Materials and Methods: Three different seed extracts were prepared through Soxhlet extraction method by using n-hexane, chloroform and methanol solvents. Acute toxicity test performed at dose of 400 mg/ kg, 800 mg/kg, 1600 mg/kg and 3200 mg/kg. Two different strengths of seed extracts (minimum therapeutic dose of 500 mg/kg and maximum therapeutic dose of 1000 mg/kg) were given to Wistar rats to measure anti-inflammatory activity through Carrageenan induced paw edema method.
Results: The standard drug diclofenac sodium was (percentage of inhibition of paw edema 29.68%) more effective as compared to test drug. When efficacy of all extracts compared with each other, n-hexane extract showed more anti-inflammatory effect (percentage inhibition of paw edema 22.21%) at maximum effective dose 1000 mg/kg.
Conclusion: Seed extracts of T. ammi showed anti-inflammatory activity by potentiating the neurotransmission of GABA and also by repression glutamate receptor.
METHODS: The current study estimated the annual spending and lifetime spending of smokers in the target Asia-Pacific countries (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia) on purchasing cigarettes, as well as predicted the revenue that could be generated if smokers spent the money on investment instead of buying cigarettes. Smokers' spending on cigarettes and the potential revenue generated from investment were estimated based on the selling prices of cigarettes, Standards & Poor's 500 Index, and life expectancies of smokers. Data were extracted from reports released by the World Health Organization or government authorities.
RESULTS: The annual expenses (in US$) on purchasing one pack of cigarettes, in decreasing order, were: Australia ($5628.30), Singapore ($3777.75), Hong Kong ($2799.55), Malaysia ($1529.35), South Korea ($1467.30), and Thailand ($657.00). The lifetime spending on purchasing one pack of cigarettes each day were: Australia ($308993.67), Singapore ($207398.48), Hong Kong ($151735.61 for male and $166853.18 for female), South Korea ($80261.31), Malaysia ($72338.26), and Thailand ($31207.50).
CONCLUSIONS: The cost burden of smoking is high from a smoker's perspective. Smokers should recognize the high economic burden and quit smoking to enjoy better health and wealth.
Materials and Methods: We identified and performed five primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasties between 1 May 2019 and 1 June 2020. All patients were contactable and available for analysis. Assessment of functional outcomes was performed using the Constant-Murley score, the patient satisfaction score (PSS), and imaging studies. The mean follow-up from operation to the time of reporting was 9.6 months (range, 3 to 14 months).
Results: The median age for our patients was 58 years (±11.91). The most common indication for surgery was post-traumatic arthritis, followed by rotator cuff arthropathy and osteoarthritis. The mean Constant score improved from 9.0 pre-operatively to 52.3 post-operatively at a mean of 9.6 months. The majority of the patients were satisfied with the surgery as the post-operative range of motion, especially anterior elevation and abduction, improved in four of our patients and there were no short-term complications, for example, of infection or revisions, reported at the last follow-up.
Conclusion: This study has shown that reverse total shoulder arthroplasty can yield good short-term outcomes for the treatment of complex shoulder problems in addition to cuff tear arthropathy. It should be considered a treatment for rotator cuff tears, severe arthritis and ≥ 3 parts proximal humeral fractures.
Materials and Methods: A total of 93 paediatric patients, aged between 2 months to 8 years, who underwent spica casting for an isolated femur fracture between January 2008 and March 2019, were identified retrospectively. They were separated into inpatient or outpatient cohort based on the location of spica cast application. Five patients with metaphyseal fractures and four with un-displaced fractures were excluded. There were 13 and 71 patients in the outpatient and inpatient cohort respectively who underwent spica casting for their diaphyseal and displaced femur fractures. Variables between cohorts were compared.
Results: There were no significant differences in gender, fracture pattern, and mechanism of injury between cohorts. Spica casting as inpatients delayed the time from assessment to casting (23.55 ± 29.67h vs. 6.75 ± 4.27h, p<0.05), increased average hospital stay (41.2 ± 31.1h vs. 19.2 ± 15.0h, p<0.05) and average hospital charges (US$1857.14 vs US$775.49, p<0.05). Excluding the un-displaced fractures, there were no significant differences in the period of cast immobilisation and median follow-up length. Both cohorts had a similar proportion of unacceptable reduction and revision casting rate.
Conclusion: Both cohorts presented similar spica casting outcomes of fracture reduction and follow-up period. With spica cast application in operating theatre reporting higher hospital charges and prolonged hospital stay, the outpatient clinic should always be considered for hip spica application.
Materials and methods: The antimicrobial effects of vitamin D3 were evaluated against Strep. sobrinus and Strep mutans using the agar disc diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of vitamin D3 were determined using a microdilution method following the guidelines by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to evaluate the morphological changes of bacterial cells following exposure to vitamin D3.
Results: Strep. sobrinus was more sensitive to vitamin D3 compared to Strep. mutans bacteria. The MIC values of vitamin D3 against Strep. sobrinus and Strep. mutans were 60 μg/ mL and 250 μg/mL respectively whereas the MBC values were 120 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, significant changes in the bacterial morphology were observed in treated bacterial cells with vitamin D3 as compared to the untreated control bacteria using SEM.
Conclusion: These findings suggested that vitamin D3 has excellent antimicrobial effects against Strep. sobrinus and Strep. mutans and may be considered as a promising compound in the prevention of dental caries in the future. Further research is recommended to elucidate the mechanism of vitamin D3 on these bacteria.
Methods: The initial part of this study is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving data collection from all requests sent for group, screen, and hold (GSH) and group and cross match (GXM) tests from 2011 to 2017. The association between sociodemographic, workplace, and experience factors with near-miss events amongst HO was analyzed with a case-control study using logistic regression.
Results: We reported 83 near-miss events with a prevalence of 0.034% (95% confidence interval 0.027-0.042). The rate of near-miss events was one in every 2916 requests. The mean reporting rate was 11.9 events per year. Clinical near miss predominated at 89.2% compared to 10.8% laboratory near miss. Mislabeled events (33.7%) were more than miscollected events (10.8%). HO were implicated with most events (83.1%). Most events were predominantly in the medical and obstetrics and gynecology wards amounting to 31.3% each. We found a significant association between the ages of HO with near-miss events.
Conclusions: The prevalence of near-miss events in our hospital was relatively low. Our study has shown areas for improvement include improving sampling practices in clinical areas, adequate training of laboratory technicians, and providing proper transfusion education. Interventions such as encouraging compliance to guidelines and training in clinical and laboratory areas to minimize the risk of mistransfusion should be considered.