Blunt neck trauma at a level I trauma centre: six-year retrospective case note review.

BACKGROUND: Blunt neck trauma can cause serious morbidity and mortality rates of up to 40 per cent, but there is a paucity of literature on the topic. METHOD: A retrospective case note review was performed for all blunt neck trauma cases managed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2017. RESULTS: Seventeen cases were managed, with no mortality and limited morbidity. Most patients were male (70.6 per cent) and road traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury (41.2 per cent). The median age of patients was 40.6 years (range, 21.5-70.3 years). Multidetector computed tomography angiography of the neck was performed in 9 patients (52.9 per cent) with 'hot' reports made by on-duty radiology staff matching consultant reports in all but 1 case. Six patients underwent operative exploration yielding a negative exploration rate of 33.3 per cent. Imaging reports matched operative findings in 3 cases (60 per cent). CONCLUSION: Blunt neck trauma is uncommon but usually presents in polytrauma. Imaging has inaccuracies when compared with operative findings, regardless of radiological experience.

Knowledge and perception of episiotomy among women attending antenatal clinic in a secondary health facility in North-West Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Episiotomy is a common surgical procedure experienced by women worldwide to ease labor and improve its outcome. However, it could influence the use of delivery services because of its associated complications. The study assessed knowledge and perception of episiotomy among antenatal clinic (ANC) attendees. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among 218 women attending ANC in a secondary health facility in Northwestern Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20. RESULTS: The mean age of women attending ANC was 24.2 ± 6.6 years, and 31 (14.2%) of them had had an episiotomy in the past. A majority of them were aware of episiotomy (87.6%) and had good knowledge (83.5%) and good perception (77.5%) of it. In addition, a majority (89.0%) were willing to deliver at the facility even if episiotomy would be given during labor. Knowledge of episiotomy showed statistically significant association with only a history of previous delivery while perception did not show statistically significant association with any of the independent variables. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness and knowledge of episiotomy among women attending ANC were high and perception of it was generally good. The major factor associated with the knowledge of episiotomy was a history of previous delivery. Effort should be channeled toward improving awareness and knowledge on episiotomy among intending mothers, and health workers should always ensure that women are adequately informed and counseled before an episiotomy is given to them.

Photocatalytic degradation of DIPA using bimetallic Cu-Ni/TiO2 photocatalyst under visible light irradiation.

Bimetallic Cu-Ni/TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized using wet impregnation (WI) method with TiO2 (Degussa-P25) as support and calcined at different temperatures (180, 200, and 300°C) for the photodegradation of DIPA under visible light. The photocatalysts were characterized using TGA, FESEM, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The results from the photodegradation experiments revealed that the Cu-Ni/TiO2 photocatalysts exhibited much higher photocatalytic activities compared to bare TiO2. It was found that photocatalyst calcined at 200°C had the highest photocatalyst activities with highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (86.82%). According to the structural and surface analysis, the enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to its strong absorption into the visible region and high metal dispersion.

Review on materials & methods to produce controlled release coated urea fertilizer.

With the exponential growth of the global population, the agricultural sector is bound to use ever larger quantities of fertilizers to augment the food supply, which consequently increases food production costs. Urea, when applied to crops is vulnerable to losses from volatilization and leaching. Current methods also reduce nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by plants which limits crop yields and, moreover, contributes towards environmental pollution in terms of hazardous gaseous emissions and water eutrophication. An approach that offsets this pollution while also enhancing NUE is the use of controlled release urea (CRU) for which several methods and materials have been reported. The physical intromission of urea granules in an appropriate coating material is one such technique that produces controlled release coated urea (CRCU). The development of CRCU is a green technology that not only reduces nitrogen loss caused by volatilization and leaching, but also alters the kinetics of nitrogen release, which, in turn, provides nutrients to plants at a pace that is more compatible with their metabolic needs. This review covers the research quantum regarding the physical coating of original urea granules. Special emphasis is placed on the latest coating methods as well as release experiments and mechanisms with an integrated critical analyses followed by suggestions for future research.

In vivo effects of Buthus occitanus tunetanus and Androctonus australis garzoni scorpion venoms on pregnant and non-pregnant rats

Scorpion envenomation in pregnant victims has been scarcely studied. Accidents with venomous animals can induce serious injuries for both mothers and embryos. In the current work, the lethality of Buthus occitanus tunetanus (Bot) and Androctonus australis garzoni (Aag) venoms was assessed in pregnant and non-pregnant murine rat models. The median lethal dose (LD50) was determined following the Spearman-Karber method. Our results showed great similarities of envenomation symptoms between term-pregnant and nonmated rats. An unusual vaginal bleeding was also seen in pregnant rats envenomed with Bot and Aag venoms. Our findings suggest that gestation may increase the venoms toxicity in rats.(AU)

[Low-dose omega-3 fatty acids as lipid lowering agents in the practice. A field study of ambulatory patients in general practice]. / Niedrigdosierte Omega-3-Fettsäuren als Lipidsenker in der Praxis. Feldstudie an ambulanten Patienten in allgemeinärztlichen Praxen.

UNLABELLED: BASICS: Clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acids are also effective at smaller doses than those so far recommended for lowering lipid concentrations. AIMS: Testing this finding in a large number of unselected outpatients. STUDY: Open multicentric trial involving 197 patients with dyslipoproteinemia. Treatment comprised omega-3 fatty acids, 1.1 to 1.4 g per day administered for a period of 12 weeks. RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, serum triglycerides decreased on average by about 23%, total cholesterol by about 10%, and LDL cholesterol by about 5%. HDL cholesterol rose by an average of 16%. The fish oil preparation (Eicosapen, Nycomed, Munich) was well tolerated; a fishy taste and mild gastrointestinal complaints led to discontinuation of treatment in only four cases. It was also found that the effect of omega-3 fatty acids was appreciably greater in hypertensives than in patients with normal blood pressure--not only on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but also on serum triglycerides and HDL.