Diethyl 5-acetamido-3-methyl­thio­phene-2,4-dicarboxyl­ate

The title compound, C13H17NO5S, is approximately planar (r.m.s. deviation for the non-H atoms = 0.055 Å). Its conformation is stabilized by N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which both generate S(6) rings. The crystal packing only features van der Waals contacts

Mid to Long-term Outcome of Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion

Background: Cervical degenerative conditions such as intervertebral disc prolapse and degenerative cervical spondylosis results in pain and disability, especially in the middle age and elderly. The treatment of choice is surgical decompression once conservative treatment fails. We studied the outcome of anterior cervical decom-pression with instrumented fusion in order to analyse its effectiveness in terms of pain and disability improve-ment. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study. 30 patients were operated during June 2013 and May 2015 (2 years). All patients operated for cervical degenerative conditions were included.Data was collected about neck pain and functional impairment preoperatively using visual analogue scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores. The same scales were used during the follow-period for 6 months. Favourable outcome was defined as 50% reduction in pain and functional improvement to Grade 1 (12 – 15) or normal scores (16 – 17). Results: Mean age was 59.70 years ±8.12SD.Mean preoperative VAS was 6.70 and it was 1.80 ± 0.85 SD at 6 – month follow-up. Mean JOA score was 11.57 preoperatively while at 6-month follow-up, it was 14.97 ± 1.92 SD. There was a significant difference between mean VAS score preoperatively and mean VAS score postoperatively (mean difference; 4.9, 95% CI; 4.48 to 5.32, p < 0.001, t(29): 23.86). Similarly, there was statistically significant difference between mean JOA score preoperatively and mean JOA scores postoperatively (mean difference; -3.4, 95% CI; -3.95 to -2.85, p < 0.001, t(29): -12.61). Conclusion: Anterior cervical decompression with graft placement and instrumented fusion are safe and effective methods for relieving pain as well functional improvement in patients with cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy.Keywords: , , , , surgical outcome

Vitamin D Deficiency in HCV Antiviral Treatment Responders versus Non-Responders

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease (CLD). Pakistan has a high burden of infectious diseases, including HCV. Its prevalence varies according to geographic regions in the country from about 2·4% to 6·5%. The objective of the study was to compare the frequency of vitamin D deficiency in responders and non-responders of antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C.Material and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Hepatitis Clinic, Jinnah hospital, Lahore from 20th May to 20th November 2013. After ethical approval, participants were selected by using purposive non-probability sampling, 52 responder patients i.e. who were labeled negative for HCV RNA by PCR after 12 weeks of antiviral treatment and 52 non-responder patients were included in this study. Data was collected by using pretested structured questionnaire. Vitamin D3 levels were measured by ELISA and a cut-off value of below 30ng/ml was labeled as Vitamin D deficiency. SPSS version 21 was used to analyze data with p value less than 0.05 taken as statistically significant.Results: Out of 104 patients (mean age 35±8.1 years), 61.5% were males and 38.5 % were females. There was a significant difference in frequency of vitamin D deficiency in treatment responder group when compared to non-responders (p = 0.016). Mean level of vitamin D was 21.8±10.8ng/ml in responders whereas it was 15.6±7.5 in non-responders with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001).Conclusion: This study concludes that there is a significant vitamin D deficiency among treatment non-responders as compared to treatment responders in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Surgical Management of Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Background: To study the management patternof soft tissue sarcomas in a tertiary care settingMethods: In this descriptive study patients whowere operated for soft tissue masses were included.Intra-operative findings, procedure details andpostoperative orders were recorded. Postoperativechemo-radiotherapy records were reviewed andrecorded. Depth of the tumour was grouped asdeeper or superficial than 5 cm. The follow uprecords were accessed from the outpatientdepartment and any surgical complications wererecorded up to three years.Staging was done usingclinical and radiological criteria taking into accountthe histological grade,tumour size , depth, locallymph node invasion and metastasis.Surgicalprocedure for removal of STS are wide local excision(WLE), intralesional excision (IE) or tumordebulking, marginal excision (ME) and radicalexcision (RE).Results: Sixty eight patients with mean age of 43.0± 17.258 SD were diagnosed as cases of soft tissuesarcomas. Male to female ratio was 3.25:1.The mostcommon histopathological variety was malignantfibrous histiocytoma (35.3%) , followed byRhabdomyosarcoma(30%). Most common involvedsite was lower limbs (35.3%).Wide local excision wasperformed in majority (82.4%) . Most commonpostop complication was wound infection (10.3%)Conclusion: Clinicians must be agile about thenature of these tumours and their referral to aspecialist surgeon for further management. Promptdiagnosis, accurate investigations and earlyintervention will benefit the patients and help usunderstand this disease entity

Effect of carbofuran on the diversity and mean abundance of ground spiders

The effect of carbofuran on the diversity, richness, evenness and abundance of ground spiders is documented in the present study. Two fields (control and treated) were selected in district Kasur during 2008 and 2009. Pitfall traps were used to collect ground spiders. A total of 1629 specimens of spiders, belonging to 8 families, 16 genera and 24 species were recoded from control field while 1173 specimens belonging to 8 families, 14 genera and 20 species were recorded from the treated field. The most dominant family and species in both the fields were Lycosidae and Lycosa terrestris, respectively. Family Lycosidae accounted more than 90% of the total spider sample. Diversity, richness and evenness of ground spiders in the treated and untreated field did not differ. However, the abundance of dominat spiders declined significantly in the carbofuran treated field. It is concluded that the use of carbofuran is a serious threat to the ground spiders, the important group of biological control agents. So, the use of carbofuran should be minimized in the fields.Key words: Ground spiders, carbofuran, natural predators, pest reduction

Degradation assessment of nuclear power plant extraction steam piping after long term service

Degradation due to ageing in a Nuclear Power Plant’s Extraction Steam Piping has been assessed. Samples of twelve years old seamless carbon steel SA 106B pipe have been taken and subjected to metallographic examination, hardness testing, radiographic examination and ultrasonic thickness measurement to investigate and analyze ageing in piping material. Metallographic examination of aged sample revealed irregularly distributed graphite nodules in ferrite grains and on grain boundaries as well, the reduction in pearlite phase has also been observed from 40% to 25%. This Transformation in microstructure has reduced hardness of steel. Reduction in hardness has found 20.4% and 0.7% on inner and outer layer of the pipe material respectively. Corrosion pits having average depth of 0.07 mm have been found on external surface. Radiograph of aged pipe revealed material removal and wall thinning due to erosion on inner surface of pipe. The extent of erosion had been checked, which has found 8.7%

Outcome of Suboccipital Decompression with and without Duraplasty in Adults with Chiari I Malformation

Objective: To investigate outcome for Arnold Chiari 1 Malformation (ACM1) patients based on intervention methods, i.e., posterior fossa decompression without duraplasty and with duraplasty in terms of symptomatic and functional improvement Materials and Methods: This study was conducted prospectively over 41 months from January 2013 to May 2016. Patients with confirmed diagnosis of ACM-1 were included in the study. Patients either underwent posterior fossa decompression without duraplasty or with duraplasty, depending upon the severity of tonsillar descent, the presence of syrinx, neurological deficits or hydrocephalous. Data was collected on pre-designed pro forma both pre-operatively and during follow up. Outcome was assessed according to Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale (CCOS). Data analysis was done using SPSS v 22.0. Results: Posterior Fossa Decompression (PFD) without dural opening was performed in 13 patients while in 8 patients duraplasty was performed. Overall mean age was 32.95 ± 5.88 years and mean symptoms duration was 21.62 ± 8.82 months. The most common complaints were headache (76.2%), neck pain (61.9%), hand and arm weakness (47.6%), gait disturbance (47.6%) and cranial nerve dysfunctions (76.2%). The median preop CCOS was 10 ± 1.57 while postoperative CCOS was 13 ± 2.27. There was a significant relief in terms of CCOS improvement in preop and postoperative scores (P = 0.006). The commonest complication was CSF leak in 14.3% of patients. There was no mortality. No recurrent cases were noted during the 41-months study period. Conclusion: Posterior fossa decompression forACM-I is simple and effective. Further studies regarding surgical outcome and development of outcome assessment are required with larger patient cohorts. Abbreviations: CCOS: The Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale. CSF: Cerebrospinal Fluid. CV: Craniovertebral. OPD: Out Patient Department. SD: Standard Deviation. HMC: Hayat Abad Medical Complex. ACM1: Arnold Chain 1 Malformation

Application of sayong ball clay membrane filtration for Ni (II) removal from industrial wastewater

Wastewater containing heavy metals, such as nickel ions (Ni2+), discharged from industry to water streams poses a serious threat because even at low concentrations, it does not naturally degrade and is toxic to human and aquatic life. This article reviews a novel technique for wastewater treatment using a Sayong ball clay (SBC) membrane to remove nickel from industrial waste water. SBC powder was achieved through milling using a planetary ball mill (milling time; 10, 20 and 30 h), further labelled as SBC 10, SBC 20 and SBC 30, with a ball-to-powder of ratio 7: 1 and rotation speed of 300 rpm. The physical characteristics of the apparent porosities, bulk density and shrinkage were investigated. XRD was used to study the phase, while FESEM was used to analysethe microstructure of the fired membrane. The FESEM microstructure indicates a decreased particle size (SB30). Filtration was conducted using a dead-end filtration system. The fabricated SBC 10, 20 and 30 membranes showed significant removal of nickelfrom industrial wastewater-88.87%, 82.96% and 85.13%, respectively. This study revealed that the SBC membrane is a promising membrane to remove nickel from industrial wastewater. The results also indicate the possibility of highlighting the introduced technique as a new technique for the treatment of industrial wastewater. As a new trend for waste management, pollution prevention could be applied in Malaysia as one of the advanced biotechnologies to solve various environmental problems