Effect of zoledronic acid on functional outcome in cases of pertrochanteric femoral fractures in elderly patients operated with proximal femoral nailing

Background: Osteoporosis is a very common problem in geriatric population and postmenopausal women. Zoledronic acid injection is a very convenient and effective treatment option available for osteoporosis. Our study aimed to study the effect of zoledronic acid on functional outcome and fracture related complications in elderly patients with low energy pertrochanteric femoral fractures who were operated with proximal femoral nail. Methods: This was a case control study. Elderly patients who underwent surgery in the form of proximal femoral nailing for low energy pertrochanteric femoral fractures were included. Injection zoledronic acid was given to every alternate patient who underwent surgery. Radiological healing was evaluated at six weekly intervals for six months and then 12 weekly intervals for one year. The Harris hip score was used to measure the functional outcome of the patient. Results: Effective study population consisted of total 49 patients (25 cases and 24 controls). The mean union time in the cases and the control was 8.76±9.12 weeks and 7.04±1.57 weeks respectively. The mean Harris hip score was 86.742±7.55 in the cases and 84.339±11.20 in the control group. The p value was 0.3815. This study concluded that the two groups had no statistically significant difference between functional outcome and fracture related complications. Conclusions: Zoledronic acid in patients admitted for surgery with osteoporotic fracture does not improve the functional outcome of the patients. It does not affect the mortality of the patients

PCM-assisted energy storage systems for solar-thermal applications: Review of the associated problems and their mitigation strategies

Latent heat energy storage (LHES) system is identified as one of the major research areas in recent years to be used in various solar-thermal applications. However, there are various challenges associated i.e., low thermal conductivity, leakage issues, stabilization concerns, etc. In this work, a comprehensive review of studies dealing with these problems and their mitigation strategies. Various design parameters influencing the performance of PCM-assisted systems are also discussed. This article further presents a detailed review of several mathematical models, based on system enthalpy and heat capacity-based modeling schemes along with the techno-economic analysis. The review results reflect the application of porous foams increasing thermal conductivity values of PCM composites relative to pure PCM working mediums. Moreover, the use of extended surfaces with appropriate geometries reduces the phase transition durations for the working medium significantly which enhances the thermal performance. Additionally, PCM encapsulations are identified as one of the widely accepted procedures intensifying the thermal performance of energy storage systems. However, the selection of appropriate encapsulation shell material and shell geometries are some of the important factors to be considered to ensure optimum system performance. This review focuses on the significant aspects of PCM encapsulation design parameters for several solar-thermal systems

Synthesis of a novel, bowl-like bis γ-lactone

Synthesis of a compound with bowl-like, symmetrical molecular architecture, starting from a Diels-Alder adduct 7, derived from a reaction between 2,5-dihydro-2,5-dimethoxyfuran and 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-5,5-dimethoxycyclopentadiene, is reported

Keratoameloblastoma: Report of a rare variant with review of literature

Ameloblastoma has intrigued clinicians as well as pathologists due to its diverse clinical behavior and histomorphologic presentations. Keratoameloblastoma is a rare histologic sub type, characterized by extensive keratin formation within ameloblastic epithelium, with only a handful number of cases described in the literature. Here, we report a case of this uncommon sub type of ameloblastoma in a young female patient presenting as an extensive lesion in mandibular ramus area. The radiological and fine needle aspiration findings suggested of a keratinizing cystic lesion and incisional biopsy showed features of ameloblastoma. Patient underwent segmental mandibulectomy and histological examination of excisional specimen revealed features of ameloblastoma with abundant keratinization leading to a diagnosis of keratoameloblastoma. The diagnostic pitfalls related with the lesion have been discussed along with a short review of the literature

Suprabasal expression of Ki-67 as a marker for the severity of oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Transition of the normal oral epithelium to dysplasia and to malignancy is featured by increased cell proliferation. To evaluate the hypothesis of distributional disturbances in proliferating and stem cells in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Aim: To evaluate layer wise expression of Ki-67 in oral epithelial dysplasia and in OSCC. Materials and Methods: Thirty histologically confirmed cases of oral epithelial dysplasia, fifteen cases of OSCC and five cases of normal buccal mucosa were immunohistochemically examined and nuclear expression of Ki-67 was counted according to basal, parabasal, and suprabasal layers in epithelial dysplasia and number of positive cells per 100 cells in OSCC as labeling index (LI). Results: Suprabasal expression of Ki-67 increased according to the severity of epithelial dysplasia and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.001). The mean Ki-67LI was 12.78 for low risk lesions, 28.68 for high risk lesions, 39.45 for OSCC and 13.6 for normal buccal mucosa. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrate the use of proliferative marker Ki-67 in assessing the severity of epithelial dysplasia. Suprabasal expression of Ki-67 provides an objective criteria for determining the severity of epithelial dysplasia and histological grading of OSCC

Estimation of Output Voltage Ripple in Phase-Staggered Series-Connected Two-Quadrant Power Converters for Electromagnets in Particle Accelerators

In booster synchrotron, fast-ramped power converters (FRPCs) are used for ramping up the magnetic field of electromagnets connected in series, at a fast rate, typically 1,000s of ampere per second. In large accelerators, the number of electromagnets is large. Therefore, during ramping, the peak value of driving voltage becomes prohibitively large considering the insulation requirement of the magnets and cables. The power converter is therefore developed by connecting a suitable number of smaller voltage rated modules in series. The series-connected modules are operated in phase-staggered mode to reduce the output voltage ripple or to reduce the filtering requirement to meet the prescribed ripple voltage. Since the filter component values predominantly decide the dynamic response, the achievable small-signal bandwidth of the control loop and hence the achievable tracking accuracy of the ramping output current are essentially governed by the filter components. To optimise the filter design, quantification of overall ripple voltage is crucial, that too under the most practical conditions considering non-ideal conditions. In this paper, estimation of overall ripple voltage is performed for series-connected two-quadrant power converters (TQPCs) operating in phase-staggering mode for ideal and non-ideal conditions. Simulation and experimental verification results are shown to be in good agreement with the analytical results

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Not AvailableNot AvailableIonizing radiations are increasingly being used to disinfest raw material for several food products. Toasted and native soy flour, the major food ingredients in bread and bakery industries, can be disinfested prior to use through electron beam. However, this can induce changes in the nutritional and functional properties, which can ultimately affect the quality and the nutritional value of the final products. In the present study, toasted and native soy flour were submitted to electron beam (EB) irradiation at 4.8, 9.2, 15.3 and 21.2 kGy; and assessed for water absorption capacity (WAC), protein dispersibility index (PDI), protein solubility, trypsin inhibitor (TI) content, isoflavones content, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), glycinin (11S) to β-conglycinin (7S) ratio, and lipoxygenase. WAC declined slightly (P < 0.05) in toasted soy flour, but increased significantly (P < 0.05) at low doses in native soy flour. In both toasted and native soy flour, slight decline was noted in protein solubility while TI and lipoxygenase declined significantly (P < 0.05). However, the decline noted in TI content was not proportionate to the increase in IVPD. PDI remained unchanged in toasted soy flour but declined significantly (P < 0.05) in native soy flour. 11S to 7S ratio increased significantly (P < 0.05) in toasted flour at all the doses. In general, significant (P < 0.05) decline in isoflavones was noted in both toasted and native soy flour. In conclusion, the results showed that EB-irradiation could induce desirable changes in the nutritional/functional properties of toasted and native soy flour, though at the expense of some of the physical properties.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe present investigation was carried out to study the effect of 4.8, 9.2, 15.3 and 21.2 kGy of electron beam (EB)-irradiation on major storage proteins viz. glycinin (11S) and β-conglycinin (7S), in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), and trypsin inhibitor (TI) content in seeds of three soybean genotypes. Densitometry of SDSPAGE protein profile revealed significant (P < 0.05) reduction in α’, α and β subunits of 7S fraction at all doses. This reduction was higher (P < 0.05) than the decline observed in acidic and basic subunit of 11S fraction. Basic subunit registered significant (P < 0.05) increase at specific doses in two genotypes. All the doses induced significant (P < 0.05) increase in IVPD, and the increase due to 9.2, 15.3 and 21.2 kGy was higher (P < 0.05) compared to 4.8 kGy dose. The impact on TI content was genotypedependent. The study showed a higher (P < 0.05) decline in the concentration of 7S fraction compared to 11S fraction and improvement in IVPD of soybean seeds due to exposure to EB-irradiation, which may influence the functional and nutritional value of soy products processed from themBRN

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Not AvailableIonizing radiations are increasingly being used to disinfest raw material for several food products. Toasted and native soy flour, the major food ingredients in bread and bakery industries, can be disinfested prior to use through electron beam. However, this can induce changes in the nutritional and functional properties, which can ultimately affect the quality and the nutritional value of the final products. In the present study, toasted and native soy flour were submitted to electron beam (EB) irradiation at 4.8, 9.2, 15.3 and 21.2 kGy; and assessed for water absorption capacity (WAC), protein dispersibility index (PDI), protein solubility, trypsin inhibitor (TI) content, isoflavones content, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), glycinin (11S) to -conglycinin (7S) ratio, and lipoxygenase. WAC declined slightly (P < 0.05) in toasted soy flour, but increased significantly (P < 0.05) at low doses in native soy flour. In both toasted and native soy flour, slight decline was noted in protein solubility while TI and lipoxygenase declined significantly (P < 0.05). However, the decline noted in TI content was not proportionate to the increase in IVPD. PDI remained unchanged in toasted soy flour but declined significantly (P < 0.05) in native soy flour. 11S to 7S ratio increased significantly (P < 0.05) in toasted flour at all the doses. In general, significant (P < 0.05) decline in isoflavones was noted in both toasted and native soy flour. In conclusion, the results showed that EB irradiation could induce desirable changes in the nutritional/functional properties of toasted and native soy flour, though at the expense of some of the physical properties.BRN

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Not AvailableElectron beam (EB)-irradiation is increasingly being preferred to radioactive-based gamma irradiation in overcoming the constraints that affect the quality of food material. Soybean seeds of 3 soybean genotypes were exposed to 4 doses viz. 4.8, 9.2, 15.3 and 21.2 kGy of EBirradiation and assessed for the changes in the contents of lipoxygenase isozymes and tocopherol isomers. Densitometry of protein profle revealed decreasing intensity of lipoxygenase with increasing EB dose. All the 3 lipoxygenase isozymes viz. lipoxygenase-1, -2 and -3 registered signifcant (P < 0.05) increasing reduction with increasing dose; though genotypic variation was noted for the magnitude of reduction at the same dose. Concomitantly, all the 3 genotypes exhibited signifcant (P < 0.05) decline in α-, γ- and δ-isomers of tocopherol. δ-Tocopherol was the most sensitive to EB-irradiation. EB dose, which caused minimum and maximum decline in total tocopherol content, was genotype-dependent. Decline in vitamin E activity corresponding to the dose, which induced maximum reduction for total lipoxygenase also varied in 3 genotypes. The study showed the usefulness of EB for significant inactivation of off-flavor generating lipoxygenases in soybean, with a non-signifcant effect on oil content and varied retention of tocopherol isomers and vitamin E activity depending upon genotype.BRN