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Objective:To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy and compressive strength of conventional glass ionomer cement (GIC) containing chlorhexidine and antibiotics at varying concentrations.Materials and Methods:Chlorhexidine diacetate and antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, and minocycline) were incorporated into GIC Fuji IX at 1.5% and 3% w/w ratio to form the experimental groups. The experimental GIC specimens were placed on brain heart infusion agar plates inoculated with Streptococcus mutans, and the area of inhibition was measured after 48 h. The 24-h compressive strength of the set specimens was evaluated using a Universal Testing Machine.Results:The control group demonstrated no zone of inhibition. All experimental groups showed inhibition against S. mutans (P < 0.05), with larger zones of inhibition found in the higher concentration groups. Compressive strength at the end of 24 h decreased in the experimental groups as compared to the control group (P < 0.05), but no difference was found between the experimental groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion:The present study demonstrated that experimental GICs containing chlorhexidine diacetate and antibiotics were effective in inhibiting S. mutans, and incorporation of 1.5% ABX was optimal to give the appropriate antibacterial and physical properties.

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Background: Violence against health-care workers has become a great issue in health-care organizations. This study was conceptualized with the aim to know the prevalence of violence and to identify gap between rate of reporting of an incident of violence at a tertiary care hospital in India. Methods: The study was descriptive and cross-sectional; a validated questionnaire was used as a tool. Reported incidents of violence against workers were collected. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant in the analysis. A Z test for proportion at 95% confidence interval was applied to analyze the level of difference between prevalence, rate of reporting, and their level of awareness. Results: Of 394 respondents, 136(34.5%) workers had experienced workplace violence in the last 12 months. It was found that total 32 incidents of workplace violence were reported to the concerned authority. The reporting rate of violence is significantly low (23.5%), in spite of high prevalence (34.5%). Level of awareness regarding the reporting mechanism and regulations for the safeguard of health-care workers against workplace violence is only 24.6 %. Conclusion: This study concluded that the prevalence of violence among health-care workers is quite high, but the reporting rate is significantly low. The low rate of reporting is because of lack of awareness about the reporting mechanism of workplace violence. It is recommended that sensitizing workshops should be conducted to increase the level of awareness, which will result in reduction in the prevalence of violence and building a safe and secured workplace for health-care providers.

This paper describes the synthesis of starch and alginate beads as controlled release formulations. Different formulations of the fungicide, thiram, were prepared by using BaCl(2) and AlCl(3) as crosslinkers. The beads thus formed were characterized by FTIR and swelling studies. Formulation characteristics like entrapment efficiency, bead size, percentage equilibrium swelling have been evaluated. The release studies of the fungicide from the beads were carried out in vitro and in soil columns. The beads prepared with AlCl(3) have shown more swelling as well as the fungicide release in comparison to beads prepared with BaCl(2). From the soil column studies it was observed that the release of pesticide from the beads occurred in very controlled and sustained manner.

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Objective: A new spectrophotometric method for the determination of propranolol hydrochloride (PRO) and metoprolol tartrate (MTP), beta blocker drugs, has been developed for their analysis in pharmaceutical dosage forms for the purpose of quality control and water samples for monitoring impact on environmental water quality of natural sources and in biological fluids for ascertaining their physiological performance. Methods:The method is based on the derivatization of the amino function present in these drugs to the corresponding yellow copper (I) drug dithiocarbamate derivative through reaction with carbon disulphide, pyridine and copper (I) perchlorate in aqueous acetonitrile and measuring absorbance at 406 nm for propranolol and 400 nm for metoprolol. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the colour were carefully studied and optimized.Results: The Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 1.0-40.0 μg/ml of each drug solution with a correlation coefficient 0.999. The maximum relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the analysis of pure PRO and MTP were 1.01 and 1.52 % respectively. The recoveries of the drugs from pharmaceutical formulations, spiked water samples and biological fluids were in the range 98.0-100.5 % with RSDs in the range 0.23-1.94% indicating good accuracy and precision of the method. Conclusion:The instantaneous development of colour and its stability, well-established stoichiometry of the reaction and above simplicity and rapidity of procedures are some special attributes of the proposed method.