Calotropis procera Latex-Induced Inflammatory Hyperalgesia—Effect of Antiinflammatory Drugs

The milky white latex of plant Calotropis procera produces inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes on accidental exposure. It produces edema on local administration due to the release of histamine and prostaglandins and is associated with hyperalgesia. In the present study we have evaluated the antiedematous and analgesic activity of antiinflammatory drugs against inflammatory response induced by dried latex (DL) of C procera in rat paw edema model. An aqueous extract of DL of C procera was injected into the subplantar surface of the rat paw and the paw volume was measured by a plethysmometer at 0, 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours. Concomitantly the hyperalgesic response was also evaluated by motility test, stair climbing ability test, dorsal flexion pain test, compression test, and observing the grooming behavior. The inhibitory effect of diclofenac and rofecoxib on edema formation and hyperalgesic response was compared with cyproheptadine (CPH). DL-induced edema formation was maximum at 2 hours that was associated with decreased pain threshold, functional impairment, and grooming. Treatment with antiinflammatory drugs and CPH significantly attenuated the edematous response and grooming, increased the pain threshold, and improved functional parameters. Both antiinflammatory and antiserotonergic drugs significantly inhibited the hyperalgesia associated with DL-induced paw edema. Rofecoxib was found to be superior than diclofenac and was as effective as CPH in ameliorating the hyperalgesia. However, it was found to be less effective than CPH in attenuating edema formation

Clonidine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine in spinal anaesthesia for infra-umbilical surgeries in children: a prospective randomized, double-blind trial

Objective: Spinal anaesthesia (SA) is a well-established technique for infra-umbilical surgeries but is underutilized in children. One important reason is the limited duration of action. Clonidine is a useful adjuvant in this regard but has not been studied in a dose of 1.5 μg/kg.Design: a prospective randomized study Setting: A single centre study conducted at a Super speciality paediatric tertiary care centre.Participants: Sixty children (5-12yrs) scheduled for lower abdominal surgery with duration <90min were included.Interventions: The participants were randomized into two groups to receive 0.4mg/kg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with clonidine 1.5μg/kg (Group-I, n=30) or 0.4mg/kg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with saline(Group-II, n=30) in the subarachnoid block.Main outcome measures: The sensory and motor block duration, time to two-segment regression, time to first rescue analgesic, and the number of rescue doses required were recorded.Results: Mean duration of sensory blockade (147.5±7.28 vs 310.33±10.17min; P<0.001) and motor blockade (132.5±10.06 vs 283.33±11.77min; P < 0.001) and duration of analgesia (172±9.61 vs 364.50±28.75min; P < 0.001) were significantly prolonged in the clonidine group. In the control group, most patients needed three analgesic doses over 24hr while in the clonidine group, the majority needed two doses. Adverse effects were infrequent in both groups.Conclusions: Clonidine as an adjuvant to 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine significantly prolonged the duration of analgesia with improved quality of anaesthesia while maintaining safety. We recommend the routine use of clonidine 1.5 μg/kg dose as an adjuvant to 0.5% bupivacaine in paediatric SA

A vectorization approach for multifaceted solids in VecGeom

VecGeom [1] is a multi-purpose geometry library targeting the optimisation of the 3D-solids’ algorithms used extensively in particle transport and tracking applications. The implementations of these algorithms are templated on the input data type and are vectorised based on the VecCore [2] abstraction library in case of multiple inputs in a SIMD vector. This provides additional performance for applications supporting a multi-particle flow, such as the GeantV [3] prototype. VecGeom allows also scalar queries for all the supported solids, an option that started being used in Geant4 [4] since the release 10.2, as optional replacement of the geometry functionality provided by the native Geant4 solids. In single particle mode, VecGeom can still issue SIMD instructions by vectorizing the geometry algorithms featuring loops over internal data structures. This approach has proven to bring very large benefits for the tessellated solids represented in terms of triangular facets. To expose more vectorization in the scalar mode we have extended the approach used for the triangular tessellations to other multifaceted shapes, such as the extruded polygon, the poly-hedra and different trapezoids. We hereby present the strategy used to vectorise the different processing phases for tessellated solids, the performance improvements compared to the previous scalar implementations for other solids using this approach, and how this is reflected in Geant4 simulations using VecGeom as geometry engine

Inorganic polymer-derived ceramic membranes

Polymeric silica sols were used to prepare membranes on commercial {gamma}-A1{sub 2}O{sub 3} supports. Aging of the silica sols was shown to be effective to form discrete membrane layers. He/N{sub 2} selectivity factors exceeding ideal Knudsen values were observed when the sols were prepared under conditions in which the condensation rate was minimized. It is proposed that the average pore size of the membrane depends on the balance of capillary pressure and modulus during membrane deposition and that the breadth of the pore size distribution might be influenced by the extent of condensation accompanying membrane deposition. The use of organic templates may allow independent control of pore size, pore shape, and pore volume. The membranes are to be used in processing natural gas (gas separation/purification)

A phase II randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of praneem polyherbal vaginal tablets compared with betadine vaginal pessary in women with symptoms of abnormal vaginal discharge

Abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) caused by a variety of reproductive tract infections is a widespread syndrome among women in India and in other developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a polyherbal formulation, Praneem, can be used for the regression of the syndrome. A phase II randomized controlled study was carried out with Praneem polyherbal tablets and Betadine vaginal pessary in 99 women with AVD. The authors found that 92% of women using Praneem were relieved of their symptoms of AVD as against 81.6% women using Betadine. Significant reduction was also seen with both treatments in lower abdominal pain, vaginal itching, and dysuria. Thus, the study indicates the efficacy of Praneem for the treatment of AVD and provides a rationale for planning a further Phase III study on a larger sample size for definitive conclusions

Predicting the effect of fiber orientations and boundary conditions on the optimal placement of PZT sensor on the composite structures

In this paper, the modal-model of the composite structure is predicted and viewed to decide the optimal position of the PZT sensors on the composite structures. The novelty of this work is to systematically study the effect of fiber orientations and boundary conditions on the modal-model and the optimal location of the PZT sensors on the composite structures. The glass fibers are reinforced in a polyester matrix at different fiber orientations such as 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°. It is used for various engineering applications, especially in the aerospace and automobile sector, and it is very important to measure its dynamical response. The PZT patches can be embedded on the composite structures to measure their vibrational response. In this paper, ABAQUS software is used to build the finite element model of the PZT-composite structure. The composite structure is modeled with different boundary conditions. It is observed that the orientation of the fibers as well as the boundary condition directly put their effect on the modal-model of the composite structure and also on the selection of the optimal position of the PZT patches. It is found that the optimal position of the PZT directly depends upon the fiber orientation