Alumina-carbon composite as an effective adsorbent for removal of Methylene Blue and Alizarin Red-s from aqueous solution

15-20An alumina-carbon composite has been prepared by in situ precipitation of aluminium hydroxide on the surface of commercial activated carbon followed by calcinations. The adsorption characteristics of the as-synthesized material are studied using Methylene Blue and Alizarin Red-s. The adsorption equilibrium for Methylene Blue and Alizarin Red-s are well represented by the Redlich-Peterson and Tempkin isotherms respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity for Methylene Blue is found to be 1152.30 mg/g at pH 8 and that for Alizarin Red-s is 522.81 mg/g at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">pH 5. The adsorption kinetics for both the dyes has been explained by the pseudo-second-order model

Role of physiotherapy in M.P.D.S: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: To analyze the methodologic quality, summarize the findings, and perform a meta-analysis of the results from randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of physiotherapy management of Myofascial Pain Dysfunction syndrome (MPDS). Methodology: A literature review was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Science Direct. Each article was independently assessed by two investigators using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis was conducted to obtain summary estimates of the standardized mean differences (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Between-study heterogeneity was computed and publication bias was assessed. Results : Seven articles met the inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis, corresponding to nine estimates of SMD. The meta-analysis showed that for pain reduction, the summary SMD favored physiotherapy (SMD = −0.63; 95% CI: −0.95 to −0.31; number of studies = 8; I2 = 0.0%), while for active range of movement (ROM) the differences between the intervention and control groups were not statistically significant (SMD = 0.33; 95% CI: −0.07 to 0.72; number of studies = 9; I2 = 61.9%). Conclusion: Physiotherapy seems to lead to decreased pain and may improve active muscle movement.&nbsp

Role of Physiotherapy in M.P.D.S: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Aim: To analyze the methodologic quality, summarize the findings, and perform a meta-analysis of the results from randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of physiotherapy management of Myofascial Pain Dysfunction syndrome (MPDS). Methodology: A literature review was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Science Direct. Each article was independently assessed by two investigators using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis was conducted to obtain summary estimates of the standardized mean differences (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Between-study heterogeneity was computed and publication bias was assessed. Results : Seven articles met the inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis, corresponding to nine estimates of SMD. The meta-analysis showed that for pain reduction, the summary SMD favored physiotherapy (SMD = −0.63; 95% CI: −0.95 to −0.31; number of studies = 8; I2 = 0.0%), while for active range of movement (ROM) the differences between the intervention and control groups were not statistically significant (SMD = 0.33; 95% CI: −0.07 to 0.72; number of studies = 9; I2 = 61.9%). Conclusion: Physiotherapy seems to lead to decreased pain and may improve active muscle movement.&nbsp

Fundamentals and Applications of Chitosan

International audienceChitosan is a biopolymer obtained from chitin, one of the most abundant and renewable material on Earth. Chitin is a primary component of cell walls in fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as crustaceans, e.g. crabs, lobsters and shrimps, and insects, the radulae of molluscs, cephalopod beaks, and the scales of fish and lissamphibians. The discovery of chitin in 1811 is attributed to Henri Braconnot while the history of chitosan dates back to 1859 with the work of Charles Rouget. The name of chitosan was, however, introduced in 1894 by Felix Hoppe-Seyler. Because of its particular macromolecular structure, biocompatibility, biode-gradability and other intrinsic functional properties, chitosan has attracted major scientific and industrial interests from the late 1970s. Chitosan and its derivatives have practical applications in food industry, agriculture, pharmacy, medicine, cos-metology, textile and paper industries, and chemistry. In the last two decades, chito-san has also received much attention in numerous other fields such as dentistry, ophthalmology, biomedicine and bio-imaging, hygiene and personal care, veterinary medicine, packaging industry, agrochemistry, aquaculture, functional textiles and cosmetotextiles, catalysis, chromatography, beverage industry, photography, wastewater treatment and sludge dewatering, and biotechnology. Nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals are actually growing markets, and therapeutic and biomedical products should be the next markets in the development of chitosan. Chitosan is also the N. Morin-Crini (*) · Laboratoire Chrono-environnement, UMR 6249, UFR Sciences et Techniques