Materials: The data were collected in a survey conducted among Malaysians by Hanafiah and Wan regarding COVID-19. The survey focused on people's response about the public communication, knowledge, and perception.
Methods: One of the four question categories in the survey is mutually exclusive with the other three questions. Consequently, there will be no entry in that category. Such group is called structurally zero category in the literature. The literature never probed the migrative split to other categories of the unknown proportion belonging to the structural zero category. In this article, the probability-based new and innovative method configures what proportion in that mutually exclusive category and it is the essence of our method.
Results: The mutually exclusive nature of subquestions manufactured structural zero in their data. A careful analysis of the data has created so far unknown probability concepts in the literature, which we named as "Exodus probabilities" in this article. Its discovery and utility are illustrated and elaborated with application in COVID-19. This methodology is also useful in applications in engineering, epidemiology, marketing, communication networking, etc.
Conclusion: What is quite novel about the discovery of the exodus probability in this article is the evolution of the concepts from the structural-zero category. In such situation, when a category is eliminated, the proportions of the sample might have uncommunicatively transited to other viable categories and our research question is all about configuring their proportions. This is an innovative approach.
Case report: A family with 5 members age ranges between 13 to 77, both male and females, one with preexisting renal impairment, SARS CoV-2 positive with mild to moderate category were treated with VKM along with the specific dietary practice. The drug was consumed at home quarantine. Real-Time RT PCR from oropharynx swab, X-ray/CT scan chest, hematology, renal function, liver function, body temperature and oxygen saturation were assessed. Blood parameters were repeated after completion of therapy to assess the safety aspect of mercury drug. Chemical profile of the drug was done using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Results: With the first dose, the oxygen saturation was improved. Within 3 days of therapy, all symptoms (fever, body pain, cough, and loss of taste) were normalized and renders the Real-Time RT PCR negative for COVID-19. There was no observed side effects and damage to renal and liver. The drug contains 22% of mercury along with a 9-Octadecenoic acid-(E), 1H-Imidazole, 4,5-dihydro-2-(phenylmethyl) and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- as major organic compounds.
Conclusion: Vajra kandi maathirai might be a safe drug to manage COVID-19 patients. Rigorous research is required to discover new antiviral molecules from this formulation.
METHOD: Twenty pieces of fourth-generation, biomechanical testing grade, left third metacarpal composite bones were used. Resin was used to create the holding block at both ends of the bone. An oscillating saw with 0.8 mm thick saw blade was used to osteotomize the metacarpal sawbones to create a midshaft transverse metacarpal fracture model. Ten pieces were fixed with a 2.0 mm titanium locking plate via unicortical screw purchase and 10 were fixed with a 2.0 mm, four holes, titanium dynamic compression plate, bicortical purchase of screws. They were subjected to cyclic load to failure testing three-point bending and torsion.
RESULTS: There were no significant difference in stiffness and cyclic three-point bending to failure between the unicortical locking plate group and the bicortical compression plate group. The bicortical compression plate group is stiffer and has a higher cyclic bending load to failure as compared to the unicortical locking plate group.
CONCLUSION: Unicortical locking plate fixation of metacarpal fracture can be reliably applied clinically to produce a strong and stable construct that allows early mobilization of the joints. This will not only reduce the complication rate of metacarpal plating, but also improve the functional outcome of the hand.
METHODS: Patients treated for Blount disease using external fixator from 2002 to 2016 were recruited for the study. We used Ilizarov and Taylor Spatial Frame (TSF) external fixator to perform simultaneous correction of all the metaphyseal deformities without elevating the tibia plateau. Surgical outcome was evaluated using mechanical axis deviation (MAD), tibial femoral angle (TFA), and femoral condyle tibial shaft angle (FCTSA).
RESULTS: A total of 22 patients with 32 tibias have been recruited for the study. The mean MAD improved from 95 ± 51.4 mm to 9.0 ± 37.7 mm (medial to midpoint of the knee), mean TFA improved from 31 ± 15° varus to 2 ± 14° valgus, and mean FCTSA improved from 53 ± 14° to 86 ± 14°. Mean duration of frame application is 9.4 months. Two patients developed pathological fractures over the distracted bones, one developed delayed consolidation and other developed overcorrection.
CONCLUSIONS: Correction of Blount disease can be achieved by gradual correction using Ilizarov or TSF external fixator with low risk of soft tissue complication. Longer duration of frame application should be considered to reduce the risk of pathological fracture or subsequent deformation of the corrected bone.
METHODS: Six porcine lumbar spines (L2-L5) were separated into 12 functional spine units. Bilateral total facetectomies and interlaminar decompression were performed for all specimens. Non-destructive loading to assess stiffness in lateral bending, flexion and extension as well as axial rotation was performed using a universal material testing machine.
RESULTS: PS and CS constructs were significantly stiffer than the intact spine except in axial rotation. Using the normalized ratio to the intact spine, there is no significant difference between the stiffness of PS and CS: flexion (1.41 ± 0.27, 1.55 ± 0.32), extension (1.98 ± 0.49, 2.25 ± 0.44), right lateral flexion (1.93 ± 0.57, 1.55 ± 0.30), left lateral flexion (2.00 ± 0.73, 2.16 ± 0.20), right axial rotation (0.99 ± 0.21, 0.83 ± 0.26) and left axial rotation (0.96 ± 0.22, 0.92 ± 0.25).
CONCLUSION: The CS-rod TLIF construct provided comparable construct stiffness to a traditional PS-rod TLIF construct in a 'standardized' porcine lumbar spine model.
METHODS: Vancomycin at various concentrations was added to JectOS and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Then, the cement was molded into standardized dimensions for in vitro testing. Cylindrical vancomycin-JectOS samples were subjected to compressive strength. The results obtained were compared to PMMA-vancomycin compressive strength data attained from historical controls. The zone of inhibition was carried out using vancomycin-JectOS and vancomycin-PMMA disk on methicillin-resistant strain culture agar.
RESULTS: With the addition of 2.5%, 5%, and 10% vancomycin, the average compressive strengths reduced to 8.01 ± 0.95 MPa (24.6%), 7.52 ± 0.71 MPa (29.2%), and 7.23 ± 1.34 MPa (31.9%). Addition of vancomycin significantly weakened biomechanical properties of JectOS, but there was no significant difference in the compressive strength at increasing concentrations. The average diameters of zone of inhibition for JectOS-vancomycin were 24.7 ± 1.44 (2.5%) mm, 25.9 ± 0.85 mm (5%), and 26.8 ± 1.81 mm (10%), which outperformed PMMA.
CONCLUSION: JectOS has poor mechanical performance but superior elution property. JectOS-vancomycin cement is suitable as a void filler delivering high local concentration of vancomycin. We recommended using it for contained bone defects that do not require mechanical strength.
Methods: One hundred clinical computed tomography (CTs) of adult pelvises (male n = 50, female n = 50) of Malay, Chinese and Indian descent were acquired. CTs were segmented and defined landmarks were placed. Three 3D statistical pelvic model and mean models (overall, male, female) were generated. Anatomical variations were analysed using principal component analysis. To measure gender-related differences and differences to the existing ABM, distances between the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS), the anterior inferior iliac spines (AIIS), the promontory and the symphysis (conjugate vera, CV) as well as the ischial spines (diameter transversa, DT) were quantified.
Results: Principal component analysis displayed large variability regarding the pelvic shape and size. Female and male statistical models were similar in ASIS (225 ± 20; 227 ± 13 mm; P = 0.4153) and AIIS (185 ± 11; 187 ± 10 mm; P = 0.3982) and differed in CV (116 ± 10; 105 ± 10 mm; P
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of all children aged