The usefulness of diffusion weighted imaging in cholesteatoma diagnosis and postoperative pathologic correlation

Middle ear cholesteatomas consist of ectopic keratinized epithelial tissue that grows inside the mucosa-lined middle ear cavity and desquamates, accumulating keratin and epithelial debris leads to bone erosion. Bony erosion can result in destruction of the ossicles, creating conductive hearing loss, labyrinthine fistulas with sensorineural hearing loss and vertigo, facial nerve canal erosion and facial paralysis, and rare intracranial complications, such as meningitis and abscess Diffusion-weighted imaging is a technique that measures the molecular diffusion of water (Brownian motion) within the tissues, which can be quantified using Apparent Diffusion co-efficient (ADC). Diffusion-weighted imaging is highly specific due to the high keratin content of cholesteatomas.Newer techniques allow detection of smaller lesions and may be sufficient to replace second-look surgery in patients with prior cholesteatoma resection .Thus early detection avoids unnecessary complications and can avoid second looking surgery. DWI is superior to conventional T2 sequence in detecting the cholesteatomas. HRCT and MRI are complementary to each other in diagnosing cholesteatomas. In preoperative cases HRCT has high diagnostic accuracy and MRI is usually used to confirm the diagnosis whereas in postoperative cases HRCT is highly non specific and MRI plays significant role in diagnosing cholesteatomas

Simulating the dynamic responses of Highway bridges for multiple vehicle presence effects

The paper investigates the dynamic amplification factors to be applied for critical loading events involving multiple vehicles in bridge design. Numerical simulation of dynamic responses of two typical highway bridges, a short span one and a medium to large span one, reported in the literature as part of the DIVINE research program was carried out for the purpose. During DIVINE field investigations, these bridges had responded very heavily to single truck passage to the extent that the current dynamic amplification factors in bridge design codes were exceeded. From the simulation studies it is observed that vehicles with air suspensions, generally supposed to induce lower dynamic loads compared to those with steel suspensions, are capable of generating amplified bridge responses whenever the combination of road profile and vehicle speed is capable of exciting the critical frequencies and there is condition of frequency matching between bridge and vehicle. Also, it was observed in the case of short span bridge that there can be many cycles of amplified bridge oscillations even when the vehicle is over the bridge, which may have implications in its fatigue life. Presence of multiple vehicles in bridge span reduced the dynamic amplification factors in case of both short span and medium span bridges, with the reduction being more pronounced near vehicle speeds capable of exciting critical vehicle frequencies. The reduction was more pronounced in the case of medium to large span bridge than for the one with short span

An application of 3-D kinematical conservation laws: propagation of a 3-D wavefront

Three-dimensional (3-D) kinematical conservation laws (KCL) are equations of evolution of a propagating surface Omega(t) in three space dimensions. We start with a brief review of the 3-D KCL system and mention some of its properties relevant to this paper. The 3-D KCL, a system of six conservation laws, is an underdetermined system to which we add an energy transport equation for a small amplitude 3-D nonlinear wavefront propagating in a polytropic gas in a uniform state and at rest. We call the enlarged system of 3-D KCL with the energy transport equation equations of weakly nonlinear ray theory (WNLRT). We highlight some interesting properties of the eigenstructure of the equations of WNLRT, but the main aim of this paper is to test the numerical efficacy of this system of seven conservation laws. We take several initial shapes for a nonlinear wavefront with a suitable amplitude distribution on it and let it evolve according to the 3-D WNLRT. The 3-D WNLRT is a weakly hyperbolic 7 × 7 system that is highly nonlinear. Here we use the staggered Lax–Friedrichs and Nessyahu–Tadmor central schemes and have obtained some very interesting shapes of the wavefronts. We find the 3-D KCL to be suitable for solving many complex problems for which there presently seems to be no other method capable of giving such physically realistic features

A genuinely multi-dimensional relaxation scheme for hyperbolic conservation laws

A novel genuinely multi-dimensional relaxation scheme is proposed. Based on a new discrete velocity Boltzmann equation, which is an improvement over previously introduced relaxation systems in terms of isotropic coverage of the multi-dimensional domain by the foot of the characteristic, a finite volume method is developed in which the fluxes at the cell interfaces are evaluated in a genuinely multi-dimensional way, in contrast to the traditional dimension-by-dimension treatment. This algorithm is tested on some bench-mark test problems for hyperbolic conservation laws

Fundamentals and Theory of HPTLC-Based Separation

Abstract High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is a form of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) that provides superior separation power using optimized coating material, novel procedures for mobile-phase feeding, layer conditioning, and improved sample application. It promotes for higher separation efficiencies, shorter analysis time, lower amounts of mobile phase, and efficient data acquisition and processing. The major parameters that influence separation of the constituents within a mixture are the partition coefficients, retention factor (R f ), and capacity factor of the individual constituents on the plate, selectivity of the mobile and stationary phase to the solutes, and the plate height that decide the separation efficiency as well as resolution of the individual constituents within a mixture. The partition coefficient is defined as the molar concentration of the analyte in the stationary phase to that in the mobile phase. R f , a fundamental qualitative value, is expressed as the ratio of migration distances of an individual components of a mix relative to the mobile phase. Capacity factor (k) is a fundamental characteristic of a substance that determines its qualitative chromatographic behavior. It can be expressed as the ratio of the retention time of the substance in the stationary to that in the mobile phase and is influenced by the chemical nature of the two phases. The separation number (SN) that influences separation power of HPLC is defined as the highest possible number of components that are completely separated in a mixture under a gradient-free isocratic TLC. The efficacy of separation of two components of a mixture in a chromatogram is termed as resolution and is influenced by the selectivity of the components between the stationary and the mobile phase, mobile phase flow rate influenced by particle size and solvent strength that influence capacity factors

A successful pregnancy outcome following embolisation for post modified Manchester Fothergill haemorrhage: an interesting case report

Genital prolapse is one of the most common disorder affecting women of varying age group; though it typically affects older and parous women. Malfunction of the pelvic support is the most common cause of this disorder. Increasing age and excess weight are established risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse.In young nulliparous women conservative surgery is preferred to preserve the fertility of the patient. The approach of surgery can be either vaginal or abdominal depending on the classification of prolapse. We reported a rare case of a 36-year-old P1L0 (IUFD1) A1 with cervical elongation who was apprehensive to have a child. She was managed at our institute and had a successful pregnancy outcome in spite of undergoing embolization for secondary haemorrhage following modified Manchester-Fothergill operation

REMOVAL OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE FROM FLUE GASES IN THERMAL PLANTS

ABSTRACT The demand of electricity is continuous increasing and it is expected to double in 7 -10 years and the pollution in the environment likely to increase in the coming years. The main pollutants from the thermal power plants are dust and objectible gases like CO, CO 2 , SO 2 , NO 2 etc. SO 2 is a major constituent in air pollution. Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) which produces during combustion of Coal in power plants and reacts with atmospheric water and oxygen to produce sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ). This sulphuric acid is a component of acid rain, which lowers the pH of soil and freshwater bodies, resulting in substantial damage to the natural environment and chemical weathering of statues and structures. Hence our aim of the project is removal of SO 2 in flue gases and production of commercial applicable product with these gases. Laboratory studies were conducted to compare the efficiency of different concentration of NaOH, pH of solution, and temperature of NaOH solution for absorption of SO 2 contained in flue gases. Thus it is concluded that the 5 % Conc. of the NaOH is found to be optimum as compared to higher concentrations. pH of the solution should be alkaline for good absorption of SO 2 . Maximum absorption of SO 2 found in temperature range between 20-25 o C

Repercussion of biofilm and antibiotic resistance in ventilator associated pneumonia

Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia contributes nearly half of all cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Drug resistance among ventilator associated pneumonia has obligation of device withdrawal in order to achieve clinical and microbiological cure. Aim of the study was to determine the relationship between antibiotic resistance of Endotracheal tube biofilm and pulmonary pathogens in ventilator-associated pneumonia.Methods: A descriptive analytical study of 100 clinically suspected VAP patients was done. Patients were divided into group-I and Group-II based on intubation duration for 1-5 days and 6-10 days respectively. Endotracheal aspirate (ETA) was collected from clinically diagnosed cases and processed as per standard microbiological techniques. Bacterial counts ≥106 CFU/ml for quantitative cultures was considered significant. Biofilm production was detected by tissue culture plate, tube method and Congo red method. Multi-variant analysis was done to find out the association of the various factors.Results: Klebsiella pneumoniae was the predominant bacteria isolated followed by Acinetobacter baumannii. 45% of Gram negative bacteria were β lactamase producers. In Biofilm production by tissue culture method, 72% of the isolates showed either strong or moderate biofilm formation. Multivariate analysis revealed that bacteria isolated from VAP occurring after 5 days of mechanical ventilation among prior antibiotic-treated patients were resistant to all the antibiotics tested.Conclusions: Bacterial aetiology, biofilm formation and drug resistance has ramification on outcome of ventilator associated pneumonia. Hence, advised that it is crucial to remove ET tube in regular interval to prevent biofilm formation and sequential cultures to obtain the microbiological information which enables better patient care.