Design, Development and Evaluation of Portable Washer for Lotus Rhizomes

629-633The aim of the present study was to design, develop and evaluate a low cost portable washer for Lotus Rhizomes. Different performance parameters and colour values were studied to check the performance of the developed prototype in comparison to the manual washing. The capacity and efficiency of the machine was much higher than the existing manual method of washing. The colour coordinates (L* a* b*) revealed that washing through developed washer makes lotus rhizomes more clean and bright as compared to the  manual washing. Different sanitizers were also tested for shelf life enhancement of lotus rhizomes. Out of all tested sanitizers, the citric acid was found best with regard to shelf life enhancement and cleanliness of lotus rhizomes. The economic analysis reveals that the developed lotus rhizome washer can be beneficial for the people who are directly or indirectly involved in lotus rhizome trade

The Use of a Rabbit Model to Evaluate the Influence of Age on Excision Wound Healing

Background: The wound healing involves a highly co-ordinated cascade of cellular and immunological response over a period of time including coagulation, inflammation, granulation tissue formation, epithelialization, collagen synthesis and tissue remodeling. Wounds in aged heal more slowly than those in younger, mainly because of co morbidities that occurs as one ages. Present study is about the influence of age on wound healing. 1x1cm2 (100mm) wounds were created on the back of the animal. The animals were divided into two groups; one group had animals in the age group of 3-9 months while another group had animals in the age group of 15-21 months. Materials and Methods: 24 clinically healthy rabbits in the age group of 3-21 months were used as experimental animals and divided in two groups viz A and B. All experimental parameters i.e Excision wound model, Measurement of wound area, Protein extraction and estimation, Protein extraction and estimation and DNA extraction and estimation were done by standard methods. Results: The parameters studied were wound contraction, hydroxyproline, glucosamine, protein and DNA. Significant increase (p<0.005) in the hydroxyproline, glucosamine, protein and DNA and significant decrease in wound area (p<0.005) was observed in the age group of 3-9 months when compared to animals of age group of 15-21 months. Wound contraction together with hydroxyproline, glucosamine, protein and DNA estimations suggest that advance age results in retarded wound healing. Conclusion: The decrease wound contraction and accumulation of hydroxyproline, glucosamine, protein and DNA in group B animals may be associated with the reduction or delay in growth factors because of the advancing age

Delivering a culturally adapted therapy for Muslim clients with depression

Inequalities in mental health treatment access and outcomes for minority ethnic and religious groups in the UK have been recognized for more than a decade; however, work to address these at an operational level is still emerging. In recognition of the need for culturally adapted therapies, researchers at the University of Leeds developed and piloted an adapted therapy for Muslim clients, based on behavioural activation (BA), an existing evidence-based psychosocial treatment for depression. Therapists and supervisors at Touchstone, Leeds have been trained to deliver the culturally adapted approach, which supports Muslim clients who choose to use ‘positive religious coping’ as a resource for health. This paper describes the key elements of the intervention and how it is being delivered in practice to increase service uptake and recovery in Muslim communities

Evaluation of Two Novel Integrated Stand-Alone Spacer Designs Compared with Anterior and Anterior-Posterior Single-Level Lumbar Fusion Techniques: An Biomechanical Investigation

Study DesignIn vitro biomechanical investigation.PurposeTo compare the biomechanics of integrated three-screw and four-screw anterior interbody spacer devices and traditional techniques for treatment of degenerative disc disease.Overview of LiteratureBiomechanical literature describes investigations of operative techniques and integrated devices with four dual-stacked, diverging interbody screws; four alternating, converging screws through a polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) spacer; and four converging screws threaded within the PEEK spacer. Conflicting reports on the stability of stand-alone devices and the influence of device design on biomechanics warrant investigation.MethodsFourteen cadaveric lumbar spines were divided randomly into two equal groups (n=7). Each spine was tested intact, after discectomy (injured), and with PEEK interbody spacer alone (S), anterior lumbar plate and spacer (AP+S), bilateral pedicle screws and spacer (BPS+S), circumferential fixation with spacer and anterior lumbar plate supplemented with BPS, and three-screw (SA3s) or four-screw (SA4s) integrated spacers. Constructs were tested in flexion-extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR). Researchers performed one-way analysis of variance and independent t-testing (p≤0.05).ResultsInstrumented constructs showed significantly decreased motion compared with intact except the spacer-alone construct in FE and AR (p≤0.05). SA3s showed significantly decreased range of motion (ROM) compared with AP+S in LB (p≤0.05) and comparable ROM in FE and AR. The three-screw design increased stability in FE and LB with no significant differences between integrated spacers or between integrated spacers and BPS+S in all loading modes.ConclusionsIntegrated spacers provided fixation statistically equivalent to traditional techniques. Comparison of three-screw and four-screw integrated anterior lumbar interbody fusion spacers revealed no significant differences, but the longer, larger-diameter interbody spacer with three-screw design increased stabilization in FE and LB; the diverging four-screw design showed marginal improvement during AR

The Role of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E for Chemoprevention of Oral Leukoplakia

Introduction: Oral leukoplakia is a prevalent oral mucosal lesion known to undergo malignant transformation, posing a significant public health concern worldwide, primarily attributable to tobacco use. This study aims to investigate the potential preventive effects of vitamins A, C, and E on oral leukoplakia. We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh, over a one-year period from March 2017 to March 2018. Methods: Study Population: We enrolled a total of 43 patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia attending the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department. Data Collection: Patients were assessed at 6, 12, and 24-week intervals, during which data were collected using standardized data sheets. Lesion size was measured in square centimeters, and lesion color was recorded through photography. Adverse drug reactions were monitored based on patient complaints during follow-up. Histopathological Evaluation: Histopathological evaluations were performed both before the study and at the conclusion of the study to assess any changes in tissue characteristics. Outcome Variables: The primary outcome variables of interest were clinical response, histopathological findings, and complications associated with the treatment. Results: The study population had a mean age of 44.95±10.42 years, with an age range from 22 to 60 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.3:1. The average duration of the lesions was 14.81±4.82 months, with a range of 6 to 24 months. Lesions were most commonly located in the right buccal mucosa (41.9%), followed by the left buccal mucosa (27.4%). The mean initial lesion size was 4.08±1.95 cm², ranging from 1 to 8 cm². After 24 weeks, 11.63% of patients showed complete improvement. All patients initially presented with white lesions, with a reduction to 97.7% after 6 weeks, 88.4% after 12 weeks, and 69.8% after 24 weeks. Mild adverse drug reactions were reported in 11.7% of patients after 6 weeks and 2.3% after 12 and 24 weeks. Complete remission was observed in 11.6% of patients, and moderate improvement (41–90%) in 37.3%. Notably, one-third of patients experienced a significant color change in their lesions, and adverse drug reactions decreased during subsequent follow-up. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study indicates potential benefits of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in mitigating oral leukoplakia symptoms, such as reduced lesion size and color improvement, with fewer adverse reactions observed. However, larger, controlled trials are necessary to establish the definitive efficacy of this vitamin combination

Assessment of Surgical Procedural Time, Pedicle Screw Accuracy, and Clinician Radiation Exposure of a Novel Robotic Navigation System Compared With Conventional Open and Percutaneous Freehand Techniques: A Cadaveric Investigation

STUDY DESIGN: Cadaveric study. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate accuracy, radiation exposure, and surgical time of a new robotic-assisted navigation (RAN) platform compared with freehand techniques in conventional open and percutaneous procedures. METHODS: Ten board-certified surgeons inserted 16 pedicle screws at T10-L5 (n = 40 per technique) in 10 human cadaveric torsos. Pedicle screws were inserted with (1) conventional MIS technique (L2-L5, patient left pedicles), (2) MIS RAN (L2-L5, patient right pedicles), (3) conventional open technique (T10-L1, patient left pedicles), and (4) open RAN (T10-L1, patient right pedicles). Output included (1) operative time, (2) number of fluoroscopic images, and (3) screw accuracy. RESULTS: In the MIS group, compared with the freehand technique, RAN allowed for use of larger screws (diameter: 6.6 ± 0.6 mm vs 6.3 ± 0.5 mm; length: 50.3 ± 4.1 mm vs 46.9 ± 3.5 mm), decreased the number of breaches \u3e2 mm (0 vs 7), fewer fluoroscopic images (0 ± 0 vs 108.3 ± 30.9), and surgical procedure time per screw (3.6 ± 0.4 minutes vs 7.6 ± 2.0 minutes) (all CONCLUSION: RAN significantly improved accuracy and decreased radiation exposure in comparison to freehand techniques in both conventional open and percutaneous surgical procedures in cadavers. RAN significantly increased setup time compared with both conventional procedures

Pathogenic variants in PIDD1 lead to an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder with pachygyria and psychiatric features.

The PIDDosome is a multiprotein complex, composed by the p53-induced death domain protein 1 (PIDD1), the bipartite linker protein CRADD (also known as RAIDD) and the proform of caspase-2 that induces apoptosis in response to DNA damage. In the recent years, biallelic pathogenic variants in CRADD have been associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder (MRT34; MIM 614499) characterized by pachygyria with a predominant anterior gradient, megalencephaly, epilepsy and intellectual disability. More recently, biallelic pathogenic variants in PIDD1 have been described in a few families with apparently nonsydnromic intellectual disability. Here, we aim to delineate the genetic and radio-clinical features of PIDD1-related disorder. Exome sequencing was carried out in six consanguineous families. Thorough clinical and neuroradiological evaluation was performed for all the affected individuals as well as reviewing all the data from previously reported cases. We identified five distinct novel homozygous variants (c.2584C>T p.(Arg862Trp), c.1340G>A p.(Trp447*), c.2116_2120del p.(Val706Hisfs*30), c.1564_1565delCA p.(Gln522fs*44), and c.1804_1805del p.(Gly602fs*26) in eleven subjects displaying intellectual disability, behaviorial and psychiatric features, and a typical anterior-predominant pachygyria, remarkably resembling the CRADD-related neuroimaging pattern. In summary, we outline the phenotypic and molecular spectrum of PIDD1 biallelic variants supporting the evidence that the PIDD1/CRADD/caspase-2 signaling is crucial for normal gyration of the developing human neocortex as well as cognition and behavior

Study of the production of Λb0\Lambda_b^0 and B‾0\overline{B}^0 hadrons in pppp collisions and first measurement of the Λb0→J/ψpK−\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi pK^- branching fraction

The product of the $\Lambda_b^0$ ($\overline{B}^0$) differential production cross-section and the branching fraction of the decay $\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi pK^-$ ($\overline{B}^0\rightarrow J/\psi\overline{K}^*(892)^0$) is measured as a function of the beauty hadron transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, and rapidity, $y$. The kinematic region of the measurements is $p_{\rm T}<20~{\rm GeV}/c$ and $2.0<y<4.5$. The measurements use a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3~{\rm fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb detector in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s}=7~{\rm TeV}$ in 2011 and $\sqrt{s}=8~{\rm TeV}$ in 2012. Based on previous LHCb results of the fragmentation fraction ratio, $f_{\Lambda_B^0}/f_d$, the branching fraction of the decay $\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi pK^-$ is measured to be \begin{equation*} \mathcal{B}(\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi pK^-)= (3.17\pm0.04\pm0.07\pm0.34^{+0.45}_{-0.28})\times10^{-4}, \end{equation*} where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, the third is due to the uncertainty on the branching fraction of the decay $\overline{B}^0\rightarrow J/\psi\overline{K}^*(892)^0$, and the fourth is due to the knowledge of $f_{\Lambda_b^0}/f_d$. The sum of the asymmetries in the production and decay between $\Lambda_b^0$ and $\overline{\Lambda}_b^0$ is also measured as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ and $y$. The previously published branching fraction of $\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi p\pi^-$, relative to that of $\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi pK^-$, is updated. The branching fractions of $\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow P_c^+(\rightarrow J/\psi p)K^-$ are determined.Comment: 29 pages, 19figures. All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-032.htm