Distal radioulnar joint injuries

Distal radioulnar joint is a trochoid joint relatively new in evolution. Along with proximal radioulnar joint , forearm bones and interosseous membrane, it allows pronosupination and load transmission across the wrist. Injuries around distal radioulnar joint are not uncommon, and are usually associated with distal radius fractures,fractures of the ulnar styloid and with the eponymous Galeazzi or Essex_Lopresti fractures. The injury can be purely involving the soft tissue especially the triangular fibrocartilage or the radioulnar ligaments.The patients usually present with ulnar sided wrist pain, features of instability, or restriction of rotation. Difficulty in carrying loads in the hand is a major constraint for these patients. Thorough clinical examination to localize point of tenderness and appropriate provocative tests help in diagnosis. Radiology and MRI are extremely useful, while arthroscopy is the gold standard for evaluation. The treatment protocols are continuously evolving and range from conservative, arthroscopic to open surgical methods. Isolated dislocation are uncommon. Basal fractures of the ulnar styloid tend to make the joint unstable and may require operative intervention. Chronic instability requires reconstruction of the stabilizing ligaments to avoid onset of arthritis. Prosthetic replacement in arthritis is gaining acceptance in the management of arthritis

Synovial sarcoma of the brachial plexus – a rare tumor in a rare area: a case report

Abstract Background Synovial cell sarcomas are usually seen in a juxta-articular location. However, they occur rarely in the head and neck region. Case presentation We report a rare case of brachial plexus synovial sarcoma in a 24-year old South Asian man treated successfully with surgical excision followed by radiotherapy. Conclusions Synovial sarcoma arising from the brachial plexus is rare. The treatment is multimodal with complete excision (often challenging owing to the proximity of the neurovascular structures) and adjuvant therapy

The clinical and microbiological profile of the diabetic hand: A retrospective study from South India

Background: Pyogenic Infections of the hand in diabetes are largely a tropical entity and published material in the area are rather meagre. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study on the pattern of hand infections and involves the microbiological profile of 39 cases of diabetes hand-related infections admitted to the hospital between the years 2004 and 2010. Results: This study included 39 patients, among whom 23 (59%) had necrotizing fasciitis (NF), and 16 (9-abscess and 7-tenosynovitis) had nonnecrotizing infection. Among 25 culture positive patients, polymicrobial infections were isolated in 13 (52%) patients, a single organism was isolated in 9 (36%) and 3 (12%) had sterile cultures. Out of the 41 different bacterial isolates, 51.12% were Gram-negative and 48.78% were Gram-positive. Patients with NF had a higher mean glycated hemoglobin (10.83 ± 2.59 vs. 8.64 ± 1.8%, P = 0.020), when compared to the nonnecrotizing group. Patients with NF also had more polymicrobial infections (P = 0.017), and a longer duration of hospitalization when compared to patients without NF (21.8 ± 9.96 vs. 12.7 ± 14.5 days, P = 0.021). Seven (17.94%) patients required amputation of the affected digits of which six (15.38%) had NF. Conclusion: Patients with poor glycemic control, polymicrobial infection, delay in presentation, and a prior surgical intervention at another medical center was associated with more severe necrotizing infections. The duration of hospitalization and amputation rates was greater among patients with NF

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Not AvailablePhytoplankton dynamics plays a vital role in determining the productivity of any coastal ecosystem. In this study, temporal variability in phytoplankton composition and diversity was assessed with respect to the physico-chemical parameters of water in major dol net fishing grounds of two spatially adjacent tidal creeks (Thane and Vasai) of Maharashtra.The phytoplankters identified belonged to 84 and 69 species in Thane and Vasai creeks, respectively. Numerical abundance of phytoplankton ranged from 8.7×104 cells per litre to 4.3×105 cells per litre. Diatoms were the major group in both the creeks followed by dinoflagellates. Plankton density, diversity, evenness and richness were significantly higher in winter monsoon season. Phytoplankton density is positively correlated with phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, chlorophyll-a, diatoms and dinoflagellates, and negatively correlated with total suspended solids and silicates. Canonical correspondence analysis established that temperature, salinity and nutrients regulate the temporal patterns in phytoplankton composition. This study has provided fruitful insights on the diversity, abundance and temporal variations of phytoplankton assemblages under the influence of physico-chemical parameters of water in the tidal creeks of Maharashtra.Not Availabl

Biomass pyrolysis - A review of modelling, process parameters and catalytic studies

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Biomass as a form of energy source may be utilized in two different ways: directly by burning the biomass and indirectly by converting it into solid, liquid or gaseous fuels. Pyrolysis is an indirect conversion method, and can be described in simpler terms as a thermal decomposition of biomass under oxygen-depleted conditions to an array of solid, liquid and gaseous products, namely biochar, bio-oil and fuel gas. However, pyrolysis of biomass is a complex chemical process with several operational and environmental challenges. Consequently, this process has been widely investigated in order to understand the mechanisms and kinetics of pyrolysis at different scales, viz. particle level, multi-phase reacting flow, product distribution and reactor performance, process integration and control. However, there are a number of uncertainties in current biomass pyrolysis models, especially in their ability to optimize process conditions to achieve desired product yields and distribution. The present contribution provides a critical review of the current status of mathematical modelling studies of biomass pyrolysis with the aim to identify knowledge gaps for further research and opportunities for integration of biomass pyrolysis models of disparate scales. Models for the hydrodynamic behaviour of particles in pyrolysis, and their interaction with the reactive flow and the effect on the performance of the reactors have also been critically analyzed. From this analysis it becomes apparent that feedstock characteristics, evolving physical and chemical properties of biomass particles and residence times of both solid and gas phases in reactors hold the key to the desired performance of the pyrolysis process. Finally, the importance of catalytic effects in pyrolysis has also been critically analyzed, resulting in recommendations for further research in this area especially on selection of catalysts for optimal product yields under varying operating conditions

Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles and Their Application in Cancer Therapy

none6simixedValeria De Matteis; Mariafrancesca Cascione; Loris Rizzello; Eva Liatsi-Douvitsa; Azzurra Apriceno; Rosaria RinaldiDE MATTEIS, Valeria; Cascione, Mariafrancesca; Rizzello, Loris; Liatsi-Douvitsa, Eva; Apriceno, Azzurra; Rinaldi, Rosari