A COMPARITIVE STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF TAPING WITH IONTOPHORESIS AND TAPING ALONE IN CHRONIC PLANTAR FASCITIS

Background: Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition caused by microtrauma to plantar fascia due to overuse. It is a most common cause of heel pain in runners. Various studies proved taping and Iontophoresis as effective in the treating plantar fasciitis. But there are no studies comparing the combined effect of iontophoresis with taping and taping alone in the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Methods: 50 patients suffering from plantar fasciitis who met the inclusion criteria were selected. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups i.e. Group A and Group B. Group A received taping, iontophoresis with plantar fascia stretching. Group B received taping and plantar fascia stretching. A total of 6 treatment sessions were given on alternate days over a period of two weeks for both the groups. Results: VAS and FFI scores across baseline and post intervention showed a significant improvement statistically in their mean scores between Groups A and B (P<0.05). Between group comparison of VAS and FFI scores, it showed that subject treated with Iontophoresis in combination with taping and plantar fascia stretch (Group A) had significant improvement in VAS and functional ability when compared to subjects treated with taping and plantar fascia stretching alone (Group B). Conclusion: Iontophoresis along with Taping and plantar fascia stretching gave an additional benefit when compared with Taping and plantar fascia stretching alone in reducing pain and improving function in plantar fasciitis. Keywords: Plantar Fascitis, Taping, Stretching, Iontophoresis, VAS, FF

Effect of Aloevera Whole Leaf Extract in Combination with Rosiglitazone on Oxidative Stress and Lipid Profile Levels in Type-2 Diabetic Rats

Objective: To measure the synergistic effects of Aloevera and Rosiglitazone on plasma glucose, oxidative stress and lipid profile in Type-2 Diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats.Subjects and Methods: A Randomized control trail was carried out in Physiology department of Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. Twenty healthy rats were made diabetic according to Srinivasan model. After confirmation of type 2 Diabetes, they were randomly segregated into two equal groups. Groups were named as diabetic control group and Diabetic treatment group. Control group was injected normal saline and treatment group was given 150 mg/kg body weight of Aloevera extract and 2.5mg/kg body weight of rosiglitazone. It was half of the effective doses which were calculated through pilot study.Results: Plasma glucose, Malondialdehyde and lipid profile were significantly reduced (p&lt;0.000) in diabetic treatment group as compared to diabetic control group.Conclusion: A significant reduction in plasma glucose, oxidative stress and lipid profile was obtained in diabetic treatment group although half of the effective doses were used. It would also be help in reducing side effects associated with use of rosiglitazone

Safety system for non-interventional flexible robotic arm of Orthopaedic Robot (OTOROB) using fuzzy logic

One of the main and recent problem in developing countries like Malaysia is lack of surgeon or specialists, especially in rural areas. Insufficient specialized surgeons in such regions particularly in the niche of orthopedic, causes more fatalities and loss of limbs due to time and distance constrain in attending the patients. A mobile robotic system known as OTOROB (Orthopedic Robot) is designed and developed to aid surgeons to virtually present at such areas for attending patients in order to make life saving decisions. The developed mobile robotic platform is integrated with a flexible robotic arm vision system to be controlled remotely by the remote surgeon to obtain visual inspection on the patients. Fuzzy logic control is implemented in the control system as Artificial intelligence (AI) to provide safety features for the robotic arm articulation. The safety system of the robotic arm consists of Danger Monitoring System (DMS) and Obstacle Avoidance System (OAS). The experiments conducted on DMS shows that the DMS capable of conveying danger level surrounding the robotic arm to the user through GUI with warning indication and obstacle position. While, OAS developed, responded to the mobile and static obstacle around the robotic arm. The robotic arm is capable of avoiding approaching obstacle autonomously via fuzzy control. The smooth control of robotic arm coupled with safety routines improved the overall articulation of the robotic arm. The safety oriented flexible robotic arm system of OTOROB able to deliver reliable and convenient for both remote doctor and patient in real time emergency circumstances

Technology, privacy, and user opinions of COVID-19 mobile apps for contact tracing : systematic search and content analysis

Background: Many countries across the globe have released their own COVID-19 contact tracing apps. This has resulted in the proliferation of several apps that used a variety of technologies. With the absence of a standardized approach used by the authorities, policy makers, and developers, many of these apps were unique. Therefore, they varied by function and the underlying technology used for contact tracing and infection reporting. Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze most of the COVID-19 contact tracing apps in use today. Beyond investigating the privacy features, design, and implications of these apps, this research examined the underlying technologies used in contact tracing apps. It also attempted to provide some insights into their level of penetration and to gauge their public reception. This research also investigated the data collection, reporting, retention, and destruction procedures used by each of the apps under review. Methods: This research study evaluated 13 apps corresponding to 10 countries based on the underlying technology used. The inclusion criteria ensured that most COVID-19-declared epicenters (ie, countries) were included in the sample, such as Italy. The evaluated apps also included countries that did relatively well in controlling the outbreak of COVID-19, such as Singapore. Informational and unofficial contact tracing apps were excluded from this study. A total of 30,000 reviews corresponding to the 13 apps were scraped from app store webpages and analyzed. Results: This study identified seven distinct technologies used by COVID-19 tracing apps and 13 distinct apps. The United States was reported to have released the most contact tracing apps, followed by Italy. Bluetooth was the most frequently used underlying technology, employed by seven apps, whereas three apps used GPS. The Norwegian, Singaporean, Georgian, and New Zealand apps were among those that collected the most personal information from users, whereas some apps, such as the Swiss app and the Italian (Immuni) app, did not collect any user information. The observed minimum amount of time implemented for most of the apps with regard to data destruction was 14 days, while the Georgian app retained records for 3 years. No significant battery drainage issue was reported for most of the apps. Interestingly, only about 2% of the reviewers expressed concerns about their privacy across all apps. The number and frequency of technical issues reported on the Apple App Store were significantly more than those reported on Google Play; the highest was with the New Zealand app, with 27% of the reviewers reporting technical difficulties (ie, 10% out of 27% scraped reviews reported that the app did not work). The Norwegian, Swiss, and US (PathCheck) apps had the least reported technical issues, sitting at just below 10%. In terms of usability, many apps, such as those from Singapore, Australia, and Switzerland, did not provide the users with an option to sign out from their apps. Conclusions: This article highlighted the fact that COVID-19 contact tracing apps are still facing many obstacles toward their widespread and public acceptance. The main challenges are related to the technical, usability, and privacy issues or to the requirements reported by some users

Investigation of the anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of wheat bread supplemented with onion peel extract and onion powder in diabetic rats

Aim Onion is one of the commonly cultivated and consumed vegetables rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. Various nutraceuticals are found in the outer fleshy layers and dry peel of onion which usually is treated as a common biowaste. Diabetes mellitus is a leading non communicable disease causing hyperglycemia and increased production of free radicals that potentially disrupts antioxidant enzymatic activity. Considering global consumption of wheat, the present study was designed to evaluate the anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of wheat bread supplemented with onion peel extract (OPE) or onion powder (OP) on diabetic rats. Methods In this study, ethanolic extract of onion peel and onion bulb were prepared separately. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups (n = 7). Different regimens of supplemented wheat bread (OPE (1% and 3%) and OP (5% and 7%)) were given to diabetic rats for eight weeks, plain bread was used as the control. Blood glucose level, body weight and activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GSH and MDA in the liver and kidney tissues were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version (25) and Dunnett's multiple comparison test. Results Bread supplemented with 1% and 3% onion peel extract and 7% onion powder significantly reduced blood glucose levels and MDA in the treated rats compared with the control group diabetic rats. Body weight of diabetic rats was reduced for control group, while onion supplemented diet improved the body weight of treated rats. Onion supplementation also brought significant improvement in antioxidant enzyme activities among the treated diabetic rats. Conclusion These findings suggested that onion supplementation is effective in lowering blood glucose and could potentially aid in protecting organs from oxidative stress.Peer reviewe

Trapping of Ag+, Cu2+, and Co2+ by faujasite zeolite Y: new interpretations of the adsorption mechanism via DFT and statistical modeling investigation

This work evaluated the potential of a synthesized faujasite-type zeolite Y as an adsorbent for the removal of relevant heavy metals such as silver (Ag+), copper (Cu2+), and cobalt (Co2+). The adsorption data of Ag+, Cu2+, and Co2+ ions were determined experimentally at pH 6 and temperatures of 298, 308, and 318 K. Two theoretical approaches have been applied based on statistical physics modeling and density functional theory (DFT) to understand and characterize the ion exchanges involved in the removal of all metals. Results showed that this zeolite was more efficient for the adsorption of Ag+ via cation-exchange. Based on the physical modelling, the removal of heavy metals on this zeolite was mono and multi-ionic (simple and multi-interactions), where the ions interacted via one and two adsorption sites. It was also noted that the temperature increment generated more available functional groups of the zeolite, facilitating the access to the smaller cavities and the interactions with the adsorbent. Adsorption energies for removing these metals with tested zeolite were slightly endothermic and were consistent with the typical values reported for ion exchange systems of heavy metals + zeolites. DFT results demonstrated that these cationic exchange energies depend on the nature of precursor salt, but with the same ranking. Both statistical and DFT approaches agreed that exchange Ag+ in zeolite Y was easier than Cu2+ and Co2+. Overall, the application of both theoretical approaches provided a reliable interpretation of the adsorption mechanism

Possible improvements to exsisting bus fare structure to achieve better service

The bus transport industry in Sri Lanka has an important role to play as public transport. It’s performance affects the economic activity in various ways. Therefore an efficient public transport system is considered a highly required condition for faster economic growth and social progress in the country. However, the public transport sector in Sri Lanka especially the bus transport suffers many deficiencies due to the lack of effective and consistent policy to guide the sector. Basically bus fare is one of the most important factors regarding profit maximization in the industry as well as providing a quality service to the passengers. If not people are not interested to invest their money and they don’t stay in the industry for long. Therefore it needed a policy regarding bus fare which comes to affect a policy for the fare revisions since 2002.This policy has guided the industry to make fare revisions in scientific way. Anyhow there is a question arises that the rate which decided to revise the bus fare earlier and after introducing the policy is comparatively reasonable with other economic indicators. On the other hand it is important to examine that the rate which decided to revise the fare is reasonably applied to the individual fare stages which consist different segment of distance. Generally the accepted idea is that the short distance fare was overpriced and long distance services were under priced. This situation badly affected to the industry where the quality of the services are not improved comparatively with the increase of bus fare. Before nationalization bus fare was revised few times and available data of that are insufficient to analyze. Therefore this study mainly focused to analyze the existing fare structure which comes from nationalization of the bus transport. The bus fare was revised 25 times since 1958 under the different institutional structure and the analysis further useful to identify the period which mostly affected the collapse the uniformity of the fare structure. Basically qualities of the services depend on its price level. However the fare level in bus transport also needs to examine how fare structure affects the quality of the services. It is evident that the passenger’s views and level of satisfaction on bus transport to be identified by a survey. This study also emphasizes to recognize certain improvements to the existing fare structure which possible to achieve a better service from the bus industry

Correlation Analysis and Prediction of Cryptocurrencies using Machine Learning

Cryptocurrency prediction and price analysis has emerged one of the popular trends in the forecasting domain. Since the skyrocketing price rise of cryptocurrencies, the same time last year in December 2017, it has investors waiting for a right opportunity to invest in this new age digital money which is now a commodity. The aim of this project is to help investors with an understanding of a relationship between cryptocurrencies using the correlation coefficient analysis and predicting them using different data mining algorithm models. This project investigates different statistical correlation techniques as Spearman, Pearson and Kendall for the top five cryptocurrencies ranked as per their market capitalization. The project validates the performance of different machine learning algorithms using the RMSE error rate value. Seven different algorithms were used for the prediction models out of which LSTM had a good performance, whereas Random Forest did poorly amongst all cryptocurrencies. This project will help investors with better investment decisions for such volatile cryptocurrency markets and provide insights on cryptocurrency price movement directions as well as relativity between them

Solution of Pantograph Differential Equations by Collocation Method using Ortho Exponential Polynomial

Novel matrix based on numerical technique of collocation method via truncated ortho exponential polynomial (OECM) is proposed to approximate the solution of pantograph differential equations. The applicability, reliability, and efficiency of the methodology are examined by applying the method to the pantograph differential equations. The comparison is made between the existing reported results and the present results. The proposed method shows good agreement with the existing reported method, hence indicate collocation method via truncated ortho exponential polynomial (OECM) is able to numerically simulate pantograph differential equations