Review of clinical predictors of haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke in Emergency Department, HKL : an observational study

The emergence of reperfusion therapy in acute ischemic stroke has revolutionized the management of an acute ischemic stroke. However, this approach have been hampered by lack of urgency from the patients itself, public and medical personnels. These were probably due to lack of knowledge in current management from all involved. Aim of this study is to review common signs and symptoms in stroke and to see if we can safely differentiate between types of stroke. This study also wants to look at time taken by each patient to arrive at Emergency Department. METHOD: A cross-sectional observational study for all clinically diagnosed stroke patients admitted to Hospital Kuala Lumpur from January to May 2005 after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were subjected to brain Computed Tomography. Common signs and symptoms on admission that were reviewed are: Age, sex, ethnic, Glasgow Coma Scale, Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure, loss of consciousness, headache and vomiting. RESULTS: A total of one hundred and forty-three (Eighty-eight male and fifty-five female) patients were included in this study. Sixty-four point three percent of patients presented to Emergency Department six hours after the initial symptoms started with majority of them are ischemic stroke patients. Haemorrhagic stroke patients are more likely to be younger (mean age of fifty-one years versus fifty-six years), to have symptoms of loss of consciousness (twenty-three point one percent: p value less than 0.001), headache (Eighteen point two percent: p value less than 0.001) and vomiting (nine point eight: pvalue less than 0.001), and lower Glasgow Coma Scale (mean=9, Standard Deviation=2.8) and higher Systolic blood pressure (mean=174.77, Standard Deviation=22.5). CONCLUSION: Significant predictors for stroke patients to have higher probability of haemorrhagic type are lower age group, presented with loss of consciousness, headache and vomiting, and have lower Glasgow Coma Scale and higher Systolic blood pressure. Ischemic stroke patients are more likely to present late, more than six hours to Emergency Department while Haemorrbagic stroke patients are more likely to present earlier, within three to six hours

Tribological Behaviour Of GreenCarbon Fibre Waste Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites Prepared Via Melt Mixing

Recently, the use of carbon fiber waste is accepted as a wise approach to benefit the performance of the carbon fiber and considered as green effort for disposal management. This research is an effort to study the potential of recycled carbon fibers as reinforcement in polypropylene (PP) matrix especially for tribology application. The effects of fibers condition, fiber loading as well as chemical modifications on physical, mechanical and tribological properties of PP reinforced with recycled carbon fibers were studied. The composites were prepared via melt compounding using a Haake internal mixer at 180 ºC and rotor speed of 50 rpm for 10 minutes. This research is divided into three different studies; 1) effect of recycled carbon fibers condition (with or without uncured resins) on the physical and tensile properties at different carbon fiber (CF) loading of 0, 3, 5, 10, 13, 15 wt%, 2) effect of chemical modification using 3 and 5 wt% maleic anhydride (MA) on the tensile properties and 3) wear characteristics of recycled carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene composites at CF loading of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, 7.0, 10.0, 13.0, 15.0, 20.0 wt%. In Study 1, the uncured resins on carbon fibers had proven to improve the interaction between reinforcement and matrix which manifested by increment in physical and mechanical properties with the optimum at 3 wt% fiber loading. In Study 2, the recycled carbon fibers were first pulverized into finer fibers before undergone oxidation in nitric acid and treatment with maleic anhydride. The treatment was observed to improve the physical and mechanical properties of the composites at low MA content of 3 wt% and proven to increase interaction at limited loading of fibers for only up to 1 wt%. The properties were supported by morphological analysis on the fracture surfaces observed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy and chemical analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. In Study 3, the composites with low carbon fiber loading of up to 3 wt% imposed higher resistance to dry sliding friction. In contrast, the increment of fiber loading at 5 wt% to 20 wt%, decreased the wear rate of the composites due to the formation of patchfilm and transfer film which accelerated with the MA treatment. The wear mechanism of the composites was for different fiber loading was proposed from morphological observation. As the conclusions, the composites showed promising self- lubricating properties with significant physical and mechanical properties