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Summary: Branchial arches are embryologic structures that develop between the fourth and seventh gestational week. Anomalies may form if these structures fail to develop. The majority of cases are diagnosed during childhood, with surgical excision recommended to prevent risk of infection, growth or malignancy. We report an unusual case of a 72‐year‐old man with severe cardiac comorbidities who presented with a large second branchial arch cyst extending into the oropharynx. General anaesthesia to facilitate surgical excision was deemed too risky. Therefore, we performed successful ultrasound‐guided superficial and deep cervical plexus blocks as a sole mode of anaesthesia. This case highlights how regional anaesthesia can be utilised to facilitate surgery in high‐risk patients, as well as presenting an alternative for general anaesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is focused on the intermediate mass fragments emission induced by the Kr projectile at relativistic energy in nuclear emulsion. The study of correlation between intermediate mass fragments and the total charge confined in fragments for Z ≥ 2 with different targets (such as H, CNO and AgBr) shows that there is increase in mean multiplicity of intermediate mass fragments with increase in target mass. The observed anti-correlation between the mean multiplicities of particles emitted from the target and the bound system charge (Z b) reflects the relation of the Z b to the centrality of the collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Randomised trial protocols may incorporate interim analyses, with the potential to stop the study for futility if early data show insufficient promise of a treatment benefit. Previously, we have shown that this approach will theoretically lead to mis-estimation of the treatment effect. We now wished to ascertain the importance of this phenomenon in practice.Methods: We reviewed the methods and results in a set of trials that had stopped for futility, identified through an extensive literature search. We recorded clinical areas, interventions, study design, outcomes, trial setting, sponsorship, planned and actual treatment effects, sample sizes; power; and if there was a data safety monitoring board, or a published protocol. We identified: if interim analyses were pre-specified, and how many analyses actually occurred; what pre-specified criteria might define futility; if a futility analysis formed the basis for stopping; who made the decision to stop; and the conditional power of each study, i.e. the probability of statistically significant results if the study were to continue to its complete sample size.Results: We identified 52 eligible trials, covering many clinical areas. Most trials had multiple centres, tested drugs, and 40% were industry sponsored. There were 75% where at least one interim analysis was planned a priori; a majority had only one interim analysis, typically with about half the target total sample size. A majority of trials did not pre-define a stopping rule, and a variety of reasons were given for stopping. Few studies calculated and reported low conditional power to justify the early stop. When conditional power could be calculated, it was typically low, especially under the current trend hypothesis. However, under the original design hypothesis, a few studies had relatively high conditional power. Data collection often continued after the interim analysis.Conclusions: Although other factors will typically be involved, we conclude that, from the perspective of conditional power, stopping early for futility was probably reasonable in most cases, but documentation of the basis for stopping was often missing or vague. Interpretation of truncated trials would be enhanced by improved reporting of stopping protocols, and of their actual execution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adhesives are viscoelastic polymeric materials with rate-dependent behaviour. A personal body armour for higher threat perception consists of hard ceramic facing adhesively joined to a composite laminate backing. This work focuses on the mechanical testing of two types of adhesive materials, i.e., epoxy-based and polyurethane-based by bonding dissimilar materials to understand their role in protection against ballistic impact. Block shear tests were conducted for two types of adhesive at various thicknesses of adhesives layer. Epoxy-based adhesive showed higher shear strength than polyurethanes-based adhesive. Optimal thickness for each adhesive under shear loading was also determined from these tests. Split Hopkinson pressure bar tests were conducted to understand the compressive behaviour of adhesives at higher strain rates in order to simulate the high-velocity projectile impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomethane production potential was evaluated by anaerobic co-digestion of grass silage (GS) and chicken litter (CL) in batch experiments. The aim of this study was to identify optimum enzyme treatment and co-digestion ratio for these substrates. The study is divided into trial A and trial B for enzyme treatment and co-digestion respectively. Mixed substrates were utilised in both trials which were maintained for a period of 30 days in 125 mL serum bottles at 37 °C. Preliminary batch assays in trial A for biomethane potential determination were performed using a co-digestion ratio of 2:1 (GS:CL) treated with five different concentrations of enzyme (w/v)—0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 1%. The highest specific methane yield (SMY) of 61 L CH4/kg was observed for 0.1% (w/v) enzyme treatment. Trial B assays were conducted for nine different GS:CL ratios—0:1, 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:3, 3:2, 3:1, and 2:1 respectively. Highest SMY were recorded for the ratios 1:0, 1:1 and 1:3 of GS:CL which correspond to 124 L CH4/kg, 137 L CH4/kg and 135 L CH4/kg respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the emission characteristics of single-, double- and multi-charged projectile fragments in the interaction of 8 4 Kr with nuclear emulsion in peripheral collision at relativistic energy. We have also studied the variation of the average multiplicity of multi-charged projectile fragments with respect to the mass of the projectile beam, which reveals that the average multiplicity of multiple charge fragments increases with an increase in the mass of projectile beam. The results are consistent with other experimental observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Objectives: To establish the current use of granulocyte transfusions in haematology patients and explore interest in further research. Background: Granulocytes may be used for the treatment of severe infection in neutropenic patients or for primary or secondary prophylaxis. Clinical utility of granulocyte transfusions is unclear, and recent studies have demonstrated equivocal outcomes. Pooled granulocytes are the main granulocyte product used in England and Wales, but there are no data on the patterns of use and little consensus on accepted indications. Methods: A survey was distributed to UK hospitals delivering intensive chemotherapy. Clinical scenarios were posed, with further questions on clinician experience of using granulocytes, availability of the product, barriers to use and interest in further research. Results: The response rate was 57%; 34·9% of all responses were from allogeneic stem cell transplant centres. Paediatric centres comprised 9·5% respondents, and 19% centres had access to apheresis granulocytes. Of respondents, 58·7% had used granulocytes in the last 3 years, 89·2% of whom used granulocytes to treat refractory infection. There was little consensus on use of granulocytes in the given clinical scenarios even when patients clearly met national guideline criteria. Paediatric centres were overall more likely to recommend granulocyte use. The most frequently identified barrier to use of granulocytes was lack of evidence of effect. Of the respondents, 75% indicated a willingness to participate in further research. Conclusion: There remains a lack of consistency about use of granulocytes, which is unsurprising given the lack of clinical data to support their efficacy. We did, however, demonstrate a willingness to participate in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune senescence as well as disturbed CD8+ T cell differentiation are a hallmark of chronic HIV infection. Here, we investigated to what extent immune senescence is reversible after initiation of anti-retroviral treatment (ART). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a cohort of HIV patients with different disease courses, including untreated viral controllers ( n = 10), viral non-controllers ( n = 16) and patients on ART ( n = 20), were analysed and compared to uninfected controls ( n = 25) by flow cytometry on bulk and HIV-specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I tetramer+ CD8+ T cells for expression of the memory markers CCR7 and CD45RO, as well as the senescence marker CD57 and the differentiation and survival marker CD127. Furthermore, a subset of patients was analysed longitudinally before and after initiation of ART. Frequencies of CD57+CD8+ T cells decreased after initiation of ART in central memory (Tcm) but not in effector memory T cell populations (TemRO and TemRA). The frequency of CD127+CD8+ cells increased in Tcm and TemRO. We observed a reduction of CD127- T cells in Tcm, TemRO and partially in TemRA subsets after initiation of ART. Importantly, HIV-specific CD8+ TemRO cells predominantly displayed a CD127-CD57+ phenotype in untreated HIV-patients, whereas the CD127+CD57- phenotype was under-represented in these patients. The frequency of the CD127+CD57-CD8+ T cell subpopulation correlated strongly with absolute CD4+ counts in HIV-infected patients before and after initiation of ART. These findings can be interpreted as a phenotypical correlate of CD8+ memory T cell differentiation and the premature 'ageing' of the immune system, which was even observed in successfully virally suppressed HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Socio economic status is an important determinant of health and disease in population. Various scales for measuring the same exist in modern Indian society each with it's own limitations. The present study was done to abridge the existing and latest available Aggarwal Scale. Study Design: Cross Sectional Study. Material and methods: All relevant information pertaining to Aggarwal et al scale was collected for 197 households and analyzed in SPSS 16. Data reduction was done using Factor Analysis (FA) under which Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used. Results: Four components were selected based on the criteria of Eigen value of more than one and elbowing in scree plot. All the 22 items of Aggarwal et al were divided among these 4 components. Based on factor loadings, four reduced scales were constructed. Percentage agreement of reduced scales with original scale increased as we increased the number of items in the scale. Analysis narrowed down the 22 items of Aggarwal et al scale to six items i.e. locality, education of husband/ wife, occupation of husband/ wife, family possessions, caste and monthly per capita income. These 6 items together accounted for 49% of the variation and can be taken as a surrogate measure of SES of the family. Conclusion: We have presented reduced versions of Aggarwal et al scale along with degree of agreement with the original scale. Authors propose the use of these scales to measure SES to overcome the time constraint in practicing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterozygous germline mutations in PHOX2B, a transcriptional regulator of sympathetic neuronal differentiation, predispose to diseases of the sympathetic nervous system, including neuroblastoma and congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS). Although the PHOX2B variants in CCHS largely involve expansions of the second polyalanine repeat within the C-terminus of the protein, those associated with neuroblastic tumors are nearly always frameshift and truncation mutations. To test the hypothesis that the neuroblastoma-associated variants exert their effects through loss or gain of protein-protein interactions, we performed a large-scale yeast two-hybrid screen using both wild-type (WT) and six different mutant PHOX2B proteins against over 10000 human genes. The neuronal calcium sensor protein HPCAL1 (VILIP-3) exhibited strong binding to WT PHOX2B and a CCHS-associated polyalanine expansion mutant but only weakly or not at all to neuroblastoma-associated frameshift and truncation variants. We demonstrate that both WT PHOX2B and the neuroblastoma-associated R100L missense and the CCHS-associated alanine expansion variants induce nuclear translocation of HPCAL1 in a Ca2+ - independent manner, while the neuroblastoma-associated 676delG frameshift and K155X truncation mutants impair subcellular localization of HPCAL1, causing it to remain in the cytoplasm. HPCAL1 did not appreciably influence the ability of WT PHOX2B to transactivate the DBH promoter, nor did it alter the decreased transactivation potential of PHOX2B variants in 293T cells. Abrogation of the PHOX2B-HPCAL1 interaction by shRNA knockdown of HPCAL1 in neuroblastoma cells expressing PHOX2B led to impaired neurite out growth with transcriptional profiles indicative of inhibited sympathetic neuronal differentiation. Our results suggest that certain PHOX2B variants associated with neuroblastoma pathogenesis, because of their inability to bind to key interacting proteins such as HPCAL1, may predispose to this malignancy by impeding the differentiation of immature sympathetic neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure of cellular materials, in particular microcellular polymers, is commonly characterized by the mean cell size and cell population density. Although the physical properties of foamed polymers are highly dependent on cell distribution, very insignificant work has been carried out to quantify the distribution of cells. This experimental study correlates the influential processing parameters of microcellular injection molding with the cell distribution, mean cell size and population density. For the first time, “Cell Distribution Index (CDI)”, a quantitative parameter for characterization of foams has been defined in this paper. Foamed samples of polystyrene were prepared via microcellular injection molding process. The design of experiment includes five influential processing parameters (factors) at five different levels. Molded samples were fractured cryogenically and micrographs were obtained using a table top scanning electron microscope. With the help of image processing package, mean cell size, cell population density, frequency and newly defined term CDI were calculated for each micrograph. Finally, the effect of processing parameters on cell distribution was analyzed by plotting the CDI against the processing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focuses on three-components material systems (poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and wollastonite (W)) in view of possible application a biomedical scaffold constructs. Melt extruded PLA/PCL/W composites (PLCL15, PLCLW1, PLCLW4, PLCLW8 containing 0, 1, 4, 8 phr filler respectively) are batch foamed using compressed CO2 and the porous foams are studied for in vitro biocompatibility by seeding osteoblast cells. SEM images of the unfoamed polymers show immiscibility in all compositions. Materials have been tested under compressive load using dry and wet conditions (using phosphate buffered saline at pH 7.4) for in vitro study. Contact angle measurement shows enhanced hydrophilicity in the composites changing from 80° in PLCL15 to 72° in PLCLW8. The foams are found to be microcellular (5-8 μm) in morphology showing quite uniform pore distribution in the composites. The prepared foams, when studied as scaffold constructs, show osteoblast cell attachment and proliferation over the incubation period of 7 days. As expected, PLCLW8 containing highest amount of CaSiO3 supported maximum cell growth on its surface as visible from MTT assay data and SEM scans [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights effects of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on adhesive joints of poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) fabricated with high temperature resistant epoxy adhesive and nano-adhesive, i.e., by dispersing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) into the adhesive matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demon-strates that there is an increase in thermal stability up to 15% for nano-adhesive. Substantial improvement in the surface energy of PEEK is observed after the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment. It is observed that polar component of surface energy leading to higher total surface energy of PEEK increases consid-erably. Atomic force microscopic (AFM) analysis of untreated and atmospheric plasma treated specimens was carried out to examine topography of the polymer surfaces. After atmospheric plasma treatment, surface roughness of the polymer increases which helps in improving the adhesion properties of the polymer. At-mospheric pressure plasma treatment results in significant increase in oxygen functionalities as detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The improvement in adhesion properties of polymer is correlated with lap shear strength of adhesive bonded joints. Adhesive bonded joints were fabricated by employing recently developed ultrahigh temperature resistant epoxy adhesive, DURALCO 4703. Lap shear test results show that adhesion characteristic of PEEK improves considerably after atmospheric plasma treatment. Fi-nally, the fractured surfaces of the joints were examined by scanning electron microscopy to investigate the failure mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continued expansion of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRPs) into non-specialist markets depends on the creation of high-quality products using cost-effective production techniques. The assembly of complex FRP products requires the drilling of the FRP, however, currently there tends to be substantial damage to the FRP area around the hole. A number of methodologies have been adopted to minimize this drilling-induced damage. There is a strong ambiguity regarding how the operating parameters affect the cutting forces and thus the drilling-induced damage. The present investigation focuses on the geometry of the drill point as a candidate parameter that influences the drilling-induced damage. The experimental results suggest a strong relationship between the geometry of the drill point and the drilling-induced damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Trials comparing higher vs lower levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in adults with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have been underpowered to detect small but potentially important effects on mortality or to explore subgroup differences.Objectives: To evaluate the association of higher vs lower PEEP with patient-important outcomes in adults with acute lung injury or ARDS who are receiving ventilation with low tidal volumes and to investigate whether these associations differ across prespecified subgroups.Data Sources: Search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1996-January 2010) plus a hand search of conference proceedings (2004-January 2010).Study Selection: Two reviewers independently screened articles to identify studies randomly assigning adults with acute lung injury or ARDS to treatment with higher vs lower PEEP (with low tidal volume ventilation) and also reporting mortality.Data Extraction: Data from 2299 individual patients in 3 trials were analyzed using uniform outcome definitions. Prespecified effect modifiers were tested using multivariable hierarchical regression, adjusting for important prognostic factors and clustering effects.Results: There were 374 hospital deaths in 1136 patients (32.9%) assigned to treatment with higher PEEP and 409 hospital deaths in 1163 patients (35.2%) assigned to lower PEEP (adjusted relative risk [RR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86-1.04; P = .25). Treatment effects varied with the presence or absence of ARDS, defined by a value of 200 mm Hg or less for the ratio of partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen concentration (P = .02 for interaction). In patients with ARDS (n = 1892), there were 324 hospital deaths (34.1%) in the higher PEEP group and 368 (39.1%) in the lower PEEP group (adjusted RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.81-1.00; P = .049); in patients without ARDS (n = 404), there were 50 hospital deaths (27.2%) in the higher PEEP group and 44 (19.4%) in the lower PEEP group (adjusted RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.98-1.92; P = .07). Rates of pneumothorax and vasopressor use were similar.Conclusions: Treatment with higher vs lower levels of PEEP was not associated with improved hospital survival. However, higher levels were associated with improved survival among the subgroup of patients with ARDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composite materials is a field open to a plethora of questions. Drilling-induced damage is a research area that has not been explored exhaustively. The present research endeavor is an effort to correlate drilling-induced damage with drilling parameters. Tool point geometry is considered a major factor that influences drilling-induced damage. Experiments were conducted and drilling-induced damage was quantified using the digital image processing technique. The results also reestablished the cutting speed to feed ratio as an important variable that influences drilling-induced damage. Mathematical models for thrust, torque, and damage are proposed that agree well with the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uni-directional glass fiber reinforced plastic (UD-FRP) composite materials are a feasible alternative to structural members that bear loads in only one direction. FRP composite materials have excellent properties in the direction of the fibers. Drilling- induced damage acts as an inhibitor to their application, as the holes act as stress concentration sites for failure under loading. The present study is an attempt to study the influence of drilling-induced damage on the residual tensile strength of uni-directional composite laminates and to propose a mathematical model correlating the residual strength with the drilling parameters. A finite element model (FEM) is also developed to study the drilling-induced damage in composite laminates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of parameters and an exhaustive material development and experimental procedure to determine the response variables like cutting forces, surface damage restricts the expensive experimental research. In this context, Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis can be used as a tool for the prediction of the various machining responses. A finite element analysis of the orthogonal machining of Uni-directional Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (UD-GFRP) laminates is presented in this study to understand the complex relation between fiber orientation, tool geometry, depth of cut on cutting forces and sub-surface damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary manufacturing processes such as machining is often needed to impart dimensional tolerance and assembly requirements to Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) components despite the numerous difficulties encountered. Sub-surface damages in FRP products and reduction of product life due to machining is a new challenge for the industry and academia alike. Research works are underway to design suitable cutting tools in order to minimize these problems. The present study tried to investigate the various effects of geometrical and process parameters on the machining characteristics of UD-GFRP composites. The results of the study are analyzed in terms of chip formation observation, cutting forces and sub-surface damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machining of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) components is often needed in spite of the fact that most FRP structures can be made to near net shape. The material removal mechanism of FRP is very difficult as compared with metals due to their inherent inhomogeneity and anisotropy. This results in frequent fiber pullout, delamination, matrix burning, and other damages leading to poor cut surface quality. A finite element model is proposed to quantify the material damage, which has been experimentally validated by means of nondestructive dye-penetrant testing. Good agreement is observed for laminates with fiber orientations up to 60°. Divergence is noticed for higher fiber orientations, and the discrepancies increase with increasing fiber orientation. Proper interfacial properties vis-à-vis machining of FRP materials are considered to be the main reasons for the divergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machining of fiber reinforced plastic is a process that is substantially different from metals. The inherent anisotropy in the material system makes the material removal mechanism quite complex. Drilling composite materials is necessary to ascertain the structural integrity of intricate composite products. Drilling of laminated structures results in extensive damage around the drilled hole. This study is an attempt to quantify and propose mathematical models for drilling-induced damage in terms of the cutting speed and the feed speed. Mathematical models have also been proposed for the resulting thrust force and the torque. Four different drill point geometries, namely 4-faceted, 8-faceted, parabolic, and Jodrill, are investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years it has been important for humans to control the populations of harmful insects and insecticides have been used for this purpose in agricultural and horticultural sectors. Synthetic insecticides, owing to their various side effects, have been widely replaced by biological insecticides. In this review we attempt to describe three bacterial species that are known to produce insecticidal toxins of tremendous biotechnological, agricultural, and economic importance. Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) accounts for 90% of the bioinsecticide market and it produces insecticidal toxins referred to as delta endotoxins. The other two bacteria belong to the genera Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus, which are symbiotically associated with entomopathogenic nematodes of the families Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae respectively. Whereas, Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus exist in a mutualistic association with the en-tomopathogenic nematodes, BT act alone. BT formulations are widely used in the field against insects; however, over the years there has been a gradual development of insect resistance against BT toxins. No resistance against Xenorhabdus or Photorhabdus has been reported to date. More recently BT transgenic crops have been prepared; however, there are growing concerns about the safety of these genetically modified crops. Nematodal formulations are also used in the field to curb harmful insect populations. Resistance development to entomopathogenic nematodes is unlikely due to the physical macroscopic nature of infection. Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus transgenes have not yet been prepared; but are predicted to be available in the near future. In this review we start with an overview of the synthetic insecticides and then discuss Bacillus thuringiensis, Xenorhabdus nematophilus, and Photorhabdus luminescens in greater detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight strains of Escherichia coli, isolated from patients with a urinary tract infection were investigated for production of hemolysin. Six of these produced hemolysin and one revealed maximum hemolytic activity. Three urinary and two faecal isolated were positive for mannoseresistant hemagglutination. One isolate positive for hemagglutination and giving maximum hemolytic activity was then used. Hemolysin was present in the supernatant broth and the medium of choice to obtaine the optimum yield was the alkaline meat extract broth followed by brain heart infusion broth. The highest yield appeared in the exponential phase of growth. Hemolysin is a heat-labile protein, being produced optimally at pH 8. A three-stage procedure was the best method for its purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wood Science & Technology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Wood Science & Technology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In general conformity with previous investigations, the creep strain in wood is a linear function of stress up to a certain limiting stress and non-linear above it. This confirms similar abservations made by E. G. King [6, 7], A. C. Sekhar and N. S. Bhatnagar [11], P. U. A. Grossman and R. S. T. Kingston [5] as well as by R. S. T. Kingston and L. N. Clarke [8]. The experiments reported here indicate that creep is linear below 50% stress level, However, the difference is small and may be due to any of the unmerous reasons, like difference in test conditions or difference in species. Also carions other materials, like high polymers, plastics and oven comerete, show a very similar stress-strain relationship, linear up to a certain limiting stress and non-linear above it. From fig. 3 and table 3 it may be seen that equations (1) and (2) describe the creep behaviour of wood jairly well. Such equations can be used for stress and strain analysis in problems on creep in wood; the constants of these equations can be determined from simple experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 27-year-old student who was admitted due to prolonged lethargy, weight loss and reduced exercise tolerance. The patient was found to be severely anemic due to folate deficiency. The study highlights the need of testing haematinic deficiency in such patients and also explains the benefits of using replacement therapy and vitamin B12 therapy for treating the condition.

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses a study that aimed to establish a baseline data in western Indian blood donors using a sero-survey which can be of immense value in understanding the epidemiology of HTLV-1/II infection in developing countries like India.

A case of a spontaneous pneumothorax occurring three days post-pneumonectomy is presented. Difficulties in diagnosis and management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Development of clinical practice guidelines involves making trade-offs between desirable and undesirable consequences of alternative management strategies. Although the relative value of health states to patients should provide the basis for these trade-offs, few guidelines have systematically summarized the relevant evidence. We conducted a systematic review relating to values and preferences of patients considering antithrombotic therapy.Methods: We included studies examining patient preferences for alternative approaches to antithrombotic prophylaxis and studies that examined, in the context of antithrombotic prophylaxis or treatment, how patients value alternative health states and experiences with treatment. We conducted a systematic search and compiled structured summaries of the results. Steps in the process that involved judgment were conducted in duplicate.Results: We identified 48 eligible studies. Sixteen dealt with atrial fibrillation, five with VTE, four with stroke or myocardial infarction prophylaxis, six with thrombolysis in acute stroke or myocardial infarction, and 17 with burden of antithrombotic treatment.Conclusion: Patient values and preferences regarding thromboprophylaxis treatment appear to be highly variable. Participant responses may depend on their prior experience with the treatments or health outcomes considered as well as on the methods used for preference elicitation. It should be standard for clinical practice guidelines to conduct systematic reviews of patient values and preferences in the specific content area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]