Tennis elbow brace and wrist cock-up splint in the management of tennis elbow: a comparative study

Background: The purpose of our study was to compare the efficacy of a wrist splint with a forearm counterforce strap brace in the management of tennis elbow.Methods: This prospective study was conducted between January and December 2018 comprising of 75 patients suffering from lateral epicondylitis managed conservatively with splints. Patients were randomized into three treatment groups, group 1 received tennis elbow forearm brace, group 2 received wrist extension splint, group 3 received both tennis elbow forearm brace and wrist extension splint. The patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) score and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were calculated at 0, 3 and 6 weeks of the treatment.Results: Mean difference of pre-treatment and post-treatment PRTEE score was significant in all three groups and was maximum for group 3 patients (32.42) followed by group 2 patients (27.04) followed by group 1 patients (20.06). Pre-treatment and post-treatment VAS score difference was maximum for group 3 patients.Conclusions: Significant symptomatic relief can be achieved in patients with tennis elbow by using either tennis elbow forearm brace or wrist extension splint or both. Provided proper patient selection and compliance, wrist extension splint achieves better symptomatic relief and functional outcome as compared to tennis elbow brace

RECONSTRUCTION OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE WITH SYMMETRICAL COMPONENTS

Data capturing through either Lidar or photogrammetry, often results in incomplete and partial information related to a surface due to occlusion or inaccessibility of the clear object vision. In case of asymmetrical objects yet the reconstruction is unattainable by any means, meanwhile the approach for the development of the missing information could be done in cases of symmetrical objects. In this paper we have advised a semi-automatic approach for recreating missing or incomplete information from the partially captured data using space sub-division and 3D transformation. The study has been done on a 175 year-old building whose scanned information is available for only one side and captures a façade with four columns. The idea is to first extract the symmetrical parts through segmentation of different building parts. Then the columns with partial information have been oriented as per a reference plane based on the pose and centre computed from the horizontal parts. The instance is then used to fill in the lost information through duplication and transformation. This approach can be used to recreate structures with symmetrical elements, which are partially destroyed from withering, disaster, or any human intervention

Deutetrabenazine for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease

This is a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the use of Deutetrabenazine in treating chorea associated with Huntington’s disease. Unfortunately, treatment has been limited for many aspects of this neurodegenerative disease. The present investigation presents the background, evidence, and indications for the use Deutetrabenazine in the setting of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is characterized by a variety of motor, psychiatric, and cognitive symptoms with chorea being one of the more notable ones. Chorea is a movement disorder present in multiple neurologic diseases that causes involuntary and irregular muscle movements theorized to be stemming from high dopamine levels. Deutetrabenazine is thought to function as an inhibitor of the VMAT2 vesicular monoamine transporter resulting in decreased monoamine release, including dopamine, in the synaptic cleft which has a therapeutic effect in management of chorea. This drug was approved by the FDA in 2017 with a specific indication for tardive dyskinesia and choreiform movement in Huntington’s disease. Currently, there is no definitive treatment for Huntington’s disease. Thus, management is primarily focused on symptom management with the use of a variety of pharmaceutical agents. Chorea is one of the many manifestations that significantly alter the quality of life of many patients. Deutetrabenazine is a promising new option for the treatment of chorea in the setting of Huntington’s disease. Although studies so far have displayed mixed results, further research, including head-to-head studies, is necessary to elucidate the true potential of this drug

Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims More than 100 million people to date have been affected by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Patients with COVID-19 have a higher risk of bleeding complications. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the outcomes of COVID-19 patients with signs and symptoms of acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Methods A systematic literature search was carried out for articles published until until November 11, 2020, in the Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. We included studies on COVID-19 patients with signs and symptoms of GIB. Results Our search yielded 49 studies, of which eight with a collective 127 patients (86 males and 41 females) met our inclusion criteria. Conservative management alone was performed in 59% of the patients, endoscopic evaluation in 31.5%, and interventional radiology (IR) embolization in 11%. Peptic ulcer disease was the most common endoscopic finding, diagnosed in 47.5% of the patients. Pooled overall mortality was 19.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 12.7%-27.6%) and pooled mortality secondary to GIB was 3.5% (95% CI; 1.3%–9.1%). The pooled risk of rebleeding was 11.3% (95% CI; 6.8%–18.4%). Conclusions The majority of COVID-19 patients with GIB responded to conservative management, with a low mortality rate associated with GIB and the risk of rebleeding. Thus, we suggest limiting endoscopic and IR interventions to those with hemodynamic instability and those for whom conservative management was unsuccessful

Study of Driver’s Behavior at Passive Railroad‐Highway Grade Crossings

Railway highway grade crossing safety has always been a concern for railroads, state DOTs, and the driving population. This paper presents an overview of drivers’ behavior at different passive warning sign systems present at a selected number of Kansas railroad-highway grade crossings. Emphasis in this study was on drivers’ stopping behavior at the STOP signs, as that has been a major concern of Kansas DOT (KDOT). A field study was conducted on nine grade crossings with selected warning devices to determine driver’s approach behavior, particularly stopping behavior at STOP signs. Various statistical analysis and comparisons are done for stopping of heavy trucks, school buses and other vehicles at crossings with both poor and good sight distance on their approaches. Based on the field tests conducted it was found that the majority of drivers did not stop at the STOP signs at the grade crossings. A higher percentage of drivers actually stopped at crossings with poor sight distance on the approach than on approaches with good sight distance. The use of the STOP sign at passive grade crossings has been controversial for several decades. This paper presents a brief history of their use and the controversy. Based on this limited study, the authors recommended that a STOP sign should not be used at grade crossings without a valid engineering study that includes an evaluation of the sight distance

Study of Driver’s Behavior at Passive Railroad-Highway Grade Crossings

Railway highway grade crossing safety has always been a concern for railroads, state DOTs, and the driving population. This paper presents an overview of drivers' behavior at different passive warning sign systems present at a selected number of Kansas railroad-highway grade crossings. Emphasis in this study was on drivers' stopping behavior at the STOP signs, as that has been a major concern of Kansas DOT (KDOT). A field study was conducted on nine grade crossings with selected warning devices to determine driver's approach behavior, particularly stopping behavior at STOP signs. Various statistical analysis and comparisons are done for stopping of heavy trucks, school buses and other vehicles at crossings with both poor and good sight distance on their approaches. Based on the field tests conducted it was found that the majority of drivers did not stop at the STOP signs at the grade crossings. A higher percentage of drivers actually stopped at crossings with poor sight distance on the approach than on approaches with good sight distance. The use of the STOP sign at passive grade crossings has been controversial for several decades. This paper presents a brief history of their use and the controversy. Based on this limited study, the authors recommended that a STOP sign should not be used at grade crossings without a valid engineering study that includes an evaluation of the sight distance

Effect of plain strain deformation on grain strengthening mechanism of Fe-Al2O3 metal matrix nanocomposites

The present paper reports the effect of plain strain deformation on grain strengthening mechanism of iron (Fe) - alumina (Al2O3) Metal Matrix Nanocomposites (MMNCs) fabricated through powder metallurgical (P/M) processing. Specimens for the present study were weighed in required amount, ball milled, compacted at a load of 5, 6 and 7 tons followed by sintering in an atmospheric controlled furnace at 1100 C for 1 hour. Plain strain deformation of samples was carried out at a load of 5 tons under different interfacial condition i.e. dry, solid lubricant and liquid lubricant. XRD studies reveal the formation of iron, alumina and nano iron-aluminate (FeAl2O4) phases respectively. Maximum average sintered density investigated for the specimen is found to be 4.6179 gm/cc compacted under 7 tons of load and minimum sintered density is found to be 4.4572 gm/cc for specimen compacted under 5 tons of load. Overall, fabricated Fe-Al2O3 metal matrix nanocomposites with powder metallurgy route when characterized for plain strain deformation shows strengthening between grain and grain boundary which can be a good candidate material for application in railways especially while designing railway structures and tracks.Scopu