechanical resistance and biocompatibility thanks to the fiber-based coronoradicular restoration of the posterior sector. In this article, we will detail the clinical protocol for an esthetic restoration of two premolars treated endodontically and severely damaged.

Effect of simulation and guided-inquiry strategies in elimination of students’ misconception in biology teaching

This study investigates the effects of simulation and Guided-inquiry strategies in elimination of students’ misconception in Biology Teaching in Senior Secondary Schools in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State. Four research questions and four hypotheses were formulated to guide the research. The design adopted for this study is quasi experimental pre-test, post-test control group design. The population of the study was made up of all SSIII biology students, using cluster sampling to select 150 students’ to form the sample size. The research instrument used was Ecology performance Test (EPT). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. T-test was used to test the hypotheses. The findings among others indicated that students taught with simulation and guided inquiry teaching strategy performed better than the traditional method thereby eliminating student’s misconception on ecological concept in biology. It was recommended among others that biology teachers should be encouraged to explore the application of simulation and guided inquiring strategies in their classroom instruction.

Isolation and identification of bacteria associated with fermentation of melon seed for Ogiri Sold in Owerri, Nigeria

In order to ascertain the public health implication of the consumption of the fermented melon (Cucumismelo), known as Ogiri, consumed in all South Eastern Nigeria and beyond as a food condiment, thirty samples of locally fermented melon seeds, Ogiri, were randomly purchased from three markets in Owerri metropolis in Imo State. These samples were microbiologically analysed using pour plate technique on nutrient agar, MacConkey and Salmonella Shigella agar at 370C for 24 hours. The viable and mean counts were determined and the data obtained were statistically analyzed. There was no significant difference between the contamination of the samples (p>0.05). These organisms, following the order of predominance were isolated; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. The presence of these microorganisms of public health importance in food condiments pose a risk of enteritis and other food borne diseases in some individuals after its intake. Thus, the health organizations should embark on public and personal enlightenment programs targeted at both the producer and the consumer.

Prevalence of Diarrhoeal Diseases among Under-Five Paediatric Patients in a Tertiary Health Care Facility, South Eastern Nigeria: A 5-Year Review

Background: Diarrhoeal disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children, especially in developing countries. Although Nigeria has already achieved remarkable progress in reducing under-five mortality in the last decades, studies done in different parts of Nigeria had shown that diarrhoea is still a major public health problem. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of diarrhoea in under-five children who presented to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Neni through the period of January 2016 - December 2020, a 5-year review. It is also aimed at noting the influence of other socio demographic factors such as age, sex and seasonal variation on the occurrence of diarrhoeal diseases. Methods: A retrospective study design was used as patients’ records were obtained from the medical records for the said duration of study and a pro forma was used in extracting needed information. Results: A total of 128 cases of diarrhoeal disease were recorded out of the 897 under-five aged children that visited the hospital at the said period of study. Thus with a prevalence of 14.27%. Higher number of cases were recorded in the dry season 96 (75.0%) than the wet season; 32 (25.0%) cases. More males were affected; 78(60.1%) than females;50 (39.1%). Children aged 0-11 months were affected more; 62 (48.4%) followed by those within the age bracket of 12-23 months 32(25.0%) with those within the ages 48-59months having the least number of cases; 8 (6.3%). Conclusions: From the study it was concluded that diarrhoea occurs more in the dry season in this region than in the wet season. It was also concluded that the general risk of diarrhoeal disease decreases with increasing age in children and toddlers are the most at risk group of suffering the disease.