Osteomyelitis presenting as swollen elbow in a child: A case report

Background: Pediatric osteomyelitis is a severe disease that requires early diagnosis and prompt treatment to minimize the potential risk of developing severe complications, including septic arthritis. Identifying clinical features and applying relevant diagnostic tools are necessary to yield an early diagnosis. Osteomyelitis may show various clinical presentations depending on the etiology, especially in children, making the diagnosis difficult. Therefore, a thorough clinical history, detailed physical examination, and a high index of suspicion are imperative to early diagnose this condition. One should be aware of the evolving epidemiology, emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, and requirement of specialized targeted therapy to tackle the disease. Case presentation: Here, we present a case of an eight-year-old male patient with an extra-articular abscess around his left-elbow osteomyelitis, which was clinically confused with septic arthritis. The causative organism was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which was resistant to most of the antibiotics but sensitive to linezolid. Given that pediatric osteomyelitis has a higher chance of articular extension, prompt treatment is essential to avoid permanent damage to the joint.Conclusion: In conclusion, considering the rarity of MRSA-induced intra-articular osteomyelitis, a high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose it as soon as possible clinically and radiologically. This disease should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with painful joint swelling

Effect of ta additions on the microstructure, damping, and shape memory behaviour of prealloyed Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloys

The influence of Ta additions on the microstructure and properties of Cu-Al-Ni shapememory alloys was investigated in this paper. The addition of Ta significantly affects the green and porosity densities; the minimum percentage of porosity was observed with the modified prealloyed Cu-Al-Ni-2.0wt.% Ta. The phase transformation temperatures were shifted towards the highest values after Ta was added. Based on the damping capacity results, the alloy of Cu-Al-Ni-3.0 wt.% Ta has very high internal friction with the maximum equivalent internal friction value twice as high as that of the prealloyed Cu-Al-Ni SMA. Moreover, the prealloyed Cu-Al-Ni SMAs with the addition of 2.0wt.% Ta exhibited the highest shape recovery ratio in the first cycle (i.e., 100% recovery), and when the number of cycles is increased, this ratio tends to decrease. On the other hand, the modified alloys with 1.0 and 3.0 wt.% Ta implied a linear increment in the shape recovery ratio with increasing number of cycles. Polarization tests in NaCl solution showed that the corrosion resistance of Cu-Al-Ni-Ta SMA improved with escalating Ta concentration as shown by lower corrosion current densities, higher corrosion potential, and formation of stable passive film

Inhibition and kinetic studies of lignin degrading enzymes of Ganoderma boninense by naturally occurring phenolic compounds

Aim Lignolytic (lignin degrading) enzyme, from oil palm pathogen Ganoderma boninense Pat. (Syn G. orbiforme (Ryvarden)), is involved in the detoxification and the degradation of lignin in the oil palm and is the rate‐limiting step in the infection process of this fungus. Active inhibition of lignin‐degrading enzymes secreted by G. boninense by various naturally occurring phenolic compounds and estimation of efficiency on pathogen suppression was aimed at. Methods and Results In our work, 10 naturally occurring phenolic compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory potential towards the lignolytic enzymes of G. boninense. Additionally, the lignin‐degrading enzymes were characterized. Most of the peholic compounds exhibited an uncompetitive inhibition towards the lignin‐degrading enzymes. Benzoic acid was the superior inhibitor to the production of lignin‐degrading enzymes, when compared between the 10 phenolic compounds. The inhibitory potential of the phenolic compounds towards the lignin‐degrading enzymes are higher than that of the conventional metal ion inhibitor. The lignin‐degrading enzymes were stable in a wide range of pH but were sensitive to higher temperature. Conclusion The study demonstrated the inhibitor potential of 10 naturally occurring phenolic compounds towards the lignin‐degrading enzymes of G. boninense with different efficacies. Significance and Impact of the Study The study has shed a light towards a new management strategy to control basal stem rot disease in oil palm. It serves as a replacement for the existing chemical control

Effect of different alcohols on stratum corneum kallikrein 5 and phospholipase A2 together with epidermal keratinocytes and skin irritation

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the effect of ethanol, isopropanol and n-propanol on stratum corneum (SC) enzymes and keratinocytes in vitro together with their effects on skin condition and function. METHODS: Activities of kallikrein 5 (KLK5) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) as well as keratinocyte metabolic activity, interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in vitro in the presence and absence of the different alcohols. We also measured transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin capacitance, visual dryness and visual redness on the volar forearms of 25 Caucasian women following application of the alcohols 20 and 100 times per day over a period of 14 days in a clinical study. RESULTS: Reduced activities of KLK5 and PLA2 were observed in the presence of the alcohols. The greatest denaturing effect was always observed for n-propanol (P  isopropanol > ethanol. At the high application frequencies, the effect of the different alcohols on transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin capacitance was similar, but at the low application frequencies, n-propanol had a significant effect on TEWL and capacitance values (P < 0.05). Equally, n-propanol and isopropanol produced significantly more skin redness at the low application frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: Clearly, isopropanol and n-propanol caused significant SC and keratinocyte perturbation in vitro together with damage to skin condition and function in vivo whereas ethanol did not. As a result, we show that ethanol-based sanitizers are better tolerated by skin, particularly in high-use settings, than other alcohols and should be the active ingredient of choice

Ablation of insulin-producing cells prevents obesity but not premature mortality caused by a high-sugar diet in Drosophila

Ageing can be modulated by genetic as well as nutritional interventions. In female Drosophila melanogaster, lifespan is maximized at intermediate concentrations of sucrose as the carbohydrate source, and yeast as the protein source. Dampening the signal through the insulin/IGF signalling (IIS) pathway, by genetic ablation of median neurosecretory cells (mNSCs) that produce insulin-like peptides, extends lifespan and counteracts the detrimental effects of excess yeast. However, how IIS reduction impacts health on a high-sugar diet remains unclear. We find that, while the ablation of the mNSCs can extend lifespan and delay the age-related decline in the health of the neuromuscular system irrespective of the amount of dietary sugar, it cannot rescue the lifespan-shortening effects of excess sugar. On the other hand, ablation of mNSCs can prevent adult obesity resulting from excess sugar, and this effect appears independent from the canonical effector of IIS, dfoxo. Our study indicates that while treatments that reduce IIS have anti-ageing effects irrespective of dietary sugar, additional interventions may be required to achieve full benefits in humans, where excessive sugar consumption is a growing problem. At the same time, pathways regulated by IIS may be suitable targets for treatment of obesity

Capturing differences in dental training using a virtual reality simulator

Virtual reality simulators are becoming increasingly popular in dental schools across the world. But to what extent do these systems reflect actual dental ability? Addressing this question of construct validity is a fundamental step that is necessary before these systems can be fully integrated into a dental school's curriculum. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of the Simodont (a haptic virtual reality dental simulator) to differences in dental training experience. Two hundred and eighty-nine participants, with 1 (n = 92), 3 (n = 79), 4 (n = 57) and 5 (n = 61) years of dental training, performed a series of tasks upon their first exposure to the simulator. We found statistically significant differences between novice (Year 1) and experienced dental trainees (operationalised as 3 or more years of training), but no differences between performance of experienced trainees with varying levels of experience. This work represents a crucial first step in understanding the value of haptic virtual reality simulators in dental education

ANTAGONISTIC EFFECT OF MUSK ON ORGANISMS DIFFERENT TYPES

Objective: This study aims to The research aimed at a comparative study the effect of natural and synthetic musk compared to creams that have an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effect on the growth of Candida albicans that causes vaginal diseases in women, as well as the growth of the bacteria strains include Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, which would be more effective in inhibiting the growth of these microbes and Achieve the recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad for women to treat the vagina with natural musk, find alternatives to synthetic antibiotics, and reduce their negative effects on human health. Methods: This study investigates the antagonistic effect of Anti fungal and bacterial Cream and different natural type {Musk (N. M), Black Musk (B. M)} and chemical Musk {white Musk (W. M), cream Musk (M. C) } on some microorganisms. The types of yeast Candida albicans HVS and the bacteria strains include Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, were tested by means of disk diffusion, Results: Results indicated that Musk has inhibitory effects on the growth of study microorganisms Musk contains active substances similar to antibiotic, alkaloids and volatile oils present in them as they have the ability to stop the growth of many microorganisms. The effect of natural musk was higher than the effect synthetic musk, And the microbes were the most sensitive to musk is Bacillus subtilis. As for anti-microbial creams, the effect of the anti-bacterial cream was more effective in their suppression compared to all kinds of musk unlike the anti-fungal cream which gave a negative result. Conclusion: This study showed that the different concentrations of natural musk have an effective role in inhibiting some of the microbes of this vaginal pathogen, and it has given a positive opposite result to these microbes, and therefore it can be used as a natural antibiotic that reduces side effects on females and the environment