Liquid phase selective oxidation of veratryl alcohol to veratraldehyde using pure and Mg-doped copper chromite catalysts.

Mg-doped copper chromite (CuCr2O4) nanocomposites were synthesised through conventional technique. The pure and doped CuCr2-xMgx O4 (x = 0.00-0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%) nanocomposites were characterized in terms of their morphology, crystal structure, surface area and catalytic performance. The chemical composition of CuCr2-xMgx O4 was confirmed via FT-IR. The formation of pure and doped catalysts was validated by XRD results. TEM/SEM confirmed the formation of CuCr2-xMgxO4 nanoparticles. Mg-doped samples possess a high specific surface area compared to pure CuCr2O4. Thus, the effects of temperature, solvent, time, oxidant and the amount of catalyst on the oxidation of veratryl alcohol were reported. Furthermore, detailed mechanisms of the catalytic oxidation of veratryl alcohol as well as the reusability and stability of the nanomaterial were investigated. The resulting composites were shown to be effective heterogeneous catalysts for the oxidation of veratryl alcohol.

Complementary value of the Shock Index v. the Modified Shock Index in the prediction of in-hospital intensive care unit admission and mortality: A single-centre experience.

Background: Shock is a state of circulatory insufficiency that creates an imbalance between tissue oxygen supply and demand, resulting in end-organ dysfunction and hypodynamic circulatory failure. Most patients with infectious and trauma-related illnesses present to the emergency department (ED) in shock. Objectives: To study the usefulness of the shock index (SI) and modified shock index (MSI) in identifying and triaging patients in shock presenting to the ED. Methods: This was a year-long observational, cross-sectional study of 290 patients presenting to the ED of a tertiary hospital in compensated or overt shock. The SI and MSI were calculated at the time of first contact, and then hourly for the initial 3 hours. Relevant background investigations targeting the cause of shock and prognostic markers were done. The outcome measures of mortality and intensive care unit admission were documented for each participant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 49 years, and 67% of them were men. In consensus with local and national data, the major medical comorbidities were hypertension (20%) and diabetes mellitus (16%). An SI ≥0.9 and an MSI ≥1.3 predicted in-hospital mortality (p<0.05) and ICU admission (p<0.05) with no significant superiority of the MSI over the SI in terms of mortality, although the MSI was a better surrogate marker for critical care admission. Conclusion: The study showed the complementary value of the SI and MSI in triage in a busy tertiary hospital ED, surpassing their components such as blood pressure, heart rate and pulse pressure. We determined useful cut-offs for these tools for early risk assessment in the ED, and larger multicentre studies are needed to support our findings. Study synopsis: What the study adds. The study highlights the usefulness of clinical bedside tools such as the shock index (SI) and modified shock index (MSI) in triaging patients in the emergency department, and their role in predicting morbidity and mortality.Implications of the findings. Compared with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure, alone or in combination, the SI and MSI had higher sensitivity and specificity in terms of outcome prediction. While both an elevated SI and an elevated MSI predicted in-hospital mortality, the MSI was a better surrogate marker for ICU admission.

Enteric fever presenting as catatonia syndrome - Case report.

Enteric or typhoid fever is an emerging tropical infectious disease and a global public health problem with a documented spectrum of neuro-psychiatric manifestations especially from endemic countries. Although neuro-psychiatric manifestations are reported in nearly 50-75% of patients at any phase of enteric fever, the chance of their misdiagnosis and deferred diagnosis of the prime illness is quite common. Atypical symptoms are commonly attributed to be a part of 'typhoid toxaemia', the acute febrile phase of the illness. We report a case of young male presenting with catatonia in the aftermath of such.

Retromolar foramen and canal: a comprehensive review on its anatomy and clinical applications.

The retromolar foramen (RMF) and retromolar canal (RMC) are the anatomical structures of the mandible located in retromolar fossa behind the third molar tooth. This foramen and canal contain neurovascular structures which provide accessory/additional innervation to the mandibular molars and the buccal area. These neurovascular contents of the canal gain more importance in medical and dental practice, because these elements are vulnerable to damage during placement of osteointegrated implants, endodontic treatment and sagittal split osteotomy surgeries and a detailed knowledge of this anatomical variation would be vital in understanding failed inferior alveolar nerve blockage, spread of infection and also metastasis. Although few studies have been conducted in the past showing the incidence and types in different population groups, a lacunae in comprehensive review of this structure is lacking. Though this variation posed challenging situations for the practicing surgeons, it has been quite neglected and the incidence of it is not well presented in all the textbooks. Hence, we made an attempt to provide a consolidated review regarding variations and clinical applications of the RMF and RMC.

The risk of a subsequent cancer diagnosis after herpes zoster infection: primary care database study.

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster and cancer are associated with immunosuppression. Zoster occurs more often in patients with an established cancer diagnosis. Current evidence suggests some risk of cancer after zoster but is inconclusive. We aimed to assess the risk of cancer following zoster and the impact of prior zoster on cancer survival. METHODS: A primary care database retrospective cohort study was undertaken. Subjects with zoster were matched to patients without zoster. Risk of cancer following zoster was assessed by generating hazard ratios using Cox regression. Time to cancer was generated from the index date of zoster diagnosis. RESULTS: In total, 2054 cancers were identified in 74,029 patients (13,428 zoster, 60,601 matches). The hazard ratio for cancer diagnosis after zoster was 2.42 (95% confidence interval 2.21, 2.66) and the median time to cancer diagnosis was 815 days. Hazard ratios varied between cancers, and were highest in younger patients. There were more cancers in patients with zoster than those without for all age groups and both genders. Prior immunosuppression was not associated with change in risk, and diagnosis of zoster before cancer did not affect survival. CONCLUSION: This study establishes an association between zoster and future diagnosis of cancer having implications for cancer case finding after zoster diagnosis.