Protein adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces

The adsorption of the protein bovine serum albumin from an aqueous solution onto substrata made from pure silica, pure zirconia, and a mixture of the two has revealed that the adsorption behavior of the protein onto the mixture very significantly diverges from the corresponding mean of the behaviors with the pure substrata. A tentative explanation in terms of matching substratum heterogeneity with protein surface heterogeneity is offered

Solar Photovoltaic panels utilization to extract clean and green energy for utility application using PVsyst software: A Bibliometric Review

This paper presents a survey on educational documents in the field of solar photovoltaic (PV) utilization to extract clean and green energy. The main purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to understand the size of the available documents for the research of PV solar panel utilization using PVsyst. This detailed review was conducted in the PV research, literature considering all subjects from the Scopus database. The pattern for the specific arrangement of keywords was separated with the recovered results from the Scopus database, publication type, year of publication, distribution conveyance by nations, subject classes, association, authors, and financing organizations. It was discovered from the close examination that mainly conferences, articles, and review papers from the United States of America, India, and Spain have significant contributions in publication. The time series dataset started in 1999 till date. Major contributions are from the branches of Engineering and Energy, Material Science, Physics, and Astronomy

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Comparative evaluation of single-visit endodontic treatment with and without the use of iodine potassium iodide as an endodontic irrigant: In vivo study

Introduction: The root canal treatment in asymptomatic necrotic teeth in single visit has been an area of discussion for long. The purpose of this study was to compare the single-visit root canal treatment of asymptomatic nonvital mature mandibular molars with and without the use of 5% iodine potassium iodide (IKI) as an endodontic irrigant with the minimal use of postoperative medications. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients requiring root canal treatment on asymptomatic nonvital mandibular molars were included in the study and were randomly allocated into two groups of thirty each. In Group I, no IKI was used and in Group II, 5% IKI was used as an irrigant. The complete treatment was done in single visit. The occurrence of postoperative pain and swelling was noted at various time intervals. Results: Mann–Whitney U-test showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding both the parameters. In Group I, 20% of patients experienced moderate-to-severe pain during the first 24 h (P = 0.25463) while only 10% of patients experienced moderate pain in Group II. In Group I, 20% of patients developed swelling after 24 h while none of the patients in Group II had any postoperative swelling (P = 0.09342). Conclusion: Irrigants with better disinfection properties, penetration, and quick action such as 5% IKI are important adjunct to complete the disinfection of root canal system in single-visit endodontics

Cephalomedullary fixation for femoral neck/intertrochanteric and ipsilateral shaft fractures: surgical tips and pitfalls

【Abstract】Objective: Surgical management op-tions for femoral shaft fracture and ipsilateral proximal fe-mur fracture vary from single-implant to double-implant fixation. Cephalomedullary fixation in such fractures has rela-tive advantages over other techniques especially because of less soft tissue dissection and immediate postoperative weight bearing with accelerated rehabilitation. However, the surgery is technically demanding and there is a paucity of literature describing the surgical techniques for this fixation. The aim of the study was to describe the surgical technique of cephalomedullary fixation for femoral shaft fracture and ipsilateral proximal femur fracture. Methods: Sixteen cases (10 males and 6 females with a mean age of 41.8 years) of ipsilateral proximal femur and shaft fractures were treated by single-stage cephalomedullary fixa-tion at tertiary level trauma center in northern India. The fractures were classified according to AO classification. An intraoperative record of duration of surgery as well as tech-nical challenges unique to each fracture pattern was kept for all the patients. Results: The most common proximal femoral pattern was AO B2.1 observed in 9 of our patients. The AO B2.3 fractures were seen in 4 patients while the AO A1.2 fractures in 3 patients. Four of the AO B2.1 and 2 of the AO B2.3 frac-tures required open reduction with Watson-Jones approach. The mean operative time was around 78 minutes, which tended to decrease as the surgical experience increased. There was only one case of malreduction, which required revision surgery. Conclusion: Combination of ipsilateral femoral shaft fracture and neck/intertrochanteric fracture is a difficult frac-ture pattern for trauma surgeons. Cephalomedullary nail is an excellent implant for such fractures but it requires careful insertion to avoid complications. Surgery is technically de-manding with a definite learning curve. Nevertheless, a ma-jority of these fractures can be surgically managed by single-implant cephalomedullary fixation by following basic surgi-cal principles that have been summarized in this article. Key words: Femoral fractures; Fracture fixation, internal; Nail

Determination of apical constriction and apical foramen using electronic apex locator in vivo: Comparison between vital and nonvital teeth

Introduction: The aims of the present study were (1) to compare the in vivo accuracy of electronic apex locator (EAL) to locate the apical foramen and apical constriction (AC) in vital and nonvital teeth and (2) to measure and compare the distance between the AC and apical foramen based on EAL readings and those obtained by direct observation under stereomicroscope following extraction of the tooth. Materials and Methods: A sample of 40 teeth scheduled for extraction independent of the study from patients in the age range of 45–65 years was selected and divided into two groups (Group I – vital and Group II – nonvital). The AC and apical foramen were located using Root ZX II (J. Morita Corp, Kyoto, Japan) in both the groups and then by direct observation under stereomicroscope following extraction. Results: Fischer's exact test found no statistically significant difference in the ability of EAL to locate AC and apical foramen when compared between vital and nonvital teeth. Likewise, no statistically significant difference was found in the distance between the AC and apical foramen as measured by EAL in vivo and that measured by direct observation under stereomicroscope following extraction in vital (P = 0.412) and nonvital (P = 0.719) teeth (paired t-test). Conclusion: The study supports that EAL measures the location of AC and apical foramen with similar accuracy in vital and nonvital teeth. Furthermore, the distance between the two is reliable when compared with the actual distance observed under stereomicroscope supporting its widespread usage in clinical endodontics

Acquired Manus Valgus: A Difficult Problem with a Simple Solution

Acquired manus valgus or acquired radial-club hand deformity of the wrist is an uncommon entity. Pathological destruction of the distal radius, following infection, trauma, or tumorous conditions in the paediatric population, often leads to radial shortening, ulnar lengthening and angulation, distal radioulnar joint dislocation, and radial deviation of the wrist. We report a case of acquired manus valgus treated by centralisation of the ulna on the wrist. At the 2-year follow-up, the patient had a functional, stable, and cosmetically acceptable wrist, with radiographic evidence of ulnocarpal fusion. It is an easy to perform, cost-effective surgery

Spiral laminar flow, the earliest predictor for maturation of arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis access

Introduction: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the gold standard vascular access for hemodialysis (HD). A thrill or murmur immediately after creation of AVF is considered a predictive sign of success. However, this does not ensure final maturation for successful HD. Our objective was to determine different clinical and duplex parameters within AVF to predict maturation and subsequent successful HD. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 187 patients who had AVF formation from July 2012 to May 2013. Following surgery, all patients had Doppler ultrasound (DU) on Days 0 and 7. Doppler parameters noted in the outflow vein were: Thrill, broadening of spectral waveform with increased peak systolic velocity (PSV) and spiral laminar flow (SLF). Patients with at least one positive parameter at Day 0 were followed-up serially and underwent repeat Doppler imaging on Day 7. Patients with the absence of all three parameters on Day 0 were excluded from the study. Endpoint was maturation of AVF, i.e. successful HD. Statistical analysis was performed with binary logistic regression, to find out the strongest and earliest predictor for maturation of AVF using SPSS version 20. Results: SLF and broadening of spectral waveform with increased PSV were found to have a significant association with maturation (P = 0.0001). Presence of SLF on Day 0 most strongly predicted maturation. Presence of thrill or murmur could not predict the maturation. Conclusions: SLF pattern in AVF is the most important and the earliest predictor of maturation