Influence of nanoparticle-based nano-nutrients on the growth performance and physiological parameters in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary nano-nutrients on the growth, physiological and amino acid responses in tilapia fish. Vitamins were incorporated with chemically synthesized nanoparticles (Fe, Zn, Cu and Se) to form a nano-nutrient complex (NNC). Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed to confirm the structure and morphology of the as-prepared nutrients. A commercial basal diet without the addition of any NNC was used as a control and compared with the other two diets formulated with different levels of NNC. In a 60 day feeding trial, the fish fed with a diet of NNC60 showed significant differences in final weight and length compared with the basal diet. Furthermore, a high value of nutrient content was observed in the muscles of fish fed with nano diets. In addition, protein, total fat, vitamin C, and essential amino acid levels were significantly higher in the NNC60-treated fish compared with the other groups. The present study suggests that the addition of NNC to a commercial diet has the potential to enhance the growth performance and biochemical parameters in tilapia fish.

Valuing All Voices: refining a trauma-informed, intersectional and critical reflexive framework for patient engagement in health research using a qualitative descriptive approach

BACKGROUND

Critical stakeholder-identified gaps in current health research engagement strategies include the exclusion of voices traditionally less heard and a lack of consideration for the role of trauma in lived experience. Previous work has advocated for a trauma-informed, intersectional, and critical reflexive approach to patient and public involvement in health research. The Valuing All Voices Framework embodies these theoretical concepts through four key components: trust, self-awareness, empathy, and relationship building. The goal of this framework is to provide the context for research teams to conduct patient engagement through the use of a social justice and health equity lens, to improve safety and inclusivity in health research. The aim of this study was to revise the proposed Valuing All Voices Framework with members of groups whose voices are traditionally less heard in health research.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive approach was used to conduct a thematic analysis of participant input on the proposed framework. Methods were co-developed with a patient co-researcher and community organizations.

RESULTS

Group and individual interviews were held with 18 participants identifying as Inuit; refugee, immigrant, and/or newcomer; and/or as a person with lived experience of a mental health condition. Participants supported the proposed framework and underlying theory. Participant definitions of framework components included characterizations, behaviours, feelings, motivations, and ways to put components into action during engagement. Emphasis was placed on the need for a holistic approach to engagement; focusing on open and honest communication; building trusting relationships that extend beyond the research process; and capacity development for both researchers and patient partners. Participants suggested changes that incorporated some of their definitions; simplified and contextualized proposed component definitions; added a component of "education and communication"; and added a 'how to' section for each component. The framework was revised according to participant suggestions and validated through member checking.

CONCLUSIONS

The revised Valuing All Voices Framework provides guidance for teams looking to employ trauma-informed approaches, intersectional analysis, and critical reflexive practice in the co-development of meaningful, inclusive, and safe engagement strategies.

PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY

Patient engagement in health research continues to exclude many people who face challenges in accessing healthcare, including (but not limited to) First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people; immigrants, refugees, and newcomers; and people with lived experience of a mental health condition. We proposed a new guide to help researchers engage with patients and members of the public in research decision-making in a meaningful, inclusive, and safe way. We called this the Valuing All Voices Framework, and met with people who identify as members of some of these groups to help define the key parts of the framework (trust; self-awareness; empathy; and relationship building), to tell us what they liked and disliked about the proposed framework, and what needed to be changed. Input from participants was used to change the framework, including clarifying definitions of the key parts, adding another key part called "education and communication", and providing action items so teams can put these key parts into practice.

Perioperative intravenous contrast administration and the incidence of acute kidney injury after major gastrointestinal surgery: prospective, multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the impact of preoperative exposure to intravenous contrast for CT and the risk of developing postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery.

METHODS

This prospective, multicentre cohort study included adults undergoing gastrointestinal resection, stoma reversal or liver resection. Both elective and emergency procedures were included. Preoperative exposure to intravenous contrast was defined as exposure to contrast administered for the purposes of CT up to 7 days before surgery. The primary endpoint was the rate of AKI within 7 days. Propensity score-matched models were adjusted for patient, disease and operative variables. In a sensitivity analysis, a propensity score-matched model explored the association between preoperative exposure to contrast and AKI in the first 48 h after surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 5378 patients were included across 173 centres. Overall, 1249 patients (23·2 per cent) received intravenous contrast. The overall rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery was 13·4 per cent (718 of 5378). In the propensity score-matched model, preoperative exposure to contrast was not associated with AKI within 7 days (odds ratio (OR) 0·95, 95 per cent c.i. 0·73 to 1·21; P = 0·669). The sensitivity analysis showed no association between preoperative contrast administration and AKI within 48 h after operation (OR 1·09, 0·84 to 1·41; P = 0·498).

CONCLUSION

There was no association between preoperative intravenous contrast administered for CT up to 7 days before surgery and postoperative AKI. Risk of contrast-induced nephropathy should not be used as a reason to avoid contrast-enhanced CT.

Detection of nutritional and toxic elements in Pakistani pepper powders using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

In the current study, we applied laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to determine the elemental distribution of nutritional and trace heavy metals in pepper powders available in Pakistan using the standard calibration curve of laser induced breakdown spectroscopic (CC-LIBS) technique. The samples were found to contain elements such as K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Al, Pb, Cu, and Cr. In addition, we also identified the atmospheric H-alpha line of hydrogen in the spectra, which was used to estimate the electron number density. To achieve a highly sensitive LIBS system to determine the trace amounts of nutritional and toxic metals in the pepper powders and to achieve the best limit of detection, the LIBS system was optimized by studying the dependency of the LIBS signal intensity on laser irradiance, variation in spacing between the focusing lens and target, as well as on the gate width. To justify the results of the LIBS study, we also determined the concentration of similar (duplicate) peppers by digesting the samples in appropriate solvents using a standard method such as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The minimum detection limit was obtained for trace heavy metals from the calibration curves. The results of LIBS displayed noteworthy conformity with those acquired from the ICP-OES analysis. The results of both the techniques clearly revealed that K was the most abundant element in all the peppers, followed by Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Al, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cr. The relative accuracy of our LIBS system for different species as compared with the ICP technique was in the range of 0.08-0.3 at 2.5% error confidence. Conclusively, the present work demonstrated the suitability of the LIBS technique due to its rapid, non-destructive, and eco-friendly approach for food security.

0645 The Association of Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator Adherence and Insomnia

Introduction

The gold standard for treatment of Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, CPAP adherence is less than 50%. An alternative treatment is the hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HNS) which displaces the tongue anteriorly to treat upper airway obstruction. Difficulties tolerating HNS are related to stimulation discomfort. In this study, we investigated insomnia as a barrier to adherence.

Methods

Patients implanted and activated with HNS at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center between 2015 and 2019 were eligible. Patient usage data from the previous six months was obtained and subjects were asked to complete an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Participants were divided into adherent (defined as use ≥28 hours/week) and non-adherent (use <28 hours/week).

Results

32 subjects were enrolled, 22 in the adherent group and 10 in the non-adherent group. There was a significant decrease in mean treatment AHI in both groups: 36.25 to 11.14 in the adherent group and 36.30 to 15.69 in the non-adherent group (p<0.0001). The mean ISI score in the adherent group was 6.84 which is consistent with no clinically significant insomnia and 8.67 in the non-adherent group consistent with subthreshold insomnia. However, there was not a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.441). There was a statistically significant higher score for the question “Do you worry about your sleep problems?” in the non-adherent group (1.78, SD1.39 vs 0.74. SD 0.81) (p =0.018).

Conclusion

This study suggests that patients who have difficulty with sleep may have more difficulty with HNS adherence than those who do not. In particular the question stating “Do you worry about your sleep problems” had a statistically higher score in the non-adherent group. Prospective studies are needed to further explore a possible relationship between insomnia and HNS adherence.

Support

N/A

A review of reviews on principles, strategies, outcomes and impacts of research partnerships approaches: a first step in synthesising the research partnership literature

Background

Conducting research in partnership with stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, practitioners, organisations, patients) is a promising and popular approach to improving the implementation of research findings in policy and practice. This study aimed to identify the principles, strategies, outcomes and impacts reported in different types of reviews of research partnerships in order to obtain a better understanding of the scope of the research partnership literature.

Methods

This review of reviews is part of a Coordinated Multicenter Team approach to synthesise the research partnership literature with five conceptually linked literature reviews. The main research question was ‘What principles, strategies, outcomes and impacts are reported in different types of research partnership approaches?’. We included articles describing a literature review of research partnerships using a systematic search strategy. We used an adapted version of the Revised Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool to assess quality. Nine electronic databases were searched from inception to April 2018. Principles, strategies, outcomes and impacts were extracted from the included reviews and analysed using direct content analysis.

Results

We included 86 reviews using terms describing several research partnership approaches (e.g. community-based participatory research, participatory research, integrated knowledge translation). After the analyses, we synthesised 17 overarching principles and 11 overarching strategies and grouped them into one of the following subcategories: relationship between partners; co-production of knowledge; meaningful stakeholder engagement; capacity-building, support and resources; communication process; and ethical issues related to the collaborative research activities. Similarly, we synthesised 20 overarching outcomes and impacts on researchers, stakeholders, the community or society, and the research process.

Conclusions

This review of reviews is the first that presents overarching principles, strategies, outcomes and impacts of research partnerships. This review is unique in scope as we synthesised literature across multiple research areas, involving different stakeholder groups. Our findings can be used as a first step to guide the initiation and maintenance of research partnerships and to create a classification system of the key domains of research partnerships, which may improve reporting consistency in the research partnership literature.

Trial registration

This study is registered via Open Science Framework: 10.17605/OSF.IO/GVR7Y.

Emergency surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: what you need to know for practice

INTRODUCTION

Several articles have been published about the reorganisation of surgical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic but few, if any, have focused on the impact that this has had on emergency and trauma surgery. Our aim was to review the most current data on COVID-19 to provide essential suggestions on how to manage the acute abdomen during the pandemic.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted of the most relevant English language articles on COVID-19 and surgery published between 15 December 2019 and 30 March 2020.

FINDINGS

Access to the operating theatre is almost exclusively restricted to emergencies and oncological procedures. The use of laparoscopy in COVID-19 positive patients should be cautiously considered. The main risk lies in the presence of the virus in the pneumoperitoneum: the aerosol released in the operating theatre could contaminate both staff and the environment.

CONCLUSIONS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all efforts should be deployed in order to evaluate the feasibility of postponing surgery until the patient is no longer considered potentially infectious or at risk of perioperative complications. If surgery is deemed necessary, the emergency surgeon must minimise the risk of exposure to the virus by involving a minimal number of healthcare staff and shortening the occupation of the operating theatre. In case of a lack of security measures to enable safe laparoscopy, open surgery should be considered.

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 45 countries for 2012-2017: Device-associated module

BACKGROUND

We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2012 to December 2017 in 523 intensive care units (ICUs) in 45 countries from Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific.

METHODS

During the 6-year study period, prospective data from 532,483 ICU patients hospitalized in 242 hospitals, for an aggregate of 2,197,304 patient days, were collected through the INICC Surveillance Online System (ISOS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI) were applied.

RESULTS

Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled central line-associated bloodstream infection rate was higher (5.05 vs 0.8 per 1,000 central line-days); the ventilator-associated pneumonia rate was also higher (14.1 vs 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days,), as well as the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.1 vs 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days). From blood cultures samples, frequencies of resistance, such as of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to piperacillin-tazobactam (33.0% vs 18.3%), were also higher.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a significant trend toward the reduction in INICC ICUs, DA-HAI rates are still much higher compared with CDC-NHSN's ICUs representing the developed world. It is INICC's main goal to provide basic and cost-effective resources, through the INICC Surveillance Online System to tackle the burden of DA-HAIs effectively.

Bed rest: outdated following traumatic solid organ injury?

INTRODUCTION

This systematic review aimed to evaluate early ambulation protocols implemented for traumatic solid organ injury.

METHODS

The electronic databases PubMed, Medline (Ovid), Embase and Cochrane Library were searched without time constraint to identify prospective and retrospective analyses, randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series that investigated early ambulation in solid organ trauma.

RESULTS

Six studies met the predefined inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Three studies investigated early ambulation protocols in direct comparison with bed rest. The remaining three studies were early ambulation case series. In all studies there was no convincing evidence to suggest differences in clinical outcomes between early ambulation and bed rest protocols. In all studies early ambulation resulted in a reduced length of hospitalisation and decreased cost to national healthcare services.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review has found preliminary evidence that suggests bed rest has no clinical benefit in those with low-grade to mid-grade (grades 1-2) solid organ injury. Further studies are required to inform guidance to improve trauma patient outcomes.

Transient acantholytic dermatosis in a patient with prostate cancer

Transient acantholytic dermatosis (TAD) is a relatively common entity that has been also noted to occur in patients with cancer. Herein, we describe a case of transient acantholytic dermatosis occurring in a patient with a history of prostate cancer status post radiation, now being treated with combination therapy with pembrolizumab and carboplatin-pemetrexed for advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Our case emphasizes the importance of being cognizant of TAD and its associations, particularly in cancer patients.

5 Improving Diagnosis and Management of Urinary Tract Infections for Elderly Patients

Introduction

Diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in the elderly population is challenging as they commonly present with atypical signs and symptoms. Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the elderly population is high. Hence, urine dipstick and urine culture are no longer diagnostic tests. UTI is over-diagnosed and overtreated in the elderly, resulting in poor antimicrobial stewardship. This project was carried out to assess and improve the current practices in the diagnosis and treatment of UTI in the Department of Medicine of the Elderly.

Methods

We reviewed current Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and National Institute for health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on management of UTI and defined indications for performing urine dipstick and sending urine culture. We then collected and assessed data on all urine dipsticks performed, urine cultures sent, and use of antibiotics in treating UTI and asymptomatic bacteriuria in three Medicine of the Elderly wards in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

We carried out intervention by means of presenting and discussing findings of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles in departmental multi-disciplinary Quality Improvement (QI) meetings followed by educational sessions.

Results

Our baseline data showed 77% of urine dipsticks were performed without clinical indication and 18% of patients had urine cultures sent without clinical indication. After presenting our initial findings and carrying out an educational intervention session, 25% of patients had urine dipstick done without clinical indication, and 0% of patients had urine cultures sent without clinical indication. However, over the course of four subsequent PDSA cycles, practices in investigation of UTI fluctuated but were overall consistently better than the initial practice with further interventions. In all PDSA cycles, no patients were treated for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Conclusions

Multidisciplinary team involvement in discussion of this QI project findings and educational sessions proved to be an effective form of intervention for improving current practice.

1641 Bicuspid pulmonary valve - an unusual cause of dilated pulmonary artery

Introduction

Dilated pulmonary artery is a common finding with a variety of possible aetiologies. We present a case of unexplained dilated pulmonary artery that was associated with bicuspid pulmonary valve identified by CMR.

Case Presentation

A 67-year-old female underwent mitral valve repair for severe mitral regurgitation. She had presented with breathlessness, and had severe mitral regurgitation due to a myxomatous valve with bileaflet prolapse, confirmed with TOE. Echo showed: normal LV dimensions, LVEF 66%. RV size and systolic function normal. Coronary angiography was normal and pulmonary hypertension was not present on right heart catheterization.

At postoperative follow up she was well and asymptomatic, with echo showing good LV systolic function, intact mitral valve repair, and normal systolic pulmonary artery pressures (36mmHg). New T wave inversion was identified across the precordial leads so a CMR was performed.

CMR showed normal LV volumes and function with no wall motion abnormality or LVH. There was no fibrosis or infarction in the late phase after Gadolinium contrast. The RV was dilated (73mm diameter at base) with normal systolic function. The main pulmonary artery was dilated at 42mm. Flow mapping showed no evidence of shunt (Qp:Qs = 1:1) and the atrial septum was intact. Pulmonary valve function was normal but the valve was bicuspid in morphology.

Discussion

Bicuspid pulmonary valve is a rare finding. In our case this was identified by CMR and was associated with a dilated pulmonary artery.

Bicuspid pulmonary valve is most commonly identified in the context of pulmonary valve stenosis. Isolated pulmonary valve stenosis is a rare finding; it is most often associated with other congenital defects like Fallot. Pulmonary stenosis has been associated with pulmonary artery aneurysm, attributed to hemodynamic changes caused by the stenotic valve. However as with bicuspid aortic valve it is recognized that the "post stenotic dilation" is part of the pathology of bicuspid valve and does not need the changed haemodynamics of a stenotic valve.

During embryogenesis neural crest cells are necessary for the normal development of the semilunar valves, the septation of the outflow tract into the aorta and pulmonary artery, and the remodeling of the aortic arch. Any defect in this migration can cause abnormalities or aneurysm of the aorta or pulmonary artery together with semilunar valve defects. A study of 3,861 donor hearts dissected at the European Homograft Bank revealed only four cases (0.1%) of bicuspid pulmonary valves.

Bicuspid pulmonary valve with normal function can be difficult to identify at echocardiography. It can be well visualized by CMR and this can be combined with an assessment of the pulmonary arteries. It should be remembered as a rarer cause of dilated pulmonary artery when other causes have been excluded.

Figure

A. Dilated MPA. B. Dilated RV. C. and D. Bicuspid pulmonary valve.

Abstract 1641 Figure. Dilated MPA. Bicuspid pulmonary valve

Development of novel MnO2 coated carbon felt cathode for microbial electroreduction of CO2 to biofuels

Fabrication of superior and cost-effective cathodic materials is vital in manufacturing sustainable microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) for biofuels production. In the present study, a novel manganese dioxide (MnO₂) coated felt cathode (Mn/CF) has been developed for MECs using electrodeposition method via potentiostat. MnO₂ is considered to encourage exogenous electron exchange and, in this way, improves the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂). MnO₂, as a cathodic catalyst, enhances the rate of biofuel production, electron transfer, and significantly reduces the cost of MECs. A maximum stabilized current density of 3.70 ± 0.5 mA/m² was obtained in case of MnO₂-coated Mn/CF based MEC, which was more than double the non-coated carbon felt (CF) cathode (1.70 ± 0.5 mA/m²). The dual chamber Mn/CF-MEC achieved the highest production rate of acetic acid (37.9 mmol/L) that was significantly higher (43.0%) in comparison to the non-coated CF-MEC. The cyclic voltammograms further verified the substantial enhancement in the electron transfer between the MnO₂ coated cathode and microbes. The obtained results demonstrate that MnO₂ interacted electrochemically with microbial cells and enhanced the extracellular electron transfer, therefore validating its potential role in biofuel production. The MnO₂ coated CF further offered higher electrode surface area and better electron transfer efficiency, suggesting its applicability in the large-scale MECs.

Gastrointestinal helminths in dog feces surrounding suburban areas of Lower Dir district, Pakistan: A public health threat

Data on environmental contamination of the parasites of zoonotic importance is scarce in Pakistan. Soil contamination with feces of dogs hide infective stages of the parasite represents a health-risk to humans. This study was aimed to assess the eggs of gastrointestinal parasites of stray dogs and household dogs in lower Dir district, Pakistan with special consideration to those that can be spread to humans. One hundred and fifty two stool specimens from (stray dogs=90 and household dogs=62) were collected. The helminth eggs were processed by direct smear method and centrifugation techniques and identified by microscopic examination. Of the total examined dogs 26.8% (n=41 /152) were found to be infected with one or more intestinal parasites. The intestinal helminths detected were Dipylidium caninum (n =18, 11.8%), followed by Toxocara canis (n =16, 10.5%), Taenia spp., (n=10, 6.57%) Ancylostoma caninum (n=6, 3.94), Toxascaris spp., Capillaria spp., and Trichuris vulpis (n=2, 1.31% each) in order of their prevalence. Pattern of infection revealed that 27 (65.8%) dogs have single, 13(31.7%) double and 1(2.43%) triple infection. The stray dogs were highly infected 34.4% (n=31) than house hold dogs 16.1% (n=10). The prevalence of infection with intestinal parasites was significantly different among these two groups (p = 0.0097). This study highlight a severe environmental contamination by frequent parasitic stages infectious to humans. There is a higher risk of zoonotic transmission from dogs which indicate an immediate need for the controlling of these parasites and educating the public to take wise action relating to the parasites and pets.

Cemented humeral stem versus press-fit humeral stem in total shoulder arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in revision and complication rates, functional outcomes, and radiological outcomes between cemented and press-fit humeral stems in primary anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted searching for studies that included patients who underwent primary anatomical TSA for primary osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

RESULTS

There was a total of 36 studies with 927 cemented humeral stems and 1555 press-fit stems. The revision rate was 5.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.9 to 7.4) at a mean of 89 months for cemented stems, and 2.4% (95% CI 1.1 to 4.7) at a mean of 40 months for press-fit stems. A priori subgroup analysis to control for follow-up periods demonstrated similar revision rates: 2.3% (95% CI 1.1 to 4.7) for cemented stems versus 1.8% (95% CI 1.4 to 2.9) for press-fit stems. Exploratory meta-regression found that longer follow-up was a moderating variable for revision (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Cement fixation had similar revision rates when compared to press-fit stems at short- to midterm follow-up. Rotator cuff pathology was a prevalent complication in both groups but is likely not related to fixation type. Overall, with comparable revision rates, possible easier revision, and decreased operative time, humeral press-fit fixation may be an optimal choice for primary anatomical TSA in patients with sufficient bone stock. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1107-1114.

The health burden of malaria and household choices regarding treatment and prevention in Pakistan

The extent of the economic burden of malaria and its imposed mechanisms are both relevant to public policy. This paper investigates the economic burden of malaria and household behaviour in relation to the treatment and prevention of the illness in Pakistan. In this regard, data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 360 households using structured questionnaires. The survey results indicate that 23.4% of household members contracted malaria during the three-month reference period. The average per person cost of malaria is estimated at 3116 Pakistani rupees (PKR) (USD 32). The estimated cost of the illness was found to be equivalent to, on average, 6.7% of monthly household income. Although high-income households face a higher financial burden due to better preventive and mitigation measures, the negative consequences hit low-income households harder due to liquidity constraints and poor access to effective treatment. We recommend that malaria control policies be integrated into development and poverty reduction programs.

Quantitative analysis of Fuller's earth using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectroscopy

Fuller's earth, most commonly known as Multani Matti (clay) in Urdu, among its various utilizations is traditionally used in skin care cosmetics, particularly for removing blackheads and to treat oily skin. It is also used for improving skin complexion. In this paper, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was effectively employed for the quantitative investigation of various clay samples for their special uses. To get the LIBS spectra with an optimal signal-to-noise as well as for a more robust and accurate analytical investigation, different experimental parameters (laser energy, gate delay time, and the distance between target and focusing lens) were optimized before the experiments on actual samples. The analysis of emission spectra revealed the presence of many different elements, including Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, K, Li, S, Si, and Zn. The electron number density and plasma temperatures were determined using the Stark broadened line profile and Boltzmann plot method, respectively. To determine the relative concentration of observed elements, we used an integrated intensity ratio method, integrated intensity of every line from all elements, and calibration free (CF)-LIBS. The prevailing condition of local thermodynamic equilibrium during the experimental executions was verified with multiple criteria. The spectral lines used in CF-LIBS were characterized for the influence from the self-absorption phenomenon, but the same was found insignificant. The findings of our LIBS system were found to agree excellently with the outcomes of the inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectroscopy, thereby yielding a high statistical correlation factor and hence enlighten the significance of LIBS as a safe and reliable tool for elemental analysis of clay samples.

Additional Diagnostic value of Mini Electrodes in an 8-mm Tip in Cavotricuspid Isthmus Ablation

Background

Eight-mm ablation catheters are widely used in cavotricuspid isthmus ablation (CTI) for treatment of right sided atrial flutter. However a high success rate, these large ablation tips comes with adisadvantage of lower resolution of fractionated signals.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the additional diagnostic value of the electrograms recordedfrom mini electrodes (MEs) in an 8-mm ablation catheter tip during CTI.

Methods

CTI-ablation procedures were compared retrospectively in two groups, namely, group A: the Abbott Safire 8-mm tip with a 3D mapping system (n =37) and group B: the Boston Scientific MiFi IntellaTip XP 8-mm tip without a 3D mapping system (n=13). We analyzedacute procedural success, ablation characteristics and recurrence rate at one-year follow-up. Electrograms from MEs were analyzedright before the onset of the critical ablation application that resulted in acute CTI-block. We determined whether these ME electrograms had additional diagnostic value in addition to of the 8-mm tip derivedelectrogram.

Results

At the onset of the critical ablation application, the MEs had an important additional value in 3 out of 13 cases as local signals were sensed on the MEs that were not recorded by the 8-mm tip electrode. In 2cases the ME did not show local electrogramsalthough the ablationwas still effective. Acute procedural and long-term success wereobserved in all patients. No differences were found in time to bidirectional block, procedure time or fluoroscopic exposure.

Conclusion

Our data show that signals recorded from the MEs had additional diagnostic value, but only in asmall percentage of the patients. We did not observe, although omitting 3D-mapping in the ME group, any differencebetween groups with regard to procedural or ablation characteristicsduring CTI-ablation.

Critical care usage after major gastrointestinal and liver surgery: a prospective, multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND

Patient selection for critical care admission must balance patient safety with optimal resource allocation. This study aimed to determine the relationship between critical care admission, and postoperative mortality after abdominal surgery.

METHODS

This prespecified secondary analysis of a multicentre, prospective, observational study included consecutive patients enrolled in the DISCOVER study from UK and Republic of Ireland undergoing major gastrointestinal and liver surgery between October and December 2014. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore associations between critical care admission (planned and unplanned) and mortality, and inter-centre variation in critical care admission after emergency laparotomy.

RESULTS

Of 4529 patients included, 37.8% (n=1713) underwent planned critical care admissions from theatre. Some 3.1% (n=86/2816) admitted to ward-level care subsequently underwent unplanned critical care admission. Overall 30-day mortality was 2.9% (n=133/4519), and the risk-adjusted association between 30-day mortality and critical care admission was higher in unplanned [odds ratio (OR): 8.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.51-19.97) than planned admissions (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43-3.85). Some 26.7% of patients (n=1210/4529) underwent emergency laparotomies. After adjustment, 49.3% (95% CI: 46.8-51.9%, P<0.001) were predicted to have planned critical care admissions, with 7% (n=10/145) of centres outside the 95% CI.

CONCLUSIONS

After risk adjustment, no 30-day survival benefit was identified for either planned or unplanned postoperative admissions to critical care within this cohort. This likely represents appropriate admission of the highest-risk patients. Planned admissions in selected, intermediate-risk patients may present a strategy to mitigate the risk of unplanned admission. Substantial inter-centre variation exists in planned critical care admissions after emergency laparotomies.