Evaluation of the Surgical and Pharmacological Treatment of Diabetic Foot Infection: A Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot infection is a major cause of patient disabilities and lowers limb amputations, with high treatment costs and hospitalisation requirements. AIM: Aim of this study was to evaluate surgical wound care plus antibiotic effects in the treatment of mild and moderate diabetic foot infections. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 60 patients with diabetic foot infections with or without osteomyelitis. The patients were categorised as group 1 mild and group 2 moderate. Both groups were treated using local wound debridement and the systemic administration of antibiotics. Group 1 (16) patients were treated with two regimens of oral antibiotics in two regimens, A (amoxicillin/clavulanate + metronidazole) and B (clindamycin + metronidazole), for 10-14 days. Group 2 (42) patients were treated with oral plus intravenous antibiotics in two regimens, A (ampicillin + cloxacillin + metronidazole) and B (lincomycin + metronidazole), for 6 weeks. The patients followed-up with local wound care specialists for 3 months to evaluate the treatment outcomes (cure, improvement, or failure). RESULTS: Group 1 had an 80% cure rate under regimen A and a 100% cure rate under regimen B. Group 2 regimen A patients had a 61.5% cure rate and 11.53% improved, while regimen B patients had a 68.75% cure rate and 12.5% improved. Failure in both regimens was 23.8% in 20 patients with osteomyelitis, while 35% were cured and 20% improved during the study period. CONCLUSION: Local surgical wound care for 3 months with antibiotic regimens for 6 weeks resulted in good response and cure rates, with lower costs and fewer instances of hospitalisation. Intravenous lincomycin and oral metronidazole achieved higher cure responses for moderate diabetic foot infections

Channel state information estimation for reconfigurable intelligent surfaces based on received signal analysis

Recently, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces have an increasing role to enhance the coverage and quality of mobile networks especially when the received signal level is very weak because of obstacles and random fluctuation. This motivates the researchers to add more contributions to the fields of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in wireless communications. A substantial issue in reconfigurable intelligent surfaces is the huge overhead for channel state information estimation which limits the system’s performance, oppressively. In this work, a newly proposed method is to estimate the angle of arrival and path loss at the RIS side and then send short information to the base station rather than huge overhead as in previous research. The estimated channel state information is used to beamform the downlink waveform toward users accurately. The simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm calculated the angle of arrival of users, admirably especially at a high signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, a considerable spectral efficiency enhancement is obtained as compared to the traditional methods

Wireless channel-based ciphering key generation: effect of aging and treatment

Key generation for data cryptography is vital in wireless communications security. This key must be generated in a random way so that can not be regenerated by a third party other than the intended receiver. The random nature of the wireless channel is utilized to generate the encryption key. However, the randomness of wireless channels deteriorated over time due to channel aging which casing security threats, particularly for spatially correlated channels. In this paper, the effect of channel aging on the ciphering key generations is addressed. A proposed method to randomize the encryption key each coherence time is developed which decreases the correlation between keys generated at consecutive coherence times. When compared to the conventional method, the randomness improvement is significant at each time interval. The simulation results show that the proposed method improves the randomness of the encrypting keys

Morphophysiological Responses of Oat (Avena sativa L.) Genotypes from Pakistan’s Semiarid Regions to Salt Stress

Soil salinity is a major constraint to modern agriculture, with around 20% of the previously irrigated area becoming salt affected. Identifying suitable salt stress-tolerant genotypes based on their agronomic and physiological traits remains a herculean challenge in forage-type Oat (Avena sativa L.) breeding. The present study was designed to investigate the response of oat crop plants against the salt (NaCl) stress in Mardan, Pakistan. The experiment was carried out in complete randomized design (CRD) with two factors trail comprising of the performance of four different genotypes of oat (NARC oat, PARC oat, Green Gold and Islamabad oat) in response to four levels of saline stress (0, 25, 50 and 75 mmol L-1 NaCl). Plant growth and physiological parameters including germination (G, %); fresh shoot weight (FSW, g); fresh root weight (FRW, g); chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, and total carotenoids were analyzed for identifying salt tolerance. Germination (%) of oat genotypes was negatively affected by higher salt stress. Mean values showed that maximum germination (57.5%) was recorded for control while minimum germination (48.75%) was recorded for 25 mmol L-1 NaCl and that maximum germination (58%) was recorded for PARC oat. The root and shoot fresh weight of all genotypes declined with increasing salt stress, while NARC and Green Gold oat showed considerably higher values than the other genotypes. Although chlorophyll and carotenoids were found to be negatively affected by increasing salt concentrations, NARC and Green Gold oat genotypes performed considerably better at 75 mmol L-1 NaCl when compared to the other genotypes. Based on the mean shoot dry weight ratio ± one standard error, the four Oat genotypes were categorized as salt-tolerant (Green Gold), moderately tolerant (PARC and NARC), and salt-sensitive (Islamabad). The more salt-tolerant genotype (Green Gold) demonstrated relatively high salinity tolerance and may be useful for developing high-yielding oat hybrids in future breeding programs under salt stress conditions

Study The Microbial Content for Some Cafeterias and Restaurants Foods in Babil Province

 أجريت هذه الدراسة لتحليل الجودة الميكروبيولوجية للأغذية التي تباع في الكافتريات الجانبية والمطاعم في بعض مناطق محافظة بابل وقد شملت المطاعم من الدرجة الاولى والمستويات الاخرى، جمعت نماذج من الرز ، اللحم الاحمر، لحوم الدجاج ،الخبز ،البسكويت  والعصائر للفترة من تشرين الثاني / 2016 ولغاية شباط / 2017 . تناولت هذه الدراسة المحتوى المايكروبي  للمواد الغذائية الأكثر استهلاكا في الكافتريات  والمطاعم التي تم اجراء الدراسة فيها في مناطق ناحية الاسكندرية ،القرية العصرية ،اقضية المحاويل ،المسيب والحلة .عند اجراء الزرع المختبري للعينات الماخوذة من الاطعمة واجراء الاختبارات الكيموحيوية للبكتريا النامية على الاوساط الزرعية فقد تبين وجود بكتريا القولون Escherichia . coli  ، بكتريا المكورات العنقودية الذهبية     Staphylococcus aureus ، Staphylococcus epidermidis  ، بكتريا السالمونيلا Salmonella typhi  ، بكتريا الشيغلا Shigella dysentriae    وكذلك نمو بعض الفطريات على الاوساط الزرعية الخاصة بها .   تبين من خلال هذه الدراسة ايضا  أن المواد الغذائية المطبوخة  أظهرت حمولة أقل للجراثيم من الاطعمة الطازجة . كذلك اظهرت النتائج ان الأطعمة المستعملة في المطاعم أقل حمولة ميكروبية من الكافتريات . هذه الدراسة تسلط الضوء  على مستوى المحتوى الميكروبي الموجود في الأطعمة المختلفة المتاحة في الكافتريات والمطاعم .This study was conducted to investigate  the microbiological  contamination of  some solid food  in the cafeterias and restaurants in some areas of Babil province, which included restaurants of the first class and other levels, rice, red meat, chicken meat, bread, biscuits and juices were collected for the period from November 2016 to February 2017.  This study, through the microbiological analysis of the most consumed food in the cafeterias and restaurants that were studied in the areas of Alexandria and the modern village and the districts of  Mahaweel, Masib and Hilla.In vitro culturing  of food samples and biochemical tests of  bacteria on culture media, Escherichia coli was found, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysentriae and some fungi on their culture media. The study also showed that cooked foods loaded by alower   germs than fresh foods. The results also showed that the foods used in restaurants are less than a microbial load of cafeterias. This study highlights the level of microbial content found in different foods available in cafeterias and restaurants

Effects of CdCl2 Treatment on Physical Properties of CdTe/CdS Thin Film Solar Cell

We report CdTe, CdS, and ITO thin films on glass substrates for solar cell fabrication by closed space sublimation and chemical bath deposition. CdTe and CdS thin films were sublimated to chemical treatment at 25°C in a saturated CdCl2 solution (1.04 g/100 ml methanol) and heat treated at 400°C for 30 minutes. Indium tin oxide and tellurium films were analyzed by spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscopy. It has been observed that solar cell performance can be improved by depositing a CdCl2 layer on the CdTe/CdS layers. The optical, structural, and morphological changes of CdTe and CdS surfaces on CdTe/CdS/ITO/glass solar cells due to CdCl2 solution treatment followed by annealing for 400°C were studied. Optical analysis showed about 15% decrease in transmittance after CdCl2 heat treatment in case of CdTe thin film, whereas CdS thin film demonstrated an increase of about 10–15% transmittance after CdCl2 heat treatment. Similarly, a decrease in band gap values was found for both CdTe and CdS thin films after CdCl2 heat treatment. XRD and SEM results of CdCl2 heat‐treated CdTe and CdS samples showed recrystallization, reorientation, and progressive increase in grain size. The grain sizes of CdTe and CdS samples demonstrated an increase of about 0.2 µm

Observation of Consolidation and Permeability Parameters of Soil Stabilized By Cutback Asphalt

من الضروي معرفة انضغاطية طبقات التربة المعرضة للأجهادات الفعالة وكذلك معرفة معدل جريان الماء خلال للأغراض التصميمية خاصة لمنشآت الردم و المنشآت البحرية الملامسة للتربة.ومن الأمور المهمة معرفة هذه الخصائص وذلك من خلال دراسة ومعرفة معامل الأنضمام ومعامل النفاذية للتربة.ان هذه الدراسة لمعرفة تأثير تثبيت التربة بالأسفلت على هذه الخصائص, تم التحقيق في هذه الدراسة على عينات من تربة طينية-غرينية, وتم تحضير النماذج بخلط التربة مع نسب مختلفة من الأسفلت (0-10)% وتم أجراء فحص الأنضمام أحادي المحور لعينات بقطر 50ملم واتفاع 20ملم مشبعة في الماء. وقد وجد أن معامل الأنضمام يزداد للترب المثبتة بالأسفلت بنسب (2-6)% وينخفض للترب المثبتة بالأسفلت بنسب (8-10)%. في الجهة الأخرى تزداد النفاذية ومعامل الأنضغاط الحجمي للتربة المثبتة بالأسفلت بنسب (2-4)% ثم تقل بأستمرار أضافة الأسفلت للتربة لغاية 10%. ان معامل الأنضغاط يزداد الى حده الأمثل عند الترب المثبتة بنسبة أسفلت 2% وبعدها يبدأ معامل الأنضغاط بالأنخفاض في الترب المثبتة بالأسفلت لغاية نسبة 10%. ان معامل أعادة الأنضغاط سوف يزداد لجميع عينات التربة المثبتة بالأسفلت, حيث انه سوف يزداد لحين الوصول لأعلى قيمة له عند الترب ذات نسبة الأسفلت 6% ثم سوف تنخفض للترب مع استمرار زيادة نسبة الأسفلت لغاية 10%, ان قيم معامل اعادة الأنضغاط سوف تزداد للتربة ذات نسبة الأسفلت 10% عن التربة المثبتة ب8% أسفلت وذلك قد يعود لزيادة معامل الأنتفاخ نتيجة زيادة حد السيولة و أنغلاق الفراغات الهوائية الموجودة بين حبيبات التربة.For design purposes, it`s necessary to know the compression rate of soil layers which might be happened when it`s subjected to effective stresses. Also, it`s essential to know the rate of flow through soil mass specially for the design of marine structures or earth embankment. These two important behavior could be predicted from the coefficient of consolidation (Cv) and the coefficient of permeability (k). This study shows the effect of cutback asphalt stabilization on Cv and k and other compressibility factors, the investigation was done for silty clay samples, specimens were prepared by mixing the soil with different percentage of asphalt from (0-10)% and subjected to one-dimensional consolidation test of 50mm diameter and 20mm height were done at soaked condition, it was conducted that Cv increased for asphaltic soil of (2-6)% Cutback and decreased for soil with cutback of (8-10)%. On the other hand, the the coefficient of permeability (k) and the coefficient of volume change (mv) increased for soil with (2-4)% cutback and decreased by adding more cutback asphalt to soil till 10%. The compression index (Cc) value increase to the optimum value at 2% cutback content then start to decrease till reaching the 10%. The re-compression index (Cr) shows a general increase in values when add cutback asphalt to the soil, it increase until reaching its maximum value at 6% cutback content then decrease with increasing of cutback asphalt till 10%, the values of (Cr) shows an increase for the 10% cutback from 8%, that’s might be due to increasing of swelling potential due to increasing of liquid limit and blocking of voids ratio

Epidemiological Surveillance of Communicable Diseases in Baghdad City during the Period January-April 2006

The records of Primary Health Care Centres (Al-Risafa section of Baghdad) were inspected for communicable diseases during the period January-April 2006. There were 8622 recorded cases (the diagnosis was based on a clinical examination and laboratory findings), which were distributed as 4782 (55.5%), 1430 (16.6%), 1604 (18.6%) and 806 (9.3%) for Sadar city, Risafa, A'adhamyiah and Mada'in, respectively. The highest frequency was reported for chicken pox (42.7%), followed by mumps and typhoid fever (20 and 13.7%, respectively), while diphtheria and cholera were not recorded. These three most frequent diseases were further analyzed, and their distribution showed a significant difference (P ? 0.001). April was the month of the highest recorded cases (48.05%), followed by March (18.8%), January (18.1%) and finally February (14.7%)

Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Brinjal Cultivars under the Agro-Climatic Conditions of Mansehra

The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on Brinjal cultivars under the agro-climatic conditions of Mansehra was studied at Agricultural Research Station Baffa Mansehra, during crop season 2011. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two factors having split plot arrangement. There were three treatments which includes control (No fertilizer), inorganic regime (NPK @ 100:50:50 kg ha-1) and organic regime (Farm yard manure + Poultry manure + Mashroom waste @ 25 t ha-1, 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1 respectively) were assigned to main plot. Four brinjal cultivars i.e. Pusa Long, Long Black, Black Beauty and Purple Long were used as sub plot factors.  Both the growing regimes and cultivars significantly affected all the growth and yield parameters except the survival percentage of seedlings. Among the growing regimes the organic fertilizer significantly influenced most of growth and yield components of brinjal. However, minimum days to flowering (33.6), fruit set (46.6), fruit harvest (57.3) and the maximum fruit length (21.2 cm) and fruit diameter (7.0 cm) were recorded in plants grown under organic fertilizers.  The brinjal cultivars also significantly influenced most of the parameters. The cultivar Pusa Long significantly resulted in the maximum plant height (82.9 cm) and also took less number of days to flowering (37.8). While the maximum fruit length (20.8 cm), less number of days to fruit set (48.1) and days to harvest (58.6) were recorded for cultivar Purple Long. Regarding to interaction of growing regimes and cultivars, the organic regime and cultivar Pusa Long showed the best performance for most of the growth and yield characteristics of brinjal. It is concluded from the present findings that brinjal cultivar Pusa Long should be cultivated under organic regime to obtain the higher yield and maximum profitability at Mansehra, Abbottabad- Pakistan. Keywords: Brinjal, variety, organic, inorganic, fruit diameter

Effect of Sowing Dates on the Yield and Seed Production of Okra Cultivars in Mansehra

To monitor the effect of different sowing dates on the yield and seed production of okra cultivars, an experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Baffa Mansehra during 2014. Six cultivars of okra i.e. Irka, Sabz Pari, Pusa Green, Pusa Sawani, Sarhad Green and Green Star were sown on three different sowing dates with 15 days interval i.e. 15th March, 30th March and 14th April, 2014. Maximum number of pods plant-1 (32.12), pod length (11.12 cm), pod diameter (1.54 cm), pod weight (15.24 gm), plant height (184.28 cm), pod yield (16.24 t ha-1), seed yield (1601.92 kg ha-1) and 1000-seed weight (86.92 gm) were recorded in cultivars, sown on 30th March, 2014. Maximum number of pods plant-1 (32.75), pod length (11.57 cm), pod diameter (1.67 cm), pod weight (16.04 gm), plant height (187.17 cm), pod yield (17.50 t ha-1), seed yield (1735.00 kg ha-1) and 1000-seed weight (89.32 gm) were recorded in cultivar Sabz Pari. Sowing of okra cultivar Sabz Pari on 30th March is recommended for realizing maximum fresh pod and seed yields under the agro-climatic conditions of Mansehra District. Key words: okra, cultivar, sowing date, pod yield, seed weight