Study of mid and long term outcome of hip fracture in elderly operated within 48 hours versus conservative management

Background: Hip fractures are commonly associated with high morbidities and mortalities. This study aimed to determine post-hip fracture outcomes and survival among patients who underwent operation within 48 hours of fracture diagnosis and among those being treated conservatively.Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Hospital Seberang Jaya among patients diagnosed with hip fracture from January to December 2016; confirmed clinical and radiological method. Descriptive analysis was conducted using Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23.Results: The mean (SD) age of the 61 operated patients was 74 (7.7) years and for the 19 conservatively managed patients 79 (8.0) years. At 12 months, 30 (37.5%) of operated ones, required assisted mobility compared to 8 (10%) of conservatively managed patients. Other outcomes comparable between operated and conservative patients at 12 months post-intervention include: ability to feed on own 46 (57.5%) versus 7 (8.8%), able to dress on own, 45 (56.3%) versus 6 (7.5%); able to bathe on own; 43 (53.8%) versus 2 (2.5%), and independently attending to own toilet needs 44 (55.0%) versus 1 (1.3%). Our study revealed, overall survival were comparatively better among those operated to conservative at 12 months; 52 (85%) versus 9 (47.4%). The mortality at 12 months in the conservative group is much higher than operative group.Conclusions: Ambulatory mobility and survival are significantly better at 12 months post-fracture among the operated patients. Hip fracture must be treated as an emergency and its surgical management given priority.

In situ XRD studies of the effect of catalyst pre-treatment strategies on the bulk structure and performance of Mo-V-Te-Nb catalysts for selective oxidation of propane.

Current research efforts are concentrated towards utilizing propane rather than propylene as the feedstock in the industrial process for producing acrylic acid because of its significant lower price. The discovery of the MoVTe family of catalysts has brought this goal within sight. This study investigates the effect of different calcination protocols using in situ XRD. A series of catalyst precursors were treated at different calcination temperatures and atmospheres, while analysing their structures with XRD. The conditions necessary for crystallization of known active phases were determined. The activity of the same catalysts was also tested using a nanoflow high throughput reactor. A structure – activity study leads to correlations between synthesis, phase equilibria and performance of these Mo-V-Te-Nb catalysts for selective oxidation of propane

Validation of competing structural models of inter-relationships in the teaching–learning ecosystem for two Malaysian STEM courses

This study reported the results of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analyses on 13 competing structural models on the inter-relationships among academic achievement and student- and course-related attributes. The samples were Malaysian pre-university students enrolled in two STEM courses (biology, n = 326; mathematics, n = 339; biology only, n = 92; mathematics only, n = 105; biology and mathematics, n = 234). For both courses, interdisciplinary cross-validation was observed for four models which hypothesized that current academic achievement could be predicted (1) directly by prior academic achievement (high school grades) and student approaches to learning (SAL), and (2) directly and/or indirectly by personality, intrinsic motivation and course experience (CE). For at least one course, all constructs (except intrinsic motivation, clear goals and standards, openness and conscientiousness) significantly and directly predicted current academic achievement. The strongest predictor of current academic achievement was prior (high school) academic achievement, with the largest effect sizes, followed by SAL. Current academic achievement was significantly and positively predicted by all CE constructs (except clear goals and standards) for only mathematics, with moderate and large effect sizes. Only one personality construct (neuroticism) significantly and moderately predicted current academic achievement (biology). SAL partially mediated relationships between current academic achievement with workload appropriateness, assessment for understanding and neuroticism for at least one course. Generally, the strongest predictors of SAL were assessment for understanding, workload appropriateness and intrinsic motivation. Multigroup invariance analysis revealed differences in five hypothesized paths, attributable almost entirely to significant paths found in mathematics but not biology (prior [high school] to current academic achievement, conscientiousness to surface approach to learning, intrinsic motivation to deep and surface approaches to learning). Therefore, this study is the first to report course-nuanced differences in the presence of reduced interpersonal differences. The implications of this study is that, besides the importance of prior high academic achievement which might not be within educators’ control, factors in the teaching–learning ecosystem within educators’ control which influence current academic achievement are strongly mediated by SAL, which is itself influenced most by assessment, workload and intrinsic motivation

How important is the (001) plane of M1 for selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid?

The role of the (001) crystallographic plane of the M1 phase of MoVTeNb mixed oxide catalysts in selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid has been addressed by investigating a phase-pure M1 material preferentially exposing this surface. A model catalyst has been prepared by com-plete silylation of M1 followed by breakage of the SiO2 covered needles. Using this approach, the reactivity of the M1 (001) surface has been investigated by combining a micro-reactor study of propane oxidation with High-Sensitivity Low Energy Ion Scattering (HS-LEIS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used to study shape and microstructure of the model system and to verify the surface exposure of the model catalyst. The specific formation rate of acrylic acid on the model catalyst is similar to that on the phase-pure M1 reference material indicating that the (001) plane of the M1 crystal structure does not possess enhanced catalytic properties com-pared to the lateral surface of M1 needles in propane oxidation

Emotional bias training as a treatment for anxiety and depression: evidence from experimental medicine studies in healthy and medicated samples.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are leading causes of disability worldwide, yet individuals are often unable to access appropriate treatment. There is a need to develop effective interventions that can be delivered remotely. Previous research has suggested that emotional processing biases are a potential target for intervention, and these may be altered through brief training programs. METHODS: We report two experimental medicine studies of emotional bias training in two samples: individuals from the general population (n = 522) and individuals currently taking antidepressants to treat anxiety or depression (n = 212). Participants, recruited online, completed four sessions of EBT from their own home. Mental health and cognitive functioning outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately post-training, and at 2-week follow-up. RESULTS: In both studies, our intervention successfully trained participants to perceive ambiguous social information more positively. This persisted at a 2-week follow-up. There was no clear evidence that this change in emotional processing transferred to improvements in symptoms in the primary analyses. However, in both studies, there was weak evidence for improved quality of life following EBT amongst individuals with more depressive symptoms at baseline. No clear evidence of transfer effects was observed for self-reported daily stress, anhedonia or depressive symptoms. Exploratory analyses suggested that younger participants reported greater treatment gains. CONCLUSIONS: These studies demonstrate the effectiveness of delivering a multi-session online training program to promote lasting cognitive changes. Given the inconsistent evidence for transfer effects, EBT requires further development before it can be considered as a treatment for anxiety and depression