Highly porous hydrogels for efficient solar water evaporation.

Solar energy is a plentiful renewable resource on Earth, with versatile applications in both domestic and industrial settings, particularly in solar steam generation (SSG). However, current SSG processes encounter challenges such as low efficiency and the requirement for extremely high concentrations of solar irradiation. Interfacial evaporation technology has emerged as a solution to these issues, offering improved solar performance compared to conventional SSG processes. Nonetheless, its implementation introduces additional complexities and costs to system construction. In this study, we present the development of hydrophilic, three-dimensional network-structured hydrogels with high porosity and swelling ratio using a facile fabrication technique. We systematically varied the mixing ratios of four key ingredients (polyethylene glycol diacrylate, PEGDA; polyethylene glycol methyl-ether acrylate, PEGMA; phosphate-buffered saline, PBS; and 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone, PI) to control the mean pore size and swelling ratio of the hydrogel. Additionally, plasmonic gold nanoparticles were incorporated into the hydrogel using a novel methodology to enhance solar light absorption and subsequent evaporation efficiency. The resulting material exhibited a remarkable solar efficiency of 77% and an evaporation rate of 1.6 kg m-2 h-1 under standard solar illumination (one sun), comparable to those of state-of-the-art SSG devices. This high efficiency can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the hydrogel's unique composition and nanoparticle concentration. These findings offer a promising avenue for the development of highly efficient solar-powered evaporation applications.

Effect of preoperative estrogen on complications after proximal hypospadias repair: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Proximal hypospadias repair has many postoperative complications such as urethrocutaneous fistulae, wound dehiscence, and urethral stricture. The beneficial effect of estrogen to promote wound healing has been known. We designed a study to determine whether preoperative stimulation of tissue with estrogen can reduce the postoperative complications associated with wound healing in patients undergoing hypospadias repair. Methods: Patients with proximal hypospadias requiring two-stage repairs (chordee correction followed by urethral tubularization) were randomized to estrogen and control groups before the second stage of surgery. In the former, topical estrogen cream (0.5 mg of estriol) was applied to the ventral penis for a month, whereas normal saline gel was applied to the latter; the urethroplasty was carried out thereafter. Patients were followed up for complications. Results: There were 29 patients in the estrogen group and 31 in the placebo group after the exclusion criteria were met. There was no significant difference in the overall postoperative complications between the estrogen group (44.8%) and the placebo group (51.6%). The occurrence of urethrocutaneous fistula (37.9% vs. 51.6%) and dehiscence (41.4% vs. 45.2%) was not significantly different between the estrogen and placebo groups. Neourethral stricture occurred in four patients in the estrogen group, while none of the patients in the placebo group developed stricture. Conclusions: The preoperative application of topical estrogen cream to the ventral penis failed to demonstrate any significant effect on wound healing and complications.

Loss of interest for training in paediatric surgery in India.

Background Despite the sizeable Indian paediatric population, few students have opted for postdoctoral (Magister Chirurgiae [MCh]/Diplomate of the National Board of Examinations [DNB]) courses in the past decade. We analyse the apparent loss of interest for training in paediatric surgery in India and suggest remedies. Methods We did a combination of an online questionnaire-based survey and several interviews among students, teachers and practitioners of paediatric surgery. The results were collated and analysed. Results Information from 238 questionnaires, 35 interviews and 75 feedbacks were distilled. About 83% of respondents agreed to a definite loss of interest among students in paediatric surgery, largely because of poor exposure during undergraduate/postgraduate courses and absence of a department in medical colleges. The blanket increase in seats has led to vacancies. The low saleability of paediatric surgery is linked to high personnel and infrastructure investment, modest remunerative potential and poor insurance cover for patients. Besides increasing public awareness, strategic governmental patronage in postdoctoral training (e.g. establishing a department in medical colleges, moderating the number of seats, encouraging performing training centres and rationalizing the bond after the training course) and facilitation of patient care (e.g. insurance cover for congenital conditions and paediatric surgeon in neonatal care units in district hospitals) is suggested. Conclusions The loss of interest in paediatric surgery among medical trainees is real and urgently requires a multipronged strategy by the medical fraternity, professional organizations and regulatory bodies across government and non-governmental sectors to facilitate a revival and cater to the sick surgical child in the future.

Awareness of Common Pediatric Surgical Entities among Practicing Indian Pediatricians.

AIM: Common pediatric surgical entities often get a delayed referral to the pediatric surgeon in the average Indian scenario. This study was conducted to assess the awareness about management of select common pediatric surgical entities among practicing pediatricians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online multiple-choice questionnaire consisting of twenty questions related to the diagnosis and management of common pediatric surgical entities encountered by pediatricians in their routine office practice was prepared, and the electronic link was circulated among the practicing pediatricians of India. Each question had one correct response. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-five responses were obtained, collated, grouped, and analyzed. Overall, 35% of all responses were correct. Individually, 56% of respondents marked 51%-75% of answers correctly; only 7% scored above 75%. Some clinical observations were disparate: 65% were unfamiliar with preputial adhesions and 51% would discharge a preterm neonate with inguinal hernia without a surgical consult. There is a tendency toward unnecessary imaging (60% - localization of undescended testis, 91% - wet umbilicus, and 51% - postanal dimple) and overzealous medical management (propranolol for the involuting hemangioma). However, 82%-88% concurred on the standard conservative or surgical management in index conditions such as hypospadias and umbilical problems. CONCLUSION: There was a concurrence in the principles of management of common pediatric surgical entities between pediatricians and pediatric surgeons in 35%. Misdiagnosis, unwarranted investigations, overzealous medical management, and delayed surgical consults figured in 65%. A systematic professional interaction between the physicians and surgeons would facilitate a coordinated management. A larger study would yield more meaningful data.

The Presence of Pericholedochal Hyaline Cartilage in Biliary Atresia: A Report and A Review.

Background: The presence of cartilage in extra hepatic biliary tree is an unusual finding. An isolated presence of the cartilage is possibly heterotopic or occurs as a metaplastic response to the inflammatory insult.Material and methods: We had examined the liver biopsy and the resected specimen of a biliary atresia (BA) after Kasai procedure.Results: There was hyaline cartilage around the common hepatic and common bile duct in a 3-months-old male infant with distal obstructive cholangiopathy on liver biopsy and had positive serum IgM for cytomegalovirus (CMV). Similar findings could not be documented in the pericholedochal tissue of any of the 25 other pediatric cases operated for BA or choledochal cyst and three neonatal autopsies performed for liver-related deaths.Conclusion: Peri-bile duct cartilage is a unique finding and could represent an unusual form of heterotopia or connective tissue metaplasia.

Acute limb ischemia following iatrogenic femoral artery injury during orchiopexy.

Orchiopexy for undescended testis is a standard procedure in pediatric patients. Intraoperative complications during orchiopexy are rare. Major complications reported include injury to vas deferens or testicular vessels, leading to testicular atrophy. Damage to the femoral artery has not been described in the literature as a complication during orchiopexy. In this report, we describe a case where injury to the right femoral artery leading to acute limb ischemia occurred while performing orchiopexy.

Prevalence of neural tube defect and its identification during antenatal period: a cross-sectional study in eastern Indian state.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of neural tube defects among all birth outcomes in Odisha during 2016-2022. Additionally, to estimate the identification rate of neural tube defects during Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan sessions. DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional study with a household survey for neural tube defects using pictorial card as well as a hospital-based study for antenatal ultrasonography data. SETTING: The sample population was selected through multistage random sampling. In the first stage, one district from each zone was selected randomly. In the second stage, using simple random sampling, one community health centre and one urban primary health centre were selected from each district. In the third stage, the population from a block and ward were picked from the selected rural and urban settings, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: All married women in the reproductive age group (18-49 years) residing in these cluster villages in the selected districts were enrolled. RESULTS: The study surveyed 49 215 women and recorded 50 196 birth outcomes, including 49 174 live births, 890 stillbirths and 132 medical terminations of pregnancy. A total of 30 neural tube defect cases were detected. The overall prevalence rate of neural tube defect was 0.59 per 1000 birth outcomes. Spina bifida was the most prevalent neural tube defect with the prevalence of, followed by anencephaly and encephalocele. Despite 26 860 mothers receiving antenatal ultrasonography Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan session, data on neural tube defects and other birth defects detected through these scans is unavailable. CONCLUSION: This study found a low prevalence of neural tube defect in Odisha, which is far lower compared with the older studies from India. There is an urgent need to strengthen the quality of antenatal care services provided under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan through better training regarding anomaly scans and better data keeping at public healthcare facilities. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2021/06/034487.

Impact of Urinary Tract Infection on Progression of Renal Scars and Formation of New Scars in Patients with Primary Vesicoureteric Reflux.

INTRODUCTION: Primary vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) is a prevalent cause of end-stage renal failure in children. Scars on radionuclide imaging indicate irreparable damage to the growing kidneys. This study aims to determine whether a urinary tract infection (UTI) associated with primary VUR promotes the development of new renal scars or progression in the pre-existing ones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children with primary VUR on continuous antibiotic prophylaxis at a tertiary teaching hospital's paediatric nephrourology clinic were observed prospectively. At recruitment, a renal cortical (dimercaptosuccinic acid [DMSA]) scan was done, and the children were followed up every 3 months. Breakthrough UTIs were documented, and follow-up DMSA scans were performed to document new scarring/grade advancement of existing scars in the renoureteric units (RUUs). RESULTS: Seventy-two RUUs in 36 patients were monitored. Fifty-four (75%) RUUs were exposed to VUR of different grades, and 46 (85.1%) had a UTI. On the DMSA scan, these showed new scar development in 10/18 (55%) RUUs and scar progression in 13/28 (46.4%) RUUs. Of the 8 RUUs with VUR and without UTI, new scars manifest in 4/5 (80%) and progressed in 1/3 (33%). On univariate analysis, there was no significant difference in the formation of new scars or scar advancement on the DMSA scan between RUU with VUR and UTI and those without UTI. There was a significant positive correlation between the scarring on DMSA scan and the grade of reflux (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Primary VUR patients had fresh or progressed scarring regardless of urinary infection. A higher VUR grade at presentation was a significant risk factor for scarring.

Progressive Dilatation as a Successful Treatment for Y Duplication of Urethra: A case report.

Duplication of urethra is a rare congenital anomaly; a Y-shaped urethral duplication is the rarest variant and lacks a standardised treatment plan. We report a nine-year-old male patient with a Y-duplication of urethra diagnosed during neonatal age who presented to a tertiary care teaching hospital in India in 2018. The patient had undergone a vesicostomy on the seventh day of life for passing urine per anus and was lost to follow-up thereafter. At eight years of age, there was a failed attempt at disconnection of the duplicated urethral tract from the anus after colostomy. The patient was managed successfully by progressive dilatation of the orthotopic urethra, which required multiple stages, followed by separation of the urethra from the rectum. At three-years follow-up the patient was continent and asymptomatic.

Left Gastric Artery Pseudoaneurysm Complicating Chronic Calcifying Pancreatitis in a Child.

A left gastric artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of pancreatitis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We report a 14-year-old male with severe abdominal pain and a palpable upper abdominal mass, earlier diagnosed as chronic idiopathic calcifying pancreatitis, and awaiting surgical intervention. Computed tomography showed a pseudocyst and a pseudoaneurysm in the lesser sac near the left gastric artery. The patient underwent successful angiographic coiling of the left gastric artery and definitive pancreatic surgery weeks thereafter. The early detection and interventional radiologic management of the vascular complication averted a life-threatening hemorrhage without emergency surgery in a pediatric patient.

Pediatric primary extra-ovarian Sertoli Leydig cell tumor of the retroperitoneum.

Ovarian Sertoli Leydig cell tumors (SLCT) accounts for less than 0.5% of all ovarian malignancies. The incidence of primary extra-ovarian SLCT is extremely rare with reported cases occurring in young adult women till now. We report case of primary retroperitoneal extra-ovarian SLCT in a seven-year girl child without any hormonal manifestation. She presented with complaint of left side abdominal swelling associated with intermittent pain for a duration of six months. CT scan revealed a huge retroperitoneal space-occupying lesion abutting the dorsal vertebrae and present posterior to pancreas, spleen and left kidney. The tumor was diagnosed as extraovarian Sertoli Leydig cell tumor with intermediate differentiation on histopathology and immunohistochemistry.

Urethral Caruncle with Associated Renoureteric Anomalies.

A urethral caruncle is a rare differential diagnosis for a prolapsed mass at the urethral meatus. The aetiopathogenesis of this entity is unclear. We report a three-year-old female patient who presented to a tertiary care teaching hospital in India in 2019 with intermittent bleeding from the introitus for a month. Investigations revealed a urethral caruncle and associated renal anomalies which has not been described in the previous literature. The patient was discharged with a prescription of a Sitz bath twice daily and advised to apply betamethasone (0.1%) cream locally once daily. There was a significant improvement after six weeks of therapy; at two-years follow-up, the lesion had disappeared completely.

Ectopic pancreas, gastric, duodenal and colonic tissue in a case of persistent umbilical discharge: Report of two patients with review of literature.

One of the typical complaints in the pediatric population is umbilical discharge. Among the congenital causes, remnants of omphalomesenteric duct or patent urachus are often detected. On a few occasions, multiple types of ectopic tissue are present. We describe histopathologic findings of two cases reported recently at our center as pediatric umbilical lesions with associated ectopic tissue. Histopathology of the excised mass confirmed the patent omphalomesenteric duct with ectopic gastric, duodenal, and colonic mucosa and pancreatic tissue in two patients with the clinical presentation of umbilical discharge. There were no associated congenital anomalies in these patients. The presence of multiple ectopic gastrointestinal mucosa and pancreas in the umbilical mass is unusual. Herein, we report these cases because of its rarity, multiple ectopic tissues, and reviewing the literature of the reported cases of multiple ectopic tissues.

Use of Technology to Improve the Adherence to Surgical Safety Checklists in the Operating Room.

BACKGROUND: Although checklists can improve safety in the operating room (OR), compliance with their use is variable. Use of a forcing function, a principle of human factors engineering, has not been reported earlier as a method of increasing checklist use. The authors conducted this study to determine the feasibility and effects of introducing a forcing function on OR surgical safety checklist implementation and adherence. METHODS: The authors developed and introduced the use of an electronic version of the surgical safety checklist on an Android application, provided on a personal device available in the OR. This application was linked by Bluetooth to electrocautery equipment, which could not be started before the electronic checklist was completed on the screen of the personal device. In the same OR, retrospective data from use of the traditional (paper-based) checklist were compared with data from the new electronic checklist for frequency of use, and completeness (percentage of all checklist items completed) at three stages of the surgical process-sign-in, time-out, and sign-out. RESULTS: The frequency of use was 100.0% for the electronic checklist, compared with 97.9% for the traditional checklist. The frequency of completeness was 27.1% for the traditional vs. 100.0% for the electronic (p < 0.001).The manual checklist's sign-out component was completed only 37.0% of the time. CONCLUSION: Although checklist use in some form was already high with the traditional checklist, completion rate was low and significantly increased with the use of the electronic checklist with a forcing function.

Congenital Short Bowel Syndrome With Annular Pancreas Presenting as Neonatal Intestinal Obstruction.

Congenital short bowel syndrome (CSBS) is a very rare gastrointestinal anomaly of unknown etiology. We report a case of a six-week-old male with CSBS who presented with features of intestinal obstruction and failure to thrive. The abdominal radiograph was suggestive of a central gasless abdomen, and a provisional diagnosis of malrotation of the gut with volvulus was considered. On exploration, the duodenum was hugely dilated with annular pancreas, which was not obstructing the duodenum. The length of the intestine was 20 cm from the duodenojejunal junction to the ileocecal junction. Duodenal web was ruled out. Total parenteral nutrition (TNP) was started postoperatively. Early and long-term parenteral nutrition and referral to specialist centers with intestinal rehabilitation programs have improved the overall outcome; however, the challenges are entirely different in developing countries.

Heteropagus Twins: A Tale of Two.

Parasitic twin is a rare occurrence, with rachispagus being the rarest. The surgical approach and timing are not standardized. We describe the management of two cases of rachispagus and review the sparse literature on this entity. Both cases were operated early because of the social burden on the family as well as difficulty in nursing care. The first patient had associated major systemic malformations in the autosite (cerebral, spinal and cardiac), and succumbed in the postoperative period. The entity was isolated in the second who is doing well.

Intracranial, Extradural, Hemangiopericytoma in a Neonate.

Intracranial infantile hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare, sparsely documented neoplasm with a relatively favorable prognosis than its adult counterpart. We describe a neonatal extradural, intracranial, infantile HPC managed with near-total excision.

Urothelial Carcinoma in Pediatric Patient.

Transitional cell carcinoma as a cause of hematuria is a rare entity in the pediatric age group. An 11-year-old child presented with gross, painless hematuria. Ultrasonogram and computed tomography scan of the child revealed a tumor in the posterolateral wall of the bladder. Cystoscopically, the mass was present in the bladder away from the trigone area about 2 cm lateral to the right ureteric orifice. Transurethrally, the tumor was excised by a cystoscope. Histopathologically, it was a low-grade noninvasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. A follow-up cystoscopy at 6 months and 1 year had no recurrence. Literature review revealed the pediatric age group as an uncommon age for urothelial carcinoma of bladder, which has a different biological behavior of being low malignant potential compared to their adult counterpart. They have been treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumor without any adjuvant therapy. There is no definite follow-up schedule for these tumors as it occurs in very small number of cases.

Duplication cyst of the cecum: A case report.

Duplication of alimentary tract is one of the rare congenital anomalies. A case of duplication cyst of the cecum, presented in the 3rd month of life, as intestinal obstruction. Excision of the cyst along with cecum and appendix was done. The child had an uneventful postoperative recovery following ileoascending anastomosis.