Medial-lateral centre of mass displacement and base of support are equally good predictors of metabolic cost in amputee walking

AbstractAmputees are known to walk with greater metabolic cost than able-bodied individuals and establishing predictors of metabolic cost from kinematic measures, such as centre of mass (CoM) motion, during walking are important from a rehabilitative perspective, as they can provide quantifiable measures to target during gait rehabilitation in amputees. While it is known that vertical CoM motion poorly predicts metabolic cost, CoM motion in the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior directions have not been investigated in the context of gait efficiency in the amputee population. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between CoM motion in all three directions of motion, base of support and walking speed, and the metabolic cost of walking in both able-bodied individuals and different levels of lower limb amputee. 37 individuals were recruited to form groups of controls, unilateral above- and below-knee, and bilateral above-knee amputees respectively. Full-body optical motion and oxygen consumption data were collected during walking at a self-selected speed. CoM position was taken as the mass-weighted average of all body segments and compared to each individual’s net non-dimensional metabolic cost. Base of support and ML CoM displacement were the strongest correlates to metabolic cost and the positive correlations suggest increased ML CoM displacement or Base of support will reduce walking efficiency. Rehabilitation protocols which indirectly reduce these indicators, rather than vertical CoM displacement will likely show improvements in amputee walking efficiency

Synchronous role of coupled adsorption and photocatalytic degradation on CAC–TiO2 composite generating excellent mineralization of alizarin cyanine green dye in aqueous solution

AbstractThe synchronous role of coupled adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of alizarin cyanine green dye (ACG) in aqueous solution on porous Commercial Activated Carbon (CAC)–titanium dioxide (TiO2) mixture have been studied under UV irradiation. The CAC–TiO2 composite was prepared by simple chemical route and the as prepared composite was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The photodegradation rate constant (k) for ACG dye on CAC–TiO2 is (0.0666min−1), which is very much higher than that of pure TiO2 0.00368min−1. The photodegradation efficiency of the CAC–TiO2 composite was eighteen order magnitudes higher than that of pure TiO2 for ACG dye degradation. The total mineralization of ACG, through the combination of adsorption and degradation was achieved in a reasonable time, and can therefore be suggested as an efficient, cost-effective and environment friendly water treatment methodology

Impact of rapid diagnostic testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea on appropriate antimicrobial utilization in the emergency department

AbstractProlonged turnaround time of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) test results may delay time to notification and treatment of test-positive patients and result in unnecessary antimicrobial use in test-negative patients. This quasi‐experimental study evaluated the impact of NG/CT rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) in an urban emergency department (ED) on treatment appropriateness, time to notification, and cost. Patients tested in December 2013–January 2014 (traditional group, n=200) were compared with those in December 2014–January 2015 (RDT group, n=200). There was a significant increase in treatment appropriateness in the RDT group, 72.5% versus 60% (P=0.008) and time to results notification was significantly faster (median 17.4 versus 51.5hours, P=0.010). Availability of test result prior to discharge was associated with increased treatment appropriateness (odds ratio, 22.65 [95% confidence interval, 2.86–179.68]). The RDT would save approximately $37,000 annually. These results support the use of NG/CT RDT to expand antimicrobial stewardship efforts within the ED

Online integrity and authentication checking for Quran electronic versions

AbstractThe ability to control data and information through the Internet can be challenging. Preliminary analysis showed that some tampering and forgery may occur to some words of the Quran in the electronic versions that span the Internet. Such small modifications may not be noticed by public audience. The holy book of Quran includes a unique feature in that its worldwide copies are all identical. The 114 chapters (Suras) and all their verses and words are preserved in the exact form. As such, we designed and evaluated a model and a tool to evaluate the integrity of the wording in the e-versions of the Quran through generating a Meta data related to all words in the Quran preserving the counts and locations. Such Meta data can be used in the same way hash algorithms are used in security to check the integrity of a disk and its data files where any small change in the data will result in a different hash value. We conducted several experiments to evaluate the different parameters and challenges that can impact the automatic authentication process of Quranic verses based on information retrieval and hashing algorithms

In vitro antibacterial activity of crude extracts of 9 selected medicinal plants against UTI causing MDR bacteria

AbstractUrinary tract infection (UTI) has become a more grievous problem today, due to multidrug resistance of infecting Gram-positive (GP) and Gram-negative (GN) bacteria, sometimes even with multiple infections. This study examines effectivity of 9 tropical flowering plants (Anogeissus acuminata, Azadirachta indica, Bauhinia variegata, Boerhaavia diffusa, Punica granatum, Soymida febrifuga, Terminalia chebula, Tinospora cordifolia and Tribulus terrestris) for possible use as source of antimicrobials for multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, along with main-stream antibiotics. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated from urine samples of patients attending and admitted in the hospital. Antibiograms of 11 isolated bacteria (GPs, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus; and GNs, Acinetobacter baumannii, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were ascertained by the disc-diffusion method, and antibacterial effectivity of plant extracts was monitored by the agar-well diffusion method. Isolated bacteria were floridly MDR to most antibiotics of the day. Methanol extracts of 9 plants were used, and extracts of 3 plants, A. acuminata, P. granatum and S. febrifuga at least caused 25–29mm as the maximum size of zone of inhibition on bacterial lawns. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of methanol extracts of 9 plants were recorded. The methanol extract of A. acuminata had 0.29mg/ml as the lowest MIC value and 0.67mg/ml as the lowest MBC value, against MDR S. aureus, signifying effectivity; but, it had the highest MIC value of 3.41mg/ml. and the highest MBC value of 4.27mg/ml for most other MDR bacteria including E. coli. Qualitative phytochemical analysis was done for these 9 plants and information on leading phytochemicals was presented retrieved from PubChem database. Thus, three effective-most plants in controlling MDR-UTI bacteria in vitro were A. acuminata, P. granatum and S. febrifuga, which can be promoted as complementary medicine

Climate driven range divergence among host species affects range-wide patterns of parasitism

AbstractSpecies interactions like parasitism influence the outcome of climate-driven shifts in species ranges. For some host species, parasitism can only occur in that part of its range that overlaps with a second host species. Thus, predicting future parasitism may depend on how the ranges of the two hosts change in relation to each other. In this study, we tested whether the climate driven species range shift of Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) accounts for predicted changes in parasitism of two other species from the family Cervidae, Alces alces (moose) and Rangifer tarandus (caribou), in North America. We used MaxEnt models to predict the recent (2000) and future (2050) ranges (probabilities of occurrence) of the cervids and a parasite Parelaphostrongylus tenuis (brainworm) taking into account range shifts of the parasite’s intermediate gastropod hosts. Our models predicted that range overlap between A. alces/R. tarandus and P. tenuis will decrease between 2000 and 2050, an outcome that reflects decreased overlap between A. alces/R. tarandus and O. virginianus and not the parasites, themselves. Geographically, our models predicted increasing potential occurrence of P. tenuis where A. alces/R. tarandus are likely to decline, but minimal spatial overlap where A. alces/R. tarandus are likely to increase. Thus, parasitism may exacerbate climate-mediated southern contraction of A. alces and R. tarandus ranges but will have limited influence on northward range expansion. Our results suggest that the spatial dynamics of one host species may be the driving force behind future rates of parasitism for another host species

Meningeal seeding from glioblastoma multiforme treated with radiotherapy and temozolomide

SummaryExtracranial and meningeal seeding of glioblastoma multiforme is rare. We report herein a case of glioblastoma in a 41-year-old man who underwent surgical resection, concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and seven courses of adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide. The patient then complained of intermittent severe lower back pain and gait disturbance. Imaging studies demonstrated that although the intracranial residual tumors were well-controlled by the treatment, meningeal seeding involving the brainstem and spinal cord was present. The patient died 2 months after the diagnosis of spinal seeding. This case illustrates the need for consideration of extracranial metastasis if a patient is symptomatic, even if the intracranial tumor appears responsive to treatment. We suggested that the prophylactic craniospinal irradiation may be considered in patients at high risk of meningeal seeding immediately after surgery

Facile preparation of water soluble curcuminoids extracted from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) powder by using steviol glucosides

AbstractCurcuminoids from rhizomes of Curcuma longa possess various biological activities. However, low aqueous solubility and consequent poor bioavailability of curcuminoids are major limitations to their use. In this study, curcuminoids extracted from turmeric powder using stevioside (Ste), rebaudioside A (RebA), or steviol glucosides (SG) were solubilized in water. The optimum extraction condition by Ste, RebA, or SG resulted in 11.3, 9.7, or 6.7mg/ml water soluble curcuminoids. Curcuminoids solubilized in water showed 80% stability at pH from 6.0 to 10.0 after 1week of storage at 25°C. The particle sizes of curcuminoids prepared with Ste, RebA, and SG were 110.8, 95.7, and 32.7nm, respectively. The water soluble turmeric extracts prepared with Ste, RebA, and SG showed the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (SC50) activities of 127.6, 105.4, and 109.8μg/ml, and the inhibition activities (IC50) against NS2B-NS3pro from dengue virus type IV of 14.1, 24.0 and 15.3μg/ml, respectively

Effects of living near a new urban motorway on the travel behaviour of local residents in deprived areas: Evidence from a natural experimental study

AbstractWe evaluated the effects of a new motorway built through deprived neighbourhoods on travel behaviour in residents. This natural experiment comprised a longitudinal cohort (n=365) and two cross-sectional samples (baseline n=980; follow-up n=978) recruited in 2005 and 2013. Adults from one of three study areas - surrounding the new motorway (South), an existing motorway (East), or no motorway (North) - completed a previous day travel record. Adjusted two-part regression models examined associations between exposure and outcome. Compared to the North, cohort participants in the South were more likely to undertake travel by any mode (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.0–4.2) at follow-up. Within the South study area, cohort participants living closer to a motorway junction were more likely to travel by any mode at follow-up (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.1–19.7), and cross-sectional participants living closer were more likely to use a car at follow-up (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.1–10.7), compared to those living further away. Overall, the new motorway appeared to promote travel and car use in those living nearby, but did not influence active travel. This may propagate socioeconomic inequalities in non-car owners

Biomarker analysis of American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor) tadpoles following exposure to atrazine

AbstractThe objective of the current study was to use a biomarker-based approach to investigate the influence of atrazine exposure on American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor) tadpoles. Atrazine is one of the most frequently detected herbicides in environmental matrices throughout the United States. In surface waters, it has been found at concentrations from 0.04–2859μg/L and thus presents a likely exposure scenario for non-target species such as amphibians. Studies have examined the effect of atrazine on the metamorphic parameters of amphibians, however, the data are often contradictory. Gosner stage 22–24 tadpoles were exposed to 0 (control), 10, 50, 250 or 1250μg/L of atrazine for 48h. Endogenous polar metabolites were extracted and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Statistical analyses of the acquired spectra with machine learning classification models demonstrated identifiable changes in the metabolomic profiles between exposed and control tadpoles. Support vector machine models with recursive feature elimination created a more efficient, non-parametric data analysis and increased interpretability of metabolomic profiles. Biochemical fluxes observed in the exposed groups of both A. americanus and H. versicolor displayed perturbations in a number of classes of biological macromolecules including fatty acids, amino acids, purine nucleosides, pyrimidines, and mono- and di-saccharides. Metabolomic pathway analyses are consistent with findings of other studies demonstrating disruption of amino acid and energy metabolism from atrazine exposure to non-target species