An interesting case of suicidal poisoning

Aconite is one of the most poisonous known herbs. It has been known to be used as a homicidal poison from long time in history. However this is rarely known to be used as suicidal poison. Poisoning with aconite is usually fatal and death commonly occurs due to arrhythmias and cardiotoxicity. We report a case of attempted suicidal poisoning by aconite where patient survived in spite of documented cardiotoxic effects of the poison

Older people's experiences of changed medication appearance : a survey

This report details a survey of older people's experiences of changed medication appearance. The aims of the study were: • To develop a questionnaire in partnership with older people to survey older people’s views on fluctuating medication appearance • To elicit older people’s experiences of medication that changed appearance due to ‘generic prescribing’ and ‘parallel import’ practices and its impact on their medication taking practices. These common pharmacy practices mean that the same tablet medication can be issued to older people in different colours, sizes and shapes to their previous prescriptions. Older people from a local User/Carer Forum highlighted these problems to the research team and asked that we investigate to explore the extent of the problem. An eight-item questionnaire was developed and distributed to 2000 older people (50 years+) across participating PCTs in Greater Manchester in 2008. A 29% response rate was achieved. The data was analysed using the SPSS statistical package. Findings include: •63.3% experienced a change in the appearance of their tablet medications. •74.1% did not seek advice regarding the change in the appearance of their tablet medications. •Older people noted changes to the actual tablets, tablet packaging and written information that accompanies tablets. Changes are occurring to the colour, size and shape of tablets more than changes to packaging and written information. The majority of respondents had experienced changes in the appearance of their prescribed tablet medication in the previous two years which were not due to change in medication or dose etc. Worryingly, for some respondents, these changes prompted negative experiences such as anxiety, confusion and upset. Of particular concern was that a small number omitted the affected tablet medications and did not seek help or advice from GPs, pharmacists or relatives. Six older people have been study advisors from inception to dissemination of this study and significantly added to its quality. The study demonstrates substantive public engagement / user involvement in research. The findings suggest nurses and others have a role to play in promoting better medicines management and identifying those most at risk from changed appearance of medications

Concept of Thermal Sheet and its Design for Sustainable Heating and Cooling Using Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus that can maintain a required thermal condition[TC] of an object for a period of time. The apparatus comprises a thermal sheet[TS] having thickness[t] nearly same as a blanket and incorporates a pipe to circulate a fluid. The thermal sheet can be used in combination with a Thermal Energy Reservoir [TER] that can be configured with a thermally insulated chamber to hold a thermal reservoir substance kept in the thermally insulated chamber. A pump can circulate the fluid through a second pipe placed in the thermally insulated chamber and thereafter through the pipe in the thermal sheet. A hot reservoir substance [heat source] can provide heating effects and a cold reservoir substance [heat sink] can likewise be used to provide a cooling effect. Thus the thermal sheet[TS] has the capability to keep a body at a required thermal condition[TC] (high or low temperature) for a period of time

Costochondral Grafts in the treatment of Temporomandibular joint ankylosis: a Clinical Study

Background: Treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis usually requires adequate excision of the involved ankylotic block (arthroplasty) without interposing any material (gap arthroplasty) or interpositional arthroplasty using autogenous or alloplastic materials. The objective of this paper was to note the potential of the costochondral graft (CCGs) as an interpositional material and to see whether they induce normal growth potential in the reconstructed mandible. Materials and method: The ankylosed temporomandibular joint was reached by a preauricular incision with or without angulation and exposed. In the first 4 cases, arthroplasty was done using a bur. The bony mass was detached of its muscle attachments and removed. In the 5th case, condylectomy was performed. In all cases, this was followed by immediate costochondral grafting. Results: The maximal incisal opening in the pre-operative period ranged from 0- 2mm and in the immediate post- operative period from 15- 20mm. at the end of the follow up period it ranged from 20- 35 mm. The increase in SNB angle, SND angle, ramus length and mandibular body length all showed linear growth of mandible on the side where costochondral grafting was done. Conclusion: The articular reconstruction with costochondral grafts for the treatment of TMJ ankylosis is efficient in relation to post- operative maximal incisal opening, recurrence and articular function

Incisor Disorders of Merino Sheep (<em>Ovis aries</em>)

\ua9 The Author(s) 2025. This study documents dental anomalies in 2414 Merino ewe sheep (Ovis aries) from 7 Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association sites observed during routine husbandry. Teeth were photographed and evaluated using visual scoring protocols to assess plaque accumulation, enamel wear, and other anomalies across all incisors. Plaque scoring revealed a median plaque score of 3 (IQR \ub1 1) on buccal surfaces and 2 (IQR \ub1 2) on lingual surfaces, indicating substantial plaque accumulation across incisors. Two cases of geminated incisors and one case of fused central incisors were identified, representing the first documented cases in sheep and expanding existing knowledge of dental anomalies in sheep. Dental wear assessments showed that 13% of 10-month-old ewes and 33% of 20-month-old ewes had significant enamel loss or pulp exposure, with an average of 2 teeth per affected ewe displaying pulp necrosis. Amelogenesis imperfecta was recorded in 5% of the younger and 37% of the older groups. Missing incisors, suggesting early dentition changeover, were observed in 9% of 20-month-old sheep. Localized enamel hypoplasia, potentially resulting from trauma or disruptions during enamel development, was noted in 1% of both age groups. Dental caries was identified in five 20-month-old ewes with permanent incisors. These findings provide a comprehensive overview of the range and prevalence of dental conditions in Merino sheep, including common wear patterns and rare anomalies. Documenting such conditions in sheep contributes valuable information to veterinary dentistry, highlighting the need for further research into incisor health in sheep

Weed detection using spectral imaging across diverse environments: Identifying optimal weeding times

\ua9 2025. Traditional machine learning and deep learning models have attracted wide attention for autonomous weed detection. Combinations of spectral, shape and textual features, together with shallow machine learning classifiers have demonstrated weed detection accuracy comparable to deep learning approaches. To leverage the strong interpretability and short training time of conventional machine learning techniques, this study proposed machine learning-based workflows, which relied solely on spectral features for weed discrimination, without extracting shape or textual features. Using multispectral datasets collected from the greenhouse and field, this study provides insights of the machine learning-based workflows performance under both controlled and uncontrolled conditions. The 10-band full spectrum outperformed discriminant bands selected by ReliefF, Recursive Feature Elimination and Principal Component Analysis across all classifiers. Among the models, K Nearest Neighbour achieved the highest performance, surpassing both Random Forest and Support Vector Machine, with F1 scores of 0.86 in the greenhouse and 0.96 in the field. The optimal timing for autonomous weeding was identified between the second leaf development and before side shoot formation (BBCH 12–19), corresponding to 52–65 days after sowing in the greenhouse and 64 days after sowing in the field. This recommendation was based on statistical analysis and the 10band-KNN model applied to multispectral data collected on different dates. These findings provide practical guidance for optimizing autonomous weeding schedules in real-world scenarios. Moreover, the results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed workflows across different weed species and environmental conditions, while also supporting the reliability of related studies conducted under controlled environments