Intraoperative ossicular chain status in patients with chronic otits media.

Chronic otitis media (COM) poses a significant global health burden, contributing to ear discharge and preventable hearing loss. This study aimed to evaluate the ossicular status in COM patients undergoing surgery and correlate the findings with preoperative otoscopic and audiogram assessments. The primary focus was to discern differences in ossicular involvement between squamous and mucosal diseases, shedding light on distinct pathologies crucial for tailoring surgical interventions. A total of 98 patients with COM (26 squamous disease, 72 mucosal disease) were included in the study. Analysis revealed the incus as the most commonly eroded ossicle, observed in 25 of 26 patients with squamous disease and 19 of 72 patients with mucosal disease. Conversely, the stapes exhibited remarkable resistance to erosion, remaining intact in 89 patients, with the stapes footplate found intact in all cases. Malleus erosion was observed in 13 patients categorized as "unsafe" and 6 patients in the "safe" category. Additionally, ossicular joints were more frequently eroded in squamous disease patients compared to those with mucosal disease. The study provides valuable insights into the distinct pathology of COM squamosal and COM mucosal cases, emphasizing the need for tailored surgical interventions to address the specific requirements of each patient group. By correlating operative findings with clinical findings, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of COM pathology, paving the way for more targeted and effective intraoperative ossicular reconstruction strategies. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-024-04553-7.

Overcoming Mycobacterium tuberculosis Drug Resistance: Novel Medications and Repositioning Strategies.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis, is a global health concern, affecting millions worldwide. This bacterium has earned a reputation as a formidable adversary due to its multidrug-resistant nature, allowing it to withstand many antibiotics. The development of this drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is attributed to innate and acquired mechanisms. In the past, rifampin was considered a potent medication for treating tuberculosis infections. However, the rapid development of resistance to this drug by the bacterium underscores the pressing need for new therapeutic agents. Fortunately, several other medications previously overlooked for tuberculosis treatment are already available in the market. Moreover, several innovative drugs are under clinical investigation, offering hope for more effective treatments. To enhance the effectiveness of these drugs, it is recommended that researchers concentrate on identifying unique target sites within the bacterium during the drug development process. This strategy could potentially circumvent the issues presented by Mycobacterium drug resistance. This review primarily focuses on the characteristics of novel drug resistance mechanisms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also discusses potential medications being repositioned or sourced from novel origins. The ultimate objective of this review is to discover efficacious treatments for tuberculosis that can successfully tackle the hurdles posed by Mycobacterium drug resistance.

Protein Patterning on Microtextured Polymeric Nanobrush Templates Obtained by Nanosecond Fiber Laser.

Micropatterned polymer brushes have attracted attention in several biomedical areas, i.e., tissue engineering, protein microarray, biosensors, etc., for precise arrangement of biomolecules. Herein, a facile and scalable approach is reported to create microtextured polymer brushes with the ability to generate different type of protein patterns. Nanosecond fiber laser is exploited to generate micropatterns on poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (polyPEGMA) brush modified Ti alloy substrate. Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization is employed to grow PolyPEGMA brush (11-87 nm thick) on Ti alloy surface immobilized with initiator having an initiator density (σ*) of 1.5 initiators per nm2 . Polymer brushes are then selectively laser ablated and their presence on nontextured area is confirmed by atomic force microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Spatial orientation of biomolecules is first achieved by nonspecific protein adsorption on areas ablated by the laser, via physisorption. Further, patterned brushes of polyPEGMA are modified to activated ester that gives rise to protein conjugation specifically on nonlaser ablated brush areas. Moreover, the laser ablated brush modified patterned template is also successfully utilized for generating alternate patterns of bacteria. This promising technique can be further extended to create interesting patterns of several biomolecules which are of great interest to biomedical research community.

COMMENT: Narrative-based misinformation in India about protection against Covid-19: Not just another "moo-point".

After India's first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 appeared in late January 2020, misinformation surrounding the outbreak and "cures" for the virus spread across the nation through various platforms. Across the globe, social media applications like WhatsApp and Facebook have played a vital role in the advancement of misinformation; however, in India, the dissemination of inaccurate information has been particularly exacerbated by public figures advancing their conservative ideologies and bringing the "sacred" cow to centre stage. Several influential religious and political leaders were witnessed vehemently supporting their long-held narratives that cow excreta is a "proven" precautionary remedy against most diseases, including coronavirus. Hence, to debunk such claims, the authors, in this essay, first analyse media used to circulate unfounded information concerning coronavirus across the world, followed by citing India-specific events where customary beliefs of Hindus have now taken the form of practices which can worsen the spread, as such practices lack significant scientific backing. Finally, we discuss the impact of such misinformation on human rights, and how states and social media companies can combat the infodemic. Keywords: Coronavirus, cow products, human rights, social-media, misinformation.

A cadaveric study on the rate of strain-dependent behaviour of human anterior cruciate ligament.

PURPOSE: Failure of anterior cruciate ligament often occurs in young sports personnel hampering their career. Such ACL ruptures are quite prevalent in sports such as soccer during dynamic loading which occurs at more than one rate of loading. In this work, a structural constitutive equation has been used to predict the forces acting on ACL for different rates of loading. METHODS: Ligaments with distal femur and proximal tibia were subjected to tensile loading to avoid crushing of tissue ends and slipping at higher rates of strain. Custom designed cylindrical grippers were fabricated to clamp the distal femur and proximal tibial bony sections. To estimate parameters for the model, eighteen fresh cadaveric femur-ACL-tibia complex (FATC) samples were experimented on by pure tensile loading at three orders of rates of strain viz., 0.003, 0.03, and 0.3 s^-1. The experimental force-elongation data was used to obtain parameters for De-Vita and Slaughter's equation. The model was validated with additional tensile experiments. RESULTS: Statistical analysis demonstrated failure stress, Young's modulus and volumetric strain energy to vary significantly as a function of rate of strain. Midsection failure was observed only in samples tested at 0.03 s^-1. Femoral or tibial insertion failure were observed in all other experiments irrespective of rate of strain. CONCLUSION: Human FATC samples were tensile tested to failure at three rates of strain using custom-designed cylindrical grippers. A structural model was used to model the data for the ACL behaviour in the linear region of loading to predict ligament behaviour during dynamic activities in live subjects.

Experimental assessment of biomechanical properties in human male elbow bone subjected to bending and compression loads.

This work discusses the biomechanical testing of 3 elbow bones, namely the humerus, ulna, and radius. There is a need to identify the mechanical properties of the bones at the organ level. The following tests were performed: 3-point bending, fracture toughness, and axial compression. Six sets of whole-bone samples of human male cadaveric humerus, ulna, and radius (age of donor: 35 to 56 years) were tested. The results were analyzed for statistical significance by 2-stage, repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA). The difference between the bending strength of the humerus, ulna, and radius was statistically significant ( P = .001) when compared to one another. However, the fracture toughness and compressive strength were observed to be similar for the 3 bones. The knowledge of mechanical properties of elbow bones can aid in the design of elbow implants and upper limb protection systems, and also allow us to identify criteria for injury. Further, knowledge of the mechanical properties of the elbow bones can aid in calibrating simulations through finite elements analysis.