Development of eco-friendly wall insulation layer utilising the wastes of the packing industry.

Efficient thermal insulation materials considerably lower power consumption for heating and cooling of buildings, which in turn minimises CO2 emissions and improves indoor comfort conditions. However, the selection of suitable insulation materials is governed by several factors, such as the environmental impact, health impact, cost and durability. Additionally, the disposal of used insulation materials is a major factor that affects the selection of materials because some materials could be very toxic for humans and the environment, such as asbestos-containing materials. Therefore, there is a continuous research effort, in both industry and academia, to develop sustainable and affordable insulation materials. In this context, this work aims at utilising the packing industry wastes (cardboard) to develop an eco-friendly insulation layer, which is a biodegradable material that can be disposed of safely after use. Experimentally, wasted cardboard was collected, cleaned, and soaked in water for 24 h. Then, the wet cardboard was minced and converted into past papers, then cast in square moulds and left in a ventilated oven at 75 °C to dry before de-moulding them. The produced layers were subjected to a wide range of tests, including thermal conductivity, acoustic insulation, infrared imaging and bending resistance. The obtained results showed the developed material has a good thermal and acoustic insulation performance. Thermally, the developed material had the lowest thermal conductivity (λ) (0.039 W/m.K) compared to the studied traditional materials. Additionally, it successfully decreased the noise level from 80 to about 58 dB, which was better than the efficiency of the commercial polyisocyanurate layer. However, the bending strength of the developed material was a major drawback because the material did not resist more than 0.6 MPa compared to 2.0 MPa for the commercial polyisocyanurate and 70.0 MPa for the wood boards. Therefore, it is recommended to investigate the possibility of strengthening the new material by adding fibres or cementitious materials.

Comparison of the classic TVT and TVT-Secur.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) is a well-established surgical procedure for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and TVT-Secur was designed to reduce the undesired complications and to minimize the operative procedure as much as possible. AIM: To present the authors' experience in using the classic TVT and TVT-Secur and to evaluate and compare complications and short- and long-term results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study and analysis of 230 patients presented with SUI at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) and United Doctor Hospital (UDH) from March 1, 2007 until July 3, 2010. Classical TVT and TVT-Secur with or without associated operation were performed. All patients were controlled at six months and complications, as well as objective results, have been reported. The study was approved by ethical committee of KAUH. RESULTS: All patients with SUI admitted to KAUH and UDH for sub-urethral tape were analyzed (230 patients); 149 had classical TVT and 81 had TVT-Secur. Their age ranged from 30 years to 73 years with a mean of 49.8 years and std of 9.4. Their parity ranged from two to 15 with a mean of 6.2 and std of 2.4. One hundred eighty patients had SUI and 50 patients had mixed incontinence. The type of anesthesia used was general anesthesia in 69.6% (160) of cases and regional anesthesia in form of epidural or spine in 30.4% (70) of cases. Operative complications revealed a bladder perforation in 3.5% (eight) of cases and 2.2% had bleeding of more than 200 ml, and 53 patients which contribute to 23% had retention and required a catheter for 48 hours or more. After three months, it was observed that erosion of the mesh occurred in three cases. Fourteen cases (7%) continue to have SUI failure rate. CONCLUSION: The classical TVT and TVT-Secur were found to be very effective, easy, and safe procedures and with excellent results.

The influence of smoking on semen quality, seminal microelements and Ca2+-ATPase activity among infertile and fertile men.

OBJECTIVE: Tobacco smoking is now increasing rapidly throughout the developing world and is one of the biggest threats to current and future world health. Several studies have addressed the role of cigarette smoking on semen quality, but the exact mechanisms remain inconclusive. In order to evaluate the detrimental effects of smoking on semen quality among Saudi subjects, the levels of different seminal parameters in smokers were compared to non-smokers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 159 semen samples (61 smokers and 98 non-smokers) from men attending an infertility clinic for routine infertility workup were sub-grouped into fertile or infertile and were compared based on standard semen analysis (according to WHO guidelines), content of metals (magnesium, zinc and cadmium) and plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of sperms. RESULTS: Cadmium concentration was found significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers either in fertile or infertile group (2.9+/-0.4 vs 1.4+/-0.7; 2.9+/-0.5 vs 1.3+/-0.7 microg L(-1); respectively). Together with this increase in seminal Cd a significant decrease in Ca(2+)-ATPase activity (21.5+/-2.8 vs 33.71+/-1.2; 20.7+/-1.5 vs 35.07+/-2.9 mmol min(-1) mg(-1) protein, p<0.05), decrease in seminal zinc (109.8+/-8.1 vs 189.7+/-9.9 mg L(-1), p<0.01) and decrease in sperm motility (41.9%+/-2.9 vs 46.01%+/-2.5; 9.8%+/-2.4 vs 15.3%+/-2.7, p<0.05) were found. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that cigarette smoking affects both Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and motility of the spermatozoa. These effects may be attributed to increased seminal cadmium and reduced zinc concentrations.

Genital infection in males with idiopathic infertility.

We investigated a group of male patients with idiopathic infertility to determine the presence of genital infection and to identify the pattern of this infection using a specially designed protocol. A prospective study was carried out on 63 patients and 23 controls. We cultured the first voided urine, semen and swabs taken from the anterior urethra of these patients and controls for bacteria, chlamydia. Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis. Two techniques were used for chlamydial isolation and identification. These involved the use of chlamydial culture on McCoy cells with culture confirmation test and the direct fluorescent identification of Chlamydiatrachomatis. The all-liquid media (MYCOFAST ALL-IN) kits were used for the identification of mycoplasma. Our results indicate that there is a significantly higher incidence of genital infection among male patients with idiopathic infertility than in normal fertile controls (P=0.0004). Extensive microbial investigations are indicated when genital infection is suspected to be the cause of the fertile state or cannot be ruled out as a possible cause in case of idiopathic infertility.