Deep neck space infections: comparison of outcomes between diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Background: The objective of the study was to study the clinical presentation, microbiological profile, treatment protocol of deep neck space infections in diabetics and non diabetics.Methods: This was a prospective study conducted on 76 patients (diabetics and non diabetics) admitted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TD Medical college, Alappuzha over a period of 18 months from January 2012 to June 2013.Results: The age distribution was 15-75 years. Male to female ratio was 2:1. Fever, pain, neck swelling and odynophagia were the common symptoms with dyspnoea and chest pain indicative of complications. The most common etiology was odontogenic (68.4%) followed by tonsillopharyngeal infection and foreign bodies. No etiological factor was found in 34.2%. The commonest site was submandibular space (64.2%) followed by parapharyngeal space (26.6%). Abscess was present in majority needing surgical drainage. The most common organism isolated was streptococcus viridans (37.5%). Preponderance of klebsiella species was noted in diabetics. Streptococcus showed susceptibility to pencillin (83.33%), ampicillin (92%), cefotaxime (60.526%). Klebsiella showed susceptibility to gentamicin (42.3%) and ciprofloxacin (28.57%). The complication rate was more in diabetics (34.21%). Contrast enhanced CT was done in cases suspected to have complication. The mean hospital stay was longer in diabetics (19.6 days) than non diabetics (6.4 days).Conclusions: Deep neck space infection still remains life threatening if not heeded promptly. Senescence and diabetes demand surgical intervention and meticulous glycemic control to prevent complications. Judicious use of antimicrobials and timely radiological and surgical interventions have come a long way in the management and in providing a cure to this dreaded condition

Recent developments in preparation of activated carbons by microwave: Study of residual errors

AbstractThe application of microwave activated Acacia nilotica leaves (MVM) and chemically activated A. nilotica leaves (CVM) for the removal of crystal violet (CV) from aqueous solution was studied in a batch system. Equilibrium sorption isotherms and kinetics were investigated. The applicability of the Langmuir model for CV onto CVM and MVM was proved by the high correlation coefficient and non-linear regression such as, residual root mean square error (RMSE), chi-square (χ2), sum of the square of the errors (ERRSQ), composite functional error (HYBRD), derivative of Marquardt’s percent standard deviation (MPSD), average relative error (ARE), sum of absolute error (EABS) and average percentage error (APE). The adsorption of CV onto CVM and MVM follows pseudo-second-order kinetic model with intraparticle diffusion is one of the rate-limiting steps. The adsorption capacity of MVM is greater than CVM. The preparation of MVM is agreeing with the principles of green chemistry. Therefore, the eco friendly adsorbent MVM is expected to be the environmentally and the economically feasible adsorbent for the removal of CV from aqueous solution

Nestroft as a screening tool to Identify Beta Thalassaemia Trait in Paediatric Cases.

In India, There Are Around 20 Million Carrier Cases Of -Thalassaemia And Around 8000-10,000 Children Are Born Every Year With -Thalassaemia Major, Lokeshwar M.R. Shah N, Kanakia N. Et.Al 2006. The Birth Of A Thalassaemia Child Places Considerable Health And Economic Strain Not Only On The Affected Child And His/Her Family But Also On The Community. Since, Thalassaemia Is A Severe And Incurable Disease, Emphasis Has To Be Shifted From The Treatment Of An Affected Child To The Prevention Of Such Births In Future. Identifying Carriers For - Thalassaemia Patients, Thus Plays An Important Role In Preventing This, Verma IC Et.Al (1992). - Thalassaemia Trait Presents With Microcytic Hypochromic Blood Picture Similar To The Picture Of Iron Deficiency Anemia And Anemia Of Chronic Diseases. The Differentiation Between These Conditions Becomes Mandatory Which Usually Relies On The Measurement Of Serum Ferritin, Serum Iron, Total Iron Binding Capacity And Hb A2 Levels. These Diagnostic Methods Are Costly And Hence Constitute A Significant Burden On Public Health Economy Particularly In Developing Countries Like India. This Made The Way For Developing A Simple And Economic Screening Test For The Detection Of Carriers Of - Thalassemia. In 1988 Mehta BC Et Al Developed A Simple Cost Effective Screening Test For The Detection Of Cases Of -Thalassemia Trait Based On Reduced Osmotic Fragility. This Is Called NESTROFT (Naked Eye Single Tube Red Cell Osmotic Fragility Test). We Have Tried To Assess The Usefulness Of This Screening Test In Our Paediatric Cases Presenting With Anemia

Investigation of Shear Stud Performance in Flat Plate Using Finite Element Analysis

Three types of shear stud arrangement, respectively featuring an orthogonal, a radial and a critical perimeter pattern, were evaluated numerically. A numerical investigation was conducted using the finite element software ABAQUS to evaluate their ability to resist punching shear in a flat plate. The finite element analysis here is an application of the nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures using three-dimensional solid finite elements. The nonlinear characteristics of concrete were achieved by employing the concrete damaged plasticity model in the finite element program. Transverse shear stress was evaluated using finite element analysis in terms of shear stress distribution for flat plate with and without shear stud reinforcement. The model predicted that shear studs placed along the critical perimeter are more effective compared to orthogonal and radial patterns

Optimization of preparation of activated carbon from Ricinus communis leaves by microwave – Assisted Zinc Chloride chemical activation: Competitive adsorption of Ni2+ ions from aqueous solution,

e preparation of activated carbon (AC) from Ricinus communis leaves was investigated in this paper. Orthogonal array experimental design method was used to optimize the preparation of AC using microwave assisted zinc chloride. Optimized parameters were radiation power of 100 W, radiation time of 8 min, concentration of zinc chloride of 30% by volume, and impregnation time of 24 h, respectively. e surface characteristics of the AC prepared under optimized conditions were examined by pH ZPC , SEM-EDAX, XRD, and FTIR. Competitive adsorption of Ni 2+ ions on Ricinus communis leaves by microwave assisted zinc chloride chemical activation (ZLRC) present in binary and ternary mixture was compared with the single metal solution. e effects of the presence of one metal ion on the adsorption of the other metal ion were investigated. e experimental results indicated that the uptake capacity of one metal ion was reduced by the presence of the other metal ion. e extent of adsorption capacity of the binary and ternary metal ions tested on ZLRC was low (48-69%) as compared to single metal ions. Comparisons with the biosorption of Ni 2+ ions by the biomass of ZLRC in the binary and ternary solution (67.32-57.07%-∼Ni-Cu and Cr) could lead to the conclusion that biosorption of Ni 2+ ions was reduced by the in�uence of Cu 2+ and Cr 3+ ions. e e�uilibrium data of the adsorption was well �tted to the Langmuir isotherm. e adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model

A PIPELINED APPROACH FOR FPGA IMPLEMENTATION OF BI MODAL BIOMETRIC PATTERN RECOGNITION

ABSTRACT A Biometric system is essentially a pattern recognition system that makes use of biometric traits to recognize individuals. Systems which are built upon multiple sources of information for establishing identity which are known as multimodal biometric systems can overcome some of the limitations like noisy captured data, intra class variations etc… In this paper a Bi modal biometric system of iris and palm print based on Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT), gabor filters and a neural classifier implemented in FPGA is described. Iris is the unique observable visible feature present in the detailed texture of each eye. Palmprint is referred to the textural data like principal lines wrinkles and ridges present in the palm. The visible texture of a person's iris and palm print is encoded into a compact sequence of 2-D wavelet packet coefficients constituting a biometric signature or a feature vector code. In this paper, a novel multi-resolution approach based on WPT for recognition of iris and palmprint is proposed. With an adaptive threshold, WPT sub image coefficients are quantized into 1, 0 or -1 as biometric signature resulting in the size of biometric signature as 960 bits. The combined pattern vector of palm print features and iris features are formed using fusion at feature level and applied to the pattern classifier. The Learning Vector Quantization neural network is used as pattern classifier and a recognition rate of 97.22% is obtained. A part of the neural network is implemented for input data of 16 dimensions and 12 input classes and 8 output classes, using virtex-4 xc4vlx15 device. This system can complete recognition in 3.25 microseconds thus enabling it being suitable for real time pattern recognition tasks

Development and evaluation of biscuits from foxtail millet and papaya fruit

Foxtail millet biscuits with papaya fruit pulp as sugar substitute were studied with an aim to increase antioxidant properties. Different formulations of 0%, 25%, 30% and 35% papaya pulp were prepared. Addition of papaya fruit pulp to foxtail millet biscuits increased color, texture, low hardness at first bite and mouth feel. Physical properties of biscuits such as weight, thickness and bulk density decreased with increase in papaya pulp addition, whereas diameter and spread ratio increased with increase in papaya incorporation. Based on sensory and physical properties, 35% papaya fruit pulp incorporated foxtail biscuits were analyzed for chemical composition and antioxidant properties compared with sugar-added foxtail millet biscuits as a control. Nutritional evaluation of biscuits revealed that 35% addition of papaya pulp increased ash and decreased protein, iron, zinc and copper; there was no significant difference in fat and moisture content. Antioxidant properties such as total carotenoids, total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity were increased with the addition of papaya fruit pulp to the foxtail millet biscuits. It can be further explored for producing more papaya-based therapeutic products to benefit consumers

Predictors of Daily Mobility of Adults in Peri-Urban South India

Daily mobility, an important aspect of environmental exposures and health behavior, has mainly been investigated in high-income countries. We aimed to identify the main dimensions of mobility and investigate their individual, contextual, and external predictors among men and women living in a peri-urban area of South India. We used 192 global positioning system (GPS)-recorded mobility tracks from 47 participants (24 women, 23 men) from the Cardiovascular Health effects of Air pollution in Telangana, India (CHAI) project (mean: 4.1 days/person). The mean age was 44 (standard deviation: 14) years. Half of the population was illiterate and 55% was in unskilled manual employment, mostly agriculture-related. Sex was the largest determinant of mobility. During daytime, time spent at home averaged 13.4 (3.7) h for women and 9.4 (4.2) h for men. Women's activity spaces were smaller and more circular than men's. A principal component analysis identified three main mobility dimensions related to the size of the activity space, the mobility in/around the residence, and mobility inside the village, explaining 86% (women) and 61% (men) of the total variability in mobility. Age, socioeconomic status, and urbanicity were associated with all three dimensions. Our results have multiple potential applications for improved assessment of environmental exposures and their effects on health

Development and evaluation of biscuits from foxtail millet and papaya fruit

860-865Foxtail millet biscuits with papaya fruit pulp as sugar substitute were studied with an aim to increase antioxidant properties. Different formulations of 0%, 25%, 30% and 35% papaya pulp were prepared. Addition of papaya fruit pulp to foxtail millet biscuits increased color, texture, low hardness at first bite and mouth feel. Physical properties of biscuits such as weight, thickness and bulk density decreased with increase in papaya pulp addition, whereas diameter and spread ratio increased with increase in papaya incorporation. Based on sensory and physical properties, 35% papaya fruit pulp incorporated foxtail biscuits were analyzed for chemical composition and antioxidant properties compared with sugar-added foxtail millet biscuits as a control. Nutritional evaluation of biscuits revealed that 35% addition of papaya pulp increased ash and decreased protein, iron, zinc and copper; there was no significant difference in fat and moisture content. Antioxidant properties such as total carotenoids, total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity were increased with the addition of papaya fruit pulp to the foxtail millet biscuits. It can be further explored for producing more papaya-based therapeutic products to benefit consumers