Angiographic Therapies for Diabetic Foot Syndrome

Background. The study aimed to improve treatment outcomes in diabetic foot syndrome patients by use of invasive pressure monitoring during arterial radiological interventions.Materials and methods. A total of 36 patients with type 2 diabetes and purulent necrotic lesions of lower extremities have been treated at the surgery unit of Bashkir State Medical University Clinic during 2019—2020, with 12 persons forming the main cohort and receiving the measures complemented with the newly developed “X-ray endovascular intraoperative significance evaluation of lower limb arterial stenosis” technique (Patent RU 2737215 of 26.11.2020). The control cohort comprised 24 patients following pertinent standard treatment and recommendations in this pathology.Results and discussion. Immediate treatment outcomes were evaluated by person in the main and control cohorts. Longterm outcomes were observed at 6, 12 and 24 months since hospital discharge in 10 (83.3 %) patients of the main and 19 (79.2 %) — of the control cohort. In a 2-year run, the limb was kept in 8 (66.7 %) patients having the new revascularisation technique and in 10 (41.7 %) persons of the control cohort (p < 0.05).Conclusion. The use of endovascular radiology for limb revascularisation and intraoperative significance monitoring of lower limb arterial stenosis allow the volume determination of balloon angioplasty and statement of revascularisation completeness.

Correlation between Volumes Determined by Echocardiography and Cardiac MRI in Controls and Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Aims: We aimed to compare cardiac volumes measured with echocardiography (echo) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a mixed cohort of healthy controls (controls) and patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Materials and methods: In total, 123 subjects were included in our study; 99 full datasets were analyzed. All the participants underwent clinical evaluation, EKG, echo, and cardiac MRI acquisition. Participants with full clinical data were grouped into 63 AF patients and 36 controls for calculation of left atrial volume (LA Vol) and 51 AF patients and 30 controls for calculation of left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LV EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and LV ejection fraction (LV EF). Results: No significant differences in LA Vol were observed (p > 0.05) when measured by either echo or MRI. However, echo provided significantly lower values for left ventricular volume (p < 0.0001). The echo LA Vol of all the subjects correlated well with that measured by MRI (Spearmen correlation coefficient r = 0.83, p < 0.0001). When comparing the two methods, significant positive correlations of EDV (all subjects: r = 0.55; Controls: r = 0.71; and AF patients: r = 0.51) and ESV (all subjects: r = 0.62; Controls: r = 0.47; and AF patients: r = 0.66) were found, with a negative bias for values determined using echo. For a subgroup of participants with ventricular volumes smaller than 49.50 mL, this bias was missing, thus in this case echocardiography could be used as an alternative for MRI. Conclusion: Good correlation and reduced bias were observed for LA Vol and EF determined by echo as compared to cardiac MRI in a mixed cohort of patients with AF and healthy volunteers. For the determination of volume values below 49.50 mL, an excellent correlation was observed between values obtained using echo and MRI, with comparatively reduced bias for the volumes determined by echo. Therefore, in certain cases, echocardiography could be used as a less expensive, less time-consuming, and contraindication free alternative to MRI for cardiac volume determination.

Validated chromatographic methods for the simultaneous determination of a ternary mixture of sulfacetamide sodium and two of its official impurities; sulfanilamide and dapsone

Sulfacetamide sodium is a widely prescribed sulfonamide drug due to its topical antibacterial action on eye and skin. Four impurities are stated in the British Pharmacopoeia among which are sulfanilamide and dapsone. This work presents two specific, accurate and precise chromatographic methods for the simultaneous determination of a mixture of sulfacetamide sodium, sulfanilamide and dapsone. The first method is an isocratic RP-HPLC where the separation of components was achieved on C18 column. A green mobile phase was used consisting of methanol:water (60:40, v/v). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min and effluent was monitored at 273 nm. The second method is a TLC-spectrodensitometric one where good separation was achieved by using silica plates and a mobile phase consisting of chloroform:dichloromethane:acetic acid (6:2.5:1.5, by volume). Determination was done by densitometry in the absorbance mode at 273 nm. Both methods were validated in compliance with ICH guidelines. They were also successfully applied for the determination of sulfacetamide sodium and its impurities in Ocusol® ophthalmic solutions. The obtained results were statistically compared to the results obtained by applying the official methods of analysis of each component where no significant difference was found with respect to accuracy and precision.

A Prospective Investigation of Predictive Parameters for Preoperative Volume Assessment in Breast Reconstruction

Preoperative breast volume estimation is very important for the success of the breast surgery. In this study four different breast volume determination methods were compared. The end-point of this prospective study was to evaluate the concordance between different modalities of breast volume assessment (MRI, BREAST-V, mastectomy specimen weight, conversion from weight to volume of mastectomy specimen) and the breast prosthetic volume implanted. The study enrolled 64 patients between 2017 and 2019, who had all been treated by the same surgeons for monolateral nipple–areola complex-sparing mastectomy and implant breast reconstruction. Only patients who had a breast reconstruction classified as “excellent” from an objective (BCCT.core software) and subjective (questionnaire) point of view at the 6-month interval after the operation were included in the study. Data analysis highlighted a strong correlation between the volumes of the chosen prostheses and the weights of mastectomy converted into volume, especially for patients with grades B and C parenchymal density. The values of the agreement between the volumes of the chosen prostheses and the assessments from MRI and BREAST -V proved to be lower than expected from the literature. None of the four studied methods presented any strong correlation with the initial breast width. Our results suggest that conversion from weight to volume of mastectomy specimen should be used to assist in determining the volume of the breast implant to be implanted. This method would help the reconstructive surgeon guide the choice of the most appropriate implant preoperatively.

Suitability of Aerial Photogrammetry for Dump Documentation and Volume Determination in Large Areas

The study presented in this paper analyses the results of measurements and data processing for documentation and quantification of material in heaps in large areas, where UAVs may no longer be effective due to a large range. Two test heaps were selected from a whole area, where the aim was to confirm the suitability of using the method of digital aerial photogrammetry by manned (crewed) aerial vehicle. For comparison, a commonly used GNSS RTK method was also used. Terrestrial laser scanning was chosen as the control reference method. TLS measurement is a trusted method with high accuracy. The methods were compared with each other through the quality of the mesh, analysis of the cross-sections, and comparison of the volumes of heaps. As a result, the determination of heap volumes and documentation using digital aerial photogrammetry can be confirmed as an appropriate, efficient, fast, and accurate method. The difference in the detected volume was less than 0.1%, the mean difference of the meshes was less than 0.01 m, and the standard deviation was less than 0.05 m.

DETERMINATION OF THE THICKNESS OF THE COVER STRUCTURE OF OIL TANKS

Oil tanks must meet the requirements of low evaporation losses, as well as durability and longevity. Oil tanks are made of steel and non-metal structures of different materials. Steel oil tanks are small (up to 2000 Pa), high (up to 70,000 Pa) and atmospheric pressure due to the additional pressure in the gas phases. Due to their design, steel oil tanks are vertical cylindrical, horizontal cylindrical, drip-shaped and trench-type. Vertical cylindrical oil tanks are the most common and are mainly conical, spherical, pantone, floating lid. Pantone and floating oil tanks - used to reduce evaporation losses during oil storage. The pantone installed in the oil tank with a capacity of 20,000 m3 consists of a steel floor made of a 4 mm thick layer of steel and a ring with two lids welded along its perimeter at a distance of 2.8 m from each other. These ribs provide rigidity to the pontoon during movement, as well as a reserve swimming position when the middle part of the panto sinks. The annular ribs are connected at a certain distance from each other (up to 1/48 of the circumference) by radial ribs. The annular and radial ribs are welded to the floor of the pantone with a complete seam. Keywords: cover construction, oil storage terminal, oil tanks volume, determination of the coating structure.