Comparison of the duration and quality of epidural analgesia between plain bupivacaine alone and plain bupivacaine with tramadol in lower limb orthopaedic surgeries.

This study was aimed at comparing the duration and quality of epidural analgesia between plain bupivacaine alone with plain bupivacaine and tramadol in lower limb orthopaedic surgeries. Method: This was a prospective randomized double blinded control study involving 74 ASA I and II patients scheduled for elective lower limb orthopaedic surgeries. Group A (n=37) received 19mls of 0.5% epidural plain bupivacaine with 1 ml of water for injection, while group B received 19mls of 0.5% epidural plain bupivacaine with 1ml (50mg) of preservative freetramadol. The duration of analgesia was from the time of epidural block to the time of rescue analgesia. While, the quality of block was measured with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Bromage scale. Results: Thestudy ages were between 16-60years,consisting of 22(60%) male and 15(40%) female in group A, while in group B 20 (54%) were male and 17(46%) female. It showed the mean duration of analgesia were 189.05±21.92min and 254.19±32.78min in group A and B respectively with p <0.01.The intra-operative VAS scores between the two groups did not show any significant difference between study groups (P> 0.05).The differences of grades of motor block and maximum sensory block height were not statistically significant (P=0.26) among the study groups. Conclusion: The addition of 50mg (1ml) of tramadol to plain bupivacaine epidurally prolonged the duration of analgesia and improved the quality of analgesia when compared to the use of bupivacaine alone

Quality of life and visual function in Nigeria: findings from the National Survey of Blindness and Visual Impairment

Aims To assess associations of visual function (VF) and quality of life (QOL) by visual acuity (VA), causes of blindness and types of cataract procedures in Nigeria. Methods Multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling was used to identify a nationally representative sample of persons aged >= 40 years. VF/QOL questionnaires were administered to participants with VA = 6/12. Results VF/QOL questionnaires were administered to 2076 participants. Spearman's rank correlation showed a strong correlation between decreasing VA and VF/QOL scores (p< 0.0001) with greatest impact on social (p< 0.0001) and mobility-related activities (p< 0.0001). People who were blind due to glaucoma had lower VF and QOL scores than those who were blind due to cataract. Mean VF and QOL scores were lower after couching compared with conventional cataract surgery (mean VF score=51.0 vs 63.0 and mean QOL score=71.3 vs 79.3). Finally, VF and QOL scores were lower among populations with specific characteristics. Conclusions Populations with the following characteristics should be targeted to improve VF and QOL: people who are blind, older people, women, manual labourers, people living in rural areas, those living in the northern geopolitical zones, those practising Islamic and Traditionalism faith, those not currently married and those who have undergone couching

Albumin: Creatinine Ratio during long term Diabetes Mellitus in the Assessment of early Nephropathy in Sudanese Population

Background: Diabetic nephropathy is one of the major causes of chronic renal failure. Microalbuminuria (MAU) has been recognized as an independent and reliable predictor for future development of overt proteinuria in diabetic patients.Objectives: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried during the period of January-April 2012, in Omdurman Teaching Hospital, to determine Microalbuminuria creatinine ratio, in long term Diabetic patients.Materials and Methods: Immunoturbidmetric method was used to asses’ microalbuminuria in 50 cases (50%) and 50 controls (50%). Ordinary chemical method (Jaffe reaction) was used for the determination of creatinine for both the groups.Results: Microalbuminuria in Diabetic patients showed an increase when compared with the control group with P value 0.000. Similarly creatinine also showed an increase in diabetic patients.Conclusion: It was concluded and is in further affirmation of the previous studies that microalbuminuria should be used as an early indicator for Diabetic Nephropathy. Further studies with 24 hour urine sample are recommended for assessment of Microalbuminuria in long term Diabetic patients, provided that the patients are on a normal diet with regular treatment for diabetes.Key words: Microalbuminuria, Creatinine, Diabetes mellitus, Nephropathy

Identification of volatile compounds in several meat and bone broth using Solid Phase Micro Extraction-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GCMS) for initial detection of halal and non-halal food

The development of techniques for detecting halal and non-halal animal meat is of great importance as a useful tool for monitoring and assuring food quality for Muslim. Flavor or aroma is one of the sensory attributes for consumers to distinguish broth cattle. The differences aroma of broth cattle is contributed by the content of volatile compounds. This study was aimed to determine the composition of volatile compounds in meat and bone broth from five different animals, i.e., cow (beef), pig (pork), goat, lamb, and chicken for initial identification of halal and non halal food. A preliminary test for samples of meat and bone broth was done by identifying their physical properties including pH, viscosity, and density. The volatile compounds in meat and broth samples were extracted using a solid phase-micro extraction (SPME) at room temperature and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). The results revealed the physical properties of meat and bone broth, i.e., pH, viscosity, and density, cannot be used to distinguish the type of broth produced from beef, pork, goat, lamb, and chicken. Successful results for the identification were achieved through chromatogram profile of volatile compounds from meat and bone broth which show characteristics to each type of animal, and therefore it can be used to distinguish pork from beef, goat, lamb, and chicken as initial detection for halal and non halal food. The research also identified 7 predominant volatile compounds as a marker for meat pork and other 8 specific compounds marker for pork bone

Thermal Analysis of Horizontal Earth-Air Heat Exchangers in A Subtropical Climate: An Experimental Study

Data availability statement: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.Copyright © 2022 Lattieff, Atiya, Lateef, Dulaimi, Jweeg, Abed, Mahdi and Talebizadehsardari. The earth-air heat exchanger (EHX) has a promising potential to passively save the energy consumption of traditional air conditioning systems while maintaining a high degree of indoor comfort. The use of EHX systems for air conditioning in commercial and industrial settings offers several environmental benefits and is capable of operating in both standalone and hybrid modes. This study tests the performance and effectiveness of an EHX design in a sandy soil area in Baghdad, Iraq. The area has a climate of the subtropical semi-humid type. Ambient air temperatures and soil temperatures were recorded throughout the months of 2021. During the months of January and June, the temperatures of the inlet and outflow air at varying air velocities were monitored concurrently in 10-min increments at each location. Further numerical and thermodynamical analyses of the measurements were conducted to reveal the influencing performance parameters. The highest temperature rises of air between the input and exit sections were determined as 12.3°C (January) and 17.2°C (June). It is found that the maximum values of effectiveness are 0.80 and 0.81, while coefficients of performance are 1.6 and 1.8 for January and June, respectively. It is also found that the EHX shows good functionality and effectiveness, with potential energy savings for equipment for cooling and heating under different weather conditions

Proteomic comparisons of opaque and transparent variants of <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> by two dimensional-differential gel electrophoresis

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a human pathogen, accounting for massive global morbidity and mortality. Although asymptomatic colonization of the nasopharynx almost invariably precedes disease, the critical determinants enabling pneumococcal progression from this niche to cause invasive disease are poorly understood. One mechanism proposed to be central to this transition involves opacity phase variation, whereby pneumococci harvested from the nasopharynx are typically transparent, while those simultaneously harvested from the blood are opaque. Here, we used two dimensional-differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) to compare protein expression profiles of transparent and opaque variants of 3 pneumococcal strains, D39 (serotype 2), WCH43 (serotype 4) and WCH16 (serotype 6A) in vitro. One spot comprising a mixture of capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis protein and other proteins was significantly up-regulated in the opaque phenotype in all 3 strains; other proteins were differentially regulated in a strain-specific manner. We conclude that pneumococcal phase variation is a complex and multifactorial process leading to strain-specific pathogenicity.Melissa H. Chai, Florian Weiland, Richard M. Harvey, Peter Hoffmann, Abiodun D. Ogunniyi, James C. Pato

Thermal and flow performance analysis of a concentrated linear Fresnel solar collector with transverse ribs

Data availability statement: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.Copyright © 2023 Hasan, Sherza, Abed, Togun, Ben Khedher, Sopian, Mahdi and Talebizadehsardari. This article deals with the impact of including transverse ribs within the absorber tube of the concentrated linear Fresnel collector (CLFRC) system with a secondary compound parabolic collector (CPC) on thermal and flow performance coefficients. The enhancement rates of heat transfer due to varying governing parameters were compared and analyzed parametrically at Reynolds numbers in the range 5,000–13,000, employing water as the heat transfer fluid. Simulations were performed to solve the governing equations using the finite volume method (FVM) under various boundary conditions. For all Reynolds numbers, the average Nusselt number in the circular tube in the CLFRC system with ribs was found to be larger than that of the plain absorber tube. Also, the inclusion of transverse ribs inside the absorber tube increases the average Nusselt number by approximately 115% at Re = 5,000 and 175% at Re = 13,000. For all Reynolds numbers, the skin friction coefficient of the circular tube with ribs in the CLFRC system is larger than that of the plain absorber tube. The coefficient of surface friction reduces as the Reynolds number increases. The performance assessment criterion was found to vary between 1.8 and 1.9 as the Reynolds number increases

Thermal analysis of horizontal earth-air heat exchangers in a subtropical climate: An experimental study

The earth-air heat exchanger (EHX) has a promising potential to passively save the energy consumption of traditional air conditioning systems while maintaining a high degree of indoor comfort. The use of EHX systems for air conditioning in commercial and industrial settings offers several environmental benefits and is capable of operating in both standalone and hybrid modes. This study tests the performance and effectiveness of an EHX design in a sandy soil area in Baghdad, Iraq. The area has a climate of the subtropical semi-humid type. Ambient air temperatures and soil temperatures were recorded throughout the months of 2021. During the months of January and June, the temperatures of the inlet and outflow air at varying air velocities were monitored concurrently in 10-min increments at each location. Further numerical and thermodynamical analyses of the measurements were conducted to reveal the influencing performance parameters. The highest temperature rises of air between the input and exit sections were determined as 12.3°C (January) and 17.2°C (June). It is found that the maximum values of effectiveness are 0.80 and 0.81, while coefficients of performance are 1.6 and 1.8 for January and June, respectively. It is also found that the EHX shows good functionality and effectiveness, with potential energy savings for equipment for cooling and heating under different weather conditions

A transcription factor contributes to pathogenesis and virulence in streptococcus pneumoniae

To date, the role of transcription factors (TFs) in the progression of disease for many pathogens is yet to be studied in detail. This is probably due to transient, and generally low expression levels of TFs, which are the central components controlling the expression of many genes during the course of infection. However, a small change in the expression or specificity of a TF can radically alter gene expression. In this study, we combined a number of quality-based selection strategies including structural prediction of modulated genes, gene ontology and network analysis, to predict the regulatory mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus). We have identified two TFs (SP_0676 and SP_0927 [SmrC]) that might control tissue-specific gene expression during pneumococcal translocation from the nasopharynx to lungs, to blood and then to brain of mice. Targeted mutagenesis and mouse models of infection confirmed the role of SP_0927 in pathogenesis and virulence, and suggests that SP_0676 might be essential to pneumococcal viability. These findings provide fundamental new insights into virulence gene expression and regulation during pathogenesis.Layla K. Mahdi, Esmaeil Ebrahimie, David L. Adelson, James C. Paton, Abiodun D. Ogunniy