Functional outcome of mini external fixator in hand injuries: an observational study in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Metacarpal and phalangeal fractures are one of the common fractures of the upper extremity that account for about 10% of total body fractures. The distal parts of the hand are the most common parts to be injured. Outcome is also influenced by other factors such as patient’s age, occupation, socio economic status, systemic illness, surgeon’s skill and the patient’s compliance. Methods: We are doing an observational study with 40 patients included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria for a period of six months with age group between 20 and 60 years. We use mini external fixators with JESS clamps, 1.8 mm threaded pins and k wires. Patients were followed up periodically with required radiograph for the union of the fracture. Results: Out 40 patients, most of the patients were between the age of 21 to 40 years with male preponderance, open fractures were more when compared with closed fractures. Functional outcome was excellent and good on the higher side which was analysed with Strickland score. Radiological union were also in greater side with 17.5% of them with delayed union. Conclusions: Simple surgical technique will minimize complications and an aggressive rehabilitation will ensure best result. In general, mini external fixator is a good treatment for management of fractures with best functional outcome.  

Model-driven discovery of synergistic inhibitors against <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. enterica </i>serovar Typhimurium targeting a novel synthetic lethal pair, <i>aldA </i>and <i>prpC</i>

Mathematical models of biochemical networks form a cornerstone of bacterial systems biology. Inconsistencies between simulation output and experimental data point to gaps in knowledge about the fundamental biology of the organism. One such inconsistency centers on the gene aldA in Escherichia coli: it is essential in a computational model of E. coli metabolism, but experimentally it is not. Here we reconcile this disparity by providing evidence that aldA and prpC form a synthetic lethal pair, as the double knockout could only be created through complementation with a plasmid-borne copy of aldA. Moreover, virtual and biological screening against the two proteins led to a set of compounds that inhibited the growth of E. coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium synergistically at 100 – 200 μM individual concentrations. These results highlight the power of metabolic models to drive basic biological discovery and their potential use to discover new combination antibiotics

Weed anemone menace in marine aquaria and its management

Sea anemones are coming under the Phylum Cnidaria and Class Anthozoa. Like many Cnidarians, sea anemones contain specialized cells, known as cnidocytes or nematocytes, in their body column, oral disc, pharynx, tentacles and mesenterial filaments. Sea anemones of Aiptasia genus are distributed in temperate and tropical oceans attached to any hard substratum. The genus Aiptasia includes 13 species all equipped with 96 tentacles which are filled with nematocysts to sting their prey. The name Aiptasia itself means ‘beautiful’, however in marine aquarium keeping even if few Aiptasia are found in the tank it should not be taken so lightly. A hardy species it can explode in numbers within weeks. Aiptasia is a zooxanthellate anemone and survives well in the illuminated marine aquarium due to the photosynthetic activity of its algal symbiont

Economics and Financial Feasibility of Major Pulpwood Trees Cultivation in Tamil Nadu

The main raw material for manufacture of paper is wood pulp which are mainly obtained from the pulpwood trees like Casuarina, Eucalyptus and Meliadubia. In Tamil Nadu, the cultivation of these pulpwood trees was promoted by two leading paper manufacturing industries viz., Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Paper Limited (TNPL) and Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited (SPB).This study aims at estimating the cost, returns and financial feasibility of major pulpwood tree species cultivated in Tamil Nadu. The study found that the cost of cultivation of casuarina, eucalyptus and Meliadubia were Rs.1,76,939, Rs.1,60,593 and Rs.1,52,672 and the net income obtained from these trees were Rs.1,58,473, Rs.1,37,028 and Rs.1,33,831 respectively. Among these trees, Casuarina is more profitable and the results of the study concluded that the cultivation of these three major pulpwood trees are profitable and financially viable

Study on drug profile used in common pregnancy influenced issues and its complications

Background: Pregnancy influenced issues are common among pregnant women treated by medications that causes complication in mother and fetus. The study aims to identify patients with pregnancy influenced issues like gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease and anaemia. To assess the drug used pattern along with antibiotic therapy and to observe the above disease related complications.Methods: A hospital based prospective observational study was conducted at department of obstetrics and gynecology in Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital. Totally 100 patients enrolled and data was collected using data collection form.Results: Out of 100 patients, high prevalence occurred in 26-30 years of age. Primarily gestational hypertension (39%), treated with Tab. Labetatol and complications were premature delivery, low birth weight. Anaemia (25%) cases treated with Tab. Ferrous sulphate, Iron sucrose and Folic Acid, Preterm delivery as complication. Gestational diabetes mellitus (18%) treated with Metformin and Human Insulin and complications were preterm delivery, maternal obesity, increased child weight. GERD (8%) treated with Pantoprazole, Ondansetron, Bifilac and complications were weight loss, dehydration, low birth weight. In pre-operative cases, 79% received antibiotics as monotherapy and 21% as dual therapy. In post-operative cases, 41% received antibiotics as monotherapy and 59% as dual therapy. Metronidazole (95%) given in both post and pre- operative conditions.Conclusions: The present study provides valuable insight about the overall drugs used in pregnancy related diseases and complications arise. We hope our data will make necessary recommendations to all health care professionals and pregnant women to ensure all pregnancy related safety measures were taken

CoNiSe2 Nanostructures for Clean Energy Production

Comparative investigation of the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity for clean energy production was performed by fabricating three different electrodes, namely, NiSe2, CoSe2, and CoNiSe2, synthesized by hydrothermal treatment. Cubic, orthorhombic, and hexagonal structures of NiSe2, CoSe2, and CoNiSe2 were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and also by other characterization studies. Perfect nanospheres, combination of distorted nanospheres and tiny nanoparticles, and sharp-edge nanostructures of NiSe2, CoSe2, and CoNiSe2 were explored by surface morphological images. Higher OER activity of the binary CoNiSe2 electrode was achieved as 188 mA/g current density with a comparatively low overpotential of 234 mV along with higher conductivity and low charge transfer resistance when compared to its unary NiSe2 and CoSe2 electrodes. A low Tafel slope value of 82 mV/dec was also achieved for the same binary CoNiSe2 electrode in a half-cell configuration. The overall 100% retention achieved for all of the fabricated electrodes in a stability test of OER activity suggested that the excellent optimum condition was obtained during the synthesis. This could definitely be a revelation in the synthesis of novel binary combinations of affordable metal selenides for clean energy production.publishedVersio

Sacrificial-template-free synthesis of core-shell C@Bi2S3 heterostructures for efficient supercapacitor and H-2 production applications

Core-shell heterostructures have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique properties and broad range of applications in lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, and catalysis. Conversely, the effective synthesis of Bi2S3 nanorod core@ amorphous carbon shell heterostructure remains an important challenge. In this study, C@Bi2S3 core-shell heterostructures with enhanced supercapacitor performance were synthesized via sacrificial-template-free one-pot-synthesis method. The highest specific capacities of the C@Bi2S3 core shell was 333.43 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1). Core-shell-structured C@Bi2S3 exhibits 1.86 times higher photocatalytic H-2 production than the pristine Bi2S3 under simulated solar light irradiation. This core-shell feature of C@Bi2S3 provides efficient charge separation and transfer owing to the formed heterojunction and a short radial transfer path, thus efficiently diminishing the charge recombination; it also facilitates plenty of active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction owing to its mesoporous nature. These outcomes will open opportunities for developing low-cost and noble-metal-free efficient electrode materials for water splitting and supercapacitor applications

End-to-end security in embedded system for modern mobile communication technologies

Modern mobile electronic devices such as smartphones or cell phones can now be used for distant devices such as technical systems to monitor and control. While surveillance systems do not require high standards navigating about the time of transfer of the displayed data. More real-time data are needed for a remote mobile robot transfer. Therefore, it has investigated and measured not only the possibilities of employing mobile devices. But also, the supported data transmission channels, such as UMTS, GSM, Wireless LAN, and Bluetooth. The remotecontrol system is used in many applications such as smart homes, cities, smart hospitals, etc., but it must be today updated to ensure fast-changing technology. Extensive coverage, remote control, and reliable operation in realtime in the deployment of wireless security knowledge. The home automation control system delivers significant features together with a user-friendly interface. A secure remote-based end-to-end security system NTMobile, a technique that enables NAT to provide transverse and encrypted communication from end to end. This confirmed that evaluating the performance of the system in the ECHONET lite compatible smartphone ecosystem. This gives flexibility in configuring time-sensitive industrial networks and enables them to be secured. A safe and reliable remote-control system is also conceivable under the privacy of the user

Operation and modelling of an updraft long-stick wood gasifier

Even though biomass gasification technology has come up in the past with impressive applications, the exact details of the gasification process are yet to be completely understood quantitatively. On the basis of the experience of gasifier users with regard to the efforts and energy needed for wood chip preparation in a typical gasifier, we have embarked on the development of a gasifier suitable to work with long-stick woody biomass as the feed material to avoid major fuel preparation problems in rural settings. With this concept, a 25m 3 /hr capacity updraft gasifier was designed and constructed. Since the interest here is in exploring and validating this concept, an updraft gasifier was designed. This gasifier attains a high-energy release rate per unit area due to high inlet air velocity and activated reaction in the combustion zone. The temperature ranged from 922º C in the combustion zone to 128º C in the drying zone. In all the zones, the heat balance equations show a good fit between the theoretical and experimental values. The gasifier was operated in a batch mode, both bottom-lit (conventional) and top-lit, and the air flow and gas outflow were measured. The temperature of the raw gas was measured. The gas and air flows can be converted to the air/fuel ratio (A/F), the most important aspect of gasifier operation. A/F shows operation in a combustion mode at start-up, a gasification mode for the middle part of the run and a charcoal gasification mode at the end of the run. For modelling, the gasifier was divided into a drying zone, a pyrolysis zone, a combustion zone and a reduction zone