Tibial condylar valgus osteotomy (TCVO) for osteoarthritis of the knee: 5-year clinical and radiological results

According to one line of thought only propositions can be part of one’s evidence, since only propositions can serve the central functions of our ordinary concept of evidence. Ram Neta has challenged this argument. In this paper I respond to Neta’s challenge

Direct Detection of Thrombin Binding to 8-Bromodeoxyguanosine-Modified Aptamer: Effects of Modification on Affinity and Kinetics

The affinity of an 8-bromodeoxyguanosine- (8-BrdG-) substituted thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA-Br), which has the 1st and 10th guanosine residues replaced with 8-BrdG, was estimated using reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS). When comparing TBA-Br with unmodified TBA (TBA-H), it was demonstrated that the modification effectively improved the affinity of TBA; dissociation constants (KD) of TBA-H and TBA-Br were 45.4 nM and 1.99 nM, respectively. These values, which were obtained by direct observation of thrombin binding using RIfS, have the same order of magnitude as those obtained in our previous study utilizing conformational changes in TBA to detect thrombin binding, thus confirming the validity of the obtained KD values. RIfS measurements also revealed that the 8-BrdG modification resulted in a lower dissociation rate constant (kd), which suggests that the enhancement of affinity can be attributed to the stabilization of the G-quadruplex structure on introduction of 8-BrdG

Analisis Kondisi Drainase dalam Manajemen Risiko Pengelolaan Lereng Jalan

Kestabilan lereng pasca konstruksi sangat ditentukan oleh besarnya gaya pendahan dibandingkan gaya pendorong. Salah satu gaya pendorong yang umum terjadi di wilayah tropis adalah curah hujan. Perkembangan perubahan iklim semakin mengarah pada perubahan trend curah hujan yang semakin lebat dalam waktu singkat. Pada lereng Jalan Tol Ruas XY, telah terjadi 30 kali kejadian longsoran selama 4 tahun terakhir. Untuk menanggulangi kejadian longsoran selanjutnya, maka dilaksanakan inspeksi sesuai dengan metode Geo Office Hongkong. Insepksi dilaksanakan di sepanjang 100 km jalan dengan durasi 2 bulan. Kegiatan inspeksi ini merupakan bagian dari Sistem Manajemen Lereng. Hasil Inspeksi tahun 2024 menunjukkan bahwa sejumlah 88 lereng telah mengalami erosi tingkat ringan hingga berat. Berkaitan dengan kondisi sistem drainase lereng, semua lereng mempunyai nilai kerentanan 8. Setelah kegiatan inspeksi selesai dilakukan dan diperoleh kondisi masing-masing lereng, maka dapat disusun strategi pencegahan kejadian longsor. Strategi pencegahan yang diusulkan yaitu pengendalian vegetasi, pembersihan saluran drainase dan perbaikan saluran. Pemantauan rutin saluran drainase baik pada kondisi biasa dan hujan ekstrim harus dilakukan untuk memastikan performa drainase tetap bekerja dengan optimal. Kegiatan pemeriksaan saluran drainase yang rutin sesuai dengan sistem manajemen lereng dapat membantu pengelola lereng untuk meminimalkan risiko instabilitas yang disebabkan aliran air hujan. Kata kunci: longsor, erosi, hujan, drainase, lereng AbstractThe stability of a slope at post-construction stage is largely depend on the resistance force of the soil to whitsand againts the driving force. One of the most common driving forces found in tropical climates is rainfall. The progression of climate change leads to the change of rainfall pattern with the occurrence of heavy precipitation in shorter periods of time. Over the past four years, 30 landslides have occurred on the XY Toll Road. To prevent further landslide, an inspection was conducted in accordance with the Hong Kong Geo Office Guide for drainage inspection and maintenance. The inspection was conducted in 2 months along 100 km of toll road. The inspection result in 2024 indicate that 88 slopes have undergone varying degrees of erosion, varies from mild to severe. Reffering to the inspection result on existing slope drainage condition, all slopes have a vulnerability value of 8. Once the inspection activities are completed and the condition of each slope is determined, a landslide prevention strategy can be developed. Proposed prevention strategies include vegetation control, drainage channel cleaning, and channel repairs. It is essential to conduct routine monitoring of the drainage channels under both normal and extreme rainfall conditions to guarantee optimal drainage performance. Regular inspections of drainage channels as stated in the slope management system can help slope managers to minimize the risk of instability caused by rainwater.Keywords: landslide, erosion, rainfall, drainage, slope

Genetics and Genomics of Congenital diseases

Virtually any disease is the result of the combined action of genes and environment, but the relative role of the genetic component may be large or small. Among disorders caused wholly or partly by genetic factors, three main types are recognized : chromosome disorder, single-gene defect, multifactorial disease with complex inheritance. In chromosome disorders, the defect is due to an excess or deficiency of genes located on entire chromosomes or chromosome segments. Single-gene defects are caused by pathogenic mutations in individual genes. The mutation may be present on both chromosomes of a pair or on only one chromosome of a pair. Single-gene defects often cause diseases that follow one of the classic inheritance patterns in families, autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, or X-linked. Most such defects are rare, but single-gene disorders as a group are responsible for a significant proportion of disease and death. Multifactorial disease with complex inheritance describes the majority of diseases in which there is a genetic contribution, as evidenced by increased risk for disease in identical twins or close relatives of affected individuals, and yet the family history does not fit the inheritance patterns seen typically in single-gene defects. There appears to be no single error in the genetic information in many of these condition. Genetic counselors define and address the complex psychosocial issues associated with a genetic disorder in a family and provide psychologically oriented counseling to help individuals adapt and adjust to impact and implications of the disorder in the family. For this reason, genetic counseling may be most effectively accomplish through periodic contact with the family. In this article, I describe how genetics and genomics are applied to medical today

Ocular hypotensive effect, preservation of visual fields, and safety of adding dorzolamide to prostaglandin therapy for twelve months

Kenji Inoue1,3, Mieko Masumoto1,3, Masato Wakakura1, Goji Tomita2, On behalf of the Ochanomizu Ophthalmology Study Group31Inouye Eye Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 3Ochanomizu Ophthalmology, Tokyo, JapanPurpose: To prospectively evaluate the safety, hypotensive effect, and preservation of visual fields of dorzolamide when added to latanoprost.Subjects and methods: This study included 46 patients (46 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma who had been treated with latanoprost. Dorzolamide (1%) was added to latanoprost, and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was monitored before and after 3, 6, and 12 months. The mean deviation shown by Humphrey perimetry was compared before and after twelve months of treatment. Adverse reactions were monitored over the 12-month study period.Results: The mean baseline IOP was 17.2 ± 3.0 mmHg while those after 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment were 14.9 ± 3.0 mmHg, 14.5 ± 3.2 mmHg, and 14.6 ± 2.6 mmHg respectively (P < 0.0001, 1-ß(power) = 0.9999571). The absolute reduction of IOP and the percent reduction were similar after 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment. The mean deviation on Humphrey perimetry was similar before and after twelve months of treatment. Three patients discontinued dorzolamide therapy due to elevation of IOP and one patient discontinued it because of adverse reactions.Conclusion: Dorzolamide is safe and effective when used for twelve months as add-on therapy to latanoprost for open-angle glaucoma.Keywords: dorzolamide, primary open-angle glaucoma, latanoprost&nbsp

Macular Retinal Ganglion Cell Complex Thickness and Its Relationship to the Optic Nerve Head Topography in Glaucomatous Eyes with Hemifield Defects

Purpose. To evaluate the relationship between the macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) thickness, which is the sum of the retinal nerve fiber, ganglion cell, and inner plexiform layers, measured with a spectral-domain optical coherence tomograph and the optic nerve head topography measured with a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope in glaucomatous eyes with visual field defects localized predominantly to either hemifield. Materials and Methods. The correlation between the mGCC thickness in hemispheres corresponding to hemifields with and without defects (damaged and intact hemispheres, respectively) and the optic nerve head topography corresponding to the respective hemispheres was evaluated in 18 glaucomatous eyes. Results. The mGCC thickness was significantly correlated with the rim volume, mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and cross-sectional area of the retinal nerve fiber layer in both the intact and the damaged hemispheres (P < .05). Discussion. For detecting very early glaucomatous damage of the optic nerve, changes in the thicknesses of the inner retina in the macular area and peripapillary RNFL as well as rim volume changes in the optic nerve head are target parameters that should be carefully monitored

Influence of Extraction Temperature on the Quality of Neem Seed Oil: Preliminary Investigation

The storage of neem oil for a long time before usage comes along with challenge of quality retain ability of the oil; and the extraction methods can affect the quality of neem seed oil. This research work compared the mechanical expression method to the solvent extraction method to find a better method that will give high-grade neem oil for long-term storage. A plant with a capacity of 50 kg/day of neem seed kernel was used to extract oil from neem seed using ethanol as extraction solvent. The increase of extraction temperature from 20 oC (mechanically expressed) to 78 oC leads to decrease of iodine value from 62.70 to 60.10 gI2/100 g; increase of acid value from 3.4 to 4.2 mg KOH/g and increase of saponification value from 158.74 to 210.18 mgKOH/g. The Fames standard method was used for the GC – MS analysis and the percentage composition of the polyunsaturated components in the 20 oC (mechanically expressed), 50 oC, 55 oC, 60 oC and 78 oC oils were 21.58, 6.33, 3.09, 1.83 and 0.21% respectively. The changed of extraction temperature from 20 oC to 78 oC brings about reduction of polyunsaturated components from 21.58% to 0.21%. The increase of extraction temperature leads to conversion of unsaturated components to saturated components due to auto – oxidation process. This is clearly seen as the extraction temperature increased from 20 oC to 78 oC, the percentage composition of the saturated components increased from 22.40% to 43.70% and the polyunsaturated component decreased from 20.47% to 0%. The fatty acid composition associated with the 78 oC oil are: Oleic acid, 46.61%; Stearic acid, 11.83%; Palmitic acid, 16.54%; 11 – Octadecenoic acid, 3.58%; Cis – Vaccenic acid, 5.90%; Cyclopropaneoctanal, 11.19%; Squalene, 0.21% and Trimethylsilyl – di(timethylsiloxy) – silane, 4.14%. The functional groups identified in the 78 oC oil were C – H, C = O, C – C and C – O. Based on the lowest iodine value, lowest percentage composition of the polyunsaturated component value and high percentage composition of saturated component, the neem oil obtained at 78 oC from the miscella is considered as the high grade neem oil because it is less reactive due to lowest percentage composition of polyunsaturated and can be stored for long time before usage. Furthermore, the results from this work will assist manufacturers in selecting the extraction temperature for particular application of the neem seed oil. The extracted oil is recommended for soap production due to its high saponification value