Surgical Outcome of Corrosive Induced Antropyloric strictures

Introduction: Corrosive induced upper gastrointestinal tract injuries in pediatric patients, is not easy to treat. Interestingly only few reports are available in English literature highlighting the management and surgical outcome of corrosive induced antropyloric strictures. The aim of this study was to determine the presenting features, management and outcome of patients treated at our institute with corrosive induced antropyloric strictures.Methods: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Paediatric Surgery Department of Children Hospital & Institute of Child Health, Lahore. Medical records of patients admitted for corrosive-induced gastric out let obstruction from January 2013 to December 2018 were included. The demographic, preoperative assessment, investigations, surgical procedure and follow up details were noted in a proforma. Results were analyzed by descriptive statistics using SPSS version 20. The quantitative variables were presented as mean ± SD. Qualitative variables were presented as frequency and percentages.Results: A total of 62 patients were included in this study. The mean age at presentation was 4.9 ±3.9 years. Of these 67.7% were male and the mean weight of children at the time of surgery was 12.6 ± 5.0 kilo grams. Bathroom cleaner was ingested by 77.4%. Vomiting was seen 100% cases while abdominal pain and weight loss was seen in 38.7 %, and 80.6% respectively. We preformed Heinke-mikulicz pyloroplasty in 59(95.2%) patients, Billroth II in 1(1.6%) and gastrojejunostomy in 2(3.2) cases. Postoperatively 40 children remained well during early post- op period while leak and respiratory issue were seen in 11.9% and 13.6% patients respectively. The mean hospital stay was 27.9±11.5 days. Two patients died after surgery and the rest were discharged. Mean fallow up 15.2±70 months. Of 60 discharged children 37 (62.7%) had no issue while 4 (6.8%) had leakage from previous jejunostomy site leak other 19 patients were lost to follow up.Conclusion:We conclude that surgical treatment for Antropyloric strictures due to corrosive injuries is an acceptable option with minimal complications. However, we emphasize on the preventive measure, child-proof containers and legislations to be taken by authorities and social welfare societie

Guaranteed lifetime protocol for IoT based wireless sensor networks with multiple constraints

© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Over the past two decades, the subject of extension of the lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) based on the Internet of Things (IoT) has been thoroughly investigated by researcher. As WSN, and its new form based on IoT, are increasingly being deployed in time-critical applications, users require certain network lifetime guarantees to satisfy application requirements. Few research efforts in the past have focused on guaranteeing the IoT-based network lifetime. Most such efforts pay little or no attention to other network performance indicators such as sensing coverage and network connectivity. To address this challenge, this work proposes a new centralized approach that analyzes a network\u27s energy consumption to optimize node duty cycles. In the proposed scheme, the sink node periodically assigns an active/sleep role to each node for the next network cycle by coupling the residual energy, total active time, and possible coverage area to guarantee their lifetimes. We show through extensive simulation that the proposed guaranteed lifetime protocol achieves less average end-to-end delay and better packet delivery ratio when compared to its best rival protocols formulated in past research, i.e., the CERACC, A-Mac, and Coverage Preserving protocols

Srednjopermski do kasnopermski i ranotrijaski foraminiferski skupovi u Western Salt Rangeu, Pakistan

A newly obtained foraminiferal assemblage from the Guadalupian−Lopingian, and Induan of the Western Salt Range (Pakistan) comprises 47 species (including 7 species of fusulinoideans) of 24 genera and 71 species (including 9 species of fusulinoideans) of 41 genera, in Nammal and Zaluch sections, respectively. Our results show that only 4 species went extinct during the Guadalupian−Lopingian mass extinction (GLME), suggesting the GLME was minor for smaller foraminifers in the Salt Range. Most species went extinct during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME), except the two survivor genera, Nodosinelloides and Planiinvoluta. During the end-Permian mass extinction, majorities of the species became extinct in lower part of Chhidru Formation, beacuse they are not tolerant to the terigenious-clastic input in the upper part of Chhidru Formation. The extinction process of foraminifers in the Nammal and Zaluch sections has been documented for the first time. Five foraminiferal assemblages are established in the shallow marine shelf deposits of Western Salt Range, i.e., Wordian Geinitzina araxensis assemblage in tide-influenced subaqueous delta to middle shelf environment, Capitanian Baisalina pulchra assemblage and Wuchiapingian Codonofusiella schubertellinoides assemblage in inner-outer shelf carbonate deposits, Changhsingian Colaniella pseudolepida assemblage and Induan Nodosinelloides-Planiinvoluta assemblage in mixed siliciclastic–carbonate shelf setting. The Baisalina pulchra and Codonofusiella schubertellinoides assemblages have wide geographic distribution and have been found in Transcaucasus, China, Turkey, Crimea and Oman. The other three assemblages (i.e., Geinitzina araxensis, Colaniella pseudolepida, and Nodosinelloides-Planiinvoluta assemblages) found in this study are likely local/regional assemblages. The foraminifers were observed with the standard microscopic system Leica-DM500. A total of 681 specimens of foraminifers are reported in the Zaluch Group and Mianwali Formation of Nammal and Zaluch sections. Five hundred ninety-nine smaller foraminifers specimens were recovered. Among the smaller foraminifera, Nodosinelloides, Pachyphloia, Geinitzina, Colaniella, Hemigordius, Tuberitina, and Langella are the most dominant genera. Larger foraminifera genera include Nankinella, Codonofusiella, Reichelina, Necdetina and Pisolina, represented by 82 specimens. A total of 3 classes (e.g., Nodosariata, Fusulinata, and Tubothalamea) and seven orders (i.e., Miliolida, Spirillinida, Lagenida, Parathuramminida, Endothyrida, Fusulinida, and Earlandiida) are identified in the current study. Among them, Lagenida becomes the most dominant by diversity and abundance. Shannon diversity and other indices rise progressively from Wordian to Changhsingian in the shallow marine sediments before dropping to zero in the Early Triassic mixed siliciclastic–carbonate shelf deposits.Novodobiveni skup foraminifera iz epoha guadalupija i lopingija te induanija iz Western Salt Rangea (Pakistan) sastoji se od 47 vrsta (uključujući sedam vrsta porodice Fusulinidae) iz 24 roda i 71 vrste (uključujući devet vrsta porodice Fusulinidae) iz 41 roda Nammal i Zaluch sekcije, redom. Rezultati pokazuju da su samo četiri vrste izumrle tijekom masovnoga izumiranja u guadalupiju i lopingiju (GLMI), što upućuje na to da je GLMI imao manji utjecaj na manje foraminifere u Salt Rangeu. Većina vrsta izumrla je tijekom permsko-trijaskoga masovnog izumiranja (PTMI), osim dvaju preživjelih rodova, Nodosinelloides i Planiinvoluta. Tijekom masovnoga izumiranja krajem perma većina je vrsta izumrla u donjemu dijelu formacije chhidru, jer nisu bile tolerantne na terigeno-klastični unos u gornjemu dijelu formacije chhidru. Prvi put dokumentiran je proces izumiranja foraminifera u dijelovima Nammal i Zaluch. Pet grupa foraminifera prepoznato je u plitkim morskim naslagama šelfa Western Salt Rangea, tj. skup iz wordija Geinitzina araxensis u podvodnome okruženju delte do srednjega šelfa pod utjecajem plime, skup iz capitana Baisalina pulchra i skup iz wuchiapingija Codonofusiella schubertelliner u karbonatnim naslagama unutarnjega i vanjskoga šelfa, iz changhsinga skup Colaniella pseudolepida i iz induanija skup Nodosinelloides-Planiinvoluta u mješovitome siliciklastično-karbonatnome dijelu šelfa. Skupovi Baisalina pulchra i Codonofusiella schubertellinoides imaju široku geografsku rasprostranjenost i pronađeni su u Transkavkazu, Kini, Turskoj, na Krimu i u Omanu. Ostala tri skupa (tj. Geinitzina araxensis, Colaniella pseudolepida i Nodosinelloides- Planiinvoluta) pronađena u ovoj studiji vjerojatno su lokalni/regionalni skupovi. Foraminifere su promatrane standardnim mikroskopskim sustavom Leica-DM500. Ukupno je zabilježen 681 primjerak foraminifera u odjeljcima grupe Zaluch i Mianwali, formacije Nammal i sekcije Zaluch. Pronađeno je pet stotina devedeset devet manjih foraminifera. Među manjim foraminiferama Nodosinelloides, Pachyphloia, Geinitzina, Colaniella, Hemigordius, Tuberitina i Langella predstavljaju najdominantnije rodove. Veći rodovi foraminifera uključuju Nankinella, Codonofusiella, Reichelina, Necdetina i Pisolina, a predstavljeni su s 82 primjerka. Ukupno 3 razreda (npr. Nodosariata, Fusulinata i Tubothalamea) i sedam redova (tj. Miliolida, Spirillinida, Lagenida, Parathuramminida, Endothyrida, Fusulinida i Earlandiida) identificirana su u ovoj studiji. Među njima, Lagenida postaje najdominantnija po raznolikosti i obilju. Indeks raznolikosti Shannon i drugi indeksi progresivno rastu od wordija do changhsingiana u plitkim morskim sedimentima prije nego što padnu na nulu u ranotrijaskim mješovitim siliciklastično-karbonatnim naslagama šelfa

Catalytic degradation of carbamazepine by surface modified zerovalent copper via activation of peroxymonosulfate: Mechanism, degradation pathways and ecotoxicity.

ABSTRACTIn this research work, surface modified nano zerovalent copper (nZVC) was prepared using simple borohydride reduction method. The spectroscopic and crystallographic results revealed the successful synthesis of surface modified nano zerovalent copper (nZVC) using solvents i.e., ethanol (ETOH), ethylene glycol (EG) and tween80 (T80). The as-synthesized material was fully characterized for morphological surface and crystal structural properties. The results indicated that EG provides excellent synthesis environment to nZVC compared to ETOH and T80 in terms of good dispersion, high surface area and excellent catalytic properties. The catalytic efficiency of nZVC/EG was investigated alone as well as with the addition of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in the absence of light. The degradation results demonstrated that the involvement of PMS synergistically boosted the catalytic efficiency of synthesized nZVC/EG material. Furthermore, the degradation products (DPs) of CBZ were determined by GC-MS and subsequently the degradation pathways were proposed. The ecotoxicity analysis of the DPs was also explored. The proposed (nZVC/EG/PMS) system is economical and efficient and thus could be applied for the degradation of CBZ from aquatic system after altering the degradation pathways in such a way that results in harmless products formation

Validated RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of glucosamine sulphate and curcumin in cream formulation: A novel stability-indicating study

Purpose: To develop and validate a stability-indicating reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of glucosamine sulphate (GS) and curcumin (Cur) in drug solution and formulation.Methods: The optimized chromatographic conditions were achieved by passing various compositions of mobile phases over  different reverse phase chromatographic columns. Various validation parameters, including linearity, range, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision, specificity and system suitability were performed and evaluated. Stability studies under stressed conditions were done to evaluate the effects of acid, alkali, oxidation, heat and degradation by UV light.Results: The validated method was linear over the concentration range of 0.094 to 1.5 mg/mL for GS and 0.125 to 1.5 mg/mL for Cur, with a correlation coefficient > 0.999. The Intra and inter-day precision were 1.9 % for GS and 0.5 % for Cur, while accuracy was 96 and 102 % for GS and Cur, respectively. Stability studies showed that GS was highly sensitive to acid, alkali and oxidation and less sensitive to heat and UV. Cur was stable against acid, heat and oxidation but sensitive to alkali and UV.Conclusion: The developed and validated method was precise and accurate for both GS and Cur and can potentially be utilized for their identification and quantification at industrial, research and quality control laboratories

Translation and validation of the Urdu version of the European organization for research and treatment of cancer core quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and brain module (QLQ-BN20) in primary brain tumor patients

Introduction: This study translated and validated the Urdu version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Brain Module (QLQ-BN20) amongst patients with primary brain tumors (PBT) in Pakistan, and assessed the correlation of QoL with resilience, depression, and anxiety.Methods: Translation of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 was performed as per EORTC guidelines. A survey comprising of Urdu translations of EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BN20, Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (RS-14) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was administered to patients with PBT at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Reliability (via Cronbach alpha), content validity index (CVI) scores, construct validity, and inter-scale correlations were assessed.Results: Our sample consisted of 250 patients with PBT, most commonly glioma (46.8%) and meningioma (21.2%). All patients were able to understand the Urdu translations. The Cronbach alphas for the QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-BN20 were 0.860 and 0.880, respectively. The CVI scores for clarity and relevance were high for both the EORTC QLQ-C30 (0.98 and 0.96, respectively) and the QLQ-BN20 tool (0.81 and 0.95, respectively). The global QoL domain (EORTC QLQ-C30) showed significant positive correlations with resilience (r = 0.422), and significant negative correlations with depression (r = - 0.541) and anxiety (r = - 0.502). Strong inter-scale correlations were observed between physical functioning and insomnia (r = - 0.690) and role functioning and insomnia (r = - 0.641).Conclusion: Our study confirms the Urdu versions of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 as valid clinical tools for the measurement of QoL in primary brain tumors patients within the cultural and socioeconomic context of Pakistan

Toxicities, kinetics and degradation pathways investigation of ciprofloxacin degradation using iron-mediated H\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e based advanced oxidation processes

© 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a widespread emerging water pollutant and thus its removal from aquatic environment is vital. The use of Fe3+/H2O2 and Fe2+/H2O2 resulted in 38 and 64% removal of CIP (8.0 ppm), respectively, within 80 min reaction time (pH 5.8, [H2O2]0 = 80 ppm, and [iron]0 = 20 ppm). Low pH, high temperature, high dose of H2O2 and Fe2+, and low CIP concentration facilitated removal of CIP. The radical scavenger studies proved in situ generated [rad]OH to be involved primarily in the removal of CIP. The effect of temperature was used to estimate enthalpy and activation energies of the removal of CIP. At 800 min reaction time, the Fe2+/H2O2 resulted in 54% mineralization of CIP using 16.0 ppm [CIP]0, 320.0 ppm [H2O2]0, and 40.0 ppm [Fe2+]0. The potential degradation pathways of CIP established from the degradation of CIP by [rad]OH and products evolved was found to be initiated at C6 through the loss of fluoride ion. The acute and chronic toxicities of CIP and its degradation products were estimated with the final product found to be non-toxic. The results suggest that Fe2+/H2O2-mediated AOPs have high potential for degradation as well as toxicity elimination of CIP and its degradation products

Wastewater-irrigated vegetables are a significant source of heavy metal contaminants : toxicity and health risks

Water contaminated with heavy metals constitutes an important threat. This threat is a real problem with a negative impact in some developing countries where untreated industrial effluents are used for irrigation. The present study examines heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated vegetables (apple gourd, spinach, cauliflower, sponge gourd, and coriander) water, and soil from Chenab Nagar, Chiniot, Pakistan. In particular, the metals quantified were cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn). Among them, Cr and Co in crops irrigated -wastewater exceeded the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In contrast, Ni, Cu, Pb, and Mn concentrations were in line with WHO standards. Compared with the limits established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), all the study vegetables presented higher (thus unsafe) concentrations of Cd (0.38 to 1.205 mg/Kg). There were also unsafe concentrations of Cr in coriander, sponge gourd, and cauliflower. Pb was found at an unsafe concentration (0.59 mg/Kg) in cauliflower. Conversely, Ni and Mn concentrations were below the maximum permissible limits by WHO, and FAO in all of the analyzed samples. The contamination load index (CLI) in soil, bioconcentration factor (BCF) in plants, daily intake of metals (DIM), and health risk index (HRI) have also been evaluated to estimate the potential risk to human health in that area. We have found an important risk of transitions of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Co from water/soil to the edible part of the plant. The highest HRI value associated with Cd (6.10–13.85) followed by Cr (1.25–7.67) for all vegetable samples presented them as high health risk metal contaminants. If the issue is not addressed, consumption of wastewater-irrigated vegetables will continue posing a health risk

The NAMPT inhibitor FK866 reverts the damage in spinal cord injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emerging data implicate nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT) in the pathogenesis of cancer and inflammation. NAMPT inhibitors have proven beneficial in inflammatory animal models of arthritis and endotoxic shock as well as in autoimmune encephalitis. Given the role of inflammatory responses in spinal cord injury (SCI), the effect of NAMPT inhibitors was examined in this setting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the effects of the NAMPT inhibitor FK866 in an experimental compression model of SCI.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-four hr following induction of SCI, a significant functional deficit accompanied widespread edema, demyelination, neuron loss and a substantial increase in TNF-α, IL-1β, PAR, NAMPT, Bax, MPO activity, NF-κB activation, astrogliosis and microglial activation was observed. Meanwhile, the expression of neurotrophins BDNF, GDNF, NT3 and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 decreased significantly. Treatment with FK866 (10 mg/kg), the best known and characterized NAMPT inhibitor, at 1 h and 6 h after SCI rescued motor function, preserved perilesional gray and white matter, restored anti-apoptotic and neurotrophic factors, prevented the activation of neutrophils, microglia and astrocytes and inhibited the elevation of NAMPT, PAR, TNF-α, IL-1β, Bax expression and NF-κB activity.</p> <p>We show for the first time that FK866, a specific inhibitor of NAMPT, administered after SCI, is capable of reducing the secondary inflammatory injury and partly reduce permanent damage. We also show that NAMPT protein levels are increased upon SCI in the perilesional area which can be corrected by administration of FK866.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that the inflammatory component associated to SCI is the primary target of these inhibitors.</p