Comparison of different diagnostic modalities for isolation of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis among suspected tuberculous lymphadenitis patients

Tuberculosis is a communicable disease with high morbidity and mortality rates in developing countries. The study's primary objective is to compare conventional methods such as acid-fast bacillus (AFB) culture and microscopy with rapid diagnostic methods. The secondary objective is to compare histopathological and microbiological findings in suspected patients with tubercular lymphadenitis. A total of 111 samples (August 2018 to September 2019) of lymph nodes were processed for AFB microscopy, AFB cultures, drug-susceptibility testing (DST), histopathology, and Xpert Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB)/resistance to Rifampin (RIF) assays. Out of 111 lymph node samples, 6 (5.4%) were positive for AFB smear microscopy, 84 (75.6%) were positive for AFB culture, 80 (70.7%) were positive on Gene Xpert, and 102 (91.8%) were indicative of tuberculosis for histopathology studies. Mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture positivity was 84 (75.6%) higher than solid Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture 74 (66.6%). Positive cultures underwent phenotypic DST. Two cases were Multidrug-resistant (MDR) on DST, while three cases were Rifampicin resistant on Gene Xpert. The sensitivity of Genexpert was (62%) against the conventional AFB culture method. The poor performance of conventional lymphadenitis diagnostic methods requires early and accurate diagnostic methodology. Xpert MTB/RIF test can help in the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB cases. Nonetheless, rapid and conventional methods should be used for complete isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Xtrapol8: automatic elucidation of low-occupancy intermediate-states in crystallographic studies

Unstable states studied in kinetic, time-resolved and ligand-based crystallography are often characterized by a low occupancy, hindering structure determination by conventional methods. To automatically extract such structures, we developed Xtrapol8, a program which (i) applies various flavors of Bayesian-statistics weighting to generate the most informative Fourier difference maps; (ii) determines the occupancy of the intermediate state; (iii) calculates various types of extrapolated structure factors, and (iv) refines the corresponding structures.

Feasibility of a novel photoproduction of 225Ac and 227Th with natural thorium target

We propose an innovative way to produce both 225Ac and 227Th, two precious radioisotopes enabling promising targeted alpha therapy, in a natural thorium target bombarded with a 30–90 MeV electron beam. Bremsstrahlung photons in the target are analyzed by MCNP and in-situ photonuclear transmutation of 232Th is evaluated by using the TENDL nuclear data. In the photo-transmutation analysis, 13 nuclides including 229Th and 231Pa are modelled. Special procedures with chemical separations are also proposed to produce pure 225Ac and 227Th in separate streams. In addition, performance of the new approach is compared with conventional methods in terms of the 225Ac and 227Th yields. After a Th target is bombarded with a 500 kW electron beam for a year, yearly 225Ac yield is ~ 8.47 GBq (semi-permanently) and yearly 227Th yield is ~ 48.9 GBq over 50 years, and their yields are at least doubled in a 2-year irradiation. This work will help increase global supply of the two precious isotopes and would invariably help advance TAT-related researches and developments.

Implementation Challenges of 3D Printing in Prosthodontics: A Ranking-Type Delphi

The reduction in cost and increasing benefits of 3D printing technologies suggest the potential for printing dental prosthetics. However, although 3D printing technologies seem to be promising, their implementation in practice is complicated. To identify and rank the greatest implementation challenges of 3D printing in dental practices, the present study surveys dentists, dental technicians, and 3D printing companies using a ranking-type Delphi study. Our findings imply that a lack of knowledge is the most crucial obstacle to the implementation of 3D printing technologies. The high training effort of staff and the favoring of conventional methods, such as milling, are ranked as the second and third most relevant factors. Investment costs ranked in seventh place, whereas the lack of manufacturing facilities and the obstacle of print duration ranked below average. An inclusive implementation of additive manufacturing could be achieved primarily through the education of dentists and other staff in dental practices. In this manner, production may be managed internally, and the implementation speed may be increased.

Meta-analysis of synovial fluid polymerase chain reaction for diagnosing periprosthetic hip and knee infection

Background and objective The purpose of this study was to estimate the diagnostic performance of synovial fluid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in periprosthetic hip and knee infection, and whether synovial fluid PCR has greater diagnostic significance than conventional methods. Methods The literature databases PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science were searched for English articles describing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis by synovial fluid PCR. Articles were limited to the period between January 1990 and December 2019. Subsequently, conventional methods that were used on at least two occasions were included for further analysis. Data analysis was performed using the Meta-DiSc and Stata software. Results Eleven studies with 1360 cases were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of synovial fluid PCR were 0.70 (95% CI 0.66–0.74), 0.92 (95% CI 0.90–0.93), and 37.4 (95% CI 17.77–78.74), respectively. Conclusions Synovial fluid PCR provides an effective tool for rapid diagnosis of PJI, and also in the early stages of culture-negative bacterial infections.

Polyphenol, Flavonoid Content and Antioxidant Activity of the Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Extract Obtained by Two Different Extraction Processes

Garlic is a globally used spice due to its pungent taste and a fishy deodorant and digestive stimulator. Owing to the widespread use of garlic in both Oriental and Western medicine, further investigations on garlic extracts might carry important implications in the industry. In this study, we conducted extraction of garlic extraction by two conventional methods and an ultrasonic assisted method. The processes were optimized with respect to various quality parameters including polyphenol, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. The results showed that extracting garlic under the ultrasonic support will show higher efficiency than the non-ultrasonic extraction. The optimal extraction parameters are: 70% ethanol solvent, 10/1 solvent / material ratio, 40 °C temperature and 40 minutes time. Keywords: Allium Sativum L., Garic, Polyphenol, Flavonoid, Antioxidant

Islamic Menstrual Holistic Care Education Class for Young Women during the Covid 19 Pandemic

Physical and psychological changes that occur in adolescent girls, especially at the beginning of puberty can affect anxiety which leads to the risk of decreased body immunity. The purpose of this service is that young women can prepare for or undergo puberty and puberty safely, comfortably and can reduce the risk of anemia and decreased endurance, especially during the pandemic Covid-19. The location of the service is at the LKSA Orphanage of Nurus Syamsi Muhammadiyah, Bungkal District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java. Service activities in the form of educational classes with conventional methods, discussions. In the education class, 3 (three) different materials were given, namely 1) Puberty and Akil Baligh, 2) Myths About Menstruation, 3) Thaharoh and Practices During Menstruation. In this educational class, young women are also given blood-boosting multivitamins to prevent anemia during menstruation. After this service activity is carried out, it is hoped that there will be awareness in maintaining cleanliness and health during puberty, especially to reduce the risk of anemia in young women in orphanages during the pandemic Covid-19.

Ultrasensitive dual enhanced electrochemical immunosensor to detect ancient wool relics

The identification of ancient wool is of great significance in archaeology; however, conventional methods are unwieldy or even ineffective when testing contaminated or severely degraded ancient samples. Therefore, it is...