Cost effective cosmetic prosthesis for lost digits.

Leprosy causes nerve damage which leads to repeated injuries or ulcers causing the loss or absorption of digits. The loss of digits is also common in traumatic injuries. Irrespective of the etiology, the loss of a finger has a considerable negative functional and psychological impact on an individual. In order to solve these problems, prostheses are provided to patients. This short report demonstrates the advantages of using liquid latex in making a low cost cosmetic prosthesis. The possibility of using latex material offers a practical alternative where silicone prosthesis is not affordable.

Reconstructive surgery in children to correct ulnar claw hand deformity due to leprosy.

OBJECTIVES: To study the impact of tendon transfer surgery for ulnar claw hand correction in children with leprosy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All the children who underwent reconstructive surgery for ulnar nerve paralysis during the period 2007 to 2012 were included in the study. Unassisted angle, grasp contact, pinch contact and functional assessment were the main outcome measures. All the surgical procedures were performed by the same surgeon and pre- and post-operative therapy protocol was same for all the patients. A common surgical audit form was used to record assessments for all the patients. RESULTS: In this case series, 82 hands of 79 patients with ulnar paralysis were included. All the children had lasso surgery. In 83% of hands, flexor digitorum superficialis of middle or ringer finger was used, while in the remaining patients palmaris longus or extensor carpi radialis longus with fascia lata graft was used as the motor tendon. The unassisted angle decreased in all the patients, indicating correction of claw fingers. Hand function improved after surgery and it showed steady progress during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The deformity due to leprosy in the hands of children is a tragedy as it hampers the use of hands in daily routine activities, school work and other social interactions. Tendon transfer surgery should be done on children to correct established clawed fingers as it yields good results and helps in facilitating hand function to complete daily activities and lead a normal life.

UV curable bioadhesives: copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone.

A series of UV curable bioadhesives was prepared from copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone with four different comonomers: 2-acrylamido methyl 1-propane sulfonic acid, vinyl succinimide, glycidyl acrylate, and 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate. The developed bioadhesives demonstrated a fast UV-induced setting with a set time of about 3 min. Bond strength between the bioadhesive and porcine intestine specimen was determined by the peel test. These bioadhesives can provide improved adhesion values up to 4.6 N/m of 180 degrees peel strength compared to five different commercial bioadhesives (values ranging from 0.52 to 3.04 N/m). In addition, the fully hydrated UV curable bioadhesives have shown a high water uptake ranging from 25 to 350 wt% and equilibrium water content ranging from 20 to 100 wt%. Because N-vinyl pyrrolidone is a monomer all these copolymers are expected to retain good biocompatibility. Obtained promising results of peel strength and water uptake clearly suggest that the developed bioadhesives have a strong potential for many medical applications such as single-layered hydrogel wound dressings and tissue adhesives.

Asystole following laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation: a case report.

Severe bradycardia and asystole are very rare complications following laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. In this report, we describe a case in which these life-threatening complications occurred in a healthy male during induction of general anaesthesia. Activation of vagal reflexes during manipulation of the airway and the use of vagotonic drugs at induction are the mechanisms postulated to be responsible for these phenomena. Analysis of heart rate variability measurements may be useful in identifying patients at risk for development of these haemodynamic alterations during the induction of anaesthesia so that appropriate drugs and monitoring can be administered.

Computer-generated holograms on a metal ion-doped polymer system: contact copying.

Dichromated poly(acrylic acid) films with dimethyl formamide have been used as a real-time recording medium for volume transmission holograms. In this study a simple computer-generated holographic grating with a sinusoidal amplitude profile is copied onto this recording material by the contact-copying technique. The experimental setup for the contact copying of a computer-generated hologram (CGH) is explained, and the phase modulation is observed for a different exposure time. Theoretical and experimental diffraction efficiency values for the CGH copy are also evaluated. Photographs of the original and copy of the CGH on the photopolymer film are presented.

Modified holographic recording setup for photopolymerizable/flexible recording materials.

An improvement in the conventional holographic recording setup has been done for liquid (photopolymerizable) or flexible recording materials. The new vertical recording setup that comprises a horizontal substrate holder permits holographic recording on such materials without positioning them between two substrates, as has been done until now. This setup can be conveniently used for the fabrication of transmission, reflection, Fourier transform, and computer-generated holograms with few simple modifications as indicated.