A binderless, covalently bulk modified electrochemical sensor: Application to simultaneous determination of lead and cadmium at trace level

A new type of covalent binderless bulk modified electrode has been fabricated and used in the simultaneous determination of lead and cadmium ions at nanomolar level. The modification of graphitic carbon with 4-amino salicylic acid was carried out under microwave irradiation through the amide bond formation. The electrochemical behavior of the fabricated electrode has been carried out to decipher the interacting ability of the functional moieties present on the modifier molecules toward the simultaneous determination of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions using cyclic and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The possible mode of interaction of functional groups with metal ions is proposed based on the pKa values of the modifier functionalities present on the surface of graphitic carbon particles. The analytical utility of the proposed sensor has been validated by measuring the lead and cadmium content from pretreated waste water samples of lead acid batteries. © 2012 Elsevier B.V

A nationwide study of adults admitted to hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state and COVID‐19

AimsTo investigate characteristics of people hospitalized with coronavirus-disease-2019 (COVID-19) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS), and to identify risk factors for mortality and intensive care admission.Materials and methodsRetrospective cohort study with anonymized data from the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists nationwide audit of hospital admissions with COVID-19 and diabetes, from start of pandemic to November 2021. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. DKA and HHS were adjudicated against national criteria. Age-adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression.ResultsIn total, 85 confirmed DKA cases, and 20 HHS, occurred among 4073 people (211 type 1 diabetes, 3748 type 2 diabetes, 114 unknown type) hospitalized with COVID-19. Mean (SD) age was 60 (18.2) years in DKA and 74 (11.8) years in HHS (p < .001). A higher proportion of patients with HHS than with DKA were of non-White ethnicity (71.4% vs 39.0% p = .038). Mortality in DKA was 36.8% (n = 57) and 3.8% (n = 26) in type 2 and type 1 diabetes respectively. Among people with type 2 diabetes and DKA, mortality was lower in insulin users compared with non-users [21.4% vs. 52.2%; age-adjusted odds ratio 0.13 (95% CI 0.03-0.60)]. Crude mortality was lower in DKA than HHS (25.9% vs. 65.0%, p = .001) and in statin users versus non-users (36.4% vs. 100%; p = .035) but these were not statistically significant after age adjustment.ConclusionsHospitalization with COVID-19 and adjudicated DKA is four times more common than HHS but both associate with substantial mortality. There is a strong association of previous insulin therapy with survival in type 2 diabetes-associated DKA

Graphene–platinum nanocomposite as a sensitive and selective voltammetric sensor for trace level arsenic quantification

A simple protocol for the chemical modification of graphene with platinum nanoparticles and its subsequent electroanalytical application toward sensitive and selective determination of arsenic has been described. Chemical modification was carried out by the simultaneous and sequential chemical reduction of graphene oxide and hexachloroplatinic acid in the presence of ethylene glycol as a mild reducing agent. The synthesized graphene–platinum nanocomposite (Gr–nPt) has been characterized through infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction study, field emission scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. CV and square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry have been used to quantify arsenic. The proposed nanostructure showed linearity in the concentration range 10–100 nM with a detection limit of 1.1 nM. The proposed sensor has been successfully applied to measure trace levels of arsenic present in natural sample matrices like borewell water, polluted lake water, agricultural soil, tomato and spinach leaves

Outcome of open cholecystectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy- A comparative study

Background: Cholelithiasis, which continues to be one of the most common digestive disorders encountered, was traditionally being dealt by conventional or open cholecystectomy. With the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the surgical community witnessed a revolution in basic ideology and the importance of minimal access surgery has suddenly impacted. Materials and Methods: 50 patients admitted at Adichunchanagiri institute of medical science with a diagnosis of calculous cholecystitis underwent open / laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 25patients constituted each group. Results: The duration of Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was significantly more than for open cholecystectomy (median 95 min in LC and 80 min in OC). One patients of laparoscopic group required conversion to open procedure. The drains were required in less number of patients of Laparoscopic cholecystectomy group and for less number of days. No Wound infection was seen in Laparoscopic cholecystectomy patient when compared to 5 in OC patients. The Visual Analogue Scale for pain in the post op period was significantly less for LC patients compared to OC patients (median 7 in OC group as compared to 4 in LC group) . The duration of hospital stay was significantly longer for OC group than for LC group (Mean of 7.84 days versus 3.68 days respectively). The cosmetic result was significantly better in LC group than OC group ( Mean cosmetic score of 4.72 in LC group and 3.44 in OC group. Median score was 5 for LC group and 3 for OC group). Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is Superior to Open cholecystectomy. Therefore, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered the “Gold Standard” procedure for cholecystectomy

Aggregated columnar biphasic region of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystalline phase

We report the results of our studies on the optical and thermal properties of binary mixture of compounds viz., abietic acid and ethylene glycol. The mixture shows very interesting co-existent biphasic region of aggregated columnar (C+I) and columnar (C) phases respectively at different concentrations of abietic acid sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic liquid phase. The temperature variations of optical anisotropy and optical textures have also been discussed

Induced reentrant smectic-A phase in binary mixtures of liquid crystals

We report the results of our studies on the optical and thermal properties of the mixture of cholesteryl chloride (ChCl) and sodium dodecyl sulphate/water (SDS/water), which exhibits very interesting liquid crystalline mesophases, such as cholesteric (N) phase and induced reentrant smectic-A phase, sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic liquid phase. Different liquid crystalline phases observed in the mixture were studied using DSC, X-ray, and optical microscopic techniques. The pitch of the cholesteric phase and the temperature variation of optical anisotropy have also been discussed