Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Faith healers: A barrier or a support system to medical care- a cross sectional study

Background and Aims: Faith healing is a method of treating illnesses through the exercise of faith rather than medical methods. The current study was done with the objective to find out demographic variables of faith healers, various conditions for which the people approach them, various practices and processes used and to look for scope of integrated approach to healthcare with faith healers. Settings and Design: RHTC village was a sub center village of PHC Morad. Hence, for the study, all the villages which comes under PHC Morad were selected. The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: The study was a cross sectional study where faith healers were interviewed based on a semi structured questionnaire comprising of both close and open-ended questions. Statistical Analysis Used: Absolute numbers. Results: Different reasons for which the persons usually came for ranged from supernatural possession, unemployment, family problems etc., and various different processes were used by these healers to solve the problems included giving charms and amulets, personal sacrifices like “baddha” (Nischay/praan) and many others. Conclusion: The study concludes that faith healers in many conditions and situations became the first point of contact as the faith of the community in these faith healers is deeply rooted.
An Unusual Case of Fragile X Associated Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

A 20-year-old girl, presented with the complaints of attenuated breast development and scanty menstrual periods. At 18 years of age, after unsuccessful naturopathic treatment, she consulted a gynecologist for primary amenorrhea. Her FSH was 68 U/L and LH 46 U/L. Her karyotype was 46 XX in 30 metaphases and subsequently, she was started on combined oral contraceptive pills. She consulted us after 2 years as there was only mild improvement in symptoms.
A Study to Determine and Compare Dimorphic Trait of Mandibular Canine between Gujarati and Non-Gujarati Populations

Introduction: Among all teeth, mandibular canine shows greatest variation in dimensions between the sexes, a phenomenon known as sexual dimorphism. This can be immensely beneficial to the forensic investigator for the purposes of both investigation and identification, as it significantly narrows down the possibilities, as the probable perpetrators and/or victims are concerned. Sex identification is an absolute necessity in cases of suicide, homicide, mass, casualties (both manmade or natural), and a tooth, which shows obvious sexual dimorphism can be a useful means of personal identification, especially where there has been extensive decomposition or destruction of facial soft tissue features. Another facet of forensic investigation is identification of racial origin. So, any odontometric parameter showing significant racial divergence can be used as a means of identification. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to determine and compare cervico-incisal heights and mesiodistal widths of both mandibular canines of the Gujarati and non-Gujarati subjects under study. Materials and Methods: The study sample involved 100 participants, divided into four groups, each of the four groups included 25 participants, representing Gujarati males, Gujarati females, non-Gujarati males, and non-Gujarati females, respectively. Results: When we compared the mesiodistal and cervico-incisal dimensions of the mandibular canine, both right and left, Gujarati males were found to possess significantly larger sized teeth in comparison to their female counterparts, and the same results were replicated for non-Gujarati males vis-a-vis their female counterparts. Non-Gujarati males and non-Gujarati females were found to have significantly higher odontometric values in comparison with their Gujarati counterparts. Conclusion: Gujaratis have smaller sized mandibular canine in comparison with non-Gujaratis. However, studies comparing specific groups are required, as non-Gujaratis are a diverse racial group.
A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Effects of Probiotic Curd on Streptococcus mutans, Bifidobacterium dentium, and pH of Saliva in Caries-free Children: An In Vivo Study

Background: Dental caries is one of the commonest oral diseases that require early stages of prevention and intervention. The primary organisms related to dental caries are streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli. In the past decades, some of the non-pathogenic bacteria called probiotics have been added to the food products for the beneficial effect of human health. Intake of probiotic food products has been shown to have beneficial effects on the oral tissues. Hence the present study aimed to compare the levels of salivary pH, S. mutans, B. dentium counts in children consuming probiotic and non-probiotic curd. Methods and Material: 40 healthy caries free children were randomly allocated into two groups. First baseline salivary samples were collected from all the participants and tested for salivary pH, salivary B. dentium and S. mutans count. After collecting the baseline values test group of children were provided with probiotic curd whereas the control group were provided with non probiotic curd for 15 days. After 15 days of consumption of these dairy products, salivary samples were collected again and tested for salivary pH, salivary B. dentium and S. mutans count. Results: Probiotic curd was found to be more effective in reducing the colony counts of B.dentium and S.mutans . There was a marginal decrease in pH in both the groups but was well above the critical pH. Conclusions: Probiotic curd showed considerable level of decrease in colony counts of B.dentium, S.mutans and salivary pH when compared to normal curd.
Tobacco and COVID-19

Tobacco and its products are the well-known causes of premature deaths associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as they constitute a significant risk factor that increases the tendency to respiratory system infection and other systemic infections. Active tobacco use and passive smoking increase the risk of infection. Both increase peribronchial and alveolar inflammation and fibrosis and mucosal permeability, cause inadequate mucociliary cleaning, damage to the respiratory tract epithelium resulting in fibrosis, and they adversely affect cellular and humoral immunity. Smoking has been known to increase the risk for viral infections and influenza. Similar data have been approved found for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Smoking is reported to be associated with the frequency of the disease and its severity of the clinical course. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 penetrates the cell using the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors. Such receptor proteins had been shown to increase in smoker individuals. Also, smoking facilitates penetration of the virus into the cell. The frequency of smoking and the rates of admission to intensive care, mechanical ventilation, and mortality have been also found to be higher was higher in severe cases. The risk for disease progression was found to be 14-fold higher in smokers. Further, the World Health Organization emphasized similar negative effects of hookah and new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. It is vital to underline the adverse effects of tobacco and tobacco products and to raise awareness among the public and to make efforts to smoking on every opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public awareness campaigns during the pandemic must always accompanied by the methods and strategies to avoid active and passive smoking.
Cognitive impairment in patients with psoriasis: A clinical study in teaching hospital

Aim: Psoriasis is associated with a variety of psychological problems including poor self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, anxiety and depressive disorder, suicidal ideation and significant cognitive impairment. The aim of the study is to evaluate the frequency of cognitive impairment in patients with psoriasis. Method: 200 subjects were included for the study. The tools used in the study were Standard Mini-Mental Status Examination (SMMSE) and Brief Cognitive Rating Scale (BCRS) for assessing cognitive functions. The results obtained were analyzed using the Chi-square test and student test. Results: Patients with psoriasis had cognitive deficits in the domain of attention, concentration and total scores of SMMSE and BCRS.
Smartphone use and the quality of life of medical students in the Kumaun Region, Uttarakhand

Background: Once a device for telecommunication, now a powerful device bringing the whole world in one's palm, smartphones are increasingly becoming a common commodity among the medical students. Smartphones foster social interaction and facilitate multitasking and learning, but they also have some adverse effects. Young people, especially students, who are always inquisitive towards new technology, are likely to be affected by both these positive and negative impacts. Objective: To assess smartphone use and its association with the quality of life (QOL) of medical students. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students of Government Medical College (GMC), Haldwani. All the students enrolled in MBBS course in GMC, Haldwani, who gave consent for participation and were present on the day of questionnaire administration, were included in the study. Smartphone addiction scale (SAS-SV), and WHO-BREF questionnaires for QOL were used for assessing smartphone use, and QOL of the medical students, respectively. Results: A total of 395 medical students were included in the study; out of them, 42% considered themselves addicted to the smartphone. According to SAS-SV, smartphone addiction was found among 43.8% medical students. It was seen that the junior-most and senior-most batches were significantly less addicted to the smartphone (p-value < 0.001). Male students were more addicted (OR = 1.45, CI = 0.962–2.174) to the smartphone as compared to females. The QOL of the students was significantly affected by smartphone use in all domains assessed (p-value ranging from < 0.001 to 0.002). Conclusions: Smartphone addiction is high among medical students and it has a significant negative impact on their QOL.
Airway Analysis in Skeletal Class I and Class II Subjects with Different Growth Patterns: A 2D Cephalometric Study

Objective: A two-dimensional cephalometric study was carried out to assess the airway among individuals with Class I and Class II skeletal base. Materials and Methods: Class II subjects were further categorized into horizontal and vertical growers and average growth patterns to check the possible relationship between the facial skeleton and pharyngeal airway. Lateral cephalograms of 150 subjects were obtained using standard protocol in natural head position (NHP). Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal linear, and angular and nasopharyngeal area measurements were obtained using standardized tracing technique. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), level of significance, and post hoc Turkey’s test were performed to assess the correlation between skeletal pattern of the individual and airway dimension. Gender discrimination was assessed using independent sample t test. Results: In linear measurements, significant differences were observed among upper pharynx (0.039), adenoid tissue 1 (0.036), and adenoid tissue 2 (0.01). In angular measurements, differences were observed with angle of nasopharynx (0.008). The nasopharyngeal area measurements were also associated with significant difference (0.038) with Class II vertical growers less than those with Class I average and Class II horizontal groups. Conclusion: Class II vertical growers had significantly reduced nasopharyngeal airways.
Awareness, experience, and practice of physicians regarding adult gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background and Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was frequently managed by residents as they are the first physician who encounter the patient. This study was conducted to explore the knowledge and practice of physicians in the treatment of GERD and to compare between residents and consultants regarding their knowledge and practice. Methodology: A cross-sectional study, self-administered questionnaire. Results: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was the most commonly used method to screen for Barrett's esophagus for symptoms for 5 or more years. The most frequent guideline used was the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) guideline. The most commonly used diagnostic tool for evaluating uncomplicated reflux disease was upper endoscopy with biopsy. Empiric trial with acid suppression was the most commonly used and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was the first-line treatment. The most common combination with PPI was prokinetic drugs, most often domperidone. The preferred maintenance strategy was the 'on demand' maintenance mode. Step-down strategy was commonly recommended. A total of 26% of residents and 37% of consultants could achieve a score of good knowledge. Overall patterns of knowledge and practice of GERD diagnosis and management were comparable between residents and consultants with only minor controversy in their knowledge and practice. Conclusion: The overall patterns of knowledge and practice of GERD diagnosis and management are comparable among residents and consultants but still there are areas of controversy and confusion. A good knowledge score was found among only a quarter of residents and 37% of consultants. Recommendations: The public health implications of deviations from evidence-based practice should be studied and implementing evidence-based practice should be emphasized.
Unusually Located Proximal Middle Cerebral Artery Saccular Aneurysm

Middle cerebral aneurysms constitute almost one-third of all anterior circulation aneurysms. Most of the saccular aneurysms originate from the arterial branching sites, but origins other than at the branching site are extremely rare. In this article, we are describing a unique M1 segment middle cerebral artery aneurysm which is not related with any branching site. Our literature search suggests that atherosclerotic changes in the arterial wall and local hemodynamic forces play an important role in the development of these types of aneurysm. Surgical management is not so unique in this type of aneurysm, but due to atherosclerotic parent arterial wall and thin-walled aneurysm sac, a neurosurgeon should be more cautious.
Exploring a Community of Inquiry Supported by a Social Media-Based Learning Environment

: The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has been widely used in blended and online educational research, more recently being applied also to social media settings. This paper explores the learning community created in such a social media-based educational environment, using an extended version of CoI, which includes four components: cognitive presence, social presence, teaching presence and learning presence. The context of study is a project-based learning scenario implemented in an undergraduate Computer Science course. A quantitative content analysis method is employed, to examine a total of 1712 online contributions (blog posts and tweets), generated by 75 students. Results show that the social media tools provide complementary support to the community of inquiry: the blog is primarily a content space (as cognitive presence is dominant), while Twitter is mostly a discussion space (as social and learning presences are dominant). Teaching presence is barely exhibited by the students, being mainly the preserve of the instructor, while learning presence is quite strong, reflecting students ’ significant self-and co-regulation behavior.
Self-perception on oral health and related behaviours among antenatal mothers attending a public antenatal clinic – Kerala

Background and Aims: Antenatal oral care has been given least priority on a global scale. The study assesses self-perception of oral health knowledge and related behaviors among antenatal mothers. Method: A cross-sectional study was done among 400 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic of a tertiary care center in Kerala, India. Details regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice were obtained, after getting an informed consent. The dental caries experience and gingival status were measured. To test the significance (p ≤ 0.05) between variables, Chi-square test was used. Results: Poor oral health knowledge was observed among 75.5% of the pregnant mothers. Oral health problems were reported by 63.2% of them. Low priority for oral health (59.4%) and fear for fetal safety (17.5%) were the reasons for delaying dental services. Oral examination showed that more than half of the study subjects had a high prevalence of dental caries (67.5%) and low gingival bleeding status (26.2%). The study highlights that more than half of the study population (60.8%) were influenced by the elderly in the family to avoid certain food items. A better oral health knowledge was observed among the upper middle class (OR - 2.8) who had visited dentists within the last six months (OR - 3.6) and child bearing mothers (OR- 0.46) (p ≤ 0.05).
Natural Hybrids between Ligularia vellerea and L. subspicata(Asteraceae:Senecioneae)

Three types of intermediate morphological individuals were found in the sympatric distribution areas of Ligularia vellerea and L.subspicata. These intermediate individuals were hypothesized to be the hybrids of these two species based on the detailed comparison of their morphological characters.To test this hypothesis,we compared the DNA sequence of L.vellerea,L.subspicata and the intermediate individuals by using the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear ribosomal and atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer region of the chloroplast.Direct sequencing of ITS clearly had additives and then cloned sequencing cloned out two kinds of sequences that were identical to those putative parental species,thus these putative hybrids were approved.With different morphological characters among three types,their plastid donors were all L.subspicata according to the maternal sequences of atpB-rbcL.
Selection of parents based on combining ability in sorghum

The combining ability was studied using L x T analysis involving 4 lines and 10 testers in grain sorghum which revealed the importance of both additive and non-additive gene actions in the inheritance of the studied traits. Non-additive gene action was observed for days to 50% flowering, plant height, leaves/plant, leaf length, leaf breadth, panicle length, panicle girth and grain, yield/plant. While additive gene action was predominant for 1000 grain weight. The lines 117-A, 116-A and testers RS-29, RS-540 and RSV-35R emerged as good general combiners for yield and yield contributing characters. Considering the per se performance, general and specific combining ability effects, the crosses viz., 116-Ax R5–67, 117-A x SPV-999 and 53-A x SPV 475 were appeared to be most promising which can be exploited for development of hybrid.
Importance of effective communication during COVID-19 infodemic

The impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups would rely in part on the quality of communication regarding health risk and danger. Strategic planning should take full account of the way life conditions, cultural values, and risk experience affect actions during a pandemic. Concept of information education communication, Social behaviour change communication, social marketing usually technology and media is recapitulation. Ignorance with sociocultural, economic, psychological, and health factors can jeopardize effective communication at all levels. We summarized the framework for effective communication during pandemic. Understanding and practicing various communication strategies is crucial for physicians and health care workers to develop therapeutic relationships with COVID-19 patients. Addressing psychology in all people is vital during a pandemic and effective communication network is key to it. Effective communication, if ignored, will generate gaps for vulnerable populations and result in added difficulty in combating COVID-19 pandemic.
A Practice Survey to Compare and Identify the Usefulness of Neuroendoscope and Exoscope in the Current Neurosurgery Practice

Background: The present era is of new tools and technique. Handling of new challenges require, better understanding of microscopic anatomy, which requires better magnification and light. Microscope has played significant role in this, use of endoscope and introduction of exoscope have given new dimensions to this field. Aim: This study aims to compare and see the advantages, disadvantages of endoscope with exoscope, will analyze the difference in terms of ergonomics, learning curve, opportunities for training, operating time, magnification, and image quality. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, Bantane Hospital Fujita Health University, Japan. Apart from comparing the specifications of available systems, we conducted a worldwide survey of the two systems through sending questionnaire through mail collected responses and analyzed them. Results: Learning curve, magnification, image quality, and ergonomics favors exoscope but depth perception and maneuverability, hand eye coordination, tactile sensation, and usage of different angulation tubes favored endoscope to be superior to exoscope. Conclusion: There is more scope for modifications and research in both the instruments. These instruments are not replacement of either and should be used according to their indications.
Chondrogenic activity of two herbal products; pomegranate fruit extract and avocado/soybean unsaponifiable

Background and purpose: Articular cartilage defects aren’t repaired by itself. Numerous studies have been conducted in the area of cartilage tissue engineering and some of them considered herbal products. An attempt was made in this study to compare the effects of pomegranate fruit extract (PFE), avocado/soybean unsaponifiable (ASU), and their equal proportional mixture on the chondrogenesis of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Experimental approach: PFE was prepared through the percolation method. ASU powder was dissolved in ethanol at 10 μg/mL concentration and was sterilized. The hADSCs first were isolated, expanded in monolayer culture and identified, and next seeded on fibrin scaffolds. The hADSCs/fibrin scaffolds were divided into 4 groups of control, ASU, PFE, and PFE+ ASU and subjected to in vitro induction for 2 weeks. The control group received chondrogenic medium, other groups received chondrogenic medium plus ASU, PFE, or PFE + ASU, respectively. The MTT assay was performed for cell viability evaluation, real-time polymerase chain reaction for expression of cartilage genes, and the toluidine blue, safranin-O, and immunohistochemistry for staining of the constructs. Findings / Results: Cell viability, cartilage genes expression, matrix staining density, and collagen II protein levels in PFE samples were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P < 0.05). Histological assessments revealed more chondrogenic centers (P < 0.05) in the PFE group compared to the other groups. Conclusion and implications: In this study, it was revealed that PFE can be considered as an induction factor for future chondrogenic studies.