ADSORPTION STUDY OF METHYLENE BLUE DYE REMOVAL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION USING LIQUID NATURAL RUBBER/GEOPOLYMER COMPOSITE ADSORBENT

The geopolymer (GP) composites had been widely studied for their application in wastewater treatment in removing methylene blue dye due to the excellent adsorption capacit

Relative and absolute test-retest reliabilities of pressure pain threshold in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Pressure pain threshold (PPT) and PPT maps are commonly used to quantify and visualize mechanical pain sensitivity. Although PPT's have frequently been reported from patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), the absolute and relative reliability of PPT assessments remain to be determined. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the test-retest relative and absolute reliability of PPT in KOA. For that purpose, intra- and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) as well as the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the minimal detectable change (MDC) values within eight anatomical locations covering the most painful knee of KOA patients was measured. Twenty KOA patients participated in two sessions with a period of 2 weeks±3 days apart. PPT's were assessed over eight anatomical locations covering the knee and two remote locations over tibialis anterior and brachioradialis. The patients rated their maximum pain intensity during the past 24 h and prior to the recordings on a visual analog scale (VAS), and completed The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and PainDetect surveys. The ICC, SEM and MDC between the sessions were assessed. The ICC for the individual variability was expressed with coefficient of variance (CV). Bland-Altman plots were used to assess potential bias in the dataset. The ICC ranged from 0.85 to 0.96 for all the anatomical locations which is considered "almost perfect". CV was lowest in session 1 and ranged from 44.2 to 57.6%. SEM for comparison ranged between 34 and 71 kPa and MDC ranged between 93 and 197 kPa with a mean PPT ranged from 273.5 to 367.7 kPa in session 1 and 268.1-331.3 kPa in session 2. The analysis of Bland-Altman plot showed no systematic bias. PPT maps showed that the patients had lower thresholds in session 2, but no significant difference was observed for the comparison between the sessions for PPT or VAS. No correlations were seen between PainDetect and PPT and PainDetect and WOMAC. Almost perfect relative and absolute reliabilities were found for the assessment of PPT's for KOA patients. The present investigation implicates that PPT's is reliable for assessing pain sensitivity and sensitization in KOA patients.</p

Unrecognized double aortic arch in a preterm infant: Diagnostic challenges and perioperative management

Vascular rings are relatively rare, and are frequently overlooked as a potential cause of neonatal respiratory distress in non specialized centres. This might lead to delay in diagnosis during which the child is subjected to repeated respiratory insults. Procrastination in prompt diagnosis and management can lead to significant comorbidities or even death. We highlight the case report of a preterm infant with an unrecognized double aortic arch who presented with severe respiratory morbidity and the subsequent management

Identification and Control of Critical Process Impurities: An Improved Process for the Preparation of Dolutegravir Sodium

A four-stage manufacturing route for the preparation of dolutegravir sodium (<b>1</b>) was assessed and optimized leading to a higher yielding, simpler and scalable process. Key improvements in the process include the development of mild workup procedure by selective derivatization of a difficult to remove a process impurity using <i>tert</i>-butyldimethylsilyl chloride. Metal-based hydrogenation-free <i>O</i>-debenzylation is optimized, and the critical isomeric impurity formed was identified and eliminated from the process by the establishment of a proper control strategy