Effect of Single Acupuncture Point (Liver 7) on Pain and Range of Motion on Osteoarthritis of Knee

Background

: Osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK) is a chronic degenerative musculoskeletal disorder that strongly affects the elderly population and decreases their quality of life. Pain, stiffness, and restricted knee movements are the major characteristic features of OAK. There are no studies available on the effect of the liver 7 (LR 7) acupuncture point on pain and range of motion.

Objectives

: To study the effectiveness of the LR 7 acupuncture point on pain and range of motion in chronic OAK patients.

Methods

: Thirty-five subjects aged between 40 and 65 years were recruited from Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College, Chennai. Participants were included in the study after they fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The duration of acupuncture was 20 minutes (5 days/week) for 2 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention assessments were performed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the degree of knee flexion and extension was measured using a goniometer.

Results

: Pre- and post-trial outcomes were compared using paired t-tests. LR 7 acupuncture reduced the WOMAC score from 49 to 30 (p < 0.001), indicating that pain was alleviated. Treatment increased the range of knee flexion from 110 to 115 degrees and reduced knee extension (p < 0.01) from 16 to 9 degrees (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that acupuncture treatment improved the range of knee movement.

Conclusion

: The present study showed that 10 sessions of LR 7 acupuncture for people with OAK significantly reduced pain and increased range of motion. We conclude that LR 7 acupuncture is an adjuvant therapy for alleviating pain and managing OAK.

Distribution of cerebral age-related white matter changes in relation to risk factors in stroke patients

INTRODUCTION

The distribution of cerebral age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) may be indicative of the underlying etiology and could suggest optimal interventions. We aimed to determine if left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a marker of uncontrolled hypertension, along with additional risk factors are associated with the distribution of cerebral ARWMC.

METHODS

We analyzed data of 172 patients from a hospital stroke registry who had acute stroke and brain MRI. We classified lesion location as superficial (frontal, parieto-occipital, or temporal) or deep (basal nuclei) using the ARWMC scale. We defined a superficial ARWMC index as the superficial minus the deep score. We excluded infratentorial lesions and patients with bilateral strokes. Regression analysis analyzed LVH and other relevant clinical factors for independent association with the superficial ARWMC index.

RESULTS

The superficial ARWMC scores ranged from 0 to 6, the deep scores from 0 to 3, and the superficial ARWMC index from -2 to 6. We categorized the superficial ARWMC index as -2 to 1 (n = 65), 2 (n = 50), and 3 - 6 (n = 57). In bivariate analysis, ARWMC distribution was significantly associated with older age, lower household income (HI), and lower serum triglyceride (TG) levels. In multiple logistic regression analysis, higher superficial ARWMC index was significantly associated with lower HI (OR 10.72, 95 % CI 2.30-49.85), lower serum low density cholesterol (LDL) (OR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.75-0.98, per 10 mg/dL), and lower serum TG levels (OR 0.91, 95 % CI 0.85-0.99, per 10 mg/dL). The area under the curve in receiver operating characteristic analysis (95 % CI) for HI was 0.63 (0.49-0.76), LDL level 0.64 (0.51-0.77), and TG level 0.77 (0.65-0.88).

CONCLUSION

In this study, LVH was not associated with the distribution of cerebral ARWMC. Using an alternate classification of ARWMC distribution and analyzing additional risk factors in larger studies may yield further discoveries.

Sleep apnea in end-stage renal disease patients: risk factors and mortality

Sleep apnea (SA) is highly prevalent in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population. However, the impact of SA on mortality in ESRD is unclear. This study investigates the relationship between SA and mortality in ESRD. The United States Renal Data System was queried in a retrospective cohort study to identify ESRD patients aged 18-100 years who initiated hemodialysis between 2005 and 2013. Diagnoses of SA and comorbidities were determined from International Classification of Disease-9 codes and demographic variables from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Form-2728. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of SA with mortality controlling for multiple variables. Of 858,131 subjects meeting inclusion criteria, 587 were found to have central SA (CSA) and 22,724 obstructive SA (OSA). The SA cohort was younger and more likely to be male and Caucasian compared to the non-SA cohort, with more diagnoses of tobacco and alcohol use, hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes. Both CSA (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-1.56) and OSA (aHR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.32-1.37) were associated with increased mortality. Other variables associated with increased mortality included age, dialysis initiation with a catheter or graft, alcohol use, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Factors associated with decreased mortality included female sex, black race, Hispanic ethnicity, diagnosis of heart failure or diabetes, and an ESRD etiology of glomerulonephritis or polycystic kidney disease. Since a diagnosis of either OSA or CSA increases mortality risk, early identification of SA and therapy in this ESRD population may improve survival.

OpenStackDP: a scalable network security framework for SDN-based OpenStack cloud infrastructure

Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) and firewalls are the de facto solutions in the modern cloud to detect cyberattacks and minimize potential hazards for tenant networks. Most of the existing firewalls, perimeter security, and middlebox solutions are built on static rules/signatures or simple rule matching, making them inflexible, susceptible to bugs, and difficult to introduce new services. This paper aims to improve network management in OpenStack Clouds by taking advantage of the combination of software-defined networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), and machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) and for making networks more predictable, reliable, and secure. Artificial intelligence is being used to monitor the behavior of the virtual machines and applications running in the OpenStack SDN cloud so that when any issues or degradations are noticed, the decision can be quickly made on how to handle that issue, being able to analyze data in motion, starting at the edge. The OpenStackDP framework comprises lightweight monitoring, anomaly-detecting intelligent sensors embedded in the data plane, a threat analytics engine based on ML/AI algorithms running inside switch hardware/network co-processor, and defensive actions deployed as virtual network functions (VNFs). This network data plane-based architecture makes high-speed threat detection and rapid response possible and enables a much higher degree of security. We have built the framework with advanced streaming analytics technologies, algorithms, and machine learning to draw knowledge from this data that is in motion before the malicious traffic goes to the tenant compute nodes or long-term data store. Cloud providers and users will benefit from improved Quality-of-Services (QoS) and faster recovery from cyber-attacks and compromised switches. The multi-phase collaborative anomaly detection scheme demonstrates an accuracy of 99.81%, average latencies of 0.27 ms, and response speed within 9 s. The simulations and analysis show that the OpenStackDP network analytics framework substantially secures and outperforms prior SDN-based OpenStack solutions for Cloud architectures.

D-dimer level is a useful predictor for mortality in patients with COVID-19: Analysis of 483 cases

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

COVID-19 is a multi-system disease, with coagulation abnormalities. D-dimer levels are increased in this disease. We aimed to determine the association of D-dimer levels and mortality and to establish its optimal cut off values in predicting mortality. Association of D-dimer levels with diabetes mellitus has also been established.

METHODS

Information on 483 patients with confirmed COVID-19 was retrospectively collected and analyzed. The optimal D-dimer cutoff point and C-statistic of routine tests both on admission and during hospital stay were evaluated by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

D-dimer elevation (≥0.50 μg/mL) was seen in 80.1% of the hospitalized patients. D-dimer level ≥2.01 μg/mL was a significant predictor of subsequent deaths (P < 0.01; HR, 3.165; 95% CI, 2.013-4.977). High D-dimer values (≥0.50 μg/mL) were observed in 72 of the 75 (96%) cases with a fatal outcome. Median D-dimer value among non-survivors was 6.34 μg/mL and among survivors it was 0.94 μg/mL. A higher proportion of fatal outcomes occurred in patients with underlying disease (89.0%), most prominent of which was diabetes mellitus (66%). The median D-dimer value was found to be significantly high in diabetic patients (1.68 μg/mL).

CONCLUSIONS

Among the measured coagulation parameters, D-dimer during hospital stay had the highest C-index to predict in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. D-dimer value ≥ 2.01 μg/mL can effectively predict in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19. A significant association of increased D-dimer level has been found with diabetes mellitus and elderly age.

Land-use/cover change in Coimbatore urban area (Tamil Nadu, India)-a remote sensing and GIS-based study

The purpose of the present study was to explain land-use/cover changes in Coimbatore City Corporation using Landsat ETM+ and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) data for the period of 2003-2014. Two Landsat images from years 2003 and 2014 were downloaded from USGS Earth Explorer. Maximum likelihood method was used to classify the images into five classes: urban fabric, vegetation, water bodies, agriculture lands, and barren lands. Overall kappa accuracy measure is about to 87.60 and 86.15% for the years 2003 and 2014, respectively. The change detection analysis has been performed for years 2003 and 2014 postclassified images. The results of the study have indicated that Coimbatore City has experienced rapid modifications in LULC, particularly in terms of urban/built-up area. Over the past 11 years, urban/built-up areas have increased by 94.5 km², resulting in a significant drop in the area of agricultural land and vegetation cover. It is found that (1) urban areas are increased 200% due to population growth cum rapid economic progress. (2) Vegetation cover decreased 38.76% due to conversion into urban features. (3) Water bodies in area increased to 15.78% due to eradication of encroachment. (4) There is loss of 1.89% of agricultural lands due to demand for construction activities. (5) About 85.24% of barren lands were converted into other uses, particularly 57.33% to urban areas. (6) Urban growth has accelerated towards north-eastern, northern, and eastern parts, where national highways exist. The built-up areas were dropped from 85.32 to 22.28%, within 5-km distance from the city center.

1-Carboxy-2-hydroxypropan-1-aminium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate monohydrate

In the title hydrated salt, C4H10NO3 +·C7H7O3S−·H2O, an intramolecular C—H...O hydrogen bond in the cation generates an S(6) loop. In the crystal, carboxyl-O—H...O(sulfonate), hydroxyl-O—H...O(sulfonate), water-O—H...O(sulfonate, hydroxyl) and ammonium-N—H...O(water, carbonyl) hydrogen bonds link the components of the asymmetric unit into supramolecular layers parallel to (001).

High-fructose diet is as detrimental as high-fat diet in the induction of insulin resistance and diabetes mediated by hepatic/pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress

In the context of high human consumption of fructose diets, there is an imperative need to understand how dietary fructose intake influence cellular and molecular mechanisms and thereby affect β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. While evidence exists for a relationship between high-fat-induced insulin resistance and metabolic disorders, there is lack of studies in relation to high-fructose diet. Therefore, we attempted to study the effect of different diets viz., high-fat diet (HFD), high-fructose diet (HFS), and a combination (HFS + HFD) diet on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in male Wistar rats compared to control animals fed with normal pellet diet. Investigations include oral glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, histopathology by H&E and Masson's trichrome staining, mRNA expression by real-time PCR, protein expression by Western blot, and caspase-3 activity by colorimetry. Rats subjected to high-fat/fructose diets became glucose intolerant, insulin-resistant, and dyslipidemic. Compared to control animals, rats subjected to different combination of fat/fructose diets showed increased mRNA and protein expression of a battery of ER stress markers both in pancreas and liver. Transcription factors of β-cell function (INSIG1, SREBP1c and PDX1) as well as hepatic gluconeogenesis (FOXO1 and PEPCK) were adversely affected in diet-induced insulin-resistant rats. The convergence of chronic ER stress towards apoptosis in pancreas/liver was also indicated by increased levels of CHOP mRNA & increased activity of both JNK and Caspase-3 in rats subjected to high-fat/fructose diets. Our study exposes the experimental support in that high-fructose diet is equally detrimental in causing metabolic disorders.

Synthesis and characterization of TiO2 loaded cashew nut shell activated carbon and photocatalytic activity on BG and MB dyes under sunlight radiation

Synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and TiO2 loaded cashew nut shell activated carbon (TiO2/CNSAC) had been undertaken using sol-gel method and their application in BG and MB dyes removal under sunlight radiation has been investigated. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The various experimental parameters like amount of catalyst, contact time for efficient dyes degradation of BG and MB were concerned in this study. Activity measurements performed under solar irradiation has shown good results for the photodegradation of BG and MB in aqueous solution. It was concluded that the higher photocatalytic activity in TiO2/CNSAC was due to parameters like band-gap, number of hydroxyl groups, surface area and porosity of the catalyst. The kinetic data were also described by the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models.

Enhanced functional properties of ZrO2/SiO2 hybrid nanosol coated cotton fabrics

In this present investigation, the colloidal silica and nano ZrO2 embedded silica solution were prepared using sol-gel method followed by the sonication process. The particle size was measured for the prepared silica sol with and without ZrO2 nanoparticles. The prepared nanoparticles were coated on the cotton fabric through pad dry method. The phase and functional group analysis of the cotton fabrics after coating reveals the presence of metal oxides on the surface. The surface morphology of the coated fabrics analysed using SEM shows that the nanoparticles were in spherical morphology with slight agglomerations. The element analysis confirms the presence of silica (SiO2) and ZrO2/SiO2 nanoparticles along with cellulose on the surface. The washing durability of the coated fabrics after 5th and 10th wash indicates that the nanoparticles were strongly adhered on the fabric surface. The burning performance of coated fabrics is in the order of ZrO2/SiO2 (19.5 s) > SiO2 (11.3 s) before and after wash; UV resistance of fabric was in the order of ZrO2/SiO2 > SiO2 > uncoated fabric. Cotton fabrics coated with ZrO2/SiO2 particles show better UV and flammability protection for textile applications.

Analysis of AchE and LDH in mollusc, Lamellidens marginalis after exposure to chlorpyrifos

The enzymes Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and Lactatedehydrogenase (LDH) are used as biological markers in the present study. Enzymes are highly sensitive and used to evaluate the biological effects of organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos in freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis. The test organisms were exposed to sub-lethal concentration (5 ppm) of chlorpyrifos for 30 days and allowed to recover for seven days. A distinct reduction of the enzyme AchE (34 +/- 3.3 U l(-1)) was found in the treated hepatopancreas. A significant increase in LDH activity in gill, hepatopancreas and muscle was observed. There was a significant recovery in AchE and LDH in the different tissues, after seven days recovery period.. Hence, the changes in the enzymes are found as the best biomarkering tool to evaluate the effect of organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos on the aquatic biota.

In vitro evaluation of poly(caporlactone) grafted dextran (PGD) nanoparticles with cancer cell

This study dealt with the preparation and characterization of coumarin-6 loaded poly(caprolactone) grafted dextran (PGD) nanoparticles (NPs) and evaluation of cellular uptake by using human gastric cancer cell line (SNU-638), in vitro. The potential application of these PGD NPs for sustained drug delivery was evaluated by the quantification and localization of the cellular uptake of fluorescent PGD NPs. Coumarin-6 loaded PGD NPs were prepared by a modified oil/water emulsion technique and characterized by various physico-chemical methods such as, laser light scattering for particle size and size distribution, atomic force microscopy (AFM), zeta-potential and spectrofluorometry to identify the release of fluorescent molecules from the NPs. SNU-638 was used to measure the cellular uptake of fluorescent PGD NPs. Confocal laser scanning microscopic images clearly showed the internalization of NPs by the SNU-638 cells. Cell viability was assessed by treating the SNU-638 cells with PGD NPs for 48 h. The results reveal, that these biodegradable polymeric NPs holds promise in biomedical field as a carrier.

Preparation and drug release activity of scaffolds containing collagen and poly(caprolactone)

A new biodegradable polymeric scaffold was prepared by using collagen and poly(caprolatctone) (PCL). These scaffolds were found to be soft, spongy, and transparent in nature and characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and FTIR spectrum. To these biodegradable polymeric scaffolds, antibiotic drugs namely amikacin and gentamycin were incorporated separately to study their release pattern from scaffolds. Amikacin and gentamycin release activity of the scaffolds containing a constant quantity of collagen but different quantities of PCL were studied at various time intervals viz. 1, 4, 24, and 48 h by measuring the optical density at 257 and 255 nm, respectively.

Bernard-Soulier syndrome in pregnancy

Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) is a rare autosomal recessively inherited bleeding disorder. Pregnancy in patients with BSS is characterized by ante-, intra-, or postpartum haemorrhage, which may be delayed and severe. There is no consensus in the management of BSS in pregnancy and so far only 16 pregnancies in nine patients have been described. We report a further three pregnancies in two women with the syndrome. We also outline our management of pregnant patients with BSS.