Thermodynamics of lectin-sugar interaction: binding of sugars to winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) basic aggIutinin (WBAI)

Combining site of WBAI is extended and encompasses all the residues of blood group A-reactive trisaccharide [GalNAcα3Galβ4Glc]. Though both of the fucose residues of A-pentasaccharide [GalNAcα(Fucα2)3Galβ(Fucα3)4Glc] do not directly interact with the combining site they thermodynamically favour the interaction of GalNAcα3Galβ4Glc part of the molecule by imposing a sterically favourable orientation of the binding epitope viz. GalNAcα3Galβ4Glc of the saccharide. Binding of sugars is driven by enthalpy and is devoid of heat capacity changes. This together with enthalpy-entropy compensation observed for these processes underscore the importance of water reorganization as being one of the principal determinant of protein-sugar interactions

Landslide at Railway Project Site in Weak Murree Formation — Case Study

Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) is constructing 71 km Railway Line from Katra to Dharam in Jammu & Kashmir state of India for Indian Railways. This line when constructed up to Quazigund will link the remote areas of Kashmir valley with main network of Indian Railways. This rail link is required for socio-economic development of remote areas. Three executing agencies are handling the entire project. The KRCL stretch is situated in high mountains and deep gorges requiring construction of large number of tunnels and major bridges. Strata along the alignment is fragile and charged with water particularly in tunnels passing through shear Zones. Several problems were faced while tunnelling which were handled in consultation with various experts from all over the world

Landslide of Tunnel Face by Slip Circle Formation —Case Study

Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) has been assigned construction of 71 km Railway Line from Katra to Dharam in Jammu & Kashmir state of India. This line when constructed up to Quazigund will link the Kashmir valley with main Indian Railways network. Indian Railway Construction Co. (IRCON) is assigned the section from Dharam to Quazigund. Railway Line in the valley beyond Quazigund is in operation. The KRCL stretch is situated in high mountains and deep gorges requiring construction of large number of tunnels and major bridges. The strata in most of the tunnels is fragile and charged with water particularly in tunnels passing through shear Zones. Several problems were faced while tunnelling which were handled in consultation with experts from all over the world

N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)colcemid, a probe for different classes of colchincine-binding site on tubulin

The nature of binding of 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl-colcemid (NBD-colcemid), an environment-sensitive fluorescent analogue of colchicine, to tubulin was tested. This article reports the first fluorometric study where two types of binding site of colchincine analogue on tubulin were detected. Binding of NBD-colcemid to one of these sites equilibrates slsowly. NBD-colcemid competes with colchicine for this site. Binding of NBD-colcemid to this site also causes inhibition of tubulin self-assembly. In contrast, NBD-colcemid binding to the other site is characterised by rapid equilibration and lack of competition with colchicine. Nevertheless, binding to this site is highly specific for the cholchicine nucleus, as alkyl-NBD analogues have no significant binding activity. Fast-reaction-kinetic studies gave 1.76 × 105 M-1 s-1 for the association and 0.79 s-1 for the dissociation rate constants for the binding of NBD-colcemid to the fast site of tubulin. The association rate constants for the two phases of the slow site are 0.016 × 10-4 M-1 s-1 and 3.5 × 10-4 M-1 respectively. These two sites may be related to the two sites of colchicine reported earlier, with binding characteristics altered by the increased hydrophobic nature of NBD-colcemid

On the development of a new flexible drill for orthopedic surgery and the forces experienced on drilling bovine bone

This article presents the construction of a flexible drill which is designed to cut a curved canal in the bone or remove bone materials, to improve the outcome of orthopedic surgery and to facilitate minimally invasive. This article reports the design of the flexible drill and uses it in an experimental rig to evaluate the drilling force generated when cutting bovine bone. The experiments facilitate the measurement of action forces between the mill bits when moving the tip toward or across a bone sample in various configurations caused by bending the flexible drill sheath to enable cutting of a curved path of variable radius in the bone. The reaction force represents the force trying to deflect the mill bit tip away from the bone sample surface and must be resisted in order to continue cutting without deflection or buckling of the tip during the drilling of curved pathways. The experiment shows the flexible drill can cut bones in both configurations and experienced a maximal force of 3.4N in the vertical configuration and 0.54N in lateral configuration. The experimental results show that the flexible drill designed is able to produce sufficient force at variable bending angles to perform the required tasks for bone cutting

Correlation of SARS-Cov2 viral load with severity of COVID-19 disease in pregnant women at term: an observational study

Background: COVID-19 disease raised global health concerns especially for the pregnant women who are more susceptible to respiratory viral illnesses due to their bodily immunological and physiological changes to accommodate the foetus. The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between the SARS-CoV 2 specific RdRp gene Ct values ​​and the severity of the COVID-19 disease in SARS-CoV2 positive pregnant women at term. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Amritsar on a subset of 46 COVID-19 positive, ante natal mothers, who presented in the labour room for delivery from August 2020 to January 2022. Results: A cohort of 4.8% (46/949) women tested positive in the RT-PCR test for viral RNA. Average age of the group was 25.5years and 89.1% were asymptomatic. 10.9% women reported mild symptoms and 95% had no pre-existing co morbidities. Obstetric complications like premature rupture of membranes were 4.3%, pre-term births 17.33%. Miscarriage and IUD was recorded in 4.34% and 2.17% patients respectively. When compared to values seen in symptomatic women with fever (Ct 25.8), dyspnoea (Ct 28.7), and respiratory distress (Ct 29.1), the mean Ct value reported in asymptomatic women (27.49 SD+5.4) was identical. SARS-CoV2 was not present in any newborns. Despite 24% having low birth weights for their gestational ages, 93% of babies were asymptomatic. Conclusions: The severity of the COVID-19 illness did not correspond with the SARS CoV2 virus RdRp gene Ct levels. The presence of SARS-CoV2 did not appear to independently cause poor maternal and new-born outcomes

A multi-modality tracking, navigation and calibration for a flexible robotic drill system for total hip arthroplasty

Background This paper presents a novel multi-modality tracking and navigation system that provides a unique capability to guild a flexible drill tip inside the bone with accurate curved tunnelling. Methods As the flexible drill tip cannot be tracked optically inside the bone, this research focuses on developing a hybrid tracking and navigation system for tracking a flexible drill tip by using both optical and kinematic tracking. The tracking information is used to guide the THA (total hip arthroplasty) procedure, providing a real-time virtual model of the flexible drill. Results The flexible and steerable drill tip system is then tested on total hip arthroplasty followed by evaluation of the positioning and orientation of femoral stem placement by femoral milling. Conclusions Based on this study, we conclude that the tracking and navigation system is able to guide the flexible drill to mill inside femoral canal

A robotic flexible drill and its navigation system for total hip arthroplasty

This paper presents a robotic flexible drill and its navigation system for Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). The new robotic system provides an unprecedented and unique capability to perform curved femoral milling under the guidance of a multimodality navigation system. The robotic system consists of three components. Firstly, a flexible drill manipulator comprises multiple rigid segments that act as a sheath to a flexible shaft with a drill/burr attached to the end. The second part of the robotic system is a hybrid tracking system that consists of an optical tracking system and a position tracking system. Optical tracking units are used to track the surgical objects and tools outside the drilling area, while a rotary encoder placed at each joint of the sheath is synchronized to provide the position information for the flexible manipulator with its virtual object. Finally, the flexible drill is integrated into a computer-aided navigation system. The navigation system provides real time guidance to a surgeon during the procedure. The flexible drill system is then able to implement Total Hip Arthroplasty by bone milling. The final section of this paper is an evaluation of the flexible and steerable drill and its navigation system for femoral bone milling in sawbones

Computer assisted orthopaedic surgery : past, present and future

Computer technology is ubiquitous and relied upon in virtually all professional activities including neurosurgery, which is why it is surprising that it is not the case for orthopaedic surgery with fewer than 5% of surgeons using available computer technology in their procedures. In this review, we explore the evolution and background of Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS), delving into the basic principles behind the technology and the changes in the discussion on the subject throughout the years and the impact these discussions had on the field. We found evidence that industry had an important role in driving the discussion at least in knee arthroplasty-a leading field of CAOS-with the ratio between patents and publications increased from approximately 1:10 in 2004 to almost 1:3 in 2014. The adoption of CAOS is largely restrained by economics and ergonomics with sceptics challenging the accuracy and precision of navigation during the early years of CAOS moving to patient functional improvements and long term survivorship. Nevertheless, the future of CAOS remains positive with the prospect of new technologies such as improvements in image-guided surgery, enhanced navigation systems, robotics and artificial intelligence