Evaluation of dacryocystorhinostomy failure with computed tomographic dacryocystography

Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the causes of failure of dacryocystorhinostomy by computed dacryocystography (CT-DCG).Methods: CT-DCG was done in 38 patients of failed DCR of either sex in the age group of 16-60 years, the radiologist blinded to the clinical status of the patient evaluated position and size of bony ostium, soft tissue scarring, bony regrowth, secondary stenosis of canaliculi, synechiae between the ostium and nasal septum and anatomic variations in nasal cavity, turbinates or nasal septum.Results: The most common causes of failure in our study were inappropriate size of osteotomy window in 34 patients (84.47%), inappropriate location of osteotomy window in 31 patients (81.57%), fibrous tissue scarring at osteotomy window in 22 patients (57.89%), the other causes were bilateral concha bullosa in 2 patients, ethmoidal sinusitis in 2 patients, common canalicular block in 1 patient, faulty passage into ethmoidal sinus in 1 patient and no osteotomy window seen in patient.Conclusions: CT-DCG is a valuable imaging tool to evaluate DCR failure before re-operation. In our study CT-DCG showed that small size of osteotomy window, inappropriate position of osteotomy window and fibrous tissue scarring at osteotomy window were frequently seen causative factors of DCR failure.

Active Contours Based Segmentation and Lesion Periphery Analysis For Characterization of Skin Lesions in Dermoscopy Images

This paper proposes a computer assisted diagnostic (CAD) system for the detection of melanoma in dermoscopy images. Clinical findings have concluded that in case of melanoma, the lesion borders exhibit differential structures such as pigment networks and streaks as opposed to normal skin spots, which have smoother borders. We aim to validate these findings by performing segmentation of the skin lesions followed by an extraction of the peripheral region of the lesion that is subjected to feature extraction and classification for detecting melanoma. For segmentation, we propose a novel active contours based method that takes an initial lesion contour followed by the usage of Kullback-Leibler divergence between the lesion and skin to fit a curve precisely to the lesion boundaries. After segmentation of the lesion, its periphery is extracted to detect melanoma using image features that are based on local binary patterns. For validation of our algorithms, we have used the publicly available PH $^{2}$ dermoscopy dataset. An extensive experimental analysis reveals two important findings: 1). The proposed segmentation method mimics the ground truth data accurately, outperforming the other methods that have been used for comparison purposes, and 2). The most significant melanoma characteristics in the lesion actually lie on the lesion periphery

Antibiotics and over the counter medication use and its correlates among Arab pregnant women visiting a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background and Objective: The use of over the counter medications (OTCMs) is a common practice globally. OTCMs are of special concern among pregnant women as they pose risk to the mother and fetus. The objective was to assess the use of OTCMs by pregnant woman, and factors associated with it. Methods: A cross-sectional study, using a structured self-administrated questionnaire was conducted at the obstetric and antenatal clinics at King Khalid University hospital, Riyadh. 354 pregnant women were surveyed. Result: About 32% of the study participants used OTCMs without prescription at least once during their last pregnancy. The most commonly used OTCM was Paracetamol (22%). Pharmacists were the main source of knowledge (53%) for the participants. Correct knowledge regarding the drugs was associated with the usage of OTCM drug. Conclusion: Use of OTCMs and antibiotics during pregnancy is a common practice among Saudi pregnant women. General awareness regarding OTCMs use during pregnancy without prescription needs to be raised in the community. Pharmacists and media can help in providing accurate knowledge.Hafsa Raheel, Sulaiman Alsakran, Abdulkhaliq Alghamdi, Majed Ajarem, Salman Alsulami, Afzal Mahmoo

On beta-time fractional biological population model with abundant solitary wave structures

Abstract The ongoing study deals with various forms of solutions for the biological population model with a novel beta-time derivative operators. This model is very conducive to explain the enlargement of viruses, parasites and diseases. This configuration of the aforesaid classical scheme is scouted for its new solutions especially in soliton shape via two of the well known analytical strategies, namely: the extended Sinh-Gordon equation expansion method (EShGEEM) and the Expa function method. These soliton solutions suggest that these methods have widened the scope for generating solitary waves and other solutions of fractional differential equations. Different types of soliton solutions will be gained such as dark, bright and singular solitons solutions with certain conditions. Furthermore, the obtained results can also be used in describing the biological population model in some better way. The numerical solution for the model is obtained using the finite difference method. The numerical simulations of some selected results are also given through their physical explanations. To the best of our knowledge, No previous literature discussed this model through the application of the EShGEEM and the Expa function method and supported their new obtained results by numerical analysis

Evaluation of Silicon Supplementation for Drought Stress under Water-Deficit Conditions: An Application of Sustainable Agriculture

Drought is a key abiotic stress that confines agriculture development worldwide. Silicon (Si) is commonly considered to be a valuable element for resistance against drought and for sustainable agriculture. To investigate the morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics of Gerbera jamesonii plants, a pot experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions and exposed to water stress (60% FC) and well-watered (100% FC) conditions. Foliar application of Si was carried out after ten days (48 days after sowing) of drought treatment and was repeated weekly, while well-water was regarded as control. Water deficiency significantly abridged the morphological attributes, pigments, and stress-related metabolites and negatively affected the photosynthetic apparatus in drought-stressed gerbera plants. However, Si supplementation by 40 mg L-1 produced increased leaf area (31%), stem length (25%), flower diameter (22%), plant fresh biomass (17%), total chlorophyll (48%), and concentration of carotenoids (54%) in water-stressed plants. Similarly, the accretion of a total free amino acid (41%) and the activities of peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, glycinebetaine, total soluble proteins, total free proline, and malondialdehyde were enhanced by 44%, 31%, 53%, 33%, 330%, 61%, 51%, and 66%, respectively, under drought stress in comparison with control conditions. Meanwhile, the photosynthetic rate (89%), the transpiration rate (12%), and stomatal conductance (55%) were significantly enhanced in water-deficit gerbera leaves with Si supplementation. This study proposes that the foliar application of Si is a viable and convenient method of improving the performance of elegant gerbera flower plants in regions of the world that are facing severe water deficiency

Predictors of outcome in a contemporary cardiac sarcoidosis population: Role of brain natriuretic peptide, left ventricular function and myocardial inflammation

Aims Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a potentially fatal condition that varies in its clinical presentation. Here, we describe baseline characteristics at presentation along with prognosis and predictors of outcome in a sizable and deeply phenotyped contemporary cohort of CS patients. Methods and results Consecutive CS patients seen at one institution were retrospectively enrolled after undergoing laboratory testing, electrocardiogram, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and $^{18}$F‐flourodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) at baseline. The composite endpoint consisted of all‐cause mortality, aborted sudden cardiac death, major ventricular arrhythmic events, heart failure hospitalization and heart transplantation. A total of 319 CS patients were studied (67% male, 55.4 ± 12 years). During a median follow‐up of 2.2 years (range: 1 month–11 years), 8% of patients died, while 33% reached the composite endpoint. The annualized mortality rate was 2.7% and the 5‐ and 10‐year mortality rates were 6.2% and 7.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels (hazard ratio [HR] 2.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34–4.31, p = 0.003), CMR left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.98, p < 0.0001) and maximum standardized uptake value of FDG‐PET (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04–1.19, p = 0.001) to be independent predictors of outcome. These findings remained robust for different patient subgroups. Conclusion Cardiac sarcoidosis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in those with cardiac involvement as the first manifestation. Higher BNP levels, lower LVEF and more active myocardial inflammation were independent predictors of outcomes

Dreaming Characteristics in Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia and Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Similarities and Differences

Background: Speech graph analysis (SGA) of dreams has recently shown promise as an objective and language-invariant diagnostic tool that can aid neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Whilst the notion that dreaming mentations reflect distinct physiologic processes is not new, such studies in patients with sleep disorders remain exceptionally scarce. Here, using SGA and other dream content analyses, we set to investigate structural and thematic differences in morning dream recalls of patients diagnosed with Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia (NREMP) and Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of morning dream recalls of iRBD and NREMP patients was undertaken. Traditional dream content analyses, such as Orlinsky and Hall and Van de Castle analyses, were initially conducted. Subsequently, SGA was performed in order to objectively quantify structural speech differences between the dream recalls of the two patient groups. Results: Comparable rate of morning recall of dreams in the sleep laboratory was recorded; 25% of iRBD and 18.35% of NREMP patients. Aggression in dreams was recorded by 28.57% iRBD versus 20.00% in NREMP group. iRBD patients were more likely to recall dreams (iRBD vs NREMP; P = 0.007), but they also had more white dreams, ie having a feeling of having dreamt, but with no memory of it. Visual and quantitative graph speech analyses of iRBD dreams suggested stable sequential structure, reflecting the linearity of the chronological narrative. Conversely, NREMP dream reports displayed more recursive, less stable systems, with significantly higher scores of graph connectivity measures. Conclusion: The findings of our exploratory study suggest that iRBD and NREMP patients may not only differ on what is recalled in their dreams but also, perhaps more strikingly, on how dreams are recalled. It is hoped that future SGA-led dream investigations of larger groups of patients will help discern distinct mechanistic underpinnings and any associated clinical implications

Exploring the new soliton solutions to the nonlinear M-fractional evolution equations in shallow water by three analytical techniques

This paper explores the new soliton solutions of the evolution equations named as truncated M-fractional (1+1)-dimensional non-linear Kaup-Boussinesq system by utilizing the expa function, modified simplest equation and Sardar sub-equation techniques. This system is used in the analysis of long waves in shallow water. The attained results involving trigonometric, hyperbolic and exponential functions. The effect of fractional order derivative is also discussed. Obtained results are very close to the approximate results due to the use of M-fractional derivative. Achieved results are verified by Mathematica tool. Few of the gained results are also explained through 2-D, 3-D and contour graphs. At the end, these techniques are straight forward, useful and effective to deal with non-linear FPDEs. © 2023 The Author(s