Mass transfer efficiency of a tall and low plate free area liquid pulsed sieve-plate extraction column

Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Chakwal group of industries for funding the project. Ms. Madiha, Ms. Zona, Mr. Sohaib, Mr. Abdullah, Mr. Mudassar, and Mr. Salahuddin also deserve our acknowledgements for their assistance in different ways.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Economic Impact of Lower Extremity Amputations in Diabetics. a Retrospective Study From a Tertiary Care Hospital of Faisalabad, Pakistan

Background: Among the various complications of diabetes, lower-extremity amputation due to diabetic foot is a common problem. In Pakistan, 6-7% of patients with diabetes suffer from diabetic foot ulceration. Objectives: Our primary objective was to explore the frequency of diabetic foot amputations, and the secondary objective was to calculate the economic burden of these preventable surgeries on the health budget of the provincial government. Materials & Methods: It was a retrospective cross-sectional observational study conducted after obtaining approval from the Ethical Review Committee of Allied hospital, Faisalabad Medical University. The data of diabetic foot patients who underwent amputations between July 2017 and December 2017 were retrieved from three Surgical Units (I, II & III), using a purposive sampling technique. All amputations carried out for reasons other than diabetic foot were excluded. The direct medical cost of one diabetic foot amputation was calculated via a local survey of the various private hospitals of Faisalabad. The indirect costs in terms of loss of productivity and disability costs, transport costs, rehabilitation costs were not included in this study. The data were evaluated by using SPSS Version 23. Results: A total of 85 patients were included in our study. The male to female ratio was 2.7 to 1. The mean direct treatment cost for minor amputation was PKR 46926.00 ± 11730.90 ($382.35 ± 95.58), and the mean direct treatment cost for major amputation was PKR 53720.00 ± 12401.24 ($437.71 ± 101.40). Out of 85 amputations, 63 (74%) were major amputations, and the remaining 22 (26%) were minor amputations. The total cost for 63 major amputations was PKR 3,384,360 ($27568.91) and for 22 minor amputation was PKR 1,032,372 ($8409.67). The net cost came out to be PKR 4,416,732 ($35978.59) for all the 85 cases being reported in a tertiary care hospital of Faisalabad for six months. Conclusion: Diabetic foot, a preventable complication of long-term diabetes mellitus, has an economic burden on the hospital budget, which, if adequately addressed via primary prevention programme, can yield not just economical but medical benefits as well

Controllable optical bistability and Fano line shape in a hybrid optomechanical system assisted by Kerr medium: Possibility of all optical switching

We theoretically analyze the optical and optomechanical nonlinearity present in a hybrid system consisting of a quantum dot(QD) coupled to an optomechanical cavity in the presence of a nonlinear Kerr medium, and show that this hybrid system can be used as an all optical switch. A high degree of control and tunability via the QD-cavity coupling strength, the Kerr and the optomechanical nonlinearity over the bistable behavior shown by the mean intracavity optical field and the power transmission of the weak probe field can be achieved.The results obtained in this investigation has the potential to be used for designing efficient all-optical switch and high sensitive sensors for use in Telecom systems.Comment: 18 pages and 7 figures. Comments welcom

A Rare Case of Foreign Body Ingestion, Mimicking as Mesenteric Cyst. "Case Report"

Background: Foreign body ingestion by children is a commonly encountered problem and accounts for a significant emergency visits among pediatric population. Although these ingested foreign bodies pass spontaneously and uneventfully, a subset of such bodies may become trapped in the digestive tract, eventually leading to significant injury. Most of these bodies are radio-opaque and detectable radiologically, but some radio-lucent may become a diagnostic dilemma and subtle management issue. Case Report: We report a case of a one-year girl who presented after accidental ingestion of foreign body with signs and symptoms of acute intestinal obstruction. Initially we were unable to diagnose the cause, but later the radiological investigation suspected a mesenteric cyst. After failure to respond to conservative measures she underwent exploratory laparotomy, and a jelly ball was removed from the gut. The patient had uneventful post-operative recovery and was kept on follow-up for three months without any complication. Conclusion: These patients do not respond to conservative measures and need surgery on an emergency basis. It is likely that if left untreated may have caused Intestinal perforation and irreversible shock. Radiolucent foreign bodies are difficult to diagnose and need high level of suspicion. Need of the hour is to educate the parents to be extra vigilant as “prevention is better than cure”