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COVID-19 pandemic soon apparently proved to be havoc and a great stressor. During such a stressful time, mental health is in threat. Here, we intend to review the presenting problems/ symptoms as shared in psychiatry helpline of a Teaching Hospital in eastern Nepal during the second week of lockdown and to reflect on to emotional, including mood problems. It is an institute based period observation noted for all psychiatry helpline calls during 1 week of lockdown days of COVID-19. Their concerns and problems were listened and symptoms clarified by a consultant psychiatrist to help them as far as possible through the telephonic conversation. Maintaining the confidentiality, basic information were noted down in a semi-structured proforma to record certain socio-demographic and clinical information (including mood and other emotional symptoms). We received 102 helpline calls of 60 clients for psychiatry in 1 week, from 14 districts. More patients being discussed were males (35/60), average age being 34.15 (15 - 70) years. More patients were regular follow-up cases with some new issues (24/60) and 18/60 each were new clients and regular follow-up cases. Majority had exacerbated symptoms in the wake of COVID-19 as: emotional (47/60; mood 24/60, anxiety/worry 23/60) symptoms along with disturbed sleep (32/60); treatment/service issues (31/60) and changed routines. Most common mental problems were Bipolar affective disorder, Psychosis, Anxiety and Depression and advices included Antipsychotics, Benzodiazepines, Antidepressants, along with some Psycho-education. Most common concerns were about OPD service, worsening symptoms and local unavailability of medicines. Many had mood and emotional symptoms in this stressful time, both simple amenable to telephonic advices and severe requiring to be called to emergency service.

The issues investigated in the current study pertain to selected psychological aspects of human functioning in long-term stress conditions. Results of the analyses performed in this study have submitted evidence to confirm the hypothesis in which it is stated that staying on the sea for a long time is a difficult situation which contributes - to a greater or smaller extent - to starting the stress process in sailors. The role of interpersonal competencies that has been found most distinct; high level of this variable contributed to reducing both anxiety and the feeling of loneliness. It has been evidenced in the research that the skill of good functioning in varied social groups, which results from high level of development of several traits including: openness, spontaneity, responsibility, and sensitivity, becomes particularly important in long-term difficult situations in which there is little possibility of eliminating the real menace. Another conclusion to be inferred from the research is the one confirming the theoretical suggestion in which the importance of ‘ego strength’ in modifying the course of stress process is emphasised. This personality dimension has turned out to constitute the factor capable of protecting an individual against increase in both anxiety states and the feeling of loneliness during sea isolation. Another issue considered in the current study pertains to defining the role of ‘family variable’ in mediating the course of stress process under conditions of long-term task isolation. The analyses have confirmed the hypothesis in which it was assumed that sailors functioning in family systems characterised by high level of integration and quality, experience lower emotional costs during a voyage. Generally, it may be claimed that - according to the research results of the study - ‘family variables’ may constitute a significant predictor of both the ‘quality’ of a man’s functioning and personal costs he experiences in long-term stress conditions.

It is well known that depression is more common in women than in men with more prescriptions for antidepressants, hospital admissions for depression and suicide attempts. However another aspect to be considered is that depression is different in women than men because women have depressive episodes at times of hormonal shift which is a physiological phenomenon not encountered in men. This is why hormone therapy is so important.

In the actual medical therapy of BPH, we can see: antibiotics, alpha blockers, 5-ARI, fitotherapeutics/natural products (Serenoa repens) with different which display clinical activities and other molecules such as FANS (local or systemic dosage forms) cortisones and others. Relationship between immune systems and chronic prostatitis are strictly involved in BPH progression. A vicious cycle that involve chronic flogosis, tissue remodeling, grow factors, inhibition of apoptosis, and other phenomena. Observing BPH pathogenesis under an immunologic point of view make possible to search new pharmacological strategies, to improve actual therapy. The aim of this work is to observe some relevant literature in our opinion related the management of BHP and its progression under a pharmaceutical and immunological point of view. A deep knowledge in the pharmaceutical properties of some molecules (antimicrobials, anti-phlogosis agents, Anti-androgenic agents, alpha blockers, 5-ARI and other treatments, techniques, interventions or instruments) can help the physicians to pick the right choice.

Background & Objectives: Fluoride releasing bonding agents can help the orthodontist to minimize enamel demineralization independent of patient cooperation. This in vivo study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of resin modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) on reducing enamel demineralization around orthodontic brackets and confirm the superior caries-preventive effect of RMGIC by assessing the mutans streptococci (S. mutans) in plaque samples in vitro. Methods: 60 subjects (aged 14-20 years) scheduled to have premolar extractions as part of the orthodontic treatment plan were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups of 30 each (group 1: the brackets were bonded on the teeth using light cure composite resin and group 2: the brackets were bonded using RMGIC). Plaque scores (modification of plaque index by Silness and Loe) were recorded and plaque samples were collected before bonding, one week and one month after bonding. S.mutans colonies were recorded from the plaque samples inoculated on MSB agar plates, incubated under 95% N2 and 5% CO2 for 48 hours at 370C in a CO2 jar. After 1 month, the right maxillary and mandibular first premolars were debonded, extracted and depth of enamel demineralization area was estimated using polarized light microscope. Results: After statistical analysis, a significantly higher mean depth of demineralized lesions was noticed in group 1 as compared to group 2. A significant difference between occlusal and gingival depth was seen only in group 2, thus illustrating a wedge effect. In group 1, a statistically significant increase in the mean colony forming units (CFU) of S.mutans has been noticed at different time intervals whereas in group2, a significant increase was observed only at 1month. Unlike at 1 month, a statistically significant difference in mean CFU between group 1 and group 2 has been observed at 1 week (P<0.05). Conclusions: Enamel lesions adjacent to the bracket base on teeth bonded with the RMGIC were smaller than those on teeth bonded with a composite resin. The high “burst effect” of fluoride release for the first few days of RMGIC after bonding is confirmed by statistically significant reduction in CFU counts of S. mutans in plaque.

Salivary stone (sialothiasis) is a calcifying concentration within the ductal system of salivary gland [1]. The majority of salivary calculi occur in the submandibular gland duct because of its length, upward course and the thicker mucus [2].

In our past 200 years we have seen the advancing development of Dental Arts and Science though discoveries by its practitioners. Perhaps it will do some good to review the basis upon which fixed tooth replacement has evolved—that is the prosthetic crown.

Mast cells play a central role in the genesis and modulation of allergic and inflammatory responses. The general aim of the present work was to study the interaction between mast cells and the most common additives approved for use in foods. Dose-response studies about the effect of the main food additives (tartrazine, sodium bisulphite and sodium benzoate) on mast cell degranulation were carried out. Rat peritoneal mast cells were incubated with: 1) buffer solution or 2) stimulus. The stimuli were tartrazine, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulphite and the calcium ionophore A23187. A23187 was used as a reference mast cell secretagogue. Different doses and combinations of food additives were used. The viability of the mast cells was evaluated with trypan blue. In the incubation solutions, the release of β-hexosaminidase was quantified by colorimetric reaction and ELISA plate reader. The remaining β-hexosaminidase concentration (not released) was studied in the cells after the incubations, and morphology of the mast cells was analyzed by light microscopy with toluidine blue stain. The food additives tartrazine, sodium benzoate and sodium bisulphite did not stimulate the release of β-hexosaminidase from mast cells at any of the concentrations used. In contrast, tartrazine at concentrations of 0.1 μM and 1 μM, and sodium benzoate and sodium bisulphite at concentrations of 0.1 μM, 1 μM, 10 μM and 100 μM, significantly inhibited the basal release of β-hexosaminidase from mast cells. Considering these findings, we decided to determine the effect of these additives on the degranulation of mast cells induced by the calcium ionophore A23187. Sodium bisulphite inhibited mast cell activation induced by the calcium ionophore A23187 in this experimental model. The present study demonstrates that food additives of usual permitted use do not stimulate basal degranulation of mast cells in an in vitro model of peritoneal mast cells and that the additive sodium bisulphite inhibit mast cell activation induced by intracellular calcium increase. This food additive could represent an interesting alternative in the prevention of pathologies mediated by mast cells, as well as in the field of nutritional biochemistry.

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is a multifactorial disease that is influenced by individual genetic background and various environmental factors, high altitude (HA) being the one. HA exposure may cause release of several damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which act as ligand for various immune receptors. Previous studies on western population involving SNPs analysis of TLRs demonstrated that TLRs are involved in development and progression of several cardiovascular diseases. But, no such study has been done in Indian population in context of HA exposure. TLRs, being receptors play a significant role in manifestation and elimination of diseases by recognition of specific ligands and downstream signal transduction therefore; the genetic variation in TLRs could be implicated for imparting varying response of individuals to discrete diseases. Therefore, in accordance with it, in present study changes in protein structures of TLR2 and TLR4 due to presence of SNP were accessed by in-silico tools to observe whether the mutation has effect on protein structure and integrity which further influencing its function. The results showed that SNP harbouring protein has decreased functional pockets, thus may be protective for disease. Taking this lead further to genotypic level, first time association between Toll-like receptor genes polymorphism and risk of high altitude induced venous thrombosis is analyzed in Indian population by PCR RFLP method. Though the result showed initial trend that TLR2 and TLR9 SNP are monomrphic in distribution and for TLR4 there was no significant difference in distribution of SNP between healthy and HA-DVT group, these SNPs have potential to be used as susceptibility markers if studied in large population size. 

A man I knew had an extreme allergy to poison ivy when he was a child. When he was about four-teen, he was hanging out with a group of his friends who dared him to eat some poison ivy. He did, and never got poison ivy again. Presumably, the ingestion of the allergen led to the development of immunity. This might be a pathway to eliminating allergies–ingest the allergen. For example, cutting up poison ivy leaves into small pieces and crushing them with a mortar and pestle should lead to some juice in the mortar. Allow that to evaporate and have a test subject ingest the resultant powder, which, like pollen, etc., could be compressed into a pill. Wait 48 hours, and then see if the subject gets a rash when a small, unimportant area of the body is exposed to poison ivy leaves–and have Ivy-Dry handy. This could be a way to eliminate allergies–ingestion of the allergen.