Does the slope and length of the plantar calcaneal spur affect the clinic?

Since some of the patients with plantar calcaneal spur (PCS) do not have pain, we aimed to investigate the effect of the slope and length of the spur on this situation. The length and slope of PCS were measured by examining the radiological images of 50 patients in this prospective study. VAS, AOFAS and FFI scores of the patients were determined. Patients were divided into groups according to PCS length and slope. According to the slope of the spur, the mean AOFAS, FFI and VAS scores were, respectively; 94, 38, 1.3 in below 20 degrees; 80.1, 86.8, 4.8 in 20-30 degrees; and 70.1, 106, 6.7 in above 30 degrees. According to the length of the spur, the mean AOFAS, FFI and VAS scores were respectively; 84.9, 68.2, 3.7 in those with length 0-5 mm; 81.1, 81.7, 4.5 in those with a length of 5-10 mm; and 71.7, 102.5, 6.4 in those with a length of >10 mm. A significant correlation was found between the angle and length of the PCS with the values of VAS, AOFAS and FFI (p<0.05). We observed that PCSs with a slope of less than 30 degrees and shorter than 10 mm do not create a serious clinical picture. If there is severe pain and functional impairment in individuals with this characteristic spur, investigation of other possible causes of heel pain must be considered.

Production and characterization of chars from cherry pulp via pyrolysis.

Pyrolysis is an eco-friendly process to achieve valuable products like bio-oil, char and gases. In the last decades, biochar production from pyrolysis of a wide variety of industrial and agricultural wastes become popular, which can be utilized as adsorbent instead of the expensive activated carbons. In this study, cherry pulp was pyrolyzed in a fixed bed tubular reactor at five different temperatures (400, 500,550, 600 and 700 °C) and three different heating rates (10, 100 and 200 °C/min) to obtain biochar. Proximate, ultimate, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray fluorescence, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed on cherry pulp and its chars to examine the chemical alterations after the pyrolysis process. Biochar yields were decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature and heating rate, based on experimental results. Porous biochars are carbon rich and includes high potassium content. The aromaticity of biochars increased and O/C mass ratio reduced with an increase in the pyrolysis temperature as a result of the development of compact aromatic structure in char. Pyrolysis provides a promising conversion procedure for the production of high energy density char which has promising applications in existing coal-fired boilers without any upgrading.

Choice of cochlear implant side in a paediatric population.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of right- or left-sided cochlear implantation on listening skills in a paediatric population. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the listening skills performance data of children who were operated on and followed up at the Çukurova University Department of Otorhinolaryngology between 2007 and 2011. Sixty-three patients were included in the study. Patients were evaluated using the Listening Progress Profile, the Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale and the littlEARS test. RESULTS: The mean age of the children was two years (range of one to five years). Twenty-nine patients were male and 34 were female. Twenty-eight patients were implanted in the right ear and 35 in the left ear. There were no statistically significant differences between right and left ear implantees in terms of listening skills performance. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the choice of cochlear implant side is not crucial for the development of listening skills.

Hemifacial spasm and posterior auricular muscle.

We aimed to investigate to which extent posterior auricular muscle (PAM) was affected and whether it contributed to the reflex activity in hemifacial spasm (HFS) patients. 19 HFS patients' spasm activities were recorded from facial muscles. Spasm activity of PAM was recorded synchronously on the symptomatic side in all patients. Lateral spread of blink reflex to orbicularis oris and PAMs were recorded in all but two patients. Botulinum toxin was applied to the PAM with the 14 patients presenting tinnitus, "clicking" or a "ticking" sound on the sane side and other positive auricular symptoms. After treatment, there was symptomatic improvement in 9 of 14 patients. The patients presenting with auricular symptoms and showing spasm activity in their PAMs can be thought as a candidate for botulinum toxin treatment scheme.