The role of multi-parton interactions in doubly-heavy hadron production.

Beauty and charm quarks are ideal probes of pertubative Quantum Chromodymanics in proton-proton collisions, owing to their large masses. In this paper the role of multi-parton interactions in the production of doubly-heavy hadrons is studied using simulation samples generated with Pythia, a Monte Carlo event generator. Comparisons are made to the stand-alone generators BcVegPy and GenXicc. New methods of speeding up Pythia simulations for events containing heavy quarks are described, enabling the production of large samples with multiple heavy-quark pairs. We show that significantly higher production rates of doubly-heavy hadrons are predicted in models that allow heavy quarks originating from different parton-parton interactions (within the same hadron-hadron collision) to combine to form such hadrons. Quantitative predictions are sensitive to the modelling of colour reconnections. We suggest a set of experimental measurements capable of differentiating these additional contributions.

Sorption and release process of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from different composition microplastics in aqueous medium: Solubility parameter approach.

Microplastics represent a growing environmental concern in the aquatic environment due to its size resemblance to microplankton in addition to its ability to act as concentrators of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Among them, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) stand out as POPs with dangerous levels in the aquatic environment. In this paper we have developed a methodology for studying the sorption and extraction process of twelve congeners of PBDE from four microplastics: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polystyrene (PS). We have proved that there is a dependence between the polymer composition and the solvent used for the extraction of the analytes. The extraction is function of the ability of the solvent to partially or totally dissolve the plastic that will allow the analyte to have a greater capacity to be released from the polymer structure. The solution of the polymer is achieved by making the free energy (ΔG, or Gibbs potential) of the system negative making the process occurs spontaneously, this will depend on the solubility parameter (∂), specific of both, solvent and polymer. Therefore, this study helps to determine which methodology to be applied for the extraction of pollutants before the start of the analysis. This approach has been applied to microplastic samples collected in different locations in the four oceans and collected from the Barcelona World Race (BWR) 2014-2015 sailing race.

Point-of-care urine lipoarabinomannan antigen detection for diagnosis of tuberculosis in children.

Diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children remains challenging due to the paucibacillary nature of the disease. Detection of TB using urine lipoarabinomannan (LAM) antigen was evaluated in children with presumed TB. Children with presumed intrathoracic tuberculosis (ITTB) and lymph node TB (LNTB) were enrolled. Expectorated or induced sputum or gastric aspirates from ITTB patients and fine-needle cytological aspirates from LNTB patients were subjected to Ziehl-Neelsen staining, MGIT™960™ culture and Xpert® MTB/RIF testing. Urine samples were tested to detect LAM, and the sensitivity and specificity calculated. Of 280 children with presumed ITTB and 101 with presumed LNTB, respectively 71 (25.3%) and 25 (24.7%) were categorised as 'confirmed TB', 70 (25%) and 33 (32.7%) as 'unconfirmed TB', and 139 (49.6%) and 43 (42.5%) as 'unlikely TB'. Respectively 8 (2.8%) children with ITTB and 3 (2.9%) with LNTB were positive on smear, 56 (20.0%) and 23 (22.7%) on Xpert, and 50 (17.8%) and 9 (8.9%) on culture. LAM assay sensitivity was 73.2% in confirmed ITTB cases, and 76% in confirmed LNTB cases; LAM assay specificity in children with ITTB and those with LNTB initiated on anti-tuberculosis treatment was respectively 92% and 93%. Detection of TB using the LAM assay was significantly better than detection using Xpert (P < 0.05 vs. P < 0.002). Urinary LAM testing showed high specificity and sensitivity, was detected in more cases initiated on treatment than reference tests, and improved disease detection by 38.5% in ITTB patients and by 41.6% in LNTB patients. .

Disorders of sex development: a study of 194 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical profile and the management of patients with disorders of sex development (DSD). DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study from a tertiary care hospital of North India. METHODS AND PATIENTS: One hundred ninety-four patients of DSD registered in the Endocrine clinic of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh between 1995 and 2014 were included. RESULTS: One hundred and two patients (52.5%) had 46,XY DSD and seventy-four patients (38.1%) had 46,XX DSD. Sex chromosome DSD was identified in seven (3.6%) patients. Of 102 patients with 46,XY DSD, 32 (31.4%) had androgen insensitivity syndrome and 26 (25.5%) had androgen biosynthetic defect. Of the 74 patients with 46,XX DSD, 52 (70.27%) had congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and eight (10.8%) had ovotesticular DSD. Five patients with sex chromosome DSD had mixed gonadal dysgenesis. Excluding CAH, majority of the patients (90%) presented in the post-pubertal period. One-fourth of the patients with simple virilising CAH were reared as males because of strong male gender identity and behaviour and firm insistence by the parents. Corrective surgeries were performed in twenty patients (20%) of 46,XY DSD without hormonal evaluation prior to the presentation. CONCLUSION: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is the most common DSD in the present series. Most common XY DSD is androgen insensitivity syndrome, while CAH is the most common XX DSD. Delayed diagnosis is a common feature, and corrective surgeries are performed without seeking a definite diagnosis.

Does the volume of supplemental intraligamentary injections affect the anaesthetic success rate after a failed primary inferior alveolar nerve block? A randomized-double blind clinical trial.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy of 0.2 mL vs. 0.6 mL of 2% lidocaine when given as a supplementary intraligamentary injection after a failed inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). METHODOLOGY: Ninety-seven adult patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpits received an IANB and root canal treatment was initiated. Pain during treatment was recorded using a visual analogue scale (Heft-Parker VAS). Patients with unsuccessful anaesthesia (n = 78) randomly received intraligamentary injection of either 0.2 mL or 0.6 mL of 2% lidocaine with 1 : 80 000 epinephrine. Root canal treatment was reinitiated. Success after primary injection or supplementary injection was defined as no or mild pain (HP VAS score ≤54 mm) during access preparation and root canal instrumentation. Heart rate was monitored using a finger pulse oximeter. The anaesthetic success rates were analysed with Pearson chi-square test at 5% significance levels. The heart rate changes were analysed using t-tests. RESULTS: The intraligamentary injections with 0.2 mL solution gave an anaesthetic success rate of 64%, whilst the 0.6 mL was successful in 84% of cases with failed primary IANB. (χ2  = 4.3, P = 0.03). There was no significant effect of the volume of intraligamentary injection on the change in heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the volume of intraligamentary injection improved the success rates after a failed primary anaesthetic injection.

Influence of instrument size and varying electrical resistance of root canal instruments on accuracy of three electronic root canal length measurement devices.

AIM: To evaluate the influence of instrument size and the effect of the electrical resistance of endodontic instruments on the accuracy of three electronic root canal length measurement devices (ERCLMDs). METHODOLOGY: Thirty single-rooted extracted human teeth were divided into three groups (n = 10) on the basis of the ERCLMD used: Root ZX II (J. Morita, Kyoto, Japan); ProPex (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland); and iPex II (NSK, Tochigi, Japan). The electronic working length measurements (EWL) were made with K-files in the sequence sizes 08, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30. The actual working length (AWL) was calculated by fixing a size 30 K-file in the canal and exposing the apical 5 mm of the root. The minor foramen was identified under an optical microscope, and its distance from the file tip was calculated. The accuracy of the ERCLMDs was evaluated in terms of percentages of accurate measurements (0.0 mm tolerance) and measurements with tolerance limits of ±0.5 mm and ±1.0 mm. The findings were analysed with the McNemar test, Pearson's chi-square tests and two-way analysis of variance. The multiple comparison procedures were carried out using Holm-Sidak method. The maximum electrical resistance tolerated by ERCLMDs was evaluated by connecting commercially available resistors between the file clip and the root canal instrument. The resistance was gradually increased until it started to affect the ERCLMD readings. RESULTS: The ERCLMDs were able to actually locate the minor foramen in 7% of samples. File size did not affect the accuracy of ERCLMDs (P > 0.05). Overall, the ERCLMDs gave 65% readings within a tolerance limit of ±0.5 mm and 90% within a tolerance of ±1.0 mm. The electrical resistance of endodontic files was less than the maximum electrical resistance tolerated by ERCLMDs (0.6-1 Ω vs. 2500-4000 Ω). CONCLUSIONS: The size of the root canal instrument did not affect the accuracy of ERCLMDs in this laboratory study.

Pharmacokinetics of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol in HIV-infected Indian children.

SETTING: Co-infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may lead to inadequate plasma concentrations of anti-tuberculosis drugs in children with tuberculosis (TB). OBJECTIVE: To describe the influence of HIV infection on the pharmacokinetics of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol in children. DESIGN: Prospective drug estimation study in two cohorts of children: HIV-infected (n = 24) and non-HIV-infected (n = 32) with TB. Dosages used were based on earlier World Health Organization recommendations. All four drugs were estimated simultaneously using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The HIV-TB co-infected children had a mean age of 105.9 months (standard deviation 43.1); there were 10 girls (41.7%). The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), time taken to achieve Cmax, area under curve from 0-4 h and 2 h concentrations of isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP) and pyrazinamide (PZA) were not affected by the HIV status of the children. Ethambutol (EMB) concentrations were lower in HIV-TB co-infected children. Inadequate 2 h concentrations of INH, RMP and EMB were found in the majority of the children in both groups. PZA concentrations were adequate in almost all children. Younger age and lower dose were associated with lower 2 h concentrations of INH and RMP. CONCLUSION: Inadequate concentrations of INH, RMP and EMB in both HIV-TB-infected and non-HIV-infected children provide support for the recently revised recommended doses of INH and RMP. EMB levels were lower in HIV-infected children; however, more studies are needed to validate this observation.

Macro/micro observational studies of fibres maintaining the biceps brachii tendon in the bicipital groove: application to surgery, pathology and kinesiology.

BACKGROUND: There is controversy over the nature of tissues covering the bicipital groove protecting the biceps brachii tendon from dislocation/subluxation causing shoulder pain. Recent researches on cadaveric dissection and histological studies have changed the old concept of the transverse humeral ligament covering the bicipital groove to tendinous fibres of the subscapularis or interdigitating fibres of the subscapularis and supraspinatus. The change has not been incorporated into standard text books of anatomy. Therefore, the aim of the study is to support the new or old concept. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen embalmed shoulders were dissected to determine the nature of the tissues over the bicipital groove. Tissues from 4 shoulders were processed and 16 histological slides were examined for fibre types. Theoretical analysis of ligament and tendon has also been carried out. RESULTS: The dissection study revealed that the tissues over the bicipital groove were tendinous fibres of subscapularis/interdigitating fibres of the subscapularis and supraspinatus and fibrous expansions from the posterior lamina of the pectoralis major. This was supported by the histological slides which showed the signatures of collagen fibres with the characteristics of tendinous fibres. CONCLUSIONS: No separate anatomical entity such as the transverse humeral ligament was detected in this study. Thus present study supports the view that the tissues covering the bicipital groove were formed by tendinous rather than ligamentous fibres.

Outcomes of Category II anti-tuberculosis treatment in Indian children.

SETTING: The emerging threat of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has cast doubt on the efficacy of Category II anti-tuberculosis treatment in retreatment cases. Data on outcomes of treatment with the Category II regimen in children are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To study outcomes of Category II anti-tuberculosis treatment in Indian children. DESIGN: Charts belonging to patients registered between 2004 and 2012 at the Paediatric Tuberculosis Clinic, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, were reviewed, and children receiving Category II anti-tuberculosis treatment were included in the study. Outcomes were recorded as treatment success and poor outcome, which included treatment failure and default. RESULTS: A total of 125 children (mean age 101.6 months, standard deviation 42.9; girls 58 [46.4%]) were initiated on Category II anti-tuberculosis treatment, mainly due to worsening clinical conditions (36.8%) and relapse (36%). Treatment success, treatment failure and default were recorded in respectively 80 (64%), 20 (16%) and 25 (20%) children. Children who were non-adherent to previous treatment tended to default from Category II treatment as well (11.8% in previous non-defaulters vs. 37.5% in previous defaulters, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Category II anti-tuberculosis treatment was effective in approximately 60% of children who had failed or defaulted from the previous regimen. All efforts should be made to isolate Mycobacterium tuberculosis and perform drug susceptibility testing to identify MDR-TB in children.

Comparison of the anaesthetic efficacy of different volumes of 4% articaine (1.8 and 3.6 mL) as supplemental buccal infiltration after failed inferior alveolar nerve block.

AIM: To compare the anaesthetic efficacy of different volumes (1.8 mL vs. 3.6 mL) of 4% articaine with 1 : 100 000 epinephrine injected as buccal infiltrations after a failed inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. METHODOLOGY: Two hundred and thirty-four adult patients, diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis in a mandibular tooth, participated in this multicentre, randomized double-blinded trial. Patients received IANB with 1.8 mL of 4% articaine with 1 : 100 000 epinephrine. Pain during treatment was recorded using the Heft-Parker visual analogue scale (HP VAS). The primary outcome measure, and the definition of 'success', was the ability to undertake pulp chamber access and canal instrumentation with no or mild pain (HP VAS score <55 mm). Patients who experienced 'moderate-to-severe' pain (HP VAS score ≥ 55 mm) were randomly allocated into two groups and received buccal infiltrations with either 1.8 mL or 3.6 mL of 4% articaine with 1 : 100 000 epinephrine. Root canal treatment was re-initiated after 10 min. Success was again defined as no pain or weak/mild pain during endodontic access preparation and instrumentation. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests. RESULTS: The initial IANB of 4% articaine gave an overall success rate of 37%. The success rate of supplementary buccal infiltration with 1.8 and 3.6 mL volumes was 62% and 64%, respectively. The difference between the success rates of the two volumes was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the volume of 4% articaine with 1 : 100 000 epinephrine from 1.8 to 3.6 mL, given as supplementary buccal infiltrations after a failed primary IANB with 1.8 mL of 4% articaine with 1 : 100 000, did not improve the anaesthetic success rates in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

Correction of penile torsion and chordee by mobilization of urethra with spongiosum in chordee without hypospadias.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of correcting coexistent penile torsion and chordee without hypospadias by mobilization of the urethra and spongiosum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of nine patients with simultaneous penile torsion and chordee without hypospadias was undertaken between January 2006 and December 2012. During this period, a total of 364 cases of hypospadias and 38 of chordee without hypospadias were operated on, making a total of 402 patients with hypospadias-related complexes. The same steps were used for correction of both torque and chordee. After a circumcoronal incision, the penis was fully degloved and the spongiosum with urethra was lifted up off the cavernosa. Next, mobilization of the hypoplastic urethra with spongiosum was extended into the glans. If chordee or torque persisted, urethral mobilization was performed proximally up to the bulbar urethra, as required. Spongioplasty and glansplasty were done and a per-urethral stent was kept in for three to five days. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 5 to 16 years (median 6 years). Penile torsion ranged from 30° to 120°, with a median of 75°. Ventral chordee ranged from 45° to 100°, with a median of 50°. A ratio of 1:9.6 was found for chordee without hypospadias compared to the total hypospadias cases, with an incidence of 9.5%. The ratio of chordee without hypospadias with torsion compared to the total hypospadias cases was 1:29. There was an incidence of chordee without hypospadias with penile torsion of 3.5% in all patients with hypospadias. The ratio of chordee without hypospadias with torsion to only chordee without hypospadias was 1:1.71, with an incidence of 37.0%. Every step contributed to the correction of curvature and torsion. Chordee was corrected in two patients by penile degloving and lifting of the spongiosa off the urethral plate; three patients required additional mobilization of the urethra into the glans. Another two patients needed proximal urethral mobilization and one required a dorsal plication. In five patients, torque was corrected by penile degloving, lifting of the spongiosa and mobilization of the urethra into the glans; four patients required further proximal urethral mobilization. All patients had excellent functional and cosmetic results. No residual chordee or torque was observed in any patient on follow-up at 12-24 months. CONCLUSION: The technique of distally mobilizing a hypoplastic urethra with spongiosum from the corpora into the glans, and proximally up to the bulbar region corrects moderate to severe chordee and torsion with excellent cosmetic results. The incidence of torsion with chordee without hypospadias was 3.5% of all cases of hypospadias.

Synthesis, characterization and bactericidal activity of silica/silver core-shell nanoparticles.

Silica/silver core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by coating silver NPs on silica core particles (size ~300 ± 10 nm) via electro less reduction method. The core-shell NPs were characterized for their structural, morphological, compositional and optical behavior using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and UV-Visible spectroscopy, respectively. The size (16-35 nm) and loaded amount of silver NPs on the silica core were found to be dependent upon reaction time and activation method of silica. The bactericidal activity of the NPs was tested by broth micro dilution method against both Bacillus subtilis (gram positive) and Escherichia coli ATCC25922 (gram negative) bacterium. The bactericidal activity of silica/silver core-shell NPS is more against E. coli ATCC25922, when compared to B. subtilis. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the core-shell NPs ranged from 7.8 to 250 µg/mL and is found to be dependent upon the amount of silver on silica, the core. These results suggest that silica/silver core-shell NPs can be utilized as a strong substitutional candidate to control pathogenic bacterium, which are otherwise resistant to antibiotics, making them applicable in diverse medical devices.

Comparison of the anaesthetic efficacy of epinephrine concentrations (1 : 80 000 and 1 : 200 000) in 2% lidocaine for inferior alveolar nerve block in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

AIM: The aim of this randomized controlled, double-blind trial was to comparatively evaluate the anaesthetic efficacy and injection pain of 1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine with different concentrations of epinephrine (1 : 80 000 and 1 : 200 000) in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. METHODOLOGY: Sixty-two adult volunteers, actively experiencing pain, were randomly allocated into 2 groups and received 1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine with either 1 : 80 000 or 1 : 200 000 epinephrine concentration. Endodontic access preparation was initiated 15 min after the initial IANB. Pain during treatment was recorded using the Heft-Parker visual analogue scale (HP VAS). The primary outcome measure, and the definition of 'success', was the ability to undertake pulp access and canal instrumentation with no or mild pain (HP VAS score <55 mm). Secondary outcome measure was the pain experienced during LA solution deposition. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U-test and chi-square test. RESULTS: The anaesthetic success rates of 2% lidocaine solutions containing 1 : 80 000 and 1 : 200 000 epinephrine concentrations were 20% and 28%, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. There was also no significant difference in the pain experienced during deposition of the solutions. CONCLUSIONS: Two percent lidocaine solution used for IANB achieved similar success rates when used with 1 : 80 000 or 1 : 200 000 epinephrine concentration.

The effect of caries excavation methods on the bond strength of etch-and-rinse and self-etch adhesives to caries affected dentine.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of chemomechanical caries removal and conventional caries excavation on the microtensile bond strength of three different dentine adhesive systems. METHODS: Thirty extracted human mandibular molars with radiographic signs of dental caries extending up to the middle third of dentine were sectioned longitudinally through the centre of the carious lesion in a buccolingual direction to yield two sections. One half of each tooth was excavated by tungsten carbide bur and the other half was chemomechanically treated with Carisolv(®) . Three dentine bonding systems: an etch-and-rinse single bottle adhesive (Single Bond, 3M ESPE); a two bottle, two-step self-etch bonding system (One Coat Self Etching Bond, Coltene Whaledent); and a single-step, single bottle self-etch adhesive (Adper Easy Bond Self-Etch Adhesive, 3M ESPE) were applied and composite build-up was done. The specimens were tested for microtensile bond strength. Data were analysed using two-way analysis of variance and pair-wise multiple comparisons were done using the Holm-Sidak method. RESULTS: The etch-and-rinse adhesive and two bottle self-etch system showed significantly higher bond strength than the single bottle self-etch system. Caries excavation method had no influence on bond strength values. CONCLUSIONS: Carisolv(®) did not affect the microtensile bond strength values of different adhesive systems tested to the caries affected dentine.

Luminescent behavior of cadmium sulfide quantum dots for gallic acid estimation.

Thioglycolic acid capped cadmium sulfide (CdS/T) quantum dots have been synthesized using wet chemistry and their optical behavior has been investigated using UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The role of the capping agent, sulfide source concentration, pH and temperature has been studied and discussed. Studies showed that alkaline pH leads to a decrease in the size of quantum dots and reflux temperature above 70 °C resulted in red-shift of emission spectra which is due to narrowing of the bandgap. Further, to reduce the toxicity and photochemical instability of quantum dots, the quantum dots have been functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG), which resulted in a 20% enhancement of the fluorescence intensity. The application potential of CdS/T-PEG quantum dots was further studied using gallic acid as a model compound. The sensing is based on fluorescence quenching of quantum dots in the presence of gallic acid, and this study showed linearity in the range from 1.3 × 10(-8) to 46.5 × 10(-8) mM, with a detection limit of 3.6 × 10(-8) mM.

Management of inflammatory root resorption using MTA obturation - a four year follow up.

A case report of severe external inflammatory root resorption is presented. The patient reported with a complaint of increased tooth mobility after avulsion and replantation. The case was treated with full root canal obturation with mineral trioxide aggregate. A 48 month follow up review showed arrest of root resorption with satisfactory clinical results. This article discusses the aetiology of inflammatory root resorption and the use of the latest root canal obturation materials in improving healing outcomes.

Comparative study of unilateral and bilateral surgery in moderate exotropia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical outcome of unilateral versus bilateral rectus recession for the correction of moderate exotropia. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 20 consecutive cases of intermittent exotropia ranging from 15 to 25 prism diopters (PD) randomized into two groups and operated on by a single surgeon. In the unilateral group, a recession of 7.0 to 7.5 and 8.0 to 8.5 was done for 15 to 20 PD and 21 to 25 PD of exotropia, respectively. In the bilateral group, a recession of 5.0 to 5.5 and 6.0 to 6.5 mm was done for 15 to 20 PD and 21 to 25 PD of exotropia, respectively. Surgical results of both groups were compared 3 months postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 8.5 years in the unilateral group and 11 years in the bilateral group. The mean preoperative exotropia was 21.0 ± 3.77 PD in the unilateral group and 22.9 ± 3.03 PD in the bilateral group. The mean postoperative deviation at 3 months was 5.5 ± 4.03 PD in the unilateral group and 2.8 ± 3.91 PD in the bilateral group. Consecutive persistent small-angle esotropia was seen in one patient in the bilateral group. There was no significant incomitance at 3 months in either group. CONCLUSION: Unilateral and bilateral rectus recession are equally effective in mild to moderate exotropia.