738 research outputs found
Evanescent single-molecule biosensing with quantum limited precision
Sensors that are able to detect and track single unlabelled biomolecules are
an important tool both to understand biomolecular dynamics and interactions at
nanoscale, and for medical diagnostics operating at their ultimate detection
limits. Recently, exceptional sensitivity has been achieved using the strongly
enhanced evanescent fields provided by optical microcavities and nano-sized
plasmonic resonators. However, at high field intensities photodamage to the
biological specimen becomes increasingly problematic. Here, we introduce an
optical nanofibre based evanescent biosensor that operates at the fundamental
precision limit introduced by quantisation of light. This allows a four
order-of-magnitude reduction in optical intensity whilst maintaining
state-of-the-art sensitivity. It enable quantum noise limited tracking of
single biomolecules as small as 3.5 nm, and surface-molecule interactions to be
monitored over extended periods. By achieving quantum noise limited precision,
our approach provides a pathway towards quantum-enhanced single-molecule
biosensors.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, supplementary informatio
The Economic Impact of Lower Extremity Amputations in Diabetics. a Retrospective Study From a Tertiary Care Hospital of Faisalabad, Pakistan
Background: Among the various complications of diabetes, lower-extremity amputation due to diabetic foot is a common problem. In Pakistan, 6-7% of patients with diabetes suffer from diabetic foot ulceration.
Objectives: Our primary objective was to explore the frequency of diabetic foot amputations, and the secondary objective was to calculate the economic burden of these preventable surgeries on the health budget of the provincial government.
Materials & Methods: It was a retrospective cross-sectional observational study conducted after obtaining approval from the Ethical Review Committee of Allied hospital, Faisalabad Medical University. The data of diabetic foot patients who underwent amputations between July 2017 and December 2017 were retrieved from three Surgical Units (I, II & III), using a purposive sampling technique. All amputations carried out for reasons other than diabetic foot were excluded. The direct medical cost of one diabetic foot amputation was calculated via a local survey of the various private hospitals of Faisalabad. The indirect costs in terms of loss of productivity and disability costs, transport costs, rehabilitation costs were not included in this study. The data were evaluated by using SPSS Version 23.
Results: A total of 85 patients were included in our study. The male to female ratio was 2.7 to 1. The mean direct treatment cost for minor amputation was PKR 46926.00 ± 11730.90 (437.71 ± 101.40). Out of 85 amputations, 63 (74%) were major amputations, and the remaining 22 (26%) were minor amputations. The total cost for 63 major amputations was PKR 3,384,360 (8409.67). The net cost came out to be PKR 4,416,732 ($35978.59) for all the 85 cases being reported in a tertiary care hospital of Faisalabad for six months.
Conclusion: Diabetic foot, a preventable complication of long-term diabetes mellitus, has an economic burden on the hospital budget, which, if adequately addressed via primary prevention programme, can yield not just economical but medical benefits as well
The Impact of Property Management on the Value of Residential Product in Saudi Arabia
This paper discusses the impact of property management in maintaining the value of residential product in Saudi Arabia. The paper reviewed a comparison of two property models: the first is managed by the property management system, and the second is managed by the owner only. In addition, the field questionnaire was used and distributed to a sample of the study community consisting of 125 real estate management institutions and real estate office in Riyadh. The results of the analysis indicate that property management contributes to raising the quality of the residential product and maintaining its market value. The residential product which managed by the property management system loses 10% of its value after 5 years. On the other hand, the product that managed by the owner loses more than 50% of its real value after 5 years. The paper proposes to strengthen cooperation between governmental and private institutions to establish a Real Estate Data Center (REDC) for the classification of residential properties subject to the criteria of management, quality and economic cost
Incidence of orbital, conjunctival and lacrimal gland malignant tumors in USA from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results, 1973-2009
AIM: To determine the types and incidence of tumors affecting the orbit,
conjunctiva and lacrimal glands and to study the trend line of these tumors in
the United States from 1973 to 2009. METHODS: We used the publicly available
Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database registries to
determine the incidence rates. Age was adjusted to the 2000 US Standard
Population. Patients were stratified according to age group, gender, race and
histological grouping of tumor lesions. Three age groups were defined: 0-19,
20-49 and ≥50y. Annual percentage changes were calculated to examine trends.
RESULTS: The overall age adjusted incidence rate was 3.39 (95%CI: 3.27-3.52)
per million person-years. The tumors were more prevalent in age group ≥50
counting 9.51 (95%CI: 9.11-9.92) per million person-years. Most of the soft
tissue sarcomas occurred in the young age with incidence rate of 0.35 (95%CI:
0.28-0.42) per million person-years. Lymphomas were the dominant subtype in
the adult population with incidence rate of 5.74 (95%CI: 5.43-6.06) per
million person-years. Incidence rates were higher in males than females with
an overall rate ratio of 1.31 (95%CI: 1.21-1.41) mainly caused by the increase
in carcinoma subtypes. White race had a higher tumor incidence with a rate
ratio of 1.47(95%CI: 1.25-1.73) driven by the higher incidence of most
histological subtypes. Orbital tumors showed a higher incidence rate followed
by conjunctival and lacrimal gland tumors with incidence rates of 1.59, 1.37
and 0.43 per million person-years respectively. The trend line of overall
incidence of tumors showed a significant increase (APC=3.11, 95%CI: 2.61-3.61)
mainly due to increase of lymphomas. This increase was higher than the
increase of lymphomas at other sites. CONCLUSION: Orbital, conjunctival and
lacrimal gland malignant tumors differ among children and adults. Over the
years there has been a noticeable increase in incidence rates of orbital and
lacrimal gland tumors mainly caused by an increase in lymphomas and an
apparent increase due to advances in diagnostic techniques. ICD-O-3
topographical coding should be improved to consider the different orbital
bones and ocular structures
Advanced Computational Methods in Bio-Mechanics
A novel partnership between surgeons and machines, made possible by advances in computing and engineering technology, could overcome many of the limitations of traditional surgery. By extending surgeons’ ability to plan and carry out surgical interventions more accurately and with fewer traumas, computer-integrated surgery (CIS) systems could help to improve clinical outcomes and the efficiency of healthcare delivery. CIS systems could have a similar impact on surgery to that long since realised in computer-integrated manufacturing. Mathematical modelling and computer simulation have proved tremendously successful in engineering.Computational mechanics has enabled technological developments in virtually every area of our lives. One of the greatest challenges for mechanists is to extend the success of computational mechanics to fields outside traditional engineering, in particular to biology, the biomedical sciences, and medicine. Biomechanics has significant potential for applications in orthopaedic industry, and the performance arts since skills needed for these activities are visibly related to the human musculoskeletal and nervous systems.Although biomechanics is widely used nowadays in the orthopaedic industry to design orthopaedic implants for human joints, dental parts, external fixations and other medical purposes, numerous researches funded by billions of dollars are still running to build a new future for sports and human healthcare in what is called biomechanics era
Physico-mechanical properties and bacterial adhesion of resin composite CAD/CAM blocks : an in-vitro study
The recent introduction of CAD/CAM technology has been strongly impacting the workflow in dental clinics and labs. Among the used CAD/CAM materials, resin composite CAD/CAM blocks offer several advantages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physic
Lead-, Zinc-, and Iron-Sulfide Mineralization from Northern Iraq
The samples of the mineralization of Pb-, Zn-, and Fe-sulfides were collected from three localities (Dure, Lefan, in the northern Thrust zone; and Sinjar, in the Foothill zone) in Northern Iraq. The geochemical recognition using X-ray diffraction (XRD) affirms the presence of the ore deposit sulfides (pyrite, sphalerite, galena, smithsonite, and cerussite). The characterization of mineral chemistry using electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) gives a clear and exact percentage of each element in each mineral. Fluid inclusions are mostly liquid H2O and/or water vapor, which may also contain lesser soluble salts and slightly ore elements. Some fluid inclusions contain CO2 vapor. This occurrence suggests the presence of two immiscible phases due to boiling at the time of their trapping. They are of epithermal system. The homogenization temperatures and salinities obtained for fluid inclusions can be comparable to those reported for the Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) lead-zinc deposits. It is concluded from the petrographic evidence, fluid inclusions and stable isotope data that lead-zinc mineralization was formed due to deeply circulating high-temperature fluids (brines) within the source basin, or later on by tectonic processes, which possibly contribute in leaching metals from either the diagenesis of host rocks or dewatering of deeper buried siliciclastic beds
Buffalo Genome Projects: Current Situation and Future Perspective in Improving Breeding Programs
Buffaloes are farm animals that contribute to food security by providing high
quality meat and milk. They can better tolerate the adverse effects of global
climate change on their meat and milk production. Despite their advantages,
buffaloes are heavily neglected animals with fewer studies compared to other
farm animals, hence, the real potential of buffaloes has never been realized.
The complete genome sequencing projects of buffaloes are essential to better
understanding the buffalos biology and production since they allow scientists
to identify important genes and understand how the gene networks interact to
determine the critical features of buffaloes. The genome projects are also
valuable for gaining better knowledge of growth, development, maintenance, and
determining factors associated with increased meat and milk production.
Furthermore, having access to a complete genome of high quality and
comprehensive annotations provides a powerful tool in breeding programs. The
current review surveyed the publicly available buffalo genome projects and
studied the impact of incorporating genomic selection into the buffalo breeding
program. Our survey of the publicly available buffalo genome projects showed
the promise of genomic selection in developing water buffalo science and
technology for food security on a global scale.Comment: two figure
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