Titanium elastic nailing in femoral diaphyseal fractures in children of 6-14 years age.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report our experience of fractures in children riding Hoverboards. METHODS: We undertook a prospective review of all children attending our hospital who sustained fractures whilst riding a Hoverboard. Data such as patient demographics, type of fracture sustained, treatment received, complications and outcome were collected. RESULTS: Twelve children, 5 males and 7 females with ages ranging from 5.5 to 15.3 years were included in this study. All patients sustained upper limb fractures and the distal radius was the commonest fracture site (30%). Surgery was required in 6 (50%) out of the 12 patients because the respective fractures were displaced. No patient had any ongoing complaints or disability at the last clinic review.   Conclusion : Children riding Hoverboards are predisposed to upper limb fractures and parents who purchase Hoverboards should be warned about this.

Barriers and facilitators for the implementation and expansion of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy: a systematic review.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) has been expanding in recent years and serves as a viable solution in reducing the shortage of hospital beds. However, the wider implementation of OPAT faces numerous challenges. This review aimed to assess implementation barriers and facilitators of OPAT services. Studies describing barriers and facilitators of the OPAT service were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Proceedings, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and PsycINFO. All types of study designs published in the English language were included. Studies that did not mention any barrier or facilitator, did not differentiate OPAT and inpatient, focused on specific antimicrobials or diseases, and made no distinction between parenteral and other treatments were excluded. Qualitative analysis was performed using the 'best-fit' framework approach and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The review was PROSPERO registered (CRD42023441083). A total of 8761 studies were screened for eligibility and 147 studies were included. Problems in patient selection, lack of awareness, poor communication and co-ordination, lack of support, lack of structured service and inappropriate prescriptions were identified. OPAT provides safe, effective and efficient treatment while maintaining patients' privacy and comfort, resulting in less daily life disruption, and reducing the risk of infection. Satisfaction and preference for OPAT were very high. Initiatives in strengthening OPAT such as antimicrobial stewardship and telemedicine are beneficial. Challenges to and facilitators of OPAT were identified among patients, health professionals, OPAT service providers and healthcare administrators. Understanding them is crucial to designing targeted initiatives for successful OPAT service implementation.

Biobran-loaded core/shell nanofibrous scaffold: a promising wound dressing candidate.

This research examined the effectiveness of Biobran as a bioactive substance that could potentially improve wound healing. It also looked at how Biobran affects the properties of a nanofibrous scaffold made through coaxial electrospinning. This is the first study exploring the use of Biobran in this context and its interaction with nanofibrous scaffolds. The scaffolds were composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) in the shell and various concentrations of Biobran blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the core. The properties of the scaffolds were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, DSC, stress-strain test, WCA, release test, MTT cytotoxicity assay, wound scratching assay, and the dye exclusion method using trypan blue. The scaffolds loaded with Biobran exhibited a more compact and smooth morphology compared with the scaffold without Biobran. The physical interaction and crystallinity of the polymers in the scaffolds were also affected by Biobran in a concentration-dependent manner. This positively influenced their tensile strength, elongation at break, thermal stability, and hydrophilicity. The porosity, water uptake capacity, and WVTR of the nanofibrous scaffolds are within the optimal ranges for wound healing. The release rate of Biobran, which revealed a biphasic release pattern, decreased with increasing Biobran concentration, resulting in controlled and sustained delivery of Biobran from the nanofiber scaffolds. The cell viability assays showed a dose-dependent effect of Biobran on WISH cells, which might be attributed to the positive effect of Biobran on the physicochemical properties of the nanofibrous scaffolds. These findings suggest that Biobran-loaded core/shell nanofiber scaffolds have a potential application in wound healing as an ideal multifunctional wound dressing.

Association of IL-1ß +3954 C/T and IL-10-1082 G/A cytokine gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) constitutes the major cause of death due to infectious diseases. Cytokines play a major role in defence against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Polymorphisms in the genes encoding various cytokines have been associated with tuberculosis susceptibility. Household contacts (HHC) are at increased risk of developing the disease. In this study, we examined the association of IL-1ß and IL-10 cytokine gene polymorphisms with risk of developing tuberculosis in TB patients, their HHC and healthy controls (HC) using JavaStat and SPSS. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analyses were performed to explore the potential gene-gene interactions. The genotype and allele frequencies of IL-1ß +3954C/T polymorphism did not vary significantly between TB patients and HC. GG (P < 0.005, OR = 0.219 and 95% CI = 0.059-0.735) and GA (P < 0.0001, OR = 2.938 and 95% CI = 1.526-5.696) genotypes of IL-10-1082 G/A polymorphism were found to be significantly associated with patients versus HC. HHC with CC (P < 0.03, OR = 1.833 and 95% CI = 1.1-3.35) genotype in IL-1ß and GA (P < 0.0001, OR = 4.612 and 95% CI = 2.225-9.702) genotype in IL-10 were at increased risk of developing tuberculosis. MDR tests revealed high-risk genotypes in IL-1ß and IL-10 based on the association model. Our results demonstrate that the polymorphisms of IL-1ß and IL-10 genes may be valuable markers to predict the risk for the development of TB in household contacts.

Estimation of Vitamin D Levels Using a Chairside Diagnostic Test Kit in Patients with Gingivitis and Periodontitis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim: Periodontitis is an inflammatory condition of the periodontium that is instigated by microbial biofilms developed on the teeth. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the vitamin D status of gingivitis and periodontitis patients while maintaining a healthy group as the control using simple low-cost chairside pre-coated with 25-OH Vitamin D antigen rapid test kits. Materials and Methods: From outpatients visiting the college's periodontics clinics, a total of 101 patients were screened. The study sample includes 38 patients in the periodontitis group, 32 in the gingivitis group, and 31 in the healthy group. A middle-digit needle was used to collect blood samples, which were put into a test cassette with membrane that had been coated with 25-OH Vitamin D antigen on the test line area of the strip. Vitamin D Quick Test (Natejah) Semi-quantitatively detects 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D) in human finger-stick complete blood at a cutoff convergence of 30 ± 4 ng/mL. Vitamin D blood levels below 80 nmol/L are considered to have deficient vitamin 25(OH)D levels. Clinical parameters between healthy, gingivitis, and different stages of periodontitis subjects were compared using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison. Fisher's exact test was done to compare vitamin D levels in the three groups. Results: Fisher's exact test revealed that there was a statistically significant increase in the number of subjects with stages 4 and stage 3 periodontitis who lacked vitamin D levels (less than 80 nmol/L). Whereas least deficient in Vit D were noticed among Healthy and Gingivitis subjects. When compared to healthy individuals, gingivitis, and various stages of periodontitis had significantly higher mean PI values in a Tukey's multiple comparison. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be 27.5% in subjects with gingivitis and 71.5% in subjects with periodontitis. Conclusion: Periodontitis is associated with vitamin D deficiency, in contrast to gingivitis and healthy subjects. The severity of periodontitis was likewise linked to the amount of vitamin D in the individual's blood. When compared to expensive, time-consuming, and laborious laboratory methods, the findings of this study suggest that a simple inexpensive chairside pre-coated with 25-OH Vitamin D antigen rapid test kits can be considered a viable alternative for determining vitamin D levels.

Effects of long term polyarthritis and subsequent NSAID treatment on activity with disassociation of tactile allodynia in the mouse.

Chronic pain has profound effects on activity. Previous reports indicate chronic inflammatory conditions result in reduced activity which normalizes upon pain treatment. However, there is little systematic investigation of this process. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes significant joint pain. The K/BxN serum transfer mouse has been characterized as a model for rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain. We investigated the activity of mice following K/BxN serum transfer vs. control serum and observed the activity changes following delivery of an NSAID, ketorolac. Previous studies have used running wheels and laser beams to monitor activity; we chose to validate a model using cost-effective infrared sensors on individual cages. Each mouse had its baseline activity obtained, which showed significant variation between individual C57Bl/6 mice. Arthritic mice had significantly decreased activity for only the first 11 nights. Conversely, previous work has shown that these animals display tactile allodynia that persists for at least 45 days. Mice were treated with ketorolac in their drinking water (10mg/kg, 15mg/kg, or 20mg/kg) for nights 6-8. The two highest doses showed significant normalization of activity levels. Four nights after ketorolac was stopped, treated animals were still significantly more active than control. The reversal of the reduced activity provides support that the depression relates to the arthritic pain state of the animal. These results indicate the efficacy of activity monitoring to better investigate behavior in persistent pain states. However, insofar as depressed activity reflects pain and disability, the present work raises questions as to the relevance of the tactile thresholds in defining behaviorally relevant pain states.

Vacuum pressure combined with osmosonication as an innovative pre-drying technique for Ghanaian ginger: Evidence from the metabolome and quality characteristics of the dried product.

We assessed the impact of selected pretreatment techniques, thus, vacuum-assisted osmotic dehydration (VOD), vacuum-assisted sonication (VSON) and vacuum-assisted osmosonication (VOS) on the metabolomes and quality characteristics of infrared-dried ginger slices. We found marked metabolome differences between the pretreated ginger samples, evidenced by differential amounts of 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activities. We also found distinct differences in the drying kinetics and sensory characteristics of the pretreated samples. Generally, VOS pretreatment gave the best outcomes. The VOS-pretreated samples contained the highest contents of the marker compounds, TPC, TFC and gave the best antioxidant activity. The VOS-pretreated samples also recorded the shortest drying time and exhibited the best sensory attributes. Overall, the general order observed was, VOS > VSON > VOD > control for all quality parameters examined. VOS pretreatment of ginger before drying therefore holds a great potential for large-scale industrial application.

Effect of surface modification of zirconia on cell adhesion, metabolic activity and proliferation of human osteoblasts.

Titanium dental implants with sandblasted and/or acid-etched surfaces have shown clinical superiority in comparison to their smooth, machined counterparts, and are now state of the art. Sandblasting of finished, sintered zirconia implants, however, will damage the surface structure and affect the mechanical properties. To improve osseointegration of zirconia dental implants without impairing the original mechanical strength by crack initiation and partial phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic, roughening of the zirconia surface by sandblasting before the final sintering step was employed. Impact of the treatments on cellular reactions of SAOS-2 human osteoblast-like cells was investigated. Sandblasting of Yttrium-stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) with 120 µm and 250 µm Al2O3 enhanced average roughness (Sa) from 0.28 µm to 4.1 µm and 5.72 µm, respectively. Cell adhesion of SAOS-2 osteoblasts was enhanced up to 175% on sandblasted surfaces, compared to the machined zirconia reference (100%). Metabolic activity and proliferation in the logarithmic growth phase (24-48 h) were not significantly affected. Sample surface coverage by the cells after prolonged incubation (72 h) was markedly decreased on the roughened samples, indicating a shift towards increased differentiation on these surfaces. The approach investigated here to roughen zirconia implants by sandblasting before sintering shows potential to improve the clinical performance of ceramic dental implants.

UV-A and UV-C light induced hydrophilization of dental implants.

OBJECTIVES: Wettability is increasingly considered to be an important factor determining biological responses to implant materials. In this context, the purpose of this study was to compare the dynamic wettability of dental implants made from different bulk materials and modified by different surface modifications, and to analyze the respective changes of wettability upon irradiating these implants by UV-A or UV-C light. METHODS: Four original screw-type implants were investigated: One grit-blasted/acid-etched and one anodically oxidized titanium, one zirconia and one polyetheretherketone implant. Additionally, experimental, screwless, machined titanium cylinders were included in the study. Part of that cylinders and of blasted/etched implants were further modified by a magnetron-sputtered photocatalytic anatase thin film. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the surface micro- and nanostructures. Samples were treated by UV-A (382nm, 25mWcm(-2)) and UV-C (260nm, 15mWcm(-2)) for entire 40min, respectively, and their wettability was quantified by dynamic contact angle (CA) analysis from multi-loop Wilhelmy experiments. RESULTS: All implants are characterized by submicron- and nanosized surface features. Unexposed implants were hydrophobic (CA>90°). Upon UV-A, solely the implants with anatase coating became superhydrophilic (CA<5°). Upon UV-C, the blasted/etched implants turned superhydrophilic, the anodized titanium and the zirconia implants were considerably (CA=34° and 27°, respectively) and the PEEK implants slightly (CA=79°) hydrophilized. SIGNIFICANCE: The wettability of implant surfaces can be improved by UV irradiation. The efficiency of UV-A and UV-C irradiation to lower the CA by photocatalysis or photolysis, however, is strongly dependent on the specific material and surface. Thus, attempts to photofunctionalize these surfaces by irradiation is expected to result in a different pattern of bioresponses.

Pentachlorophenol and phenanthrene biodegradation in creosote contaminated aquifer material.

Contamination of the subsurface environment at the Libby Superfund Site, Montana, includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and f1p4achlorophenol due to accidental spills and improper disposal of wood preserving wastes. Biodegradation is a treatment technology gaining wide application in the treatment of hazardous waste sites. A microcosm study was conducted to evaluate the effect of temperature, sampling depth, nutrient addition, and oxygen on the biodegradation potential of phenanthrene and pentachlorophenol in aquifer samples using radiolabeled chemicals. Mineralization of phenanthrene reached 14% but was less than 1% for pentachlorophenol over the 56 day incubation period. Phenanthrene mineralization in microcosms at 10 degrees C was not significantly different from those at 20 degrees C. This may have been due to microbial community acclimation to lower temperatures at the site. Average volatilization was less than 2% for both phenanthrene and pentachlorophenol. After 56 days, most of the radiolabeled chemical was either solvent extractable or soil bound.

Spinal botulinum neurotoxin B: effects on afferent transmitter release and nociceptive processing.

Botulinum neurotoxin B (BoNT-B) mediates proteolytic cleavage of VAMP I/II (synaptobrevins I/II), which prevents vesicle-membrane fusion and blocks neurotransmitter release. In the present study, we investigated the effects of BoNT-B on neurotransmitter release in vivo from spinal primary afferent sensory fibers and the effects of this blockade on nociception. With intrathecally (IT) delivered BoNT-B in C57B/l6 mice, we characterized the effects of such block on the release of substance P (SP) from spinal afferent nociceptors (as measured by neurokinin-1 receptor, NK1-R, internalization), spinal neuronal activation (as indicated by spinal C-Fos expression) and nociceptive behavior after intraplantar (IPLT) formalin. In addition, we investigated the effect of IT BoNT-B on spinal nerve ligation-induced tactile allodynia. A single percutaneous IT injection of BoNT-B 0.5 U at 2 or 5 days prior to IPLT formalin reduced NK1-R internalization and C-Fos expression. These effects correlated with BoNT-B cleavage of VAMPI/II protein in tissue lysate. IT BoNT-B also produced a corresponding reduction in phase 2 of formalin-evoked flinching behavior for over 30 days after IT injection. In mice with spinal nerve ligation (SNL), tactile allodynia was observed, which was attenuated by IT BoNT-B 0.5 U over the next 15 days, as compared to vehicle animals. These effects were observed without effects upon motor function. The specificity of the IT BoNT-B effect is indicated by: i) IT co-injection of BoNT-B and anti-BoNTB antibody prevented effects on SP release, and ii) IT BoNT-B 50 U in the Sprague Dawley rats showed no effect on formalin-evoked flinching or SNL-induced tactile allodynia, which is consistent with rat resistance to BoNT-B. IT BoNT-B blocks transmitter release from spinal primary afferents, and attenuates inflammatory nociceptive response and spinal nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain, in the absence of motor impairment. These observations provide an initial assessment of the ability of IT BoNT-B to regulate spinal nociceptive processing.

Keys for identification of species of family Calliphoridae (Diptera) in Egypt.

The present taxonomic study assists in the recognition of all known Egyptian species of Calliphoridae by keys to genera and species accompanied by synonyms in the light of modern taxonomic concepts. Eight genera are recorded in A.R. Egypt including 14 species. Hemipyrellia pulchra (Wied) is recorded for the first time in Egypt. Chrysomyia chloropyga (Wied) was recorded by Pont (1979) in his study of Synanthropic flies in Saudi Arabia, this species was not recorded or mentioned before him in Egypt and is not represented in our collections.