Relation between periodontal disease and ischemic heart disease

The aim of this study was to determine the association between periodontal diseases and ischemic heart disease among 30 exercise tolerance test (ETT) positive and 30 ETT negative of ischemic heart disease patients attending the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute. The presence of gum swelling for the two groups were statistically significant. The results revealed that 80% ETT positive and 23% ETT negative respondent had gum bleeding, 53% ETT positive and 7% ETT negative had ulceration of gingiva. Furthermore, severely inflamed with spontaneous bleeding was found in 53.3% ETT positive and 6.7% negative respondents. It can be concluded that oral hygiene should be promoted as a part of prevention of ischemic heart disease

Flexural Behavior of the Layered Beams Containing Reactive Powder Concrete and Self-Compacting Concrete

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) possesses superior structural and mechanical characteristics. Despite these excellent properties, the main drawback of RPC is that it is a very costly material. This study included an experimental program for studying the flexural behavior of hybrid beams containing RPC together with self-compacting concrete (SCC) in the same section. Five specimens with dimensions of 100 x 150 x 1000 mm were investigated. The first crack load, ultimate load, maximum deflection, load-deflection response, and crack pattern were investigated. The experimental program included testing five reinforced concrete beams with four-point loading. The specimens were cast as follows: full depth of self-compacting concrete; full depth of reactive powder concrete; half of the section depth of RPC (tension zone); quarter of the section depth of RPC (tension zone); and half of the section depth of RPC (compression zone). The experimental results of the hybrid beams showed that using RPC in the tension zone of the beam significantly improved the performance of the hybrid beams when compared with the SCC beam. The improvement rate increased with the RPC layer thickness in the tension zone. Using RPC in the compression zone together with SCC did not produce a significant improvement in the performance of the hybrid beams

Flexural Behavior of the Layered Beams Containing Reactive Powder Concrete and Self-Compacting Concrete

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) possesses superior structural and mechanical characteristics. Despite these excellent properties, the main drawback of RPC is that it is a very costly material. This study included an experimental program for studying the flexural behavior of hybrid beams containing RPC together with self-compacting concrete (SCC) in the same section. Five specimens with dimensions of 100 x 150 x 1000 mm were investigated. The first crack load, ultimate load, maximum deflection, load-deflection response, and crack pattern were investigated. The experimental program included testing five reinforced concrete beams with four-point loading. The specimens were cast as follows: full depth of self-compacting concrete; full depth of reactive powder concrete; half of the section depth of RPC (tension zone); quarter of the section depth of RPC (tension zone); and half of the section depth of RPC (compression zone). The experimental results of the hybrid beams showed that using RPC in the tension zone of the beam significantly improved the performance of the hybrid beams when compared with the SCC beam. The improvement rate increased with the RPC layer thickness in the tension zone. Using RPC in the compression zone together with SCC did not produce a significant improvement in the performance of the hybrid beams

Early Treatment of Craniosynostosis by Using Endoscopic – Assisted Minimally Invasive Techniques

Object: The conventional calvarial remodeling procedures are being replaced by minimally invasive endoscopic-assisted suturectomies across the globe. The object of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of these minimally invasive techniques of strip craniectomies in our population.Material and Methods: A total of 70 patients, below 4 months of age, with metopic, coronal or sagittal suture premature fusion were treated during a period of three years from Nov. 2009 – Nov. 2012, using minimally invasive endoscopic-assisted techniques.Results: The sagittal suture synostosis group consisted of 28 patients, 19 males and 9 females with a mean age of 3 months. The group with coronal synostosis consisted of 17 patients, 8 males and 9 females with a mean age of 3.2 months. Metopic group consisted of 25 patients, 17 males and 8 females with a mean age of 2.3months. All these patient were chosen for minimally invasive strip craniectomies with the help of rigid neuroendoscope instead of conventional suturectomy. There were 4 intra-operative and 3 post-operative blood transfusions (10%). The mean surgical time was 55mins. All but 3 patients were discharged on 1st post-operative day (96%).Complications included 3 dural tears, 2 sagittal sinus injuries and 2 pseudo-meningoceles (10%). 2 cases had superficial wound infection of the skin and there was no mortality. Using anthropometric measurements and photographic assessment, excellent results were obtained in 78%, good results in 14% and poor in 8%.Conclusion: Coronal, metopic and sagittal synostosis can be treated at a very early age satisfactorily with minimally invasive endoscopic-assisted technique with good cosmetic results and limited blood loss

Formulation design and evaluation of Cefuroxime axetil 125 mg immediate release tablets using different concentration of sodium lauryl sulphate as solubility enhancer

Formularam-se comprimidos de liberação imediata à base de cefuroxima axetil, pelo método de compressão direta, com diferentes percentagens de lauril sulfato de sódio (LSS), tais como 0,5, 1,0, 1,5, e também sem SLS. Os lotes resultantes dos comprimidos foram avaliados por ambos os métodos da farmacopeia e não farmacopeicos para determinar as propriedades físico-mecânicas. O teste de dissolução foi realizado em meios diferentes, como HCl 0,07 M, água destilada, HCl 0,1 M com pH 1,2 e os tampões fosfato (pH 4,5 e 6,8) para observar a liberação do fármaco contra a correspondente concentração de LSS utilizado. Em seguida, as formulações de teste foram comparadas por fatores f1 (dissimilaridade) e f2 (similaridade), utilizando uma marca de referência de cefuroxima axetil. Diferenças significativas (pCefuroxime axetil immediate release tablets were formulated by direct compression method with different percentages of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) such as 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and also without SLS. Resulting batches of tablets were evaluated by both pharmacopeial and non-pharmacopeial methods to ascertain the physico-mechanical properties. Dissolution test were carried out in different medium like 0.07 M HCl, distilled water, 0.1M HCl of pH 1.2 and phosphate buffers at pH 4.5 and 6.8 to observe the drug release against the respective concentration of SLS used. Later, test formulations were compared by f1 (dissimilarity) and f2 (similarity) factors using a reference brand of cefuroxime axetil. Significant differences (

THE FLAVONOID CONSTITUNTS OF LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA. GROWING IN EGYPT, AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.

Background: Leucaena leucocephala is native to Southern Mexico and Northern Central America, but is now naturalized throughout the tropics. The phyto-chemical data of L. leucocephala revealed the presence of terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins and sterols. Various parts of L. leucocephala have been reported to have medicinal properties. Materials and Methods: Flavonoids were isolated from the aerial parts of L. leucocephala. Antioxidant activity of the extracts and the isolated compounds was evaluated using (DPPH), as well as their cytotoxic activity using a single tumor [Ehrlish ascites carcinoma cells]. Results: The flavonoidal constituents isolated from chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of the aqueous alcoholic extract of aerial parts of Leucaena leucocephala were identified as Caffeic acid, Isorhamnetin, Chrysoeriol, Isorhamnetin 3-O-galactoside, Kaempferol-3-O-rubinoside, Quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside and Luteolin-7-glucoside. Chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified by TLC, PC and spectral techniques (UV, 1H -NMR and MS). The ethyl acetate fraction and the isolated flavonoidal compounds showed high antioxidant activity compared to Trolox (standard antioxidant compound). The different fractions and isolated compounds of Leucaena leucocephala exhibited no cytotoxic activity against Ehrlich- ascitis carcinoma cell line at the tested concentrations. Conclusion: This is the first record of the flavonoids in the aerial parts of Leucaena leucocephala (L.) except Quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside

Electrospun polylactic acid/date palm polyphenol extract nanofibres for tissue engineering applications

In this study, a set of polylactic acid (PLA)/polyphenol extracted from date palm fruit (DP) blends were prepared by electrospinning process to be used as cell culture scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. For this purpose, PLA/DP blends with variable composition were dissolved in dichloromethane/dimethylformamide (70:30, v/v) mixture and then electrospun to obtain the fibres. Contact angle measurements, dynamic mechanical analysis, mechanical tensile and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tools were used to study the physico-mechanical properties of the electrospun scaffolds. The results revealed that scaffolds became more hydrophilic with addition of DP. Increasing the polyphenol concentration caused the tensile strength and Young's modulus to decrease. The SEM graphs indicated a decrease in fibre diameter with increasing DP content. In addition, it was found that both cell proliferation and cell viability were enhanced with increased DP concentration within the scaffolds. The scratch test shows that there is an enhancement in cell migration through the scratch for PLA/DP scaffolds; again, higher DP content resulted better migration. Our results suggest that improved mechanical properties, decreased fibre diameter and enhanced hydrophilicity with addition of DP improved cell migration and cell adhesion for the scaffolds. Overall, these results demonstrate that DP is a potential natural cell-friendly product for tissue engineering applications such as tissue regeneration or wound healing assays

Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus in Patients with Altered Mental Status Admitted to Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar

This is a prospective, hospital-based study reporting an update and the prevalence of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in patients with altered mental status (AMS) in Qatar. Patients presenting with NCSE are compared to controls. Two-hundred and fifty patients with AMS are involved. Patients with NCSE are: 65 (12–79 years, m, 37, f, 28); controls: 185 (12–80 years, m, 101, f, 84). Occurrence of NCSE in patients with AMS was 26%. NCSE patients were younger than controls (p < 0.001). Deaths in the NCSE group occurred in 31% and 19% in controls (p < 0.0007). Hospitalization length was longer in NCSE proper and in comatose NCSE compared to controls (p < 0.02, p < 0.03). Recovery occurred in 40% of NCSE patients and 53% of controls (p < 0.08). About 31% of patients (n = 21) had refractory NCSE and 9 died. This is the first study reporting the prevalence of NCSE in Qatar. This prevalence (26%) is in the middle range. NCSE did not do better than the controls, result being disappointing regarding comatose NCSE. NCSE is an emerging condition requiring rapid diagnosis and rapid treatment. Regarding the optimal duration of continuous EGG (cEEG) monitoring to diagnose the majority of NCSE cases, 3 days of cEEG monitoring could accomplish this task