Aims The inherent instabilities associated with the development of multispecies biofilm communities within the constant‐depth film fermenter (CDFF) and other microcosm systems can yield unacceptable variability between experiments, which could limit their potential applications in oral microbiology. The extent of this variability needs to be determined and a protocol developed which minimizes it. Methods and Results Two custom‐made CDFFs were supplied concurrently with the same inoculation culture, begat from an aliquot of a saliva pool and artificial saliva growth medium via a dual‐channel pump. Transformed log10 data of the viable counts at fixed time points were analysed using the Bland–Altman approach to test for the levels of agreement between two CDFFs running concurrently and those CDFFs run in series. The coefficients95% of agreement were lower (i.e. less variable) in the concurrent model than when run in series for total counts of bacteria (1·238 vs 2·124), Lactobacillus spp. (0·517 vs 1·431) and Mutans streptococci (2·817 vs 3·864). Other measures of variability showed a similar trend. Conclusions Operating CDFFs concurrently minimizes the degree of difference and variability between them. Significance and Impact of the Study Operating CDFFs concurrently will improve the sensitivity for experiments that seek to determine the effects of a variable, such as a nutritional supplement or antimicrobial agent, and a control.

No abstract

Lead and cadmium contaminations in soil and plant may indirectly result in human health risk. This study was to assess the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in soil and wild plants and its associated human health risk along the Karakorum Highway, Northern Pakistan. Results showed that the concentrations of both Pb and Cd in soil were above the permissible limits of Dutch standards, and the mean values in wild plant species were above the permissible limit according to WHO (1996). Metal bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were applied to assess metal uptake and transport through plant tissues. Among 30 wild plant species, merely 1 plant species (Debregeasia Saeneb) for Pb and 5 plant species (Dodonaea viscosa, Crysopoge gryllus, Debregeasia saeneb, Festuca hartmanii and Plantanus arientalis) for Cd showed BAF > 1. For the TF values, Pb in 11 plant species were > 1, while 19 plant species for Cd were > 1. The hazard index (HI) values for soil were observed < 1 with an order of ingestion > dermal > inhalation, indacting no adverse health effects. This study suggests that some wild plant species in Northern Pakistan present low BAF and TF values, those wild plants can be used for phytoremediation purposes.

Colonialism led to the fabrication of certain inferiority complexes on the part of the colonized subjects.The colonizers succeeded in doing so through the inclusive diffusion of racial stereotypes. This perpetuation made colonized nations like Native Americans lose their indigenous voices, and they soon assimilated themselves into the Euro-American world and its identities. The articles crutinises how the colonized subjects were not only physically persecuted, but their identities were also distorted, disfigured, and then misrepresented to the world. The colonisers shaped and sculpted these identities through an exploitive mechanism which Franz Fanontermed 'Epidermalization' in one of his famous works,Black Skin White Masks. The paper employs the conceptualization of Epidermalization with reference to' The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven' by Sherman Alexie. While using the concepts of Epidermalization of inferiority and internalization, the paper highlights how the continuous confrontation of binaries and inferiority during the process of Colonialism caused a heightened sense of desperation and frustration among the Native Americans along with the internalization of white supremacy.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes in obstetric patients with the help of ultrasonography and diagnostic biomarkers such as increased amniotic fluid and macrosomia. Methods: In 110 women who failed the glucose tolerance test, longitudinal ultrasound measurements of foetal growth were taken during the first, second and third trimesters with the informed consent of every pregnant women. 524 ultrasound examinations were performed in total, and uncomplicated pregnancies were included as controls for the comparison of our results. Head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL) and head circumference to abdominal circumference ratio (HC/AC) was evaluated at 17th and 37th weeks of gestation while amniotic fluid was measured and recorded at 13th, 27th and 37th weeks of gestation respectively. Results: The mean HbA1c (%) of the pregnant women in 1st semester recorded was 5.2±0.27SD which increased to 5.31±0.24SD in 2nd trimester and later changed to 5.54±0.17SD in 3rd semester. The measured amniotic fluid in ultrasound was 23.23cm±3.18 SD at 13th weeks of gestation, 15.97cm±2.62SD at 27th weeks and 11.95cm±1.99SD at 37th week. The mean abdominal circumference at 37th week was 347.01mm±7.28SD, mean head circumference was 1477.50mm±2.88SD, AC/HC ratio at 37th week estimated 0.89±0.08SD and femur length was 73.44mm±2.28SD respectively. Conclusion: The finding suggests that increased amniotic fluid and macrosomia are important biomarkers of gestational diabetes and can be assessed through ultrasonography. Keywords: Gestational diabetes, ultrasonograpy, increased antibiotic, macrosomia