Outcome of patients operated for depressed skull fracture with dural tear

Objective:  The objective of this study was to determine the outcome of patients operated for depressed skull fracture with a dural tear. Material and Methods:  A descriptive case series (n = 155) was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar for six months. Results:  The mean arrival GCS was 10.64 ± 2.33. About 21.9% (n = 32) patients presented with a GCS of ? 8, while the remaining 78.1% (n = 123) presented with a GCS of ? 8. About 8.4% (n = 13) patients died due to the complications of the brain injury. The most common postoperative complication was found to be progressive neurologic deficit (PND) occurred in 21 (13.5%) patients. Penetrating injury to the head was also associated with unfavorable outcomes after surgery (p = 0.046), which shows that penetrating injury is associated with increased brain damage and hence consequently poor outcomes. Conclusions:  The neurologic status as denoted by the Glasgow coma scale is one of the most important factors which predicts the outcome. Surgical management of depressed skull fractures with dural tear has favorable outcomes in about two-thirds of patients. The remaining one-third patient remains in the severely disabled group. Every effort should be made to reduce the occurrence of complications as they are directly related to postoperative functional outcomes

Outcome of the Traumatic Extradural Hematoma on the Basis of Size of Extradural Hematoma

Objective:  This study aimed to determine the outcome of traumatic extradural hematoma and to compare the outcome of small and large size extradural hematoma. Materials & Methods:  A descriptive case series was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar for six months and included 188 patients. The detailed history and clinical examinations were noted through a pre-designed proforma. Patients were followed post-operatively till the time of discharge and for either favorable outcome or unfavorable outcome according to the GOS. Results:  73% of patients had extradural hematoma volume between 25 – 50 mL, while 27% patients had extradural hematoma >50 mL. 12% of patients had Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) scores 1 – 3, while 88% of patients had GOS scores: 4 – 5. The mean GOS was 3. Patients with favorable outcomes were 88% while 12% had an unfavorable outcome. Conclusion:  The size of the extradural hematoma has a strong correlation with outcome. The greater the size of the hematoma, the poorer the outcome

Ferulic acid promoted in-situ generation of AgNPs@silk as functional colorants

A rapid, green and simple procedure for the in-situ generation of AgNPs@silk as functional colorant is described herein. Silver (Ag+) ions were first diffused into the silk fabric matrix by soaking into aqueous AgNO3 solution, subsequently, alcoholic solution of ferulic acid, a natural polyphenol, was added as an eco-friendly reductant for the generation of AgNPs@silk. The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by visible color changes and UV–visible absorption spectra. The residual AgNPs solution was characterized via UV–visible spectroscopy, TEM and DLS. The UV–visible spectra and TEM analyses confirmed the formation of more or less spherical well-dispersed AgNPs. The AgNPs@silk was characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS and FTIR. The Ag content of AgNPs@silk was determined by nitric acid digestion followed by ICP-OES. The color, antibacterial and UV protection characteristics of AgNPs@silk were also evaluated. AgNPs@silk produced a beautiful color pallete ranging from light creamish brown to dark golden brown. The AgNPs treated silk exhibited outstanding antibacterial activity (>99% bacterial reduction) and excellent laundering durability, where it inhibited >94% of E. coli even after 10 washing cycles. Moreover, AgNPs@silk was highly effective blocking of UV radiation in both UVA and UVB regions, and thus offered excellent UV protection

Religio-political Discourse and Jam’iyyat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP): A Careful Study of Different Narratives (1970-2003)

Barelvi Ulema, being active participants of the Pakistan Movement (1940-1947), very soon reached to the point that their objectives associated with the struggle for Pakistan could only be achieved through a constitutional and political struggle; and as per the need of the parliamentary system prevailed in the country, they must converge and consolidate their energies on a political platform. Hence, on 28th March 1948, in a 3-day meeting of Barelvi ulema at Madrasah-i-Islamiah Arabiah Anwar al ulum, Multan, the Markazi (Central) Jam’iyyatal-Ulema-i-Pakistan (MJUP) was formally established. A glance over the party objectives set at this meeting gives a clear picture of JUP’s Rightism sui generis. It was aspired that Pakistan would be a true Islamic state established through the promulgation of the Islamic constitution in the country and all the social and moral evils would be emulated as the founding father of the country had aspired in the inaugural session of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan (CAP). Moreover, it was also hoped to propagate Islamic teachings among the Muslims by initiating the spirit of religious cum political awakening and the spirit of Jihad among them and direct their attention from western culture and civilization towards Islamic culture and civilization. Hence, the establishment of an Islamic state in the country was the destiny of JUP. In order to remind the higher authorities and other stakeholders responsible for the formation of the constitution, JUP held meetings and processions throughout the country. It pressed demands for the enforcement of Islamic jurisprudence through Islamic constitution. This religio-political as well as constitutional strife can be found in a number of indigenous narratives and beyond. The article presents a careful and curious study of different available narratives in this connection

Anti-tumour therapeutic efficacy of OX40L in murine tumour model

OX40 ligand (OX40L), a member of TNF superfamily, is a co-stimulatory molecule involved in T cell activation. Systemic administration of mOX40L fusion protein significantly inhibited the growth of experimental lung metastasis and subcutaneous (s.c.) established colon (CT26) and breast (4T1) carcinomas. Vaccination with OX40L was significantly enhanced by combination treatment with intra-tumour injection of a disabled infectious single cycle-herpes simplex virus (DISC-HSV) vector encoding murine granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (mGM-CSF). Tumour rejection in response to OX40L therapy required functional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and correlated with splenocyte cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) activity against the AH-1 gp70 peptide of the tumour associated antigen expressed by CT26 cells. These results demonstrate the potential role of the OX40L in cancer immunotherapy

Arsenic speciation and biotransformation pathways in the aquatic ecosystem: The significance of algae

© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The contamination of aquatic systems with arsenic (As) is considered to be an internationally-important health and environmental issue, affecting over 115 countries globally. Arsenic contamination of aquatic ecosystems is a global threat as it can enter the food chain from As-rich water and cause harmful impacts on the humans and other living organisms. Although different factors (e.g., pH, redox potential, iron/manganese oxides, and microbes) control As biogeochemical cycling and speciation in water systems, the significance of algal species in biotransformation of As is poorly understood. The overarching attribute of this review is to briefly elaborate various As sources and its distribution in water bodies and factors affecting As biogeochemical behavior in aqueous ecosystems. This review elucidates the intriguing role of algae in biotransformation/volatilization of As in water bodies under environmentally-relevant conditions. Also, we critically delineate As sorption, uptake, oxidation and reduction pathways of As by algae and their possible role in bioremediation of As-contaminated water (e.g., drinking water, wastewater). The current review provides the updated and useful framework for government and water treatment agencies to implement algae in As remediation programs globally