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Burns are a global public health problem with a large number of psychosocial and psychological problems that may ensue after burn injuries. One of the commonest psychological problems seen after burn injuries is depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The following paper reviews the existing literature on PTSD following burn injuries. The concept of PTSD is explained for the non-psychiatrist involved in burn rehabilitation. The various psychosocial factors that determine the causation and course of PTSD following burn injuries are discussed. PTSD following burn injuries in special populations like women, children and adolescents, intentional burns and self immolation are also discussed. The role of cultural factors in the development of PTSD are elucidated and future research needs are laid out. PTSD is a very common occurrence after burn injuries and needs a multidisciplinary team evaluation for its management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antioxidant in foods plays an important role in preventing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The seeds of Eugenia jambolana Lam also known as black plum. Traditionally they are also used to cure a number of ailments. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of alcoholic extract of Eugenia jambolana Lam dried seed powder (Myrtaceae). Jamun extract (JE) was screened for in-vitro antioxidant activities using DPPH, super oxide, Hydrogen peroxide and Ferric reducing power methods. The activity was compared with ascorbic acid. JE and ascorbic acid exhibits IC50 44.95µg/ml and 41.40µg/ml respectively in DPPH model. In Super oxide model IC50 of JE was 58.56µg/ml, whereas for ascorbic acid was 36.01µg/ml. In Scavenging of Hydrogen Peroxide model, The IC50 value of JE was 56.92µg/ml and ascorbic acid was 39.84µg/ml. The Ferric reducing antioxidant power of alcoholic extract of JE was also significant and dose dependent. In addition to antioxidant activity, the results indicated that the antioxidant property of the extract might be due to presence of tannins confirmed by HPTLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lagerstroemia flos-reginae (L) Pers. (Hindi-Jarul) belonging to Lythraceae is found throughout India, especially in Assam, Bengal and Deccan peninsula. A decoction of the leaves of L. flos-reginae in form of tea is widely used for diabetes mellitus in Philippines. Methods: The pharmacognostical investigations of leaves of L flos-reginae was done by evaluating its morphological, microscopical studies, leaf constants, phytochemical screening and various physicochemical parameters. Results: The microscopical studies revealed presence of epidermis with striated cuticle, bilayered palisade, rannanculaceous stomata, abundant calcium oxalate rosettes and prisms, fragments of bordered pitted xylem vessels and lignified pericyclic fibres in groups. Physical constants of leaf powder showed 14.23% alcohol soluble extractive value, 15.75% water soluble extractive value, 8.94% total ash, 8.65%water soluble ash, 1.94% acid insoluble ash, phytochemical analysis revealed presence of triterpenoid saponins, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, sugars and proteins. Conclusion: The above pharmacognostical and preliminary phytochemical studies will be beneficial for proper identification and authentification of leaves of L. flos-reginae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and PurposeKeratinizing desquamative squamous metaplasia (KDSM) of the upper urinary tract is a rare condition for which there is no defined management plan. A condition historically treated with extirpative surgery, conservative management would be preferable, because this is almost certainly a benign condition. We report the favorable clinical course of two cases of renal KDSM diagnosed and managed with a nephron-sparing approach, relying on ureteroscopy and serial imaging.Patients and MethodsRetrospective chart review was performed to obtain history, physical examination results, radiographic imaging, and diagnostic procedures.ResultsBoth patients were referred to our institution for evaluation of complex cystic renal masses. Both reported passing flaky material in their urine. Flexible ureteroscopy revealed waxy sediment in the collecting system, which broke up easily with manipulation and proved to be squamous keratin debris on cytologic and histologic examination. In 1 patient, we obtained a percutaneous needle biopsy as well, which revealed benign keratinizing squamous epithelium. All findings were consistent with KDSM. Each patient has since been followed conservatively with CT. In 1 case, there has been slight growth of the mass but no worrisome changes after 42 months. In the other case, there were several new renal collecting system filling defects on CT 17 months after diagnosis. Another ureteroscopy revealed the same findings as the original, with the addition of keratin debris draining out of the lesion into the rest of the kidney.ConclusionsOur two cases of KDSM confirm the feasibility of nephron-sparing management using a combination of diagnostic ureteroscopy and imaging surveillance. The duration of follow-up without adverse events suggests that the finding of renal KDSM is not necessarily an indication for extirpative surgery, and that conservative management is an appropriate option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and PurposeThere have been no large case series reporting on the success of percutaneous transparenchymal endocystolysis for obstructing parapelvic renal cysts. We report the largest series to date with 5-year outcomes.Patients and MethodsPercutaneous endocystolysis was performed in eight patients with obstructing parapelvic cysts between September 1998 and May 2002. The patients ranged in age from 52 to 79 years. Each patient underwent preoperative CT and retrograde pyelography. Postoperative follow-up, ranging from 60 to 103 months (mean 83.9 months), has included both symptomatic and radiologic assessment.ResultsThere were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. The mean operative time was 55 minutes (range 34–135 minutes). The mean decrease in the hematocrit was 2.7 (range 0.2–4.9), with no patient requiring blood transfusion. The mean hospital stay was 1.3 days (range 1–2 days). Two patients have persistent small fluid-filled cysts but no clinical or radiographic evidence of obstruction. The six remaining patients have no evidence of symptomatic or radiographic recurrence.ConclusionsPercutaneous endocystolysis is an effective minimally invasive treatment option for obstructing parapelvic cysts and is associated with excellent 5-year outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single industrial adsorbent pellets of zeolites 5A and 13X were mounted with a polymer capable of withstanding high temperatures. Adsorbents were characterized by mercury-porosimetry and low-temperature N2adsorption. Isobars of water on these adsorbents at 5 torr were measured using a gravimetric method. Micropores in the pellets were blocked with water loading. Different water loadings in the mounted single pellets were achieved by flowing water-saturated helium through the diffusion cell at different temperatures. Transport through single pellets was studied by measuring steady-state and transient responses in a Wicke−Kallenbach type system. Shift in transient responses was observed as a result of the water loading. Effective diffusivities were calculated from steady-state measurements. A “macropore, micropore, and macropore−micropore-in-series” model was used to estimate the relative contributions from each mode. Effective diffusivities were not affected by water loading in 5A pellets but were affected by water loading in 13X pellets due to increased contribution from the micropores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is found that localized solitons in the strongly coupled cigar-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), in the repulsive domain, form two distinct classes. The one without a background is an asymptotically vanishing, localized soliton, having a wave number, which has a lower bound in magnitude. Periodic soliton trains exist only in the presence of a background, where the localized soliton has a W-type density profile. This soliton is well suited for trapping of neutral atoms and is found to be stable under Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion, as well as numerical evolution. We identify an insulating phase of this system in the presence of an optical lattice. It is demonstrated that the W-type density profile can be precisely controlled through trap dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective:Pharmacologic treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) commonly includes α-blockers (ABs) and 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs). Many clinicians use ABs for rapid symptom control and 5ARIs to modify long-term disease progression. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical impact of delayed 5ARI therapy in patients treated with AB for lower urinary tract symptoms.Research design and methods:Using two nationally representative databases, two retrospective analyses were conducted including patients aged ≥50 years treated for BPH between 2000 and 2007. Clinical outcomes for those using add-on 5ARI therapy early (within 30 days of initiating AB) and late (>30 days after initiating AB) were compared. Likelihood of clinical progression, defined as the presence of acute urinary retention (AUR) and prostate surgery, was assessed over 1 year after AB initiation, and modeled as a function of the treatment cohorts and the following baseline covariates: AUR, BPH stage, Charlson Comorbidity Index, age, and number of unique diagnosis codes, unique non-BPH-related classes of prescriptions filled, and specialty care.Results:Of 6896 men included in the analyses, approximately 60 initiated 5ARI therapy within 30 days of AB therapy (the early cohort). Patients in the early cohort were less likely to have clinical progression. Each 30-day delay in starting 5ARIs resulted in an increased likelihood of overall clinical progression (average 21.1), AUR (average 18.6), and prostate-related surgery (average 26.7).Conclusions:These results suggest that delaying 5ARI therapy in men with BPH increases the risk of AUR and prostate surgery.Limitations:Confounding factors, such as symptom severity and prostate volume, may have influenced the findings of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of uranium bioremediation requires methods for monitoring the membership and activities of the subsurface microbial communities that are responsible for reduction of soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV). Here, we report a proteomics-based approach for simultaneously documenting the strain membership and microbial physiology of the dominant Geobacter community members during in situ acetate amendment of the U-contaminated Rifle, CO, aquifer. Three planktonic Geobacter-dominated samples were obtained from two wells down-gradient of acetate addition. Over 2,500 proteins from each of these samples were identified by matching liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry spectra to peptides predicted from seven isolate Geobacter genomes. Genome-specific peptides indicate early proliferation of multiple M21 and Geobacterbemidjiensis-like strains and later possible emergence of M21 and G. bemidjiensis-like strains more closely related to Geobacter lovieyi. Throughout biostimulation, the proteome is dominated by enzymes that convert acetate to acetyl-coenzyme A and pyruvate for central metabolism, while abundant peptides matching tricarboxylic acid cycle proteins and ATP synthase subunits were also detected, indicating the importance of energy generation during the period of rapid growth following the start of biostimulation. Evolving Geobacter strain composition may be linked to changes in protein abundance over the course of biostimulation and may reflect changes in metabolic functioning. Thus, metagenomics-independent community proteogenomics can be used to diagnose the status of the subsurface consortia upon which remediation biotechnology relies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of an investigation into the damage caused to dry plasmid DNA after irradiation by fast (keV) hydrogen atoms are presented. Agarose gel electrophoresis was used to assess single and double strand break yields as a function of dose in dry DNA samples deposited on a mica substrate. Damage levels were observed to increase with beam energy. Strand break yields demonstrated a considerable dependence on sample structure and the method of sample preparation. Additionally, the effect of high-Z nanoparticles on damage levels was investigated by irradiating DNA samples containing controlled amounts of gold nanoparticles. In contrast to previous (photonic) studies, no enhancement of strand break yields was observed with the particles showing a slight radioprotective effect. A model of DNA damage as a function of dose has been constructed in terms of the probability for the creation of single and double strand breaks, per unit ion flux. This model provides quantitative conclusions about the effects of both gold nanoparticles and the different buffers used in performing the assays and, in addition, infers the proportion of multiply damaged fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many recent investigations have confirmed the presence of surface barriers in a variety of zeolites. These surface barriers can have a significant effect on the overall rates of mass transfer and have the potential to significantly reduce the effectiveness of zeolites in industrial applications. In this study, the strength of the surface barrier was manipulated in a well-defined way and correlated with the rate of isobutane uptake. Silicalite-1 crystals were synthesized and were surface treated with trimethyl-, triethyl- and tripropylchlorosilanes. It was hypothesized that with the increasing size of the alkyl group the pore windows would be increasingly blocked, thereby effectively decreasing the pore size and increasing the surface barriers. The rates of adsorption and desorption of isobutane in untreated and treated samples were monitored by infrared microscopy. For differential pressure steps, adsorption and desorption responses were mirror images of one another. For large pressure steps, the rate of adsorption was much higher than that of desorption, indicating a significant variation of intracrystalline diffusivity with loading. The adsorption/desorption curves were analyzed considering (1) the presence of only intracrystalline diffusion and (2) surface barrier followed by intracrystalline diffusion. The measured rates of adsorption/desorption were significantly lower for the surface treated samples when compared with those for the untreated samples. Moreover, the strength of the surface resistance increased with the size of the alkyl group in chlorosilanes used for surface treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]