Methods: The experiment was carried out in Azra Naheed Center for Research and Development (ANCRD), Superior University, Lahore, Pakistan from September 2018 till May 2019. Biofilms and planktonic cells of C. albicans alone and in combination with streptococci were subjected to chlorhexidine, allium sativum and bakuchiol individually and to allium-bakuchiol combination. Kirby-Bauer test, antifungal susceptibility testing, CFU count and drug synergy assessment was done on planktonic cells. Dynamic biofilms were formed to mimic conditions similar to oral cavity and CFU was determined.
Results: MIC of all three agents was higher against mixed species when compared to single species planktonic cells and biofilm. Allium sativum and bakuchiol demonstrated synergistic effects. The decrease in CFU count and minimum biofilm reduction to salivary pellicle caused by allium sativum-bakuchiol was comparable to that of chlorhexidine.
Conclusion: Thus, allium sativum-bakuchiol combination demonstrated antimicrobial effects similar to chlorhexidine against planktonic cells and dynamic biofilm. It could serve as a possible natural, economical alternative to chlorhexidine mouthrinses usually recommended in dental clinics. However, in vivo studies are required to determine the correct dosage of these agents.
Materials and Methods: The compilation of data was based on signalment, case history, duration of clinical signs, anatomical location of the pain, method of diagnosis, type of EBD, treatment, and outcome. The diagnosis of EBD was based on a history of poor performance, clinical examination findings, radiography, and, where applicable, necropsy.
Results: A total of 181 diagnosed cases of EBDs were identified. The age of horses ranged from 5 to 22 years. The EBD cases were more prevalent in male than female horses and predominantly in geldings (60.77%). Thoroughbred, Arab, Polo pony, and Warmblood also recorded the most EBD cases among breeds. The discipline of horses tended to influence the development of EBDs, with patrolling horses recording the highest frequency. Most EBD cases were of the primary type (92.27%), with the main causes being soft-tissue lesions (57.48%), vertebral lesions (18.56%), tack-associated problems (16.77%), and neurological lesions (7.19%). The common treatments employed were administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, 1 to 3-month rest, warm and cold compression therapy, massage therapy, exercise adjustment, as well as correction of ill-saddle fit.
Conclusion: Most EBDs in this study were associated with soft-tissue lesions. Among vertebral lesions, kissing spines were the most common cause of EBDs in horses in Malaysia.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted including 34 healthy participants with a mean age of 22.26 ± 1.88 years. AA was measured using dynamic retinoscopy and the push-up, pull-away, modified push-up, and minus-lens techniques.
RESULTS: The mean AA scores for the push-up, pull-away, minus-lens, and modified push-up techniques and dynamic retinoscopy were 11.38 ± 2.03, 10.35 ± 1.64, 9.24 ± 1.18, 8.26 ± 1.44, and 7.2 ± 1.0 diopters, respectively. No AA measurements showed significant difference among ethnicities (Chinese, Malay, and Indian). This study suggested that AA obtained using push-up (p = 0.005) and pull-away (p = 0.017) methods and dynamic retinoscopy (p = 0.041) were significantly different according to sex. No significant difference was observed in AA for the minus-lens (p = 0.051) and modified push-up (p = 0.216) techniques by sex. A moderately negative correlation was found between AA and age for the push-up (r = -0.434, p = 0.010), pull-away (r = -0.412, p = 0.016), and minus-lens (r = -0.509, p = 0.002) techniques and dynamic retinoscopy (r = -0.497, p = 0.003). A weak negative correlation was found between age and AA measured using a modified push-up technique (r = -0.393, p = 0.022).
CONCLUSIONS: Mean AA was highest for the push-up technique, followed by the pull-away technique, the minus-lens technique, the modified push up technique, and dynamic retinoscopy. The push-up and pull-away methods and dynamic retinoscopy showed a significant difference in measurement of AA between sexes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Dinoflagellate culture used in this study was supplied by Professor Gires Usup's Laboratory, School of Environmental and Natural Resources Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia. The culture was used for the isolation of Loktanella sp., using biochemical tests, API 20 ONE kits. The fatty acid content of the isolates and the algicidal activity were further evaluated, and the phenotype was determined through the phylogenetic tree.
RESULTS: Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, short rod-shaped, aerobic bacteria (Gb01, Gb02, Gb03, Gb04, Gb05, and Gb06) were isolated from the Dinoflagellate culture. The colonies were pink in color, convex with a smooth surface and entire edge. The optimum growth temperature for the Loktanella sp. Gb03 isolate was determined to be 30°C, in 1% of NaCl and pH7. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the bacterium belonged to the genus Loktanella of the class Alphaproteobacteria and formed a tight cluster with the type strain of Loktanella pyoseonensis (97.0% sequence similarity).
CONCLUSION: On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic data and genetic distinctiveness, strain Gb-03, were placed in the genus Loktanella as the type strain of species. Moreover, it has algicidal activity against seven toxic Dinoflagellate. The algicidal property of the isolated Loktanella is vital, especially where biological control is needed to mitigate algal bloom or targeted Dinoflagellates.