Background and Objectives:The absence, destruction, or loss of β-cells of pancreas results in type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM]). Presently, diagnosis and periodic monitoring of diabetes is achieved by evaluating blood glucose levels as it is relatively invasive and dreaded by children. In the light of this, present study was planned to compare salivary glucose values with blood glucose values and the biochemical characteristics of saliva in IDDM children were evaluated and obtained results were compared with the salivary parameters of normal children.Materials and Methods:Thirty IDDM children and 30 healthy children were selected for the study. Fasting blood sample and unstimulated salivary sample were collected from all the subjects and were subjected for analysis.Results:A weak positive correlation was noticed between fasting blood glucose and salivary glucose values in IDDM children. But a mean average of salivary glucose was high in IDDM children when compared with healthy children. The biochemical parameters like acid phosphatase, total protein count, and α-amylase were increased, whereas salivary urea did not show significant variation between the groups.Conclusion:With presently used diagnostic armamentarium, estimation of salivary glucose cannot replace the standard method of estimation of glucose in diabetic mellitus children. The established relationship was very weak with many variations.

Introduction Viral pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS COV-2) releases cytokines which result in neutrophils migration to the bloodstream and cytotoxic effect on lymphocytes. The ongoing pathology is reflected in the derangement of blood cells and the variations and calculations based on them that help in assessing the severity of the disease and prognosis. Aim This study aimed to compare the differences in the dynamic changes of the blood cells among survivors and non-survivors of COVID-19 disease so that cut-offs can be arrived at to aid triage at the intensive care unit (ICU) and to predict mortality. Material and methods A one-year study was conducted on patients hospitalized in the ICU. The demography and laboratory values of neutrophils and lymphocytes in percentages and absolute values, and platelet count in numbers were retrieved for eight consecutive values. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was calculated from absolute counts. Statistical analysis was done using the Chi-Square test and Mann-Whitney test and a P-value of <0.05 is considered significant. The comparison was done between survivors and non-survivors. Result Among the 3142 patients admitted for COVID-19 disease, 7.6% required ICU care of whom 65.5% survived and 35.5% succumbed to the illness. Survivors were younger and comparable between both sexes. Though both groups had an ascending trend of neutrophils, lymphocytes, NLR, and PLR, the baseline characteristics were significantly lower in those who survived on a day-to-day basis. Neutrophilia above 80%, NLR 7.96, PLR 200 predicted the need for admission in ICU. Neutrophilia of 87% and lymphopenia of 10% were associated with adverse outcomes (mortality). Mortality can be predicted when neutrophil rises above 93% or lymphocytes fall below 5.2%. An initial NLR of 7.96 and PLR of 160 as well as peak NLR of 12.29 and peak PLR 400 predict mortality. Conclusion Serial blood counts are essential for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 for early triaging, and to assess severity and prognosis. The NLR of 6.7 and PLR of 160 require intensive care. The dynamic increase of NLR and PLR show worsening of the disease process and NLR of 40.95 and PLR of 400 predict mortality.

Background: India, a developing country faces many challenges in rendering health needs to its countrymen. Indian population consists of people from varied cultural and religious backgrounds. In Indian view point, a dental myth regularly emerges from conventional belief of non exploratory base. People believe in spiritual treatment and alternative forms of medicine, they prefer visiting a hakim (local traditional practitioner) to a doctor. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with approval from institutional ethical committee of SIBAR Institute of dental sciences, Andhra Pradesh. A self administered questionnaire based survey was conducted among out- patient division of the institution. Results: In the present study 87.7% of the participants said that tooth problems should be taken seriously and cannot be neglected.42.3% agreed to the myth that ‘’no visible dental problem means no need to visit the dentist’’. Discussion: A positive finding of the present study, i.e., 18.3 percent believed that placing a medicament beside a painful tooth can relieve pain is significantly less than 30.8 percent of Raina SA et al. Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that myths still hover in the minds of the common people. Key words: Myths, dental students, institution.