Application of Nanoconfinement Technology for Highly Effective Monitoring of Chemical Exposure During Military Service.

INTRODUCTION: There is myriad of volatile compounds to which military personnel are exposed that can potentially have negative effects on their health. Military service occurs in a broad array of environments so it is difficult to predict the hazardous compounds to which the personnel might be exposed. XploSafe is developing passive diffusive samplers to facilitate the sampling and quantification of a wide range of chemical vapor exposures that personnel may be exposed to in the workplace. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Passive diffusive samplers were constructed by filling porous Teflon tubes with OSU-6, a nanoporous silica sorbent, to produce sampler tokens.  Three of these tokens were placed within a badge to fabricate passive samplers. Absorption experiments were performed to determine linear exposure regimes, sampling rates, and limits of quantification for 11 compounds, representing 8 chemical classes. RESULTS: The sampling rates were determined for 11 compounds representing 8 chemical classes. The measured linear ranges for the studied compounds are sufficiently large to allow effective sampling for 8 hours or longer. Accurate dosimetry is possible even with exposure times of days or weeks. The samplers were able to detect the presence of five airborne compounds in a paint booth of a military contractor located in Bristow, Oklahoma, and determine their average exposure concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: OSU-6 based sampler badges were able to detect the presence and quantify the average exposures of five airborne compounds in a paint booth of a military contractor located in Bristow, Oklahoma. Experiments show that these samplers can adsorb and quantify a broad array of different volatile organic compounds whose high sampling rates coupled with high capacity provide both sensitivity and the ability to quantify over a large range of exposures. This technology can meet the requirements for personal samplers to create Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record for each military person.

Determinants of mental and financial health during COVID-19: Evidence from data of a developing country.

Mental and emotional issues are the top-level concerns of public health worldwide. These issues surged during Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic due to varied medical, social, and personal reasons. The social determinants highlighted in the literature mainly focus on household solutions rather than on increasing the financial wellbeing of individuals, especially for the most vulnerable groups where the psychological distress coming from the social inequalities cannot be entirely treated. Hence, this study attempts to familiarize the financial capability (the financial literacy, attitude, skills and behavior required for effective financial management) construct into public health domain in the times of COVID-19 as a determinant of psychological distress, and also explores the role of gender in it. The study uses Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression analysis and employs mental distress questions and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2018 financial capability toolkit to collect data from a large sample of households from all over Pakistan. It is inferred that the higher the financial capability, the lower the financial and mental distress during COVID-19. Additionally, females are less financially knowledgeable, depict poor financial behaviors, and face more psychological issues than their counterparts. Age and education are also linked to mental stress during COVID-19. Finally, gender plays a moderating role in financial behavior, and financial and mental stress of households. As evident, COVID-19 is not going away soon hence the findings are relevant for policymakers to proactively plan for the pandemic's upcoming waves and help people be better financially equipped to fight against this or any upcoming crisis, and achieve better mental and physical health.

A multicenter randomized controlled trial indicates that paclitaxel-coated balloons provide no benefit for arteriovenous fistulas.

The role of paclitaxel-coated balloons has been established in the coronary and peripheral arterial circulations with recent interest in the use of paclitaxel-coated balloons to improve patency rates following angioplasty of arteriovenous fistulas. To assess the efficacy of paclitaxel-coated angioplasty balloons to prolong the survival time of target lesion primary patency in arteriovenous fistulas, we designed an investigator-led multi-center randomized controlled trial with follow up time variable for a minimum of one year. Patients with an arteriovenous fistula who were undergoing an angioplasty for a clinical indication were included but patients with one or more lesions outside the treatment segment were excluded. Following successful treatment with a high-pressure balloon, 212 patients were randomized. In the intervention arm, the second component was insertion of a paclitaxel-coated balloon. In the control arm, an identical procedure was followed, but using a standard balloon. The primary endpoint was time to loss of clinically driven target lesion primary patency. Primary analysis showed no significant evidence for a difference in time to end of target lesion primary patency between groups: hazard ratio 1.18 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.78 to 1.79. There were no significant differences for any secondary outcomes, including patency outcomes and adverse events. Thus, our study demonstrated no evidence that paclitaxel-coated balloons provide benefit, following standard care high-pressure balloon angioplasty, in the treatment of arteriovenous fistulas. Hence, in view of the benefit suggested by other trials, the role of paclitaxel-coated angioplasty balloons remains uncertain.

Superior Monitoring of Chemical Exposure Using Nanoconfinement Technology.

INTRODUCTION: Military personnel are exposed to a broad range of potentially toxic compounds that can affect their health. These hazards are unpredictable because military service occurs in a wide array of uncontrolled environments. Therefore, a novel sorbent was developed that allows the fabrication of lightweight personal samplers that are both capable of sorbing an extremely wide range of organic chemical types and able to stabilize reactive compounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OSU-6, a nanoporous silica, was provided by XploSafe LLC. The sorption capacity for several volatile organic compounds, the temperatures required for thermal desorption of adsorbed compounds, and the sampling rates for targeted analytes were determined. RESULTS: The uptake capacity was found to be on average 1.5 g/g of sorbent. Analytes were not only held tightly but also could be desorbed upon heating the sorbate to temperatures below 150°C. Sampling rates for volatile organic compound by an OSU-6 sampler badge were on average, 5.7 times higher than those for a commercially available activated carbon badge. Theoretical calculations showed that sorption of volatile organic compounds on the surface of the tightly curved pore walls in OSU-6 is because of exceptionally strong cumulative addition of Van der Waals forces. Analytes could readily be analyzed by either solvent extraction or thermal desorption gas chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques. Excellent sampling rates, high concentrations of analytes in the OSU-6 sorbent matrix, and high desorption efficiencies (recoveries) were obtained using the thermal desorption method. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of the OSU-6 sorbent makes it highly capable of meeting the need for personal samplers that enable Individual Longitudinal Exposure Records development. It can adsorb an extremely wide array of different volatile organic compounds, it can stabilize reactive compounds, it has high sampling rates coupled with high capacity that provide both sensitivity and resistance to saturation, and it is unique in being very amenable to thermal desorption in combination with having strong sorbate binding and high capacity and surface area.

Management of acute and chronic iliofemoral venous outflow obstruction: a multidisciplinary team consensus.

The aim of this manuscript was to establish a consensus for the management of acute and chronic venous obstruction among specialists in the UK. Specialist physicians representing vascular surgery, interventional radiology and hematology were invited to 3 meetings to discuss management of acute and chronic iliofemoral obstruction. The meetings outlined controversial areas, included a topic-by-topic review; and on completion reached a consensus when greater than 80% agreement was reached on each topic. Physicians from 19 UK hospitals agreed on treatment protocols and highlighted areas that need development. Potential standard treatment algorithms were created. It was decided to establish a national registry of venous patients led by representatives from the treating multidisciplinary teams. Technical improvements have facilitated invasive treatment of patients with acute and chronic venous obstruction; however, the evidence guiding treatment is weak. Treatment should be conducted in centers with multi-disciplinary input; robust, coordinated data collection; and regular outcome analysis to ensure safe and effective treatment and a basis for future evolvement.

Ultrasound-assisted synthesis, anticonvulsant activity, and docking study of indole-appended thiazolidin-4-ones.

Two series of novel indolyl thiazolidin-4-one derivatives 4a-j and 5a-j were obtained by an ecofriendly synthetic protocol by treating a mixture of Schiff's bases (0.01 mol) with thioglycolic acid or thiolactic acid (0.01 mol) and anhydrous zinc chloride in catalytic amount in DMF as solvent under ultrasound irradiation, using an ultrasound synthesizer with a synthetic solid probe. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, (1) H NMR, (13) C NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. The anticonvulsant activity and neurotoxicity of the newly synthesized compounds were established by MES and sc-PTZ model and by rotarod test, respectively, in vivo using mouse models. The actophotometer was used for the screening of behavioral activity. The compounds exhibited promising anticonvulsant activity; especially, the compounds showed maximum protection in the MES model at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Further, docking studies of the synthesized compounds were performed against the sodium channel receptor and showed good binding interactions with the receptor. A computational study was carried out to highlight the pharmacophore distance mapping, log p determination, and pharmacokinetic parameters.

Long-term results of derotational femoral varus osteotomy in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: 26-year follow-up.

The long-term results of 30 patients (31 hips) who underwent derotational femoral varus osteotomy for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease are presented. Pain, leg-length discrepancy, Trendelenburg sign, and range of motion at the operated hip were examined clinically. Radiographic analysis included measurement of the Wiberg angle, epiphyseal index, acetabular index, and the Mose index. All were found to be satisfactory for patients in the good/fair category. Good/fair results were obtained in 27 (87%) of 31 hips according to Catterall's postoperative classification. Four patients were classified in the poor category due to severe restriction of movement and constant hip pain. Therefore, derotational femoral varus osteotomy is recommended for the treatment of patients with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.