Prevalence, incidence and resolution of abscesses and sinuses in patients with tuberculosis of spine: A 5-year results of patients treated with short course chemotherapy with or without surgery in Madras

A controlled clinical study comparing 6 or 9 months of ambulatory chemotherapy alone with radical surgery plus 6 months of chemotherapy was undertaken in patients with spinal tuberculosis in Madras. The prevalence of sinuses and/or clinically evident abscesses was 49(19%) of 253 patients, with significantly higher proportion in patients with lumbar or lumbo-sacral lesions. The incidence of lesions appearing after the start of chemotherapy was 32 (16%) of 204 patients. By five years, all had resolved. The resolution of the lesions was significantly faster and the incidences significantly lower in the radical surgery group than in the two ambulatory series. Mediastinal abscesses were observed on radiographs in 66 (66%) of 100 patients with thoracic or thoraco-lumbar lesions. By five years, the lesions had disappeared in all except two patients and the disappearance was significantly faster in the radical surgery group than in the two ambulatory series. There was no recurrence of these lesions during a period of five years

MAINTENANCE OF SOIL QUALITY PARAMETERS THROUGH HUMIC ACID APPLICATION IN AN ALFISOL AND INCEPTISOL

Humic acid is an organic carbon rich product. To study the effect of humic acid on soil quality parameters like organic carbon (OC), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and enzymatic activities field experiments were conducted in Alfisol and Inceptisol with different levels of humic acid(0 to 40 kg ha-1) and feriliser doses (0,75 and 100 percent recommended dose of fertiliser).In Alfisol application of humic acid @40 kg ha-1 increased the organic carbon (OC) content to 0.790 per cent from 0.725 percent for without HA(humic acid ) application. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) get increased from 24.9 cmol(p+) kg-1 for without HA to 33.4 cmol(p+) kg-1 for 40 kg HA application ha-1.In an Inceptisol, for HA application @40 kg ha-1 the OC and CEC get increased to 0.603 per cent and 25.9 cmol(p+) kg-1 from 0.507 per cent and 18.5 cmol(p+) kg-1 for without HA application. The HA in combination with either @100 per cent recommended dose of NPK or 75 per cent had an added effect on OC and CEC of the soils.The Humic acid application @ 20 kg HA ha-1 or 10 kg ha-1 with foliar spray or root dipping combined with recommended dose or reduced dose of fertilizers favorably increased the enzymatic activities of catalase , dehydrogenase and phosphatase activitie

Lateral-Torsional Buckling of Non-Prismatic I-Beams Using FEM Approach

Essential steel components with variable cross-section are fabricated from welded plates, which are primarily employed for the growth of the construction industry in beams according to the stress and stiffness requirements of the structure. Lateral-torsional buckling, in which the beam experiences non-uniform twisting and buckling about its weaker axis, is one of the most common failure modes. This dissertation focuses primarily on the lateral-torsional buckle of non-prismatic I-beams. The development of differential equations for deformation analysis of the non-prismatic beam. ANSYS results and deformation equation results are compared to validate the methodology. Using ANSYS, the lateral torsional buckling of a non-prismatic I-beam section with uniformly distributed load is analyzed. In finite element analyses, the solid element approach is used to determine the lateral buckling load for various cross-sections (β = 0.1 to 1.0) by analyzing their behavior. In addition, a stiffener is used to prevent lateral buckling, and the results are compared to a model without stiffeners

Keratoprosthesis: Current global scenario and a broad Indian perspective

Keratoprosthesis (Kpro) forms the last resort for bilateral end-stage corneal blindness. The Boston Type 1 and 2 Kpros, the modified osteo-odonto Kpro and the osteo-Kpro are the more frequently and commonly performed Kpros, and this review attempts to compile the current data available on these Kpros worldwide from large single-center studies and compare the indications and outcomes with Kpros in the Indian scenario. Although the indications have significantly expanded over the years and the complications have reduced with modifications in design and postoperative regimen, these are procedures that require an exclusive setup, and a commitment toward long-term follow-up and post-Kpro care. The last decade has seen a surge in the number of Kpro procedures performed worldwide as well as in India. There is a growing need in our country among ophthalmologists to be aware of the indications for Kpro to facilitate appropriate referral as well as of the procedure to enable basic evaluation during follow-ups in case the need arises, and among corneal specialists interested to pursue the field of Kpros in understanding the nuances of these surgeries and to make a judicious decision regarding patient and Kpro selection and more importantly deferral

Biodegradable Radiofrequency Responsive Nanoparticles for Augmented Thermal Ablation Combined with Triggered Drug Release in Liver Tumors

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and doxorubicin (Dox) chemotherapy are separately approved for liver cancer therapy; however, both have limited success in the clinic due to suboptimal/nonuniform heating and systemic side effects, respectively. Here, we report a biodegradable nanoparticle (NP) system showing excellent RF hyperthermic response together with the ability to locally deliver Dox in the liver under RF trigger and control. The nanosystem was prepared by doping a clinically permissible dose (∼4.3 wt %, 0.03 ppm) of stannous ions in alginate nanoparticles (∼100 nm) coloaded with Dox at ∼13.4 wt % concentration and surface conjugated with galactose for targeting asialo-glycoprotein receptors in liver tumors. Targeted NP-uptake and increased cytotoxicity when combined with RF exposure was demonstrated in HEPG2 liver cancer cells. Following in vitro (chicken liver phantom) demonstration of locally augmented RF thermal response, in vivo scintigraphic imaging of ⁹⁹Tc-labeled NPs was performed to optimize liver localization in Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. RF ablation was performed in vivo using a cooled-tip probe, and uniformly enhanced (∼44%) thermal ablation was demonstrated with magnetic resonance imaging along with RF-controlled Dox release. In orthotopic rat liver tumor models, real-time infrared imaging revealed significantly higher (∼20 °C) RF thermal response at the tumor site, resulting in uniform augmented ablation (∼80%) even at a low RF power exposure of 15 W for just 1 min duration. Being a clinically acceptable, biodegradable material, alginate nanoparticles hold strong translational potential for augmented RF hyperthermia combined with triggered drug release