Simy Mathew

Bio: Simy Mathew is an academic researcher from Ajman University of Science and Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Talon cusp & Regenerative medicine. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 16 publications receiving 54 citations.

Lasers: A Review With Their Applications in Oral Medicine.

Abstract: Lasers in dentistry began to gain popularity in the 1990s. Lasers in dentistry are used as a treatment tool or as an adjunct tool. By using the laser in the field of dentistry, the main goal is to overcome the disadvantages, which are currently being experienced in conventional dental treatment procedures. Many specialties in dentistry including oral surgery, implants, oral medicine, periodontics, pediatrics, and operative use the current new laser technology. The ability of lasers to provide minimally invasive procedures with less discomfort to the patient has been useful in the patient delivery system in dental practice. This article describes in brief on the uses of lasers in oral mucosal lesions.

An in vitro comparison of three delivery techniques for obturation of root canals in primary molars

Abstract: This in vitro study evaluated the efficacy of three different obturation techniques with regards to quality of two filling pastes—Ca(OH)2/iodoform syringe paste and zinc oxide eugenol paste in primary molars. Root canals of 45 extracted primary molars were prepared and randomly divided into three groups of 15 teeth each. Group A—canals were filled with Ca(OH)2/iodoform syringe paste, Group B—zinc oxide eugenol paste with handheld lentulo spiral and Group C—zinc oxide eugenol paste with rotary lentulo spiral. The quality of filled root canals was evaluated with conventional radiography in antero-posterior and lateral dimensions. There were significant differences between all groups in the presence of voids (p = 0.03) and length of filling (p = 0.002). Half of the sampled teeth in handheld lentulo spiral group had voids in the filled canals, while 80% of the teeth filled with Ca(OH)2/iodoform syringe resulted in overfilling of the paste. All three delivery methods for the obturation of primary molars' root canals showed inherent limitations in terms of voids and quality of filling. Voids are inevitable and were present in all the techniques. Overfilling was more frequently seen with the syringe method, while the lentulo spiral technique, both handheld and rotary, showed a better quality of filling.

Efficacy of Andrographis paniculata compared to Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, and sodium hypochlorite when used as root canal irrigants against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus: An in vitro antimicrobial study.

Abstract: Aim: The aim is to test the antimicrobial activity of Andrographis Paniculata, Azadirachta indica (neem), and Curcuma Longa (curcumin) as a root canal irrigant, against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans using agar diffusion test. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) served as a standard control for comparisons. Materials and Methods: The bacterial strains of C. albicans and S. aureus culture were grown overnight (18–20 h) in the brain heart infusion broth at 37°C and inoculated in Mueller–Hinton agar plates. Antibacterial inhibition was assessed using agar well-diffusion method using the methanolic extracts of the three plants to be tested and NaOCl. Bacterial inhibition zone around each well was recorded. The results were tabulated and analyzed statistically for significance. Results: The novel A. paniculata showed significantly higher zone of inhibition against C. albicans (P 0.05). Conclusion: Zones of inhibition exhibited by novel herbal agent A. paniculata were higher against C. albicans and similar against S. aureus, when compared to NaOCl.

Plant-Based Antioxidant Extracts and Compounds in the Management of Oral Cancer

Abstract: Oral cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence is particularly high in developing countries, where people chew tobacco and betel nut on a regular basis. Radiation-, chemo-, targeted-, immuno-, and hormone-based therapies along with surgery are commonly used as part of a treatment plan. However, these treatments frequently result in various unwanted short- to long-term side effects. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop treatment options for oral cancer that have little or no adverse effects. Numerous bioactive compounds derived from various plants have recently attracted attention as therapeutic options for cancer treatment. Antioxidants found in medicinal plants, such as vitamins E, C, and A, reduce damage to the mucosa by neutralizing free radicals found in various oral mucosal lesions. Phytochemicals found in medicinal plants have the potential to modulate cellular signalling pathways that alter the cellular defence mechanisms to protect normal cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of various medicinal plants and phytoconstituents that have shown the potential to be used as oral cancer therapeutics.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Promising Cell Source for Integration in Novel In Vitro Models

Abstract: The human-relevance of an in vitro model is dependent on two main factors-(i) an appropriate human cell source and (ii) a modeling platform that recapitulates human in vivo conditions. Recent years have brought substantial advancements in both these aspects. In particular, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising cell source, as these cells can differentiate into multiple cell types, yet do not raise the ethical and practical concerns associated with other types of stem cells. In turn, advanced bioengineered in vitro models such as microfluidics, Organs-on-a-Chip, scaffolds, bioprinting and organoids are bringing researchers ever closer to mimicking complex in vivo environments, thereby overcoming some of the limitations of traditional 2D cell cultures. This review covers each of these advancements separately and discusses how the integration of MSCs into novel in vitro platforms may contribute enormously to clinical and fundamental research.

Progresses on the Use of Two-Photon Absorption Laser Induced Fluorescence (TALIF) Diagnostics for Measuring Absolute Atomic Densities in Plasmas and Flames

Abstract: Recent developments in plasma science and technology have opened new areas of research both for fundamental purposes (e.g., description of key physical phenomena involved in laboratory plasmas) and novel applications (material synthesis, microelectronics, thin film deposition, biomedicine, environment, flow control, to name a few). With the increasing availability of advanced optical diagnostics (fast framing imaging, gas flow visualization, emission/absorption spectroscopy, etc.), a better understanding of the physicochemical processes taking place in different electrical discharges has been achieved. In this direction, the implementation of fast (ns) and ultrafast (ps and fs) lasers has been essential for the precise determination of the electron density and temperature, the axial and radial gradients of electric fields, the gas temperature, and the absolute density of ground-state reactive atoms and molecules in non-equilibrium plasmas. For those species, the use of laser-based spectroscopy has led to their in situ quantification with high temporal and spatial resolution, with excellent sensitivity. The present review is dedicated to the advances of two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TALIF) techniques for the measurement of reactive species densities (particularly atoms such as N, H and O) in a wide range of pressures in plasmas and flames. The requirements for the appropriate implementation of TALIF techniques as well as their fundamental principles are presented based on representative published works. The limitations on the density determination imposed by different factors are also discussed. These may refer to the increasing pressure of the probed medium (leading to a significant collisional quenching of excited states), and other issues originating in the high instantaneous power density of the lasers used (such as photodissociation, amplified stimulated emission, and photoionization, resulting to the saturation of the optical transition of interest).