Medical

A Scoping Review Protocol on Senior Tourists’ Accommodation Preferences

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A Scoping Review Protocol on Senior Tourists’ Accommodation Preferences Ninad Sudhir Chavan, Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam , Naresh Nayak Perampalli , Harini KN , Anand P Ambali4

Antibacterial effectiveness of novel polyherbal gel, chlorhexidine gluconate, and calcium hydroxide as intracanal medicaments in infected root canals using real-time PCR: a randomized controlled trial

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Antibacterial effectiveness of novel polyherbal gel, chlorhexidine gluconate, and calcium hydroxide as intracanal medicaments in infected root canals using real-time PCR: a randomized controlled trial Roopali M; Anil V. Ankola, Vinuta Hampiholi, Ram Surath Kumar,Manohar S. Kugaji, Sankeshwari Varkey Nadakkavukaran Santhosh, Atrey J. Pai Khot,Kavitha Ragu, Mohammed Mustafa, Ahmed A. Almokhatieb Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effectiveness of three intracanal medicaments: Achyranthes aspera and Trachyspermum ammi based novel polyherbal gel, chlorhexidine gluconate gel, and calcium hydroxide paste, against Enterococcus faecalis in infected root canals by means of Real- Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) for bacterial quantification. Methods: A triple-arm, randomized controlled trial was conducted on 45 permanent mandibular and maxillary incisor and canine teeth diagnosed with asymptomatic apical periodontitis. Participants were randomly divided into three equal groups (n = 15), each receiving a different intracanal medicament. Microbiological samples were collected using sterile absorbent paper points at two time points: before instrumentation and after 7-day of intracanal medicament placement. The intracanal medicaments tested were a novel polyherbal gel, 1% (w/w) chlorhexidine gluconate gel, and calcium hydroxide paste. Total DNA of Enterococcus faecalis was extracted from these samples, and qPCR was performed to determine the bacterial quantification at both intervals. The primary outcome was the reduction in Enterococcus faecalis load, indicating the antibacterial efficacy of each medicament. Results: All the groups showed a significant reduction in Enterococcus faecalis counts from baseline to day 7. However, the chlorhexidine gel and calcium hydroxide paste exhibited significantly greater reductions than the polyherbal gel (p < 0.05). Conclusions: All three intracanal medicaments tested were effective in significantly reducing Enterococcus faecalis counts. However, the chlorhexidine gel and calcium hydroxide paste demonstrated significantly greater reductions compared to the polyherbal gel. For routine endodontic practice, chlorhexidine gel and calcium hydroxide remain more reliable choices for intracanal disinfection against Enterococcus faecalis and should be preferred in cases with high microbial load. The polyherbal gel, while antibacterial, may be better suited as an adjunct rather than a primary medicament in endodontic disinfection protocols.

Sociodemographic profile of road traffic accident victims in Vijayapura, North Karnataka: a cross-sectional study

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Sociodemographic profile of road traffic accident victims in Vijayapura, North Karnataka: a cross-sectional study Shamin Eabenson, M. R. Gudadinni, Background: Road traffic accidents (RTA) are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as injuries resulting from collisions on public roads, whether they are fatal or not. At least one moving vehicle must be involved in these occurrences. RTA is defined as any collision involving at least one moving vehicle that occurs on a roadway or throughfare that is open to public traffic and results in death or serious injury of one or more people. WHO estimates that the economic cost of traffic accidents is usually around 3% of a nations GDP. Every year, traffic accidents claim the lives of almost 1.19 million individuals. Methods: After obtaining Institutional ethical committee clearance, patients admitted with RTAs in BLDE hospital were interviewed using a semi structured, pre tested questionnaire to assess their epidemiological profile; informed consent was obtained from the study participants. The acquired data was entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and statistical analyses with SPSS. Results: Out of the 206 participants, the majority of the participants were in the 18 to 30 age group, which accounted for 73 people (35%). Majority of the victims were males (89.8%) and remaining (10.2%) were females. Majority of the study participants had their residence in rural areas accounting for (88.3%) and the rest (11.7%) residing in urban areas of Vijayapura. Conclusions: Sociodemographic data helps us to take preventive measures in relation to RTAs.

Have sedentary lifestyles reached even remote parts of the Global South? Evidence from school-going adolescents’ time use in India

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Have sedentary lifestyles reached even remote parts of the Global South? Evidence from school-going adolescents’ time use in India Shailaja S. Patil Objectives Sedentary lifestyles often develop during adolescence and may be deleterious to physical and mental health. Sedentarism is known to be common in high-income countries; this study examines its prevalence in a remote city in India, including the amount of time school-going adolescents spend being sedentary and the activities that make up this time. Methods We developed a 24-hour time-use survey and collected data with a sample of school-going adolescents ages 12–17 years in a mid-sized South Indian city (n=395). We built measures of daily sedentary minutes and frequency (bouts) of sedentary activities and calculated population-based prevalence of sedentary activi‐ ties across gender and school type. We used survey-weighted distributions and linear regression models to estimate sedentary time after accounting for socio-demographic characteristics. Results On average, adolescents had 7.3 sedentary bouts/day, amounting to 527.7 minutes/ day. Compared to private-school students, those in government schools spent 2 fewer hours (−134.5 minutes;-174.4, −194.6) sedentary, including 82 (−122, −42.0) fewer minutes in classroom and tutoring time and an hour (−57.82; −69.4,46.2) less in vehicle-based commuting. Girls spent 44 minutes less time in class and in tutoring (−75.88, −12.11)and more time watching television than boys. Adolescents spent comparable time doing homework and reading for leisure. Conclusion Sedentary lifestyles are reaching children even in remote communities in India. A large component of this time is dedicated to learning. Private school students spent the most time sedentary, making them an especially vulnerable group for cardiometa‐ bolic disease, in spite of socioeconomic advantages.