Degradation of congo red dye in aqueous solution by using advanced oxidation processes / Alya Nadhira Nasron... [et al.]

Degradation of azo dyes by using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) was conducted. In this approach, different AOPs, which are Fenton process and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) catalyst, were examined and compared for the degradation of an azo dye (i.e., Congo red dye). The sample was tested under UV light and the experiment was conducted for 90 min with 15 min interval. The degradation rate of dye was determined using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The effect of several parameters on the degradation process such as the concentration of metal ions (Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Mn 2+ ) as the catalyst in Fenton process, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), the mass of TiO 2 , and pH value of the dye solution were investigated. The initial Congo red concentration used for both techniques was 5 ppm. The results showed that the percentage degradation followed the sequence of H 2 O 2 /Fe 2+ /UV, H 2 O 2 /Cu 2+ /UV, H 2 O 2 /Mn 2+ /UV, and TiO 2 /UV. The best operating conditions for H 2 O 2 /Fe 2+ /UV were pH 3, 0.2 M concentration of H 2 O 2 , and 0.02 M concentration of metal ion in 15 min, which achieved 99.92% degradation of dye. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed the absence of azo bond (N=N) peak after degradation process, which indicates the successful cleavage of azo bond in the chemical structure of Congo red

Bilateral Subdural Hematoma following Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Insertion in a Ten-month Old Tanzanian Female with Congenital Hydrocephalus: An Uncommon Presentation

There is an unmet need for the treatment of hydrocephalus in Tanzania. Thousands of newborns each year in the region are affected by this condition and access to care remains a challenge. While treatment options like cerebrospinal fluid diversion through ventriculo-peritoneal shunting are within the skill set of general surgeons, the potential complications represent an additional challenge. We present a 10-month-old Tanzanian female who developed bilateral-subdural hematomas after insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Changes in Lipid Profile of Rat Plasma after Chronic Administration of Laghobanondo Rosh (LNR)—An Ayurvedic Formulation

Abstract In this study, the lipid profile of rats' plasma was measured after chronic administration of LNR usually used in the treatment of pandu (anaemia).The animal used for this research work was albino rats (Rattus novergicus: Sprague-Dawley strains) and LNR was administered per oral route at a dose of 100mg/kg body weight, once daily, up to 45 days for all the experiments. Forty rats, equally of both sexes, were randomly grouped into four where one male and one female group were used as control and other groups were used as test. LNR remarkably decreased plasma triglycerides in both male and female rats and it was statistically very highly significant (p=0.001***). Similar trend of result was noticed incase of total cholesterol in both sexes of the animal but it was not statistically significant (male, p=0.296, female, p=0.511). On the other hand, a reverse trend in the result was observed in case of VLDL, LDL and HDL. In case of LDL, the increase in male rats was statistically significant (p=0.047*) but in female rats it was statistically insignificant (p=0.506). The increase in VLDL and HDL was statistically insignificant in the both male and female rats

The bacterial profile and antibiotic susceptibility in skin and soft tissue infections at tertiary care hospital of Quetta, Pakistan

Objective: To determine the bacterial profile and antibiotic susceptibility in skin and soft tissue infections among patients in a tertiary care setting. Method: The cross-sectional cohort study was conducted at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Vaccinology and Biotechnology, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan, from June 2021 to May 2022, and comprised bacteria-infected skin samples that were collected from the Bolan Medical Complex Hospital, Quetta, and the Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta. The swab samples were immediately cultured, and positive samples were evaluated for biochemical tests, antibiotic susceptibility test and polymerase chain reaction. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 800 samples, 598(74.7%) tested positive for pathogenic bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 316(39.5%) infections, followed by clostridium perfringens 18.96(2.37%), escherichia coli 120(15.12%), pseudomonas aeruginosa 98(12.25%) and klebsiella pneumoniae 44(5.5%). Among all the infected samples, 380(47.5%) belonged to males, 218(27.25%) to patients aged 5-20 years, 448(56%) to the uneducated subjects, and 462(57.87%) to patients having lower socioeconomic status. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed the highest level of resistance against all antibiotics. Conclusion: Regular surveillance and proper use of antibiotics should be encouraged in hospitals to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance against pathogenic bacteria. Key Words: Antibiotics, Bacteria, Surveillance, Frequency, Skin

Performance evaluation of lateritic subgrade soil treated with lime and coir fibre-activated carbon

The subgrade layer’s stability considerably influences the long-term performance of pavement systems. This study investigates the influence of lime as a traditional stabiliser and activated carbon with coir fibre (ACF) as waste materials and an environmentally friendly binder to stabilise lateritic subgrade soil. Experiments, including the one-dimensional consolidation and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, have been conducted to investigate the geotechnical properties of stabilised soil in various percentages of additives 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% lime and 1%, 2%, and 3% ACF. The results demonstrate that 3% ACF and 12% lime can significantly improve the strength parameters and decrease the void ratio and permeability in the stabilised soil. Furthermore, microstructural analysis was performed before and after stabilisation for optimum content. The microstructural analysis proves that AC and lime particles fill soil voids, and gel formation binds the soil particles in the stabilised soil matrix. The results show that 3% ACF stabilised soil is comparable with 12% lime in UCS value and decreasing void ratio. Furthermore, both are suitable for subgrade of low-volume road stability according to Malaysian standards

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

The Groote Schuur Hospital Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit: A 2 Year Experience

Background: At Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NsICU) is a 6-bed unit headed by a specialist neurosurgeon with extensive experience in Neuro-Critical Care working in close collaboration with intensivists from the Division of Critical Care. There is currently no detailed analysis of the demographics, diagnosis and management of patients admitted to the NsICU at GSH. Objectives: To provide a detailed descriptive analysis of the demographics, diagnosis and management of patients admitted to the NsICU at GSH from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2021. Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis of patients who received treatment in the NsICU from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2021. Results: A total of 685 patients were admitted to the unit over a two-year period with a male preponderance (68.2%). The average age was 42.5 (±17.2) years. The most common neurosurgical diagnoses were traumatic brain injuries (39.6%), brain tumours (22.6%) and aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhages (9.9%). Emergency admissions comprised 76.6% of the total and 86.7% of admissions were admitted post operatively. Three hundred and seventytwo patients required mechanical ventilation (54.3%), 132 patients required both an intracranial pressure monitor (ICP) and brain tissue oxygenation monitor (19.3%), 86 had an external ventricular drain placed (12.5%), 50 patients required placement of a tracheostomy (7.3%) and 16 patients had only an ICP monitor placed (2.3%). The average duration of stay was 5.5 (±1.3) days and ICU mortality over 2 years was 11.1%. Conclusion: The NsICU at GSH manages predominantly male trauma patients and a significant number of admitted patients require specialized invasive intracranial monitoring