Inferior canaliculi punctal granuloma of the lacrimal system: a case report

Pyogenic granuloma of the eyes usually occurs after ocular surgery or inflammation related to the eyes, itself. This lesion is commonly related to procedures associated with chalazia, strabismus, or even enucleation. However, the incidence of pyogenic granuloma that arises directly from the lower canaliculi of the nasolacrimal system is rare and not being extensively reported. We report a case of an elderly lady who presented with pyogenic granuloma post EDCR with silicone stenting for left nasolacrimal duct obstruction. She presented with persistent left eye epiphora following procedure. The unusual site for pyogenic granuloma and it occurrence after EDCR raise the possibility that the condition is related to previous procedure and the material being used

Chemical Composition of Taiwan Napier Grass at Different Growth Stages

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) has potential to be processed as a livestock fodder due to high growth rate and good nutritive value. The objective of this study is to determine and compare the chemical composition of Taiwan Napier grass at different growth stages. The different harvesting intervals of growth stages were 30 to 35 days and 40 to 45 days. The plant samples were collected at Agropolitan Farm Besut-Setiu, Terengganu and were analyzed using proximate analysis and dry ashing method. The chemical compositions were analyzed for ash, crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), Magnesium (Mg) and Potassium (K). The mineral compositions of Mg and K were measured using Induced Couple Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results showed that the chemical compositions of Taiwan Napier grass at different growth stages had a significant effect on the percentage content of all components measured. The percentage of crude fiber increased as the age increased which is 28.88% and 30.04% in 30-35 days and 40-45 days, respectively. The percentage of chemical compositions of crude protein, ash, ether extract, Mg and K had decreased as the growth stage of Taiwan Napier grass increased. The percentage of crude protein, ash, ether extract, Mg and K were higher at 30-35 days, which are 14.42%, 10.57%, 3.00%, 0.064 ppm and 0.026 ppm, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that the growth stage at 30-35 days of Taiwan Napier grass is the best age for harvesting which is providing high nutritive value of the animal feed

Analisa Nilai KAO dengan Metode Narrow Range pada Campuran Asphalt concrete – Wearing Course menggunakan Pasir Laut

The use of sea sand in construction work from an economic point of view does have advantages. One of them is increasing the income of the sea sand collectors who are spread throughout the area in Fakfak Regency. In addition, the potential availability of sea sand is quite large and is able to accommodate all types of concrete construction work in this area. This study aims to determine and analyze the use of sea sand in the AC-WC mixture of course by doing the Marshall test. This study uses variations in asphalt content of 5.0%, 5.5%, 6.0%, 6.5% and 7.0%, this study was carried out using Marshall testing in accordance with the general specifications of Bina Marga 2018. The results of the research conducted showed a relationship asphalt content and Marshall parameters such as stability value, VMA, density, MQ at an asphalt content of 5.0%-7.0%, meet the specifications of 1932 kg, 19.84%, 2.26 gr/cm3 and 1031 kg/mm. Values of VIM, VFWA and flow at 5.5% asphalt content are known to not meet the mix spasticity, namely 8.07%, 59.71% and 1.67 mm. Based on the Marshall parameter data, the Optimum Asphalt Content value is 6.5%

Methamphetamine-induced deficits in social interaction are not observed following abstinence from single or repeated exposures

The purpose of the current study was to assess social interaction (SI) following acute and repeated methamphetamine (MA) administration. Rats were injected with 5.0 mg/kg of MA and SI was tested 30 minutes or 24 hours later. In another group of animals, MA sensitization was induced using 5.0 mg/kg of MA, and SI was assessed after one day or thirty days of abstinence. SI was reduced in rats injected with MA 30 minutes, but not 24 hours, prior to testing, compared with saline controls. Impaired SI was observed in combination with active avoidance of the conspecific animal. Repeated injections of MA progressively reduced locomotor activity and increased stereotypy, indicating that animals were sensitized. However, no differences in SI were observed 24 hours or 30 days following the induction of sensitization. The absence of detectable differences in SI following MA sensitization may be attributable to the relatively short regimen used to induce sensitization. However, the current series of experiments provides evidence that an acute injection of MA decreases SI and simultaneously increases avoidance behavior, which supports a link between psychostimulant use and impaired social functioning. These data suggest that the acute injection model may provide a useful model to explore the neural basis of impaired social functioning and antisocial behavior

Prevalence and classification of high antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus aureus in wastewater eluted from poultry slaughterhouse

The continued and increasing development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria among the foodborne pathogens had caused worldwide to be alarmed. Being the earliest to develop antimicrobial resistance, Staphylococcus aureus is constantly monitored for any new resistance development. The resistance development is often linked to wastewater and the treatment plants where the pressure of antibiotic is the highest. Hence, this study investigated on the prevalence of high antimicrobial resistant S. aureus in the wastewater eluted from a poultry slaughterhouse. A total of thirty wastewater samples were collected from a poultry slaughterhouse in Semenyih, Selangor. Most probable number (MPN)-plating method was employed to enumerate the S. aureus count in the wastewater. The results indicated that S. aureus was highly present whereby all samples (100%) were positive and the concentration ranged between 11 – 2.1 x 104 MPN/ml. Isolated S. aureus strains were screened for their antimicrobial susceptibility using the Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion Test method to classify their antimicrobial resistance eleven antibiotics. The MAR index measured was between 0.18 and 0.91, inferring that the strains are highly antimicrobial resistance. All S. aureus strains were 100% resistant to ampicillin (25 μg) and cefazolin (30 μg). 94.1% of the strains were resistant to penicillin (10 μg) which phenotypically indicated these strains are Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Notably, 17.6% of the strains developed resistance to vancomycin and was categorized as Vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA). There is a need to take drastic preventive measures to control the resistance development in S. aureus to conserve public health

Differential COMT expression and behavioral effects of COMT inhibition in male and female Wistar and alcohol preferring rats

Polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene have been associated with alcoholism, suggesting that alterations in the metabolism of catecholamines may be a critical component of the neuropathology of alcoholism. In the current experiments, the COMT inhibitor tolcapone was utilized in an operant behavioral model of reinforcer-seeking and drinking to determine if this compound was capable of remediating the excessive seeking and drinking phenotype of the alcohol-preferring P rat. Tolcapone was administered to male and female alcohol-reinforced P and Wistar rats. Additionally, tolcapone was administered to male sucrose-reinforced P and Wistar rats to determine if its effects also extended to a natural reinforcer. Animals were trained to make an operant response that resulted in 20 min uninterrupted access to the reinforcer solutions. Tolcapone had no effect in female rats on either seeking or consumption of ethanol. However, reductions of both reinforcer seeking and consumption were observed in male P rats, but only of seeking in Wistars. In separate experiments, using reinforcer naïve male and female animals, COMT expression was assessed via Western Blot analysis. Sex differences in COMT expression were also observed, where male P rats exhibited a marked reduction in protein expression relative to females in the PFC. Sex differences were not observed for Wistars or in the striatum and hippocampus. These data complement our previous findings in which tolcapone reduced cue-evoked responses in P rats and further suggest clinical utility of COMT inhibitors in the treatment of addiction disorders, specifically in male high drinkers

Evaluation of whole body vibration and back pain problem among Light Rapid Transit (LRT) drivers

A cross sectional study was conducted to evaluate whole body vibration (WBV) and back pain problem among light rail transit (LRT) driver. This study was carried out to determine exposure level of whole body vibration and identify back pain problem due to whole body vibration exposure among LRT driver. Standardized Nordic questionnaire was used for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms, to identify the prevalence of back pain, information about health history, working time duration, and working experiences was obtained from 52 drivers of light rail transit (LRT) train. HVM 100 Larson Davis was used to measure whole body vibration measurement of eight LRTs with different vehicle number. The measurement of whole body vibration was done during operation working time. The data collected from HVM 100 were transferred to the Blaze software for getting the vibration magnitude of the experiment while data collected from survey were analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for statistical analysis. The analysis of graph patterns and the differentiation of magnitude value from each LRT were studied to determine the exposure level of vibration. A high prevalence of back pain (82.7%) among LRT drivers was found and high daily exposure level was obtained. The finding showed that, there are relations between back pain and daily vibration exposure which resulted in a correlation coefficient of 0.709, with significant at α = 0.05. In conclusion, it was expected that the individuals subjected to the high vibration levels would tend to report back pain

Correction: Maternal deprivation induces alterations in cognitive and cortical function in adulthood

The original version of this Article omitted the author Maureen M. Timm from the Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA

Physical fatigue assessment for intrastate bus driver

Fatigue is considered a psychological or mental fatigue type characterized by subjective feelings of a disinclination to continue driving, drowsiness, fatigue, and deduction motivation. Bus drivers in Malaysia have been facing physical fatigue from driving for many years. Therefore, investigating the psychophysiological factor that related to fatigue could improve understanding and management for fatigue in the transport industry. Physical factors are divided by two parts that is upper and lower body. The objective of this study is to identify the cause, determine the level and analyze the physical fatigue on bus driver. There were two methods applied in this study, which were Modified Nordic Questionnaires that represent subjective measurement and surface Electromyography (sEMG) the objective measurement. Results from sEMG showed neck and upper back muscle groups leads to fatigue as the muscle is running out of energy based from the graph. Through the sEMG data, it can determine the level of physical fatigue on bus driver and analyzed the physical fatigue. Findings of this study from the questionnaire data analysis using the Statistical Package Social Science software, it is proved that physical fatigue really occurred to the intrastate bus driver. Results also showed significant correlation relationship between physical and mental