Management of a Penetrating Thoracic Injury with Thoracoscopy; A Case Study

Introduction: Various strategies could be considered dealing with penetrating thoracic injuries. Thoracoscopy is much less invasive than routine thoracotomy approach for managing such cases in which the sharp object remains in the body. The case presented in this article was managed with thoracoscopy for a penetrating dorsolateral thoracic injury. Case Presentation: A 35-year-old man with a penetrating dorsolateral thoracic injury referred to the emergency department. Despite an elevated pulse rate, the patient has proper blood pressure and O2 saturation. Considering the patient's stability and the results of imaging which did not show any massive vascular injury, the patient was taken to the operation room for thoracoscopy. At thoracoscopy, we saw 4 cm of the blade in the thoracic cavity between the third and fourth intercostal space. There was a mild laceration of lung tissue without any active bleeding. Considering the position of the blade and the absence of active bleeding and vascular injury at the trauma site, we successfully removed the blade by the thoracoscope without any complications. Conclusion: Our experience of removing a retained knife by thoracoscopy showed that it can be an appropriate alternative for patients with penetrating thoracic injury who are hemodynamically stable and have appropriate conditions for thoracoscopy

Management of a Penetrating Thoracic Injury with Thoracoscopy; A Case Study

Introduction: Various strategies could be considered dealing with penetrating thoracic injuries. Thoracoscopy is much less invasive than routine thoracotomy approach for managing such cases in which the sharp object remains in the body. The case presented in this article was managed with thoracoscopy for a penetrating dorsolateral thoracic injury. Case Presentation: A 35-year-old man with a penetrating dorsolateral thoracic injury referred to the emergency department. Despite an elevated pulse rate, the patient has proper blood pressure and O2 saturation. Considering the patient's stability and the results of imaging which did not show any massive vascular injury, the patient was taken to the operation room for thoracoscopy. At thoracoscopy, we saw 4 cm of the blade in the thoracic cavity between the third and fourth intercostal space. There was a mild laceration of lung tissue without any active bleeding. Considering the position of the blade and the absence of active bleeding and vascular injury at the trauma site, we successfully removed the blade by the thoracoscope without any complications. Conclusion: Our experience of removing a retained knife by thoracoscopy showed that it can be an appropriate alternative for patients with penetrating thoracic injury who are hemodynamically stable and have appropriate conditions for thoracoscopy

A sustainable approach to the low-cost recycling of waste glass fibres composites towards circular economy

For practical applications, both environmental and economic aspects are highly required to consider in the development of recycling of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) encountering their end-of-life. Here, a sustainable, low cost, and efficient approach for the recycling of the glass fibre (GF) from GF reinforced epoxy polymer (GFRP) waste is introduced, based on a microwave-assisted chemical oxidation method. It was found that in a one-step process using microwave irradiation, a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a green oxidiser and tartaric acid (TA) as a natural organic acid could be used to decompose the epoxy matrix of a waste GFRP up to 90% yield. The recycled GFs with ~92.7% tensile strength, ~99.0% Young\u27s modulus, and ~96.2% strain-to-failure retentions were obtained when compared to virgin GFs (VGFs). This short microwave irradiation time using these green and sustainable recycling solvents makes this a significantly low energy consumption approach for the recycling of end-of-life GFRPs

Patency rate and factors affecting the clinical outcome of patients with aortoiliac artery occlusion undergoing intra-arterial stenting

Background Occluding plaques are commonly found inthe infrarenal aorta and the iliac artery in patients with peripheralarterial disease (PAD). Aortoiliacocclusive disease(AIOD) occurs commonly in patients with PAD.Methods: This is a prospective study was carried out between2015 and 2017 in Sina hospital. Patients with occlusionin aortoiliac artery and its branches were included.Stent was placed for patients, if they had any obstructionor stenosis in aortoiliac artery in angiography. Patientswere examined in terms of clinical status and ABI calculationand underwent Color Doppler ultrasound of aortoiliacartery to determine patency rate at 1, 3, 12, and 24months after stent placement.Results: The mean age of patients was 64.60 (±10.41).The main symptoms of the patients were claudication(41.8%), ulcer (27.3%), pain at rest (20%), and gangrene(20%). The lesion was bilateral in 21 patients (38.2%).According to TASC stratification, lesions were of type A in26 patients (47.3%), type B in 4 patients (7.3%), type Cin 5 patients (9.1%), and type D in 20 patients (36.4%).The six-month, one-year, and two-year patency rates were89.1%, 83.6%, and 72.7%, respectively. The mean annualABI of patients was 0.79 (±0.11) and two year ABIwas 0.68 (±0.1).Conclusion: It seems that stenting and angioplasty areeffective in improving patients’ conditions and result in agood short and medium-term patency

Application of InVEST Ecosystem Services Model to Prioritize Sub-watersheds of Talar in term of Soil Erosion, Sediment Retention and Yield

Ecosystem services refer to the benefits and advantages provided directly and indirectly by ecosystem to the people. The concept of ecosystem services has been recognized as a tool for comprehensive decision-making in natural resource management, land use policy design and land use planning in recent years. In this regard, the present study was planned to implement the InVEST sediment delivery ratio (SDR) model and prioritize sub-watersheds of the Talar in Mazandaran province in terms of soil loss, sediment retention and sediment yield. For this purpose, the input factors of the model prepared were including rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, land use, digital elevation model, crop management, land management, sediment connectivity index, K parameter (Determinant of the relationship shape between hydrological connection and SDR) and maximum SDR in the study watershed and then were employed to the mentioned model. Based on the results, the amount of annual soil loss, sediment retention and, sediment yield (ton) obtained were 652683, 757588 and 57426, respectively. Moreover, the spatial changes of the studied variables indicated an increasing trend from the south to the north of the research watershed. In addition, Aseran sub-watershed (2.23 ton/ha) in terms of sediment retention hydrological service and Ghadmagah sub-watershed in terms of soil loss (4.43 ton/ha) and sediment yield (0.39 ton/ha) as critical sub-watersheds were identified. The results of sub-watersheds prioritization based on sediment retention can be used in environmental policy-making in order to carry out executive operations of rehabilitation and achieving sustainable development in the study area

Effect of artemia density on cyst yields of fertilized ponds

One of the effective factors in cyst production on Artemia culture ponds is the number of oviparous females and density of biomass in view of adult's weight per liter of ponds water. In this study, the effect of oviparous female's abundance (Reproductive Females lit^-1) on daily cyst yields with using the ANOVA and correlation Analytical method were assayed. The result indicated that, with presence the small number of oviparous females (less than five Ind lit^-1) and Artemia density (between 0/1 to 0/2g/ lit) on culture ponds, the cyst yields at first sixty days culture period (160 Kg.dw/ha) were more than yields that harvested at three months later (47 Kg.dw/ha) and on the second three months of cultural period despite of presence the larger number of oviparous females (more than twenty Ind/lit) and presence the same Artemia population density, the daily cyst yields was declined.(Sig=0.000)

Undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes among the elderly Adults in the Amirkola, North of Iran

Background: As populations of elderly grow, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension increases. These diseases can be asymptomatic for a long time and cause irreversible damages to organs. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes among the elderly in Amirkola. Methods: This is a descriptive/analytical cross-sectional study and a part of the first phase of a cohort study on the health status of the elderly in Amirkola (a city in the North of Iran) which has been conducted on all people aged 60 and over since 2011. The demographic information was collected using a questionnaire, the hypertension was diagnosed by measuring blood pressure in lying down- position and the diabetes was diagnosed by measuring fasting blood glucose level. Results: This study was conducted on 1568 elderly participants including 703 (44.8) females and 865 (55.2) males. The overall prevalence of diabetes was 30.6 of which, 23.3 was diagnosed and 7.4 was undiagnosed. Nearly one-fourth (24.1) of the participants with diabetes were unaware of their disease. Thirty-one percent of the people with undiagnosed diabetes also had undiagnosed hypertension. The overall prevalence of hypertension in this study was 62.8, including 41.2 diagnosed and 21.5 undiagnosed hypertension. Conclusion: Regarding the results of this study and the high prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes and hypertension in elderly, improving the individual’s general awareness and screening in older adults for timely management are necessary

Antibacterial Activities of 5-Nitro-2-uryl and 5-Nitro-2-Imidazolyl Derivatives of 1,3,4-Thiadiazole

Introduction: Nitrofurans and nitroimidazoles are broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, which affect the microbial DNA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the new derivatives of these two groups of antimicrobials against certain Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Materials and Methods: Seven new derivatives of nitrofurans and nitroimidazoles were synthesized, and 6.4 mg of each derivative was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. Then, 8 serial dilutions (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 μg/ml) of each derivative was prepared using Muller-Hinton broth, and the minimum inhibitory concentration for each derivative was measured and compared to ciprofloxacin (standard). Results: All the derivatives had no antibacterial effects against Gram-negative bacteria (minimum inhibitory concentration > 64 μg/ml); only 2-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-5-(n-pentylsulfunyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole exhibited mild antibacterial effects against Klebsiella pneumonia (minimum inhibitory concentration of 16-32 μg/ml). The antibacterial effects of the derivatives against Gram-positive bacteria also showed variations from complete inhibition of the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis (minimum inhibitory concentration < 0.5 μg/ml) by 2-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-5-(n-buthylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazole to no inhibition of S. epidermidis and streptococcus pyogenes. Conclusion: These compounds have weak antibacterial effects; only two derivatives showed antibacterial effects similar to that of the positive control

Antibiotic Self-Medication and Risk Factors among Medical Students in an Iranian University: a Cross Sectional Study

Background: Self-medication with antibiotic is a widely prevalent practice all over the world especially among medical students. This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the pattern of self-medication among medical students in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students from a referral university in Tehran, Iran. All data obtained were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences program (SPSS) version 20. Results: A total of 201 students were enrolled in the current study. According to the analysis, 129 (64.1%) of the study population reported that they have self-medicated with antibiotics at least once in their student life. The principal morbidities for seeking self-medication include cough and common cold (23.4%) followed by fever (14.9%). The most frequent antibiotics used to self-medicate the mentioned morbidities were: amoxicillin (62%), co-amoxiclav (19.4%), penicillin (17%), cefixime (16%), azithromycin (14%) and tetracycline (9%). The majority of the participants stated cost saving, convenience and lack of confidence as their reasons for self-medication. The drug selection was mostly based on opinion of family members (31.8%), their own experience (27.4%) and the least commonly reported was selection based on recommendation by net citizens (0.5%). Conclusion: Our study indicates that self-medication is widely practiced among students of the college. In this situation, the health care system should create as effective awareness and educate their students regarding advantages and disadvantages of self-medication