Comparative Study of Single Dose Per-operative Metronidazole versus Multiple Doses Postoperative Metronidazole in Acute Non-Complicated Appendicitis: A View on Postoperative Complications

Background: It has now been proved by researches that per-operative single dose prophylactic antibiotics more crucial in preventing postoperative wound infection in elective cases and clean-contaminated cases like acutely inflamed non-perforated appendicitis. Aim and Objectives: This study investigated the effect of a single dose of metronidazole infusion per-operatively in the treatment of patients undergoing appendicectomy regarding postoperative infective complications. Material and Methods: A total number of 111 patients of non-complicated (suppurative and catarrhal) appendicitis enrolled in this prospective study between October 2015 and October 2017. Patients were allocated to two groups in a randomized way. Fifty-one patients in Group A were given a single dose of metronidazole per-operatively. Sixty patients in Group B were given multiple doses of metronidazole postoperatively. Postoperative fever, wound infection, seroma, and intrabdominal collections were compared between both groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test and Chi-square test. Results: The patients of both groups were similar in baseline characteristics. No significant difference was found in the rate of postoperative fever and wound infection in both groups. In Group A there were five patients (9%) developed postoperative fever, four of them (7.8%) because of wound infection. In Group B there were six patients (10%) developed postoperative fever, four of them (6.7%) because of wound infection. None of the patients developed seroma or intraabdominal abscesses. Conclusion: Single per-operative dose of metronidazole is quite effective in reducing the incidence of postoperative feve

STUDY OF AZO COMPOUNDS DERIVED FROM P-CRESOL LIGAND: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

Azo compounds contain two aromatic rings separated by an azo (-N=N-) link. These are versatile molecules that have garnered a lot of interest in both basic and applied research. In this work, synthesis of some Azo dyes derivatives by coupling P-cresol with diazonium salts obtained from p-chloroaniline and p-methoxyaniline. The structure of the synthesized compound has been characterized by using techniques like UV-Vis Spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, the antimicrobial activity of these synthesized dyes compounds was examined by using the disc diffusion method against gram negative and gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa which have been isolated from the patients of wound infection. Further, synthesized compounds showed moderate to significant inhibitory effect at the selected concentrations against the tested microorganisms. The results of antibacterial activities demonstrated that compound p-chloroaniline had good antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa at the concentration of 300 mg/ml with 8.079 mm and 6.16 mm inhibition zone, diameter respectively. This study synthesized two new compounds viz., p-chloroaniline and p-methoxyaniline, and among these two p-chloroaniline has good anti-bacterial activity against S. aureus. Therefore, this can serve as a new compound for the manufacture of ointment to treat wound infections

Updating the NCTUns-6.0 tool to simulate parallel optical burst switching of all-optical ultra-dense WDM systems

Optical burst switching (OBS) is proposed as suitable switching architectures for directly transporting traffic over a bufferless wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks. Parallel optical burst switching (POBS) is a variant of the OBS model that takes this concept further by transmitting data bursts wavelength and time dimensions. However, there is a lack of simulator that simulates POBS networks. This paper presents an update to the conventional OBS model in the NCTUns-6.0 simulator (NCTUns-POBS). The NCTUns-POBS tool is capable of simulating POBS networks for ultra-denseWDM. It analyzes the features of POBS networks, enables to adjust the parameters of POBS networks and enhances their switching technology. To test and validate the performance of the tool, the proposed random wavelength assignment technique (RWAT) is compared with the existing sequential wavelength assignment technique (SWAT) of the POBS model and the conventional OBS model. The results of the simulation show that, the NCTUns-POBS successfully simulates the POBS networks in which the proposed RWAT enables the POBS to yield higher throughput compared to the existing SWAT and the OBS conventional techniqu

Cten Is Targeted by Kras Signalling to Regulate Cell Motility in the Colon and Pancreas

CTEN/TNS4 is an oncogene in colorectal cancer (CRC) which enhances cell motility although the mechanism of Cten regulation is unknown. We found an association between high Cten expression and KRAS/BRAF mutation in a series of CRC cell lines (p = 0.03) and hypothesised that Kras may regulate Cten. To test this, Kras was knocked-down (using small interfering (si)RNA) in CRC cell lines SW620 and DLD1 (high Cten expressors and mutant for KRAS). In each cell line, Kras knockdown was mirrored by down-regulation of Cten Since Kras signals through Braf, we tested the effect of Kras knockdown in CRC cell line Colo205 (which shows high Cten expression and is mutant for BRAF but wild type for KRAS). Cten levels were unaffected by Kras knockdown whilst Braf knockdown resulted in reduced Cten expression suggesting that Kras signals via Braf to regulate Cten. Quantification of Cten mRNA and protein analysis following proteasome inhibition suggested that regulation was of Cten transcription. Kras knockdown inhibited cell motility. To test whether this could be mediated through Cten, SW620 cells were co-transfected with Kras specific siRNAs and a Cten expression vector. Restoring Cten expression was able to restore cell motility despite Kras knockdown (transwell migration and wounding assay, p<0.001 for both). Since KRAS is mutated in many cancers, we investigated whether this relationship could be demonstrated in other tumour models. The experiments were repeated in the pancreatic cancer cell lines Colo357 & PSN-1(both high Cten expressors and mutant for KRAS). In both cell lines, Kras was shown to regulate Cten and forced expression of Cten was able to rescue loss of cell motility following Kras knockdown in PSN-1 (transwell migration assay, p<0.001). We conclude that, in the colon and pancreas, Cten is a downstream target of Kras and may be a mechanism through which Kras regulates of cell motility

Genotoxic Effect of Lead and Cadmium on Workers at Wastewater Plant in Iraq

Heavy metal poisoning is a worldwide problem that is caused by different human industrial activities such as battery and painting manufacturing and occupational exposure of those working at petrol stations. Wastewater is known to contain higher amounts of heavy metals such as lead (Pd) and cadmium (Cd) and might be sources of exposure for workers at the wastewater treatment plant. However, to our best knowledge, no studies were done to evaluate the level of cadmium and lead in blood of workers at wastewater treatment plants and evaluate the subsequent effect of lead and cadmium on delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD), urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid (Uδ-ALA), and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as markers of lead and cadmium toxicity. In this case-control study, 79 workers at the Al-Rustumiya wastewater plant in Baghdad, Iraq, and 40 control subjects were included. The levels of lead and cadmium were measured in blood of the study subjects using the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method. 8-OHdG was analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. δ-ALAD and Uδ-ALA were estimated using spectrophotometry-based methods. Our work showed that workers had a significantly higher level of lead and cadmium when compared with the control group (P0.05). To sum up, working at the wastewater treatment plant was associated with a higher blood level of lead and cadmium and their possible health hazard. Health and occupational safety authorities are required to set up tighter regulations and protocols to minimize these hazards and ensure a safe working environment

UBC Aquatic Centre

The UBC Aquatic centre is currently spending $400,000 per year in energy costs. The heat is supplied by exchanging heat from hot steam to the pool water. This report will focus on how to increase the efficiency of heating the pool water using steam, as well as suggest an alternative heating approach. The steam transfers heat to the pool water in a single plate heat exchanger. Adding another heat exchanger will increase the amount of heat transferred to the pool water. Another option is to replace the current heat exchanger with a new double plate heat exchanger. Double plate heat exchangers are known for their increased heat transfer efficiency. This method will reduce the Aquatic centre’s yearly energy costs by 14An additional suggestion is to add a dehumidifier to the indoor pool building. About 4500L/day of water evaporates from the surface of the pools, which causes corrosion and mold to damage equipment inside the pool housing. A dehumidifier prevents this by converting the moisture into water, creating a drier air for the indoor pool. There are two large advantages to this: 70maintenance cost for the indoor equipment is reduced. Now, the alternative to the steam heating is using natural gas to heat up the pools’ water. There are gas pipelines all around UBC that could be re‐routed to the pool. The pool water would be heated in a gas heater, which is quicker and more efficient than steam. We are not causing any environmental harm by doing this because the gas that would normally be used to make the steam at the UBC steam plant would now simply be directly used to heat up the Aquatic centre water. It is more energy efficient, as there is also no transport heat loss that normally occurs when steam is shipped from the steam plant to the pool. The energy cost savings would cover the capital costs of the heaters (approximately$1 million including all installation costs) in just 8 years. The final conclusion that can be drawn from this analysis is that for short term changes, either a heat exchanger or dehumidifier, or both, should be added to increase heating efficiency. This change would fit the client’s current budget. However, in the long run, a gas fired heater should be considered as a new source of heating rather than steam heat exchange. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Applied Science, Faculty ofChemical and Biological Engineering, Department ofUnreviewedUndergraduat

Telehealth utilization during the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, different technologies, including telehealth, are maximised to mitigate the risks and consequences of the disease. Telehealth has been widely utilised because of its usability and safety in providing healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a systematic literature review which provides extensive evidence on the impact of COVID-19 through telehealth and which covers multiple directions in a large-scale research remains lacking. This study aims to review telehealth literature comprehensively since the pandemic started. It also aims to map the research landscape into a coherent taxonomy and characterise this emerging field in terms of motivations, open challenges and recommendations. Articles related to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic were systematically searched in the WOS, IEEE, Science Direct, Springer and Scopus databases. The final set included (n = 86) articles discussing telehealth applications with respect to (i) control (n = 25), (ii) technology (n = 14) and (iii) medical procedure (n = 47). Since the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth has been presented in diverse cases. However, it still warrants further attention. Regardless of category, the articles focused on the challenges which hinder the maximisation of telehealth in such times and how to address them. With the rapid increase in the utilization of telehealth in different specialised hospitals and clinics, a potential framework which reflects the authors’ implications of the future application and opportunities of telehealth has been established. This article improves our understanding and reveals the full potential of telehealth during these difficult times and beyond