A review of research trends on the usage of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment: bibliometric analysis

Photocatalysis is seen as a viable alternative to treating water pollution, due to its flexibility, low cost, and ability to use visible light which is a plentiful and free energy source. Hence, determining the topics of interest and widening collaboration networks will go a long way in improving research in this field. In this study, we aimed to analyze the global research trends on the usage of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment using bibliometric analysis, centered on the outputs of publications, co-authorships, countries of affiliation, and author's keyword co-occurrences. Bibliometric analysis is a review method that is well-known and more conversant to Social Science. Employing it in Physical Science, which is rarely seen, will provide an avenue and yet another method of determining common research topics as well as the potential opportunities and future research in the field. A potential hybrid review paper of great importance to future research in the area will be produced. A total of 1373 articles published within 27 years between 1993 and 2020 were extracted from the Scopus database. In the beginning, less attention was given to the said topic, because after the oldest article was published in 1993, there was no record of other publications until after 5 years (1998). However, from 2002 there was a growing interest in research in that field, with a cumulative increase every year to date, except for a few years with fewer publications. Meanwhile, the number of publications has risen significantly from 2017 to 2020, with an increase of more than 70 publications every year; this is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years. Recently researchers are focusing on developing efficient photocatalysts for contaminants of emerging concern, like pharmaceutical and refinery wastewater, however, the usage of conducting polymers to produce nanocomposite which was found to be very effective is still lagged in wastewater treatment, as such it will be a good area of future research on effective photocatalysts for wastewater treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40899-023-00868-5.

An antimicrobial activity of oil extracted from Saara hardwickii

Present research work represents antiviral and antibacterial value of body fat of Saara hardwickii commonly called as spiny tailed lizard. Oil was extracted from body fats located in the ventral region of this animal using hydrocarbons e.g., n-hexane, methanol, butanol and ethyl acetate as a solvent. The antibacterial activity of lizard oil was tested against standard as well as multi-resistant lines ofEscherichia coli, Styphalococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris alone and with antibiotic ampicillin. For antibacterial potential, Ethyl acetate and Butanol solvent extract showed best zone of inhibition (7mm) with P. aeruginosa and S. aureus respectively. For antiviral potential, Butanol and Methanol extract showed best HA (Hemagglutination) titer of 04 with NDV and IBV viral strain respectively. It is concluded that lizard oil has antimicrobial potential against different pathogens strains (virus, bacteria).

Exogenous application of bio-stimulant and growth retardant improved the productivity of cotton cultivars under different planting arrangement

Optimum planting arrangement is an important attribute for efficient utilization of available resources and to obtain high yield of cotton. Application of plant growth promoter and retardant on cotton in improved planting density are the innovative techniques in the establishment of more productive cotton crop. Therefore, we planned a field study to assess the role of bio-stimulant and growth retardant in the resource utilization efficiency of cotton cultivars planted under variable row spacing at Agronomic Research Area Bahauddin Zakariya University and Usmania Agricultural Farm Shujabad during Kharif 2012. Experimental treatments consisted of cotton genotypes viz. CIM-573 and CIM-598, cultivated under conventional (75 cm), medium (50 cm) and ultra-narrow row spacing (25 cm) with foliar spray of bio-stimulant (moringa leaf extract) and growth retardant (mepiquate chloride), either sole or in combination, keeping distilled water as a control. Exogenously applied MLE alone and MLE + MC significantly enhanced the number of squares, flowers and green bolls per plant leading to higher cotton seed and lint yield of CIM 598 cultivar cultivated under conventional row spacing. While application of MC alone and MLE + MC produced maximum micronaire value, fiber strength and fiber uniformity ratio of CIM 573 cultivar cultivated under conventional row spacing. The results suggested that application of MLE is a possible approach to enhance the cotton productivity and the use of MC to enhance the fiber quality attributes under conventional row spacing.

560 A Rare Case Report of Cartilaginous Choristoma In Base of Tongue

Introduction

Choristomas are rare, benign, tumour-like growths with histologically normal morphology in an ectopic location. Choristomas can constitute of various tissue types including cartilage, bone and muscle. Chondroid tissue choristomas are referred to as cartilaginous choristomas.

Case Presentation:

A 69 year old gentleman presented with three weeks’ history of foreign body sensation in his throat. No other red flag symptoms were present. Fine nasal endoscopy was unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed mild bilateral prominence of the lingual tonsils. Patient underwent Panednoscopy and biopsy. This confirmed the presence of a cartilaginous choristoma in base of tongue.

Discussion:

This is a rare case of cartilaginous choristoma in base of tongue. It was investigated as per potential head and neck cancers. The majority of previous cases in the literature were managed using surgical resection of the lesion. In this particular case, the patient was discussed in multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting and managed conservatively due to the benign nature of the lesion and symptoms.

Conclusions

Cartilaginous choristomas are rare benign lesions, which can present similarly to malignant head and neck tumours. Their size and symptoms should be carefully considered before management. There is a role for conservative management in select cases.

666 Innovations in ENT Surgery During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID – 19) global pandemic. Similar coronavirus epidemics over the past years affected healthcare workers significantly. Aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) presented a unique risk to ear, nose and throat (ENT) Surgeons. We introduce various methods of reducing risk in ENT AGPs.

Recommendations

During trachesostomies we advocate the adoption of a specialist checklist based on ENT UK guidelines.

We also advise the use of a clear drape to create a clear barrier between the patient and staff.

For ear surgery we advise suturing 2 microscope pieces together end-to-end so that a clear drape can sperate the patient from surgeon.

During nasal and sinus surgery, we advise attaching a clear drape to the sterile camera drape used in rigid nasal endoscopy to create a barrier between patient and surgeon.

Discussion

Our recommendations will create an extra barrier between the patient and the rest of healthcare team. This should reduce the risks to theatre staff from AGPs.

Conclusions

COVID 19 is a serious health issue affecting healthcare workers, especially during AGPs in ENT surgery. We recommend several techniques to reduce risk. These can also be used during future epidemics.

711 Atypical Presentation of a Ruptured Thyroid Cyst

Introduction

Thyroid cysts are a common finding with the bulk of cases being benign and approximately only 5% being malignant. The majority of these cysts are managed conservatively in the absence of malignancy or compressive symptoms.

Case

presentation

D

iscussion

Conclusion

Development of a novel thermoacoustic flue-gas analyzer

Flue gas analyzers, such as those based on electrochemical cells and infrared sensors, are commonly used to determine the molar concentrations of the different species of flue-gas mixtures and provide information about the associated air-fuel ratio and the resulting combustion efficiency. Here, a new methodology for quaternary-gas analysis that relies on thermoacoustic technology is described for the determination of the composition of typical mixtures of flue gases [A. I. Abd El-Rahman et al., “Thermoacoustic flue-gas analyzer,” EG Patent: International Application No. PCT/EG2020/0000029 (September 23, 2020)]. The hot flue-gas mixtures resulting from the combustion of high-carbon bituminous coal and low-carbon natural gas are allowed to fill in the resonator of an optimized half-wavelength thermoacoustic engine at TH = 900 °C. Under controlled cooling, spontaneous gas–particle oscillations appear at distinct values of resonance frequencies and onset temperature gradients that particularly depend on the molar concentrations of the quaternary-gas components (CO2, CO, O2, and N2) of the introduced samples. Operational ternary diagrams along with respective sensitivity profiles are discussed in detail.

A novel viewpoint of an imidazole derivative ionic liquid as an additive for cobalt and nickel electrodeposition

Thin films of Co and Ni electroplated onto a copper electrode from acidic sulfate and Watts baths, respectively, were investigated. The use of an ionic liquid additive in the electrolyte is widespread for producing thin films by electrodeposition. In the present work, the influence of a new ionic liquid, namely, 1-methyl-3-((2-oxo-2-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)amino)ethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium iodide (Im-IL), in the electrodeposition of two metals was investigated using cathodic polarization (CP), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and anodic linear stripping voltammetry (ALSV) measurements and cathodic current efficiency (CCE%). The surface morphology of the Co- and Ni-coated samples was examined using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion protection of the Co and Ni samples in a marine environment (3.5% NaCl solution) was studied by the potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The results show that the addition of Im-IL inhibits Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ deposition, which leads to more fine-grained deposits, especially at low Im-IL concentrations. The inhibition of Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ reduction in the presence of Im-IL ions occurs via adsorption, which obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The CCE% is higher in the presence of Im-IL. SEM images show smoother deposits of Co and Ni in 1 × 10^-5 M and 1 × 10^-4 M Im-IL solution respectively. The results prove that Im-IL acts as an efficient additive for electroplating soft Co and Ni films.

Co-incorporation of graphene oxide/silver nanoparticle into poly-L-lactic acid fibrous: A route toward the development of cytocompatible and antibacterial coating layer on magnesium implants

Magnesium (Mg) alloys present great potential for the development of orthopedic implants, whereas, their high degradation rate and poor antibacterial performance have restricted orthopedic applications. In this work, PLLA/GO-AgNP (poly-L-lactic acid/graphene oxide- silver nanoparticle) with different concentration of GO-AgNPs were deposited on Mg alloy via electrospinning method for enhancement of corrosion resistance and antibacterial performance. The result revealed that incorporation of GO into PLLA fibrous considerably slowed down the degradation rate of Mg alloy substrate and reduced the H₂ release rate from the substrate. Also, co-incorporation of GO and AgNPs into PLLA fibrous resulted in substantial escalate in compressive strength after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). Antibacterial activity test exhibited that Mg alloy and neat PLLA fibrous presented minimal inhibition area toward Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). In contrast, using PLLA/GO-AgNPs fibrous improved antibacterial performance against both bacteria. Cytocompatibility results indicated that PLLA/GO-AgNPs fibrous with a low amount of GO-AgNPs enhanced cell proliferation and growth while high co-incorporation of GO-AgNPs showed a negative effect on cell proliferation. Taken together, PLLA/1GO-AgNPs fibrous coating shows suitable corrosion resistance, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial function for use in orthopedic applications.

Development of the PVA/CS nanofibers containing silk protein sericin as a wound dressing: In vitro and in vivo assessment

Skin and soft tissue infections are major concerns with respect to wound repair. Recently, anti-bacterial wound dressings have been emerging as promising candidates to reduce infection, thus accelerating the wound healing process. This paper presents our work to develop and characterize poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan (CS)/silk sericin (SS)/tetracycline (TCN) porous nanofibers, with diameters varying from 305 to 425 nm, both in vitro and in vivo for potential applications as wound dressings. The fabricated nanofibers possess a considerable capacity to take up water through swelling (~325-650%). Sericin addition leads to increased hydrophilicity and elongation at break while decreasing fiber diameter and mechanical strength. Moreover, fibroblasts (L929) cultured on the nanofibers with low sericin content (PVA/CS/1-2SS) displayed greater proliferation compared to those on nanofibers without sericin (PVA/CS). Nanofibers loaded with high sericin and tetracycline content significantly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In vivo examination revealed that PVA/CS/2SS-TCN nanofibers enhance wound healing, re-epithelialization, and collagen deposition compared to traditional gauze and nanofibers without sericin. The results of this study demonstrate that the PVA/CS/2SS-TCN nanofiber creates a promising alternative to traditional wound dressing materials.

A QSAR model for predicting antidiabetic activity of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors by enhanced binary gravitational search algorithm

Time-varying binary gravitational search algorithm (TVBGSA) is proposed for predicting antidiabetic activity of 134 dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors. To improve the performance of the binary gravitational search algorithm (BGSA) method, we propose a dynamic time-varying transfer function. A new control parameter, μ , is added in the original transfer function as a time-varying variable. The TVBGSA-based model was internally and externally validated based on Qint2 , QLGO2 , QBoot2 , MSEtrain , Qext2 , MSEtest , Y-randomization test, and applicability domain evaluation. The validation results indicate that the proposed TVBGSA model is robust and not due to chance correlation. The descriptor selection and prediction performance of TVBGSA outperform BGSA method. TVBGSA shows higher Qint2 of 0.957, QLGO2 of 0.951, QBoot2 of 0.954, Qext2 of 0.938, and lower MSEtrain and MSEtest compared to obtained results by BGSA, indicating the best prediction performance of the proposed TVBGSA model. The results clearly reveal that the proposed TVBGSA method is useful for constructing reliable and robust QSARs for predicting antidiabetic activity of DPP-IV inhibitors prior to designing and experimental synthesizing of new DPP-IV inhibitors.

QSAR classification model for diverse series of antifungal agents based on improved binary differential search algorithm

An improved binary differential search (improved BDS) algorithm is proposed for QSAR classification of diverse series of antimicrobial compounds against Candida albicans inhibitors. The transfer functions is the most important component of the BDS algorithm, and converts continuous values of the donor into discrete values. In this paper, the eight types of transfer functions are investigated to verify their efficiency in improving BDS algorithm performance in QSAR classification. The performance was evaluated using three metrics: classification accuracy (CA), geometric mean of sensitivity and specificity (G-mean), and area under the curve. The Kruskal-Wallis test was also applied to show the statistical differences between the functions. Two functions, S1 and V4, show the best classification achievement, with a slightly better performance of V4 than S1. The V4 function takes the lowest iterations and selects the fewest descriptors. In addition, the V4 function yields the best CA and G-mean of 98.07% and 0.977%, respectively. The results prove that the V4 transfer function significantly improves the performance of the original BDS.

Adsorption and in vitro release study of curcumin form polyethyleneglycol functionalized multi walled carbon nanotube: kinetic and isotherm study

Polyethylene glycol functionalized with oxygenated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (O-PEG-MWCNTs) as an efficient nanomaterial for the in vitro adsorption/release of curcumin (CUR) anticancer agent. The synthesized material was morphologically characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the CUR adsorption process was assessed with kinetic and isotherm models fitting well with pseudo-second order and Langmuir isotherms. The results showed that the proposed O-PEG-MWCNTs has a high adsorption capacity for CUR (2.0 × 10³ mg/g) based on the Langmuir model. The in vitro release of CUR from O-PEG-MWCNTs was studied in simulating human body fluids with different pHs (ABS pH 5, intestinal fluid pH 6.6 and body fluid pH 7.4). Lastly, to confirm the success compliance of the O-PEG-MWCNT nanocomposite as a drug delivery system, the parameters affecting the CUR release such as temperature and PEG content were investigated. As a result, the proposed nanocomposite could be used as an efficient carrier for CUR delivery with an enhanced prolonged release property. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Separating normosmic and anosmic patients based on entropy evaluation of olfactory event-related potentials

OBJECTIVE

Methods based on electroencephalography (EEG) are used to evaluate brain responses to odors which is challenging due to the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio. This is especially difficult in patients with olfactory loss. In the present study, we aim to establish a method to separate functionally anosmic and normosmic individuals by means of recordings of olfactory event-related potentials (OERP) using an automated tool. Therefore, Shannon entropy was adopted to examine the complexity of the averaged electrophysiological responses.

METHODS

A total of 102 participants received 60 rose-like odorous stimuli at an inter-stimulus interval of 10 s. Olfactory-related brain activity was investigated within three time-windows of equal length; pre-, during-, and post-stimulus.

RESULTS

Based on entropy analysis, patients were correctly diagnosed for anosmia with a 75% success rate.

CONCLUSION

This novel approach can be expected to help clinicians to identify patients with anosmia or patients with early symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders.

SIGNIFICANCE

There is no automated diagnostic tool for anosmic and normosmic patients using OERP. However, detectability of OERP in patients with functional anosmia has been reported to be in the range of 50%.

A penalized quantitative structure-property relationship study on melting point of energetic carbocyclic nitroaromatic compounds using adaptive bridge penalty

A penalized quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model with adaptive bridge penalty for predicting the melting points of 92 energetic carbocyclic nitroaromatic compounds is proposed. To ensure the consistency of the descriptor selection of the proposed penalized adaptive bridge (PBridge), we proposed a ridge estimator ([Formula: see text]) as an initial weight in the adaptive bridge penalty. The Bayesian information criterion was applied to ensure the accurate selection of the tuning parameter ([Formula: see text]). The PBridge based model was internally and externally validated based on [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], the Y-randomization test, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and the applicability domain. The validation results indicate that the model is robust and not due to chance correlation. The descriptor selection and prediction performance of PBridge for the training dataset outperforms the other methods used. PBridge shows the highest [Formula: see text] of 0.959, [Formula: see text] of 0.953, [Formula: see text] of 0.949 and [Formula: see text] of 0.959, and the lowest [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. For the test dataset, PBridge shows a higher [Formula: see text] of 0.945 and [Formula: see text] of 0.948, and a lower [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], indicating its better prediction performance. The results clearly reveal that the proposed PBridge is useful for constructing reliable and robust QSPRs for predicting melting points prior to synthesizing new organic compounds.

High voltage powder spray coating as a new method for the preparation of carbon-titania coated stainless steel

High voltage powder spray coating (HVPSC) is one of the methods used for coating substrate with polymer powder in industries. This study utilizes HVPSC as a new deposition method of carbon-based powdered materials on stainless steel. Carbon-titania (C/TiO2) coated stainless steel was successfully prepared from the mixture of epoxide and titania powder, sprayed onto stainless steel plate using HVPSC, followed by pyrolysis at 300 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. The functional group of C/TiO2 was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, where the FTIR spectrum showed the presence of C─H sp3, C═O, C─O, and Ti─O peaks. The morphology of the C/TiO2 sample studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) clearly shows that the particles of TiO2 were coated with carbon on their surface.  The coating performance was evaluated through the abrasion test and showed no weight loss. Adhesion of C/TiO2 coating was also tested in the peel adhesion test and the result showed that the attachment of C/TiO2 on the stainless steel is very strong. It has been proven that the HVPSC method is not only a simple technique to coat materials but also a very durable one

A sparse QSRR model for predicting retention indices of essential oils based on robust screening approach

A robust screening approach and a sparse quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) model for predicting retention indices (RIs) of 169 constituents of essential oils is proposed. The proposed approach is represented in two steps. First, dimension reduction was performed using the proposed modified robust sure independence screening (MR-SIS) method. Second, prediction of RIs was made using the proposed robust sparse QSRR with smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) penalty (RSQSRR). The RSQSRR model was internally and externally validated based on [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], Y-randomization test, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and the applicability domain. The validation results indicate that the model is robust and not due to chance correlation. The descriptor selection and prediction performance of the RSQSRR for training dataset outperform the other two used modelling methods. The RSQSRR shows the highest [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], and the lowest [Formula: see text]. For the test dataset, the RSQSRR shows a high external validation value ([Formula: see text]), and a low value of [Formula: see text] compared with the other methods, indicating its higher predictive ability. In conclusion, the results reveal that the proposed RSQSRR is an efficient approach for modelling high dimensional QSRRs and the method is useful for the estimation of RIs of essential oils that have not been experimentally tested.

Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy in the elderly: experience from a UK centre

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer has a high incidence in the elderly in the UK, with a significant number of patients aged 75 years or more. While surgery forms the mainstay of treatment, evidence pertaining to the management of gastric cancer in the Western population in this age group is scarce. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted total and distal gastrectomies at our centre from 2005 to 2015. Patients aged 70 years or above were included in the elderly group. RESULTS A total of 60 patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy over a 10-year period, with a predominance of male patients. There was no significant difference in the rate of overall surgical and non-surgical complications, in-hospital mortality, operation time and length of hospital stay, between the elderly and non-elderly groups. Univariate analysis, performed for risk factors relating to anastomotic leak and surgical complications, showed that age over 70 years and higher American Association of Anesthesiologists grades are associated with a higher, though not statistically significant, number of anastomotic leaks (P = 1.000 and P = 0.442, respectively) and surgical complications (P = 0.469 and P = 0.162, respectively). The recurrence rate within the first 3 years of surgery was significantly higher in the non-elderly group compared with the elderly group (Log Rank test, P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in survival between the two groups (Log Rank test, P = 0.619). CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy is safe and feasible in an elderly population. There is a need for well-designed, prospective, randomised studies with quality of life data to inform our practice in future.

High-dimensional QSAR modelling using penalized linear regression model with L1/2-norm

In high-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modelling, penalization methods have been a popular choice to simultaneously address molecular descriptor selection and QSAR model estimation. In this study, a penalized linear regression model with L1/2-norm is proposed. Furthermore, the local linear approximation algorithm is utilized to avoid the non-convexity of the proposed method. The potential applicability of the proposed method is tested on several benchmark data sets. Compared with other commonly used penalized methods, the proposed method can not only obtain the best predictive ability, but also provide an easily interpretable QSAR model. In addition, it is noteworthy that the results obtained in terms of applicability domain and Y-randomization test provide an efficient and a robust QSAR model. It is evident from the results that the proposed method may possibly be a promising penalized method in the field of computational chemistry research, especially when the number of molecular descriptors exceeds the number of compounds.

Management of anterior caliceal stones >15 mm

Anterior caliceal stones represent a challenge to endourologist to select the best modality of management with the least morbidity. To study different treatment modalities of management of anterior caliceal stones >15 mm. It is an observational prospective study of patients with anterior caliceal stones more than 15 mm. Inclusion criteria were patients with isolated anterior caliceal stones, or branched anterior caliceal stones with posterior caliceal extension. Patients were evaluated using non-contrast CT preoperatively. They were divided into three groups: group 1 underwent PCNL through posterior caliceal puncture in cases with wide anterior calyx infundibulum or obtuse infundibulopelvic pelvic, group 2 underwent PCNL through anterior caliceal access in cases with narrow infundibulum or acute infundibulopelvic angel and group 3 underwent flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy. Intraoperative and postoperative findings were recorded and compared. Eighty eight patients were included in this study, Group 1 (44 patients) group 2 (28 patients), and group 3 (16 patients). Operative time was not significantly different across the three groups (68 ± 11.5, 72 ± 9 and 74 ± 11 min in group 1, 2 and 3, respectively, P = 0.053). Fluoroscopy time was significantly shorter for group 3 (2 ± 0.5 m, P = 0.0001) compared to group 1 and 2 (5.6 ± 4.6 and 4.5 ± 1.4 min), respectively. There were no significant differences in stone-free rates after initial treatment between the three groups; 84, 82, and 69 %, in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P = 0.4). Postoperative hemoglobin drop was noted to be highest for group 2 and lowest for group 3 which was significantly different (1.7 ± 0.8, 2.2 ± 1.1, and 0.3 ± 0.3 g/dl, for patients in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively, P = 0.0001). Group 2 showed the highest post-operative complication rate (21 %) in comparison to group 1 (11 %) and group 3 (6 %), however, differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.3). PCNL through posterior or anterior caliceal puncture is an excellent modality to treat anterior caliceal stones with high stone clearance rate. Despite the higher chance of bleeding with anterior caliceal puncture, it is still inevitably needed in difficult anterior caliceal stones with unfavorable anatomy. RIRS is a good alternative to PCNL with the advantage of less radiation exposure and less bleeding.

Recovery of Schistosoma haematobium ovum from Labeo rohita: first report from Pakistan

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a parasitic disease caused by trematodes from the genus Schistosoma that can infect humans and animals. S. mansoni, S. japonicum, and S. mekongi all causes intestinal schistosomiasis except S. haematobium that causes urinary schistosomiasis. It is only specie which effects urinary system, it can affect liver, heart, lungs also but very rarely. Schistosoma haematobium is endemic to over 50 countries in Africa and the Middle East and Western Asia and may be fatal in HIV positive people. A number of reports from the African countries like Nigeria have been reported. A few cases are reported but in Pakistan it has never been reported before in native people. It is first time reported in Pakistan in the intestine of Rahu (Labeo rohita). The purpose of this study is to elaborate the approach of zoonotic agent by various other routes including the commonly available fish.

Analysis of a homogenous and heterogeneous stylized half core of a CANDU reactor

The MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System) code has been used for modeling and simulation of a half core of CANDU (CANada Deuterium-Uranium) reactor, both homogenous and heterogeneous model for the reactor core are designed. The fuel is burnt in normal operation conditions of CANDU reactors. Natural uranium fuel is used in the model. The multiplication factor for homogeneous and heterogeneous reactor core is calculated and compared during fuel burnup. The concentration of both uranium and plutonium isotopes are analysed in the model. The flux and power distributions through channels are calculated.