PREVALENCE OF ALTERED FOOT POSTURE IN OSTEOARTHRITIS OF KNEE

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a non-inflammatory progressive degenerative disorder of weight bearing joint. Changes in foot posture may cause increased mechanical rotational stress on the knee joint and may alter alignment and dynamic function of lower limb. To understand the effect of foot orthosis and footwear modification as a non-operative treatment and to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from it, greater knowledge of foot structure in this population is required to find altered foot posture in medial and lateral compartment OA knee using Navicular Drop Test (NDT) and Arch Index (AI). A cross sectional study done on 100 Osteoarthritis patients diagnosed with ACR clinically diagnostic criteria. Patients were evaluated using NDT and AI. NDT: Using a rigid ruler the height of navicular tuberosity in neutral talus position and relaxed standing position was measured. AI: A foot print was taken on graph paper and divided into 3 equal parts A (anterior), B(middle), C(posterior). The results showed that 64% had medial compartmental OA knee and 36% had lateral compartmental OA knee. Out of total population patient showed equal amount of pronation and supination i.e. 36%, while 28% having no alteration in foot posture. Medial compartment had 19.20% pronated foot due to knee adduction moment arm. 28.12% had supinated foot in order to decrease load on lateral compartment and to delay further degenerative process. The study concluded that medial compartment OA and lateral compartment OA showed more pronated and supinated foot type respectively

How do novel seat positions impact usability of child restraints?

Autonomous driving technology and changes in regulations may create an environment that allows novel vehicle interiors. It is important to consider impact on all types of passengers when contemplating interior design, particularly for vehicles that may be used by families with children. We developed a fixture that enables us to change the orientation of each of 4 car seats and used it to simulate three different vehicle interiors. Ten families with children aged 3 months to 7 years interacted with each of the simulated interiors as part of a usability study. Times to install and remove child restraint systems were not significantly different across the three simulated vehicle interiors, but parents were able to release children fastest when using the “X” configuration, which had all seats on a diagonal facing the middle of the vehicle. While overall experience ratings didn’t differ significantly, seven out of ten parents indicated that they liked the “X” configuration better than the other two configurations tested. Reasons included: ability to interact with other passengers, ability to see the road, and legroom/comfort. However, many participants disliked having some passengers not facing forward. Overall, parents liked facing their children, but several said that they would only be comfortable if they could see out of the front windshield; meanwhile, children liked seeing their parents’ faces but also preferred to face forward. Child restraint system and vehicle manufacturers could benefit from considering this study when designing new products

A study on the thermal degradation of rubber in dilute solutions

The kinetics of low-temperature (60-100°C.) thermal degradation of deproteinized and deresinified petroleum ether soluble fraction of natural rubber in two chemically inert solvents, cyclohexane and trans-decalin, have been studied. The changes in Mw, A2, and (r-2-)½at various stages of degradation have been obtained from the lightscattering data. The rate constants and the energy of activation for chain scission have been calculated from the observed variation in Mu. The scission has been found to be random and the average energy of activation is 25.8 kcal./mole. This low-energy requirement suggests the presence of weak links in the rubber molecule which get ruptured at low temperature

Biocompatibility of a Synthetic Biopolymer for the Treatment of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

The aim of this study is to evaluate the retinal safety and toxicity of a novel synthetic biopolymer to be used as a patch to treat rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Thirty one adult wild type albino mice were divided in 2 groups. In Group A (n=9) 0.2 μl balanced salt solution (BSS) and in Group B (n=22), 0.2 μl biopolymer was injected in the subretinal space. Trans-scleral subretinal injection was performed in one eye and the fellow eye was used as control. In both groups, in vivo color fundus photography, electroretinogram (ERG), spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were performed before injection and at days 7 and 14 post-intervention. Histological analysis was performed following euthanization at days 1, 7 and 21 post-injection. The biopolymer was visualized in the subretinal space in vivo by SD-OCT and post-life by histology up to 1 week after the injection. There were no significant differences in ERG parameters between the two groups at 1 and 2 weeks post-injection. Minimal inflammatory response and loss of photoreceptor cells was only observed in the immediate proximity of the site of scleral perforation, which was similar in both groups. Overall integrity of the outer, inner retina and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layers was unaffected by the presence of the biopolymer in the subretinal space. Functional and histological evaluation suggests that the synthetic biopolymer is non-inflammatory and non-toxic to the eye. It may represent a safe therapeutic agent in the future, for the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

How do novel seat positions impact usability of child restraints?

Autonomous driving technology and changes in regulations may create an environment that allows novel vehicle interiors. It is important to consider impact on all types of passengers when contemplating interior design, particularly for vehicles that may be used by families with children. We developed a fixture that enables us to change the orientation of each of 4 car seats and used it to simulate three different vehicle interiors. Ten families with children aged 3 months to 7 years interacted with each of the simulated interiors as part of a usability study. Times to install and remove child restraint systems were not significantly different across the three simulated vehicle interiors, but parents were able to release children fastest when using the “X” configuration, which had all seats on a diagonal facing the middle of the vehicle. While overall experience ratings didn’t differ significantly, seven out of ten parents indicated that they liked the “X” configuration better than the other two configurations tested. Reasons included: ability to interact with other passengers, ability to see the road, and legroom/comfort. However, many participants disliked having some passengers not facing forward. Overall, parents liked facing their children, but several said that they would only be comfortable if they could see out of the front windshield; meanwhile, children liked seeing their parents’ faces but also preferred to face forward. Child restraint system and vehicle manufacturers could benefit from considering this study when designing new products