Impact of phytoconstituents on oral health practices:a post COVID-19 observation

Appropriate oral hygiene significantly reduces the possibility of oral infections.However,dental caries and periodontal diseases are major oral health issues causing chronic diseases due to poor oral health.Recently,herbal compounds have gained interest in maintaining oral health.Extracts of burdock root(Arctium),noni fruit(Morinda citrifolia),and neem leaf(Azadirachta indica)are now used as intracanal medicaments in endodontics and periodontics.Plectranthus amboinicus species and other plants produces essential oil likeβ-caryophyllene,p-cymene,andγ-terpinene can exhibit antibacterial activity;highlighting phytoconstituents plays a vital role in oral health.The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene and sanitization,to curb SARS-CoV-2.Oral cavity is among the gateways for virus entry into saliva.Saliva is a potential reservoir of SARS-CoV-2,and there is an increased risk of infection if there is any fissure in the mouth.This enables entry of virus into the vascular system through gingival or periodontal pocket,possibly reaching lung periphery then to lung vessels by interacting with endothelial surface receptors triggering pulmonary vasoconstriction and lung damage due to endothelial dysfunction.This review aims to draw attention to the possible route of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the oral cavity and the importance of oral hygiene against COVID-19.

Bioactive compounds and probiotics-a ray of hope in COVID-19 management

The use of bioactive compounds and probiotic bacteria against the viral diseases in human is known for a long time.Anti-viral,anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of bioactive compounds and bacteria with probiotic properties in respiratory viral diseases may have significance to enhance immunity.This review highlights some of the important bioactive compounds and probiotic bacteria,suggesting them as a ray of hope in the milieu of the COVID-19 management.

Newly identified genetic variant rs2294693 in UNC5CL gene is associated with decreased risk of esophageal carcinoma in the J&K Population–India

Esophageal cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung carcinoma in the state of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K).The understanding of genetics in Esophageal cancer development is poor in the state.Genome wide association studies(GWAS)has proved to be unsurpassed tool in identification of new loci associated with different cancers.GWAS in Chinese population has identified SNP rs2294693 present in UNC5CL(UNC-5 Family C-Terminal like)to be associated with non-cardia gastric cancer.We performed a case control association study and genotyped the SNP rs2294693 using Taqman allele discrimination assay in 566 individuals(166 esophageal cancer patients and 400 controls)belonging to the J&K population.A statistically significant protective association with allelic odds ratio of 0.73(0.56–0.94 at 95%CI)and p value=0.016 was observed.This is the first study in relation to esophageal cancer in the Jammu and Kashmir population,so far it has been studied in association with gastric carcinoma in the Chinese population only.The results indicate that the polymorphism rs2294693 is associated with esophageal cancer susceptibility and the mutant(T)allele might be a protective factor for esophageal cancer among Jammu and Kashmir population.Further the functional characterization of the variation is also warranted.

Establishment of magneto-dielectric effect and magneto-resistance in composite of PLT and Ba-based U-type hexaferrite

We are examining the behavior of a composite made of ferroelectrics with strong dielectric properties and ferrites with magnetic properties due to the rising need for materials for multipurpose devices.Many application avenues will be favored by the pairing of these materials’individual qualities with one another.Perovskite and U-type hexaferrite composite materials have been chosen for this study based on their magnetic and dielectric properties.The composites,(1−x)PLT−x(Ba1−3xNd2x)4Co2Fe36O60 where x=0.52,0.54,0.56,0.58 are prepared by solid state reaction method and phase formation was examined.Consideration has been given to the magnetic,dielectric,and magneto-dielectric properties.This work has established the link between the electric and magnetic domains while applying electric and magnetic forces to the materials.The magneto-dielectric research revealed magneto-electric coupling in all of the samples.However,the sample shows the maximum coupling for x=0.54 with MDR%values of 93.17%,which might be because this sample appears to have a high magneto-resistance(161%).