Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation conditioning regimens and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in various diseases

Conditioning regimens employed in autologous stem cell transplantation have been proven useful in various hematological disorders and underlying malignancies;however,despite being efficacious in various instances,negative consequences have also been recorded.Multiple conditioning regimens were extracted from various literature searches from databases like PubMed,Google scholar,EMBASE,and Cochrane.Conditioning regimens for each disease were compared by using various end points such as overall survival(OS),progression free survival(PFS),and leukemia free survival(LFS).Variables were presented on graphs and analyzed to conclude a more efficacious conditioning regimen.In multiple myeloma,the most effective regimen was high dose melphalan(MEL)given at a dose of 200/mg/m2.The comparative results of acute myeloid leukemia were presented and the regimens that proved to be at an admirable position were busulfan(BU)+MEL regarding OS and BU+VP16 regarding LFS.In case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL),BU,fludarabine,and etoposide(BuFluVP)conferred good disease control not only with a paramount improvement in survival rate but also low risk of recurrence.However,for ALL,chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)T cell therapy was preferred in the context of better OS and LFS.With respect to Hodgkin’s lymphoma,mitoxantrone(MITO)/MEL overtook carmustine,VP16,cytarabine,and MEL in view of PFS and vice versa regarding OS.Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients were administered MITO(60 mg/m2)and MEL(180 mg/m2)which showed promising results.Lastly,amyloidosis was considered,and the regimen that proved to be competent was MEL 200(200 mg/m2).This review article demonstrates a comparison between various conditioning regimens employed in different diseases.

Prevalence of Taurodontism in a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana

Background: Taurodontism is one of the most significant deviations from the normal tooth morphology affecting the molars in both primary and permanent dentition. Taurodontism refers to the Enlargement of the pulp chamber, resulting in its bifurcation pushed toward the apex of a tooth’s root. This study evaluated the prevalence of Taurodontism from radiographs taken at the University of Ghana Dental School Oral Radiology Unit from January 2017 to December 2022. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, panoramic and periapical radiographs of 1000 randomly selected patients who visited the Oral Radiology Unit from January 2017 to December 2022. Radiographs were evaluated for apically displaced pulp chamber. Data was statistically evaluated, and the chi-square test was employed to assess the prevalence of taurodontism in the upper and lower jaws (p Results: Taurodontism was found in 171 radiographs giving it a prevalence of 17.1% of which 57% (98 radiographs) were from females and 43% (73 radiographs) were from males. This finding was not significant (p > 0.05). Taurodontism occurred more in the maxilla (289 teeth, 80.7%) compared to the mandible molars (186 teeth, 64.3%) giving it a ratio of 1.6:1. This finding was highly significant (p Conclusion: Taurodontism is relatively common in the Ghanaian population affecting more females compared to males according to this study. Further studies using a large sample need to be carried out to determine its incidence in the general community.

Knowledge and the Attitude on the Use of Mouthwash among Two Selected Senior High Schools in Kumasi

BACKGROUND: The route of most systemic diseases begins in the oral cavity. Oral health knowledge of mouthwashes and their uses is indispensable for the general population and especially adolescents. The use of mouthwash by adolescents can be a beneficial adjunct to their oral hygiene routine, providing additional protection against dental diseases and promoting fresher breath. Overuse or misuse of mouthwash, particularly those containing alcohol or other potentially irritating ingredients, may lead to adverse effects such as oral mucosal irritation, dry mouth, or alteration of the oral microbiome. OBJECTIVES: To determine the knowledge, attitude, and use of mouthwash among senior high school students in Kumasi. METHODOLOGY: 120 students responded to a standard questionnaire by a convenient sample technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 and MS Excel were used for data management and analysis. The results of the study were presented using tables, bar charts, and pie chart. RESULTS: The ages of the respondents ranged from 14 to 20 years. Out of the 120 participants, 71 students that represent 59.2% of the total, used mouthwash. Majority of the participants (63%) utilized a mouthwash after brushing their teeth. 49% of the participants reported using mouthwash to address halitosis, 37% used it to combat periodontal disease, and 10% used it for relief from a sore throat. CONCLUSION: In general, most of the participants who use mouthwash had excellent knowledge and a positive attitude toward the use of mouthwash.

The Oral Health Status of Person with Special Needs in Kumasi

Background: The most prevalent non-communicable disease worldwide is oral health-related disease, with dental caries and periodontal conditions being common. Oral health status significantly impacts overall health and quality of life. Barriers to dental care affect children with special needs. This study evaluates the oral health status and treatment requirements of people with special needs. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study in Kumasi, Ghana examined oral health status among people, 121 children with special needs over two months, in June-July 2022. Dental caries, periodontal changes, malocclusion, and trauma were assessed. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results: The oral health status among people with special needs in this study was generally moderate, with a range from very good to very poor. The prevalence of dental caries was 37%, with a mean DMFT score of 2.82. Periodontal health showed unsatisfactory indicators such as mobile teeth, poor gingival health, high plaque scores, and the presence of halitosis. Conclusion: This descriptive study aimed to provide baseline data on the oral health status of special needs students in Kumasi, addressing the lack of knowledge in this area. It highlighted the importance of dental care in maintaining good oral health and overall well-being in individuals with special needs. Coordinated efforts by dental professionals are needed to provide dental health education and preventive interventions for these children.

Characterization of the salivary microbiome in healthy Thai children

Objective: To investigate the composition of the salivary microbiome of 50 healthy Thai children. Methods: A total 76 provinces in Thailand are grouped into 5 geographical clusters based on unique economics, foods and lifestyles. Geographical locations and the results of an oral assessment were also considered. Genomic DNA was extracted from stimulated saliva samples. Subsequently, amplicon libraries were prepared by 16 S Metagenomic Sequencing Library Preparation. The amplicons were sequenced using an Illumina Miseq platform followed by bioinformatics and statistical analyses.Results: The correlation between oral hygiene status and caries history varied from r^2=0.887 to r^2=0.999 in the geographical groups, suggesting oral hygiene status a strong association between caries history. Twenty taxonomic groups were found in all subjects and constituted 93.6%-96.5% of the microbiome. Of these, genus Veillonella and Prevotella showed significant differences in their proportions between the geographical groups(P<0.05). Furthermore, the proportion of Veillonella parvula, as well as Rothia aeria and Rothia dentocariosa tended to increase with worse oral hygiene status, which was also related to higher dental caries history.Conclusions: The differences in the salivary microbiome as related to geographic regions suggest that environmental factors, which may include dietary habits, could influence the predominant bacteria found in the mouth of Thai children, especially the genus Veillonella and Prevotella. The ratio of Veillonella parvula, Rothia aeria and Rothia dentocariosa may be indicators of worse oral hygiene status and future caries in this population.

Opinions of traditional birth attendants in Ibadan, Nigeria, towards reversal of eruption sequence of primary central incisors in infants

Introduction: Traditional birth attendants (TBA’s) have been a good medium for transferring health education messages in culturally acceptable ways. It is believed that they will be a good asset to demystify the misconceptions associated with reversal of eruption sequence in the community. Aim: To assess the opinions of TBA’s towards reversal of eruption sequence of primary central incisors in infants. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among all consenting TBA’s in the five urban local government areas in Ibadan, using a pretested 17-item semi structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Results: Forty eight (29.4%) respondents will be astonished at seeing children erupting upper primary central incisors before the lowers, while 25 (15.3%) will regard them as strange. Thirty five (21.1%) respondents felt this condition was due to evil spirits while 13 (8.0%) believed that child’s parents had breached traditional taboos. There was a correlation between negative beliefs about this variation and age (p = 0.038) and education (p = 0.020). Their opinion on the families of the affected children was hideous as (13.5%), (23.3%) and (27.6%) regarded it as a curse, embarrassment and abomination respectively and this was associated with their educational status (p = 0.014). Many (61.3%) of the respondents would advise the parents to hide or get rid of such children whilst (33.7%) advocated for extraction and only 8 (4.9%) felt child and the tooth should be left alone. Conclusion: Many of the TBA’s have dissenting mind-sets towards such children and their families. The practices of many of the TBA’s towards such teeth are disturbing and necessitate urgent intervention. The risks are that wrong advice may be given to such parents by the TBA’s and affected children may be deserted, abandoned, stigmatized and exposed to hazards. Older and less educated TBA’s have a greater tendency to believe these misconceptions.

Teething in infants—Knowledge and attitude of traditional birth attendants in Ibadan, Nigeria

Introduction: Misconceptions are associated with the teething process in Nigeria and is often blamed for symptoms in infants. A horrendous incident occurred in Nigeria in 2008 which recorded 84 infant deaths due to consumption of adulterated teething syrup to prevent teething problems. In the quest to engage the populace, particularly mothers, in health education to change this erroneous mindset about teething, it will be necessary and more cost effective to involve Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA’s) who can be invaluable in assisting to dispel myths associated teething as they live and work among the local populace and many times give counsel to mothers. Aim: To assess the attitude and beliefs of TBA’s in Ibadan, to teething in infants. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among TBA’s in Ibadan, Nigeria. A thirteen item interviewer administered questionnaire was distributed to all 163 TBA’s in the five urban local government areas who agreed to be part of the study. Results: Over half of the respondents (59.5%) and (55.8%) associated the teething process with fever and diarrhea respectively. Other beliefs included boils (49.1%), loss of appetite (48.5%), weight loss (44.2%), and sleeplessness (42.3%). A greater proportion of the older and less educated TBA’s associated teething with fever, diarrhea, boils, loss of appetite and weight loss. The respondents would advise analgesics (55.8%), teething powder (67.5%), antibiotics (12.3%), concoctions (4.3%) and sedatives (4.3%) as teething remedies. There was a greater tendency for less educated TBA’s to advise the use of concoctions?and antibiotics. Conclusion: The study reveals grave misconceptions among TBA’s who in developing countries like Nigeria give counsel to mothers in the various communities. There is an urgent need for health education to the TBA’s particularly the older and less educated ones.

Oral rehabilitation for a geriatric population<br>—A voluntary experience in Ukraine report

Despite the outstanding progress in dentistry, there are still a great number of edentulous patients world-wide, what’s more, the dentists are not willing to inform the patients about their handicapped condition. Elderly people do not complain about this a lot, and also unfortunately the general public and government authorities do not concerne too much about gerodontic issues. The elderly people has suffered greatly from this. Dental implant is one way to figure this out. The Ukrainian Dental Implant Association has initiated a professional voluntary project entitled: “Quality of Life for our Parents”. This geriatric welfare program offers free implant and Prosthetic rehabilitation for the Elderly edentulous patients.

Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for the Assessment of Aesthetic Impairment Involving Teeth

Objective: To analyze and compare the effectiveness of two methods designed for the assessment of esthetic impairment in patients with missing teeth. Material and Methods: Two methods were addressed in this study: 7-level scale (7LS) and AIPE-Odonto/Brasil. Both tools are designed to assess esthetic dental impairment in civil and criminal Courts. One-hundred and thirteen dentists used the tools to assess dental esthetic impairment in four mock cases (one male and three females). The outcomes of their analyses were compared with pre-established gold-standard scores. Chi-square test was used to investigate the influence of dentists’ sex, age, time of experience and forensic knowledge with their outcomes. Results: Dentists’ outcomes were closer to the expected gold-standard scores when AIPE-Odonto/Brasil was used compared to 7LS (p < 0.05). Dentists’ sex, time of experience and forensic knowledge were significantly associated with the scores obtained with both tools (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Comparatively, AIPE-Odonto/Brasil was more effective for the assessment of esthetic dental impairment involving missing teeth compared to the 7LS.