Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Building - Foundation Soil Systems

This paper deals with the problem of nonlinear seismic analysis of building - foundation soil systems. The building considered is modeled as a shear - type building supported on the surface of homogeneous isotropic elastic half-space. The governing nonlinear equations of motion for the structure - soil system are solved in the time domain using the step-by-step linear acceleration method of analysis with Wilson-e modification. Different nonlinear models to simulate the behaviour of reinforced concrete under cyclic loading are used. A parametric study has been performed on a single story shear-type building with different natural frequencies supported on the surface of different soils to show the effect of different parameters on the behaviour of such structures under seismic excitation. These parameters include the type of soil, the soil conditions, the structure flexibility, and the type of analysis (elastic or inelastic). The results show that the soil rigidity, the soil layer depth, and the structure period have great influence on the response of such structures

Formulation, evaluation and optimization of miconazole nitrate tablet prepared by foam granulation technique

The aim of our study was to utilize novel foam granulation technique in formulation of miconazole nitrate; a model hydrophobic drug as oral disintegrating tablets "ODT" particularly to enhance its bioavailability. Foam granulation technique has additional advantages over the other traditional granulation technique since; it enhances the granulation process and produce acceptable tablets. Fractional factorial design was used to investigate the effect of formulation and processing variables on the prepared miconazole ODT. The prepared granules were evaluated by measuring their density, flowability, granules size and shape, and granules wetting time. The quality attributes of the prepared tablets; drug content, tablet thickness, uniformity of weight, tablet tensile strength, friability, disintegration, and dissolution were also evaluated. The results indicated that, the prepared granules showed acceptable characteristics and is significantly affected by the disintegrant type, urea concentration, and the lubricant type. The quality attributes of the tablets were not affected by the processing parameters. From the prepared formulas; F20, F19, F12, and F20 displayed 18, 35, 35, and 40 seconds disintegration time respectively and the percent of dissolution after 15 minutes ranged from 94.4-100%. These results ascertained that foam granulation technique fulfill the requirement in preparation of miconazole ODT. Key words: miconazole nitrate, foam granulation, oral disintegrating tablet

Formulation, evaluation and optimization of miconazole nitrate tablet prepared by foam granulation technique

The aim of our study was to utilize novel foam granulation technique in formulation of miconazole nitrate; a model hydrophobic drug as oral disintegrating tablets "ODT" particularly to enhance its bioavailability. Foam granulation technique has additional advantages over the other traditional granulation technique since; it enhances the granulation process and produce acceptable tablets. Fractional factorial design was used to investigate the effect of formulation and processing variables on the prepared miconazole ODT. The prepared granules were evaluated by measuring their density, flowability, granules size and shape, and granules wetting time. The quality attributes of the prepared tablets; drug content, tablet thickness, uniformity of weight, tablet tensile strength, friability, disintegration, and dissolution were also evaluated. The results indicated that, the prepared granules showed acceptable characteristics and is significantly affected by the disintegrant type, urea concentration, and the lubricant type. The quality attributes of the tablets were not affected by the processing parameters. From the prepared formulas; F20, F19, F12, and F20 displayed 18, 35, 35, and 40 seconds disintegration time respectively and the percent of dissolution after 15 minutes ranged from 94.4-100%. These results ascertained that foam granulation technique fulfill the requirement in preparation of miconazole ODT. Key words: miconazole nitrate, foam granulation, oral disintegrating tablet

Xeno-free trans-differentiation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells into glial and neuronal cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are undifferentiated cells that have the ability of self-renewal and trans-differentiation into other cell types. They hold out hope for finding a cure for many diseases. Nevertheless, there are still some obstacles that limit their clinical transplantation. One of these obstacles are the xenogeneic substances added in either proliferation or differentiation media with subsequent immunogenic and infectious transmission problems. In this study, we aimed to replace fetal bovine serum (FBS), the main nutrient source for MSC proliferation with xeno-free blood derivatives. We tested the effect of human activated pure platelet-rich plasma (P-PRP) and advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) on the proliferation of human adipose derived-MSCs (AD-MSCs) at different concentrations. For the induction of MSC neural differentiation, we used human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at different concentrations in combination with P-PRP to effect xeno-free/species-specific neuronal/glial differentiation and we found that media with 10% CSF and 10% PRP promoted glial differentiation, while media with only 10% PRP induced a neuron-like phenotype

High-density SNP-based association mapping of seed traits in fenugreek reveals homology with clover

Fenugreek as a self-pollinated plant is ideal for genome-wide association mapping where traits can be marked by their association with natural mutations. However, fenugreek is poorly investigated at the genomic level due to the lack of information regarding its genome. To fill this gap, we genotyped a collection of 112 genotypes with 153,881 SNPs using double digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing. We used 38,142 polymorphic SNPs to prove the suitability of the population for association mapping. One significant SNP was associated with both seed length and seed width, and another SNP was associated with seed color. Due to the lack of a comprehensive genetic map, it is neither possible to align the newly developed markers to chromosomes nor to predict the underlying genes. Therefore, systematic targeting of those markers to homologous genomes of other legumes can overcome those problems. A BLAST search using the genomic fenugreek sequence flanking the identified SNPs showed high homology with several members of the Trifolieae tribe indicating the potential of translational approaches to improving our understanding of the fenugreek genome. Using such a comprehensively-genotyped fenugreek population is the first step towards identifying genes underlying complex traits and to underpin fenugreek marker-assisted breeding programs

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The effect of anti-diabetic agents oil biochemical changes of diabetic rats

The present study was petformed to investigate the effect of vitamin E as an antioxidant and selenium as a potent insulin-mimetic agent in diabetic rats. Also, to study the ability of these treatments to ameliorate some of the biochemical changes that are worsened with the development of diabetes, such as; serum glucose, blood malondialdehyde (MDA), triglycerides, total cholesterol and β₂-microglobulin. Experimental diabetes was induced in male rats by intravenous injection of streptozotocin (50mg/kg). Two weeks after the overt of diabetes, rats were divided into groups each of 10 animals. Groupl received normal saline. Group2 received vitamin E acetate (40mg/kg) every other day by I.P. injection for 4 weeks. Group 3 received sodium selenate (1.89 mg/kg) every day by I.P. injection for 18 days. Group 4 non-diabetic control rats received normal saline. Our results revealed that diabetic rats showed a significant increase in serum glucose, blood MDA levels, plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and β₂-microglobulin. Treatment of diabetic rats with either vitamin E or sodium selenate produced a significant lowering in serum glucose level. Also, they produced a significant reduction in blood MDA level, plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol and β₂-microglobulin