Innovative Die Material and Lubrication Strategies for Clean and Energy Conserving Forging Technologies

The objective of this project was to develop and implement innovative die material and surface coating strategies such as composite dies and lubricated coatings to increase die lives and to reduce environmental pollution. In this project approaches and software were developed for die life optimization and optimal design of lubrication systems for hot forging. In addition, LENS applied nickel-aluminide coatings were developed and validated in the industrial environment for significant improvements in die life

Azithromycin therapy for prevention of chronic lung disease of prematurity (AZTEC): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background Systematic reviews have reported conflicting evidence on whether macrolide antibiotics reduce rates of chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) in at-risk preterm infants born at less than 30 weeks’ gestation, including in those colonised with pulmonary Ureaplasma spp. Since an adequately powered trial has been lacking, we aimed to assess if the macrolide azithromycin improved survival without the development of physiologically defined moderate or severe CLD in preterm infants. Methods AZTEC was a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 28 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in the UK. Infants were eligible if they were born at less than 30 weeks’ gestation and had received at least 2 h of either non-invasive (continuous positive airway pressure or humidified high flow nasal cannula therapy) or invasive respiratory support (via endotracheal tube) within 72 h of birth. Eligible infants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio using random permuted blocks of four to receive either intravenous azithromycin at 20 mg/kg per day for 3 days followed by 10 mg/kg for 7 days, or to placebo. Allocation was stratified by centre and gestational age at birth (<28 weeks vs ≥28 weeks). Azithromycin and placebo vials were encased in tamper-evident custom cardboard cartons to ensure masking for clinicians, parents, and the research team. The primary outcome was survival without development of physiologically defined moderate or severe CLD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age. Outcomes and safety were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis (all randomly allocated infants, regardless of any post-randomisation events). The study was registered with ISRCRN (11650227) and is closed. Findings Infants were recruited between Oct 9, 2019, and March 22, 2022. 799 (53·1%) of 1505 eligible infants underwent random allocation; three infants were withdrawn, including consent to use their data, leaving 796 infants for analysis. Survival without moderate or severe CLD occurred in 166 (42%) of 394 infants in the intervention group and 179 (45%) of 402 in the placebo group (three-level adjusted OR [aOR] 0·84, 95% CI 0·55–1·29, p=0·43). Pulmonary Ureaplasma spp colonisation did not influence treatment effect. Overall, seven serious adverse events were reported for the azithromycin group (five graded as severe, two as moderate), and six serious adverse events were reported in the placebo group (two severe, two moderate, and two mild), as assessed by the local principal investigators. Interpretation Since prophylactic use of azithromycin did not improve survival without development of physiologically-defined CLD, regardless of Ureaplasma spp colonisation, it cannot be recommended in clinical practice

Role of S-100 Immunostain as An Auxiliary Diagnostic Aid in Leprosy

Introduction: Histopathologic diagnosis of leprosy is difficult when Bacillary Index (BI) is zero and neural involvement are not easily identifiable on routine Hematoxylin and Eosin stain. This study was undertaken to study the role of S-100 immunostaining in demonstrating different patterns of nerve involvement in various types of leprosy. Methods: Thirty one skin biopsies with clinico-histopathologic diagnoses of leprosy over a period of two years were included in the study. Ten cases of non-lepromatous granulomatous dermatoses (including eight cases of lupus vulgaris and two cases of erythema nodosum) were used as controls. Tissue sections from all cases and controls were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stain, Fite stain and S-100 immunostain. The H&E stained slides were used to study the histopathological features, Fite stained slides for Bacillary Index and S-100 for nerve changes. Results: Neural changes could be demonstrated in the entire spectrum of leprosy using S-100 immunostaining. The most common pattern of nerve destruction in the tuberculoid spectrum was fragmented and infiltrated whereas lepromatous spectrum showed mostly fragmented nerve twigs. Intact nerves were not detected in any of the leprosy cases. Conclusions:  S-100 immunostain is a useful auxiliary aid to the routine  H&E stain in the diagnosis of leprosy especially tuberculoid spectrum and intermediate leprosy.  Keywords: bacillary index; leprosy; S-100 immunostain