Prediction of temperature elevation in rotary ultrasonic bone drilling using machine learning models: An in-vitro experimental study.

Bone drilling is frequently used during orthopaedic surgeries to treat the fractured part of the bone. A major concern for surgeons is the increase in temperature during real-time orthopaedic bone drilling. The temperature elevation at the bone-tool interface may cause permanent death of regenerative soft tissues and cause thermal osteonecrosis. A robust predictive machine-learning model is suggested in this in-vitro research for monitoring temperature rise during surgery. The objective of the present work is to introduce different machine learning algorithms for predicting temperature elevations in rotary ultrasonic bone drilling. Different machine-learning models were compared with the standard response surface methodology. The performance and accuracy of different predictive models were compared at different error metrics. It was witnessed that support vector machines performed the best for predicting the change in temperature in comparison to other predictive models. Moreover, the error metrics for statistical response surface methodology analysis were comparatively higher than the machine learning algorithms. By using machine learning models, it is possible to predict temperature rise during bone drilling.

The personal protective equipment fabricated via 3D printing technology during COVID-19.

COVID-19 has been spread in more than 220 countries and caused global health concerns. The supply chain disruptions have abruptly affected due to the second wave of COVID-19 in various countries and caused unavailability and shortage of medical devices and personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has proven to be a boon and revolutionized technology to supply medical devices and tackle the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The diverse designs were produced and are currently used in hospitals by patients and frontline healthcare doctors. This review summarises the application of 3D printing during COVID-19. It collects the comprehensive information of recently designed and fabricated protective equipment like nasopharyngeal swabs, valves, face shields, facemasks and many more medical devices. The drawbacks and future challenges of 3D printed medical devices and protective equipment is discussed.

Evaluation of Periodontal Status among Men Undergoing Infertility Treatment.

AIMS: It has been estimated that >30% of male infertility cases are of idiopathic etiology. Recent studies revealed a positive connection between periodontal pockets and sperm submotility, which proposes that periodontitis may have a role in male infertility and inadequate semen quality. The aim of the present investigation was to inspect the relationship between male fertility parameters and the periodontal status of male patients attending in vitro treatment (IVF) clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study participants comprised 85 men going to the facility for sperm investigation before semen insemination. The nature of sperm was surveyed by the WHO 2010 criteria. On the same day, male patients were examined for periodontal parameters. RESULTS: The patients were determined to have either gingivitis (24.7%) or periodontitis (75.3%). Normospermia was credited to 23.5% and oligozoospermia to 43.5%. Sperm submotility was seen in 76.4% of patients. A higher number of sites with clinical attachment loss showed a positive correlation with sperm submotility and sperm count. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study showed a conceivable relationship between male infertility, decreased semen quality, and periodontal diseases in men visiting IVF centers. Periodontitis may subsequently play a role in male infertility.

Enteric bacterial metabolites propionic and butyric acid modulate gene expression, including CREB-dependent catecholaminergic neurotransmission, in PC12 cells--possible relevance to autism spectrum disorders.

Alterations in gut microbiome composition have an emerging role in health and disease including brain function and behavior. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) like propionic (PPA), and butyric acid (BA), which are present in diet and are fermentation products of many gastrointestinal bacteria, are showing increasing importance in host health, but also may be environmental contributors in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Further to this we have shown SCFA administration to rodents over a variety of routes (intracerebroventricular, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal) or developmental time periods can elicit behavioral, electrophysiological, neuropathological and biochemical effects consistent with findings in ASD patients. SCFA are capable of altering host gene expression, partly due to their histone deacetylase inhibitor activity. We have previously shown BA can regulate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA levels in a PC12 cell model. Since monoamine concentration is known to be elevated in the brain and blood of ASD patients and in many ASD animal models, we hypothesized that SCFA may directly influence brain monoaminergic pathways. When PC12 cells were transiently transfected with plasmids having a luciferase reporter gene under the control of the TH promoter, PPA was found to induce reporter gene activity over a wide concentration range. CREB transcription factor(s) was necessary for the transcriptional activation of TH gene by PPA. At lower concentrations PPA also caused accumulation of TH mRNA and protein, indicative of increased cell capacity to produce catecholamines. PPA and BA induced broad alterations in gene expression including neurotransmitter systems, neuronal cell adhesion molecules, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function, all of which have been implicated in ASD. In conclusion, our data are consistent with a molecular mechanism through which gut related environmental signals such as increased levels of SCFA's can epigenetically modulate cell function further supporting their role as environmental contributors to ASD.

Routine endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in the detection of early biliary complications after liver transplantation.

The value of routinely performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) to detect biliary complications in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with duct-to-duct anastomosis without a T-tube is not known. Eighty-nine of 171 liver transplant recipients (61 men; mean age, 49.9 years) underwent ERC 14.5 +/- 4.5 (SD) days after surgery between January 1997 and August 1999. Findings of ERC and need for intervention for biliary complications were noted. ERC was successful in 71of 89 patients (80%). Nineteen patients (21%) required intervention for biliary complications (stricture, 13 patients; bile leak, 6 patients). Protocol ERC detected eight of these complications (42%). In 4 patients, ERC failed, and 7 patients with a normal ERC result subsequently required intervention (2 patients in the same admission, and 5 patients after discharge). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for successful ERC in detecting early biliary complications were 80%, 98%, 89%, and 97%, whereas those for predicting the overall rate of biliary complications were 53%, 98%, 89%, and 89%, respectively. Although highly specific and moderately sensitive in detecting early biliary complications, ERC performed routinely has low sensitivity in predicting the overall risk for biliary complications in patients undergoing OLT with unsplinted duct-to-duct anastomosis.